Late at night, with everything quiet, Mitsuki Kōmei changed into a stealthy outfit and quietly left the Senju Clan Grounds. Countless plans—Plan A, Plan B… up to Plan SSR—which he had rehearsed in his mind, all jumped out, preening and waiting for him to choose.
He knew which path to take and which escape routes to use, even with his eyes closed. Choosing the safest route, Mitsuki Kōmei began his nocturnal adventure into enemy territory.
Mitsuki Kōmei flashed onto the roof of a residential building, focusing his gaze on the large building not far ahead. The dark Hokage Building resembled a dark giant beast, waiting for him to deliver himself to its maw.
Looking at the Chunin standing guard with straight backs at the Hokage Building, he grumbled internally, 'A Ninja who doesn't slack off isn't a good security guard. You two being so serious is truly annoying.'
What annoyed Mitsuki Kōmei the most were the pairs of red eyes and cataracts all around. 'If you're sick, go get treated! Don't come out late at night to scare people!'
He lightly jumped off the residential building, unfurled his Water Illusion Barrier, and carefully avoided the light emanating from the streetlights.
Leaning against the exterior wall of the building, he tiptoed closer to the main entrance, his eyes glaring at the Chunin standing guard. Before his back could bleed from the friction, Mitsuki Kōmei, after all, entered the building without much trouble.
Walking on the wooden floor, he pushed open door after door, only to find that they were all offices for clerical staff, containing no valuable intelligence.
Mitsuki Kōmei went straight for his main objective, ascending to the top floor of the building and entering the Hokage Office. In front of the French windows, a long desk came into view, piled high with documents.
He looked around. The interior layout was relatively simple: a few chairs and a desk overflowing with documents.
On the wall hung portraits and photos of Senju Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, symbolizing the Legacy of the Will of Fire passed down through generations, burning endlessly.
Standing before the photos, he thought that if the trajectory of his life hadn't changed, Hiruzen Sarutobi might never have gone to the front lines, possibly due to the impact of Tobirama's death.
The Will of Fire was in this office, using the Telescope Ninjutsu to peek at female Ninja bathing. He allowed Danzo to cause the deaths of many Konoha Genius, including Sakumo Hatake and Uchiha Shisui.
Ultimately, his wife died in the Nine-Tailed incident, his son was killed by Hidan, and he himself was killed by his Disciple—a tragic tale in capital letters. Mitsuki Kōmei found it hard to judge right from wrong.
Snapping back to reality, Mitsuki Kōmei began sifting through documents, only to find a pile of useless information.
He put down the documents, turned, and left the Hokage Office, heading to the Konoha Archives. Having undergone Transmigration, there were some things he needed to confirm personally to feel at ease.
As he approached the Archives, Mitsuki Kōmei sensed six people inside. He gently placed his hand on the doorknob and overheard a conversation between two of them.
"This is so damn boring. Being asked to guard the Archives late at night, not even a dog would come. What's there to guard? Wouldn't it be better to play a game with my wife?"
"The fat Daimyo from the Land of Water is visiting Konoha, so security must be tightened."
"That little brat, he should stay home instead of running around. But his carriage is really beautiful."
"It must be very comfortable to ride in."
Mitsuki Kōmei heard the two speaking ill of him, so he expanded his Barrier to cover the door and pushed it open, stepping into the Archives. He saw two Ninja, one tall and one short.
Using the Transformation Ninjutsu, Mitsuki Kōmei transformed into the tall Ninja and covered the short Ninja with his Barrier.
"Your wife is really supple. She said I'm better than you, and playing games with me is more comfortable."
In a flash, Mitsuki Kōmei transformed into the short Ninja and enveloped the tall Ninja with his Barrier.
"Slap, slap, slap," three slaps landed on the tall Ninja's face.
Mitsuki Kōmei retracted his Barrier and stepped aside, watching the two Ninja perform. The two, whose conversations had crossed, now continued the act.
