XX-level Hokage

With Mashiro's laws in place, a new Konoha will surely be born soon.

Meanwhile, Mashiro assigned Haku and Samui to work together, with both of them handling Konoha's basic official duties. As for herself, she went to the Root's underground headquarters.

In the Root leader's office—no, after Mashiro's modifications, it should now be the Hokage's office in Root—Mashiro and Sasuke are currently in the office.

"Lord Hokage, is there something you need?" Sasuke asked calmly. [Name: Uchiha Sasuke]

Gender: Male; Age: 18; Favorability: 50; Relationship: Superior/Subordinate

Affection Reward (50): Fire Release Ninjutsu Mastery, Genjutsu Mastery (Already Obtained) Affection Reward (90): Yin Attribute Chakra

As expected? Having not spent much time with Sasuke in a long time, coupled with the current gap in their levels, Mashiro's affection level has dropped to 50. At this point, Mashiro no longer needs to specifically increase Sasuke's affection level.

"Sasuke, I've located Rin's residence," Makoto said softly. Upon hearing Itachi's name, Sasuke's aura instantly turned chilling. "Where is he?" Suppressing his killing intent, Sasuke lowered his head and asked.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you. But like I told you before, you should bring your teammates with you. Going alone is risky. With trustworthy teammates, at least you can create a one-on-one situation between you and Itachi," Mashiro said with a smile.

Sasuke didn't refute, and said softly, "I'll consider it."

"Also, I hope you promise me that no matter what you find out, you won't act impulsively. You have to trust me, I will give you a proper explanation," Mashiro suddenly said.

Although he was somewhat puzzled, Sasuke nodded.

Seeing this, Mashiro stood up, went to Sasuke, and gently patted Sasuke's shoulder. Bewitching God, activate!

Sasuke suddenly felt his mind go blank for a moment, which was a bit strange, but he didn't find anything unusual. "Also, I have a mission for you to carry out," Mashiro said, turning around and returning to her seat.

Sasuke looked at Mashiro, waiting to hear what she would say next. Mashiro looked directly into Sasuke's eyes and said softly, "..."

Leaving the office, Sasuke still looked somewhat strange, but upon seeing the other Root members, he quickly returned to normal. First, Sasuke went to the Root dormitory.

Although there are dormitories in the Root, apart from those who were adopted and raised by the Root from childhood, very few people actually live there. When they do, it's only as a temporary place to stay.

Sasuke pushed open the door to a dormitory room without any hesitation. "Who is it?" came a voice that sounded like someone who hadn't woken up yet.

"Suigetsu, Jugo, would you like to come out with me?" Sasuke asked.

Suigetsu Hozuki and Jugo were discovered by Root members after Orochimaru's death, as they were Orochimaru's experimental subjects. Because they did not participate in the attack on Konoha and possessed considerable fighting strength, they were recruited into Root by Mashiro.

Suigetsu had no objection to this, since he had nowhere else to go anyway. Jugo was initially hesitant, but after hearing from Mashiro that Kimimaro was also in Konoha, he agreed to join.

After joining Root, because the two were outsiders, and because Suigetsu's bloodline limit and Jugo's loss of control were issues, no one was willing to carry out missions with them. It wasn't until Sasuke's arrival that things changed. During a mission, Sasuke saved Suigetsu and Jugo's lives, and the three of them formed a permanent Root team called the Hawk Team.

"Go out? Where to?" Shigeo asked.

After Kabuto's research, Jugo's dual personality problem has been largely contained.

Kabuto developed a reagent; if Jugo drinks one dose, he will be stable for seven days. "It's my private matter," Sasuke said coldly.

Suigetsu and Jugo were already used to Sasuke's attitude. Suigetsu asked, "About Uchiha Itachi?"

He had inquired about Sasuke. Sasuke nodded.

"Of course, it's rare that you need our help. When do we set off?" Shuiyue asked with a smile.

“You’ve helped us before, so of course we’ll help you,” Jugo said. Both of them were happy to help Sasuke.

"We're leaving tomorrow. You two can start preparing." Sasuke said, turning to leave. "Wait a minute."

Just as Sasuke was about to leave the dormitory, Suigetsu suddenly called out to him. Sasuke turned around.

“Since we’re dealing with Itachi Uchiha, I think we need a teammate who can handle both medical and sensory matters,” Suigetsu said. Sasuke pondered for a moment and agreed with Suigetsu’s idea.

He originally wanted to go with Naruto and Sakura, but Sakura went out for special training with Tsunade and Shizune, and Naruto's identity as the Son of a Hero was revealed, so he gave up the idea.

