Good Child
"They're all ciphertexts. Take them back to the Cipher Division for decoding."
Lin Ke glanced at the various messy experimental notes and the computers—
There were actually computers in this base, and four of them were lined up side by side.
He couldn't understand the data and characters on them at all. Since the Naruto World didn't have any universal computer protocols, whether it was the computers in the Death Forest tower or those in Orochimaru's lab, they might even have their own operating systems. Apart from Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto, no one else would probably understand them.
So he adopted the simplest approach, having Uchiha Fugaku seal all the potentially valuable information into scrolls to be handed over to the Cipher Division back in Konoha.
He wasn't fighting alone. There were plenty of things he didn't understand, and for things he wasn't good at, he'd just find someone in the village who was.
As for questioning Yakushi Kabuto, he probably wouldn't get any useful information.
Lin Ke still doubted how much of what he'd heard earlier was true and whether he'd been misled.
A person who had been a spy since childhood, lies were this guy's specialty.
Moreover, Yakushi Kabuto wasn't like Uchiha Sasuke. Even if he found Yakushi Nono, he couldn't pull him out of the void—
His problem was emptiness and resentment. The emptiness stemmed from not knowing who he was, and the resentment was simply directed at Konoha, just like in the manga when he shouted, "What has Konoha ever given him?"
The bond with Yakushi Nono was destroyed, and the bond with Orochimaru came from exploitation and his heartfelt admiration. Neither of these could alleviate the emptiness in his heart.
Having personally killed Yakushi Nono and possessing the Impure World Reincarnation, he hadn't even tried to summon her to ask. Ordinary methods couldn't solve his inner knot at all.
Yakushi Kabuto was too smart. Smart people often get stuck in a dead end and can't get out.
Anyway, Danzo could take the blame.
While the Rashomon still had some time left, Lin Ke had Maki, who had just finished cleaning up the mess, open the prison cells.
He observed Yakushi Kabuto's expression. This guy didn't seem to have any emotional fluctuations about the theft of the experimental data or the release of the experimental subjects in the base.
It was as if he didn't care about anything.
Of course, it could also be that he simply couldn't see through the mind of a seasoned old spy.
"Thank you, Uncle Fugaku."
Lin Ke thanked him sincerely. Unlike those he used with benefits, the middle-aged Uchiha in front of him was genuinely helping out of obligation and was an excellent meat shield willing to protect him with his life.
Uchiha Fugaku smiled and nodded, reminding him, "Orochimaru is a very dangerous monster. Be careful."
"Summon me anytime if anything happens." He opened his Sharingan, and only after exchanging glances with Yakushi Kabuto did he close his Sharingan with a slightly tired expression.
Before that, he had single-handedly dealt with all the grunts in the entire base.
"I left a Sharingan-Genjutsu on him. It will trigger when he tries to escape. Don't show any mercy then."
His tone was gentle. In the eyes of this elder, Lin Ke, who could warm his son Sasuke into such a good person, was simply a kind and pure good child.
He couldn't let a good child suffer.
Lin Ke nodded, watching Uchiha Fugaku being grabbed back by an invisible, illusory hand that pierced through the wall.
What exactly are the hands coming out of Rashomon? They don't seem to have any distance limitations, and the souls that come out don't have any ability to resist...
"Let's go. Don't do anything rash, or I'll kill you directly."
Lin Ke, carrying a large scroll that was taller than him, stood behind and warned, letting the shadow escort Yakushi Kabuto forward.
The reason he didn't kill him was simply because experienced and powerful ninjas would have measures to protect the information in their brains, and it was even more likely that someone following Orochimaru would have such measures.
The best way to obtain information from the enemy's mind was to capture a prisoner, followed by obtaining the corpse or snatching the head.
It hadn't reached the point where he had to kill the prisoner yet.
He's really cautious. He's being closely guarded, there's the Sharingan Genjutsu, and this thing...
Yakushi Kabuto followed the shadow in front of him slowly, glancing at the semi-transparent scalpels stuck in his arms.
This technique can cut through Chakra. Inserting them into the meridians in the body can affect the flow of Chakra.
Lin Ke returned to the hotel with Yakushi Kabuto in the middle of the night, and signaled the village for help outside the town—
It was impossible to carry a prisoner around while continuing the mission. Not only was it a burden, but it might also interfere with the mission.
He would never do things alone. Now that he had caught a wanted rogue ninja and discovered Orochimaru's base and operations, requesting support was perfectly justified.
--Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
"How much do you know about the Land of Rivers situation?"
The Third Hokage looked at the two advisors, his calm expression hiding his weariness.
His prestige and the strength he displayed during the Chunin Exams might have temporarily secured his position, but it was clear that both within the village and among the Land of Fire's higher-ups, other ideas were brewing.
Dangerous ideas.
The Land of Rivers incident was a repeat of what happened in the Land of Woods. Danzo's people went to a small country to incite war, staining their hands with the blood of innocents to benefit the village.
Even now, the Hannya Group from the Land of Woods still roamed the Land of Fire, waiting for an opportunity to retaliate against Konoha Village's leaders. This was an unquenchable hatred.
He couldn't bring himself to do such things, but he couldn't refute or stop them after they had already happened—
Those missions allowed the village to prosper.
As someone who benefited from them, he had no right to feign innocence.
Just as he never considered himself innocent in the Uchiha clan's extermination. Even though he had always hoped for a peaceful resolution, he couldn't change anything in the end.
"We will keep an eye on Danzo," Mitokado Homura said proactively.
The implication was that they both knew about and condoned the events beforehand, but they didn't support Danzo using the situation to covet a higher position.
The village did need a pair of white gloves.
Utatane Koharu didn't criticize the Hokage's thoughts. After so many years, she understood Hiruzen well. She simply said, "You shouldn't have given that mission to Lin Ke."
"Danzo is eager to approach and win over that child, and the Shukaku's Jinchuriki..."
"We have met with the new Daimyo," Mitokado Homura interjected. "He is willing to support Jiraiya or Tsunade as the next Hokage."
"In exchange, we must not continue to interfere in the Land of Rivers."
The Third Hokage remained silent. What else could he say? Even if he wanted to be more assertive, things kept veering off course.
Two years... He thought of the time he had promised Jiraiya, but in the end, he said nothing.
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