HSU: Ch. 342

When Masashi and Rasa came down from the restaurant again, everyone was all smiles. Whether Suna or Ame, both sides had gotten results they were satisfied with.

He was satisfied too. His task was complete, and he could go home.

As for the affairs of the shinobi world, he was becoming less and less interested. It was like having built a railway line, tracks laid, stations built, the little train running, regulations in place. As long as no one tried to blow up the tracks, he didn't feel like meddling anymore.

After saying goodbye to their "reluctant" allies, he set out for home. Fortunately, Kaguya behaved herself. During the meeting, she treated it like watching a movie and didn't cause trouble. Only afterward did she express strong interest in sightseeing within the most prosperous modern ninja village.

That suited him just fine.

"Kaguya-hime, you'll love Konoha," he said more than once on the way, in excellent spirits.

Kaguya only smiled silently.

Back when she borrowed Hanabi's body to get some fresh air, she didn't properly observe Konoha. She had been focused on staring at the moon and knocking people into the sky. But this time was different. She was using her own body. She intended to savor in detail the changes brought by this era.

This was how protagonists in stories behaved after achieving great success. It was style. And as the Rabbit Goddess, she could not lack style. Most importantly, the foods she had seen in Masashi's memories, this time she was determined to taste the real things.

"I shall look forward to it."

Meanwhile, members of the Special Operations Unit were privately speculating about Masashi's relationship with Kaguya, and were stunned by her stamina. They suspected none of them could outrun her. She looked far too relaxed.

How could someone like this end up outside the village?

Could she have been abandoned by some heartless noble? Impossible. For bloodline clans, anyone caught abandoning their kin would be strung up and beaten by their own clan before the victim even complained. Therefore, this must be a tragic yet beautiful love story.

Finishing their imagination silently, the squad members all concluded that some poor Hyūga was definitely going to get beaten senseless for this. They sympathized with the unfortunate soul, but really wanted to laugh.

Turning their amusement into "care," they spent the entire journey expressing the friendliness of Konoha to Kaguya. She didn't seem to fully receive it, but they didn't mind.

It was normal to be reserved at first. Once she returned to her clan and became a Konoha villager, someday she would look back on today and find it heartwarming, maybe even smile.

That was the subtlety of the Will of Fire.

As Itachi said: Konoha is one big family. The Hokage is the head. Everyone else are siblings. Live in harmony, care for one another.

Their Will of Fire wasn't as pure as their captain's, but they had some understanding of it.

In this harmonious, friendly atmosphere, the group entered the Land of Fire, passed rapidly through town after town, and finally arrived at the forests that symbolized the nation's peace, the woods of Konoha. Everyone knew: as long as Konoha standing within these forests remained unshaken, the Land of Fire would remain peaceful and prosperous.

Kaguya looked around and recognized this as the place where she had once fought Masashi. The vegetation and climate were the same.

"Our first time was here," Kaguya said nostalgically. "You made me hurt quite a lot then."

"I know what you mean, but you really need to watch your wording... And I never even touched you back then, did I?"

The Special Ops ninjas didn't make a sound, but all their ears perked straight up.

Only Itachi remained unfazed. Without Sasuke, he had no interest in the story. As for romantic gossip, he always scoffed. Women would only lower the efficiency with which he fulfilled the Will of Fire. Honestly, he was single by pure strength.

"It was because I was disappointed," Kaguya said. "It was emotional pain. Even now, you still haven't accepted me, have you?"

The squad members instantly understood. A beautiful love that had bloomed outside the village was now returning to Konoha.

As expected of the department head. A true veteran driver. He could even steer this back home.

"More importantly, Kaguya-hime, once we enter the village, I sincerely invite you to visit the Hyūga clan. Would that be acceptable?"

"I do not mind," Kaguya said, thinking of the man she had hung on a tree over and over. "I believe I know where you mean."

A descendant of Hamura, who did not seem particularly bright. But that wasn't bad. If he was truly foolish, he wouldn't overthink things.

In the forest ahead, seemingly stretching without end, the sharp tips of buildings suddenly came into view. They were so tall that, once the trees thinned even slightly, their tips could be seen from far away through the canopy.

