XX-level Hokage

"What are you doing here? Have I also developed inner demons? How ridiculous." He laughed self-deprecatingly.

"It's you who's hesitating. Although you're deliberately hiding it, you should have known long ago that you're no longer the simple Uchiha Zero." Uchiha Zero said, looking at him.

"You're saying I'm hesitating?" She rolled her eyes, seemingly very dissatisfied with the other person's statement.

"That might not be the most accurate way to put it. You are the one changing, otherwise, how could she have appeared?" Uchiha Zero said, pointing behind Mashiro. Mashiro turned around and saw a woman in white robes with white eyes, a beautiful face, and a gentle and sunny demeanor standing there.

Seeing Mashiro turn around, she waved gently and called out in a clear voice, "Hello." "Hyuga Mashiro, you're here too?" Mashiro asked in surprise when she saw the woman.

Hinata Mashiro walked up to Mashiro and said, "Although I hate this guy, he's right. You hesitated, and it's because of your hesitation that we're here."

"Hesitate? You don't seem as simple as the system says." Mahi said, looking at Hyuga Mahi.

“I am Li Mo, and also Hinata Mashiro. I once reached the highest level in this world, but in the end I was still forced to choose death. He and I were summoned to this body by the system at the same time, and in the end we perished together, thus giving birth to you. However, because my soul is not as strong as his, you are more like him than me,” Hinata Mashiro said.

“You are acting with my will,” Uchiha Zero said. “But you are carrying my thoughts,” Hyuga Mashiro added.

"You must get all the women you want, no matter what method you use." "You must treat them with love."

"You must remove all obstacles in your path." "You must do your utmost to protect peaceful life."

"You must kill all the enemies." "You must protect your people."

The two continued talking, while Mashiro watched quietly.

"Are you done talking, you two ghosts?" Mashiro said calmly. "You don't seem surprised at all," Uchiha Zero said.

“I just realized something was wrong with me a long time ago,” Mashiro said. “It seems we left a while ago.” Hyuga Mashiro said with a smile.

"You two are merely figments of my imagination, because I did hesitate. I am Uchiha Zero, I schemed everything, and in the end, I died alone! I am Hyuga Mashiro, I was gentle and kind, and ultimately, I lost everything because of my weakness."

"Uchiha Zero is the reality I experienced, and Hyuga Mashiro is my only remaining fantasy. Because of the failure of both approaches, I hesitated about the path forward, but now, my hesitation has disappeared." As Mashiro spoke, both Uchiha Zero and Hyuga Mashiro vanished.

Mashiro stood alone in the emptiness.

A faint system voice suddenly sounded. "World, failure, failure, loading."

Mashiro woke up, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, and then at Sakura sleeping next to her, hugging her arm.

I slapped her on the bottom. "Slap"

Then it disappeared from the spot.

Only Sakura, who had just woken up, remained, standing there in a daze.

Chapter 37: Temari, you don't want your two younger brothers to get hurt, do you?

The next day, news of Danzo's disappearance was relayed from Root to the Third Hokage.

"You mean Danzo has disappeared? And may have met with some misfortune?" the Third Hokage asked Aburame Torune in front of him.

Aburame Torune knelt with her head bowed, her voice trembling as she said, "Last night, Lord Danzo left the Shimura family alone. That night, the curse marks on me and Kaze disappeared. Kaze and I hurriedly led people to search everywhere for Lord Danzo's usual haunts, but to no avail. Even now, there is still no news of Lord Danzo."

After hearing what Aburame Torune said, the Third Generation frowned and then said, "I already know. You may leave now." "Yes," Aburame Torune replied nervously and hurriedly left.

"What do you want to do with the roots? Leave them or..." the Third Hokage said to Mashiro, who had appeared beside him at some point.

“I will become the new leader of Root,” Mashiro said. “Yes, I will make the arrangements,” the Third Hokage nodded.

"Lord Mashiro, as you command, we will separate them and imprison them separately. That person will be locked up here," a member of the ANBU said to Mashiro, pointing to a door in front of him.

Mashiro nodded, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Shouhan was sitting in a chair with a table in front of her, on which were disposable paper and pens.

Her feet were chained with shuriken, the chains were long and connected to the wall, and her hands were drawing sealing spells to restrict the gathering of chakra.

Hearing the door open, Shouhan looked up, saw it was Zhenbai, and then silently looked away. "It's you."

Shouhan was deeply impressed by Mashiro; he had heard of her famous name, "Black and White Phantom," in the village.

"Temari, how have you been lately?" Mashiro asked, sitting across the table from Temari in another chair. "What do you think? Thanks for the treat," Temari replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Temari really has backbone, she didn't write a single word in her statement." Mashiro picked up a blank sheet of paper from the table and said with a smile. "I don't know anything, and even if you asked me to write something, I wouldn't know what to write." Temari said, feigning ignorance.

