Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

After all, the Hokage is the leader in name only, and every move he makes must be mindful of its impact.

But hiding in the shadows and plotting against people is unnecessary; they can do whatever they want, displaying utter recklessness.

"Even if they've entered the root, they can't just not send back any news, can they?" Uzuki Yugao still didn't understand.

“Those who enter the Root don’t have names, only code names,” Shimura Gengetsu explained. “You said he was on the death list, so his survival must be related to the old man.”

“If I hadn’t forced him to, he wouldn’t have even told me his name.”

"Can I see him?" Uzuki Yugao asked nervously. The war had devastated the Uzuki family, and Uzuki Sekijo was probably her only elder left.

“Not now,” Shimura Gengetsu refused. “I’ll go back and ask the old man what’s going on, and then I’ll give you an answer.”

"Okay." Uzuki Yugao was a little disappointed, but understanding, and said gratefully:

"Thank you, Xuan Yue. If you hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have known I still had relatives in the world."

[The host's bond with Uzuki Yugao has reached the second stage, and the reward 'Swordsmanship Talent (Good)' has been obtained.]

So fast?

Gengetsu Shimura was also surprised. The rewards for the second stage were not easy to obtain. As for Loli Izumi, he had to use some special methods to get her.

But this reward... oh well, it's better to have something than nothing.

This at least proves that Uzuki Yugao is genuinely grateful to him, and not just saying it.

.....

As night falls, Tanabata Street enters its nightlife extravaganza. Even in the early hours of the morning, although the number of pedestrians on the street decreases, the sounds emanating from each business establishment remain bustling.

Fortunately, the areas where high-ranking officials and nobles lived have quieted down.

Hyuga Hizashi sent a signal, and soon, Shimura Gengetsu and the other two jumped out of the window and followed behind Hyuga Hizashi. With the help of the darkness and the cover of the house, they gradually approached the location of the smuggler Fujimoto Keisuke.

The difficulty of assassination missions lies not in the killing itself, but in the stealth; eliminating the target silently is the key.

But this problem is actually nothing for Shimura Gengetsu's team.

Because their team leader, Hyuga Hizashi.

"White eyes, open!"

Outside the walls of a luxurious mansion, Hyuga Hizashi's eyes bulged with veins as he activated his Byakugan.

The Sharingan is very powerful, but for a village, if they can only obtain one pair, or even one eye, then the strategic significance of the Byakugan far surpasses that of the Sharingan.

Ninjas with the Byakugan are almost the best sensory ninjas. For improving an individual's combat power, this ability to gather information and observe the enemy's location without paying too much cost is simply too powerful.

Of course, this excludes the existence of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Not only are there very few known cases, but there are also virtually no successful transplants. Apart from elders like Onoki, other hidden villages have almost entirely relegated the Mangekyou Sharingan to the realm of legend.

.......

Hyuga Hizashi quickly located all the people in the mansion and took out paper and pen to draw on the ground.

"There are three people in the master bedroom on the second floor, one man and two women. There are two guards at the door. There are two people in each of the three bedrooms on the first floor, and there are also two people in the basement."

"This room is the most important." Hyuga Hizashi drew a heavy circle on the second bedroom, which was not far from the master bedroom.

"There's a ninja here. Judging from the amount of chakra he has, he should be a Chunin. He's not asleep yet."

"Our target is most likely in the master bedroom, but we can't rule out the possibility that they have multiple burrows, so we need to subdue and screen everyone in the building."

"Let's assign tasks first..."

Hyuga Hizashi looked up at Gengetsu and the other two and said something, but what he saw startled him.

"Fuck."

Seeing that Xuan Yue had several times more chakra than him, Hyuga Hizashi almost thought that there was something wrong with his Byakugan.

Meanwhile, Shimura Gengetsu failed to notice Hyuga Hizashi's unusual behavior, his mind filled with the phrase "one man and two women," and he gritted his teeth in anger.

Damn it, even someone as powerful as him hasn't received such treatment, yet a mere assassination target dared to...

Very good, you have already found a way to die!

Chapter Thirty-Four: Xuan Yue, you're going too far! (Spirit Beast: Momo)

"What's there to discuss?" Shimura Gengetsu drew his Kusanagi sword, his killing intent palpable. "Killing them all would be the perfect stealth operation. Let me do it."

"Xuan Yue, calm down, this method is too extreme."

Hyuga Hizashi had just recovered from the shock of that terrifying amount of chakra when he heard Shimura Gengetsu's outrageous statement, and he quickly grabbed him in fright.

“We are not ninjas, we are not butchers. There are ordinary people in this house besides the target. They are all innocent.”

Gengetsu Shimura scoffed dismissively, “What kind of innocent person is someone who aids and abets evil? Root doesn’t care much about rules when carrying out orders. Anyone who obstructs the completion of a mission can be killed, no matter who they are.”

