Chapter 226. There is a Tree in Front of My House
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The Fourth Hokage was spotted taking his student on a night trip to the red-light district by a passerby.
This…
It's actually true?!
Hyuga Hanabi felt like all the composure and manners she had developed over the years under her father's teachings were about to collapse.
She genuinely didn't know how to react anymore!
Even though part of her was curious and gossipy, she ultimately sighed, hesitated for a moment, and quickly deleted the four characters for "Fourth Hokage" that she had typed out. She decided to forget about what had just happened.
[It's all fake! This is an illusion! It's not real! None of it is real!]
But still—
Why would the Fourth Hokage-sama become like this in this illusion?
Her mind was now flooded with even more questions.
[Since I didn't get… any… useful… information from the Fourth Hokage-sama, maybe I should try searching for the Third Hokage-sama instead?]
Hyuga Hanabi furrowed her brows and stared at the search bar again.
Even though this world was full of surprises… the fact that the Third Hokage was actually making movies was shocking. But regardless, the Third Hokage-sama was still the Third Hokage-sama. Minato-sama succeeded him as the Fourth Hokage during the latter part of the Third Ninja World War, so… maybe she could start investigating from before the Third Ninja World War?
After all—
This world is way too bizarre!
The Sixth Hokage became the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Uchiha Obito became a hero of Konoha (somehow known as "Konoha's Ass-aulter"—for reasons unknown), and the Fourth Hokage got reported for staying overnight in the red-light district…
Is this really a tragedy-free, hope-filled illusion world?
At this point, she didn't even know where to begin with the complaints.
After hesitating for a moment, she still decided to type "Third Hokage…" into the search bar.
However—
Before she could even finish typing—
Hanabi's mouth twitched, and her eyelids started twitching uncontrollably. Her white Byakugan eyes were fixed dead on the screen.
[Third Hokage embezzled public funds…]
What the hell is this now?!
She fell silent.
Without saying a word, she erased "Third Hokage" from the search bar with a blank expression. Then, she typed "Mitokado Homura" into the search bar…
[Did Konoha Advisor Mitokado Homura really engage in bribery and corruption?]
"…"
This Konoha…
How could it even exist?!
The Third Hokage embezzled public funds. Konoha's advisors were accepting bribes?! Just how corrupt are the higher-ups in Konoha?!
Hanabi's gaze became complicated as she stared at the screen. Even her hands, still resting on the keyboard, started trembling—
She didn't dare to keep searching.
This illusion—
Poisonous!
Is this the reason why the Third Hokage-sama and the others had gone into business?
This is terrifying!
Meanwhile—
Yuto was still chatting with Suzune nearby. Danzo's new movie was almost finished. They had already started advertising it in various places, and apparently, the response was pretty good—especially since Danzo's yet-to-open cinema chain seemed to have attracted the curiosity of many people.
As for their own movie… it was still progressing steadily and would likely be completed in the near future.
As for the village itself… not much was happening—except for the ongoing chaos within the Hyuga clan following the death of Hyuga Munemasa and the loss of a significant business contract.
Apparently, many elders had already jointly petitioned the Clan Leader, demanding that he send ninjas to investigate the assassin and retrieve the missing contract. After all, the contract was worth 125 million ryo!
If the contract wasn't recovered, they hoped the Clan Leader would compensate them for the loss. Since, in their view, this was a loss incurred for the sake of the clan.
To this—
The Hyuga Clan Leader naturally refused!
You lost money from your own bad investments, and now you expect the clan to cover it?!
We're not talking about 10 million or 20 million—it's 125 million!
Do you know how many ninjas you could train with one-tenth of that?!
Keep dreaming.
As a result, the entire Hyuga clan was in turmoil. The Clan Leader and Elder Hana were both incredibly frustrated. But since so many elders were pressuring them at once, it wasn't something the Clan Leader could just ignore.
From Suzune's small complaints, Yuto had already pieced together what was happening. She often mentioned that the atmosphere within the clan was terrible every time she went back. People were even blaming her for the situation—
After all, the Mahjong Tournament had been organized by Minato and him. And Suzune… was his secretary. It was inevitable that people would hold her responsible.
Yuto shook his head helplessly. Even though Suzune hadn't directly explained the situation, he had basically figured it out. Letting out a long sigh, he murmured to himself, "This is all about money!"
Not like him.
Uchiha Yuto—
Never cared about money.
"If that's the case…"
His gaze sharpened slightly, and the corner of his mouth curled upwards as if he had thought of something.
Just then—
Ding Ding!
[I'm watching over the house, and nothing's happening at Yuto Group. Honoka was praised by her teacher a few days ago—said she's very talented at learning. I'll take care of her. As for the movie… it should be ready in a while. Lady Fourth Hokage also said the Nine-Tails is very satisfied, so don't worry.]