"Temari doesn't seem to know that the Sand Village rejected Konoha's request for compensation and apology," Mashiro suddenly said. Temari's expression stiffened for a moment.

"So, Tehan doesn't really still think he's the Sand Princess, does he? I bet there's some faction within the Sand Village who wants Konoha's support to become the new Kazekage. I wonder if the Sand Village will still be willing to ransom you three back then. No, Gaara will definitely be ransomed, but you two might not be." Mashiro looked at Tehan and said, seemingly mockingly.

Shouhan's expression turned grim; her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes darted around.

“Since you’re no longer as important to Konoha, we can have Yamanaka Inoichi scan your memories to get the information we want. You should have heard of this ninjutsu. Of course, your brain will be severely damaged, and it’s not impossible that you’ll become an idiot,” Mashiro continued.

"What do you want to know?" Temari asked, her face pale.

"You know you haven't been sent to have your memories extracted, and you're able to stay alone in a clean and tidy cell with three meals a day, because of whom?" Mashiro didn't respond to Shouhan's words, but instead looked into Shouhan's eyes and continued.

Looking into Mashiro's pure white eyes, Shouhan suddenly felt a nameless fear rise within her. She guessed something from Mashiro's words. "You..."

“That’s right, it’s because of me.” Mashiro suddenly pinched Han’s face and said quietly.

After finishing, ignoring Shouhan's current expression, Mashiro stood up and looked at Shouhan, saying, "The Anbu's prison is located deep underground in Konoha! It's always cold and damp, and there are often insects and rats. However, those who are usually imprisoned by the Anbu are dangerous and guilty, so they don't need very good conditions. Moreover, four or five people are often locked in one cell. As for food, it's considered good if they get one meal a day. The Sound Ninja who are captured live in such cells."

The cells where the three of you are located not only have lights, but you are also in solitary confinement. The hygiene conditions are also very good, and you eat the same meals as the Anbu guards who are watching the cells. This is a special prison for Konoha high-ranking officials who commit crimes. There are four cells in total, but because I made arrangements, three of them were assigned to you.

Hearing Mashiro's words, Tehan lowered his head and said, "Thank you."

"Temari doesn't seem to know what gratitude is. I think if I go out now and say that this Sand Ninja is useless and can be disposed of as you please, you'll probably be played with tonight. If you're even more cruel, you could be thrown into a male prison cell, and I think you'd wish you were dead." Mashiro looked at Temari and said indifferently.

After hearing Mashiro's words, Shouhan's eyes were filled with fear. She knew that Mashiro was not exaggerating. She had also been to the Sand Village prison before, and the female ninjas there lived very miserable lives, especially the beautiful ones.

He picked up the pen and quickly began writing his confession on the paper.

"Temari, it seems you still haven't figured it out. Writing this on this paper is useless to me." Mashiro looked at Temari's actions and gently shook her head.

"What should I do, Lady Mashiro?" Tehan knelt on the ground, completely surrendering. Those who are stubborn only choose to face reality after witnessing the painful consequences.

Mashiro pulled the chair back a little, then sat down. She smiled at the hand kneeling on the ground and said, "Sit on the table."

Handan was confused, but he still climbed onto the table. "Take off all your clothes," Mashiro continued.

Shouhan's body stiffened; she never imagined that Mashiro would make such a request.

"I think it's better to undress willingly in front of someone of the same sex than to be forced to undress in front of someone of the opposite sex," Mashiro said softly, noticing Shouhan's resistance. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, Shouhan began to undress.

With a rustling sound, pieces of fabric fell to the ground. "Next..."

Shouhan stopped moving again; she simply couldn't bear such humiliation.

“I think Shouhan’s two younger brothers are doing well now, I wonder what will happen next,” Mashiro said slowly.

Mentioning her two younger brothers, Temari's face turned deathly pale, and she raised her hand in protest. Mashiro led Temari away from the prison.

"You'll be coming to Hyuga to take care of me from now on. If I'm satisfied, I'll release your two younger brothers as well," Mashiro said with a smile.

"Yes, Lord Mashiro." Tehan's eyes were utterly empty, as if he had lost his soul. In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu were gathered. "Danzo has been murdered," the Third Hokage said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

Upon hearing this news, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked extremely grim. Although they had already heard the news, they still couldn't believe it when they actually heard it.

"Who killed Danzo? We must avenge him!" said Xiaochun, who was very excited. They didn't have many old friends to begin with.

“I don’t know. I’m too old now. Danzo is dead, and it’s time for me to retire,” the Third Hokage sighed. Mitokado Homura and Koharu remained silent.

"What do you guys think of Mashiro?" the Third Hokage suddenly asked.