“That’s because Root went too far.” Hyuga Hizashi was sweating profusely. “Gengetsu, we are a normal ninja team. If you really did that, you will be fine, but Yugao, Kurenai, and I will be punished.”

"You can't drag your teammates down with you."

Only at this moment did Hyuga Hizashi finally see Danzo's shadow in Shimura Gengetsu.

In the past, Xuan Yue had always given him the impression of being a somewhat spoiled brat, but overall a very kind and adorable child.

Indeed, one can only see through the human body, but not the human heart.

Have you ever seen a kind-hearted child who would kill someone's entire family at the drop of a hat?

Xiyan and Hong were even more dumbfounded.

The murderer was Shimura Gengetsu, so why are they the ones being punished?

It was so dark, so incredibly dark.

Fortunately, Shimura Gengetsu hesitated on his little face, clearly indicating that he had softened his stance. "Alright, then what are Hizashi-sensei's plans?"

Seeing that he had successfully persuaded him, Xiang Richai breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained the arrangements.

“Ordinary people are easy to deal with; Kurenai will handle the genjutsu. You, Gengetsu, will deal with the Chunin, and Yugao will carry out the assassination mission. I will stay outside to prevent any accidents.”

Hyuga Hizashi's battle plan was very comprehensive, making full use of each person's characteristics. His decision not to take action was also to hone the three of them.

Shimura Gengetsu and Uzuki Yugao had no objections, only Yuhi Kurenai looked troubled.

“Hizashi-sensei, most of the illusions I’ve mastered are single-target. Although I’ve also learned the Naraku-seeing technique, I’m not very proficient at it yet… It’s very likely that I won’t be able to affect those living in the basement.”

"I see." Hizashi was a little embarrassed; he hadn't thought of this before.

"Then I..."

He was just about to say that he would go and deal with the target in the basement when Shimura Gengetsu spoke up.

"Let me do it."

"Gengetsu, you can use wide-range illusions?" Kurenai Yuhi was surprised. Although her illusions had been reflected back before, Gengetsu Shimura had explained to her that it was because of the large difference in their mental strength.

"I can't, but my summoned beasts can."

After saying that, Shimura Gengetsu took out a small tube of blood from his ninja tool bag, smeared it on his hand, and began to form hand seals. Finally, he slammed the blood heavily on the ground.

"Psychic art!"

A burst of white smoke revealed a pink and tender little pig. However, unlike ordinary pigs, this little pink pig had a very long nose, just like an elephant's trunk.

"Baku! Baku!"

As soon as the piglet appeared, it jumped into Shimura Gengetsu's arms and rubbed against him affectionately, as if complaining about why he hadn't been summoned for so long.

"Alright, alright, I've been busy with missions lately. I'll take you to eat your favorite takoyaki when I have time off." Shimura Gengetsu raised his hands, this little guy has gotten chubby again.

"tapir!"

"So cute!" Kurenai's eyes lit up as she leaned closer, wishing she could take over and hold the 'little pig' herself.

Although Uzuki Yugao didn't move, her eyes were glued to the 'pig' and she couldn't take them off.

"This is... a Dream Eater?"

The Hyuga clan has a long history and has a lot of records on summoning beasts in addition to ninjutsu. They quickly found the answer in their memories.

“That’s right, the Baku is a dream-eating beast.” Shimura Gengetsu rubbed his head, and seeing that Hyuga Hizashi still had doubts, he explained, “Most dream-eating beasts are strong in wind attributes, but the Baku is different. Its specialty is illusion magic, which can quickly put people into deep dreams.”

"Although it hasn't grown up yet, it's already enough to deal with ordinary people."

"Baku~!" The little Baku proudly raised its head, twitching its nose back and forth, making the two girls smile like doting aunts.

“Then let the Dream Eater give it a try.” Hizashi was also incredibly decisive. “Red, you go in and check for any omissions, make sure no one is awake.”

"Yes." Although it was embarrassing to be inferior to even a summoned beast, Hong was still very enthusiastic, otherwise she would have no presence in this team.

"Baku, we can begin." Gengetsu Shimura placed the little Baku on the ground and, along with Kurenai Yuhi and Yugao Uzuki, jumped over the high wall.

"Baku~!"

A strange sound came from the mouth of the Dream Eater, and the sound waves were accurately transmitted into the mansion through manipulation. Hyuga Hizashi, through his Byakugan, could see that the two people guarding the door of the master bedroom had fallen asleep on the ground. Apart from the Chunin, the others had also fallen into a deep sleep.

Little Baku is still too young. His sound waves can deal with ordinary people, but when he encounters a Chunin, the abnormality is quickly detected, and he gets up warily.

However, Hizashi was not worried, because Shimura Gengetsu had already found his room.

boom--!

The room door was slammed shut again, and dust billowed up.