area51novel Chapter 145 Library, Mystic Energy
Chapter 145 Library, Mystic Energy
Chapter 136 Library, Mystic Energy
The next day.
After breakfast, Xingyuan Qianshuo formed three shadow clones: one went to the hospital, one went to teach the students, and the other continued to improve the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The original body remained at the Senju residence, preparing to enter the underground secret chamber for cultivation.
Seeing this, Tsunade changed her mind and asked Chisaku's shadow clone to ask for another day off for her.
Konoha Mission Hall.
The four members of the Silent Ones gathered at the entrance of the hall on time. Their enthusiasm for accepting the mission today was noticeably less than yesterday.
Good morning, teacher.
"Good morning."
"Master, are we going to help out at the orphanage again today?" Jingyin asked.
"No, let's see if there are any other suitable D-rank missions," Shadow Clone Chisaku replied.
The reconstruction of the orphanage mainly relied on professional construction workers. There, they could only follow orders and assist with their skills. If it weren't for their curiosity about the Konoha orphanage, they wouldn't have chosen that mission yesterday.
The hall was bustling with people, including those who came to post missions and ninja teams who accepted or returned missions.
The shadow clone Chisaku appeared leading the group, and many ninjas who knew him came forward to greet him. He responded to each of them gently.
The four students had witnessed this scene yesterday and knew that their teacher was highly respected in Konoha, so they couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
Looking at the D-level task list, it's still full of all sorts of trivial tasks.
"Having ninjas do these things undermines their status," the shadow clone Chisaku sighed inwardly.
Although ninjas possess great power, in the general consensus, they are still tools driven by money, as if they were born to carry out missions and fulfill assignments. Very few people believe that a country should be ruled and managed by ninjas.
However, he didn't think about it deeply at the moment. All of this would eventually have to change slowly.
Quite a few genin accepted the mission. Shadow clone Chisaku didn't hesitate much and quickly selected one.
The task was issued by the Konoha Library: assist in re-compiling the index numbers of books and scrolls.
This mission is quite suitable for their team—Shizune and the others have excellent grades in theory classes, far surpassing those of ordinary ninjas.
The task registrar glanced at them and reminded them, "You need to be approved by the library staff before accepting this task."
"Understood." Shadow Clone Qian Shuo nodded. This was indeed mentioned in the mission description.
The registrar said no more, quickly completed the formalities, and handed over the task sheet.
"Let's go," he said to the four of them. "Yesterday was all about physical labor; today, I'll get you all thinking."
"Okay, teacher."
The four had no objections. Although yesterday's mission had helped the orphanage and was quite meaningful, it had also diminished their fantasies about "ninja missions." They would leave everything to their teacher to decide.
The Konoha Library is in a unique location, situated within the high rock wall where the Hokage Rock is located, and can only be reached by climbing a narrow staircase.
Before Xingyuan Qianshuo awakened his memories of time travel, he would occasionally come here to browse books during his time off at the hospital.
"Have you been to the library before?" Qian Shuo asked as they walked.
"Our school teachers brought us here for a visit," Jingyin replied.
"Teacher, I often come here to read on weekends," Lin said softly.
"Oh? Not bad." Qian Shuo nodded in approval.
Although the library is inside the rock wall, it faces the ninja school and is not far away.
Han Fang and Tie did not respond, indicating that the two rarely came here.
Ascending the steps and passing through the heavy wooden door, one enters this space carved out of the rock.
The doors and windows on the rock face all face south, allowing sunlight to stream in at an angle, casting dappled shadows and making the interior fairly bright.
There was a reception desk at the entrance, where a bespectacled female ninja in her twenties was sitting, completely absorbed in the book in her hands, unaware that they had entered.
"Ahem—" Qian Shuo coughed lightly.
"Want to read a book? Please register." The female ninja said casually without looking up.
Qian Shuo shook his head slightly and had no choice but to speak: "Senior Kui, I am Xingyuan Qian Shuo. We accepted the mission issued by the library."
"Ah, Chisaku, you haven't been here for a while." Onodera Aoi looked up, paused for a moment, and said.