Masashi saw the building as well. He gathered power under his feet, not to leap forward, but upward. Kaguya followed him anyway, and when she saw what he was doing, she jumped upward with him. The Special Operations Unit did not follow. Instead, they dropped to various heights below and stopped, forming a layered defensive formation.

By this time, Masashi had already reached the treetops with Kaguya. Looking out, the flourishing, leafy crowns resembled a field of soft, furry meadows, rustling as the wind passed through. And in this vast "sea of grass," the most striking sight was the tall wall. The wall rose far above the layered treetops, solid and imposing. With Kaguya's vision, the patrolling ninjas atop it were clearly visible.

She could have looked much farther effortlessly, but she chose not to. She wanted to preserve some sense of surprise.

"So this is where you live. More magnificent than my shrine. It seems civilization here has advanced quite a bit."

"You can't really compare them," Masashi said with a laugh. "Your shrine belongs to you alone, but the people living here are counted in the tens of thousands. More people means liveliness, means the warmth of daily life. I think, compared to that cold shrine of yours, you'll like it here more."

"I have never felt cold." The Rabbit Goddess could not possibly fear cold. "Once I regain my strength, changing the environment is as simple as breathing for me."

"That's not the kind of cold I meant," Masashi sighed. "I'm talking about emotional coldness. What you're describing is a jutsu."

In the shinobi world, illusions were classified as Yin Release, but even its pinnacle, like Kotoamatsukami or Tsukuyomi, did not affect reality. The illusions created through Kaguya's Yin-Yang Release, however, had the power to actualize.

Only one such technique had been passed down. Izanagi.

Of course, since no one could use Yin-Yang Release anymore, the Uchiha treated it like a revival token. Aside from ruining your eyesight, it had no drawback.

"Emotionally, I have no issue," Kaguya said, gazing at the village's boundary. With her perception, she already saw the wall's entire structure and the chakra of every lifeform within it.

Right now, with just a tiny amount of chakra, she could easily destroy the structure and kill everyone inside.

"If you become mine, I can teach you as well," Kaguya said with a faint smile.

For later generations, Yin-Yang Release was an unreachable realm, requiring a lifetime of effort. But for her, who possessed chakra in its original form, Yin-Yang Release was simply a default attribute.

Masashi looked at Kaguya, and she turned to meet his gaze. In that moment, he realized Kaguya's essence had not changed at all. She was still a pure-blooded Ōtsutsuki. One who worshiped power, and sought higher forms of existence. Being sealed by her children, and everything she was experiencing now, these were nothing but trivial hindrances, minor diversions in her eyes. But he was not discouraged. He believed in the power of anime logic.

This was only the beginning.

He just felt a bit sorry for the Hyūga clan, but really, with a pair of Byakugan like hers, if they didn't host her, who could?

"We should head into the village," he said, pointing toward the distant gate.

On the wall, faint silhouettes were running. The sentries had spotted the two figures standing on the treetops. No need to worry about misunderstandings. The walls were a fixed post for the Police Force, always supported by Byakugan.

Masashi leapt down from the tree first. By the time he landed, Kaguya was already on the ground as well. With Kaguya following him in high spirits, he walked straight toward the gate.

As expected, when he reached it, he saw the Police Force ninjas, among them a Hyūga. The Hyūga's attention immediately locked onto Kaguya. Her looks and aura were far too striking. He didn't even need to confirm. There was no such person in the Hyūga clan.

"Masashi-sama. You came at the perfect time. This is Kaguya-hime, whom I encountered in the Land of Rivers. I believe her identity will be very significant to the Hyūga clan. Please notify Hiashi."

The Hyūga didn't waste a second. He turned and sprinted off. He knew Masashi would never joke about something like this.

Watching the man vanish like the wind, Masashi thought about how he should break the news to Hiashi that Kaguya was the one who had once possessed Hanabi. Some lies could be spun, but some truths needed to be spoken plainly. Of course, speaking plainly required skill. After all, in every possible sense, Kaguya was the Hyūga clan's literal progenitor. And this couldn't be hidden anyway.

Finishing his thoughts, he decided to play it by ear.

He stepped aside slightly and gestured toward Kaguya, indicating the wide avenue that led into the village.

"Welcome to Konoha."

---

The place where Kaguya set foot was the western gate of Konoha. As the entrance farthest from the village center, one had to pass through vast stretches of forest and farmland before truly entering Konoha from here.

