Chapter 88: The Two Most Powerful Techniques in the Shinobi World, All Acquired

It was 9:30 in the evening.

After performing surgery on Choji Akimichi, Tsunade handed over the follow-up treatment to Karin, who had been learning under her. She comforted the guilt-ridden and tearful Shikamaru Nara, then, exhausted, she headed home.

However, before even reaching the front door, she noticed that the lights were already on inside her mansion.

Tsunade paused for a moment, then a smile slowly formed on her lips.

As she stepped inside and changed her shoes in the entryway, the aroma of food hit her nose. That familiar scent could only come from one of Yagyu's dishes.

Walking into the living room, her eyes immediately fell on Yagyu, busy at work in the kitchen.

"Tsunade-neesan, you're just in time," Yagyu called out with a smile as he flipped something in a pan. "Go take a bath first; dinner will be ready when you're done."

"Alright," Tsunade replied with a smile, nodding. As she removed her light green outer robe, she freed herself from the constraining weight of her "assets," their impressive bounce catching the eye as she headed to the bathroom.

After soaking in a warm bath and putting on a loose-fitting white robe, Tsunade emerged just as Yagyu brought out the final dish of soup.

"You worked hard today, Tsunade-neesan. Come and eat," Yagyu said with a smile as he took off his apron.

Before he could set the apron down, a strong arm pulled him into a soft embrace, pressing his face into a certain ample, comforting place.

The lingering fragrance of her bath and the breathless sensation overwhelmed Yagyu's mind, and he squirmed, trapped in the generous embrace of Tsunade.

Just like how Yagyu treated Ino and the others, Tsunade playfully ruffled his hair before letting him go. Then she cupped his face and planted a firm kiss on his forehead. "You're such a good boy. Always thinking of your big sister," she teased.

With that, Tsunade, unconcerned about the revealing state of her robe, sat down confidently in the main seat and, with no hesitation, instructed Yagyu, "Go warm up some sake for me. After a long day like this, I need a drink."

"Yes, yes…" Yagyu replied with a helpless smile before heading back into the kitchen.

In no time, he returned with a small ceramic cup and a flask of sake, pouring a cup for Tsunade as he sat beside her.

Unlike Ino and the other girls who ate their meals with grace, Tsunade, being the bold and heroic woman she was, devoured her food as if she were in the middle of a storm. If Yagyu had left a whole drumstick, she would have grabbed it in one hand while holding a cup in the other, not to mention that she might have snatched the flask of sake right out of his hand.

As expected, after just a few cups, Tsunade started to get tipsy. Soon, she was no longer satisfied with the small servings in the cup and took the sake flask straight from Yagyu's hand, continuing to eat and drink.

"Oh, right, Yagyu. Why did this mission take so long? Was the noble from the Land of Birds difficult to deal with?" Tsunade asked between bites.

"He wasn't difficult, just couldn't handle hardship. He needed to rest every few hours," Yagyu replied, resting his chin on his hand as he smiled at the sight of Tsunade wolfing down her food. "The main reason for the delay was that we ran into a few unexpected events on the road. I'll report everything to you once you finish eating."

"Alright," Tsunade nodded, suddenly realizing this might be the real reason Yagyu had come so late to cook dinner for her.

With that in mind, she quickened her pace and soon devoured half of the food, leaving Yagyu slightly amazed.

Wow, she sure can eat, he thought. And just like Hinata, no matter how much she eats, she never gains weight. No wonder… Yagyu mused, glancing at her ample figure.

"Ah, I'm stuffed," Tsunade finally said, placing her chopsticks down. She didn't seem to mind the oil on her fingers as she patted her stomach with satisfaction, which her loose robe hid well. "Having a little brother who can cook is great. I can enjoy such delicious food anytime."

"Wipe your hands first," Yagyu gently reminded her while cleaning up the dishes. "You've gotten your clothes dirty."

Tsunade looked puzzled. "Aren't you eating?"

"I've already eaten. It's so late," Yagyu explained.

"That's true. Well then, you finish tidying up while I wait for you in the living room," Tsunade said, wiping her mouth and hands with a napkin before taking what was left of the sake and lounging on the sofa, sipping it slowly as she waited for Yagyu to come out and give his report.

After finishing up in the kitchen, Yagyu joined Tsunade in the living room and handed her a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Tsunade was about to put her arm around Yagyu's shoulders, intending to get closer to her little brother, but paused in surprise when she saw the paper. She took it, glanced at the writing, and her flushed face quickly became serious. "Uchiha Itachi… and these names…"

"This is the full list of Akatsuki members and some of their abilities," Yagyu explained. "Aside from Orochimaru, whom they've already expelled, the organization has nine members. I don't know the names or abilities of the leader and his partner, but the other seven are all S-ranked rogue ninjas from various nations."

"You ran into them again?" Tsunade asked, her hand resting on Yagyu as she sent chakra through his body, confirming that he wasn't injured. Only then did she speak again. "How did you get this list?"