"She's a very talented child. Now that you're mentioning her, are you suggesting she become the new Hokage?" Mitokado Homura exclaimed in surprise. "Impossible. Regardless of her qualifications, credibility, or age, she has no chance of being elected," Utatane Koharu said.

The Third Hokage shook his head and said, "No, I want to make her the new leader of Root, to assist the new Hokage in governing Konoha." "That would be feasible," Mitokado Homura said without any objection.

Where there is fire, there will be shadow. The "Root" is necessary to maintain peace in Konoha. Since the Third Hokage is willing to send his disciple to be the shadow, they naturally have no objections.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Princess of Sand and Rock

Mashiro and Tehan's escape from prison went incredibly smoothly. After that meeting, all the higher-ups knew the Third Hokage's attitude towards Mashiro, and the Anbu, as the Third Hokage's weapon, naturally wouldn't make things difficult for Mashiro. They formally signed a guarantee, and Mashiro left with Tehan.

"You don't seem happy?" Mashiro said to Tsubasa as they walked. "No, I'm very happy," Tsubasa replied with a forced smile.

“Don’t force yourself. Just follow your heart. Since you can’t go back to the Sand Village, it’s obviously better to stay with me than to stay in the prison. You can also get some information about the Sand Village. It’s clearly in your best interest, so don’t be so pessimistic,” Mashiro said to Temari.

"You seem to care about me a lot," Temari said to Mashiro after a moment's hesitation.

In the ninja world, before gaining sufficient strength or becoming a leader, the lives of all ninjas are not actually good, especially during wartime.

"In those times, swindlers were dying all the time, and the situation was even worse for female swindlers," Mashiro said leisurely.

"?" Handan was very puzzled by what Mashiro had said out of the blue.

“You weren’t born during a time of war, nor were you born in a small ninja village, so of course you wouldn’t understand what I’m saying. Children born in those environments are very attached to people they like,” Mashiro said, looking at the azure-clad Guan Kong.

Although Mashiro rambled on a bit, Temari still managed to glean two key points. "Have you experienced war?" she asked doubtfully. "And do you have feelings for me?"

"War? Sorry, I'm a proper young lady born in a peaceful era. As for feelings, I do have quite a few feelings for you," Mashiro said, seemingly genuinely.

"Affection? It can't be the kind of affection between a man and a woman, can it?" Temari asked strangely, if Mashiro really had those feelings for her. Originally, she thought that what Mashiro made her do in the cell was to humiliate her, but now... Temari's pale face suddenly turned red again. "What do you think men and women are together for?" Mashiro suddenly asked.

"To have offspring," Shouhan replied, adding that the harsh environment of Sharen Village was the common answer among the women there.

"Procreation is indeed a very important part, but nowadays many ninjutsu can allow women to give birth on their own, and some forbidden techniques can even clone a child directly. So why do people still choose the oldest way of getting married and having children?" Mashiro continued to ask.

Shouhan didn't know how to answer.

"Because of feelings, that's the foundation of everything, and these feelings don't just exist between men and women. But don't worry, right now I only have a physical attraction to you," Mashiro said calmly.

Shouhan lowered her head silently, now even more worried.

He led his hand to his courtyard, and upon entering, he saw Heitu lying on his side in the corridor eating biscuits.

"Didn't I arrange a room for you? Why do you still come here every day?" Mashiro stepped forward, took the biscuit from Kurotsuchi's hand, and stuffed it into her mouth.

"The entire Iwa-Haku delegation has left, why won't you let me go back?" Kurotsuchi looked at Mashiro with a resentful expression.

"You can't blame me for this. Your grandfather said you should stay in Konoha for a few more days because he's worried about you going back with the delegation since you're injured. He said he'll send a Jonin to escort you back, so there's no need to rush," Mashiro said helplessly, spreading her hands.

"Isn't he that Sand Ninja? How come he's here?" Kurotsuchi asked, looking at Temari behind Mashiro with some confusion.

"After investigation, it was found that she had nothing to do with this incident, and was actually the daughter of the deceased Fourth Kazekage. Just in case, the village decided to let her stay with me for the time being," Mashiro said without changing her expression.

"Ha ha ha ha"

Kurotsuchi suddenly laughed and said, "The Hyuga clan is like an inn now, isn't it, innkeeper?"

Mashiro reached out and rubbed Kurotsuchi's face with both hands, saying, "Yes, dear guest." "I surrender, I surrender!" Under Mashiro's onslaught, Kurotsuchi immediately raised her hands in surrender. Only then did Mashiro smile and release her hands.

Kurotsuchi covered her face, which had been rubbed red, and looked at Mashiro with resentment once again.

"Alright, you can go back now. I have some important things to discuss," Masashi said, patting Kurotsuchi's hair. "Tch."

Hei Tu wiped his mouth, then left with the biscuits in his arms.