"Ding! Memory reading successful! Obtained: Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
The crisp electronic chime echoed in Qingyu's mind. For the first time in six months, he hadn't just gained a simple boost to Chakra or Mental Energy, but an actual ninjutsu. It was clear that despite his age, Yamanaka Yuta's combat strength was quite respectable.
"See you later, Mr. Yuta~"
Qingyu's mood had improved significantly. He turned and walked away, leaving a completely bewildered Yamanaka Yuta behind.
"See... see you..."
The aura of "all-knowing senior" that Yuta had cultivated was gone. He stood there frozen, his lip twitching. What on earth just happened? He came back... just to pick a tea stalk off my head?
Yuta looked down at his right hand, staring at the green tea stem resting in his palm. His head felt light, as if he had missed something crucial, but for the life of him, he couldn't put his finger on it. The satisfaction of "tricking" the boy had vanished in an instant.
Is he serious? Did he really just come back to dust me off?
Something felt wrong. Very wrong. But Yuta had checked—as a veteran sensory ninja, he had pushed his perception to the limit when Qingyu approached. He confirmed that Qingyu hadn't used a single drop of Chakra.
"Am I overthinking this?" Yuta muttered, his brow furrowed. The "refreshing" feeling of his acting performance was gone, replaced by a nagging sense of unease.
"Who are you trying to out-act?" Qingyu muttered to himself as he walked away from the tea house.
If it hadn't been for Yuta's final "dying testament" routine, Qingyu might have let it go. But the moment Yuta claimed his time was up, the alarm bells in Qingyu's head went off. If you're about to die, why are you still obsessing over a missing persons case instead of picking out a good burial plot?
Qingyu was cautious by nature—not just because of the ninja world, but because he had always been that way, even before he transmigrated. His friends used to joke that he had a persecution complex. Without absolute certainty, he never took risks.
Anyone else might have been moved by Yuta's skeletal face and tragic tone, feeling a pang of sympathy for the "dying" old man. Qingyu, however, saw it as a massive red flag. It defied common sense. It wasn't how a dying man acted.
So, he had staged the "return strike," playing the role of the caring junior to get close enough to trigger the system. After seeing Yuta's momentary panic and subsequent "mask-change," Qingyu knew he was right. The old man was a performer.
Well, everyone's an actor. I'll just take your memories home and study them.
Qingyu didn't stop anywhere else. He headed straight for the Anbu dorms. Having taken the day off, he now had the time to dive into the most massive memory dump he had ever received. Decades of life were packed into that data.
Back in his room, he sat on his bed and closed his eyes.
Time ticked by. Minutes turned into hours. Eventually, Qingyu let out a long, heavy breath and opened his eyes. They were clouded with exhaustion; reviewing several decades of a person's life was mentally draining.
"Nara Tetsu."
Qingyu whispered the name he had found buried deep in Yuta's memories. Nara Tetsu was an elder of the Nara clan and Yuta's childhood friend. More importantly, Yuta followed Tetsu's lead blindly. Tetsu was both the strategist and the leader of their little circle.
"Sigh... you remnants of the previous era. You really shouldn't take yourselves so seriously."
Qingyu's expression turned cold.
"I don't care what you plot. But if you think you can drag me into your muddy water, you're dead wrong. I won't give you the chance."
Reading the memories had revealed the "script" Yuta and Tetsu were following.
Twenty years ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Third Hokage, and Danzo Shimura took command of the Anbu, eventually forming the Root. Konoha entered a new chapter. However, a small group of people—including Yuta and Tetsu—did not recognize Hiruzen's authority.
They were veterans who had lived under the glory of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. In their eyes, the Third was mediocre and weak. They spent decades looking for leverage to topple him. To do this, they had embedded themselves in various departments like the Torture Force to gather "black material."
But it was harder than they imagined.
Over twenty years, the village leadership had consolidated power. Even the "Ino-Shika-Cho" clans had changed leadership, becoming staunch supporters of the Sarutobi regime, leaving the old guard without a base.
Worse yet, Hiruzen Sarutobi was like a "pure white lotus." He appeared before the public as a perfect, loving leader. All the "dirty work" and unspeakable acts were linked to another man: Danzo Shimura. And even if they got proof of Danzo's crimes, it wouldn't necessarily touch the Hokage's seat.
Until now.
Nara Tetsu had fixed his sights on the Missing Persons Case. He believed that the social impact of this case was big enough to finally force Hiruzen Sarutobi to step down.