LRAB Page 99
Page 99
Inside the offices of the central tower.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, looking out the window at the dense, gloomy forest in the distance.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the Death Forest bathed in the morning sun, his expression complex and filled with emotion.
"I never thought that my two old buddies would team up again."
Not far behind Hiruzen Sarutobi was none other than Danzo Shimura.
Upon hearing Sarutobi's words, Danzo first snorted coldly and said with dissatisfaction, "Your information had better be true! Otherwise, I will not let your arbitrary behavior go so easily!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't angry when he heard this. He took a deep drag on his pipe, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and said in a deep voice, "Hmph... I wish that information was false."
"Ok?"
Danzo's eyes flickered slightly. He stepped forward, staring at the dark and indistinct forest outside the window, and slowly spoke, "How did you obtain such important information? Why didn't I receive a single whisper of it?"
Sarutobi didn't answer immediately, but turned and glanced at Danzo, saying meaningfully, "Danzo! In Konoha, nothing can escape my eyes."
Upon hearing this, Danzo's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart sank.
What does Hiruzen mean by that?!
He was furious, and his face immediately darkened.
Damn it! Where did this intelligence come from?
Danzo didn't believe that even the Root organization hadn't found a single clue. He thought that Hiruzen Sarutobi's bunch of useless ANBU could find anything!
Just as the atmosphere between the two was tense, footsteps came from outside the office door.
The next second, Jiraiya led Kakashi in quickly.
Upon hearing the sound, Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze from the window, turned his head and saw Jiraiya. His expression softened slightly, and he cast an inquiring look at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya and Kakashi exchanged a glance and silently shook their heads.
A hint of disappointment flashed across the Third Hokage's eyes, but he said nothing more. He simply put the pipe back to his lips and took a deep drag.
This time, the smoke slowly exhaled from the pipe was much thicker than before.
……
The day flies by.
As dusk fell, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a blood-red glow over the Death Forest.
Most of the surviving squads who passed the test are now gathered inside the central tower for a temporary rest.
On this day, Naruto and Sasuke also spent a fulfilling training session near the tower.
As night deepened, Naruto lay on his soft bed, feeling utterly exhausted, and soon drifted off to sleep.
In the blink of an eye, the three of them returned to the audience seats.
Just then, a strange fluctuation suddenly appeared in the dark audience seats.
Naruto and Sasuke looked up at the same time and saw a blurry figure that had appeared in the dimly lit seats in the distance.
The man was wearing a strange tiger-skin patterned mask.
Naruto and Sasuke recognized each other at a glance.
It was the mysterious masked man who had appeared in my dreams many times before!
Sasuke's pupils contracted, and anger instantly welled up within him.
He jumped to his feet, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his voice filled with suppressed, burning rage: "Bastard... how dare you show your face again!"
Naruto also stood up abruptly. He and Sasuke stood side by side, staring intently at the newcomer, their muscles tense as if facing a formidable enemy.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
Obito didn't take the two boys' hostility seriously.
He simply sat in his chair, tilted his head slightly, and glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, his expression obscured by the dark mask.
Obito casually put his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and leaned back lazily in his chair, as if he were at home.
After finding a comfortable position to sit down, he ignored Naruto and the others and calmly waited for the screen to light up.
This nonchalant attitude undoubtedly further enraged Naruto and Sasuke.
Sasuke's expression was uncertain as he stared intently at the masked man, his mind flashing back to his previous encounter with him in his dream.
Last time, when he claimed to be the ancestor of the Uchiha clan, the right eye he revealed was indeed a Sharingan.
He must be a member of the Uchiha clan.
Upon realizing this, Sasuke could no longer suppress his questions and anger. He took a step forward, pointed at the masked man, and demanded sharply, "Since you are also a member of the Uchiha clan, why did you attack the Uchiha clan?!"
When Obito heard Sasuke's question, he paused almost imperceptibly.
