XX-level Hokage

After seeing Kurotsuchi off, Mashiro turned around and found Temari looking at him strangely. "What's wrong?" Mashiro asked.

"It's nothing, it just doesn't feel like your style," Temari said.

Although Mashiro is about the same age as her, she has always felt that Mashiro is a wolf in sheep's clothing, cold-blooded, cunning, and good at scheming. Especially after the prison incident, Tehan developed a deep fear of Mashiro.

But watching Mashiro and Kurotsuchi interact, she inexplicably sensed a doting and indulgent, humorous and gentle nature from Mashiro, a style completely different from what she had imagined.

"My style? You mean insidious or ruthless? You read that right. That's exactly who I am. I love attacking other people's weaknesses and forcing them to submit. I won't hesitate to kill anyone who stands in my way."

"But a person can't maintain the same style all the time; that's too tiring. As a bad person, being gentle and humorous occasionally might bring unexpected rewards," Masashi said with a smile.

"There's something else I never expected: you love to talk. Even when there are things that don't need an answer, you still explain them to me very carefully," Temari continued.

Because I'm usually quiet and reserved in many situations, or I cherish my studies like gold, I sometimes talk a bit more; it's a kind of balance, I guess. "Mashiro extended her hand to Temari."

Shouhan's heart skipped a beat, but he still didn't dodge.

I stroked Shouhan's hair; it was a bit fuzzy, with a strange feel to it.

Withdrawing her hand, Mashiro led Temari to the living room and gestured for her to sit on the other side of the table. "Now, let's get down to business," Mashiro said calmly.

Shouhan straightened up, that oppressive feeling that terrified her returned. "Shouhan, what are your thoughts on the position of Kazekage?" Mashiro asked, looking at Shouhan.

"With the news of the Fourth Kazekage's death, Sunagakure will definitely be thrown into chaos, especially since Orochimaru launched a failed war in the name of the Fourth Kazekage. Now, other factions in the village are definitely slandering our faction. Just like you said, this is the best opportunity for other forces in Sunagakure to vie for the Kazekage position, especially since the three children of the Kazekage haven't been able to return to Sunagakure," Shouhan said, his head bowed.

"You seem quite pessimistic about the situation in the Sand Village?" Mashiro poured a cup of tea, pushed it toward Temari, and said softly.

“Our lineage is currently the largest force in the Sand Village, and many high-ranking members are also biased towards us. But as you said, there will definitely be people who use the power of other villages to compete for the position of Kazekage. The position of Kazekage cannot remain vacant for too long, and the three of us cannot return in the short term. If this continues, even our power will be shaken.” Temari said, gripping her cup tightly.

“It’s so pitiful. As the children of the Fourth Kazekage, you are still in a foreign country, your fate unknown, while the struggle in the village has already begun.” Mashiro stood up and came behind Temari, gently pressing her shoulder.

“I can help you, the position of Kazekage,” Mashiro whispered in Han’s ear.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: "Roots"

Five days after Danzo's disappearance, the Third Hokage announced that Mashiro would become the new leader of Root. This fact was known only to a select few outside of Root itself.

As a result, most Konoha villagers had no idea of ​​the existence of "Root".

For the Root ninjas, the Third Hokage's announcement was tantamount to announcing Danzo's death. Although this speculation had arisen after the Cursed Seal disappeared, the Root ninjas reacted differently after the news was actually announced.

For the Root ninjas who were forced to join Root and those who opposed Danzo's ideals, Danzo's death and Mashiro's succession were undoubtedly the beginning of Root's changes; while for Danzo's henchmen and the Root ninjas who agreed with Danzo's ideals, Danzo's death and Mashiro's succession caused them great anxiety.

The headquarters of "Root" is located underground in Konoha.

In the leader's office, Mashiro smiled as she looked at the "Root" cadres kneeling around her.

"Please don't be nervous, everyone. I only learned about this news recently. I am honored to be accepted by such an important organization as Root," Mashiro said gently.

"What are you saying, sir? Since it is the Hokage's will, I believe you can lead Root to a better future," said Aburame Torune, Danzo's personal guard, flatteringly.

Other officers also expressed their respect and goodwill towards Mashiro.

As core members of the "roots," they are very adept at understanding the situation.

"I've heard that Lord Danzo used cursed seals to control the life and death of Root members during his lifetime, and our Hyuga clan also has a similar cursed seal called Caged Bird, which I think you've all heard of," Mashiro said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, "the cadres of the root were all nervous, as they had just gotten rid of Danzo's seal."

"Of course, everyone, don't worry. I trust the people of Root very much. There's no need for me to use any special seals," Mashiro continued. Hearing this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. But before they could celebrate, Mashiro's next words plunged them into despair once again.

"But I still have some concerns about you all. After all, you are all Danzo's former subordinates. Some people have suggested that I get rid of you, but you are all Konoha ninjas, and you are all very outstanding ninjas. I just can't bear to do it. So, you should all be willing to be planted with the Caged Bird Seal, right?" Mashiro looked at them and said calmly.

There was silence.

"I agree with Master Shin's suggestion and voluntarily plant the Caged Bird." Hyuga Kintoki, the deputy leader of the Root Investigation Team, suddenly said, then removed his headband, revealing a smooth forehead; he was a member of the main clan.