He didn't want Naruto to get involved in his clan's affairs at this time. And besides Sakura, he didn't know any other medical ninjas. So Sasuke shook his head and said, "I can't find any."

Shuiyue laughed and said, "I have a good candidate."

Hayakawa Yukikaze was currently in her dormitory at Root, enjoying her rare vacation.

As Mashiro's assistant at Root, Yukikaze handles most of the work at Root because Mashiro rarely visits, so she basically has no time to rest.

Now that the Root organization has been restructured, Mashiro has given her a rare month-long vacation, which finally allows her to sleep in.

"Lord Yukikaze, someone is looking for you." Just as Yukikaze was about to stay in bed any longer, a Root member informed him. Reluctantly, Yukikaze got up, left his dormitory, and went to Root headquarters.

"Um, is there something you need?" Upon arriving at the designated location, Yukikaze saw Sasuke and asked nervously. She had never been good at communicating with such cold people.

Chapter 149: Sasuke VS Itachi (Part 2)

Hayakawa Yukikaze, a former member of the "Root Investigation Department," was adopted by "Root" at a young age. She possesses a special bloodline that allows her to communicate with animals and has an exceptional talent for medical evasion. Due to the existence of the Aburame clan, she was not particularly prominent in "Root" under Danzo's rule. Later, after Mashiro took over, she was entrusted with important responsibilities and became Mashiro's assistant.

Sasuke looked at the somewhat timid girl in front of him; she was indeed a suitable candidate. "I would like to ask you to come with me for a while," Sasuke said calmly.

"Going out? On a mission?" Yukikaze asked curiously, as she had never gone on a mission with Sasuke before. "It's not a mission, it's a personal matter," Sasuke replied.

"Um, um, I'm on vacation right now, sorry." Yukikaze politely declined. "Alright, sorry to bother you." Sasuke turned and left, having already guessed this outcome. Seeing Sasuke leave, Yukikaze breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go back to her dorm to catch up on sleep. Just then, Sai walked over.

"Sai, is something the matter?" Yukikaze asked, looking at Sai.

The few missions she carried out were all with Sai, and the two were quite familiar with each other.

"Lord Mashiro asked me to pass on this superstition to you," Sasuke said softly, then handed a scroll to Yukikaze.

Upon hearing Mashiro's name, Yukikaze's expression became incredibly serious. He gently took the scroll, opened it, and began reading its contents. "Yukikaze, if Sasuke asks for your help, don't refuse. I have a task for you."

After reading the contents of the scroll, Yukikaze instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, becoming exhausted in an instant. With a pout, she ran in the direction Sasuke had just left.

Sai stood there for a moment, scratched his head, and then turned and left. "So? Did she agree?" Jugo asked after Sasuke returned. "No," Sasuke shook his head and said.

“That was within my expectations. After all, we’re not that close. I originally thought you could charm her with your looks, Sasuke, but it seems you’re not falling for that,” Suigetsu said with a smile.

Sasuke glanced at Suigetsu but said nothing.

"It's alright, even without a medical ninja, it doesn't matter. None of the three of us are the type to get injured easily," Jugo reassured him.

"Let's go then," Sasuke said. Suigetsu and Jugo nodded.

Just as the three were about to turn and leave, a frantic female voice called out, "Wait, please wait!"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke and the other two stopped and turned to look in the direction of the sound.

Turning Sasuke and the others around, Yukikaze finally stopped, panting heavily, and bent over to breathe deeply. "Is something the matter?" Sasuke asked.

"I agree, I'll go out with you." Yukikaze said, blushing slightly. It felt strange that she had just refused and then suddenly agreed. Hearing this, Suigetsu glanced at Jugo with a grin, then turned to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at Yukikaze with some confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly agreed.

"Ahem, well, I've thought about it carefully. As fellow members of the Root, we should help each other out," Yukikaze said, clearing his throat.

Sasuke didn't suspect anything, turned around and said, "Thank you, we're leaving now." Seeing this, Yukikaze breathed a slight sigh of relief and followed.

Meanwhile, at a Uchiha clan outpost outside Konoha, Itachi was waiting for Sasuke's arrival.

He had been secretly observing Sasuke all along, and his decision to confront Sasuke in a formal confrontation was due to his own health condition. After discovering that Sasuke had no intention of defecting and was consistently carrying out missions for Konoha, his worries gradually dissipated.

Just a week ago, when he secretly went to Konoha, he encountered that person, Hyuga Mashiro, someone even he couldn't see through at all. In the Uchiha clan compound, Sasuke had just returned from a mission and was eating in the courtyard.

