XX-level Hokage

Chapter 40: Red Beans and Karin (Part 1)

"Mashiro, thank you so much!" Yakumo said, overjoyed. "You're welcome," Mashiro said, patting Yakumo's head.

This is the important role that Mashiro suddenly realized about the Ninja Brush. Yakumo's bloodline limit is very powerful, but its shortcomings are also very obvious, such as the speed of drawing. The Ninja Brush can not only provide pigments of various colors, but also speed up the drawing process, perfectly making up for the shortcomings of Yakumo's bloodline limit.

So Mashiro's purpose in giving the ninja pen to Yakumo was actually to enhance Yakumo's combat power. She just didn't expect Yakumo to actually use it as a drawing pen. However, seeing Yakumo's happy appearance, it didn't matter whether it was combat power or painting skills.

“Mashiro, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance to. Now that I have this pen, I want to try it out,” Yakumo suddenly said seriously to Mashiro.

"What is it?" Mashiro asked, noticing Yakumo's sudden serious expression. "I want to draw a picture for Mashiro," Yakumo said earnestly.

"I could easily ask you to do something like this under normal circumstances." Mashiro hadn't expected Yakumo to be talking about such a trivial matter.

“No, no, no, Makoto is usually very busy, and I don’t want to take up her time,” Yakumo said firmly. “Then you can draw during the time we spend together,” Mashiro continued.

“That won’t do either. I don’t want to waste time with Mashiro,” Yakumo said, her face flushing. Mashiro’s gaze softened further as she asked, “Shall we draw now?”

Yakumo shook his head and said, "After dinner, I want to practice drawing a sunset with this pen first." After dinner, the sky was filled with stars.

At that moment, Zhen was sitting on a large rock in the courtyard. "Is that so?"

"Take off your shoes and socks, and cross your legs." "Like this?"

Bend your right leg slightly upwards, raise your left hand, that's right, just like that. Mashiro followed Yakumo's instructions and got into position.

About 15 minutes later, Yakumo indicated that Mashiro had finished drawing.

Mashiro jumped down from the rock barefoot and walked up to Yakumo, saying, "I didn't expect it to be so fast." "It really is fast. I didn't anticipate that this brush would improve me so much," Yakumo said, blocking the easel. "What? Yakumo doesn't want me to see what's in the drawing?" Mashiro teased, noticing Yakumo's movement.

"This is my first time painting a portrait, so it might not be very good," Yakumo said shyly, then revealed the painting behind her. Mashiro looked at it.

"It's beautiful," Makoto praised sincerely.

"Really?" Yakumo was very happy to be praised by Mashiro.

"Really, can I have this painting?" "No, it's mine."

The next day, Mashiro lazily got out of bed. Now there was no one in Konoha who needed him to be wary of.

"It's time to go see them," Mashiro muttered to herself. She then dressed, washed, and left.

Near the Forest of Death stands a dilapidated house. Its origins and who built it are unknown; all that is known is...

The house was originally owned by the Inu clan, but after the Chunin Exams, the Hyuga clan bought it from the Inu clan, thus making it the property of the Hyuga clan.

Upon arriving near the house, two Hyuga clansmen were guarding the entrance. Seeing Makoto walking in their direction, the two hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Master of the Clan ×2"

"How are the people inside now?" Mashiro asked.

"Reporting to the clan head, Lady Anko has not yet awakened. The other red-haired girl woke up on the second day after we arrived. After realizing that we had no intention of harming her, she quickly quieted down and hardly makes any noise except for her three meals a day," a member of the Hyuga clan said.

Mashiro nodded and stepped inside.

Consistent with its exterior, the house was also incredibly dilapidated inside. Most of the doors to the rooms were rotten, with only two rooms being exceptions. The doors to these two rooms appeared to be new, and the nearby walls looked as if they had been repainted.

Mashiro pushed open a door and stepped inside.

Karin was lost in thought when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Mashiro, her face lighting up with joy. "It's you, Hinata Mashiro!"

Karin and Mashiro met in the Forest of Death. Karin had come deep into the Forest of Death to escape her fellow Grass Ninja teammates, and then encountered a bear. Karin had no fighting ability and thought that her tragic life was about to end, when a clear female voice came over.

"Where are your teammates? Aren't they here?" Karin opened her eyes and saw that the bear had fallen to the ground. On the bear's body, a beautiful girl with black robes and white eyes was smiling gently. It was Mashiro.

“I ran away all by myself,” Karin said, lowering her head. “Why? Don’t you like them?” Mashiro asked, walking up to her.

"I not only hate them, I hate everyone in our village..." Looking into Mashiro's gentle eyes, Karin couldn't help but pour out all her heart.

She poured out all her grievances.

