Chapter 245: space
Masahiko was stunned for a long while before he reacted. Hiruzen had tasted the sweetness of the benefits and wanted him to use the same method to mess with the Sand Village again.
Then the question came.
"Where is my money?" Hiruzen still hadn't settled the bill for the items Masahiko had sold him previously.
Hiruzen's face turned bitter. "Elder Masahiko, there was a minor accident."
Afterward, Hiruzen rambled from battlefield attrition to the decrease in missions, from training young ninjas to supporting elderly ninjas... In short, Konoha's finances were tight, and he asked if he could pay him back later.
"Why don't I believe that finances are tight? You bought a lot of explosive tags from the Land of Whirlpools before."
Hiruzen sighed. "That was already one of Konoha's few remaining savings."
Masahiko nodded. "What is the situation on the battlefield now? Has the Sand Village retreated?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "They had originally retreated, but after the Rock Village made their move, they also held their ground. So the current situation is very unfavorable for Konoha."
Masahiko frowned. He only believed half of Hiruzen's words. With Konoha's current lineup, facing two countries simultaneously wouldn't put too much pressure on them. Moreover, Konoha still had strength to spare; at the very least, Obito and the others hadn't gone to the battlefield like in the original story.
"Go for another trip?" Masahiko sighed inwardly. He had only been resting for three or four days.
"Right," Masahiko raised his head. "I forgot to ask, why did the Sand Village come to attack Konoha? Did their Third Kazekage go missing?"
"How did you know? Not only that, but they also claimed that the Sand Village's genius, Sasori of the Red Sand, went missing at the same time, and that Konoha did it. But this is purely an excuse!" Hiruzen's face was full of grievance.
"Sasori... missing?" Masahiko was stunned. He remembered that in the original story, he defected because his research on human puppets was discovered.
Masahiko remained silent for a long time, somewhat unable to make sense of the situation.
"The Third Kazekage's disappearance proves that Sasori still researched human puppets. But he hid it well and wasn't discovered? Chiyo must be going crazy with anxiety. Alive, there is no person; dead, there is no corpse..."
"Elder Masahiko." Since Masahiko hadn't spoken for a while, Hiruzen continued, "If you are unwilling to make another trip, I hope you can help me persuade the Hyuga clan. After all, you tutored Hiashi for a while. If they are willing to participate in the war, Konoha will be more than capable of handling both the Sand Village and the Rock Village simultaneously."
Masahiko nodded. "We can talk about whether I go to the battlefield later. I will make a trip to the Hyuga clan first."
Although this Space Ninjutsu had brought Masahiko quite a bit of trouble, it was still a good thing overall. If it weren't for the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, he would probably have had to wait a long time before obtaining this space.
First, he would have had to accumulate 2000 Witness Points to upgrade the five attributes to the ninth level. After that, he would have to save 500 points to upgrade the Yang attribute, and the 500 points after that would be for the Yin attribute, only then would he know how to obtain Space Ninjutsu.
The Hyuga's Gentle Fist had brought this timeline forward by at least ten years. Although he had taught Hiashi and Hizashi for a period of time, it still didn't offset this "favor."
Besides, since it was the Bagua Space, he also thought he might be able to gain some insights from Hiashi.
As the recognized third largest clan in Konoha, the Hyuga's clan grounds were comparable in size to the Senju's. However, there wasn't even a single guard at the entrance of the Hyuga clan grounds, which made Masahiko pause for a moment.
When he saw the pedestrians pointing and gossiping as they passed by, Masahiko understood.
Right now, the majority of the members from the various clans had gone to the battlefield; only the entire Hyuga clan remained behind. These civilians didn't care who had sacrificed themselves previously or who had done what. During wartime, refusing to fight for Konoha would definitely invite criticism. They didn't even dare to leave guards at the entrance; the Hyuga clan didn't have members with skin that thick.
"Is anyone there? If no one is here, I'm going in!"
Masahiko shouted symbolically and walked straight inside.
"Are you... Boss Hagoromo from the Taobao Shop?" Two Hyuga clansmen walked over.
Masahiko's face darkened. Looking down, he realized he hadn't dispelled his Transformation Jutsu.
"Ah, the Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pills your Clan Head ordered previously are ready. I brought them over to him." Masahiko paused, speaking with a mischievous intent.
The faces of the two people opposite him stiffened. They definitely knew what Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pills were. Stumbling upon this kind of secret, they feared they might be silenced by Hiashi...
The two became visibly nervous, and Masahiko snickered inwardly.
"You two, are you going to lead the way for me, or deliver it to him on my behalf?"
The two exchanged a glance. "You are here to deliver something to the Clan Head, right? We will take you there, and we won't ask about what you are delivering."
Masahiko was startled and almost laughed out loud. The Hyuga clan also had talented individuals.
Not making things difficult for them, Masahiko followed the two to Hiashi's location.
"Clan Head, Boss Hagoromo from the Taobao Shop is looking for you." The two stepped forward to report.
Hiashi hadn't been the Hyuga Clan Head for long and was still busy. Hearing this, he was stunned. He had bought carvings from Masahiko before, but they had no interaction since. What matter would bring him here to find him?
"I understand, let him come in." Hiashi looked up and instructed, then frowned. "What is wrong with you two?"
The expressions of the two were truly somewhat bizarre. Hearing Hiashi's question, they quickly shook their heads. "It's nothing."
Then they walked out of the room and said to Masahiko, "Boss Hagoromo, the Clan Head told you to go in."
"Putting on quite the airs." Masahiko curled his lips and walked in. He didn't consider that with his current civilian identity, being able to see the Hyuga Clan Head was already pretty good.
Walking into the hall and seeing no one else around, Masahiko smiled and said, "Hiashi, it is me."
Hiashi was stunned. He hurriedly stood up and probed tentatively, "Teacher?"
Masahiko nodded. "Do not tell anyone else about this identity; it is enough that you know." He paused for a moment and added, "It doesn't matter if Hizashi knows."
"I truly never expected Boss Hagoromo to actually be you. No wonder the carving techniques are so exquisite." Hiashi first complimented Masahiko, but then his expression turned strange. "That daughter of yours?"
Masahiko's face darkened. Every time he revealed his identity, he would be asked this question, which indeed made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Adopted." Masahiko couldn't be bothered to explain, not caring whether he believed it or not.
Fortunately, Hiashi had received the Hyuga education since childhood and was a relatively serious person, so he only asked this one question out of curiosity.
"You couldn't be here to act as a lobbyist for the Third Hokage, could you? This time the Third Hokage is truly going a bit too far. I also understand the current situation of the village, but the Mist Village hasn't returned the supplies they promised to return at all, and my father's eyes..."
Masahiko waved his hand, interrupting him.
"What is my status? Why would I be Hiruzen's lobbyist?" Masahiko wore an "arrogant" expression.
"I came to find you for a matter. Don't resist, come with me."
In the next instant, Hiashi became the first guest of his Bagua Space.
"This is?!" Hiashi's face was full of surprise. He was all too familiar with the Bagua array beneath his feet.
"This is the space I obtained after practicing your Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist to its absolute peak. You are the first guest here." Masahiko glanced at the fat cat sleeping without a care in the world and spoke.
Hiashi was stunned for a long while before looking at Masahiko. "The legends of the ancestors were indeed correct. When the Gentle Fist is practiced to the point of being able to strike the Eight Trigrams Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Palms, one can deliver a blow that shatters space."
"Two hundred and fifty-six... as expected, there is a harvest!"
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you