Entering a place where all her enemies were gathered.

Not to mention the descendants of Hagoromo and Hamura, this was also where senjutsu, developed long ago to oppose her chakra power, had taken root.

This village concentrated everything that, to her, symbolized rebellion. Just like the Ninshū, but far stronger than it had ever been. However, like the Ninshū, this organization called Konoha also had weaknesses. Namely, Indra's descendants. Indra had chosen her path, and most of his descendants still followed that path. The obsession he left to his descendants was indelible, etched into their bones.

Kaguya walked alone through the woods. As her emotions surged, the wild mountain flowers suddenly whipped into great spiraling currents under the wind. She laughed. Since she had come here, this place would naturally become part of her story, moving inevitably toward its destined conclusion.

Within the darkness, the lights of ten thousand homes would show her worldly joy and sorrow.

Masashi followed behind Kaguya. When he suddenly saw this woman start laughing like a lunatic, even using chakra to make the wind dance, he thought to himself that every one of the Uchiha clan's quirks definitely came from her.

"Did something amusing come to mind?" he couldn't help asking. Because seriously, that laugh was creepy as hell.

"Yes, I am very pleased," Kaguya turned her head. "I suddenly feel that things as they are now are rather nice."

You really don't look like you think it's "nice."

Masashi complained silently in his heart.

"As long as you're happy. By the way, should we go to the snack street first? Around this time, the shops start offering dine-in services."

"Snacks?" Kaguya's eyes lit up.

She decided to stop thinking, for now, about how to determine this village's fate. A little delay wouldn't matter.

"Very well. I shall grant you this opportunity. But you must satisfy me."

Akimichi clan, good job!

Masashi praised the Akimichi in his heart. Everyone knew that the Akimichi clan had provided indispensable support to the flourishing of Konoha's food industry. They were its main driving force. And their passion for food now held even greater significance.

His first stop was the southern district. It had to be the southern district. After all, the northern side was too sensitive. And going there meant a high chance of running into the Hokage dragging people off to work.

The southern district's commercial street had expanded several times over the past decade. The reason was simple: the shops here used to be exclusively Uchiha-run, but now people from other clans had also set up businesses.

This street's storefronts were the only commercial property the Uchiha still retained within the village. Everything else had been sold to the Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame. As usual, the Hyūga bought the most.

This was truly Masashi's territory.

When he appeared with Kaguya on the street, the shopkeepers were astonished that this big shot had brought along a Hyūga girl wearing a full Uchiha outfit. This Hyūga girl was way too pretty. And they'd never seen her before.

Wait, wasn't that outfit basically the same as Masashi's? It might even be his clothes.

Was this a declaration of ownership?

Everyone knew Masashi well. Before marriage, he was one of Konoha's top lechers. So was this his second, no, third spring?

"Chef," Masashi walked into a ramen shop, "two tonkotsu chashu ramen, please."

Konoha had more than just Ichiraku. Other shops had their own specialties. This one, for example, made exceptional chashu. Ichiraku's broth, however, was unmatched.

Kaguya stepped inside and looked around.

The customers who had been sneaking peeks at her all quickly lowered their heads. Because you could not openly stare at a Hyūga girl. Otherwise, she might take revenge by seeing right through your underwear and then tell everyone, with a deeply impressed expression, "You're tiny."

"Alrighty, please have a seat," the shop owner said cheerfully, heading off to prepare the food.

"Have a seat first. It'll take a little while," Masashi said, finding an empty two-person table and sitting down.

Kaguya frowned slightly, not because it was dirty, but because there were too many people around. Just because she could chat comfortably with Masashi didn't mean she could tolerate others being so close to her.

On the way back earlier, the only one in the Special Ops Unit allowed to walk a bit closer was Itachi. That was only because he was a descendant of Indra.

Suddenly, a delicious aroma drifted in from the kitchen.

She couldn't help sniffing, then obediently sat down.

So what if there were many people? After all, she still hadn't recovered her power. Besides, during the age of chaotic equality, she often played at entrapment. She'd had similar experiences.

Once seated, she rested her chin on her hand and pondered. Because she had discovered that along the way here, most people didn't even meet the minimum threshold for her to harvest chakra. In other words, they were a mass of completely untrained ordinary people. Although their physical energy could be transformed directly into chakra by the God Tree, their bodies were weak.

