Chapter 135: Bridge of Peace

Feeling the office was too stifling, Hiruzen and Yuto silently stepped outside, standing on the rooftop of the Hokage Building.

The night breeze blew gently. Yuto knelt on one knee, head lowered, not saying a word.

"Yuto-kun," the Third Hokage sighed, "The village might be on the brink of destruction."

"Hokage-sama..."

"Yuto-kun, listen to me," Hiruzen pointed towards the Hokage Rock in the distance, "Fifty years ago, with the Senju and Uchiha clans at the core, many powerful shinobi clans gathered and established the one village, one nation system. Although the ninja academy has produced more and more core strength, we must never lose our kekkei genkai to protect the village."

"Unity, casting aside hatred, this is the Will of Fire."

"But now, the Hyuga are doing things contrary to the Will of Fire."

"Yuto-kun, how does it feel to return to the Hyuga clan?"

"Hokage-sama, the clan seems... happy."

"Of course they are happy," Hiruzen sighed helplessly, "The likelihood of Moon God being Shinosuke is over ninety percent, and his abilities are very similar to those of the Akatsuki member with the Rinnegan!"

"The Byakugan can evolve."

"It's not just the Hyuga, even other high-ranking members of Konoha think so."

"New powers, new dojutsu, no shinobi can resist this temptation, especially the gradually declining Hyuga clan."

"Hokage-sama!" Yuto spoke timely. Positioned as a 'genius of the Hyuga clan who cares about the village but also loves his family', it was impossible for him to remain silent.

To express his emotions, he deliberately sped up his speech: "The clan head would never betray the village!"

"I believe in Hiashi, but as the Hokage, I must be prepared," Hiruzen said calmly.

"Yuto-kun, two years ago, when Tetsuro Sugiura died in battle, you said you wanted a reward that everyone in the village would be satisfied with."

"At that moment, I realized you had already broken free from the shackles of bloodline and could think from the perspective of the whole village."

"Yuto-kun, nearly three years have passed. You have transformed from 'the Jewel of the Hyuga' into 'the Lone Lion'. Now, tell me, have you wavered in your answer?"

After a long silence, Yuto replied with a bitter voice, "My answer will never change... Hokage-sama, I will monitor the clan members."

Hiruzen patted his shoulder comfortingly: "Things haven't reached the worst point yet. The Hyuga may do something extreme for the method to evolve the Byakugan, but Hiashi wouldn't easily gamble the fate of the entire clan. I absolutely trust him on this."

"I just want to gather as much information on the Hyuga as possible. This is to protect the village and to protect the Hyuga."

"Even if there is conflict, the village and the Hyuga must remain honest with each other."

"Avoid misunderstandings, prevent strategic misjudgments."

"So, Yuto-kun, you are the bridge of peace."

Yuto almost laughed out loud.

—This is the first time I've heard of someone using a powder keg as a bridge.

...

Time flew by, and Yuto had already been in the village for half a month.

The village hadn't assigned him a new position, allowing the branch family member to live quite a carefree life.

No missions, no piles of official duties to handle, every day was just training in the Senju clan grounds, drinking tea after getting tired, watching the sunset with Tsunade, and waiting for a new day.

One afternoon, twenty kilometers outside Konoha, in a certain mountain forest.

Boom!

A huge rock fell to the ground. Yuto dodged it, veins bulging around his temples, his vision extremely wide.

"Ha!" Tsunade's voice rang in his ear, followed by a foot landing squarely on Yuto's shoulder.

He didn't dodge. Instead, he supported the foot with both hands, enduring the Heavenly Foot of Pain. Both he and Tsunade exerted their monstrous strength, their bodies quickly sinking, crushing the low mountain beneath them.

"Revolving Heaven!"

Due to his age and training duration, Yuto's absolute strength was not as great as Tsunade's. As he was about to be overwhelmed, he spun rapidly, using the unique defense technique of the Byakugan.

Bouncing Tsunade away, Yuto swung his right hand, launching a Lion's Fang Bite fiercely towards the blonde woman's abdomen.

Tsunade didn't hesitate, gathering chakra and throwing a punch towards her student's head, a deadly exchange move.

Although both had the Creation Rebirth, as a descendant of both Senju and Uzumaki, Tsunade's vitality was ten times greater than Yuto's. The best strategy was to trade blows and fight to the death!

Boom!

Boom!

Two gusts of wind erupted in the collapsing, shattered forest as master and student stopped simultaneously.

The fists containing immense strength stopped just short of each other's abdomen and forehead.

"Not bad, Yuto," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "Your taijutsu has improved. Combined with the Explosive Tag Multiplication, Byakugan, and your self-created Lion's Fang Bite, you can now rival Jiraiya and Oroc..." Her eyes dimmed.

"Hmph, even saying that bastard's name might bring bad luck."

"Sensei, where did Orochimaru-sama went to?" Yuto asked curiously, panting heavily. "I remember he appeared in the Land of Rain during the ambush on Moon God as one of the Four Red Yang Formation users."

"He ran away, of course. Don't be fooled by his cold demeanor; he's actually the most cowardly and afraid of the old man. When he made mistakes as a child, he would hide in the woods playing with snakes and only come back when it was dark..." Tsunade said with a huff.

"I never thought Orochimaru-sama had such a past," Yuto chuckled. Just as he was about to say more, a clear shout came from a distance:

"Tsunade-sama! Yuto-san! You two have messed up the terrain again! Really... the village elders are going to nag again."

Thirteen-year-old Shizune approached, carrying a lunch box. She was a year younger than Yuto and had already grown into a beautiful young lady.

Tsunade shrugged nonchalantly: "There's no one here."

"What if the village had set up alert devices and traps here? Tsunade-sama, can you and Yuto-san restrain yourselves during training..." Shizune pouted, not daring to get angry at Tsunade, and instead glared secretly at Yuto.

He didn't mind, extending his hand with a smile: "Give me the lunch box, I'm hungry. I'll train for a few more hours. Sensei, Shizune, you two go back first."

"No way... ouch!"

Tsunade, knocking Shizune's head lightly and handing the lunch box to Yuto: "We'll leave first. Shizune, Yuto still needs to finish his Gentle Fist training for the day."

"Learn from your sensei, Shizune. This is what a mature kunoichi does," Yuto said with a smile, taking the lunch box.

He discreetly scratched the blonde woman's palm in the process.

Tsunade's expression remained calm, still smiling as she talked with Shizune, though a fine sweat seemed to form on her neck.

Watching them walk farther away, Yuto opened the lunch box and ate everything inside, then activated his Byakugan to check the surroundings.

He then used a summoning jutsu, slipping a piece of paper into a slug's body.

"Give this to Kitsu," Yuto whispered.

On that white paper, a sentence was written in English:

"Regarding Moon God's whereabouts, a tail can be revealed."

(End of Chapter)