"Screech—!"
Two giant ink birds soared into the sky, carrying the four members of Hyūga Yū's squad through the heavens.
Hyūga Yū sat cross-legged on the bird's back, flying over the Hidden Mist Village as it descended into total collapse. He didn't look back; there was no lingering sentiment. With his usual calm expression, he looked down at the slowly moving earth. Amidst the echoes of violent explosions from below, he left that place of chaos behind.
Once they reached relatively safe airspace, Yū finally shed the heavy burden he had been carrying. The nerves that had been stretched taut by days of sleeping only two or three hours finally relaxed. Soon, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He closed his eyes tightly and fell asleep to the sound of the whistling wind.
He slept for two days and two nights.
When he finally woke, it was January 27, Year 50 of the Konoha calendar.
Hyūga Yū woke up in a secret Root base located in the Land of Bears. By this time, after two days of fermentation, the news had sent shockwaves through the shinobi world: Konoha's Root had launched a surprise raid on Kirigakure, released two Tailed Beasts in the center of the village, and replicated the "Nine-Tails Chaos" to crush the Hidden Mist in a single night!
Yū didn't yet know how the outside world was reacting. However, he quickly discovered that after becoming the disciple of Danzō Shimura—the great villain of the shinobi world—his horizons had suddenly expanded.
The moment Yū stepped out of his room, the Root ninja passing by in the base all turned to fix him with a collective gaze of attention. Just as Yū was wondering if he should offer a greeting, all the Root ninja present automatically cleared a path. They lined up on both sides of the corridor, bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle, and shouted in unison:
"Lord Tennin!"
Feeling a slight pang of awkwardness, Yū hurried away from the scene. Yet, every time he passed an office, the clerks and intelligence personnel inside would stand up in unison, straightening their posture at their workstations to give him a deep bow.
Combined with the black Root uniforms and their various masks, Yū felt as if he had put on one of the "Ninja Masks" from Jackie Chan Adventures. Everywhere he went, a "Shadow Kahn" troop seemed to brush past him in synchronized movements. His prestige had instantly reached its peak.
Soon, Yū arrived at the main intelligence hub of the Land of Bears base. Before coming, he had asked a passing Root ninja and learned that the person currently in charge here was Terai.
He wanted to understand what had happened during the two days he was asleep, the subsequent situation in the Hidden Mist, and to obtain firsthand intelligence regarding the Land of Rain.
However, just as he stepped through the doors of the central hub, an elderly figure wearing a bamboo hat with the character for "Star" (星) approached him with a fawning expression.
"You must be the great Lord Tennin of Konoha, yes?"
Yū stopped in his tracks and looked up. He saw the old man's face crinkle into a narrow, sycophantic smile; the wrinkles on his aged face bloomed like a withered chrysanthemum at the sight of him.
"And you are?" Yū arched an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Terai, who was standing a short distance behind the old man.
Terai spread his hands toward Yū, looking helpless.
At that moment, the old man said respectfully, "It is like this: I am the leader of the Land of Bears, the Third Hoshikage... the head of Hoshigakure."
Yū searched the far corners of his memory for information on "Hoshigakure." It was a ninja village within the Land of Bears that possessed a radioactive meteorite. The ninja there practiced a technique called the Peacock Method using the meteorite's power. The Third Hoshikage was indeed an old man who was rumored to be over a hundred years old.
Yū's brow twitched slightly. "The Third... Hoshikage?"
He activated his Byakugan slightly to scan the man. Based on the old man's chakra fluctuations, he was at most a slightly stronger-than-average Jonin.
"No, no, no, not Hoshikage. That's just something the villagers call me because they don't know the height of the heavens. It's just for fun. Lord Tennin can just call me Old Hoshi—"
The "Hoshikage" smiled flatteringly and bowed slightly to Yū. "I have come specifically to thank you. If it weren't for you, the Mist ninja would not have withdrawn so easily, and the Land of Bears would have suffered even deeper hardships."
"To thank me?" Yū turned his head and looked at Terai again.
Terai explained briefly: "Yesterday, following the collapse of the Mist, the Mist forces on the front lines received emergency orders from their village to withdraw from the interior of the Land of Fire and return to their bases in the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Waves. The Mist forces that had invaded the Land of Bears have also withdrawn."