Qian Shuo handed over the task list: "I've been quite busy lately. Here's the task list."
"Oh, okay." Aoi took it and glanced at it, then asked in surprise, "Huh, Chisaku, you're a mentor now?"
"Yes, these four are genin from the medical team, and I'm leading the group," Chisaku explained.
"Are there five of you in total?"
"The task will be done by the four of them," Qian Shuo said. He didn't intend to participate personally, but would just browse through the books, and he didn't plan to share the reward.
"Okay." Kui thought for a moment, then took out paper and pen and handed them over. "Let me see if your handwriting is neat."
"Okay, just write down your companion's name."
The four of them whispered to each other for a while, then sat down at their desks to write.
"Huh—Nohara Rin, you're here too." Aoi stared at Rin for a while before she realized it.
"Hello, Sister Kui," Lin greeted softly.
Chisaku chuckled to himself. Onodera Aoi was exceptionally intelligent, but she was used to immersing herself in books and was always a step behind in reacting to the outside world.
"The new index number was compiled by Senior Aoi?" Chisaku asked casually.
"Yes, the old one isn't very convenient to use," Aoi replied, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the book beside her.
While talking to Aoi, the shadow clone Chisaku discreetly surveyed the library. It was Tuesday, early morning, and the vast library was unusually quiet with only a handful of people inside.
Just now, he sensed a faint trace of malice, not strong, and it vanished in an instant.
The library was filled with bookshelves, making it difficult to see the specific situation at first glance. However, at such close range, the shadow clone Chisaku did not need to form hand seals; with Kagura's Mind's Eye, he could clearly sense the chakra of a Jonin-level figure hidden behind the bookshelves.
Since the malice was minor, he didn't need to immediately identify the other party; he simply took precautions in secret.
"Shizune, Hanfang, Hyuga Tetsu—hmm, the handwriting is quite neat." Aoi said after checking. "Come in, I'll teach you the rules for writing the new numbering system. This requires patience."
The shadow clone, Chisaku, led the students inside the front desk. Aoi carefully explained the numbering rules: the book and scroll labels were different, and the categories of knowledge were also distinguished.
A few minutes later, after confirming that all four of them understood, she led them into the museum and explained the layout of the shelves one by one.
The shadow clone, Qian Shuo, followed behind, pretending to listen, but his eyes were secretly scanning the area.
He quickly found the Jonin who had previously exuded malice. He was a middle-aged man in his forties with an unfamiliar face, wearing black-rimmed glasses and no ninja headband. His calm demeanor seemed to blend into the ancient books around him.
Noticing the group approaching, the other person looked up, his expression calm and composed. He nodded slightly to Qian Shuo before looking down at the book in his hands again, as if he were just an ordinary reader.
With a slight thought, the shadow clone Qian Shuo activated the system to investigate.
[Name: Xuan Neng]
[Symptoms: Excessive worry damages the spleen's vital energy, leading to spleen deficiency; stagnation of liver qi depletes qi and blood, resulting in overall physical weakness]
"It was him?!" Qian Shuo's heart tightened, and memories of Xuan Neng's story surged into his mind.
Genneng, a native of Yangyan Village in the Land of Mountains, is a Jonin with the strength of a high-ranking ninja. He is skilled in setting up explosive tags and traps, and is nicknamed "Master of Traps".
The Mountain Country is a small country located within the territory of the River Country. It perished ten years ago along with the Kagerou Village.
Yangyan Village had clashed with Konoha, and the two villages fought. Konoha launched a surprise attack on Yangyan Village, resulting in numerous casualties, including Xuan Neng's son, who was only eleven or twelve years old.
Kagerou Village later signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha, but soon after, it was taken advantage of by the Valley Ninja Village of the Land of Valleys and completely destroyed.
It can be said that Xuan Neng and Konoha have a blood feud.
According to the original storyline, the entire core area of Konoha was covered with a spiderweb of explosive tags by this person as early as ten years ago.
