Chapter 21: News of the Great Lizard of Shouzaki!
Bang! Uchiha Takashi's shoulder collided with someone, knocking them to the ground.
"Are you okay?"
He looked at the figure on the ground, who seemed somewhat familiar.
Of course, there was also the walking stick that had fallen not far away.
Hearing Uchiha Takashi's voice.
"It's you?"
The girl who was getting up raised her head, revealing a face wrapped in bandages like a cocoon, and eyes filled with excitement.
Even though he couldn't clearly see her face, Uchiha Takashi recognized her identity.
It was the Hyuga girl, Hyuga Aozuki, who had been surrounded and beaten by the main family in the small forest before.
There was no way around it.
The Byakugan and the missing leg were too distinctive to forget.
"It's me. Your injuries...?"
Uchiha Takashi nodded, admitting he was the one who saved her that day. There was nothing wrong with admitting it, but it felt a bit strange.
The injuries on her face, after using healing ointment, shouldn't still be unhealed, right?
"Sometimes, not having injuries isn't necessarily a good thing!"
Hyuga Aozuki's voice lowered.
From her words, it was clear why she maintained the appearance of being injured.
Naturally, it was to show those who bullied her how miserable she was, so they could vent their anger and wouldn't come looking for trouble.
Uchiha Takashi didn't press further about the injuries, but he thought of something and tentatively asked, "By the way, can you access the historical documents of the Hyuga clan?"
The Hyuga clan was an ancient family with a long lineage, and unlike the Uchiha, they hadn't experienced the chaos of a clan leader's departure, so their historical documents should be well-preserved.
And these kinds of non-ninjutsu-related things were typically preserved only by such ninja clans.
"No problem."
Hyuga Aozuki thought for a moment and nodded, though she didn't understand why he was asking her this.
"Could you help me look up something?"
Uchiha Takashi's eyes lit up because this could help him with a favor.
"Of course!"
This time, Hyuga Aozuki answered with extreme decisiveness.
Since her parents' death, she had been living in hell. During the incident in the forest, she might have even considered ending her suffering.
But he was like a light piercing through the darkness in her heart! Now that he was asking for her help, she wouldn't hesitate, no matter what it was.
(Consider the future subordinates of Orochimaru, and the way the Hokage manipulated Shisui and the filial son; such situations are quite normal, even more reasonable!)
"I want to know if there's a place called 'Shouzaki Castle' in the ninja world?"
Uchiha Takashi stated his request.
At this moment, he didn't realize that he had inadvertently achieved what would become 'Snake Uncle's' future accomplishment.
He had gained a little fan girl! At least he saved a life, while others could succeed with just a few words.
It just showed that his skills were lacking.
"I'll check right away!"
Hyuga Aozuki quickly left without even taking her walking stick, leaving Uchiha Takashi utterly astonished.
Even with one leg missing, her speed was no slower than an ordinary person's sprint.
But after considering her identity, he suddenly understood.
She was a ninja! As long as there was chakra, the impossible could become possible.
Moreover, her speed and balance indicated that her chakra control was far superior to his.
Perhaps her usual inconveniences and awkwardness were all an act.
Because that's how she managed to survive.
In the harsh ninja world, age indeed doesn't equate to maturity.
Just like a certain filial son, who at seven could 'think like a Hokage,' Hyuga Aozuki's disguise was not surprising.
With the matter of Shouzaki Castle in progress, Uchiha Takashi returned to the clan grounds with a book in hand.
The bustling atmosphere along the way.
It seemed at odds with the harsh ninja world, especially compared to the desolation and barrenness outside the village.
However, the prosperity of Konoha Village was entirely built on the strength of Konoha's ninjas.
Back in the laboratory.
For the next few days, Uchiha Takashi went all out, 'pay-to-win' style.
The tens of thousands of ryo from mission rewards, plus the money he had saved before, were all used to purchase materials for the purification agent.
Pay-to-win!
### Chapter 21: News of the Great Lizard of Shouzaki!
Was it really just nonsense? Especially at the Yamanaka Flower Shop, where the stock was cleared out more than once.
In the past, when he wanted to create a batch of Clarity Elixir, he had to accumulate resources over a long period without attracting any attention.
Now, with the ability to spend freely without fear of being noticed, he could quickly produce several batches for use.
Exhaustion! After using a few doses of the Clarity Elixir, Uchiha Takashi experienced what it truly meant to have his "brain drained."
However, the gains were substantial.
He managed to devour books as thick as ten dictionaries.
And it wasn't just a superficial read; he absorbed and digested the knowledge within.
If it were just reading, something like "quantum reading" would suffice.
But to remember and digest this knowledge, it could only be achieved in the "sage mode" induced by the Clarity Elixir.
Knowledge that would take an ordinary person months or even over a year to learn, he mastered in just a few days.
If only that state could increase combat power, it would be truly game-changing.
But today, Uchiha Takashi had no choice but to leave his beloved laboratory.
First, Minato Namikaze had finished his tasks and called the Third Squad together to review their progress over the past few days.
Then, news came from Hyuga Aozuki as well.
She had made some progress.
It took a few days to get the information because the Hyuga clan's library was vast, and it took her some time to find what she needed.
With both matters pressing, Uchiha Takashi had to leave his cherished lab.
Of course.
During these days, his experiments weren't without additional breakthroughs.
The healing potion had made a qualitative leap.
Animal testing was successful, and the next step was human trials.
Once confirmed, he could announce that he had mastered an extremely important trump card.
But he was stuck at this stage.
Human trials!
Even in the ninja world, where lives are often considered expendable, conducting such trials isn't easy.
At least not with his current status and position.
Moreover, the Root was secretly watching him.
If Uchiha Takashi dared to proceed, he would be discovered immediately and end up singing "Tears of the Iron Bars" in the Root's prison.
As for experimenting on himself?
Sorry, Uchiha Takashi wasn't brave enough to "sacrifice for science."
While pondering these things, he arrived at a small grove not far from the training ground.
The two had agreed to meet here.
After meeting, they could head to the nearby training ground to join the Third Squad.
"Uchiha Takashi-kun, this is the map of Shouzaki Castle!"
Hyuga Aozuki, still with her face wrapped in bandages, handed him a scroll upon seeing him (ninjas habitually record everything on scrolls).
She had drawn the map herself.
As for how she addressed him?
Uchiha Takashi didn't find anything odd about it.
With a swift motion, he unfurled the scroll and saw the map and annotations.
So that's how it is!
Shouzaki Castle no longer existed, replaced by the Drowning Marsh, as the city had disappeared.
The marsh was located in the southwestern border region of the Land of Fire, adjacent to the Land of Rivers, completely desolate.
It wasn't too far from where the Third Squad had previously carried out their mission.
As for how to obtain the summoning scroll?
Uchiha Takashi had a plan.
For a ninja, once you know the target information, setting a trap is not too difficult.
The simplest method is to leverage others.
Of course, this doesn't mean the Uchiha clan.
If they were to take it, who knows where the scroll would end up.
A good summoning beast is something no one thinks they have too many of.
So, Uchiha Takashi planned to use a certain ability.
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