She naturally had no idea that this was because Mashiro had used a genjutsu, "Genjutsu: Heart Words," which could be used when the opponent's chakra was far lower than one's own and they were in a tense mood. The victim would unconsciously reveal their sad stories.

And so, Karin recounted everything that had happened to her because of her constitution, and when she spoke of her mother, whose fate was even more tragic, she couldn't help but shed tears.

Just as Karin was crying, Mashiro suddenly pulled her into his arms, then took her arm, parted her sleeve, and looked at the densely packed...

With a gentle smile, she said, "It hurts, doesn't it?"

Feeling the warmth and tenderness on her body, Karin shed even more tears.

“If you have no attachment to Kusagakure, then come with me. I’ll arrange a place for you to stay after the Chunin Exams and live a good life,” Mashiro said gently.

Karin knew she couldn't trust others so easily, but feeling the warmth of the other person, she nodded anyway; her life couldn't get any worse.

"My name is Hinata Mashiro."

Karin fainted upon hearing the name. When she woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room, where people with white eyes were delivering food to her at every turn.

"How have you been these past few days?" Masashi asked with a smile.

“Hmm, very good. I don’t have to take any terrifying exams, and there are no villagers who would use me as a tool,” Karin said.

"The Chunin Exams are over. You can start preparing. I'll come pick you up tomorrow and arrange a good place for you," Mashiro said, stroking Karin's hair.

"Why are you so good to me?" Karin hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question.

"Why? Maybe it's because you're cute." Mashiro touched Karin's face and said with a smile, then pushed open the door and walked out. Leaving Karin standing there, her face flushed red.

Chapter 41: Temari and Anko (Part 2)

Even after leaving Karin's room, the panel displayed in front of Mashiro remained. [Name: Karin]

Gender: Female Age: 13 Favorability: 45 Relationship: Subordinate

Affection Reward (50): Kagura's Mind's Eye Affection Reward (90): Vajra Lockdown

Putting the panel away, Mashiro pushed open another door with a blank expression.

Hongdou was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her face extremely pale from being unconscious for so long.

When Mashiro went to the Forest of Death to find Orochimaru, she found Anko. Anko was injured, indicating that she had fought with Orochimaru. After hesitating for a moment, Mashiro still used "Iori's Descent" to ambush Anko, causing her to fall into a coma. Then, she and Karin placed her in a dilapidated house near the Forest of Death.

Mashiro had the house painted and renovated beforehand. It was originally intended for another purpose, but being able to use it to store Anko and Karin was a pleasant surprise. Mashiro pressed her hand against Anko's face, and after a moment, Anko gently opened her eyes.

Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, Anko immediately stood up and assumed a fighting stance. "It's me, Anko-senpai," Mashiro said softly.

Seeing Shiro, Anko breathed a sigh of relief, but then a huge feeling of weakness and hunger overwhelmed her, making her dizzy and causing her to fall straight forward.

"Akko-senpai, there's no need to get so agitated. Your body is still very weak." Mashiro stepped forward, picked up Akko's collapsed body, and helped her onto the bed.

Feeling heavy and weak, and looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Anko, supporting herself on the bed, asked Mashiro, "Where am I? How did I suddenly end up here? And why am I so weak?"

This is a house near the Forest of Death. Senior Anko has been unconscious for about two weeks. During the Chunin Exams, an accident occurred in the Forest of Death. When I went to check, I found Senior Anko unconscious next to a big tree. Because of the urgency of the situation, I put Senior Anko in this house first.

"But when I came back to see you after I finished dealing with the problem, I found that I couldn't wake you up. So I asked the medical ninja in the clan to come, but he didn't have any solutions either. So after discussing it with my teacher, I left you here, senior, until today." Mashiro said softly, looking at Anko.

"Unconscious?" Anko touched her head, as if trying to remember something, but she couldn't recall anything. "When I found Anko-senpai, you had many injuries? Did something happen?" Mashiro asked.

"It's nothing, maybe I was attacked by someone," Anko said. Of course, she couldn't tell Mashiro that she had been injured while secretly meeting Orochimaru.

Mashiro glanced at Anko and continued, "During the days Anko-senpai was unconscious, many things happened in the village. First, in the Forest of Death... Then Mashiro told Anko about everything that happened during the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru's appearance, the implementation of the Konoha Crush plan, and Orochimaru's death."

Hongdou's expression gradually changed from nonchalant to anxious, panicked, fearful, and then confused, before finally becoming bewildered.

Seeing the change in Anko's expression, Mashiro's lips curled into a slight smile, and then she asked softly, "Anko-senpai doesn't seem to be looking too well."

Anko forced a weak smile and said, "It's nothing. I'm just shocked that so much has happened while I was unconscious." At the same time, Anko's mind was screaming: "Orochimaru-sama is dead! He's dead..."

