บท 168: Chapter 167: Days of Return and the Near Completion of Senjutsu Training

"If there's nothing else, today's high-level meeting is..."

"Hokage-sama, excuse me, I have something to say to Advisor Danzo," Yuto raised his hand, the spring scenery outside the window was vibrant, and the handsome young man smiled brightly. "Advisor Danzo, there are some very bad rumors about Kushina-senpai in the village... You have a crucial position in the Anbu, are you just going to let these rumors tarnish her?"

"Yuto Hyuga, watch your tone," Danzo said with a grim face. "Even the Hokage and the Anbu can't stop everyone's mouths, and to some extent, those rumors are facts."

"What facts?" Yuto scoffed. "That the crimes of the Nine-Tails are all being blamed on Kushina-senpai? Or that you are deliberately letting the rumors spread? I have reason to suspect that it's you who..."

"Bastard!" Danzo couldn't hold back anymore, smashing the chair under him and springing up. "You're slandering the village's advisor! Yuto Hyuga, I suspect you of colluding with enemy nations. After the meeting, you must go to the Anbu for interrogation..."

"Heh, you don't wait for the meeting to end, I'll go with you now and twist your head off along the way!"

Boom!

The loud crash echoed in the office, and Hiruzen was so angry that he broke his pipe. "Every meeting, you two have to argue. Do you still respect me as the Hokage?"

"One accuses the frontline commander of treason, the other wants to twist off an advisor's head! If you really can't stand each other, go to the Valley of the End and fight it out. It's best if both of you die, so I don't have to listen to your noise!"

Danzo's face turned livid, and he said nothing, while Yuto looked ashamed and apologized to Hiruzen.

The other high-level members in the office just looked on, as this was not an unusual sight.

A month ago, Yuto returned to Konoha from the Land of Rain and became a regular observer at high-level meetings, frequently clashing with Danzo. It was the usual pain of new and old generations transitioning; Danzo wanted to maintain his power, while Yuto wanted to intimidate the previous generation on behalf of Minato. Most of the time, Hiruzen would silently smoke his pipe, only intervening when their words became too harsh.

Seeing that Yuto and Danzo had calmed down, the Hokage softened his tone. "Even if everyone wants to protect the village, each person's actions will be different. Don't let a moment of anger sever your ties with your comrades."

"Yes, Hokage-sama, I have learned," Yuto bowed respectfully, and when he looked up, he saw a blonde woman giving him a thumbs-up with a laugh.

—Both master and disciple had long disliked Danzo. Every time Yuto clashed with Danzo, Tsunade would set up a feast.

"...Looks like no one else has anything to say. Let's adjourn."

Hiruzen picked up his broken pipe with a pained expression and dismissed everyone.

The high-level members left one by one, and Yuto walked back to the Senju compound with Tsunade. The boy rarely returned to the Hyuga compound anymore, and even Hiashi couldn't control him. Their encounters were almost exclusively at high-level meetings. Lately, Hizashi seemed preoccupied and didn't bring up marriage or engagement, which saved Yuto a lot of trouble.

Life in Konoha was indeed much more comfortable than on the battlefield. After having lunch with Tsunade, Yuto leisurely headed to the back mountain to train. When the sun set and Tsunade returned home, Yuto stayed behind, using extra training as an excuse.

After confirming that no one was around, Yuto performed reverse summoning to reach the Shikkotsu Forest. On a flat stone platform, there was already a complete set of experimental instruments and solutions. Four main family's Byakugan floated in a preservative solution, seemingly observing the boy.

Yuto sat cross-legged and drew a barbed strap from a certain part of the stone platform, wrapping it around his neck.

After obtaining Hashirama Senju's cells, he extracted a certain fluid from the cells. By applying it to his body, he could quickly sense natural energy, carefully measuring each use to avoid being assimilated by natural energy. But this time, after taking off his clothes, Yuto applied it all over his upper body.

A cool sensation spread over him. With the powerful effects of Hashirama's cells, a vast amount of natural energy poured into Yuto's body. The source power of chakra, composed of physical, spiritual, and natural energy, suddenly changed, and with the addition of natural energy, the chakra in his chakra pathways and tenketsu began to boil.

Swish—

Yuto's skin suddenly became moist, secreting mucus that dripped like pitch onto the ground. This was a sign of being assimilated by the natural energy in the Shikkotsu Forest! In a critical moment, the strap around his neck tightened, and the barbs dug into Yuto's flesh. In pain, the natural energy inside him was instantly expelled through his pores. His skin became smooth again, and the mucus dripped off, evaporating into pure natural energy and returning to the ninja world.

"Just a little more..." Yuto touched the strap around his neck and closed his eyes to reflect. The key to Sage Mode was sage chakra. To refine this chakra, one must perfectly balance "spiritual, physical, and natural" energies.

According to Katsuyu-sama, the ratio of the three energies was roughly "3:3:4," but since humans are different, each person's golden ratio for accepting natural energy varies slightly. Finding this golden ratio before being assimilated by natural energy is the hardest part of senjutsu training.

Fortunately, Yuto created this strap. The main material for the strap came from the tongues of Fukasaku and Shima, who were killed by Kitsu. With years of experience in extracting and experimenting with biological materials, Yuto had become an undisputed "biotech master," employing techniques like a mad scientist from a horror movie.

The strap's primary material was the tongues of the two sages. When it detected excessive natural energy, it would release barbs that hooked into Yuto's flesh, waking him and expelling the natural energy. It was an excellent safety mechanism.

With it, Yuto could use Hashirama's cell solution without worry. Absorbing natural energy more quickly and frequently experimenting, Yuto's progress in senjutsu training accelerated. Originally expected to complete Sage Mode by the end of the year, he could now master it in a month or two.

However, there was a problem. After teaching him Senjutsu, Katsuyu hadn't told anyone, not even Tsunade. If Yuto suddenly used Senjutsu one day, it could cause trouble. He and Katsuyu needed to get their stories straight first.

'Maybe I should pretend to be a genius who mastered Senjutsu in a short time...' Yuto thought as he closed his eyes again.

(End of Chapter)

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