The night was deep and silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was chatting with Masahiko when he suddenly paused and made a hand gesture.
Masahiko immediately concealed himself, vanishing from the spot and entering a nearby secret room.
A moment later.
"Hokage-sama——"
"Kurenai, you've come back so late?"
"Yes, I saw the lights were still on, so I came to check."
Kurenai Yuhi nodded. "You should also take care of your health and go to sleep early."
"Alright, I'm just about to rest. See, I've already organized my documents."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle.
Kurenai Yuhi nodded slightly, her face then showing a hint of hesitation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "If you have any requests, just say them. While things aren't completely finalized yet—there's still a chance."
"I'm willing to lead a team, but in the future, could you give me the chance to go find Yakumo?"
Kurenai Yuhi asked.
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh softly. "Over these years, you've mentioned this request to me more than once."
"Yes, I know—this might be Yakumo's own wish, but I still want to try one more time."
Kurenai Yuhi's gaze dimmed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "There will be a chance."
"Ah?"
Kurenai Yuhi was stunned for a moment, followed by a look of sheer joy. "Really?"
"Yes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded helplessly.
"Thank you!"
Kurenai Yuhi left happily.
Hiruzen Sarutobi understood Kurenai's obsession.
In the past, he might have delayed or stopped her, but now, Masahiko was still alive, and his strength seemed to be even greater than before.
Even if his generation couldn't do it, Masahiko and Kakashi would surely be able to in the future.
There were no regrets left!
He stood up, opened the door, and walked into the inner room.
A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw a note on the small table.
"Hokage-sama, my jutsu is about to expire. I'll return tomorrow when Naruto takes his exam."
"It's just good To Live!"
As long as the person was still here, it was better than anything else.
Everything in Konoha remained as usual, but another year's graduation exam had quietly arrived.
In the afternoon.
Naruto sat on the swing by the entrance, looking at the group of parents and the students who had already become Ninja, his eyes reflecting envy.
Those parents were whispering among themselves.
——
He quietly pulled down his goggles.
In the crowd, a man dressed ordinarily with a plain appearance stood at the edge of the group. Not far from him, Iruka and the Third Hokage were watching Naruto from a distance.
"Iruka, I have something to say to you in a moment."
"Yes!"
A moment later, the crowd dispersed.
Masahiko, within the crowd, only looked at Naruto from afar before heading toward the Hokage Office.
After a few steps——
"Cough!"
A light cough interrupted Masahiko's thoughts.
He looked to the side.
An elderly man seemed to be about to cross the street, but observing from his footsteps and Chakra aura——
The Third Hokage?
He walked over.
"Let me help you home."
"Thank you, young man!"
"It's nothing."
Masahiko supported the "old man," walking all the way toward the outskirts of the Village.
Reaching a secluded spot, Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed his true form and said with a smile, "Masahiko, your disguise and concealment techniques are very strong, but I still saw through them!"
"As expected of Hokage-sama, I really can't figure out where the flaw was."
Masahiko replied with admiration.
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed. "Since you said you were coming, how could I not pay extra attention?"
But after laughing, his expression stiffened slightly, and then he sighed softly. "About Naruto's matter, what do you think?"
"You plan to let him cultivate the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Masahiko asked.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a smile. "I can't hide anything from you. You guessed it when you saw the sealing scroll yesterday?"
"The greatest difficulty of this jutsu lies in Chakra, and the reason it's forbidden is also because of that. But Naruto's endurance, recovery ability, and Chakra volume are all top-tier; it's very suitable for him."
Masahiko nodded.
"Indeed!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said with emotion, "As the Hokage, this is all I can do, along with—rooting out the black sheep in the school."
"When I was at the school, although I felt he had ambition, I thought he just wanted a promotion. I didn't expect—that after three years, he would actually become a traitor."
Masahiko frowned.
As they walked, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "He's just a small fry. I discovered him a year ago, but I wanted to lure out the person behind him. I didn't expect the contact person behind him to never show up."
"So he acted on his own initiative this time?"
"Yes."
""
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
Masahiko nodded understandingly. "I see—it seems everything is within your expectations, so I don't need to worry."
"Hahaha, what do you plan to do next?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
This was the key point.
Masahiko understood, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I plan to look for Yakumo first and see her current situation—I'm not very at ease."
"Very well. If you need help, use the old method. I've set a new codename for you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked serious. "Konezu. This is your mask. In all of Konoha, only I know the specific identity of Konezu."
He handed over a scroll.
Masahiko's face turned solemn as he stood still and took it. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"
"Orochimaru is not easy to deal with. Even if you've become stronger now, you must be careful!"
"Yes!"
Leaving Konoha, Masahiko wasn't in a hurry to switch back to the Byakugan.
The Byakugan was very strong, but unless he encountered that Akatsuki Organization bunch, ordinary enemies didn't warrant using something like the Byakugan at all.
His destination for this trip was indeed the Land of Rice Fields, Otogakure.
Inside the Village's fighting arena, three people stood in the center, while only one looked at the others with a sneer.
"You pieces of trash, can't you go on anymore?"
Jirobo gave a cold snort, kicked the last standing person away, and patted his clothes. "Not a single one can fight!"
"There's no point in killing some trash."
Sakon gave a cruel smile. "If we're going to kill, let's kill Konoha Ninja!"
"Speaking of Konoha..."
Sakon and Ukon looked at Tayuya and said, "That girl Lord Orochimaru brought from Konoha, I heard you've fought her?"
Tayuya glanced at them and said indifferently, "I advise you not to mess with her."
"Hmph! What skill does she have? Isn't she just relying on connections and her Bloodline Limit?"
Jirobo kicked away the surrounding corpses or unconscious Ninja. "With that body of hers, I could knock her down with one punch!"
Hearing this, Tayuya sneered and quietly distanced herself from him.
Kidōmaru noticed this and keenly sensed something was wrong, so he also retreated, distancing himself from them.
Sakon, Ukon, and Jirobo were completely oblivious.
The three were chatting excitedly when suddenly their expressions changed drastically, and they all tried to flee in different directions.
But in the next second, silk threads appeared around them like invisible blades.
Squelch!
One by one, the silk threads cut into their skin, and blood trickled out.
All around, corpses stood up, their faces staring at Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!!"
Terrifying screams echoed from the fighting arena.
Kidōmaru watched in horror as the two in the middle began to dance for no reason, flesh and blood splattering everywhere. He couldn't help but swallow hard in fear.
What kind of evil jutsu was this?
It was too terrifying!
Fortunately, he hadn't spoken just now.
He took a few steps back, then looked at Tayuya with relief and whispered, "Thanks!"
"It's just that they were stupid themselves."
Tayuya looked diagonally upward.
Over there, a girl with a cold expression stood up, scanned them with icy eyes, and then used Body Flicker to leave.
Tayuya pursed her lips, her hands grasping her hat and bangs to hide part of her expression.
Kidōmaru snapped out of it as if waking from a dream.
"She is—that person?"
"Let's go."
Tayuya's gaze was dim.
With such a Bloodline Limit and such terrifying Genjutsu—it was simply impossible to win.