He turned his neck and looked at the furious Sasuke, his expression behind the mask seeming somewhat surprised.
'Oh? Does this brat know something?'
A hint of doubt arose in Obito's mind. 'The details of the Uchiha clan massacre should only be known to Itachi and me. How did he learn about it?'
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Obito have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
Obito shrugged: "You can't blame me for that. It was your brother who personally invited me to join in!"
"Impossible! You're talking nonsense!" Sasuke's eyes were red, and his reason was instantly swallowed up by anger.
He suddenly roared, "How could Nissan do such a thing?! You damned bastard, stop spouting nonsense!"
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
The masked man looked at the distraught Sasuke, and his brows furrowed behind the mask.
"Kid, isn't it good to be alive?"
Chapter 103 Young Obito Sees Young Runtu
"you--!"
Sasuke was furious and made to rush over and fight the other party to the death.
At the critical moment, a hand suddenly pressed firmly on Sasuke's shoulder from the side.
Sasuke turned around angrily, only to be met with Naruto's equally gloomy face.
Naruto stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sasuke, and stared directly at the masked man, sneering, "How can you believe a guy like that? He's definitely just trying to sow discord again!"
As Zuo Ji's intelligence gradually returned, he took a deep breath and calmed down.
But his eyes remained fixed on the masked man in front of him: "Hmph, you just wait! We won't let you get away with this!"
Obito, upon hearing this, merely let out a disdainful sneer: "Two newly graduated genin, quite the big talkers."
……
Just as tensions were about to rise, the huge black screen in front of them suddenly trembled slightly and lit up with a faint light!
The first thing that appears on the screen is a familiar bedroom.
The bedroom was simply furnished. A silver-haired boy sat up from the single bed and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
Kakashi opened his eyes in his dream and stared blankly at the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.
He looked down at his tender hands and short stature, and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
I realize I'm still just a child at heart.
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
Kakashi shook his head, slowly got out of bed, and felt a mix of emotions.
Although he also longed to see his father, the more pressing task at hand was to investigate the mysterious masked man.
Unfortunately, he had no choice in which dream he would enter!
With mixed feelings, Kakashi pushed open the door and walked out of the bedroom.
A ray of morning light streamed through the window into the living room.
"Kakashi, wake up?" a gentle male voice rang out.
Kakashi looked in the direction of the sound and saw his father, Hatake Sakumo, squatting in the entryway, putting on leg wraps, preparing to go out.
Hearing the noise behind him, Sakumo stopped what he was doing, turned around and smiled at his son: "Good morning, Kakashi."
Sakumo Hatake laughed as he got up and walked over, reaching out to ruffle Kakashi's messy silver hair. "I never thought that at my age, I wouldn't see things as clearly as you kids!"
Kakashi felt a slight tingling in his nose, forced a smile, and said softly, "Good morning, Father."
Shuo Mao nodded with satisfaction.
He turned to the side and pointed towards the dining table: "There's breakfast on the table, eat it while it's hot. Remember to hurry to school after you finish, don't be late."
Kakashi smelled the long-lost aroma of rice balls, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
How long has it been since he had such a simple yet heartwarming breakfast since his father passed away?
"Yes, I will." Kakashi nodded solemnly.
Shuo Mao reached out and opened the door: "I really have a mission to carry out outside the village today, so I won't be back for lunch."
At this point, he couldn't help but turn back and add, "Kakashi, take good care of yourself."
Before parting, Sakumo turned back and waved, smiling broadly as he said, "Don't worry!"
The wooden door closed, shutting out the light of the rising sun outside.
Kakashi stood there, staring blankly at the doorway for a long time.
At this moment, he was overwhelmed with emotions.
The smile on my father's face was so real and vivid, completely different from the painful and desperate figure in my dream last night.
My father seems to be completely fine now...
Kakashi slowly exhaled, finally feeling a weight lifted from his heart after a long period of anxiety.