He didn't notice that a black crow was silently observing him from a pine tree outside the courtyard. A moment later, a blond-haired boy walked in.

"Sasuke, come and try the chocolate I snagged! It's a limited edition from Yukiori-ya, only 50 boxes are sold a week, and I had a hard time getting my hands on it." Naruto laughed as he tossed a magnificent box of chocolates onto Sasuke's dining table.

"boring."

Sasuke pushed the chocolate box away and continued eating.

"You say it's boring?! This is a limited edition, and it even has your favorite tomato flavor." Naruto sat down opposite Sasuke quite naturally, picked up the box, and said.

“I hate sweets,” Sasuke said softly.

"Then why did you steal my cream bread last time?" Naruto asked with great suspicion.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He had been on a mission and hadn't eaten for three days. When he returned to the village, he happened to run into Naruto eating cream bread, and then he snatched it from him.

But of course he couldn't say that.

"I don't care, you have to eat this today." Naruto opened the box, grabbed a piece of chocolate, and attacked Sasuke. Sasuke sighed helplessly, didn't dodge, and ate it.

"How is it? Isn't it delicious?" Naruto asked proudly, having queued for three hours for this chocolate.

"It's too sweet." Sasuke swallowed the chocolate in his mouth and said. "What are you saying? Don't you dare slander my hard work."

Just as the two were playing around, the crows in the trees outside the courtyard quietly flew away. On a large tree outside Konoha, Itachi gently opened his eyes.

Just as he was about to leave, a clear female voice suddenly rang out. "Are you leaving already?"

Itachi turned his head and saw that Mashiro had appeared on a tree nearby. Looking at Mashiro, Itachi unconsciously activated his Sharingan.

"Don't be so nervous, you can't beat me," Masashi said with a smile. "Oh, really?"

Itachi's three tomoe gradually changed into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"You can try, but if you really die here, or even if you manage to escape, you won't be able to serve as a stepping stone for Sasuke anymore." Mashiro looked at Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan and said softly.

Itachi withdrew his Sharingan, reverting to his normal black eyes. Looking at Mashiro, he calmly asked, "What do you know?" "Nothing much, just a little more than you do," Mashiro said softly.

Itachi didn't speak. He had cast a genjutsu the moment Mashiro appeared, but it had no effect.

This only proves one thing: the girl in front of us is very strong, extremely strong. If she were to actually fight, the best outcome would be mutual destruction. "Your body probably won't be able to hold on much longer," Mashiro suddenly said.

Rong didn't object to Zhenbai's words, but instead asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I can arrange a duel between Sasuke and you to fulfill your final wish, to awaken his Sharingan and put him on the right path," Mashiro said softly.

Upon hearing this, Itachi was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Mashiro and said, "You're not Hyuga Mashiro, are you?" "Why do you say that?" Mashiro asked, seemingly puzzled.

"Truly worthy of being a genius who was once her equal in a past life, he guessed her true identity in an instant." Mashiro sighed inwardly. "It was just my guess," she said aloud.

Mashiro laughed and then said, "So, you agree?"

Itachi seemed to be pondering something. After a moment, he nodded and turned to leave.

Itachi snapped out of his daze and then began coughing violently. "Cough, cough, cough..."

A moment later, the coughing stopped, and Itachi looked at the hand he had used to cover his mouth; it was covered in blood.

Itachi casually pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face, muttering to himself, "Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Zero, whatever you want to do to Sasuke, I will absolutely not let you succeed."

Following the precise location provided by Shinji, and with the help of Yukikaze's summoning beast, the Snow Eagle, Sasuke and his companions arrived after only one level. Looking at the peculiar building in the distance, Suigetsu remarked, "What a strange structure. I wonder what it's used for."

"This is a shrine of the Uchiha clan, used to worship the Sage," Sasuke explained calmly. As they drew closer, his heart grew increasingly calm.

"Oh no, there's danger ahead!" Xuefeng suddenly exclaimed. Then, several streams of water rushed towards them.

Seeing this, Shuiyue hurriedly launched water bullets in response.

But it had no effect. The water flow shattered the water bullets and struck Yukikaze's summoned beast, the Snow Eagle, causing it to shake violently. "We...we need to make an emergency landing first. There are enemies ahead," Yukikaze said nervously, then controlled the Snow Eagle to land on the ground. "I'll go first then. I promised Itachi-sensei I'd create a one-on-one situation for him," Kisame said to the three beside him. Obito, Shinji, and Zetsu.