Could this actually be the rhythm of Byakugan evolution?! Sakura secretly speculated. She already knew how the Byakugan could evolve into the Tenseigan, but according to her past-life memories from the movie version, that required either a pure Byakugan combined with Otsutsuki Clan bloodline or the fusion of multiple Byakugans.
"Right, about these special abilities—everyone must keep this absolutely secret! If others find out, it'll be a matter of life and death!"
Sakura had to warn them all once again. It was fine for them to talk here since she'd already sealed off the space—no sound could escape. Those Anbu watching from the shadows wouldn't know what they discussed. But she couldn't very well keep them locked in here forever. Once word got out, a horde of power-hungry opportunists would come after them. Forget the rest—even that mad old man Danzo wouldn't hesitate to make his move.
Kakashi and the rest nodded solemnly. They understood exactly what possessing such powerful abilities without consuming chakra meant—it was the kind of strength the entire ninja world would kill to obtain. If their secret ever leaked, endless pursuit and slaughter would follow without fail.
At that moment, however, Uchiha Itachi's mind churned with conflicting emotions. Thinking back to what Danzo had recently proposed and that masked man wearing a single eye guard… if everything they said was true, then the shinobi world would soon spiral into chaos once more.
"Big Brother Itachi, are you okay?!"
Seeing Uchiha Itachi clearly lost in thought, his eyes clouded with worry, Sakura felt puzzled. What could possibly make Uchiha Itachi show such anxiety at a time like this?
"Oh, nothing really. Just thinking about some recent missions."
Itachi managed a strained smile but chose not to share his thoughts with anyone.
"I see..."
Sakura fell silent, deep in thought. In the original canon, the Uchiha Clan Downfall Massacre took place when Sasuke turned seven. Now he was already five, meaning the massacre would happen within a year or so as before. At this point, Itachi should have already made contact with Danzo. And "Madara Uchiha"—actually Obito Uchiha in disguise—should've approached him by now too. Otherwise, if it were only Danzo pressuring him, Itachi wouldn't have shown such concern.
Still, Sakura's doubts deepened. The current Uchiha Clan was different from its original portrayal. Back then, the Uchiha showed no sign of change. Konoha's discrimination and mistreatment gradually drove most of the clan toward rebellion—that gave Danzo the excuse to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan.
But after the Uchiha clan actively made changes, their relationship with Konoha had improved significantly. Both the villagers and various noble families now held much better impressions of the Uchiha, especially the common citizens of Konoha Village, who warmly welcomed the good-looking Uchiha clan members. Young and attractive Uchiha like Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha even had large fan groups in the village.
The Uchiha clan members themselves wholeheartedly loved this sudden wave of popularity. Even those who previously harbored thoughts of rebellion had largely abandoned such ideas, turning instead toward a more constructive path. At this point, only the old guard—the stubborn Elders—still refused to let go of their resistance, unwilling to give up their old beliefs. This group of diehards still saw the new Uchiha leadership that had embraced change as betrayers of Uchiha honor.
Thinking about these Elders of the Uchiha clan, Sakura suddenly felt alarm bells ringing in her mind. If her guess was correct, Danzo might very likely use these Uchiha Elders as an excuse to make his move.
For now, however, Sakura didn't share these suspicions with others. After all, speaking out now would accomplish nothing; it would be better to act once and for all when Danzo made his move.
That said, she wasn't neglecting proper precautions either—as evidenced by what she did with Shisui Uchiha.
"Brother Shisui, come over here for a second!"
After calling Shisui over, Sakura secretly inscribed two runes onto his wrists. The runes flickered briefly before vanishing without a trace, unnoticed by anyone—including Shisui himself.
Chapter 60: Shisui's Crisis [Part 1] [Fourth Update]
Days passed one after another, and Sakura and her friends were already in their second year at the Ninja Academy. However, throughout the entire school, everyone knew about "the truant group." Especially their homeroom teacher—whenever he encountered Sakura and her companions on the street, he never offered them so much as a smile.
He was just so ticked off. Neji and Tenten had consistently dominated the top spots in their grade, year after year. As for Rock Lee, although he lacked talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu, he had been taken under the wing of Konoha Jonin Might Guy, making him unique among his peers. Soon, he was definitely going to train directly under Might Guy's guidance in the future, making him stand out even further. With students like these, his class seemed destined to produce three extraordinary ninja. Yet they had all picked up the habit of skipping class from Sakura and her group—not occasionally, but repeatedly, almost permanently. In short, they were just on paper as students, but rarely set foot in any real classes.
As their homeroom teacher, he had once visited Hizashi Hyuga. But whenever he brought up the issue of Neji skipping class, Hizashi would always respond with a polite smile and some vague excuse. Sure enough, the next day Neji was absent again. As for Tenten, her father was a busy businessman who hardly had time to spare—most of the meetings were with Tenten's mother instead. Tenten's mother had never been too supportive of her becoming a ninja in the first place; after all, it was dangerous work. Now hearing that Tenten frequently skipped classes, she actually felt quite relieved, believing her daughter had finally made up her mind and given up on becoming a ninja. That thought almost drove him up the wall.
When he finally managed to meet Tenten's father, the man turned out to hold the exact same attitude as Hizashi. Losing all hope, he naturally gave Sakura and the other ones responsible for all this chaos anything but a warm look.
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