Chapter 131: Chapter 131: The End of Year 57 in Konoha
Even in winter, the Land of Rain doesn't snow. At the start of winter, freezing cold rain falls, forming a thin, transparent layer of frozen ice on the ground and trees.
Everywhere, the ice is light red, frozen with the blood of shinobi.
In life, they fought each other; in death, their blood mixed together. Perhaps the peace among shinobi can only be realized in the afterlife.
Late at night, in the Konoha camp in the Land of Rain.
Yuto sat by the stove, warming himself. Shinobi need to eat and dress, and in cold weather, they often use chakra to generate heat by stimulating their cells.
Of course, as the deputy commander, Yuto lived comfortably even on the front lines. Konoha provided him with good living supplies.
He tossed a potato into the stove, sending sparks flying. He then added many meat and spice balls. These were similar to MRE from his past life; they needed only heating.
The logistics team knew Yuto's cooking was as bad as being sealed by the Four Symbols Seal, so they specially prepared some semi-finished meat and vegetable balls for him. When working late, he could just put them in the stove. The taste was decent, at least better than his own cooking.
Knock, knock, knock. Someone was at the door.
"Come in," Yuto said without lifting his eyelids.
"Yuto-kun, having a meal?" Minato appeared, sitting by the stove.
"Minato-senpai, want some?" Yuto offered.
"Sure!" Minato smiled warmly. "Let's eat and talk."
After a while, when the "MRE" became ready, they ate directly around the stove.
"So convenient," Minato said, biting into a rice ball. "I should ask the logistics team to prepare some for me too."
"I remember you cook well, and isn't Kushina-senpai there with you?"
"We don't have much time..." Minato shook his head. "Speaking of serious matters, Yuto-kun, the village wants you to return."
"Me? Is there a mission?"
"The Anbu who delivered the Hokage's order didn't say anything about missions. So, It should be a normal rotation."
Yuto calculated the time and sighed. "Indeed, it's time to return."
The "Moon God Encirclement Battle" had ended almost half a year ago. The shinobi world entered winter again, and Year 57 of Konoha was coming to an end. In less than a month, it would be New Year.
Yuto had been in the Land of Rain for nearly nine months. Even as a vice commander, it was time to return to the village for rest.
"Yuto-kun, don't worry about the western front. After you return, Jiraiya-sensei will take over."
"Is Jiraiya-sama's injury healed?"
"Almost. Sensei can't stay idle. He has been soaking in hot springs in the Land of Hot Water, saying it helps his mood and speeds up recovery, hahaha..."
"That sounds like Jiraiya-sama." Yuto paused and then said, "Minato-senpai, I remember just now, you seem to have some 'Special Promotions' slots..."
"Those slots have been allocated to your three students. I reported them last week," Minato said sincerely. "Ruri, Shisui, and Muta are all excellent kids."
"Thank you."
Yuto sighed inwardly and handed Minato a piece of roasted potato. No wonder Minato could become Hokage. He worked tirelessly since the war began, he even steeped up to command when Orochimaru was in trouble, he is brimming with talent, and even understood how to comfort people and exchange benefits...
The calls for Minato to become Hokage were growing louder. Both the higher-ups and Konoha villagers, as well as the frontline warriors, all supported Minato unanimously.
"But speaking of which, Yuto-kun," Minato said, blowing on the potato before eating it, "what do you think of the Akatsuki organization?"
"They're a major threat. With the Rinnegan and Wood Release, they harbor extreme hostility towards the village."
"Yes, the Rinnegan is already frightening, and now there's also Wood Release. Kitsu Yoshihiro... his fame is growing."
"Minato-senpai, Amegakure and Akatsuki are significant threats," Yuto said, like a young, concerned protector of the village. "Maybe we should launch a war against them."
"It's difficult. I've thought about using Flying Thunder God to infiltrate, but Amegakure is too closed off and mysterious," Minato suddenly smiled. "Recently, some high-ups suggested using jinchuriki to destroy Amegakure."
He was still smiling, handsome and gentle, but the smile was cold, suppressed with anger.
Yuto raised an eyebrow, knowing that mentioning Kushina would anger Minato.
"Shall I look into who suggested that when I return to the village?"
"Thank you, Yuto-kun."
The fire in the stove seemed even warmer.
—Exchanging benefits doesn't distance people but brings them closer.
The two talked for a long time until the firewood burned out, and Minato finally left.
Yuto leaned against the door, watching him leave.
The Konoha camp was busy as always. The boy watched the patrolling shinobi squad, the light in his eyes flickering.
After the Moon God Encirclement Battle, the Land of Rain entered a prolonged stalemate. The Fire, Earth, and Wind countries fought each other. Although Amegakure occasionally interfered, the overall situation was relatively stable, with major shinobi villages exchanging lives in a programmed way.
Tsunade returned to Konoha four months ago, ending their secret game. Yuto felt a bit regretful but quickly adjusted, planning to continue accumulating Hyuga corpses and making more God's Masks for emergencies.
Unexpectedly, this plan hit a snag.
The cause was still the Moon God Encirclement Battle. The Hyuga clan contributed significantly to Hiruzen's plan but received no benefits. A main family clan girl even went missing!
To appease the Hyuga, the Hokage provided many resources and made certain policy concessions.
One policy was "to protect the Byakugan as much as possible on the battlefield, and any Hyuga member's disappearance must be formally reported by the battle's commander"!
The intent was to account for the Hyuga shinobis, to protect the village's kekkei genkai. But this policy troubled Yuto.
—If too many Hyuga went missing on the front lines, he and Minato would be questioned by the Hokage. A thorough investigation might reveal Yuto's betrayal.
There's no wall without a crack. With enough effort and consequences, using Impure World Reincarnation to investigate could uncover most secrets in the shinobi world.
So Yuto had to be extra careful, slowing down the collection of bodies.
But even slowly, he could still collect some. Yuto had patience.
Returning to the village, however, might yield nothing.
He still needed two clones. The Uzumaki Clone might be created using Nagato's cells, but the single Sharingan's tissue wasn't enough to make an Uchiha clone.
To achieve his goal, he had to use God's Mask and his identity as the Moon God.
After thinking for a while, Yuto couldn't find a solution. Being stuck halfway was frustrating, but with the tightened Byakugan protection policy, he had to proceed cautiously.
TN: Edited the Alternate Identity name from Kudo Shinichi To Aizen Sōsuke.
(End of Chapter)
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