Night Light stood on Hokage Rock.
Through the binoculars, the Senju Clan Grounds appeared peaceful.
Night Light carefully memorized the architectural layout of the Senju Clan Grounds.
This massive compound was divided into three main sections: left, center, and right.
The central section consisted of seven courtyards.
The first four courtyards housed the public buildings of the Senju Clan, including the ancestral hall, assembly hall, archives, and other office areas.
These places were sometimes open to outsiders, so Night Light easily found information about these buildings.
Among the last three courtyards, he didn't know which one belonged to the Clan Head, Senju Rinmu, or Uzumaki Mito.
On the 14th, he didn't know where Senju Rinmu would be; if he was outside, Night Light would try to ambush him, but if he was within the Clan Grounds, he needed to first figure out where he lived.
The left and right sections of the Senju Clan Grounds also had seven courtyards each, with denser housing and fewer large halls.
On both the east and west sides of the seven courtyards, there was a row of single-story houses, each over 200 meters long.
Thousands of Senju Clan members resided within the vast architectural complex.
Beyond the seven courtyards, there was also a large training ground, approximately one-third the size of the seven courtyards.
Night Light secretly sighed to himself, wondering if he would have to fight his way through the entire Senju Clan.
He quickly made a new discovery: there were patrol teams of three within the Senju Clan Grounds.
In the alleys between the large compounds, there were many patrolling Ninja.
Not only that, but the patrolling Ninja would disappear beneath certain pavilions, which served as hidden lookout posts within the Senju Clan Grounds.
With more than twenty days left for investigation, he would surely find an opportunity to strike.
Descending from Hokage Rock, Night Light was startled to see a group of people exiting the Hokage Building.
It was Senju Rinmu and his escorts.
On second thought, Night Light felt there was no need to be afraid; he hadn't even attempted to assassinate Senju Rinmu yet, so why should he fear him?
Night Light was currently a core member of the Anbu, with a clean background.
He glanced at Senju Rinmu; there were six escorts around him.
Each of those escorts had resolute faces and were elites of the Senju Clan.
Back at Crane Moon Izakaya, Night Light ordered three bottles of sake and drank in silence.
Qiao Yi saw that Night Light was somewhat unhappy and moved her hands and feet under the table, trying to cheer him up.
"Stop messing around, Qiao Yi, come back tonight. There are so many customers in the shop right now."
Qiao Yi rolled her eyes at Night Light and twisted her large, round, perky backside as she left.
A middle-aged man leaning on a crutch entered the Izagaya.
He had a broad, square face and muscular neck, but unfortunately, he had a broken leg; he must have been a powerful Ninja in his youth.
What attracted Night Light's attention more was the clan crest on his clothes: the Senju Clan crest.
Night Light had seen him before; he was a regular customer of the Izagaya, a retired Ninja named Senju Kaba.
Senju Kaba entered the Izagaya, saw his friend Yachi waving to him at the bar, and hobbled over with his crutch.
Night Light tilted his head back and drank two bottles of sake in quick succession, then walked towards the bar.
"Qiao Yi! Don't be angry anymore, I was wrong."
Senju Kaba and Yachi, who were nearby, both laughed upon seeing the playful banter of the young couple.
Senju Kaba even said, "Young man, I've been there. Cherish this girl well; you'll have a blessed life later."
Yachi said, "Can it be more blessed than marrying a Senju woman?"
Senju Kaba said, "What, are you still heartbroken that you didn't marry my sister when you were young?"
"Yes, it's a pity she sacrificed herself fourteen years ago, otherwise I would have definitely married her."
A deep sense of longing appeared on Senju Kaba's face; his sister had died early in the First Ninja World War.
Yachi then said, "It's a pity your younger sister also sacrificed herself twelve years ago, otherwise your younger sister wouldn't have been out of the question either. I'm an easy-going person, not picky."
"You bastard!"
Senju Kaba swung his prosthetic leg, and a small section of the stump kicked Yachi off his high stool.
Yachi wasn't annoyed; he climbed back up and laughed heartily, "I didn't expect you to still be so strong. Luckily your leg is broken, otherwise I really couldn't beat you."
The two middle-aged men bickered noisily.
Fearing that Senju Kaba would endlessly try to prove his strength, Yachi quickly said, "Why did you call me here? Get to the point; I don't have time to reminisce with a retired Ninja like you."
Senju Kaba's expression suddenly changed, and he said:
"You are Senju Bo, my son's Jonin instructor, his teacher. Go and sound him out for me.
Bo just returned last night from a mission in the Land of Grass and has locked himself in his room, refusing to come out.
No matter how I ask, he won't open up. I feel his mood is not right."
Yachi said, "I know your son very well. He has a firm will. How could he lock himself away because of a single mission?"
Senju Kaba sighed and said:
"His mission record is excellent; he has already completed several A-rank missions. I asked the clan to apply for his promotion to Special Jonin, and I also want him to become a Clan Head's escort.
His mental state is not right, and I'm afraid he might develop a mental illness."
"Impossible," Yachi said resolutely:
"When I took Bo on his first off-village mission, he killed two Sand Ninja.
In subsequent missions, he never showed any emotional fluctuations from seeing blood. He is an excellent Ninja.
He has the strength of a Special Jonin at 19 and will definitely be promoted to Jonin before 25.
He won't suffer from mental illness; only the weak are tormented by fear into mental problems."
"Go talk to him, stop talking nonsense."
"Alright, alright, I'll talk to him. I'll ask him to come here tomorrow. Let's drink tonight; you, the wealthy Senju, must treat me. I'm going to drink my fill."
While bantering with Qiao Yi, Night Light carefully listened to their entire conversation.
What interested Night Light the most was that Senju Kaba, the man with the broken leg, wanted his son to become the Clan Head's escort.
The next day, Night Light arrived early at the Izagaya to wait.
Yachi soon entered and sat at the bar, drinking.
Later in the night, a tall young man walked in.
His face was covered in an unkempt beard. His eyelids drooped, indicating severe insomnia, and his dark circles were very prominent.
"Bo, come here!"
Senju Bo looked up, saw his teacher Yachi, and slowly walked towards him.
Yachi kept speaking encouraging words, but Bo just stared fixedly at the sake cup in front of him.
"Bo, you must pull yourself together. Your mother married into the clan from the Uzumaki Clan and sacrificed herself early for Konoha. For your father's sake, you cannot be dejected. Tell me what you're thinking, and I'll help you."
Bo suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with ferocity, then shifted to confusion and bewilderment.
He tilted his head, leaned close to his teacher's ear, and whispered something.
Night Light saw Yachi's pupils suddenly contract, looking incredibly disbelieving.
"No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" After overcoming his initial shock, the teacher asked, "Have you told your father about this?"
"No, I didn't dare to."
"Right, don't say anything yet. This isn't something you can handle. I'll figure out a way to confirm its authenticity, then I'll tell your father. You go home for now; don't be dejected, don't act unusually."
"Okay, I understand."
The two left.
Night Light carefully recalled the details he had observed.
Senju Bo's attitude had suddenly changed only after hearing his teacher mention that his mother had married into Konoha from Whirlpool Hidden Village.
Paper cannot wrap fire; no matter how secretive Danzo was, he would eventually reveal himself.
Night Light suspected that Bo might have encountered Vortex Remnants in the Land of Grass.
He kept pondering whether he could use this information to create an opportunity to approach Senju Rinmu.