The explosive tags are hidden within the building's walls, requiring only one trigger point to detonate simultaneously. In other words, Xuan Neng possesses the ability to instantly destroy most of Konoha's buildings and cause significant casualties.
However, Gennō was a typical ninja. With the two villages having ceased hostilities and Kagerou Village destroyed, he had lost his superiors' orders. Still possessing a lingering sense of kindness and compassion, he could not bring himself to destroy Konoha and slaughter civilians.
After awakening his memories, Xingyuan Qianshuo compiled a list of villainous characters in the ninja world based on the original work, listing those who posed a significant threat to Konoha. Xuan Neng was among them.
If Nagato overwhelmed Konoha with Kage-level strength, then Gen's abilities were the pinnacle of ordinary ninja skills—infiltration and reconnaissance, explosive tag deployment, trap setting, and masterful scheming.
However, Qian Shuo had not yet found a suitable opportunity to "discover" these explosive tags, so he could not report them to the Third Hokage for removal. In addition, since the Xuan Energy in the original work was never detonated, he temporarily put the matter aside.
Unexpectedly, I have encountered this avenger who is targeting Konoha here today.
"This is troublesome," Qian Shuo thought to himself, deciding to hold off on taking any action for the time being.
He was merely a shadow clone, and even if he was confident he could subdue his opponent, he couldn't guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen. There were still four students nearby, as well as Aoi and the other readers, so he had to consider their safety.
The key issue is that the enemy is proficient in using explosive devices and likely has a backup plan. This is a library carved into the rock face; in the event of a battle, its structure could easily be destroyed.
Qian Shuo's mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued to move with Kui.
After the explanation, the four members of the Jingyin group followed Kui and began to get busy.
Qian Shuo then pretended to flip through a book near Xuan Neng, and casually left a Flying Thunder God mark on the inside of the cover of an inconspicuous ancient book, just in case.
Soon, he sensed that the other party's previously concealed malice had resurfaced, though still slight, like ripples spreading across a calm surface of water.
"Truly perceptive—no wonder he can outmaneuver Konoha." Chisaku sighed inwardly, while quickly assessing the situation: "This person possesses methods to easily cripple Konoha, yet he hasn't used them for decades. Even when seriously ill and nearing the end of his life, he still couldn't bring himself to do it, and was ultimately persuaded by Naruto's talk-no-jutsu."
"This is also a kind-hearted person, caught up in the chaos of the ninja world. Perhaps we can recruit her into the Star Organization. Regardless of her strength, her rich experience alone is worth recruiting. After all, the Star Organization cannot rely solely on promising newcomers like Emi with zero experience."
"Especially since their country and ninja village have long been destroyed and they have nowhere to turn, there is a good chance they can be persuaded and won over. If we can't recruit them, then we'll have no choice but to take drastic measures and eliminate this threat completely."
Amidst his fluctuating thoughts, he had already made up his mind, but this was not the right place.
About half an hour later, Xuan Neng gently closed the book in his hand, put it back in its original place, and walked out from behind the bookshelf with a calm expression.
"Greetings, senior. Are you leaving?" The shadow clone, Qian Shuo, turned around at the right moment and greeted him calmly.
"Hello." Xuan Neng nodded, his gaze lingering on Qian Shuo's face for a moment. "Young man, very good."
"Not at all, I still have much to learn from my seniors," Qian Shuo replied politely, his tone natural.
The two maintained a distance of about two meters, their gazes meeting calmly, neither revealing any intention to make a move.
Qian Shuo watched the other person slowly walk towards the exit, his vigilance remaining.
Once Xuan Neng's figure had completely disappeared outside the building, Qian Shuo used Kagura's Mind's Eye to sense and track his location while quickly walking towards where Xuan Neng had been.
He carefully examined the bookshelves, books, scrolls, and even the ground and rock pillars.
"No detonation tags—is it because they haven't had time yet, or was there no intention to place them here in the first place?" he wondered to himself.
He then looked around and saw a forest of bookshelves standing tall, with thick layers of rock on top. If they collapsed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Ugh, what a hassle—should I send the main body over? Never mind, let's first thoroughly search the area to ensure it's safe."
