Chapter 246 Self-knowledge

The next morning, Yoshida woke up on time. He was an extremely self-disciplined ninja and would complete the set training tasks regardless of wind or rain. This was also the main reason why he was so powerful at a young age. After all, there is nothing in the world that can be obtained easily, except failure of course.

In the eyes of outsiders, Jonin Yoshida is a role model for civilian ninjas. He has a beautiful wife and a well-behaved son. In addition to his outstanding strength, he has a good reputation in the village and seems to have a bright future.

But family members know their own business. Yoshida is now in a state of panic. He suffers from severe insomnia every night and is constantly afraid that the masked Anbu will come to his door. He has lost a lot of weight in just a few months.

After saying goodbye to his family as usual, Yoshida put on a hypocritical smile and came to the training ground. Although it was still early, there were many ninjas who came to practice. When they saw Yoshida, they all waved and greeted him.

After a brief greeting, Yoshida sat cross-legged on the ground, formed seals with his hands and began to refine chakra. This was also his daily compulsory course, but today he was destined to be unable to practice with peace of mind.

A complete four-member ANBU team quickly ran around Yoshida, formed a circle around him, and stood there without saying a word, staring at Yoshida who looked stunned.

Although he was panicking inside, Yoshida still kept his composure and asked, "What are you doing here so early in the morning? If I remember correctly, the Anbu should have a training ground that is not open to the public, right?"

The captain of the Anbu team took out a document with a blood-red seal from his pocket and waved it a few times. His voice was more chilling than the cold wind: "Jounin Yoshida, we are here to arrest you on the orders of the Hokage and the Minister. I hope you will give up your meaningless resistance and cooperate with the work, otherwise I have the right to take any measures to execute your orders!"

Yoshida's heart sank suddenly. He thought quickly for a moment, and after making sure that he had not revealed his true intentions, he pretended to be innocent and said, "I am a Jonin recognized by the village and have the right to meet with the Hokage at any time. Isn't this too much?"

The ANBU captain snorted, "Here is the arrest warrant signed by the Hokage himself. I have the authority to arrest you!"

"You know what you did secretly! Why are you pretending to be innocent here?!"

"I have always been law-abiding. Apart from my daily training, I have done nothing illegal. You Anbu members are too lawless!" Yoshida said in his dying struggle.

The captain of the Anbu team looked at the ninjas who had stopped training and gathered around him, and deliberately said loudly: "The recent ninja disappearance case in the village is related to you. Please put down your weapons and come with us!"

"You..." Yoshida's heart sank to the bottom. He still wanted to say something, but the Anbu didn't give him a chance.

"Cuff him and take him away! Seal his chakra and make him shut up!"

In full view of everyone, Yoshida was tortured with a pale face. In less than an hour, almost all the ninjas knew about it, but they were still skeptical. After all, a crime requires a motive, and Yoshida was an honest and decent man on weekdays, and didn't look like a thief or a prostitute in secret at all.

Soon, the news about the arrest of Jonin Yoshida replaced Uchiha Keiji being scolded by the Hokage yesterday and became the hottest topic at the moment. People felt embarrassed to say hello to others without chatting with them when going out.

"Hey, did you hear that Jonin Yoshida was arrested?"

"I've known this for a long time. Don't be fooled by his decent appearance. He secretly eats human brains. It is said that he believes that what you eat will replenish what you have. This is ridiculous!"

"Huh? Really?"

"It's absolutely true. My neighbor's aunt's little sister's son's friend works in the Hokage Building. Uchiha Keiji was severely scolded by the Hokage for this."

"No, I'm asking if it's true that what you eat can replenish what you need?"

"It should be true."

"Let's drink at the pub tonight. I'll order some kidneys to try!"

"..."

"You're so fake!"

By noon, the news was getting more and more outrageous, and some people even said that Yoshida was going to assassinate the Hokage and take power himself. It was ridiculous, but there were still people who didn't know the truth and believed it...

In the Anbu interrogation office, Yoshida waited anxiously for the torture, mentally prepared to never give in. However, after a long time, no one came in to question him. Everyone was busying around as if he was a transparent person, which made his nervousness increase instead of decreasing.

I have to say that the food in the Anbu was really good. Not only was the quantity large and filling, but the taste was also delicious. With the idea of ​​having his last meal in mind, Yoshida ate until his throat was full, which was unusual for him. He slumped in his chair and became dazed.