"I encountered Kakuzu from the Hidden Waterfall Village and Hidan from the Hidden Hot Water Village. After sealing them with Wood Style, I gathered this information from their brains," Yagyu said.

"Wait… You learned the Spirit Transformation Technique?" Tsunade asked, surprised.

"No, it's a new genjutsu I developed," Yagyu replied casually, dodging the question. He then took out a storage scroll, walked to a more open space, and unsealed the bodies of Kakuzu and Hidan.

Seeing the corpses with holes in their heads, Tsunade frowned slightly. "You damaged their brains?"

"Yes, I did it on purpose," Yagyu explained, recounting his well-prepared cover story. "Aside from those nine members, there's also a mysterious figure behind Akatsuki—the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident twelve years ago."

Tsunade's eyes widened, and she immediately asked, "Who is he?"

"I don't know. Based on these two's memories, it seems he's not an official member of Akatsuki," Yagyu said, lying without hesitation before shifting the topic. "But he possesses a space-time ninjutsu that can bypass Konoha's barrier. He and Akatsuki were also involved in the Uchiha massacre years ago."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tsunade's expression became even more serious. "What do you plan to do?"

"The organization's goal is to capture Jinchuriki, but they seem to be in the preparation stage and don't want their existence revealed yet," Yagyu explained his plan. "They don't know I've already obtained information on them and will assume we'll try to extract intelligence from the corpses. Besides that space-time user, there's another member with the codename 'Zetsu,' who can pass through any barrier and move freely underground. Akatsuki will likely send him to spy on Konoha's interrogation department, and if they try to extract information from the brains, the space-time user might act. So I intentionally damaged these bodies' brains to lure them in while protecting the interrogation team. We might even capture Zetsu."

After hearing Yagyu's plan, Tsunade's serious expression gradually relaxed, and she smiled with approval. "You're already thinking ahead with such limited information, just like my granduncle, Tobirama. Smart thinking."

Tsunade then added some advice. "Your plan is solid, but you were a bit too obvious in your execution. The holes in their heads look deliberate. Before handing these bodies to the interrogation unit, use your Water Style technique to dismember them—maybe even slice off part of one of their heads. I'll order the interrogation team to attempt to reconstruct their brains, making it look more believable."

"Great idea!" Yagyu's eyes lit up, and he gave Tsunade a thumbs-up, deliberately flattering her. "As expected of the Hokage. Impressive."

"Of course! That's why I'm your big sister!" Tsunade said proudly, raising her chin.

Throughout their conversation, Tsunade never doubted the truth of Yagyu's words, trusting him completely. Yagyu was her younger brother, her sole emotional support. As long as he didn't destroy the village their grandfather had founded, she would forgive him for anything—even cover for him.

Besides, Yagyu damaging the bodies' brains was to protect the interrogation team and to catch an Akatsuki member. He possessed their grandfather's Wood Style and kind heart, combined with their granduncle's intelligence and pragmatism. Just as Tsunade had said, Yagyu was the perfect product of the Senju Clan.

After reaching an agreement with Tsunade, Yagyu proceeded to dismember Kakuzu and Hidan's bodies, making it look like they had been killed by Water Style and Wood Style techniques while also damaging their brains.

The next day, the incident regarding Sasuke Uchiha's departure from Konoha came to an official close.

Kakashi, who had rushed back late, was once again sent on another mission, while Naruto lay in the hospital, reflecting on his memories with Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 over the past few months. As if making a firm decision, he suddenly jumped out of his hospital bed, escaping through the window and heading straight for the Hokage's office.

Naruto had made up his mind—he would plead with Tsunade not to label Sasuke as a rogue ninja. He would bring Sasuke back, no matter what!

Tsunade readily agreed to Naruto's request.

Before Naruto, Kakashi had already requested the same thing.

It wasn't just Naruto and his teacher Kakashi—even Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had approached Tsunade, urging her not to officially mark Sasuke as a rogue ninja.

Why? Because Uchiha Itachi was actually a spy that Konoha had placed within Akatsuki.

When Tsunade learned of this, her mind nearly exploded.

So Konoha's higher-ups were involved in the Uchiha massacre as well?

No… more accurately, they were the masterminds!

It made sense. Even though the Uchiha Clan had been relocated near the Naka River, far from Konoha's central streets, Konoha would have known what was happening there.

Without their approval—or even their assistance—there was no way Itachi and that mysterious figure could have carried out the massacre without anyone noticing.

Thinking of this, Tsunade felt an overwhelming urge to punch those old men. Did they even realize the danger of collaborating with such dangerous individuals?

At the same time, Tsunade grew more concerned about Yagyu's plan.

A person who could bypass barriers was already troublesome enough. There was no way she would allow two such dangerous figures to freely come and go from Konoha as they pleased.

After dealing with Naruto, Tsunade instructed Karin, who had temporarily taken Shizune's place as her assistant, to inform Yagyu to come to her office to report on the mission.

