Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Report and Plan
After leaving the Shikkotsu Forest, Yuto soaked Kaguya corpses in a medical tanks. Instead of immediately experimenting, he headed to the surface and entered the Land of Frost.
He had been absent for seven days. To avoid drawing attention, Yuto needed to appear in public. As a "battlefield free agent," returning to the Konoha camp without any accomplishments would not sit well with Orochimaru.
Yuto spent two days ambushing and killing several small Kumo and Kirigakure teams, obtaining intel on their supply routes. He then approached the Konoha command post and entered without much trouble.
The atmosphere in the Konoha camp was strange. Yuto overheard discussions among the shinobi about the "Moon God."
One individual had single-handedly defeated over 200 elite shinobi, killing more than two-thirds of them, annihilating the Kaguya clan reinforcements, and severely injuring the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Fuguki Suikazan, and Danzo Shimura.
According to reports, there was never a moment of "evenly matched" battle. The man who brought death tore through the elite forces of three great nations in an instant, like a beast among sheep.
"[Extremely dangerous, if encountered alone, flee immediately.]" — This was the exact wording on the joint bounty issued by Konoha, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure.
The bounty was more of a danger notice, asserting their strong stance while subtly warning their shinobi to avoid reckless heroics and to run if necessary.
Konoha had lost dozens of shinobi that night, including a Jonin, resulting in significant casualties. The camp's shinobi both feared and hated the suddenly emerged "Moon God."
After listening to these conversations, Yuto reported his achievements and intel to the statistics team and then went to the command center to meet Orochimaru.
Soon, Yuto received permission to enter the command center, led by a messenger shinobi.
Orochimaru sat in his chair, his desk piled high with documents and scrolls. Besides handling these, he also had to meet Konoha's senior officials and rush to the front lines when battles intensified.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Orochimaru, despite conducting human experiments, proved his worth as Konoha's commander, earning his reputation for remarkable military achievements.
Objectively, the Fourth Hokage position went to Minato Namikaze, and after his death, Hiruzan Sarutobi's restoration, Orochimaru's twice missed opportunities for the Hokage position and his subsequent loss of trust from his teacher, could explain his disillusionment.
"Commander." Yuto respectfully greeted, "I'm back." He briefly reported the events of the past two days to Orochimaru.
"Hmm." Orochimaru nodded, his voice cold and raspy, "Yuto, you usually report every five days, but this time it's been ten days... Did something happen?"
"It's like this, Orochimaru-sama," Yuto explained his prepared story: "While hunting enemy forces, I heard about the 'Moon God.' I was not far from the battlefield and thought I might gather some information about him."
"Oh? Any results?"
"None, no clues at all."
Orochimaru pondered, "The reconnaissance team reported the same. They sensed traces of a summoning jutsu in the forest but couldn't identify the summon, so there's no lead."
"Orochimaru-sama, with all due respect, is it wise to leave such a dangerous individual unchecked? The bounty states he took Byakugan and killed several Kaguya clan experts. His motives and origins are unknown. Will he really stop here? In the future..."
Orochimaru finally looked up, scrutinizing Yuto with his golden snake-like eyes, creating immense pressure.
Yuto calmly met his gaze, unflinching.
Suddenly, Orochimaru sighed, "The Third Hokage once said that Yuto Hyuga is an exceptional shinobi with a broad perspective... It seems my teacher's judgment was spot on. Tsunade has a disciple to be proud of, known as the Lone Lion Yuto Hyuga."
"You are right, that masked man is dangerous. Not only do you and I think so, but the village's higher-ups also believe he won't stop."
"Strategies against him are already being formulated... That's for the Third Hokage and Danzo to handle, not us."
Relieved, Yuto said, "That's good. I'd love to see what face is behind that mask."
With "loyal Orochimaru," Yuto knew that as long as he seemed to care for Konoha, he would be safe.
Even after turning to the dark side, Orochimaru treated his subordinates well.
Yuto was quite familiar with Minato and could joke and chat during reports, but with Orochimaru, he had nothing to say after his report.
He took his leave, and before departing, Orochimaru informed him that he could reduce the frequency of his reports to allow him more time to disrupt the enemy in their rear lines.
Yuto gladly accepted and left the Konoha camp, having spent less than an hour there.
The news that "Konoha is formulating strategies against Aizen Sōsuke" did not surprise him.
After causing such a commotion, Hiruzan Sarutobi couldn't remain indifferent, and other shinobi villages were likely preparing countermeasures.
'That's fine. It will allow Aizen Sōsuke's identity to lie low for a while, giving me time to study the Shikotsumyaku and stay under the radar.'
Thinking this, Yuto traversed the dense forest and, as usual, arrived at his secret underground base in the Land of Hot Water.
The Kaguya clan's corpses floated in preservation fluid. Besides Kaguya Morinosuke, the other bodies were well-preserved, as Yuto had snapped their necks, avoiding damage to internal organs.
He moved a corpse onto the operating table, rubbing his eyes while planning:
'My eyes still hurt. The strain from using the accompanying dojutsu hasn't fully recovered. During this time, I need to recuperate.'
'I must continue capturing Hyuga clan members. I can now study the differences between Hyuga and Kaguya bloodlines. Same roots but entirely different kekkei genkai... Ideally, I should obtain two Uchiha corpses for a three-way comparison.'
'Only one piece of God's Mask remains. I need to replenish it, which is tricky. My cells are abundant, but Hyuga shinobi are limited.'
'I must consider the extreme scenario of 'mask shortage.' The mask mode is ultimately a mirage; my own training must not be neglected. I've nearly mastered the mutual multiplication explosive tags, and my Strength seal's storage is almost at its peak... Maybe it's time to complete the Strength of a Hundred Seal? Or perhaps a combination jutsu of mutual multiplication explosive tags and Lion's Fang Bite?'
'I also need to keep accumulating battle achievements, periodically appearing on the battlefield to hone myself.'
'Sigh... There's so much to do...'
(End of Chapter)
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