NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 47: Chapter 47
Uchiha Shin paused for a moment, lost in thought. He was planning to try his luck in the forest outside the village.
If he couldn't find what he was looking for, then so be it.
From here on out, it would depend on Jiraiya—whether he could encounter Nagato or not.
After all, with his involvement, things had already deviated from the original timeline. Hanzo the Salamander was dead.
Tsunade had also complained to him about some effeminate idiot trying to woo her. Needless to say, she kicked him half to death.
With the original timeline shifting, Shin had no clue what further changes would unfold. That was exactly why he had always chosen to act rather than passively wait for events to play out.
But now, it seemed there really weren't any other viable options left.
For him, gaining Konan from this trip was enough.
"If Konan awakens her Paper Release in the future, she could serve as a reference. That way, reconstructing and acquiring Paper Release myself would require less chakra expenditure."
Creating techniques from nothing, even with theoretical knowledge, consumed a massive amount of chakra.
But if he had a foundation beforehand—or was even on the verge of learning it—it would make things much easier.
He had tested it before. By using Soul Transmigration: Portrait, techniques could be learned with significantly reduced chakra expenditure.
Just like how he had mastered Lightning Release: Kirin—since he already had a strong grasp of Chidori, the chakra drain was almost negligible.
With that comforting thought, Shin set out for the forest east of the village.
The area was remote, yet signs of life were everywhere. Old campfires littered the ground.
Malnourished children wandered through the forest, drinking from whatever water sources they could find, hunting, and doing their best to survive.
"I never noticed before, but there's actually a whole camp for orphaned kids here."
With a raised brow, Shin concealed himself within the canopy of a tree, scanning the children below.
After a careful sweep, there was still no sign of Nagato.
However, amidst his search, he caught a faint, almost imperceptible trace of chakra in the air.
Everyone in this world had chakra, even if just a trace.
But this one was weaker than that of a dying civilian.
"It's so subtle that it's almost undetectable... Someone is definitely suppressing their chakra."
Shin narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately understood the situation.
He kept his own chakra concealed and did not approach directly.
He had a theory—someone nearby was using the Mayfly Technique.
Whether it was White Zetsu or Black Zetsu, either way, it wasn't good news.
"Magnet Release: Third Eye."
Shin formed iron sand into an artificial eye, controlling every grain with precision.
Suppressing its chakra signature to the absolute minimum, he sent the floating iron sand eye toward the source of the disturbance.
Minutes later, deep within the forest, he found it.
The faint, suppressed chakra signature was buried beneath the earth.
If not for the enhanced perception granted by Kagura's Mind Eye: Heart Net, even his iron sand eye would have been unable to detect it.
And then, on a narrow dirt path between the trees, Shin spotted him.
A red-haired boy, walking unsteadily.
His face was pale, his frame sickly thin—malnourished, weak.
"...Nagato."
Shin recognized him instantly.
You little bastard... hiding all the way out here?
No wonder I searched every corner of the Hidden Rain Village and still didn't find a trace of you.
As Shin silently cursed his wasted efforts, Nagato staggered forward and collapsed face-first into the dirt.
Thud!
The boy didn't move. It was obvious—he had passed out from hunger.
The ground nearby suddenly shifted.
A strange, humanoid figure with sickly white skin emerged from the earth.
White Zetsu.
"Oh my~ You can't die here," White Zetsu muttered. "If you do, Lord Madara's plan will be ruined."
Without hesitation, White Zetsu pressed his palm against Nagato's frail body, injecting nutrients into him.
Suddenly, White Zetsu stiffened.
Sensing movement nearby, he quickly retreated, melting back into the ground.
The bushes nearby rustled, and a small figure popped out.
A boy with short, spiky orange hair.
"I wonder if my traps caught anything today… Huh?"
The boy—Yahiko—muttered excitedly, then froze as he noticed the unconscious Nagato on the ground.
Quickly rushing over, he knelt beside him.
As the self-proclaimed leader of the children in this area, Yahiko immediately realized what had happened.
"He passed out from hunger..."
Yahiko pulled out the food and water he had with him, carefully breaking off small portions and feeding them to Nagato.
Thanks to the combined effect of White Zetsu's nutrients and Yahiko's food, the resilient redhead soon stirred.
His eyelids fluttered open.
The first thing he saw was Yahiko's grinning face.
"Yo! I'm Yahiko!"
"Are you okay? What's your name? I haven't seen you around before."
Yahiko helped him up, still smiling brightly.
Shin, who had been watching the entire scene from above, suddenly frowned.
…Why does this whole scene feel like a goddamn romance subplot?
The way these two met was exactly like the protagonist picking up a lost girl on the roadside.
He shuddered.
Deciding not to dwell on the thought, he separated a few grains of iron sand and subtly attached them to the roots of Yahiko's hair.
It wasn't a proper iron sand marker, but it was enough to serve as a tracking coordinate.
He deliberately avoided marking Nagato. That kid was under constant surveillance by White Zetsu, which meant Madara was watching, too.
Shin wasn't about to take the risk of alerting the old bastard just yet.
"There's still plenty of time... and Yahiko can be useful."
Watching the two interact, Shin could only shake his head.
Nagato's future strength was uncertain, but Yahiko's fate was sealed.
If something went wrong in the future, Yahiko could be used as leverage.
Satisfied, Shin turned and left.
Instead of heading back to the Hidden Rain Village immediately, he made his way toward the Konoha camp.
There were people he needed to meet—Tsunade and Mikoto.
He wasn't hiding the existence of Konan. It was perfectly reasonable for him to have taken her in.
Mikoto believed his story without question. Tsunade, however, was much less trusting.
"There are plenty of war orphans in the Hidden Rain Village. Why did you pick just one to adopt?"
"Nope, I don't buy it. I have to see her myself."
Tsunade had every reason to be suspicious.
After all, Shin was already raising Uzumaki Kanako like a future wife, and Uzumaki Kushina practically lived at his house.
She knew damn well what kind of guy he was.
So, she was absolutely convinced Shin had ulterior motives.
Shin was dumbfounded.
How the hell did she see through me so fast?
What happened to big boobs, no brains?!
Did all that protein I gave her actually nourish her brain instead?!
Suspicious, but left with no choice, Uchiha Shin sighed.
"Well... Let's go meet her, then."
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones