Chapter 89:
"Naruto, what the hell is going on?!"
Sasuke shoved open the door to the Hokage's office and walked in, questioning Naruto directly.
He had never imagined, not even dared to imagine, that something like this would happen when he returned to the village. It was seriously like drums beating, fireworks blasting, red flags waving, and a sea of people—a full-on carnival atmosphere. Sasuke nearly had to summon his Susanoo just to clear a path.
If he hadn't left Karin, Suigetsu, and Jūgo behind to deal with the crowd, he might not have been able to make it to Naruto without breaking a sweat or losing his cool.
"Sasuke, you're just in time. Naruto and I were discussing this matter," said Shikamaru, then quickly filled Sasuke in on the recent events. "I think we should take preemptive precautions against that Jar Merchant, but Naruto thinks…"
Shikamaru looked toward Naruto, who immediately added, "I think since that Jar Merchant hasn't done anything dangerous to Konoha, we shouldn't be overly cautious."
The more pressing reason was that Konoha simply didn't have enough shinobi left.
"What about the footage?"
"Right here."
Sasuke took the film player and the 100-ryō coin.
As the movie projected onto the office wall, Sasuke's expression gradually grew serious. "It's obvious. Every move I made in the Umbrella Organization's underground base was monitored and recorded. If that's the case, the Jar Merchant's identity is definitely suspicious."
"There are two possibilities," Shikamaru analyzed. "Either the Jar Merchant is part of S.H.I.E.L.D., and this whole thing is a ploy by them that we just haven't figured out yet, or he belongs to an organization on the same level as S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I'll be staying in the village for the next few days to recover my ocular power. Leave the Jar Merchant matter to me."
"That's great news, Sasuke."
Whether Naruto was happy because Sasuke would be staying in the village or because he'd be handling the Jar Merchant issue, no one could say for sure. Probably a bit of both.
"Also, the intel I gathered on the Umbrella Organization—you've seen it all in the movie."
Shikamaru nodded. "From the looks of it, what's shocking to us doesn't seem to matter at all to the Umbrella Organization or S.H.I.E.L.D., or else they wouldn't be this quiet."
"And this." Sasuke pulled out a scientific ninja tool from his cloak. "I want to know whether Doctor Katasuke is still in Konoha."
Naruto said, "About that, Sasuke… Doctor Katasuke was never in Konoha to begin with. Just when we were deciding how to punish him, he disappeared from where he was being held. We thought he'd defected and even issued a wanted notice. But now it looks like he was taken by the Umbrella Organization."
"We'll have the Scientific Ninja Tool Department analyze this device," added Shikamaru.
Currently, Ten Ten was working in that department.
"After watching the movie, you should also realize how dangerous zombies are," Sasuke continued. "While they aren't individually strong—any genin could handle them—their infectious nature is a serious problem. If they made it into the shinobi world, it would throw the entire region into chaos."
Although the shinobi world is dominated by ninja, nearly seventy percent of the population are just ordinary people—completely incapable of dealing with zombies.
"Yeah, we need to alert the other villages. Relying on Konoha alone to watch over the Umbrella Organization isn't going to cut it," said Shikamaru.
Sasuke nodded. After delegating a few minor matters, he left the Hokage's office and walked through the streets.
Though the streets were technically empty, people were crammed on either side, whispering in small groups and occasionally sneaking glances at Sasuke.
Sasuke, who had been walking down the center of the street, suddenly vanished, reappearing in a flash on the rooftops. Looking down at the crowd trying to spot him, he couldn't help but sigh.
Ichiraku Ramen, Second Branch – Konoha
Same old layout, not a single change.
"Well, if it isn't Sasuke. I'm surprised you didn't get mobbed by fans out there," said Shunhi, eyeing Sasuke and debating whether to capitalize on his fame for some advertising.
"Your shop hasn't changed a bit—still no customers."
"Not much I can do about that. With two Ichiraku shops in Konoha, everyone's naturally going to choose the main one."
Back when Shunhi stubbornly refused to leave the village, it was because he wanted to open a second Ichiraku branch in Konoha. The village made him feel secure—or rather, being near Ichiraku himself made him feel safe.
"Where's Shuyu?"
Sasuke's expression and tone made it seem like he was a brothel customer asking for the number one courtesan.
"Out on a mission. Should be back soon."
After being promoted to chunin, Uchiha Shuyu had taken on the duty of protecting Konoha, often patrolling outside the village.
"I'll come by tonight to continue his special training."
Since returning from the Umbrella Organization's underground base, Sasuke had been plagued by a vague but persistent sense of unease.
He needed Shuyu to grow stronger—and fast.
As he grew older, Sasuke had come to understand the painstaking decisions his brother, Uchiha Itachi, once made. Simply put, if not for Itachi, Sasuke might've become a decent ninja—but he never would've grown to the level he is now.
If the shinobi world ever faced another crisis, Sasuke wouldn't hesitate to make the same sacrifices Itachi once did. Thinking this, Sasuke's eyes fell on Shunhi.
Shunhi involuntarily shivered. "Sasuke, how about a bowl of ramen?"
"No thanks. Sakura's waiting for me at home."
Sasuke wasn't the type to take that kind of step unless absolutely necessary.
What he didn't know was that if he really did kill Shunhi, Uchiha Itachi wouldn't grieve at all—in fact, he'd probably applaud him.
If not for needing to maintain his cover within S.H.I.E.L.D., and if not for the risk that Shunhi could manipulate him, Itachi would've been the first to kill Shunhi a long time ago.
As he watched Sasuke's retreating figure, Shunhi slowly narrowed his eyes. He wasn't mistaken—someone had definitely wanted to kill him just now. He just didn't know who.
Thanks to his shameless will to survive, Shunhi had developed an unparalleled sense of danger.
He couldn't afford to stay weak any longer. He had to strengthen himself.
Not just because of Sasuke. With the Ōtsutsuki clan reappearing, that creeping sense of danger was tightening around Shunhi's heart again. He even considered shamelessly moving back into Ichiraku's main shop—but he figured the old man wouldn't agree.
When cats feel threatened, they puff up their fur. When Shunhi feels threatened, he goes all in on survival tactics.
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