"Kintoki, you did very well. As a member of the Hyuga clan, I know your fear of the Caged Bird Seal, but you are actually willing to accept it now. I have high hopes for you." Mashiro said to Hyuga Kintoki with a smile, and then planted the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead.

"Are you all still hesitating? I can assure you that once we truly establish trust, I will immediately release you from the caged bird trap," Mashiro said, looking at the others again.

"What are you all waiting for? Lady Mashiro, as the current leader of Root, didn't force us but gave us a choice, and she even promised to remove us from the organization later. Do you all have some issues with Lady Mashiro, or are you harboring selfish motives?" Hinata Kintoki said.

Upon hearing Hyuga Kintoki's words, Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fu knew they could no longer remain silent. "Lord Mashiro, we are willing too."

Immediately afterwards, all the cadres voluntarily accepted the caged bird planted by Mashiro.

Mashiro gazed at all the executives who had already planted the caged bird, her eyes lingering.

Hyuga Kintoki's initiative was a pre-arranged act by Mashiro. She had approached Hyuga Kintoki beforehand, promising him that she would perform an eye transplant on him and then promote him from vice-leader to full-fledged leader.

The Caged Bird Seal, a cursed seal passed down through the Hyuga clan, can only be removed by replacing the eyes of the clan members who have been imprinted with it. Moreover, it must be the eyes of the main branch of the clan. For outsiders who are not members of the Hyuga clan, it seems that there is a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal, but it is only seemingly possible. After all, this is the first time that the Caged Bird Seal has been imprinted on an ordinary ninja.

The reason why Mashiro went to such great lengths was quite simple: the most important condition for planting a caged bird is that the person being planted cannot have any intention of resisting.

This is why caged birds are usually planted when the birds are two or three years old before the family separates.

At the training ground of "Root", all members of Root were gathered there.

Mashiro arrived at the training ground with a group of officers, and everyone hurriedly bowed. "Lord Mashiro!"

"Everyone, please don't be nervous. I'm not like Lord Danzo. I'm a very easygoing person. When I was training with my teacher, I heard about everything you've done for Konoha in secret. In my eyes, you are Konoha's dark heroes, silently protecting everything in Konoha," Mashiro said sincerely.

These words resonated in the hearts of all the ordinary ninjas of Root, and their gazes toward Mashiro became serious.

"You ordinary shadows protect Konoha, nameless sacrifices, suffering, but you also have families and want to be respected. I am here to change all of that. Not all tree roots have to be buried deep in the soil. We also need the nourishment of sunlight. I promise you all, I will let the light shine here, and let all the sacrifices be remembered!" Mashiro said, her eyes sparkling.

Mashiro's declaration made everyone in the "Root" look at Mashiro seriously. Their eyes were filled with hope, respect and gratitude. Even the executives next to Mashiro had complicated expressions. No one had ever treated him like a rat in the gutter.

"Mashiro-sama"

A Root ninja knelt down respectfully.

Immediately afterwards, all the ordinary ninjas of "Root" knelt down respectfully. Seeing this, all the executives of "Root" also knelt down respectfully.

Mashiro stepped forward and looked at the first ninja who knelt down. "What's your name?"

“Sai, my name is Sai,” Sai said respectfully.

"You're quite good," Mashiro said, looking at Sai. [Name: Sai]

Gender: Male Age: 14 Favorability: 78 Relationship: Subordinate

Affection Reward (50): Ninja Brush (Already Obtained) Affection Reward (90): Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitation Painting

After settling everything in the Dark Division, Masami returned home.

Lying in bed, Mashiro pulled a metallic calligraphy brush from her pocket.

[Ninja Brush: A magical brush that can generate a continuous supply of inks of various colors by infusing it with chakra, greatly increasing drawing speed.]

"This is the first time I've received a physical reward. Although it's a useless ninja tool, no, it might be very useful," Mashiro muttered to himself, before disappearing into the shadows.

It was dusk, and Yakumo was painting the sunset at Richiu Villa. When Mashiro wasn't around, painting was her only pleasure.

"The sunset you painted today is beautiful." Mashiro's voice came from behind Yakumo. "Perhaps it's because of the fiery clouds today," Yakumo said with a smile.

She was already quite familiar with Mashiro's elusive nature, but she was still very happy to see her. "I brought you a present today," Mashiro said, hugging Yakumo from behind.

"A gift? Candy or clothes?" Yakumo guessed excitedly. Mashiro gently shook her head and handed the ninja pen to Yakumo.

"A pen?" Yakumo couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Mashiro actually thought of buying her a paintbrush.

"This pen is called the Ninja Pen. It's a ninjutsu tool, and its function is..." Mashiro explained the function of the Ninja Pen to Yakumo. "Mwah~" Yakumo excitedly kissed Mashiro after hearing this.

"With this pen, you can better utilize your bloodline limit." Mashiro was interrupted by Yakumo's excited words before she could finish speaking. "With this pen, I can draw even better!"

Seeing Yakumo's excited face, Mashiro paused for a moment and said, "That's right, then you can paint even better."

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.