Chapter 78: Oh no, my hair has turned white!
"Makoto, tell me what you know about the intel you gathered."
Late at night, inside the Hokage Office.
Although the disappearance of Uchiha Itachi marked the end of the "Uchiha Clan Massacre Night."
But for Konoha, there was far too much follow-up work to be done.
But before that, Hiruzen Sarutobi needed to confirm the intel on that Mysterious Person.
Just thinking back on everything that happened tonight, he couldn't help but glare fiercely at Danzo, who was standing to the side.
Dammit, it's all because of you...
A perfectly good operation to prevent Uchiha Itachi from awakening his eyes and eliminate the future threat of the Uchiha turned into the "most successful failure"!
You could have waited a bit for something like this.
If you had waited, even if you found a way to kill him afterward, it wouldn't have ended up like this, would it?
You're a complete fool, worse than an idiot!
If Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Hyuga Makoto hadn't been there, he would have loved to spit in Danzo's face.
Too stupid...
"Hokage-sama, that guy got smarter this time; he used Wood Release to counter my Taijutsu."
Hyuga Makoto didn't know what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking; he just told the truth.
But this one sentence made Hiruzen Sarutobi glare at Danzo again, making Danzo feel even more guilty.
"Besides Wood Release, he is also skilled in Fire Release, a very standard Uchiha Ninja."
"Hmm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded; he had already learned this intel last time.
He even knew the principle behind that Mysterious Person's Space Ninjutsu from Hyuga Makoto, but the intel still didn't seem very clear.
"However, this time he said something very interesting."
While Hiruzen Sarutobi was pondering, Hyuga Makoto spoke again, which perked up Jiraiya's interest.
"Makoto, what did that guy say?"
"Actually, many Anbu who were with me heard this sentence."
Hyuga Makoto scratched his head, glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, and then continued.
"He said, 'Konoha really is as prone to being late as ever.' That sentence is worth thinking about."
"Late?"
Jiraiya frowned, and Kakashi also looked thoughtful.
"Could it be that back when he was on a mission, the Village's reinforcements or rescue were slow?"
"And he has a deep resentment; it seems it happened more than once."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also caught on and couldn't help but sigh.
"During the war, the lines were stretched thin everywhere, and reinforcements and rescues were indeed sometimes inadequate. I didn't expect..."
"
"It seems we need to check cases of reinforcement or rescue delays related to the Uchiha where the bodies weren't brought back."
Jiraiya immediately had an idea, and Danzo seemed to want to say something as well.
But considering his current awkward position, he chose to keep his mouth shut.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was very supportive of this suggestion and agreed immediately.
"Kakashi, tomorrow you and Shikaku go visit the Uchiha. Besides investigating, you can also get a sense of their current thoughts."
According to reliable intel, the elites of the Uchiha Police Force were all dead!
The bodies were all burned to ash due to the battle between Hyuga Makoto and that Mysterious Person—
And their Clan Chief had died at the hands of Uchiha Itachi. The Uchiha were now like a dragon without a head.
Konoha naturally had to settle them all properly, and with the whole Village watching, this matter couldn't be botched.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi nodded; he had the same thought, but Hyuga Makoto spoke up again at this moment.
"Hokage-sama, I think we should check not just tasks related to the Uchiha, but also their teammates' casualty records."
"Hmm?
"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment, but his reaction was extremely fast.
"You mean his eyes..."
"
"Eyes?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and also understood something instantly.
"Right, that guy's eyes are unusual; maybe that really is a factor!"
"In other words, it's also possible the Village failed to rescue him or his teammates, which led to him..."
"
Kakashi also thought of something, but as he spoke, he suddenly felt unable to continue.
Because at this very moment, he had an inexplicable feeling, a feeling that made him find it almost unbelievable!
"He said Konoha is always late..."
"
Recalling Hyuga Makoto's words, in a trance, he seemed to see a massive boulder falling!
"Uchiha Itachi wanted to kill his whole clan to gain extreme pain and obtain new eyes..."
"
The next moment, his expression became incredibly pained, as if he saw Rin crashing into his hand!