"Were you and Orochimaru close? I saw your eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of sadness when you heard about Orochimaru's death." Mashiro asked, resting her chin on her hand.

Just as Anko was about to brush it off, she remembered that Orochimaru was dead, and finally sighed, saying, "Lord Orochimaru was my teacher. I went on missions with him when I was 12. He was very kind to me. Although he seemed unapproachable, he was actually a very lonely person inside. But in Minato..."

After becoming Hokage, he changed, becoming increasingly withdrawn, until he defected from Konoha.

“It seems that Anko-senpai can’t accept Orochimaru’s death,” Mashiro said after hearing Anko’s words.

"No, he deserved to die for doing so many heinous things, but as his disciple, I still often think of how he used to be." Hongdou said softly, clutching the blanket tightly.

"Haven't you ever wondered why Orochimaru's personality suddenly changed so drastically?" Mashiro suddenly asked. Anko was taken aback by Mashiro's question; she truly had never thought about it before. Then her expression turned strange, and her gaze towards Mashiro became odd. "Do you know..." Before Anko could finish speaking, Mashiro got up and pushed open the door.

"Senior Red Bean, please rest for a while. Someone will bring you some porridge soon. Once you feel better, you can return to the village on your own. I have some things to take care of now, so I'll head back first." With these words, Mashiro pushed open the door and left.

Only Hongdou, whose face grew increasingly pale, remained in the room.

Strolling through the Forest of Death, Mashiro looked up at the drifting white clouds and muttered to herself, "The bait is ready, now we just need the hook." In Mashiro's courtyard, Tehan was lying on the floor, lost in thought.

Although Mashiro said she would take her in as a maid, Tehan did not expect that she would be a maid in the true sense. Now, Tehan has to learn various etiquette and service skills from a middle-aged woman in the Hyuga family every day. She is only sent back to Mashiro's garden when she eats and sleeps.

According to the middle-aged woman, Shouhan was not allowed to serve the head of the household until she had mastered all the etiquette and skills. She also said that Shouhan was very lucky because the head of the household did not like servants to serve him. She was the first one to do so, and she was even appointed by the head of the household. She was sure to have a bright future.

To this, Temari could only chuckle. The former Sand Princess has now become a maid, which is indeed "promising." However, Temari had no choice but to obey Mashiro's request, no matter how she viewed it.

Mashiro wasn't here today, so Tehan ate alone. After finishing, he lay on the floor, quietly pondering what it would be like if Mashiro could fulfill his wish.

That was a promise, so actually I'm not too bad off.

"Have you had lunch yet?" Mashiro's voice suddenly came. "I have," Tehan quickly stood up and replied.

"Hasn't the head of the family eaten?" Temari asked, stepping forward. "Call me master," Mashiro said with a light laugh, looking at Temari.

Shouhan clasped his hands tightly, his face slightly flushed, and said softly, "Has Master not eaten?"

“I’m not hungry,” Mashiro said softly. Tehan nodded slightly and stepped aside.

"By the way, I heard you've been studying service etiquette lately." "Yes."

"Then help me change my clothes first," Mashiro said, opening her arms.

Shouhan breathed a sigh of relief, walked forward and began to unbutton Zhenbai's clothes, then folded them neatly and placed them on the floor.

As her clothes were removed one by one, Temari's face gradually turned red. Her fingers would inadvertently touch Shiro's skin, causing Temari's hands to tremble slightly.

Finally, all of Qi Bai's clothes were removed. Temari kept her head down, not daring to look, and quickly took out another set of clothes for Qi Bai to wear. "Tell the people over there that you don't need to study anymore starting from Mingguan. I'm very satisfied with you now."

"Yes, Master," Temari said, still looking down, not daring to look at her white skin, her exposed neck subtly tinged with a faint red.

Chapter 42: Itachi

"Is this Konoha? It's so prosperous." Kisame exclaimed as he looked down at the entire village from a mountain near Konoha.

"Doesn't Itachi feel a pang of nostalgia for his long-lost ninja village?" Kisame turned to look at Ryou, who was not far behind him, and said. "There's nothing to feel nostalgic about. Let's go in," Itachi said calmly.

"How cold-hearted. Itachi-kun, do you even remember our mission in Konoha this time?" Kisame asked as they walked. "To capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and recruit new members," Itachi replied succinctly.

"Capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is just talk. Although Konoha has just experienced Orochimaru's attack, it's not something the two of us can take down. Our main task this time is to recruit that newcomer," Kisame said.

"Kisame, aren't you getting a little too excited?" Itachi looked at Kisame with some doubt. "Perhaps," Kisame said calmly.