Were the people of this era really this frail?

The quality of White Zetsu depended on the person being transformed. If their bodies were this weak, the resulting White Zetsu would be weak as hell.

Completely useless.

But according to the memories she'd read from Masashi, the modern ninjas were far stronger than the followers of her sons back then, back when Hagoromo and Hamura first spread chakra, before mother and sons had their falling-out. That event had been the spark that triggered their conflict.

This was polarization.

"Order up!" the owner's voice called as he brought over steaming ramen.

"Try it," Masashi said with a smile, signaling the owner to place the bowl before her.

Ramen, the signature food of the shinobi world, was something one had to taste. Clearly, Kaguya was instantly captivated by the bowl. Snacks couldn't compare to real food.

She glanced around, observing how the other customers used chopsticks, then naturally picked up a pair herself with no awkwardness at all. She lifted a slice of chashu. One bite, and she suddenly felt that snacks no longer held any appeal.

The low-temperature, slow-cooked meat was tender and flavorful. The rich broth, enhanced by fermented soybean aroma, had an even deeper, more layered taste. Compared to Ichiraku, the broth was still a bit inferior. But for Kaguya, as her first round, it was already perfect.

There was no such thing in ancient times.

For her, eating was purely entertainment. If it didn't bring joy, it was meaningless. So she was happy. Very much so. She finished the bowl with satisfaction and declared she could eat ten more.

Then she sampled every other flavor. In the end, her conclusion: tonkotsu chashu was the best.

Finally, under the shop owner's gaze, she left the ramen shop.

That day, a legend appeared in the South District street. A Hyūga girl ate her way through the entire street, alone. And the key point: she never paused.

To ordinary people and even civilian ninjas, it became just another impressive little story about the Hyūga clan. After all, Hyūga ninjas were known to be good eaters, rivaling the Akimichi. But the Hyūga clan wanted no part of this responsibility. Even if they gathered all their gluttons and tied them together, none of them could eat this much. Who the hell could, by themselves, eat an entire street so bare that shops ran out of ingredients?

Did they think she was a tailed beast in disguise?

Hiashi and Hizashi had arrived at the commercial street long ago.

When they first received Masashi's message from his clansmen, they only assumed that he'd found a lost Hyūga descendant with impressively pure blood. But when they saw Kaguya from afar, they realized this was not the case.

This woman was anything but ordinary. Her bearing was nothing like someone raised in a common household. Then they watched as she performed the astonishing feat of destroying the entire street's food supply by herself.

For ninjas, the more one could eat, the stronger their chakra usually was. But Kaguya's appetite made them question their entire lives. They clearly arrived early, yet chose to keep watching first.

During this observation, they became too engrossed, and couldn't help activating their Byakugan.

That was a mistake.

The moment they activated it, they nearly died of fright.

They had never seen chakra like hers, similar to facing a tailed beast, yet somehow different. If they had to describe it, it would be: unmeasurable.

A human's chakra should not be like this.

But they didn't get to investigate further, because Kaguya, annoyed by being watched, threw an illusion back at them through their own Byakugan.

In the original timeline, Naruto and Sasuke would never experience this. Naruto's Six Paths body was immune to normal illusions, and Sasuke's Rinnegan didn't even respond to Infinite Tsukuyomi. But Hiashi and Hizashi had no such immunity.

By the time they snapped out of it, she had already moved on to the next shop.

They sat frozen in place for over an hour. Their worldview shattered into dust.

She could reflect an illusion through their observation? Wasn't the Byakugan supposed to be resistant to genjutsu!?

Had their parent been lying to them all this time?

No, did this mean the Hyūga could do this? That the Byakugan could actually be a genjutsu eye?

After painstakingly reassembling their shattered worldview, Hiashi and Hizashi began tailing her from several hundred meters away. They didn't turn on their Byakugan again. As long as they didn't lose sight of her, it was fine.

Finally, when night had fully fallen, Kaguya appeared at the end of the street with a blissful expression. Behind her was Masashi, face twisted as he looked at his now-empty wallet. For the first time ever, he had been forced to run a tab on the street. And Hiashi and Hizashi, who had been waiting, hurried forward at once.