Chương 178: Chapter 177: The Clan's Ghost, Flag of Freedom

Clatter—

The tea cup rolled, spilling its fragrant contents across the table, leaving a pool of tea in its wake.

Hiashi Hyuga paused, wiped the water stains off the table, and then gently raised the tea cup to his lips.

Clatter—once again, the tea cup overturned.

Hiashi silently looked down at his hands. Strong and calloused, the hands of a man who had honed his Gentle Fist technique for over twenty years. These hands were his most reliable weapons in any situation.

But now, they couldn't even hold a tea cup steady.

Hiashi knew the problem wasn't with his hands.

This time, the cup rolled even farther, stopping only when it hit a scroll.

The tea soaked into the scroll, making the black ink on it more prominent. Just one glance at it made Hiashi feel as if needles were stabbing his eyes.

[Confirmation: Hyuga Burial Ground has collapsed. Hizashi Hyuga's status unknown.]

The handwriting belonged to the "Hidden Elder," a figure shrouded in mystery. The style, spacing, and strength of the strokes were unmistakable, something no outsider could imitate. The "Hidden Elder" had been like a ghost, living among the Hyuga clan for generations, with even the clan heads only aware of his existence, never his true identity.

However, trying to uncover the identity of the Hidden Elder was meaningless at this moment. Hiashi's entire focus was on the words "Hyuga Burial Ground has collapsed."

"Shinosuke, Meiko... was this your doing?" Hiashi wondered.

It had been six months since his last meeting with Meiko, and since then, the "Moon God" had vanished without a trace.

Hiashi had gone from hopeful anticipation to indifferent resignation. He thought Meiko had already acquired enough "evolution materials" and no longer needed him.

But now, the Hyuga burial ground had collapsed.

Did Shinosuke and Meiko need more corpses? But why didn't they come for me?

Everything had been fine until Hizashi became the guardian of the burial ground. The identity of the guardian was known only to Hiashi and the Hidden Elder...

Hiashi rubbed his temples with such force it seemed as if he was trying to crush his skull.

This clan leader, not even thirty years old, envisioned a scene: massive dark clouds gathering over the Hyuga clan, with terrifying monsters lurking within, ready to annihilate the thousand-year-old shinobi clan at any moment. Yet, as the clan leader, he was powerless, unable to grasp anything.

No... no, there was still something he could grasp.

Hiashi exhaled deeply, muttering to himself:

"There is a ghost within the clan."

…

Yuto took a sip of hot tea, then set the empty cup on the table with smooth, steady movements, not spilling a drop.

"Shigenobu Ishioka must die," he said, tapping the photograph of the man on the table.

"On one hand, he befriends the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, while secretly liaising with Kumo shinobi, hiring them on behalf of the Daimyo. What a lucrative business."

"Yes, sir," replied Saki Hyuga, the masked subordinate.

"Should we place Shigenobu Ishioka's photo on the mission board?"

"No, don't go through official channels. We'll handle it within the Anbu," Yuto said with a smile.

"Konoha and the Land of Fire are closely linked; the Daimyo is just momentarily confused. Why scare the old man? Make sure the scene of Shigenobu Ishioka's death is clean. Don't embarrass the Daimyo."

Saki accepted the order and left the office.

Yuto twirled his pen, approving a few documents before getting up and walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the Hokage Rock outside.

Several craftsmen, tied to ropes, were carving the fourth statue. After nearly a month, the outline of the young man had begun to take shape.

Yuto tapped the wall with his hand.

Not long after, a similar rhythmic tapping came back to him through the glass, the source of the vibrations coming from above.

Yuto looked up at the ceiling, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Above him was Minato's Hokage office.

Tap, tap tap, tap tap tap—"Exhausted, take a break."

Tap tap tap, tap tap—"Don't rush home tonight; go get some ramen."

Tap tap, tap tap, tap tap—"Let's ditch work and go to the rooftop."

The offices were separated by a wall, but a secret code was shared between them.

Both Minato and Yuto were extremely reliable individuals, but at the end of the day, they were still young. Habits formed on the battlefield were deeply ingrained, and sitting all day handling official duties could be maddening. Over time, they had developed this unique method of communication.

One was the Hokage, the other the head of the Anbu; no one dared to oversee them. In some sense, the secrecy of these signals was quite high.

After agreeing with Minato on "going fishing on the outskirts of the village after work," Yuto stretched his neck, sat back at his desk, and frowned as he continued working, muttering curses under his breath.

—Even shinobi with strong bodies can't withstand the toll of sitting and working all day!

This was Yuto's second week back in the village. Everything was progressing as usual; he was still the diligent first-generation head of the Anbu.

He had followed Hizashi, found the burial ground, transferred a large number of corpses to the Shikkotsu Forest, and destroyed the grave.

This series of actions had taken four days, but no one questioned his disappearance.

All of the Anbu head's movements were strictly confidential; besides Minato, no one had the authority to question Yuto.

To others, it was entirely normal for a high-ranking figure like the Lone Lion to leave the village for a few days due to a classified mission. Furthermore, Yuto had already informed the public about his training in Sage Mode before leaving. Minato was aware that Sage training required large blocks of time, so he wouldn't be suspicious.

In the evening, Yuto and Minato met as planned by the river on the outskirts of the village for some fishing. Kushina Uzumaki had a fiery personality, but she was by no means an unreasonable woman. Minato could come home whenever he pleased, as he was either in the Hokage's office or with Yuto.

As the moon rose high in the sky, Minato bade farewell to the boy, carrying a six-pound carp back home after taking a detour around the village.

Yuto stayed behind, using reverse summoning to reach the Shikkotsu Forest.

In the Shikkotsu Forest, Hyuga corpses hung everywhere.

A machine was placed on a flat stone platform, operating at full power. A small slug summoned for this purpose was manipulating the machine while watching over the temperature-controlled incubation chamber.

Freshly minted "God's Masks" fluttered in the wind like flags of freedom.

Yuto spread his arms wide, as if embracing this sea of flags.

He knew Hiashi wasn't a fool and might catch on to something, but for shinobi, all the calculations in the world were just seasoning; ultimately, the decision was made by the kunai in hand!

Once he had acquired enough "God's Masks," from a purely combat perspective, the only person in Konoha who could hinder Yuto's steps was Minato.

(End of Chapter)