Chapter Ninety-Four: An Unexpected Lead

Yao’s crooked logic left Uchiha Li both amused and at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

So this time, he firmly rejected her suggestion, even though she gave him a displeased look.

“All right, Yao, I’m going out for a stroll. You still have work, so go on and take care of that first.”

Having said that, Uchiha Li did not give Yao the chance to continue speaking. He simply stepped out of the house.

Yao was different from him; she still held a post in the Guard Division and thus had duty to perform.

As for him, the former leader of a Guard Division squad, he had resigned without ever serving a single day.

Though he still nominally held a place in the Hokage’s escort team, he had never once gone there either.

So, for now, Uchiha Li was in truth rather idle about the village.

Still, that was of little consequence. Thanks to the publication of his Terra Legend, he no longer had to worry about money at all.

Putting aside such thoughts, Uchiha Li wandered the streets in good spirits.

The streets of the Hidden Leaf were now quite prosperous, owing chiefly to Minato’s diligent and enlightened rule after he took office.

At that moment, Uchiha Li saw several people in guard uniforms patrolling the streets.

They moved in teams of four, and at a glance looked no different from when he had been in the Guard Division.

But on closer inspection, everything was entirely different.

Among them, one could clearly see a pair of pale eyes: members of the Hyuga clan.

Of the remaining two, one wore a garment marked with the moonlight sigil, a member of the Moonlight clan.

Another was from the Aburame clan, and his presence was comparatively faint.

Only the fourth was an Uchiha.

Uchiha Li did not step forward, but watched from a distance as the four of them carried out their duties. He felt a quiet sense of relief.

It was like watching a child he had raised for many years grow into adulthood.

The Uchiha, standing together with the other three clans, did not seem excluded or isolated in the least.

On the contrary, the four of them chatted as they patrolled, clearly getting along well.

“In the end, it really did work. The move with the Guard Division has had a far stronger influence than I expected.”

Uchiha Li gave a slight nod, then quickened his pace. He intended to look around the rest of the village.

Soon he arrived at the place where shinobi came and went most often, and which for the vast majority of them was the most important of all.

The mission hall.

This was the lifeblood of every ninja village. Most shinobi had to come here to take missions and earn a living for their families.

As he entered the hall, Uchiha Li glanced left and right and noticed a registration desk, where an Uchiha was on duty.

That would have been absolutely impossible in the past, but from the indifferent expressions of those around him, it seemed to have become entirely ordinary.

Seeing this, Uchiha Li did not linger in the hall. He simply turned and walked out.

Though it had been only a brief look, it was enough to tell him what he wanted to know.

The facts proved that his approach had not been wrong. After removing the village elders who despised the Uchiha, and through a sweeping transformation, the Uchiha had successfully integrated into the village.

Just then, a white-haired boy wearing a face mask appeared on the street and started toward him.

Uchiha Li watched Kakashi in silence, waiting for him to arrive.

Compared with two years ago, Kakashi had grown quite a bit as well.

Very soon, Kakashi came up to him. Before he could speak, Uchiha Li said first, “Kakashi, long time no see.”

Kakashi gave a slight nod and, after replying, said, “The Hokage has something he wants to see you about.”

“Understood.”

Uchiha Li answered at once, then followed Kakashi toward the Hokage Building.

Ever since he had become a member of the Hokage’s escort, he might as well have never worked a single day. It could even be said that this was one of Minato’s special favors to him.

Since something had now come up, it must be important.

As they walked, Uchiha Li asked, “You’re also one of the escort team now, aren’t you? Do you know what Lord Minato wants with me?”

Kakashi kept walking without pause and replied, “I heard they discovered a major clue somewhere. It may have something to do with Terra, which suddenly appeared these past two years.”

At those words, Uchiha Li was slightly startled and did not react at once.

Over the past two years, the name of Terra had spread everywhere, and that did not surprise him in the least.

But the problem was that neither he nor Shisui had taken any action during that time.

If so, where on earth had this clue to Terra been found?

Uchiha Li was puzzled, and asked no further. He intended to wait until they reached Minato before saying anything else.

A few minutes later, the two of them successfully arrived at the Hokage’s office.

After knocking on the door and greeting Minato, Uchiha Li went straight to the point. “Hokage-sama, I heard you found a clue about Terra?”

Minato set down the official documents in his hands and said with a gentle expression, “Yes. We suddenly came across something, and there is a story behind it.”

As he spoke, Minato pushed a sealed box across the desk, signaling for the two of them to take a look.

Then he continued, “I’m afraid this matter is no small thing. Lately, the escort team has been short-handed, so I’d like you to take people and make a trip there.”

“It’s all right. It’s about time this escort of mine did some real work.”

Uchiha Li gave a brief response, then opened the box Minato had handed over.

Inside was a notebook. The moment he opened it, his pupils contracted sharply.

His expression did not change much, but in his heart, a storm had already risen.

“How could something like this be possible?”

It was not that Uchiha Li was easily startled; rather, the contents of the notebook had completely exceeded his expectations.

Recorded there was a report from a mission carried out many years ago.

There was nothing wrong with the report itself, but the problem was that it actually contained the words Terra.

If it had only been those two words, it might have been mere coincidence. But the text also included the word Apostle!

That was absurd. One had to know that several years ago, he had not even awakened his Mangekyo yet, and he had not had any thought of founding an organization.

Under those circumstances, how could it possibly have been recorded?

Uchiha Li drew in a quiet breath, then said calmly, “Who recorded this report? Is there any possibility of a mistake?”

His first reaction was that the report might be forged.

After all, he himself was Terra. He knew exactly what he had done.

Yet Minato shook his head and said earnestly, “No. There is no way this report could be wrong.”

“Why?”

Uchiha Li did not understand why Minato was so certain.

Minato answered without hesitation, “Because I led the mission that time, and I was the one who recorded the report. It’s just that after writing it, I seem to have forgotten about it, and only now suddenly remembered.”

“What?”

Uchiha Li exclaimed in surprise before he could help himself.

“That’s how it was,” Minato said slowly. “This happened before I became Hokage. At that time, I received a mission...”