After saying this, Terai glanced at the Hoshikage and added, "This fellow is nominally the leader of an allied nation to Konoha. Our base in the Land of Bears was built with his financial support. He's here this time for the heavy equipment and supplies the Mist left behind in their hurried retreat."
Yū understood immediately. He looked at the Hoshikage and frowned slightly. "You don't exactly look like you're here just to say thank you."
The Hoshikage immediately stepped closer, quietly reaching out to hand Yū a bankbook. "Heh heh, Lord Tennin~, of course I am here to express my gratitude!"
"After all, you are the prized disciple of Lord Danzō. Rest assured, we are gifting this entire batch of supplies to Konoha. Also, this is a small token of Hoshigakure's congratulations on you becoming Lord Danzō's disciple..."
Giving Yū another suggestive look, the Hoshikage quickly took his leave.
After this small interlude, Terai couldn't help but complain: "Damn it, this old man argued with me all morning, insisting on a thirty-seventy split... yet the moment you show up, he doesn't even want his seventy percent anymore."
Yū picked up the bankbook handed over by the Third Hoshikage. Inside was a cashier's check from the Land of Fire Bank, which could be withdrawn from any bank in the Five Great Nations. The number before the decimal point had a full seven zeros...
Yū was slightly surprised—not at the amount, nor at the weight of Danzō's influence. No matter how one looked at it, Danzō was a high-ranking official with real power in Konoha and controlled an elite ninja organization. Although he had been beaten rather pathetically when facing Sasuke or Uchiha Obito in the original story, in the eyes of the small nations surrounding Konoha, he was a massive figure. It was normal to curry favor with him.
What surprised Yū was the underlying situation this revealed. "Teacher Danzō announced the news of taking me as his disciple?"
Terai nodded with a hint of envy. "More than that. Lord Danzō not only announced it to the high-ranking officials but also nominated you to participate in the upcoming second round of negotiations between Konoha and Iwagakure."
"Aside from you, the other person selected as an attendant for these negotiations is Lord Orochimaru."
Speaking of this, Terai's brow suddenly furrowed. "However, Lord Orochimaru is also the one we should be worried about..."
Hearing this, Yū also frowned slightly. In the original story, Danzō took his Root second-in-command, Aburame Ryōma, and Orochimaru to the negotiations with the Hidden Stone. Now, Yū had taken Aburame Ryōma's place. Furthermore, Danzō's public announcement of his apprenticeship almost confirmed Yū's status as the "Crown Prince" of Root.
Under these circumstances, Orochimaru's position became rather awkward.
The Third Hokage had long ago tossed Orochimaru to Danzō so he could focus on grooming Minato Namikaze. Now, Danzō was tossing Orochimaru aside to focus on grooming Hyūga Yū. Orochimaru, who might have at least hoped for the position of successor to Root, now had nothing. It was hard to say what he might be thinking.
However, at this moment, Yū couldn't afford to worry about Orochimaru's thoughts. He immediately asked Terai, "When does the second round of negotiations begin?"
Terai replied solemnly, "In two months, tentatively scheduled for April 1st. Konoha's first negotiation results were not ideal; the conditions proposed by Iwagakure were rejected by the high-ranking officials."
"The large-scale war between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure has generally stopped, but local conflicts in small countries like the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers are still ongoing."
Yū pondered. The collapse of the Hidden Mist and the Battle of Kannabi Bridge happened almost simultaneously. The incident where the Mist implanted the Three-Tails into Rin Nohara clearly occurred before Hanzō of the Salamander moved against the Akatsuki in the Land of Rain. According to the manga's plot, Uchiha Obito had already turned dark when he encountered Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, having inherited Uchiha Madara's name and techniques.
This meant these two events would erupt one after the other within the next two months. By this time, Uchiha Obito, who had "died" in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, had already been taken by Uchiha Madara. Simultaneously, Madara was regaining control over the Hidden Mist during this period...
Yū pinched his chin, his eyes narrowing. He had no intention of interfering with the schemes of an elderly Uchiha Madara; that old man was not someone Yū could challenge yet. However, if the plot followed Madara's plan, then whether Root supported Hanzō or the Akatsuki, the brainwashed Obito would interfere and obstruct them, ruining Yū's plans for the Land of Rain and subsequently affecting the Iwagakure negotiations he would attend in two months.
Thinking of this, Yū turned to Terai. "Terai, what kind of authority do I currently have in Root? Can I mobilize the intelligence department?"
