Should I continue being a villain in the ninja world after transmigrating?

Chapter 81: About Konoha and the Uchiha

When Sasuke arrived near the Akatsuki base, he saw Zeref sitting cross-legged under a tree, wearing a loose white shirt and black trousers, holding a scroll in one hand and seemingly playing with something in the other.

Sasuke showed no surprise when he saw Zeref waiting for him outside the Akatsuki base.

Jelf prefers to stay in the open woods rather than at the base.

Orochimaru seems to be just like his name suggests, possessing some snake-like habits, with a cold and sinister demeanor and a knack for hiding.

The bases they built were mostly located underground, and the environments within them were extremely gloomy.

Orochimaru's habits were such that his subordinates naturally dared not object.

Moreover, after so many years of war and conflict in the ninja world, ninjas seem to be very good at enduring hardship, let alone something as trivial as a dark environment.

However, Jelf's words both reflected his own demands and gave him the confidence to raise objections.

While I can accept the gloomy environment in the base, why should I make myself suffer?

So long ago, Zeref taught Sasuke outdoors, and even today's so-called ninja history class was no exception.

Sasuke moved closer and then realized that what Zeref was playing with was actually a headband worn by Konoha ninjas.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly as he unexpectedly saw the Konoha headband, which was so familiar yet had been discarded by Zeref.

He then sat cross-legged a short distance away from Zeref and asked, "Konoha's headband? What are you doing with that?"

Zeref, who had already sensed Sasuke's arrival, finally turned his gaze away from the scroll.

Zeref casually placed the scroll beside him, then held the Konoha headband in his hand to his eyes, looking at the swirling pattern on it, and smiled slightly: "I was looking through the historical records related to the founding of Konoha, and it was very interesting, so I had Kabuto bring me a Konoha headband."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed even more as he asked, puzzled, "You've seen Konoha's headbands before. Didn't you serve as a Konoha genin for a while back in Konoha?"

“After learning about the history of the ninja village’s founding, seeing this headband will give you a different feeling.” Zeref stroked the cold metal plate on the headband and gave a faint smile.

Sasuke: ...Does someone from another world really need to know so much about the history of the ninja world...?

Sasuke thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud. Instead, he asked, "Kabuto said you're going to give me a lesson on the history of the ninja world. Is that really necessary?"

Why doesn't he just focus on learning ninjutsu and magic to increase his strength and defeat Itachi Uchiha? Why bother researching so much ninja history?

Unlike Naruto, who aspires to be Hokage, he's already learned enough from what the Ninja Academy taught him.

So, there's no need for any ninja history lessons, right? Sasuke looked at Zeref with a hint of anticipation.

Seeing the hint of expectation in Sasuke's eyes, Zeref's smile remained unchanged, and he said without hesitation, "Of course not."

Zeref picked up the scroll beside him again and tossed it to Sasuke, saying calmly, "The past will make you clearer about your direction and will prevent you from being easily deceived."

Sasuke caught the scroll Zeref tossed to him, unfolded it somewhat dejectedly, and said, "The history of Konoha's founding was taught in the Ninja Academy, what else is there to know? The First Hokage, the Senju clan, Wood Release, and so on..."

Seeing Sasuke obediently unfold the scroll and start reading despite his complaints, Zeref's lips curled into a slight smile.

Looking at the Konoha headband in his hand, he suddenly said, "I've looked through the records. Your Uchiha clan is also one of the founding clans of Konoha, right? The alliance between the Senju and Uchiha created the most powerful ninja village in the ninja world—Konoha Village."

Mentioning the Uchiha clan, Sasuke slightly raised his chin, his voice brimming with undisguised pride: "That's right, the Uchiha clan is one of the most powerful clans in the ninja world, possessing not only the strongest bloodline limit in Konoha, but also in the entire ninja world—the Sharingan!"

"If it weren't for Itachi Uchiha, the Uchiha clan would still be just as powerful!" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Zeref watched Sasuke quietly. It was clear that Sasuke truly loved his clan and felt incredibly proud of it.

What an innocent child! Jelf suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Thinking of the strange things he felt while examining the history of the ninja world with Orochimaru, he couldn't help but say, "The Uchiha clan might not have been that powerful in Konoha."

"Otherwise, how come the Senju clan, which is allied with the Uchiha, has already produced three Hokage, while the Uchiha, which is also a founding clan of the village, has never produced a single Hokage?"

Sasuke paused upon hearing this, as it was indeed true that the Uchiha clan had never produced a Hokage.

He said somewhat indignantly, "It just wasn't like that before. If the Uchiha clan hadn't been involved in that incident..."

"If the Uchiha clan hadn't met with this misfortune, there probably wouldn't have been a Hokage with the surname Uchiha for at least the next few decades," Zeref said with certainty.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, rustling the leaves around us, and a moment of quiet ensued.

Sasuke was stunned by Zeref's words, which sounded like a pronouncement.

After a long silence, even though he knew that the Uchiha clan had been wiped out and there was no point in thinking about things like the Hokage, Sasuke still couldn't help but ask, "Why do you say that?"

Why would Zeref, an outsider, say something like "the Uchiha clan has no chance of becoming Hokage"?

If Orochimaru or Kabuto had said such things, Sasuke wouldn't have cared so much, because they would always have their own motives.

But why would Zeref, someone who had no designs on him, an outsider from another world, someone who had only recently learned about the history of the ninja world, make such a judgment?

Logically speaking, Sasuke shouldn't care about such words; he's a stubborn child with his own ideas.

But without realizing it, Jelf's place in his heart had already changed somewhat.

Unlike Kakashi's occasional eccentricities, and Orochimaru's sinister intentions, Zeref is more in line with the image of a teacher that Sasuke should have.

Powerful, knowledgeable, and of good character.

(The mages in the magical world who have heard of Zeref's legend and fought Alvarez: Are they of good character???)

That's why Sasuke was willing to listen to Zeref's opinion on the Uchiha clan.

"As expected of Lord Zeref, he already has such a deep understanding of Konoha just from some scroll records, ah ah ho ho."

As Sasuke was staring at Zeref, a hoarse voice, tinged with amusement, suddenly came from the side.