Chapter 10: A Meeting of Spies
Yuchuan sprinted through Konoha's streets, the wind whipping past his ears.
As a spy, caution was paramount.
His plan:
Jog normally
"Rest" at Konoha Knowledge Bookstore
If questioned: "Just a tired kid browsing books!"
(Alternative excuse: "I'm a passing Kamen Rider—wait, no, elementary student.")
"Yuchuan!"
A familiar voice echoed behind him.
Yuchuan turned to see a green blur—Might Guy, upside-down as usual.
"Morning," Yuchuan nodded with a smile.
After a week of shared workouts, they were casual acquaintances.
"Don't mind me!"
Yuchuan still couldn't match Guy's insanity.
"Then I'll shift gears!"
Guy zipped away like a racecar taking a sewer shortcut.
"..."
Yuchuan jogged in silent resignation.
The Rendezvous
An hour later, he collapsed outside Konoha Knowledge Bookstore, his body screaming "empty".
"Yuchuan!"
Guy's voice boomed again.
Of course.
"Have you activated your secondary energy core?!" Guy vibrated with passion. "Push beyond limits! That's the essence of youth!"
Nearby pedestrians edged away.
Such a small gesture, yet so devastating.
Yuchuan stood frozen, trauma flashing—
High school pep rallies…
Forced cheers…
Sunsets over exam halls…
Guy had become hisunwanted nostalgia trigger.
But today wasn't the day—he had a spy meetup.
Without a word, Yuchuan stumbled into the bookstore.
Guy wasn't offended.
Most kids mocked his antics—only Kakashi's circle treated him normally.
Now Yuchuan joined that elite list.
Code Word: Thunderclap
The bookstore was empty this early.
"Looking for something, sweetie?" A young woman approached.
"Got 'Icha Icha Paradise'?" Yuchuan asked casually.
(He'd always been curious aboutJiraiya's masterpiece.)
"No."
Not even theLegendary Sannin'swork?
Burn this shop—
Then he remembered: "Icha Icha" released when Jiraiya was 42. Oops.
"I'd like 'When Thunder Roars'," Yuchuan said, dropping the Kumo code phrase.
The woman's eyes sharpened.
"That's the owner's private collection. Come with me."
She led him upstairs, then left.
A middle-aged man with no remarkable features appeared.
"Agent 9527. Glad you're alive."
Alive?!
Yuchuan scanned his memory—no match.
"I'm your handler—call me Tsuchihashi," the man explained.
The greeting referenced Kumo's failed kidnapping of Kushina, which triggered Konoha's witch hunt.
Yuchuan was their last surviving operative from that batch.
"..."
A chill ran down Yuchuan's spine.
Without the system'smemory-forging trait, he'd bedead meat.
"Status report?" Tsuchihashi poured him water.
Yuchuan summarized his academy enrollment and Hiruzen's interest, omitting the system.
"This level of talent?!" Tsuchihashi's face twisted with regret. "We wasted you here."
Geniuses belonged onKumo's frontline, not deep cover.
But extracting him now? Impossible with Hiruzen and Danzō watching.
"I'll stay!" Yuchuan fist-to-palm, oozing loyalty. "For Kumo's glory!"
The light of justiceilluminated Tsuchihashi's face.
"With soldiers like you, Kumo's rise is inevitable!"
Damn, this guy'smethod-acting hard.
Then again, Kumo's meritocratic culture bred true believers.
"Just doing my duty," Yuchuan said humbly.
Tsuchihashi composed himself, reassessing priorities.
Yuchuan's new position was more valuable—he could infiltrate Konoha's elite.
Kumo's Kushina snatch had burned their ANBU mole; they desperately needed high-placed spies.
"Your new mission," Tsuchihashi declared, "be the genius Konoha believes you are."
Yuchuan understood instantly.
Legitimacy waspriceless.
Having passed Hiruzen's vetting, he could climb Konoha's ranks—legally.
"For emergencies, contact me here," Tsuchihashi said. "You're now Kumo's golden hope."
"Understood."
"Excel, and rewards will follow," Tsuchihashi grinned. "Maybe even the Raikage's nin-taijutsu."
"Thank you, Tsuchihashi-san!"
Yuchuan's eyes gleamed.
Kumo'sbody enhancement techniquesweretop-tier—just ask theFourth Raikage.
"Take two books on your way out," Tsuchihashi advised. "Plausible cover."
"Can I grab more?"
Yuchuan recalled his orphanage alibi. Books madegreat gifts.
"Seven max," Tsuchihashi warned. "A kid can't afford stacks."
Veteran spy move.
So meticulous!
Yuchuan selected seven children's picture books and exited—
—only to freeze mid-step.
Uchiha Obito stood across the street, helping an elderly woman cross.
Yuchuan slipped away quietly, heading for the orphanage.
Behind him, the "granny" glanced at his retreating back, her eyes flashing sharp before softening again.