Chapter 153 Another Little Black Mouse

Across the undulating rooftops of Konoha Village, a figure glowing with a pale cyan aura flashed forward at near-teleportation speed, vanishing and reappearing in rapid succession.

With each flash, the figure materialized on a different rooftop, moving continuously from distance to proximity, and then away again.

This figure was none other than Kato Yufeng, who had just departed from the Konoha Hospital and was now traveling at full speed toward the hideout of Shimura Danzo.

"Thud!"

Mid-flight, Kato Yufeng paused atop one of the highest buildings in the vicinity. It was not because he had reached his destination, but rather because he had spotted a familiar figure down in the street below—an old acquaintance he had encountered at the Hokage's Mansion not long ago, Uchiha Yashiro.

After coming to a halt, Kato Yufeng casually cast a soul-concealment technique to cloak his presence, standing quietly atop the high roof to observe Uchiha Yashiro patrolling the street below.

Yashiro was currently questioning an out-of-towner alongside another Uchiha clan member.

At this moment, Yashiro appeared in much better shape than he had back at the Hokage's Mansion, with his outward appearance showing no obvious anomalies to the casual observer.

However, in Kato Yufeng's eyes—especially under the vision of his soul perception—Yashiro's true condition was far from fine.

Although Yashiro was disguising it well on the surface, the dense negative emotional and spiritual fluctuations radiating from him still surprised Kato Yufeng slightly.

Calculating the time in his mind, Kato Yufeng decided to let Shimura Danzo wait a little longer. He intended to observe this "little black experimental mouse" down below first.

After lingering on the rooftop for a closer look, Kato Yufeng noticed even more subtle details about Yashiro.

For instance, the cold sweat continuously dripping down his face, his brow furrowing from time to time, and his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably...

All these details indicated that Yashiro's physical condition was truly poor, and he was likely enduring immense pain.

Yet among these details, there was still no sign of what Kato Yufeng wanted to see most.

*Hasn't awakened yet? Is the stimulus still not enough?*

Kato Yufeng thought to himself, then sensed the lingering trace of power he had left within Yashiro's eyes, and decided to feed his "experimental mouse" a little extra fodder.

Performing a set of hand seals, a strand of stealthy soul energy detached from Kato Yufeng and swiftly drifted toward Yashiro below.

With that done, Kato Yufeng cast one final glance at Yashiro from the rooftop, lingering no longer. Channeling the chakra within him to execute the Wind-Light Technique, he vanished in an instant.

This time, his flash was even faster and more covert. Forget the pale cyan glow; not even a sliver of his silhouette was exposed, as if he had never paused on that rooftop at all.

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After Kato Yufeng's figure disappeared from the high rooftop, down on the street, the Uchiha clan member was saying to the outsider: "Alright, pay attention next time. Don't go wandering around Konoha Village suspiciously! You can go."

The traveler replied, "Yes, thank you, Ninja-大人. Um, Ninja-大人, may I ask one more question?"

The Uchiha clansman said, "If you have something to say, spit it out. Don't hesitate. This is Konoha Village, the safest place in the ninja world."

The outsider awkwardly asked, "Where can I find that place—the Green Hot Spring? I looked all over Konoha's commercial district and couldn't find it. I'm a hardcore fan of *Make-Out Tactics II*, and I came all the way here from out of town specifically to find the Green Hot Spring mentioned in the book."

Pointing toward the direction of the Hokage Monument, the Uchiha clansman gave directions to the hapless traveler: "See those giant statues over there? Go that way and you'll find the shop you're talking about. The green sign is very conspicuous."

"Thank you, Ninja-大人. And thank you too, Ninja... uh!"

After expressing his gratitude, the unlucky out-of-towner had intended to thank the Uchiha clansman standing beside him as well. However, when he turned and caught sight of Yashiro's eyes, he was startled right out of his wits.

Blood-red eyes. Before he could even finish his sentence, the unfortunate passerby bolted away in a flurry of dust, terrified out of his mind.

"Yashiro? Your Sharingan? Is your body really alright? You don't look well at all."

As soon as the traveler fled in terror, the other Uchiha clansman finally noticed the abnormal state of his companion.

At this moment, Yashiro looked far worse than he had when Kato Yufeng was watching him earlier, completely unable to maintain the facade of normalcy he had forced moments before.

Cold sweat, furrowed brows, trembling hands and feet were one thing, but the three-tomoe Sharingan in Yashiro's eyes had now manifested uncontrollably. The six jet-black tomoe within his eyes were spinning rapidly, and the speed was accelerating by the second.

The soul energy left behind by Kato Yufeng just before he vanished was finally taking effect.

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Ever since his conflict with Kato Yufeng at the Hokage's Mansion, Yashiro had sensed anomalies in his Sharingan. Much like the previous few times his Sharingan's pupil power had increased, wave after wave of inexplicable pain continuously stimulated his eyes.

After hastily paying his respects to the Third Hokage, Yashiro had rushed back to his post at the Konoha Military Police Force, even deliberately requesting to go out on street patrol with his clansmen.

It wasn't that Yashiro enjoyed patrolling the streets; rather, he wanted to use the patrol to distract himself. His eyes hurt so terribly, yet he refused to pass out the way he had at the Hokage's Mansion.

Yashiro wanted to remember the pain Kato Yufeng had inflicted upon him, wanted to nurture the seed of hatred, and wanted to clearly experience the evolutionary process of his own Sharingan.

He believed that after his conflict with Kato Yufeng, stung by the humiliation of failing to act as a devoted subordinate, his three-tomoe Sharingan had begun to evolve. He convinced himself that the agony blooming in his eyes was merely the necessary suffering and torment preceding the evolution of the Sharingan.

Hearing his companion's words of concern, Yashiro stammered in reply, "I... I'm fine!"

"Are you really fine? Your Sharingan?" His companion asked with concern, staring at the Sharingan visible on Yashiro's face.

"My Sharingan? It's great, simply great. I've never felt better..."

Yashiro's voice cut off abruptly mid-sentence. Unable to endure the agonizing pain in his eyes any longer, he once again closed and opened his eyelids just as he had at the Hokage's Mansion, and collapsed unconscious to the ground.

"Yashiro? Uchiha Yashiro? Wake up! Wake up!"

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Author's Note: Seeking subscriptions.