"What did you say?" the short one asked, pointing a finger at the tall one in anger.
"I said it's comfortable to sit in, I was just stating a fact, and you dare hit me?" The tall one, not to be outdone, raised his hand and swatted away the short one's hand.
"I'll beat you to death!"
Mitsuki Kōmei watched the two fighting with a grin, but before he could fully enjoy it, the other four arrived to stop them.
"Fighting during a mission? Do you have any respect for me as your Captain? What exactly happened?"
"Captain, he has an unclear relationship with my wife, and he even admitted it," the short one said, his face full of rage.
"You're slandering me! I didn't!"
"Don't think too much. Your wives love you. Every time you go on a mission, they personally make you bentos and ask me to deliver them to you."
"Little Tō, your wife knows you love steamed egg custard, doesn't she make it for you every time?"
Mitsuki Kōmei seized the opportunity to transform into the Captain and pulled the other few into his Barrier.
"Every time you guys go on a mission, I go to your homes. First, I 'eat' your wives, then I eat the bentos they make. I only bring you the leftovers. Little Tō's wife is the most supple."
Mitsuki Kōmei repeated the trick, transforming into the short Ninja, Little Tō, and earnestly asked the Captain, "Have you eaten all the bentos our wives made? Whose tasted the best?"
The Barrier was removed.
"Of course, I've eaten them all. I only get the chance when you're on missions. I still like Little Tō's the most; it's smooth and supple. Your wives were a bit unfamiliar at first, but I, your Captain, personally guided them, and they became more and more skilled."
"So, Captain, you're that kind of person. We misjudged you. Come out, let's have a good talk."
Mitsuki Kōmei watched the six Ninja pulling and tugging each other out of the Archives, then began to survey the interior layout.
Several wooden cabinets were neatly arranged on the floor, with different labels affixed to them: Konoha History, Ninja Files, History of Various Ninja Family Developments, and so on.
Mitsuki Kōmei looked through the Konoha History files. The archives were divided into two parts: one part before the Village's founding, mainly discussing the Uchiha and Senju Clans, from war to reconciliation.
The other part mainly discussed which Families joined after the Village's founding, when the Tailed Beasts were distributed, and who they fought in which year and month, and so on.
Mitsuki Kōmei nodded, the content recorded was similar to what he knew.
He reached out and opened an adjacent cabinet. Inside was a thick stack of Ninja files, detailing Ninja strength, Good at Ninjutsu, birth year and month, Family composition, and so on.
Mitsuki Kōmei had no interest whatsoever, casually tossed it back, and closed the cabinet door.
He continued to examine the History of Konoha Ninja Family Development. The information was pitifully scarce; the ancient Families with many years of Legacy were all seasoned veterans.
The records for the Senju Clan, which interested Mitsuki Kōmei, were even fewer. After Tobirama, there was only Tsunade.
He speculated that information about the Senju Clan might have been deliberately erased, and that the Senju of the Forest were currently living in seclusion in some forgotten corner of the Ninja World.
Madara and Hashirama, those good friends, joined hands to establish Konoha Village, signifying the two Clans officially letting go of their hatred and reconciling. The Uchiha Clan, being straightforward, happily joined the Village.
The Senju Family members did not want to play with the Uchiha and chose to live in seclusion, which might have included Hashirama's son and daughter-in-law.
Tsunade had a little brother, Nawaki, indicating that Tsunade's parents were still alive. However, the growth experiences of Tsunade, Kushina, and Nawaki in Konoha never mentioned the two parents at all.
After reading the files, he gently put them back in their original place.
Mitsuki Kōmei walked out of the Archives and found the six men at the corridor corner, bruised and swollen, grimacing, sitting on the floor, smoking and chatting.
"Wouldn't it be better to sit down and talk? Remember, impulse is the devil."
The last stop in the Hokage Building: to take a look at the legendary sealing scroll.