Chapter 94: Family Matters

It turns out that being a double agent is a highly technical job.

Yuto Hyuga, constantly stirring things up, realized he couldn't completely control all the situations.

For instance, tonight, Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength exceeded his expectations. His taijutsu, summoning jutsu, and combination ninjutsu were almost perfect, and he even probed out the crucial information that "only the left hand can use the Fuinjutsu Absorption Seal."

And when Yuto retrieved something from Orochimaru's lab and hurriedly stashed it away in the Shikkotsu Forest before rushing back to the Senju clan's territory, it took less than half an hour for an ANBU member with a monkey mask to show up.

"Hyuga-kun," the ANBU member said, "No other reason, I'm just here to understand the situation."

Yuto, composed, handed him a cup of tea. "Have we met before? Ah, right, a year ago, after Master Shinosuke went missing, you led the investigation."

The monkey-masked man was taken aback. "I didn't expect you to remember me."

"I vividly recall the scene. Miss Meiko almost killed me," Yuto said with a wry smile. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just a routine inquiry, nothing to be nervous about. You are, after all, our Konoha's Lone Lion," the masked ANBU said, taking out a pen and a small ANBU notebook. "Forty minutes ago, Lord Hokage initiated an emergency summons to deal with Aizen Sōsuke, who suddenly approached the village."

"Because of the urgency, the emergency meeting only gathered Lady Tsunade, the clan heads, and the village advisers and elders."

"After that, the experts stationed in the village were divided into two groups: one followed the Hokage to meet the enemy outside the village, while the others stayed in the village to prevent being lured away."

"Yuto-kun, from that time until now, it seems no one has seen you."

"Can you tell me where you were and what you were doing?"

"Of course, as I said at the beginning, this is just a routine inquiry, not an interrogation. You can think of it as a simple survey. The ramen shop in the village often holds 'vote for your favorite flavor' activities, right? Hahaha..."

Yuto sipped his tea, frowning. "You mean... Aizen Sōsuke... Is here?"

"You didn't know?"

"No," Yuto nodded. "You're the first to tell me. I was training in the back mountain."

—The more lies you tell, the easier it is to be caught.

Yuto understood this principle well.

So, he simply claimed not to know about this matter.

Because very few people come to the Senju clan territory, Yuto could firmly say he was engrossed in training. No one could prove it was true or false.

No one dared to trouble the direct genius disciple of the Hokage line based on a slight possibility!

"I see..." The monkey-masked ANBU recorded it and asked no more questions.

As he said, it was indeed just a routine inquiry.

The attack by Aizen Sōsuke was outside the village, and the village remained calm without any disturbances. It made sense for a ninja focused on training to be unaware.

As for why they specifically came to Yuto, the reason was simple.

—Tonight in Konoha, the Lone Lion, Yuto Hyuga, was among the top ten, if not top five, strongest fighters!

With Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and many veteran ninjas not around, Yuto was in the first tier of combat power tonight. His every move drew attention, and his absence was indeed noteworthy for the ANBU to check on.

The monkey-masked ANBU put away his pen and notebook. "Alright, Yuto-kun, sorry to trouble you."

"It's nothing. This is just my duty as a Konoha shinobi... But, why did Aizen Sōsuke come here? Do we have any casualties?"

Yuto's speech quickened, reflecting his inner unrest. "Aizen Sōsuke, relying on his superior ninjutsu, dared to cause a ruckus in Konoha. It's infuriating..."

The ANBU sighed. "Only Lord Hokage fought him, so there were no casualties. However..." Thinking of that inhumane underground lab, he remained silent for a while before shaking his head. "However, Aizen Sōsuke's attack might cause more troublesome incidents... You weren't there to see it."

"Something happened?"

"Yuto-kun, I can't say much. You can ask Lady Tsunade... But maybe soon, everyone will know."

The monkey-masked ANBU, looking troubled, bid farewell to Yuto and left the Senju clan territory.

In the spacious, empty residence, Yuto sat expressionlessly on the tatami mat.

He successfully obtained the items from the lab, diverting Konoha's attention to Orochimaru. Tactical and strategic goals were all achieved, but Yuto felt a bit restless.

With his rising status and power, he gained immense fame, drawing the attention of villagers and fellow shinobi.

Just like tonight, his absence during Aizen's attack had already drawn attention.

If this happened a few more times, it would be hard to explain.

In his previous life, Yuto often read stories of transmigrators wreaking havoc, starting rebellions in five years, and becoming emperors in three. Even high school students could fool regional officials.

But when he transmigrated himself, he found it challenging. Every move required caution, and a single slip could lead to a fatal downfall.

—Don't underestimate the locals. In a pure battle of wits, a transmigrator might not necessarily outsmart them.

Yuto drank his tea and decided to think more carefully before acting in the future.

He chose not to deal with those items in the Shikkotsu Forest for now, but to wait until the turmoil subsided.

As for when the turmoil would subside... that depended on Hiruzen's decision.

Earlier, outside the village, at least fifty ninjas saw the lab, including twelve or thirteen Uchiha and Hyuga clan members, and Koharu Utatane from the village's higher-ups. There were also experts from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, ANBU members, and members of the Nara and Inuzuka clans...

Too many people knew, most holding significant positions, including five clan heads, making it impossible to silence them.

A purge? Branding seals in their minds?

That's a joke... If Hiruzen did that, he'd be single handedly responsible for Konoha's civil war!

[The Hokage's disciple steals the village founder's corpse and conducts human experiments on many ninjas and civilians]

This news would eventually spread throughout the village, to the front lines, and even globally.

It's a grave crime. If an outsider did this, Konoha would send top ninjas to fight them to the death, even using it as a pretext to start a war.

But the perpetrator was Orochimaru, one of their own.

If it's one of their own... the crime is even graver. Traitors are far more detestable than enemies!

What's more complicated is that Orochimaru is currently the frontline commander. For the sake of stability, a soft approach might be a good option... But would the frontline ninjas obey a guy who insulted the village founder?

—For the sake of kekkei genkai and power, you dared to offend the First Hokage. What about us? As a commander, would you stab us in the back?

Bloodline clans, the Hokage line, civilian ninjas... fierce conflicts could erupt at any moment.

So now it depended on Hiruzen's resolution.

As the Hokage, he had to bear everything.

However, he wouldn't have much time to make up his mind.

Yuto waited calmly for the outcome.

But he didn't expect to be summoned by Hiruzen before dawn.

The Hokage building was brightly lit, and all the higher-ups were present.

The first person Yuto saw was his teacher.

The blonde beauty's eyes were slightly red. She was never a crybaby, but that night, she suffered a huge blow. Her comrade-in-arms, with whom she shared life and death, had desecrated her grandfather's grave. It was a hard thing to get over.

Yuto stood beside Tsunade, patting her shoulder, and bowed with the others.

"Yuto, you're just in time," said the Third Hokage, his voice icy as if holding a piece of iron in his throat. "You, your teacher, and I are going to the Land of Hot Water. We have some family matters to deal with."

"Family matters of the Hokage line..."

(End of Chapter)