strictlysupreme Chapter 621 Preparation
Chapter 621 Preparation
However, Zhang Hai was prepared. He took out a scroll from his ninja tool pouch, quickly formed hand seals, and cast a "Summoning Jutsu." With a "pop," a wooden ox puppet appeared before him. He took a prisoner dressed in Sand Ninja attire from the puppet. The prisoner was bound with ropes and gagged, clearly someone he had asked Jiraiya for the day before. Jiraiya trusted Zhang Hai completely and handed the prisoner over without asking any questions.
Zhang Hai led the Sand Ninja prisoner to the entrance of the Konoha Guard Station with an air of nonchalance. He made no attempt to conceal himself, acting as if he were just an ordinary ANBU member handing over a prisoner.
Soon, two Uchiha clan members dressed in Uchiha Guard uniforms appeared at the door and stopped Zhang Hai. They recognized him by the distinctive ANBU mask on his face, but still followed protocol and asked him to register the prisoner's information.
Zhang Hai picked up a pen and quickly wrote down the names and basic information of the Sand Ninja prisoners in the register. Just as he was about to lead the prisoners into the guardhouse, he was stopped again.
“Anbu lord, please wait.” One of the Uchiha clan members said, his tone polite but with an undeniable air of authority. “We can take the prisoner in; Anbu lord, you need not enter.” Their eyes clearly showed that they did not want Anbu members to step into the core area of the guard post.
Zhang Hai slowly shook his head, stating calmly, "No. My mission is to personally escort the prisoner to the cell and confirm the transfer. That's the rule of the mission." He paused, his tone hardening, carrying an undeniable command, "If you don't want me to go in, you can bring me the Third Hokage's order. With the Hokage's order, I will leave immediately."
The two Uchiha clan members exchanged a glance. They knew that the Anbu had its own rules for carrying out missions, and that the Anbu reported directly to the Hokage. Going to request a warrant from the Hokage would not only waste time but could also incur the Hokage's displeasure with the guards. In the end, they reluctantly stepped aside.
Zhang Hai led the Sand Ninja prisoners in with impunity. Along the way, he was met with a variety of stares from the guards—curious, wary, and a few particularly conspicuous looks of disgust. Clearly, as a member of the Anbu, a direct branch of the Hokage's forces, Zhang Hai was not well-liked by some of the Uchiha clan. This dislike wasn't directed at him personally, but rather at his Anbu identity and the Anbu's "surveillance" of the Uchiha clan. He was fully aware of this, but didn't care. His only goal was to find Uchiha Mikoto.
Zhang Hai paid no heed to the gazes from the shadows. Relying on his status as a member of the Anbu (Anti-Sects), he knew they wouldn't dare to act rashly. His purpose was to find someone, not to cause trouble. He used his progress as he quickly scanned the area for Uchiha Mikoto, but unfortunately, he couldn't find her even after walking all the way into the guard unit. This made his heart sink, thinking he had made another wasted trip.
He arrived at the designated prison area and escorted the Sand Ninja prisoner to the cell door. Just as Zhang Hai was about to push the prisoner into the cell, a familiar voice rang in his ear, carrying a hint of gentleness and politeness: "Here, Anbu lord, this is the key to this cell."
Zhang Hai turned around and saw Uchiha Mikoto, dressed in a ninja outfit, standing behind him with a bunch of keys in her hand. It turned out she had been guarding the innermost cell area. Zhang Hai noticed that in the years he hadn't seen her, Mikoto had transformed from a naive young girl into a completely mature woman, her face adorned with a kind smile, exuding gentle grace. Her dark eyes were filled with a soft light.
Zhang Hai took the key and unceremoniously shoved the Sand Ninja prisoner into the cell, then quickly locked it. He turned around, raised his hand, and removed the mask from his face, revealing a young face that was tinged with weariness. He looked at Mikoto, his tone tinged with a hint of probing and longing: "Mikoto-neechan, do you remember me?"
When Mikoto saw the face before her, she was stunned for a moment, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes. She tried hard to recall, then suddenly remembered, exclaiming in surprise, "You...you're Uchiha Akira?!" Her voice trembled slightly with disbelief, "My God, I didn't expect you to have grown so tall! It's been years since I last saw you, I almost didn't recognize you." Her face was filled with joy.
Seeing Meiqin's surprised expression, Zhang Hai put his mask back on and praised her with a smile, "Sister Meiqin, you've become even more beautiful." He knew that Meiqin genuinely cared about him.
Mikoto recalled the loneliness Zhang Hai felt when he lost his parents; he had been so helpless and vulnerable then. She marveled at how time truly shapes people; the Zhang Hai of today was completely different from the one she remembered. He exuded a calm and powerful aura, a composure and confidence she had never seen before. She couldn't help but ask, "How have you been all these years? Actually, after you left, I went to look for you. Seeing that you had not only found yourself a place to live but also enrolled in a ninja academy, I was relieved to see you so independent." Her tone was full of concern, warming Zhang Hai's heart.
Hearing Mikoto's words, Zhang Hai was deeply moved. This genuine concern strengthened his resolve to take her away from here. He knew the Uchiha clan's future was bleak, and he didn't want Mikoto to be dragged into that tragedy. So, he stopped beating around the bush and directly stated the purpose of his visit: "As you can see, I'm currently a member of Konoha's Anbu, and a squad leader." He paused, then sincerely invited Mikoto, "Mikoto-nee, I need to recruit members. Would you like to join?"
Before Mikoto could speak, a haughty voice suddenly rang out, carrying an undeniable command and provocation: "Don't even think about it, she won't go."
The sound made Zhang Hai's eyes turn cold. He looked towards the source of the voice. A tall man with short black hair and wearing a dark blue robe walked over. His face carried a hint of arrogance as he stood directly between Mikoto and Zhang Hai, separating the two. His eyes, at that moment, transformed into three-tomoe Sharingan, radiating intense pressure as he stared directly at Zhang Hai, filled with vigilance and hostility.
This person is none other than Uchiha Fugaku, the future head of the Uchiha clan, and Mikoto's husband.
Mikoto sensed the tension between the two. She glanced at Fugaku, then at Zhang Hai, and couldn't help but say, "Fugaku, listen to me, he is..." She tried to explain Zhang Hai's identity and ease the tension between them.