Yuto paused for a moment, then typed a reply: [Sorry for the trouble.]
After that—
He turned his head to look at Hyuga Hanabi, who had suddenly gone still—
Her expression was completely blank as she gripped the mouse. She was staring at the screen without moving—
Her eyes were completely dead.
That was the look of despair.
But the search bar was empty now, so Yuto couldn't tell what had happened. After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously asked, "What's… wrong with you?"
As the words fell—
Hyuga Hanabi snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at Yuto beside her, offering a slight smile. However, her smile lacked the grace and elegance of the Hyuga Clan Leader's smile—it carried a trace of bitterness.
This…
What exactly did she just see?
Yuto's mouth twitched as he looked at Hanabi's Byakugan, which seemed even whiter than before—
Dull and lifeless!
"It's nothing, but thanks for your concern." Hanabi shook her head. "It's just…" She paused. "I'm a bit surprised, that's all."
"Surprised about what?"
"…This computer is pretty nice."
"…" Yuto's eyelids twitched. Then, pretending to be shocked, he said, "Aren't you a Hyuga clan ninja? Haven't you ever used a computer in Konoha?"
"I… rarely go out. I've always been on missions." Hanabi smiled faintly, but her guard was up internally.
After all—
Her eyes were far too conspicuous.
[If I'm going to Konoha, I'll need to prepare properly.]
If there was no way around it, she could always explain things. After all, this was just an illusion—even if someone figured out who she was, it wouldn't affect the real world.
But still—
The Fourth Hokage staying overnight in the red-light district with his student and getting reported, the Third Hokage being forced to step down over alleged embezzlement, and Mitokado Homura under investigation for bribery and corruption…
Both the Fourth and Third Hokage-sama were no longer the Hokage figures she once knew. If she spoke up about it… what if reality didn't match her expectations?
[Better to wait and see first.]
With that thought—
She sighed helplessly, shook her head, and said nothing more.
"You look troubled." Yuto smiled slightly as he gazed at the conflicted Hanabi. "I don't know what you're thinking about, but if you can't figure it out right now, just set it aside for now. Let yourself relax a bit. If it's too much… why not watch a movie to unwind? You can watch it right on the computer!"
Of course, the movie fee would be extra. If the network fee wasn't enough, the network admin would personally come to collect it.
As the words fell—
Hanabi's eyes widened slightly.
[Movie?!]
She was familiar with movies—there were already some in the real Ninja World.
But…
Thinking of the movie made by the Third Hokage and the others, her heart tightened again. After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly looked at Yuto with a serious expression.
"When the leaves fall—"
Before she could finish—
"—fire will continue to burn." Yuto responded with equal seriousness. "The flames will continue to illuminate the village and nurture the new leaves to grow."
"Is the Will of Fire still alive?"
Hearing Yuto's response, Hanabi finally relaxed. Her eyes lit up once more as she murmured, "If it's still alive… then Konoha is still Konoha!"
That will would never change.
She recalled the advertisement she had just seen… The new movie was set during a time of war, which would be the perfect backdrop to reflect the Will of Fire.
The previous movie was made by the Third Hokage and the others.
No matter what, a movie directed by the Third Hokage would undoubtedly embody the Will of Fire and serve to educate the next generation of Konoha's ninjas!
Therefore—
Maybe she could gather some useful intelligence from it?
Hanabi's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at Yuto. "How can… I watch it?"
"Just click on the cinema icon. You can find whatever you want to watch there—it's not like there are that many movies anyway."
As he spoke—
Hanabi followed his instructions, her heart filled with anticipation as she opened the program.
And then—
"Root Studio, Root Studio…"
Just as Yuto had said, there weren't many movies available.
She quickly found the one she wanted to watch.
But—
"Meteor Konoha?"
Hanabi froze for a moment, staring at the movie title. She muttered to herself, "A meteor? Could it represent a wish or a hope?"
A shooting star…
Making a wish?
Could it symbolize the expectations placed on Konoha's next generation of ninjas?
As expected of the Third Hokage-sama!
But the cover art seemed a bit odd—
Four men surrounding a single woman… Why would they use this to represent the spirit of the Will of Fire?
She was curious and clicked play.
As for Yuto—
Once Hanabi started watching the movie, he lost interest and returned to chatting on [Nin-Nin].
Just then, Suzune sent him a message.
[By the way, Yuto, something strange happened a few days ago.]
"???"
Yuto frowned slightly. Something strange?
Then—
Ding Ding!
He scrolled down and read—
[A few days ago, a tree suddenly appeared in front of the house. It's growing really tall and lush, but no one knows where it came from. Everyone in the village is confused about it!]
[???]
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