The morning fog had just dispersed, the bluestone paths of the Uchiha Clan's compound still damp with dew.
After finishing an extremely sumptuous breakfast, Makoto gently pushed open the door to Fugaku's study, the wooden hinge emitting a soft 'creak'.
As the current Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku's study was twice the size of Makoto's bedroom.
Bookshelves stretching from floor to ceiling were crammed with books. Sunlight slanting through the paper windows cast dappled shadows on the yellowed spines. The smell of old book ink mixed with pinewood fragrance hung in the air.
In plain sight was the 'Uchiha Clan History', its cover gleaming with a dark red sheen, the corners badly worn, clearly having been flipped through countless times.
Makoto's fingertips trembled slightly as he turned the pages, his fingers tracing the yellowed paper, searching word by word, sentence by sentence, but found no record of 'Uchiha Hikari'.
He couldn't help but let out a long sigh, tapping his finger on the cover, 'It seemed I'd have to try my luck at the Hokage Tower to find information on that person.'
Then he continued looking for books.
The 'Shinobi World Encyclopedia' was thick enough to use as a cushion, dried leaf-vein specimens tucked between its pages.
On the 'Latest Shinobi World Bounty List', vermillion brushes had circled several names, their bounty amounts making Makoto's heart burn with fervor.
'Various Nations' Cuisine and Black Market Prices', 'How to Quickly Refine Chakra'... all kinds of books hard to obtain on the market were available here.
It made Makoto's eyes shine, his fingertips sliding over the book spines as if caressing a woman's body.
In the farthest corner, hidden away, was a book with an extremely flashy cover: Jiraiya's new work 'Icha Icha Paradise', its spine frayed from flipping.
A half-dried cherry blossom fell from between the pages. Clearly, Fugaku had been secretly flipping through it quite a lot recently.
'Who would have thought the stern-browed, big-eyed Fugaku secretly reads this kind of book.' Makoto raised an eyebrow, inwardly amused.
He casually picked out a large pile of useful books, even tucking 'Icha Icha Paradise' into his embrace, wanting to see the quality of novels in the Shinobi World.
Besides looking for detailed information on Hikari and the sealing location, he also intended to cram various Shinobi World's knowledge.
Previously, he relied on anime, manga, and various official sourcebooks to understand Naruto, only knowing the plot direction, completely ignorant of many common-sense issues.
He didn't want to be a completely clueless illiterate.
In the Shinobi World, knowledge is power and wealth… this wasn't an empty saying.
Moments later, looking at the pile of books on the table taller than his head, Makoto couldn't help but rub his temples, momentarily feeling as if he had returned to the days sprinting for the college entrance exams many years ago.
But thinking of the various wonderful aspects of future life, Makoto gritted his teeth and began studying seriously.
It wasn't until evening, when Itachi returned after a day of missions, that Makoto stopped, still holding 'Icha Icha Paradise' in his hand, couldn't help but purse his lips.
'Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise is written too crudely. No artistic value at all, not even as exciting as the dirty jokes told by the old man at the village entrance.'
'I wonder what's so interesting about this book that Fugaku and Kakashi often read it.'
'Especially Kakashi, who's been flipping through it for who knows how many years without getting bored, holding it up all day like a family heirloom, as if afraid people don't know he's a closet pervert.'
After carefully studying Icha Icha Paradise, Makoto pondered inwardly:
'When I get the chance, I must make the five great masterpieces of adult literature from my previous life popular throughout the Shinobi World!'
Night fell, lanterns in the Uchiha Clan's compound lit up one after another.
During dinner, the steam from the miso soup churned in the lamplight. Makoto's hand, scooping rice, suddenly paused… the usual chatter was missing from his ears, the seat opposite was glaringly empty.
Sasuke was gone.
There was no sign of him snatching dried fish at the breakfast table in the morning. Now the miso soup was almost cold in the evening, and still no trace of that conspicuous little black shadow.
Makoto raised an eyebrow, pondered for half a second, and instantly concluded: 'This matter was highly likely the work of the Darkness of the Shinobi World, the Shadow Kage, Shimura Danzo.'
According to the law of Shinobi World, whenever a bad deed happens and the culprit can't be found, suspecting Danzo first is never wrong.
The Shadow Kage's substantial weight allows no doubt, after all, there are many other Kage, but there has only ever been one Shadow Kage from beginning to end.
Danzo is called the Darkness of the Shinobi World, not just the Darkness of Konoha. His sphere of action has long not been limited to Konoha.
It's not even limited to the era anymore. By the later original story in Boruto, the substantial weight of the 5.5th Hokage, Shimura Danzo, is still constantly soaring.
Just as Makoto was about to ask Fugaku, Sasuke rushed in covered in mud, his trouser cuffs dripping water, tightly clutching a ball of snow-white fur in his arms.
It was a newborn puppy, its droopy ears stuck with grass seeds, eyes like black grapes welling with moisture, pink paws still caked with mud clumps that shed bits of dirt with every shiver.
Sasuke's peripheral glance caught Makoto, and he jerked his head down as if branded by a hot iron. Hugging the puppy, he dashed towards his own room, his small black feet leaving a trail of muddy prints on the floor, like a loach fleeing in panic.
He had been wandering around the compound all day precisely to avoid Makoto.
"Sasuke! Bath first!" Fugaku's roar hit the door panel, but Sasuke didn't look back.
"Slow down, don't fall!" Mikoto's words of caution chased his shadow, similarly ignored.
"?" Makoto raised an eyebrow, 'Why was this Sunny Pillar acting like a mouse that saw a cat today?'
This left Makoto somewhat baffled. Carefully recalling the memories of the past two days, he found no reason for the Sunny Pillar to be avoiding him.
'Did he do something embarrassing again these past two days, afraid I'd find out?' Thinking this, Makoto shrugged, didn't take it to heart, finished his last mouthful of rice, and returned to the study to continue devouring books.
He was now addicted to the ocean of knowledge, unable to extricate himself.
When the evening glow spilled through the window lattice, Makoto was inwardly constantly criticizing 'Icha Icha Paradise' when the door was suddenly pounded, as if someone was ramming it with their head.
Just as Makoto was about to get up and open the door, Sasuke burst in like a little cannonball, his pockets bulging with stuff, the puppy in his arms whining from being squeezed too tight.
"Makoto!"
"Father won't let me keep Shiro," Sasuke was so anxious sweat beaded on his nose, his words stumbling, "Help me think of a plan..."
"Heh, when you need my help, you're not even willing to call me 'nii-san'." Makoto didn't look up, continuing to criticize the book in his hands.
Sasuke hemmed and hawed for a long time, his face full of conflict. But looking at the puppy in his arms that couldn't survive alone outside yet, staring at him pitifully, his throat bobbed.
Finally, he squeezed out the word through gritted teeth.
"Nii-san..."
---
FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER