After returning, Hyuga Mirai instructed No.18 to organize their gains, the most important being the scrolls obtained from Mount Myoboku, including those carried by Gamahiro and Gamaken.
No.18 quickly categorized and organized all the scrolls. Aside from compiling the secret historical records of the shinobi world into a history encyclopedia, the most valuable material was the inheritance of Mount Myoboku's Sage Techniques.
Every Sage Technique from Mount Myoboku was recorded, including the principle behind Sage Art: Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation. It relied on resonance between sound and Sage Chakra to unleash the strongest sound-based binding Genjutsu. However, it required two toads working together, without a single error allowed.
In Mirai's view, once he understood the principle of how sound Genjutsu affected the target, there was no need to rely solely on the croak of toads to cast the technique. The scrolls did not specify any restriction on sound type either. Still, the Genjutsu was extremely difficult to learn—so much so that even the two great sages of Mount Myoboku could only perform it together.
Beyond this most powerful illusionary Sage Art, the scrolls also detailed Mount Myoboku's complete system for cultivating, refining, and releasing Sage Chakra. They had already developed a mature method of training that could even guide contract holders toward perfect mastery.
Later, Mirai asked Kushina and the Three Snake Princesses. Of all the great sanctuaries, Mount Myoboku had invested the most effort in guiding contract holders to master Sage Techniques. The summoning contracts of the three sacred lands also appeared at different times. Shikotsu Forest and Ryūchi Cave dated back seven to eight centuries, while Mount Myoboku's contracts stretched back over a thousand years.
The Three Snake Princesses showed great interest in Mount Myoboku's Sage Techniques. Compared to Mount Myoboku's comprehensiveness, Ryūchi Cave only had a handful. Thus, whenever Mirai studied Mount Myoboku's techniques, three snake women were always by his side.
"Master, Mount Myoboku contained a total of 3,216 scrolls. Among them, 219 were Sage Technique scrolls. There were only twelve scrolls predating Otsutsuki Kaguya, and none involved Onmyoji or priestess-related training."
After finishing the categorization, No.18 reported the results to Mirai.
Mirai scratched his head. His spirit-formed clone had found nothing even after entering the mind of Gamaryu. He muttered, "Nothing from Gamamaru's mind either. That old toad really is cautious. Has the search robot been dispatched to Mount Myoboku yet?"
"It has," No.18 replied. "It's investigating every corner."
Aside from gathering information, they would also copy Mount Myoboku's ecosystem to reproduce it within the Sand Federation.
The environment of Mount Myoboku was far more suitable for ordinary lifeforms. If replicated successfully, the Federation could build a vast primeval forest where students could undergo training.
Although Mirai regretted not uncovering secrets of the ancient past, eliminating a long-standing enemy force and obtaining such abundant resources still made the expedition worthwhile.
The greatest gain of all might be Kozuki. Still at Mount Myoboku, it planned to devour the Great Toad Sage of Iwasu before returning to Mirai. Even Gamamaru's corpse would become its food.
If Mount Myoboku yielded no information from before Otsutsuki Kaguya, Mirai would have to go to the Pure Land to seek answers.
For now, his focus would shift to studying the Divine Tree, as well as the Chakra of Ashura and Indra. He would spare only minimal attention for the Federation's growth, stepping in only if major issues arose.
In Konoha, the Sarutobi clan was now in a difficult position.
Tsunade had no convenient excuse to target their members in clerical posts, but she focused her pressure on the ANBU.
As the Hokage's direct subordinates, the ANBU had no choice but to obey. All rebellions involving other villages or small nations, including assassination missions, were assigned to Sarutobi shinobi.
This brought both pros and cons, but for the Sarutobi, the cons outweighed the pros. Every casualty opened a slot for Tsunade's assistant, Yakushi Kabuto, to swiftly fill—with clean-background civilian ninja or clansmen loyal to her.
Though the heavy tasks accelerated the Sarutobi's growth, the relentless high-risk missions left them overwhelmed.
Many missions even offered no pay, involving delicate matters like espionage in Kusagakure or probing the ties between the Daimyo of the Land of Earth and Iwagakure. These missions had to be carried out, even at the cost of life.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew of this, but he lacked authority to intervene. Both Tsunade and the Daimyo pressed him from both sides, with budgets and the Four Nations alliance leaving no room for compromise. He could only shuttle between them.
"Tsunade-sama, here are the finished documents. I'll just leave them here—someone will come to collect them later."
Hearing Kabuto, Tsunade's face lit up. She coughed lightly.
"Cough… thank you, Kabuto. I still have some—"
Before she could finish, Kabuto interrupted politely. "Forgive me, Tsunade-sama. This shadow clone doesn't have much Chakra left and won't last long. Please take care of the rest yourself."
With a puff of smoke, he vanished.
"A shadow clone?"
Tsunade froze, then glanced at the stack of unfinished documents. Her energy drained instantly.
"Damn it, that brat ruined my night at the tavern…"
Realizing she had been tricked, she had no choice but to finish them quickly or spend the night in the Hokage's office.
Meanwhile, atop another tall building in Konoha, Kabuto received the memories of his clone. He sighed and scratched his head.
"What's wrong, Kabuto? Still haven't found suitable candidates?" Orochimaru asked, noticing his expression.
"No, I have. Here are their files." Kabuto handed over a scroll, adjusted his glasses, and added helplessly, "But Tsunade-sama still has a pile of work waiting to dump on me. My clone dispersed just in time, so tomorrow might be…"
"..."
Orochimaru fell silent. He knew Tsunade's temper well—the spoiled princess feared nothing when enraged. For now, though, they were allies.
Kabuto was also his most trusted subordinate, so Orochimaru chose to change the subject. "And these three—are they suitable?"
"The best fit possible. Hyuga Clan Head's reforms have gone far, Orochimaru-sama. If we delay, even Hyuga Neji may refuse."
Once, persuading a few branch family members to defect would have been simple. As long as the Caged Bird seal was removed and their safety guaranteed, power and future promise were enough to win them over.
But now it was impossible. Branch members enjoyed nearly the same treatment as the main family. From secret techniques to privileges, their unity had reached its peak.
Were it not for Kabuto's status as Hokage's assistant and his role in forming the Police Force, the Hyuga would have already reported him to the Interrogation Division. Gathering intelligence on the strongest reconnaissance clan in the shinobi world was no simple task.
"Kabuto, I've heard about Hyuga Neji. But why is Hyuga Hinata also siding with the request?" Orochimaru asked with a sly smile. "Has the former clan heiress fallen this far?"
"Hyuga Hiashi hasn't stepped outside for months—whether from losing his position or other reasons. Hinata has been affected. Although the new clan head forbids anyone from targeting her, no one pays her any attention either. From what I understand of children, her situation is unstable."
Kabuto tapped his temple with a smile. "At the Academy, she's grown increasingly withdrawn. Every day she sneaks off to train in pointless ways. Lacking guidance at home and unwilling to attend the clan's collective training, her hunger for strength is too obvious."
Orochimaru let out a hoarse chuckle. "A thirst for power, hm? Then it shall be those three. Kabuto, I'll leave it to you."
A pair of Byakugan from the main family could serve as a spare experiment. Though Hinata lacked Neji's talent, she still held research value.
"Of course. Serving Orochimaru-sama is my honor." Kabuto pushed his glasses and smiled.
The darkness surrounding Hinata was too evident. Kabuto had only discovered her while observing Neji, but he was certain Orochimaru would find her even more interesting in person.
The Hyuga reforms had eased some of Neji's resentment toward the main family, but Hizashi's death remained an undeniable fact. Neji could never forget, nor forgive Kumo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo—those who had driven his father to death.
Hatred made the best lure. Kabuto was half certain he could persuade Neji to leave Konoha. If not, he would abduct him and disguise his disappearance.
After all, Orochimaru's agreement with Tsunade was that the Hyuga must leave willingly.
(End of Chapter)