Uchiha Keiji walked into the torture room with a smile, followed by a fair-skinned and beautiful female secretary wearing gorgeous clothes. At first glance, he looked like a rich man, without the bearing of a superior at all.

"Is your lunch delicious?" Uchiha Keiji sat down and greeted him as if he was chatting with an old friend.

Yoshida panicked, but said calmly: "The food in the Anbu is very good. I am full."

"You know what you've done, right?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, then you stay here, I'll get busy."

As he said this, Uchiha Keiji stood up and was about to leave. Seeing this, Yoshida called him and said, "Bullmaster, are you not going to ask any more questions?"

"What's there to ask? You won't confess. You might as well go back to the office and take a nap. You're too old to be useful anymore."

"How can I confess if you don't ask me?"

"How can I ask if you don't confess?" Uchiha Keiji said with a smile.

"Actually, I have no other intention in arresting you. You should not take it to heart. Eat when you need to and sleep when you need to. Cherish the last good time. If you have any needs, just tell me. As long as it's not excessive, I can satisfy them through the back door. After all, we are all in the same village to make a living, so we still have to maintain this friendship."

Yoshida was completely panicked, and his voice trembled slightly: "I really didn't do anything!"

"Look at this," Uchiha Keiji said, spreading his hands. "No one in the torture room confessed readily. They were all very stubborn. They didn't even need to think about it. Can the Anbu arrest people without evidence?"

"Young man, as a person who has been through this, I warn you not to take yourself too seriously. In this village, apart from the three irreplaceable Hokage, there are no other heavyweight figures. Do you understand?" Uchiha Keiji said with his hands behind his back.

"Jounin is nothing, four Kage died in the Ninja World War! No matter how powerful you are outside, once you enter the Anbu, you can't get out without getting skinned!"

Yoshida's face was covered with sweat. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, and said in a tearful voice, "So I can't escape death, right?"

"Of course, no one can save you from the crime of killing a ninja from our village without permission!"

"I didn't kill him!" Yoshida roared, "I'm just a small character. How could I have the guts to kill someone? Why are you arresting me if you don't want to arrest the mastermind behind this?"

Uchiha Keiji said with a smile on his face: "Because you are an ant, it is normal for a person to step on an ant to death when walking on the road, but your master is a fierce dog, which may suddenly attack and hurt people at any time, that's all."

Yoshida collapsed. It only takes a moment for an adult to collapse. Perhaps Uchiha Keiji's metaphor was too hurtful. A jounin cannot be considered an ant. At least he should be considered an ant: "You have never considered my difficulties. I have shed blood for the village. I have stepped into the gates of hell for the village many times, but you treat me indiscriminately. Don't small people deserve your respect?"

"You are so high and mighty all the time, but have you ever looked down at my difficulties? I just want to live, what crime have I committed?!"

Uchiha Keiji picked at his nails, and slowly raised his head after hearing this. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he spoke word by word, "Of course I know the difficulties of a small person, but it seems that you are not a small person. How can the right-hand man of Orochimaru, one of the Three Ninjas, be an ordinary person?"

"To tell you the truth, it's easier to kill you than to kill an ant. It doesn't matter whether you recruit or not. What matters is that you deserve to die!"

"The Leaf Village is the Leaf Village of Lord Hayama. His words are higher than the sky and wider than the earth. Don't mistakenly think that Lord Hayama is a kind-hearted person who won't kill innocent people. Don't take a piss and look in the mirror to see what kind of trash you are. Do you really think you are a role?!"

"Then kill me, kill me with your eyes full of sin!" Yoshida was completely crazy. He suddenly jumped up, picked up a chair and rushed forward to fight.

The outstanding-looking female secretary closed her eyes and opened her Sharingan in an instant, and threw a genjutsu directly over, sticking to Uchiha Keiji and asking tenderly, "Are you okay, sir?"

Uchiha Keiji pushed the female secretary away, shook his head and said, "What can happen to me? He is just a lunatic."

"Remove the illusion. I haven't finished talking yet."

The female secretary reluctantly lifted the illusion. Yoshida calmed down a lot and stood beside the table, covering his face and crying bitterly.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have never done it!" Uchiha Keiji sighed, "It's hard to be a human being, and it's even harder to be a heartless person!"

Yoshida cried even louder after hearing this, sobbing, "I don't want to do this either, but if I don't do it, I'll die. I have no choice!"