He wanted to stop, but his brain seemed to be operating on its own, constantly piecing together these fragments of information.
In particular, he thought of Hyuga Makoto's words from last time!
"His Sharingan is the right eye, while mine is the left eye..."
"
At that moment, Kakashi painfully closed his eyes.
But his breathing became rapid, and cold sweat even broke out on his forehead.
"What's wrong, Kakashi?"
Jiraiya, standing beside him, was a bit worried by this change.
"Are you okay?"
"Kakashi, what's this?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi also looked over curiously, and even Hyuga Makoto found it a bit strange.
However, Hyuga Makoto was the "instigator" after all; seeing Kakashi like this, he couldn't help but blink.
"Could it be that the information I gave allowed Kakashi to connect the dots?"
"I..."
"
Kakashi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking with difficulty.
"I'm fine, I just thought of a line of investigation."
"Oh?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up, and Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but ask.
"What are your thoughts?"
"This..."
"
Kakashi was a bit conflicted, but after thinking it over, he said solemnly.
"Hokage-sama, could you leave this task to me? I hope to have more time to investigate it thoroughly."
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment and then nodded directly.
"Very well, I'll leave this matter to you."
He still trusted Kakashi very much; since Kakashi didn't want to say more now, he would let Kakashi work in peace.
He believed he would eventually get an answer!
"Honestly, still keeping secrets—"
Jiraiya curled his lip but ultimately didn't push further.
Kakashi was Minato's Disciple after all; he believed Kakashi wanted to figure out what was going on just as much as he did!
"How about this, I'll investigate with you, okay?"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Jiraiya-sama."
Kakashi didn't refuse; although he hoped everything was a coincidence and his guess was wrong, he still had to find out for sure!
"Jiraiya, you have other things to do."
But Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head at this point, and before Jiraiya could object, he continued.
"Since you've returned to Konoha, I hope you can spend some time properly training and teaching Makoto."
"Ah?"
Both Hyuga Makoto and Jiraiya were stunned, and they involuntarily pointed at themselves.
"Me?"
"Exactly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his heart full of amazement.
He suddenly felt as if he had never truly understood the Byakugan.
Or rather, the people of the Hyuga Clan were all wasting their talent!
Look at Hyuga Makoto; relying on a pair of Byakugan, he had stunned two pairs of Mangekyo.
Even if the Yin Seal he developed himself played a part, without the Byakugan, how could he have seen through the Mangekyo's abilities and weaknesses?
No wonder during the Sengoku period, the Hyuga Clan was also a dominant force...
"Makoto was taught by Hizashi before; he raised Makoto into an excellent Ninja, but pity he left us so early."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said with some emotion, making Hyuga Makoto's body tremble slightly.
Is Hizashi's influence still there...?
"Although he is already excellent enough now, I believe he can become even better."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know what Hyuga Makoto was thinking; he turned to look at Jiraiya.
"I hope to entrust this task to you."
"Hey, old man, don't mess with me!"
Jiraiya felt a bit of a headache, not because he was unwilling, but...
"I don't know Gentle Fist, and I usually teach him some techniques anyway."
"I know, but that's not enough. I hope it can go deeper."
3
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, his expression becoming serious.
"Makoto's Gentle Fist is already good enough, but I hope he becomes more well-rounded and even more excellent. Isn't that what you're good at?"
"This..."
"
Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had already turned to look at Hyuga Makoto.
"Makoto, I hope you don't mind me suddenly finding a teacher for you, because I really hope you can become even better."
"Of course I don't mind, and I also want to thank Hokage-sama..."
"
Hyuga Makoto spoke normally, but his heart felt very strange. Had he truly joined the "Hokage Faction" now?
Doesn't that mean he can "wait in line" in the future?
Should he thank "Great General Yuwen"...?
"Tch, I get it. I'll do my best."
Jiraiya spoke up at this point; he actually quite liked Hyuga Makoto, even if the kid had a bit of a sharp tongue...
He felt that the biggest challenge in teaching Hyuga Makoto would probably be how to avoid being annoyed to death.
Of course, how to teach a Hyuga who was already so excellent was also a difficult problem.