When Yagyu and Tsunade, who had already discussed the plan, began their performance in the Hokage's office, the medical team soon arrived to transport Kakuzu and Hidan's dismembered bodies to the interrogation unit.

The head medical ninja also received a mission scroll from Tsunade—a task for the interrogation department.

As the medical team left the Hokage's office, carrying the bodies on stretchers, many people noticed the dismembered remains.

Due to the extensive dismemberment, no one recognized the corpses as two S-ranked rogue ninjas.

However, the black cloaks with red clouds embroidered on them caught the attention of a figure who had been discreetly watching from within the walls of the Hokage building.

In an empty corridor, just after the medical team had passed, a strange face suddenly emerged from the ceiling.

The face, protruding slightly from the wall, quickly turned white.

Seeing the dismembered bodies on the stretchers, the White Zetsu clone immediately shared the information with the original Zetsu.

Then, the face retracted back into the ceiling and, using the Mayfly technique, swiftly fled.

The Mayfly technique was the strongest non-space-time instant movement and infiltration technique in the shinobi world. It allowed the user to merge with the earth and plants, moving rapidly through underground plant roots or water channels.

During its use, the user cut off all traces of their presence, making it nearly impossible for even the strongest sensory ninja to detect them. This was because the user became one with the land and plants—the land and plants were the user, and the user was the land and plants.

Even Yagyu's Red Eyes, Byakugan, and Sage Mode's sensory abilities couldn't detect the presence of a White Zetsu clone.

However, the moment the White Zetsu clone emerged from the ceiling, a brief flicker of its chakra was caught by one of Yagyu's Wood Style clones, which were stationed around Konoha with their Red Eyes and sensory abilities activated.

Almost immediately, just as the White Zetsu clone was using the Mayfly technique to flee, a surge of Wood Style chakra infiltrated the ground.

As the Zetsu clone sped through the tree roots, one of the roots suddenly came to life, wrapping itself around the clone.

The absorbing properties of Wood Style quickly drained a significant amount of the clone's chakra, leaving it too weak to struggle.

At the same time, both Yagyu and the real Black Zetsu's expressions changed.

Noticing Yagyu's reaction, Tsunade immediately asked, "Did the target appear?"

"Yes, they appeared, but…" Yagyu nodded, though with a hint of disappointment. "It was just a clone of that Black Zetsu. It's already fled."

"That was expected. The fact that we managed to deceive them is enough. At least we have the advantage of knowing their movements," Tsunade said, not appearing too disheartened. Her expression turned serious. "But it's likely that their spies are spread all over Konoha. We'll need to strengthen the detection barriers around all the key locations."

"There's no need to waste unnecessary manpower and resources, Tsunade-neesan," Yagyu replied, a knowing smile forming on his face. "Once I master that technique, I'll root out every one of these rats and ensure they never dare infiltrate Konoha again."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zetsu's normally playful expression had turned unusually serious.

"The clone was captured while using the Mayfly technique," White Zetsu reported, his face no longer playful.

Though Black Zetsu lacked significant combat abilities, possessing both Yin-Yang Release and Wood Style, even they had always been fearless in the face of enemies.

Black Zetsu, after all, was effectively immortal, while White Zetsu had the Mayfly technique.

Whenever they used the Mayfly technique, their concealment and mobility were unparalleled in the shinobi world—second only to space-time ninjutsu in its effectiveness.

This was why Black Zetsu, one of the masterminds of the shinobi world, had always acted with such impunity.

But now, their Mayfly technique had been countered.

More accurately, it had been forcibly interrupted.

This sudden feeling of having found their weakness unsettled White Zetsu.

But Black Zetsu, ever calm, simply stated, "It's not surprising. The Mayfly technique merges with the earth and plants, utilizing underground roots and water channels. Wood Style, being a combination of Water and Earth chakra, naturally counters it."

"So, what do we do next?"

"Don't worry. The clone was only detected because it canceled the Mayfly technique. This means they can't sense the technique's presence, nor can they see through our disguises. We just need to remind the other clones to be more cautious."

"I understand."

——————

At the same time, Yagyu's Wood Clone had already pulled the captured White Zetsu clone from the ground using Wood Style and sealed its senses. The clone then created several more Wood Clones with minimal chakra reserves and began a relentless process.

Each time the White Zetsu clone neared death, a Wood Clone would heal it. When its chakra was depleted, they would feed it a military ration pill and continue.

After over a day of this, the White Zetsu clone finally emitted a blue glow—two distinct blue glows.

When the two blue orbs automatically flew across a great distance and were absorbed into Yagyu's body, he summoned the virtual panel to check the items in his inventory.

A satisfied smile crept across Yagyu's face when he saw the information.

[Inventory: Mayfly Technique (Blue)]

[Inventory: Disguise Technique (Blue)]

The strongest non-space-time movement technique and the ultimate transformation and infiltration technique—two of the most powerful abilities for assassination and subterfuge—were now in his possession!

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