.
With his exceptional perception, he quickly and meticulously surveyed the entire library, confirming that the other party had not set up any explosive tags or traps there.
"Are they here to observe the rock structure and defense intelligence, or are they really just here to read? In the original story, they used the Hokage Rock to set up a large number of explosive tags." Qian Shuo thought to himself, "Never mind, I won't think about it too much for now. If we can resolve this peacefully and avoid destruction, that would be the best."
He continued to use Kagura's Mind's Eye, sensing that Gen's energy was moving towards the edge of Konoha at a normal speed, with a clear direction.
After a moment's thought, he looked at the four students quietly cataloging items a short distance away, occasionally exchanging hushed conversations. He walked over to Lin and whispered, "Lin, I suddenly have some urgent business to attend to. Would it be alright if you took the lead as our team leader today and guided us through this task?"
"Ah? Oh—okay, Professor Qian Shuo." Lin nodded in agreement, slightly surprised.
The three of them, including Shizune, looked over in confusion. The shadow clone, Senju, nodded slightly to them, giving them a "I'll leave it to you" look, and then, without further delay, turned and quickly left the library.
Xuan Neng, leaving the library, was also filled with turbulent emotions.
He never expected that his secret, which he had kept hidden in Konoha so many times without ever being exposed, would be so easily seen through by a young junior.
"Truly a green miracle," Xuan Neng thought to himself, his pace unchanged, but his mind racing as he reviewed the events.
Having spent many days lurking in Konoha, he naturally gathered a lot of intelligence, including information about this young ninja medical genius named Hoshinobu Chisaku, Tsunade's lover, whose reputation was currently soaring.
"Tsunade's lover, huh?!" A cold hatred flashed across Xuan Neng's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it with his strong willpower, returning to a calm as deep as a pool.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, along with his disciples Tsunade and Jiraiya, were key figures in planning and participating in the attack on Kagero Village.
The village was severely weakened by the war with Konoha, and only two weeks after the ceasefire agreement was signed, it was suddenly attacked and destroyed by the lurking Valley Village. He happened to be away on a mission at the time, thus becoming the sole survivor of Kagero Village.
For the past decade, he has been struggling on the edge of whether or not to take revenge on Konoha. He has infiltrated Konoha under different identities many times, carefully observing and devising various sabotage plans in his mind, but he has never been able to take the final step.
He never even activated the spiderweb-like explosive tags that had been planted in many of Konoha's buildings.
Having lost his family to protect and his home to dedicate himself to, the pure fire of revenge seemed insufficient to sustain him in destroying the village before him, which was also home to countless ordinary residents.
Sometimes, watching the children playing here in the sunset, he would even have a dazed illusion, overlapping Konoha with the Kagerou Village in his memory—as if the laughter of the Konoha villagers was the laughter of the Kagerou Village villagers.
His intelligent and sensible son, Kentaro, who was determined to protect the village, seemed to still be living in some corner of the village, waiting for his irresponsible father to come and recognize him.
Previously, he had guessed why Xingyuan Qianshuo hadn't made a move in the library—he was considering others and was hesitant to act rashly.
After careful consideration, he chose to leave voluntarily, both as a test and to give the other party a "chance to catch up."
.
He was unsure of what the other party would do next—would they immediately notify the Konoha leadership and launch a full-scale search?
He was used to planning ahead, and at this moment he was following the pre-planned route toward a "trap" area that had been set up in advance on the edge of the village.
Deep down, he secretly longed for a direct confrontation with the Konoha ninja. Perhaps then he could shed all his hesitation and burdens, fight openly, and even—detonate those deeply buried "gifts."
"So he really did follow? Is he another sensory ninja? And he's alone?"
Xuan could clearly sense the rapidly approaching chakra behind him—it was Xingyuan Qianshuo.
He was slightly surprised by the man's decisive solo pursuit, but didn't think much of it.
He simply quickened his pace slightly, heading towards the edge of the village where the woods were gradually becoming denser.