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a bit of a headache and simply shouted at Hyuga Makoto.
"Makoto brat, show some respect from now on. Either call me Teacher or call me Toad Immortal, pick one."
"Oh, Pervy Sage."
Hyuga Makoto followed suit, which left Jiraiya speechless. Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up with a smile.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. You're all tired, go back and get some rest."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Danzo, the smile on his face vanishing.
"Danzo and I also have a few things we need to have a good talk about."
""
"6
""
Hearing these words, Danzo painfully closed his eyes.
He knew his big trouble was finally coming!
At this moment, he had only one thought in his heart.
"Uchiha Itachi, I will definitely kill you..."
", "Finally over!"
In the Hyuga Clan, inside Hyuga Makoto's room.
Hyuga Makoto cautiously ran back to his room and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't know if it was because of the Uchiha matter or if his outrageous performance had already reached the clan, but there were especially many people distracted tonight.
"That's not great, but it made things easier for me."
Sitting on the bed, Hyuga Makoto stretched slightly. Thinking back on everything that happened during this Uchiha Clan Massacre Night, he found it amusing himself.
"Although Uchiha Itachi and Obito didn't kill the whole Uchiha Clan and both got thrashed by me, still..."
"
One of them got a Sharingan, the other protected the Village and his brother's safety; they really won big—while Kakashi also seemed to have gotten news about Obito, which counts as a new gain, and Danzo..."
"
Hyuga Makoto rubbed his chin; he didn't know what Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi would talk about in the end.
But this operation was meant to stop Uchiha Itachi from awakening his Mangekyo, yet Danzo let Uchiha Itachi kill his parents to awaken it...
"In any case, Danzo did wipe out the Uchiha's elites; even if they weren't completely wiped out, it's still a huge harvest!"
Hyuga Makoto completely ignored whether Danzo had obtained any Sharingan, nor did he care how Hiruzen Sarutobi would deal with him.
But from the perspective of the Uchiha elites being wiped out, hadn't he also won?
"Jiraiya got a good Disciple like me, so that's a win too. Only me..."
Thinking about how he had to be careful not to be discovered by other branch house members just to go home, Hyuga Makoto couldn't help but sigh.
Setting aside the fact that he thrashed two Mangekyo users in front of almost all the Ninja Clans and the Konoha higher-ups, which would surely bring a big push to his main quest.
And the quest rewards from this operation, as well as the things he could get from his overall status improvement in Konoha.
Just having to be so cautious just to go home made him feel like he was the only one who took a small loss.
"Forget it, in short, everyone has a bright future!"
"Taking a loss is a blessing"; Hyuga Makoto felt that taking this loss was fine.
However, while he was thinking, his System suddenly vibrated, which immediately perked him up.
[Calculation Complete]
[Side Quest Completed: Where did this lunatic come from? Help Danzo and Konoha protect the Uchiha Clan]
[Reward Obtained: A large amount of White Zetsu's Yang Release]
"Yang Release?"
Seeing this prompt, Hyuga Makoto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Thinking back carefully on his journey so far, he found that the number of times he had received a "Yang Release reward" seemed to be only once.
"It was back when I first met Yamato..."
""
After that, what he received without exception was the power of Yin Release.
At most, it was the Medicinal Pill he made himself through "Alchemy" by extracting energy from that piece of Danzo's flesh; that might count as a part of Yang Release.
"And it's a large amount; I'll have to see what kind of changes this brings me!"
While thinking, Hyuga Makoto unhesitatingly channeled this power into his body.
At almost that very moment, that familiar feeling of boiling blood appeared again!
That physical strengthening and the boost in Chakra felt exceptionally comfortable.
However, he didn't notice at all that along with the surge of this Chakra, his short black hair...
Was also quietly and slowly turning white!
While he was rewarding himself, inside a cave, Obito, Black Zetsu, and Uchiha Itachi were standing together.
Before them, two phantoms constructed of Chakra slowly appeared.
One of the men slowly opened his eyes, and ripples like the rings of a tree quietly emerged!
He glanced at Uchiha Obito, then looked at Uchiha Itachi, before speaking indifferently.
"It seems a new member has joined..."
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