Chapter 142: The Transaction

Days passed quietly.

In the second week of the new year, as the weather slightly warmed, Yuto took on a mission.

Even though he was highly regarded and undoubtedly a future right-hand man of Konoha's hokage, able to sit in on high-level meetings, he still had to fulfill his responsibilities as a shinobi of Konoha.

Konoha, after all, was a top-tier violent organization with many rules and regulations, unlike the lax and sunny depiction shown in the manga.

—Even Tsunade had to meet the minimum attendance requirements at Konoha Hospital.

The mission Yuto accepted was simple: to kill a rogue shinobi who had leaked information about the Land of Fire. Given his formidable combat abilities and Byakugan's tracking skills, it wasn't a difficult task, just time-consuming.

Without dawdling, he packed his ninja tools and left the village.

After traveling a certain distance, Yuto changed direction and headed towards the Land of Rain, periodically activating and deactivating his Byakugan to avoid any living beings.

The day of his agreed transaction with Hiashi Hyuga was approaching, so Yuto had taken a mission that allowed him freedom of movement in advance.

The risk here wasn't high; only Hiashi and Yuto knew about this corpse transaction, so there was no need to expend much effort to hide his departure from the village.

The next day, Yuto entered the Land of Rain's territory and used reverse summoning to start "coloring" Meiko's corpse, removing the pallor from her skin and adding a faint red hue to signify life.

When the sun rose again, under Yuto's control, Meiko's body slowly stood up, standing on a tree with her eyes closed, as if in a light slumber.

Yuto then went to a hidden location two kilometers away to wait for Hiashi's arrival.

As expected, the clan leader of the Hyuga clan appeared alone.

'At least he has some courage,' Yuto thought, focusing his attention on Meiko.

The girl opened her eyes and softly spoke, "You've come as promised, clan leader."

"Yes." Hiashi nodded, taking out a sealed scroll, "The thirty corpses are here. All died within the last fifty years and are well-preserved." He paused, staring intently at Meiko's eyes,

"Does Shinosuke know about this?"

"Of course."

"And what did he say?"

"'In the Hyuga clan, there are few warriors like the clan leader…' This is Shinosuke's exact words."

"Warrior, huh." Hiashi savored the word in his mind.

'Yes, I am indeed a warrior, the one who will lead the Hyuga clan out of its predicament!'

He threw the scroll to the girl without discussing any conditions.

Meiko's body inspected the scroll and then tucked it into her clothes in front of Hiashi, "Clan leader, we know what you want. You will get what you wish for."

Exchanging corpses for the possibility of future transactions was the chip both parties offered today!

Suppressing his inner joy, Hiashi's voice trembled slightly.

"So, what is my cost?"

"Only by giving up everything can you gain everything." Yuto controlled Meiko's body and spoke thoughtfully.

Thirty Genin corpses could only make two God's Masks, which was far from enough.

The Battle of Kannabi Bridge would take place in the spring, with a high chance of war breaking out. Moreover, making Uzumaki and Uchiha clones required two masks. The more God's Masks, the better.

He had to lure Hiashi in, making him willingly provide more corpses.

A taste of the benefits was necessary.

"Give up everything…" Hiashi said with difficulty, "So Shinosuke paid such a heavy price."

"Clan leader, what you gain will definitely outweigh what you lose. Now, Shinosuke has those eyes, and I am by his side. Isn't that better than the days in Konoha?" Meiko turned and softly said, "I will bring gifts in our next transaction as well."

…

In the damp and cold forest of the Land of Rain, Meiko's body ran at high speed, with Yuto trailing far behind, controlling and contemplating simultaneously.

He planned to head to a secret base in the Land of Rain with Meiko's body, seal the girl's body, extract the Hyuga corpses, and use them to make God's Masks.

Given the mask creation cycle, it wouldn't be ready during his "kill the traitor" mission.

He'd have to find another excuse to leave the village. Yuto rubbed his forehead.

But just as he was deep in thought, a sudden sense of danger exploded in his mind, his nerves tensed instantly, and chakra roared through his chakra pathway.

Far from his line of sight, Meiko's body suddenly stopped.

With Byakugan activated, the girl's clear voice echoed through the forest.

"…Who's there?"

In the rustling sounds, a stranger stepped out from the shadows of the trees.

He was tall, wearing a gray robe and a peculiar mask with a spiral pattern that only exposed his left eye.

That lone eye was pitch black.

After a brief silence, both the masked man and Meiko's body moved simultaneously.

Controlling a fellow clan member's body was second nature to Yuto. Meiko was a main family lady with well-honed Gentle Fist techniques, and her chakra pathway were extremely familiar with this chakra movement method.

Bang! Meiko's body struck out with a palm, chakra bursting through the air, hitting the man with palm form.

—Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!

A genius like Yuto, who could self-learn Revolving Heaven, naturally had long mastered the Palm Rotation technique.

The man remained silent, agilely leaping away, as Meiko's body threw a kunai, following it closely.

The kunai missed, but the man's mid-air evasion left him unable to gain leverage again.

They collided, and Yuto took a deep breath, unleashing the familiar Gentle Fist.

Bang bang bang bang bang…

The Gentle Fist, renowned as a secret close-combat technique, excelled in short-range combat. As Hyuga's foundational skill, a set of Gentle Fist moves could severely injure even a tough-bodied Taijutsu shinobi.

However, the man completely kept up with Meiko's speed, handling her effortlessly, with his fingers, fists, and palms continuously clashing, completely suppressing the Gentle Fist.

In a fleeting moment, the man reached out, bypassed the Gentle Fist defense, and grabbed the girl's collar.

"Revolving Heaven!" Meiko's body spun rapidly, repelling the man.

As the masked man landed gracefully, Yuto's brows furrowed tightly.

'A formidable opponent… Pure Gentle Fist techniques are not enough.'

'And his reactions are too fast… The gap was at most one-twentieth of a second, yet he managed to seize it.'

'Such rapid movements, and he could see them all?'

When the man looked up again, Yuto's thoughts momentarily stalled.

Many questions were answered in that instant.

The exposed eye had turned blood-red, and within the cold, sinister gaze, three tomoe slowly rotated.

(End of Chapter)

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