Naruto: Escape From Konoha

Chapter 13: Two Years

Time flies, swiftly passing like a shuttle.

Konoha Year 32.

The beginning of summer. The weather was warm, but not too hot.

Today was a special day— the day of the heroes' return. However, the war was far from over.

The heroes returning were those who were severely wounded on the front lines and can no longer continue as active ni ja. They've become burdens to their comrades and must be escorted back to Konoha, where they will spend the rest of their lives.

The battlefield is forever their final resting place, with countless wounded and sacrificed shinobi.

On these days with pleasant weather, emotions run high. Some people remain silent, some shed tears, but these were not tears of joy.

Although there isn't a formal order, the people of Konoha and the ninja have organized a solemn ceremony to welcome the heroes'.

However, the adults awaiting their return maintained a somber and mournful atmosphere. Even the lively children, unaware of the circumstances, dare not speak freely and stood in silent sadness.

War was never a good thing.

Shiraishi's House -

Shiraishi wasn't particularly interested in meeting these so-called heroes. He had no relatives involved in the war, so there was no need for him to welcome them.

However, he knew that Ruri would go greet them. As a member of the Uchiha clan, it was her duty to welcome the returning clan members from their expeditions.

If it was only Ruri, Shiraishi would have joined her to welcome them at the village entrance. But with Ruri, there would likely be many other Uchiha members present. He would feel out of place if he went.

Considering this, he decided it would be best to stay at home. After all, he still had numerous experiments to conduct.

Two years had passed, and during that time, he not only self-taught the various medical ninjutsu from the scroll given to him by Ruri, but he also mastered them.

To put it frankly, he was highly confident in his medical ninjutsu skills. His overall growth hadn't lagged behind either. According to Ruri's evaluation, he was now at the level of a Chunin.

Ruri had passed the rigorous selection process to become a genin a year ago and had the strength of a Chunin. Shiraishi's abilities were on par with hers, making him naturally at the Chunin level.

However, he had never revealed his true strength. In the eyes of others, he was still an ordinary academy student, a rather inconspicuous existence.

He had also mastered numerous ninjutsu, including the Shadow Clone Technique, the Mystical Palm Technique, Healing, Hemostasis, and Chakra Scalpel— all essential medical ninjutsu for an exceptional medical shinobi.

As long as he grasped the essence of these techniques, learning them wasn't difficult for Shiraishi.

Furthermore, with his superior soul and self-control, he dedicated several times more time to cultivation than an average person.

Apart from regular rest and attending classes, he spent most of his time cultivating. The progress he had made came after numerous challenges and hardships.

Within one of the compartments in his house, Shiraishi had set up a miniature laboratory. On the table, various apparatus, test tubes, utensils, and Bunsen burners with red and blue flames were neatly arranged.

Glass bottles containing transparent solutions, in which rare plant specimens were soaked, as well as specimens of important animal organs like eyeballs and livers, were also present.

Skillfully adjusting these tools, Shiraishi worked towards achieving desired results, diligently recording the data on the computer.

Speaking of which, he found it quite surprising. He hadn't expected that the ninja world, where industrial development was not highly advanced, already had computers.

Although the modern computer processing system in the ninja world wasn't at an advanced level in his view, but it was better than nothing.

While he excelled in fields such as chemistry, biology, and pharmacology, his proficiency in mechanics and electronics was limited. He couldn't produce computers on his own, and professional tasks required professional assistance.

The computer he had, which had a relatively low-level processing system, still cost him a significant amount of money.

Scientific research was akin to a bottomless pit, devouring his limited resources over the past two years.

At this point, his funds had reached rock bottom, resulting in a slowdown in his research progress.

While he could gather raw materials himself, more sophisticated equipment and precious materials required additional investment.

Just as Shiraishi was worrried about this, there was a knock on the door. Putting aside his work, he opened the door and found Ruri standing there.

At eight years old, she had grown a little taller since two years ago. While still retaining her childishness, her eyes appeared sharper and colder, giving off an air of aloofness.

Though it may sound unflattering, Ruri truly wasn't skilled at socializing. She lacked the ability to accommodate others and navigate interpersonal relationships, but she possessed an intense passion for becoming stronger.

Deep down, she had the spirit of a fiery warrior.

This might be attributed to the traditional Uchiha clan personality, as members of this clan often had a fiery temperament.

Shiraishi believed that if it weren't for their shared knowledge of each other's secrets, it would have been difficult for him and Ruri to even hold a conversation.

Both of them knew that their understanding of each other's secrets made them the perfect partners.

"Is the welcoming ceremony over so quickly?" Shiraishi asked curiously as he ushered Ruri into the room.

Based on his estimate, Ruri should have spent a day organizing the return of the Uchiha clan heroes.

"No, I left early, but many people in the clan sacrificed their lives, and some can no longer continue as shinobi," Ruri replied, her mood seeming a little down.

"After all, it's war," Shiraishi sighed.

In war, it was unfortunately common for people to be killed or disabled.

"Why didn't you go?" Ruri asked Shiraishi, curious about his absence.

"I don't have any relatives returning from this war," Shiraishi replied, reminding Ruri that his parents had already passed away on a mission long ago.

"I'm sorry," Ruri expressed her sympathy.

"It's alright. It doesn't bother me. I just happened to have some free time," Shiraishi smiled at Ruri, indicating that he wasn't affected and proceeded to walk towards the small compartment in the house.

Ruri followed Shiraishi into the compartment, which was Shiraishi's private research room.

Shiraishi didn't hide his research from Ruri. It wasn't a secretive or forbidden experiment. Even if Ruri found out, she wouldn't divulge the information.

This unspoken agreement had developed between them over the past two years.

While they hadn't reached the highest level of understanding each other's thoughts without speaking, Ruri wasn't the type to pry into things. She knew about Shiraishi's true strength, but she had no intention of exposing him.

Shiraishi didn't question why Ruri kept his secret, and Ruri didn't inquire about why Shiraishi hid his strength.

Nevertheless, their pure friendship remained unaffected. This was the best form of understanding between them.