SJIN: Chapter 23

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Within Konoha Ninja Village.

Mizuno was unusually called out today.

Hatake Sakumo smiled and pulled Mizuno along. "Come on, come on, I'll take you to eat ramen. There's a new ramen master in the village called Ichiraku, and his ramen is delicious."

Hatake Sakumo had rarely returned to Konoha. In a way, Mizuno and he were already friends, and it was rare to see him, so Mizuno didn't refuse.

Besides, as a transmigrator, who could resist Ichiraku ramen?

Soon, at the ramen shop, with Sakumo's accompaniment, two steaming bowls of ramen were brought out.

"It's good, isn't it?" Sakumo asked with a smile, watching Mizuno take his first bite.

Mizuno nodded. "It truly lives up to its reputation."

He looked at the still very young Ichiraku and couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

'This is what a master craftsman is all about. By Naruto's time, he must have been making ramen for years.'

"Speaking of which, why are you back in Konoha?" Mizuno asked.

Hatake Sakumo had been working at the Daimyo's mansion for a while. The first batch of Twelve Guardian Ninja were exceptionally skilled, and Sakumo was a standout among them. He certainly wouldn't have much free time.

Sakumo smiled slightly. "I'm here to take care of a little matter. I'm getting married."

Mizuno's mind instantly flashed with Kakashi's image.

"Oh? Congratulations. I can't believe you're getting married so soon. You call this a little matter? Who is it?"

Sakumo, for once, showed a hint of shyness. "The Daimyo introduced her to me. You'll meet her."

Mizuno quickly nodded. This was indeed good news.

"Have you told everyone else?" he asked.

Sakumo said, "I've told everyone at the Daimyo's place, including the Twelve Guardian Ninja. I haven't told anyone here yet. You're the first."

Mizuno was a little silent. He didn't know if he was overthinking it, but he felt like Sakumo's thoughts were leaning towards the Daimyo.

In the original story, Asuma said that later, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had internal conflicts over the "Jade" issue. Perhaps this was one of the roots.

"Ugh, really," Sakumo said, shaking his chopsticks. "Why is Dan taking so long?"

Mizuno was startled. "You mean Kato Dan? He's back too?"

When Hatake Sakumo was looking for members for the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Sarutobi had blocked him on the number of spots. He didn't get all the elite Jōnin. Sakumo had actually picked two people directly from the newly graduated genin. Kato Dan was one of them.

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Yeah, this kid also took a leave of absence from the Daimyo with me. He said he wanted to come back and see his little girlfriend."

Kato Dan's little girlfriend, that would naturally be Tsunade.

Mizuno suddenly felt a sense of time passing.

It hadn't even been a year since the Second Hokage passed away, and it felt like time had been pulled forward quite a bit.

As they were talking, Kato Dan rushed into their view.

"Sakumo-sama, Mizuno-sama, I'm sorry I'm late." He said as he sat down.

Hatake Sakumo called out to Ichiraku to bring him a glass of water. "What happened? Why are you so late?"

Kato Dan took the glass of water and quickly drank it down. He took a few deep breaths. "I'm truly sorry. Tsunade is really busy. I waited until now, and I still haven't seen her. I was thinking about our appointment with you two, so I rushed over."

This piqued Mizuno's interest. "What happened? What's Tsunade so busy with?"

Tsunade had just graduated from the Ninja Academy not long ago. She was still a genin. Even if she was exceptionally talented, she was at most a chūnin. And it was a time of peace. What could she be busy with?

However, Kato Dan's next words made both Hatake Sakumo and Mizuno drop their jaws.

"I heard there's a problem with the medical department. Yesterday, Uchiha Kagami-sama seems to have been ambushed and poisoned. The medical department is currently at a loss. Two people have already died. Tsunade is helping too."

As soon as he said this, Hatake Sakumo stood up, his eyes wide. "What are you saying?"

Mizuno also quickly stood up. "Let's go, let's go check it out."

...

...

Inside Konoha Ninja Village's medical department.

Outside the surgery ward, there were layers upon layers of people.

When Mizuno and Sakumo arrived, the Uchiha clan and the Inuzuka clan had just left.

Clan head Uchiha Yun Tai, frail and old, walked slowly out of the medical department with a few Uchiha clan guards, sighing as he went.

"Kagami is a talent of our Uchiha clan. He can't die like this without a clear reason. I need to go find the Hokage..."

Next to him were a few ANBU ninjas and some medical nurses. Surprisingly, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were also there.

Mizuno pushed past the ANBU in front of him and saw Danzo sitting with his head bowed.

"What happened?" Mizuno asked.

Danzo looked up, tears in his eyes. "Kagami's team was ambushed."

"What mission?" Mizuno asked.

Danzo shook his head. "I don't know the details. There were four people in the team, and three came back. They were all poisoned. None of Konoha's antidotes worked. One died not long after."

Poisoned?

Mizuno and Hatake Sakumo simultaneously thought of a couple.

Hatake Sakumo's eyes widened, and he said in a trembling voice. "Rasa... could it be Rasa and Karura?"

As soon as he said this, his whole body started to tremble uncontrollably, his hands clenched tightly.

The sight of Akimichi's death was still vivid in his mind. Hatake Sakumo had sworn to avenge him. Now, before he could avenge him, Uchiha Kagami had suffered this. The flames of hatred instantly flared in Hatake Sakumo's eyes.

Danzo shook his head. "The situation is unclear right now. No one knows. Since yesterday, only Uchiha Kagami and Inuzuka Kaede have been receiving intensive care. News just came from the intensive care unit. Inuzuka Kaede... is gone. The family just took his body."

Mizuno thought of the heartbroken Inuzuka clan and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

In the original story, Uchiha Kagami died at the age of twenty-five. Could it be that he couldn't escape this fate?

He had already used soul amplification to boost Uchiha Kagami's strength. Could Uchiha Kagami, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, still not change his fate?

He really didn't want to believe it.

Mizuno walked to the window and looked down with a furrowed brow.

Suddenly, a black figure caught his eye.

He had never seen this man before.

The man was wearing a black robe, large and mysterious. He had fair skin, almost sickly, long hands, and a cold aura. Mizuno didn't recognize him, but he had a sense of familiarity.

On the other side, Kato Dan approached the other side of the ward and whispered to Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

These three were still genin in Konoha. They were also very good friends, especially Kato Dan and Orochimaru, who were almost like soulmates. All three were very worried about Tsunade, so they had a lot to talk about.

They also knew that it wasn't appropriate to be too loud in this situation, so they all moved to a quieter corner, near the window.

Suddenly, Kato Dan pointed downstairs and shouted.

"Orochimaru, look, isn't that your father back?"

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