"Alright, alright, why are you crying like a grown man? Aren't you afraid of losing face?" Uchiha Keiji threw a piece of paper on the table, motioned for Yoshida to wipe his tears, and said, "The crime you committed would have been punishable by death no matter where you were, but you were lucky enough to meet Lord Hayama."

Yoshida stopped crying, raised his dirty face and asked, "What do you mean? I don't have to die?"

"I'm just teasing you. Lord Ye Shan has a kind heart. How could he kill someone so easily?"

Yoshida: “….”

Uchiha Keiji was in high spirits. He sat on a chair and said, "You are lucky. According to Lord Yeshan's idea, you will be spared and sent to the New Rain Country for transformation. They are in need of manpower there."

"Really?" Yoshida was overjoyed. He had never expected the twist.

"How could it be false?" Uchiha Keiji said calmly, "Originally I didn't want to come to the torture room, but your wife is kneeling outside the Anbu gate, and no one can persuade her. Otherwise, do you really think I have nothing better to do than to come here to ask questions?"

"Lord Yeshan is deliberately making reforms. Many things in the village need manpower to implement. Accomplices like you will also be pardoned. Work hard in the future, otherwise the Anbu will welcome you to visit at any time."

"How does that phrase go? Oh, right, you are doing meritorious service while guilty. I have your criminal record with me."

Yoshida wiped his tears and said, "Thank you, sir!"

"Don't thank me, you deserve it."

"What Lord Yeshan wants to do is unprecedented and will never be done again. It is the first time in the history of the village and the ninja world. He can endure anything to achieve his goal. Do you understand the feeling?"

“Do you know what reform is?”

"do not know."

"The village has been very busy lately, don't you know?"

"Are you talking about the New Rain Country's policy to help farmers?"

"Correct."

"Isn't the policy of helping farmers just to distribute some supplies so that the New Rain Country can be brought under the effective rule of the Fire Country? You also call this reform?"

Uchiha Keiji sighed, finally understanding what it meant to play the lute to a cow. He felt sorry for Ye Shan in his heart: "What do you know? You are such a vulgar fellow who picked up a kunai and greeted the enemy's three generations of ancestors. You only know how to practice all day long, and you have ruined your brain!"

Yoshida's face flushed and he wanted to retort, but because his life was in the hands of others, he endured it.

Feeling bored, Uchiha Keiji patted his butt and stood up, saying calmly: "Be prepared to go to the New Rain Country, do your best when you get there, and don't bring shame to the Hokage."

After saying that, Uchiha Keiji left without looking back, leaving Yoshida alone in the torture room, worried and anxious.

In the Hokage's office, four dishes and a soup had been lying on the table for a long time, but Ye Shan sat there smoking one cigarette after another, with no appetite at all.

Nara Shikaku tiptoed into the office, glanced at the cold food, and said softly, "Hokage, please eat at least. You haven't even had a sip of water since this morning."

Ye Shan frowned and smoked a cigarette. Hearing this, he raised his head, rubbed his sore eyes and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's two o'clock."

"Is Orochimaru here?"

"nothing now."

"Ugh!"

Ye Shan sighed, leaned back on the chair, put the cigarette between his right hand and looked at the wall without saying a word. There were three photos hanging on the wall, which were the three Hokages of Konoha Village. The first Hokage had the brightest smile in the photo, while the other two had stern faces, as if being a Hokage was extremely painful.

After a while, Ye Shan suddenly asked, "Is there any news from the New Rain Country?"

"This morning the Intelligence Department received a message from the Vice-Hokage-sama requesting technical support for road repairs. I have submitted it to Vice-Hokage Fugaku's office, so I believe it must have been arranged by now," Nara Shikaku replied.

"Well, you've done a good job as the office owner. You're much better than before. I'm very satisfied."

Nara Shikaku carefully raised his head and looked at the Hokage, saying, "It's all part of my job. You should have a meal, sir. There is always work to do, and it would be bad if you overwork yourself. You are the village's leader now."

Ye Shan smiled bitterly for a moment and then said, "What kind of day am I? Cloudy day, rainy day, snowy day? If I stay in this position for a few years, I will be old. By then, I may have to step down and let someone else take over."

"People, the most important thing is to know yourself. The village can do without anyone, so don't take yourself too seriously." Ye Shan said calmly, sitting up straight and looking at Nara Shikaku: "You are right, health is the capital for doing practical things. The more critical the moment, the more I have to pay attention to my body and not give others the opportunity to covet it."

"Have someone heat up the food and add some wine. My mouth feels bland after smoking all morning. It's really tasteless."