Chapter 124: Moon God's Final Assault

The golden leopard disappeared, and Minato wiped his kunai, finding no blood on it.

"What an impressive technique..." Minato sighed lightly.

Unlike simple repulsion and attraction, this technique was on a higher level. The transformed animal's hilt had high intelligence, strength surpassing Manda, speed faster than Lightning Body Flicker, and it could release cutting forces similar to Wind Release. Moreover, as long as the Moon God's eye power existed, it could eternally entangle its opponent.

"He left." Onoki floated in the air, tearing off his shredded sleeve. "Minato, can you track him? I heard you Konoha folks set up a bait. Don't tell me you didn't leave a Flying Thunder God mark."

"Hold on." Minato smiled at him and disappeared.

Boom!

Amidst the explosion of paper bombs, Minato returned covered in dust, holding a charred wooden box.

"The Flying Thunder God mark was discovered by him. He took the bait and replaced it with paper bombs."

At this time, the Yellow Flash had not yet mastered the ability to imprint the Flying Thunder God mark on flesh or chakra. Although he was a genius, implying he would have major breakthroughs over time, in this current year, he had not reached the pinnacle of his abilities.

"So, we can't chase him!" A, the Raikage, shouted. This monstrous man had a hole in his chest from Yuto's strike, but he roared as if nothing had happened. "The rogue ninja you Konoha trained can't be dealt with by yourselves!"

Minato frowned. "We can't really say he's from Konoha. After all, no one has seen his face under the mask..."

"Neither I nor Onoki are blind. Even if the power levels differ vastly, that was Revolving Heaven! Who else but a Hyuga with the Byakugan can use that technique?"

Minato just shrugged, and stopped speaking.

The Moon God took the bait and disappeared boldly, marking the end of the alliance among the four major shinobi villages.

After today, they were enemies once again.

"Talking is useless... let's go." Onoki yawned. "Minato, give my regards to Hiruzen. He's younger than me; why didn't I see him on the battlefield? Wonder if his Enma can withstand my Dust Release, haha..."

After speaking, the Third Tsuchikage floated higher until he became a black dot in the sky.

A turned around without any pleasantries and walked towards the Kumo shinobi forces, his aura still filled with burning battle intent.

Seeing the two Kages leave, Minato sighed in relief. He looked far into the distance, where intense chakra waves and fierce ninjutsu clashes stirred up a storm. Even from afar, Minato's hair was blown by the distant wind.

He suddenly thought of those legendary Rinnegan eyes.

It seemed the Uzumaki member of the Akatsuki and the Moon God...

Minato flicked his kunai and was about to use Flying Thunder God when his subordinates rushed over.

"Minato-sama! Minato-sama!" A Hyuga chunin, exhausted and breathless, said, "We've searched for a long time but haven't found Lady Meiko..."

...

At the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth, a group of shinobi in yellow-brown clothes stood silently on the leeward side of a hill, waiting for something.

Finally, a black dot in the sky rapidly enlarged.

Onoki landed, and a strong Iwagakure jonin approached respectfully. "Tsuchikage-sama, we've gathered everyone. The Kumo forces are to the east; we can easily take them."

"Good." Onoki closed his eyes, recalling the wounds on A's strong body.

'A... can you protect the Kumo shinobi while injured?'

...

Yuto landed from the sky, releasing the girl's hand.

He timed it perfectly. Three minutes had passed, and the mask mode automatically deactivated.

The youth looked back, knowing he had distanced himself from the shinobi of the three great nations. They would never find him.

He undid the Transformation Jutsu, returning to his youthful form and build but did not remove his mask and black robe.

"What is this?" Yuto asked softly, his voice through the mask losing its original tone. "What's inside the wooden box?"

Meiko's heart pounded as she saw the Moon God suddenly become shorter and slimmer. 'He didn't kill me and flew me here... Is this his true form? Though tall, he doesn't look like an adult man. As I suspected, he is...'

"Speak." Yuto's tone was impatient.

"I-I don't know... but it seems the Hokage made it. He visited the Uchiha clan often."

"That makes sense." Yuto nodded and sealed the wooden box's contents into a scroll.

The solitary mountain peak fell silent.

Through the Hannya mask, Yuto looked into the eyes of the main family girl, pondering how to start the conversation.

Unexpectedly, Meiko suddenly rushed over and hugged Yuto tightly.

Being so close to a Hyuga was usually dangerous, but Meiko, having neglected her training and grown thin, was weaker than when they first met. Yuto, mastering the Hundred Healings, had monstrous recovery abilities. Meiko might hurt Yuto but could never kill or seriously injure him.

Moreover, the Branch House youth wanted to see what Meiko intended.

Thus, they embraced on the mountaintop.

"Shinosuke... is that you?" Meiko's voice trembled.

Yuto remembered his sensei.

Tsunade was a carefree person. She often trained with Yuto in the Senju clan's backyard. As Yuto grew stronger, their sparring became more intense. When exhausted, Tsunade would drink a large gourd of sake, and even someone of her lineage would feel its effects.

Yuto once carried her back to her room and handed her over to Shizune.

That was the first time they hugged.

He found his sensei's body warm, soft, and carrying a faint citrus scent.

But now, on this solitary peak, hugging the main family girl gave him a different experience—

Thin, with bones almost touchable, almost weightless, and a deliberately applied rose perfume...

It was the scent of despair and death.

Yuto closed his eyes, raised his hand, and after a slight hesitation, prepared to reveal the harsh truth.

The Branch House youth was sometimes quite "classical" and, if possible, preferred to let people die knowing the truth.

However, as he opened his mouth, the girl in his arms tightened her hug, as if trying to meld into him.

Yuto was momentarily stunned, then understood.

"Yes, it's me."

He confirmed softly, his voice gentle.

Simultaneously, his raised hand struck down with Chakra Enhanced Strength and Gentle Fist, smashing into the girl's abdomen.

His powerful hand tore through skin and muscle, cutting organs until it pierced through her abdomen.

Meiko shuddered, her body going limp as a colorful glass ball hidden in her ninja pouch fell and rolled away.

As a shinobi, it was a pathetic, disgraceful way to die.

But as Meiko, in her final moments of consciousness, she felt true happiness.

Even if that happiness was based on mutual deception.

She died in her lover's arms.

TN: Ouff, that's one hell of a gut punch.

(End of Chapter)