After parting with Ayane, Hakushi returned to the Uchiha Clan Land along the original route.
Along the way, he kept thinking about the question Ayane had asked him, about how to explain to Ruri that he was about to leave Konoha.
Although he wasn't sure of the exact time, Hakushi knew that by next year at the latest, the Hidden Sand Village would initiate an attack on the Land of Fire. By then, Konoha would be too busy with its own affairs, and that would be his best opportunity to leave Konoha.
If he missed this chance, he would never have such a perfect opportunity again.
Therefore, when the war breaks out, leaving Konoha is the path Hakushi will inevitably take.
No one can stop his determination.
Ruri is very clear about his matters, of this Hakushi is certain.
Whether it's the formation of an organization or the secretive research into Chakra and Natural Energy, not a word was revealed to the higher-ups in Konoha. With a little thought, it's clear that his interest in the hierarchy of Konoha—or rather, the entire Konoha—is nonexistent.
Hakushi didn't believe that Ruri couldn't see this. When he was helping Ayane research the Bird Cage, Ruri was also aware of this. Ruri, born into a prestigious family, understood the profound implications of the Bird Cage far better than he did.
While this matter could be considered a family affair of the Hyuga Clan at a smaller scale, on a larger scale, it would shake the interests of Konoha.
Involving a strategic Kekkeigenkai like the Byakugan, even the higher-ups in Konoha couldn't ignore it and would intervene with an extremely strong stance.
Knowing this, Ruri must have guessed long ago that he would one day leave Konoha.
So what did she think about him leaving Konoha? Or was she waiting for him to confess proactively?
However, to be honest, Hakushi didn't know how to openly explain this to Ruri.
Just thinking about it, ever since they got together, when going for walks and shopping, they frequently walked hand in hand. At home, when alone, besides sexual matters, they had tried pretty much everything. Hugging and passionately kissing had become a normal part of accepting each other.
Getting married and having children in the future seemed a perfectly normal thing in the eyes of outsiders.
—Yet, there are still some things he can't confess, perhaps because he fears her answer might not be what he expected.
And because Ruri is so important to him, that he appears so hesitant.
A subtle inner conflict arose in Hakushi's heart.
"Ah, it's really a headache…"
While Hakushi was caught up in his dilemma, a head suddenly popped up from the floor, interrupting Hakushi's thoughts.
Earth General's way of appearing was always so elusive, you never knew when he'd pop up, giving you a scare.
This time, what he brought were scrolls, with varying sizes and a total of more than a dozen.
What was concerning was that each scroll was coated with dust, showing signs of aging, clearly some old items.
After delivering these scrolls, Earth General glanced at Hakushi and quietly sank into the ground to play by himself.
To him, the entire underground space of the Uchiha Race and Konoha was a playground for his joyful play.
Hakushi ignored the childlike behavior of Earth General, picked up one of the scrolls he had brought over and opened it. The contents recorded inside were all related to sealing techniques, belonging to the important and ancient sealing technique documents of the Uzumaki clan.
Among the remnants of the Uzumaki clan transported back to the Land of Demons, there was a clan elder who once held a high position within the Uzumaki clan.
During the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, although most clan members died in battle, quite a few managed to escape the chaos, taking important sealing documents off the battlefield. This clan elder was one of them.
To prevent these documents from being lost, the clan elder sealed them in a safe place and led the clan members to wander to avoid losing them.
He understood clearly that the Uzumaki clan was annihilated because of the covetousness of other countries.
For the members of the Uzumaki clan, the documents recording various sealing techniques were more precious than their lives.
It not only represented the glory of the Uzumaki clan but was also an essential part of their clan's history.
Forgetting the history of one's clan is equivalent to betraying the family.
Hakushi briefly browsed through the scrolls, realizing they contained research materials on sealing techniques of various kinds.
The sealing techniques involved various aspects such as souls, bodies, Tailed Beasts, Chakra, and just about anything imaginable could be found in the related text within them.
"Is this also a record of the sealing technique documents?"
Finally, Hakushi opened the largest scroll, which was several times the size of the other scrolls, about as long as an arm.
Upon opening it and looking at the contents, Hakushi realized that the text recorded in this large scroll was different from that in the other scrolls; it recorded completed sealing techniques rather than research documents.
After each sealing technique, a clan member of the Uzumaki clan was named, with brief accounts of their lives, the time and place of the jutsu's development, and the reasons for its creation.
One name appeared multiple times—Uzumaki Ashina.
Hakushi found the name somewhat familiar and soon remembered who this person was.
In the past, when he was studying at the Ninja School, while reviewing the early historical events of Konoha Village's establishment, the name Uzumaki Ashina had appeared.