Yōkō stood atop the Kage Rock.
Through his telescope, the Senju compound appeared peaceful and harmonious.
Yōkō carefully memorized the layout of the buildings within the Senju compound.
This massive estate was divided into three sections: left, center, and right.
The central section consisted of seven successive courtyards.
The first four courtyards were the Senju clan's public buildings, including areas like the ancestral hall, assembly hall, archives, and other administrative spaces.
These places were sometimes open to outsiders, so Yōkō could easily find information about these structures.
In the latter three courtyards, it was unclear which one belonged to Clan Head Senju Rinoki and which to Uzumaki Mito.
On the 14th, he didn't know where Senju Rinoki would be. If he was outside, then find a way to ambush him. If he was inside the compound, he had to first figure out where he lived.
The left and right sections of the Senju compound also had seven courtyards each, with denser housing and fewer large halls.
On the east and west sides of the seven-courtyard complex, there was a row of single-story houses each over 200 meters long.
This vast complex of buildings housed over a thousand members of the Senju clan.
Behind the seven courtyards, there were also large training grounds, covering about one-third the area of the seven courtyards.
Yōkō sighed inwardly. Did he have to fight through the entire Senju clan?
He soon made a new discovery: there were three-person patrol teams inside the Senju compound.
In the alleys between the large courtyards, there were many patrolling shinobi.
Not only that, but the patrolling shinobi would disappear near certain pavilions – those were the hidden sentry posts within the Senju compound.
He still had over twenty days to investigate; he would surely find an opportunity to strike.
Descending from the Kage Rock, Yōkō saw a group of people leaving the Hokage Building and was startled.
It was Senju Rinoki and his guards.
After a moment's thought, Yōkō felt there was no need to be afraid. He hadn't gone to assassinate Senju Rinoki yet, so why fear him?
Yōkō was currently a bona fide core member of the Anbu.
Glancing at Senju Rinoki, he was surrounded by six guards.
Those guards all had resolute faces; they were elites of the Senju clan.
Returning to the Tsurugetsu Izakaya, Yōkō ordered three bottles of sake and drank gloomily.
Seeing Yōkō seemed unhappy, Kyōi started getting handsy under the table, trying to cheer him up.
"Stop it, Kyōi. We can continue tonight. There are so many customers in the shop right now."
Kyōi shot Yōkō a glare and walked away, swaying her large, round, perky, and firm buttocks.
A middle-aged man on crutches walked into the izakaya.
He had a broad, square face and well-developed neck muscles. It was a pity his leg was broken; he must have been a powerful shinobi in his youth.
What drew Yōkō's attention more was the clan emblem on his clothes: the emblem of the Senju of the Forest.
Yōkō had seen him before; a regular at the izakaya, the retired shinobi Senju Kaede.
Senju Kaede entered the izakaya, saw his friend Kamochi waving to him from the bar, and hobbled over on his crutches.
Yōkō tilted his head back and drank two bottles of sake in quick succession, then also walked towards the bar.
"Kyōi! Don't be angry, I was wrong."
The nearby Senju Kaede and Kamochi saw the young couple's flirtatious bickering and laughed.
Senju Kaede even said, "Young man, I've been there. Cherish this girl properly; you'll have a good life later."
Kamochi said, "Could it be better than marrying a Senju woman?"
Senju Kaede said, "What, still heartbroken you didn't marry my sister when you were young?"
"Yeah, it's a pity she died in action fourteen years ago, otherwise I would have definitely married her."
A deep longing appeared on Senju Kaede's face; his sister had died early in the First Shinobi World War.
Kamochi added, "It's a pity your younger sister also died twelve years ago. Otherwise, your sister wouldn't have been out of the question either. I'm easy-going, not picky."
"You bastard!"
Senju Kaede swung his broken leg, using the stub of his residual limb to kick Kamochi off the high stool.
Kamochi wasn't angry either, got up and laughed heartily: "I didn't expect you to still be so strong. Good thing your leg is broken, otherwise I really couldn't beat you."
The two middle-aged men bickered noisily.
Kamochi, afraid Senju Kaede would insist on proving his strength endlessly, quickly said, "Why did you call me here? Get to the point. I don't have time to catch up with a retired shinobi like you."
Senju Kaede's expression suddenly turned serious, saying:
"You are the Team Leader for my son, Senju Kashiwa. You're his teacher. Go sound things out for me.
Kashiwa just returned from a mission in the Land of Grass last night and has locked himself in his room, refusing to come out.
No matter how I ask, he won't speak. I feel his mood isn't right."
Kamochi said, "I know your son very well. He has a strong will; how could he lock himself away because of one mission?"
Senju Kaede sighed and said:
"His mission record is very good; he's already carried out several A-rank missions. I asked the clan to apply for a promotion to Special Jonin for him, and I even wanted him to become a Clan Head guard.
His mental state isn't right; I'm afraid he might develop a mental illness."
"Impossible." Kamochi said firmly:
"On his first mission outside the village with me, he killed two Suna-nin.
In subsequent missions, he never showed any emotional fluctuation from seeing blood. He is an excellent shinobi.
Having the strength of a Special Jonin at 19, he will definitely be promoted to full Jonin before he's 25.
He won't develop a mental illness. Only the weak are tormented by fear into having mental problems."
"Just go talk to him, stop the nonsense."
"Alright, alright, I'll talk to him. I'll invite him here tomorrow. Let's drink today; you, the wealthy Senju, must treat me. I'm going to drink my fill."
While joking with Kyōi, Yōkō carefully listened to the entire conversation between the two men.
What interested Yōkō the most was that this crippled Senju Kaede wanted his son to become a Clan Head guard.
The next day, Yōkō waited early in the izakaya.
Kamochi came in soon after and sat at the bar drinking.
Late into the night, a tall, well-built young man walked in.
He had a thick, unkempt beard. His eyelids drooped, suffering from severe insomnia, with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"Kashiwa, over here!"
Senju Kashiwa looked up and saw his teacher Kamochi, then slowly walked towards him.
Kamochi kept saying words of encouragement, but Kashiwa just stared fixedly at the glass in front of him.
"Kashiwa, you need to pull yourself together. Your mother married here from the Uzumaki clan and died early for Konoha. For your father's sake, you can't be in such dejection. Tell me what's on your mind; I'll help you."
Kashiwa suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with ferocity, which then shifted to confusion and bewilderment.
He leaned in, close to his teacher's ear, and whispered something.
Yōkō saw Kamochi's pupils constrict sharply, his face showing an expression of disbelief.
"No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" After the initial shock, the teacher asked, "Have you told your father about this?"
"No, I didn't dare."
"Right, don't tell him yet. This isn't something you can handle. I'll find a way to verify its truth, then tell your father. Go home first. Don't be in dejection, don't act abnormal."
"Okay, I understand."
The two left.
Yōkō carefully recalled the observed details.
Senju Kashiwa's attitude only changed suddenly after his teacher mentioned that his mother had married into Konoha from Uzushiogakure.
You can't wrap fire in paper. No matter how secretly Danzo acted, clues would eventually emerge.
Yōkō suspected that Kashiwa might have made contact with Uzumaki remnants in the Land of Grass.
He kept thinking: could he use this information to create an opportunity to get close to Senju Rinoki?
...
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(End of Chapter)