Chapter 144: A Brief Journey

With a loud thud, a perfectly intact corpse appeared on the ground. Yuto flicked the sealing scroll and nodded,

"The S-rank mission, the execution of the renegade shinobi, is complete. This is Goro Uchida."

"Please wait a moment, Yuto-sama," two Chunin from the mission office respectfully nodded and took out tools to examine the body on-site,

"Fingerprints, bone age, appearance... It is indeed Goro Uchida. The cause of death is a fractured cervical spine. As expected of you, Yuto-sama, your mission was executed flawlessly."

The Chunin made a mark in the mission log and bowed,

"Thank you for your hard work."

Yuto waved his hand dismissively and walked away after a few polite words.

These execution missions are time-sensitive. After clashing with the one-eyed masked man, Yuto quickly found Goro Uchida, killed him, and immediately returned to Konoha.

The boy originally planned to rest in the Senju clan territory, but as soon as he stepped through the gate, the Anbu summoned him to the Hokage's office.

In the office, Hiruzen smiled at him,

"Yuto-kun, just returned?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Yuto replied respectfully, though inwardly he was sarcastic,

— You had people waiting for me at the Senju clan gate. Don't you know if I just returned?

"I have a special mission for you, Yuto-kun," the Hokage said with a chuckle, patting him on the shoulder,

"Do you remember the high-level meeting after the New Year discussing the truce with Sunagakure? There's been progress on that."

"Sunagakure submitted a truce request, and we in Konoha have agreed."

"As usual, we'll send someone with the initial draft of the peace treaty to negotiate with Sunagakure."

"Normally, Danzo would handle the negotiations."

"But this time, you'll be in charge, Yuto-kun."

Yuto nodded. He knew this was the Third Hokage delegating power to Minato, entrusting some core affairs to the new generation of leaders.

"Understood, Hokage-sama. When do I leave?"

"No rush. This is not just a negotiation between Konoha and Sunagakure but also involves the interests of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire will send a high-ranking official to accompany you. You have about a week to prepare and rest."

The timing was perfect; Yuto thought to himself, 'I can get those two newly cultivated God's Masks ready.' He then asked,

"Hokage-sama, do you have any specific instructions for the negotiation's outcome?"

"Just don't push Sunagakure too hard. Do what you think is best."

"Yes."

...

Lying on a tatami mat, Yuto meticulously planned his next actions.

Cultivate the new God's Masks — represent Konoha in negotiations with Sunagakure — intervene in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge to obtain Madara's cells!

The first two tasks were easy, but the last one was a risky venture.

Even though Madara's body had deteriorated severely and he had given his Rinnegan to Nagato, Yuto didn't dare underestimate the man known as Madara Uchiha.

Getting Madara's flesh and blood would undoubtedly require significant effort.

Although Madara was very weak now, Yuto's instincts told him that the man must have hidden some trump cards and might reveal some powerful weapon in a crisis.

'But speaking of which, that one-eyed man's look really resembles Obito,' Yuto frowned, recalling the mysterious Sharingan that served as bait.

Using the Summoning Technique, he arrived at Shikkotsu Forest.

Nowadays, this sage land had almost become a mobile secret base for Yuto. To facilitate easy access, Yuto had stored many of his illicit items here.

On a clean stone platform lay the corpse of a young girl, her skin and bones broken, limbs twisted, blood drained, and clothes torn to shreds.

Through the tattered clothing, a black rod was clearly visible.

'I must consider the possibility of the black rods' information being leaked. Both Madara and Nagato should be aware of this Yin-Yang release product.'

Yuto muttered as he took out a small box covered with sealing techniques and carefully opened it, revealing a Sharingan inside.

With a squelch, he removed her right eye and used medical ninjutsu to implant the Sharingan.

If this Mangekyo Sharingan and the one used by the one-eyed masked man came from the same person, he would soon find out.

...

Time flew by. After Yuto obtained the two newly cultivated God's Masks and returned to Konoha, winter was drawing to a close.

The snow melted, buds sprouted, and the land was full of life.

Tsunade loosened her grip, letting the hair tie drop into her hand. She tied her golden hair into twin ponytails, gave a casual shake, and glanced at the boy next to her,

"This time, you're leading Konoha. Don't go calling for sensei every time something happens."

"Understood," Yuto replied, stuffing the rice ball Shizune made into his mouth, then asked curiously,

"Sensei, why are you going this time?"

"Ebizo and Chiyo are both cunning old foxes. Konoha needs to send someone experienced too," the blonde woman laughed, rubbing her hands together,

"Besides, since returning from the Land of Rain, I haven't left the village for five months! I'm dying for some action; even my dice are getting rusty. I'm going to gamble my heart out this time, hehehe…"

"Huh? Sunagakure is so poor they can barely afford ninja tools. Do they even have a casino?"

"Kid, the poorer the place, the more casinos there are."

"… I learned something new."

The two chatted as they walked out of the Senju clan territory and headed to Konoha's gate.

A large convoy was waiting there. Unlike pure combat units, this convoy bore prominent banners. Besides the fully armed Konoha shinobi, there were also officials and attendants in traditional Fire Nation attire.

A carriage stood at the convoy's center, from which a man in his fifties poked his head out,

"Yuto-sama, Tsunade-hime," he had a benevolent face, and spoke politely,

"This journey to the Land of Wind will trouble you both."

Araki Ryuji, one of the Daimyo's top ministers in the Land of Fire, was the nominal head of this delegation.

"Ryuji-sama," Yuto stepped forward,

"You're too kind. Protecting high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire is one of our duties as Konoha shinobi."

After some polite exchanges, they departed on time.

...

In the "one nation, one village" system, the nation comes first, and the village second.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire theoretically outranks the Hokage, can interfere in Konoha's internal affairs, and oversees the nation's matters, acting as the autocrat of this land.

Ryuji, being one of the top three officials in the Fire Nation, would be on par with Hiruzen in Konoha.

Yet throughout the journey, Ryuji gave no orders to Yuto and Tsunade, not even speaking in a commanding tone. He addressed them with utmost respect, as "sama" and "hime," and if not for his senior age, he might have called them "lords."

— This world ultimately belongs to chakra.

The system of national-village alliances created by Hashirama Senju deviated from his original intentions from the start.

No Daimyo dares to order a Kage, and no nation dares to dictate to a shinobi village.

In the original story, after Pain's attack on Konoha and Tsunade stepped down as Hokage, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire came to appoint the next Hokage. However, he had no real authority and merely chose between Shikaku Nara's recommendation of Kakashi Hatake and Danzo Shimura's self-recommendation.

He chose Danzo because of his stronger methods and tougher stance.

In a way, nations are subservient to shinobi villages, providing them with population, a stable environment, vast strategic depth, and economic support.

Power comes from strength, and shinobi, or "chakra-wielding beings," are the ultimate representation of power in this world.

The journey was peaceful, but because of the presence of ordinary people, Konoha's delegation moved slowly. It took four days to reach the Fire Nation's border.

The Fire Nation and the Land of Wind do not share a border; the Land of Rain and the Land of Valleys lie in between.

With the intense fighting in the Land of Rain, to avoid complications, the delegation would pass through the Land of Valleys to reach Sunagakure's territory.

Upon crossing the border into the Land of Valleys, they were greeted with horrific scenes. This small country had little self-defense capability. Although not a primary battlefield, occasional skirmishes between the Fire and Wind Nations would decimate the fragile economy of the Land of Valleys.

Konoha's delegation could do nothing about this and had no grounds to intervene, so they silently sped up, focusing on their journey.

In just half a day, they were treading on yellow sand.

(End of Chapter)