"Hah," Terai was amused by the question. He first shook his head. "Theoretically, no. After all, we aren't even part of the Root Thirteen Masks yet; we're just an unofficial squad under Root's jurisdiction."
"However..." Terai suddenly smiled. "With your current status, we can make an exception for special circumstances."
Yū's eyes lit up. "To what extent?"
Terai began ticking items off his fingers as if reading a menu of the resources Yū could now mobilize: "Highest-level intelligence access, second only to the Hokage and the Elders."
"Upon filing an application, you can directly mobilize three special operations companies from Root, totaling twenty-seven ninja."
"Additionally, you can withdraw one secret technique from Root's archives at a time and freely mobilize a special allocation of sixty million Ryo."
After finishing, Terai looked at him and smiled. "For any intelligence in Konoha below S-rank, if you want to know something, just let me know."
Yū fell silent for a moment, then looked up. "Among the secret techniques archived by Root, is there the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Jutsu?"
Terai recalled for a moment before confirming, "There is."
"After all, we are called the 'Anbu Training Division.' Aside from the forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Seals, we have archives of almost everything. Wait, let me look—"
Terai quickly rummaged through the filing cabinets in the office. Soon, he pulled out a document titled Root Training Content Catalog and Compensation Standards. Comparing the document, Terai looked up. "We do have it, but the Akimichi Clan kept some secrets. We only have the training scroll here; we don't have the Akimichi Clan's accompanying secret medicines."
"We have none of the formulas for the Akimichi Clan's fat-increasing medicine or the three-colored pills—the Blue Spinach Pill, the Yellow Curry Pill, and the Red Chili Pill. If you need them, I can request the pills from the Akimichi Clan in your name, but getting the formulas is likely impossible..."
Yū's heart stirred. "The training scroll is enough."
With the Multi-Size Jutsu training scroll and his own exquisite, atom-level surgical abilities, he could fully begin his training in Yang Release shape transformation and the fusion of Yang Release with blue chakra.
Terai nodded and printed out a form. "The Mist has withdrawn, and the supply lines in the rear have been restored. The jutsu you requested will arrive tomorrow."
"Besides that, is there anything else you want?"
Yū immediately responded, "Help me look up two more people!"
"Who?"
Yū narrowed his eyes and said in a heavy voice, "Kakashi Hatake and his teammate, Rin Nohara."
"Wait a moment, let me check their intelligence clearance level first—"
"These two are subordinates of Minato Namikaze. Whoa, Kakashi Hatake's intelligence level is quite high, almost the same as yours..."
After some tinkering and calling upon the base's intelligence department to coordinate the data retrieval, Terai obtained the firsthand intel. He looked at Yū and reported the results: "After the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, due to the death of Uchiha Obito, the team led by Kakashi Hatake has been disbanded."
"Kakashi Hatake is currently taking missions alone or temporarily merging with other squads, mainly following Minato Namikaze. I can't access the parts involving Minato."
"His other teammate, Rin Nohara, was transferred back to the Medical Department from the front lines. Huh... this is a bit strange. Rin Nohara wasn't transferred back to the village; instead, she was sent to the eastern battlefield to join a new medical unit camp being established at the Kusunami Coast."
"She should be on her way now. Based on the timeline, she should have already left the Land of Grass and is about to arrive in the Land of Hot Water."
Yū's brow furrowed. "The Land of Hot Water?"
"Why would she take that route?"
Looking at the documents, Terai also frowned. "It says it's to rebuild the medical camps along the route after the Mist's retreat. That's what the report says, but... strange. There should still be some remnants of the Mist forces in the Land of Hot Water, right?"
"According to the timeline, how much longer until she reaches the Land of Hot Water?"
"About three days."
Yū thought for a moment and spoke up. "Investigate this thoroughly; this intelligence feels wrong. Also, what was the departure date Lord Danzō gave us?"
Terai frowned slightly. "Within a week. Besides, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. It wouldn't hurt to go a bit later. The situation in the Land of Rain is complicated; I also need time to process the intelligence coming from that direction."
Yū asked immediately, "What's the earliest we can have it?"
"Tomorrow."
Yū nodded and made an immediate decision. "Then notify Yamato and Shin. Apply to mobilize three Root companies to move with us."
"We move out tomorrow!"
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