There was no time to check what was inside the two scrolls. Hoshimi tapped his toes, and his entire being transformed into a wisp of clear wind, vanishing from the spot.
In less than ten breaths, a large number of Anbu Ninja arrived at the scene. Among them, the leader was Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was also the current Anbu captain.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke merely scanned the battlefield and gasped, not for any other reason than the sheer magnitude of the destruction!
A deep explosion crater, approximately ten meters in diameter, and a large number of destroyed buildings surrounding it, deeply stimulated his nerves.
If he hadn't been certain he was in Konoha, he would have thought he had already arrived at the battlefield of the Third Great Ninja War!
However, after the initial shock, Sarutobi Shinnosuke quickly regained his composure and immediately dispatched people to collect intelligence and evidence from the scene.
The Anbu Ninja moved swiftly, and soon, someone spotted Flying Insect's lifeless body in the deep crater. Of course, next to Flying Insect's remains, they also saw a fox mask, representing the identity of a Root Ninja!
Sarutobi Shinnosuke approached Flying Insect's body. He carefully removed the mask, which was almost charred, from Flying Insect's face, and then, relying on his powerful memory, immediately recalled the identity of the Ninja before him.
"It's him? This guy, isn't he a Root elite under Danzo? How could he be here?
I remember, this guy was apparently a genius Danzo poached from the Aburame Clan. His strength might not be comparable to a great Ninja Clan leader, but he was at least a Jonin. How could he have died so miserably?!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had too many questions in his mind, but he was, after all, someone who had handled a large amount of government affairs with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he immediately realized an even more important matter: "No, we cannot let the Hyuga Clan know that a Root Ninja infiltrated their Hyuga Clan Compound. Otherwise, the conflict between Root and the Hyuga Clan will become irreconcilable!"
"What exactly is Danzo doing? He was reprimanded by Father last time, so why doesn't he learn his lesson?
Does he really think Father will indulge him indefinitely?"
Although extremely angry, considering Danzo was, after all, Father's right-hand man, he chose to deal with it for him first: "Someone, seal off the area! No one is allowed to enter!"
Without any hesitation, the Anbu Ninja immediately sealed off the area. Even the Hyuga Clan, who had arrived upon hearing the commotion, were blocked from entering!
If it were in another place or at another time, such behavior from Anbu would, of course, be fine. However, the Hyuga Clan had recently been attacked twice in a row, and both the Hyuga Branch Family and the Main Family had been on edge.
Naturally, they were extremely concerned about the battle that had occurred on their own territory and insisted on participating to gather firsthand intelligence. Thus, the two sides stood in a standoff once again.
But unfortunately, Anbu represented the Hokage, so how could the Hyuga Clan truly dare to assault Anbu?
After a period of futile persuasion, they could only obediently wait on the side, much like stray dogs without a backing.
Hoshimi watched the entire post-battle performance from his small apartment. He said nothing, merely looking at the assertive Anbu, and a decision slowly formed in his heart...
Although Anbu intervened forcefully, the subsequent handling of the matter became much more efficient. At the very least, the Hyuga Branch Family affected by this battle received timely and reasonable compensation.
Hoshimi was also one of those compensated, as his small apartment was also destroyed in the battle.
Although he was fully capable of preventing this from happening, by dealing with Flying Insect before he self-destructed, he did not do so because he realized this was a good opportunity—a good opportunity to temporarily leave the Hyuga Clan!
Living within the Hyuga Clan Compound, Hoshimi's actions were greatly restricted. Whether it was his own training or other aspects, he had to constantly hide himself.
A slight carelessness, and his secret could very well be exposed to a pair of Byakugan!
And now, he had a legitimate opportunity to leave. At least until this area was cleared and rebuilt, he wouldn't have to return.
Moreover, the compensation from the Village was a generous two hundred thousand Ryo. Although this money wouldn't make him a rich man directly, it was enough to support his living expenses for a long time.
However, the only thing Hoshimi was dissatisfied with was that it would take some time for this money to reach them, and during this period, he would need to cover his own living expenses.
Hoshimi was not worried about this, as he believed that with his current abilities, supporting himself would not be very difficult...
In a humble bungalow in the Konoha northeast corner, in the settlement area near the Forest of Death, Hoshimi sat on a hard wooden plank bed, confirmed that the Ninja who brought him here had left, and then pulled out two black scrolls from his embrace.
These were, of course, the spoils of war he had obtained from Flying Insect earlier. Only now did he have time to properly examine them.
Under the faint lamplight, Hoshimi recognized the two black scrolls: one was a storage scroll, and the other was a Ninjutsu secret scroll!
Neither scroll had any locking mechanisms. Flying Insect himself probably never imagined that he would encounter a monster like Hoshimi because of this small mission.
And this, naturally, made things convenient for the ultimate winner, Hoshimi.
Without much effort, Hoshimi opened the storage scroll and, upon finding only a few test tubes containing unknown liquids, largely lost interest.
Then, opening the second Ninjutsu secret scroll, Hoshimi first paused, then revealed an expression of ecstasy.
Because this Ninjutsu secret scroll did not record a single Ninjutsu, but instead contained a very complete Insect Sealing Technique!
From the initial selection of insects, to how to cultivate them with Chakra, and finally to using these Chakra insects to perform various secret techniques, everything was included and explained in great detail.
Even a complete novice who knew nothing could completely master the true Insect Sealing Technique with this Ninjutsu secret scroll.
One scroll, a complete inheritance of a secret technique!
In Konoha, and even throughout the entire Ninja World, the value of secret techniques was immeasurable, because the effects of most secret techniques were far superior to ordinary Ninjutsu.
For example, the Yamanaka Clan possessed a secret technique for reading memories, which was simply a divine skill for intelligence gathering!
Moreover, some secret techniques, in terms of practicality or actual combat, were no weaker than those wondrous Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit).
And compared to Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit), secret techniques had one major advantage: they could be stably passed down!
A systematic secret technique could create a powerful Ninja Clan!
For example, Konoha's Ino–Shika–Chō was a well-known Ninja family in the Ninja World.
Of course, the Aburame Clan, possessing the Insect Sealing Technique, was also no weaker than Ino–Shika–Chō.
From the previous battle with Flying Insect, it could be seen that his Insect Sealing Technique was actually quite powerful. If he hadn't happened to encounter someone like Hoshimi, who possessed Spirit Devour, which countered the Insect Sealing Technique, he wouldn't have been so disheveled.
Even a Kage-level expert, Flying Insect might very well have escaped from him!
But unfortunately, Flying Insect didn't have such good luck. However, his Insect Sealing Technique still left a deep impression on Hoshimi.
Therefore, Hoshimi decided to thoroughly study the Insect Sealing Technique.
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