XX-level Hokage

“It’s right outside the door,” the member said respectfully.

"Let him in." "Yes, sir."

Then Aburame Torune came in.

"Greetings, Lord Mashiro," said Aburame Torune respectfully.

"Did you discover something in the Land of Grass, Root Taken?" Mashiro asked with a light laugh.

"Reporting to my lord, my subordinates and Tsuchimon and others have searched for a long time in the Land of Grass, but only found Orochimaru's abandoned research institute. There was nothing inside, only ruins."

"Snake people? Can't understand the language? Explosion? Okay. I understand. I'll send someone else to handle this. You've all worked hard this year, go and get some rest," Mashiro said.

"Yes, sir." Aburame Torine left respectfully.

"Could it be related to Orochimaru?" Mashiro tapped her pen, deep in thought.

Chapter 58: The Girl from the Land of Snake People

Just in case, following Aburame Torune's directions, Mashiro still arrived at that eerie village. This village was located in a dense forest, behind a mountain near the Land of Grass.

“It is indeed a bit strange.” Mashiro could see the thick miasma from a distance from the village.

Mashiro slowly walked towards the village. Just as she was about to reach it, a clear female voice rang out. "I advise you not to approach this village."

Mashiro looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl carrying a basket on her back and holding a sickle standing not far away. The girl had a cold expression and light green eyes. Her long dark green hair was braided and casually hung down her back.

"Are you a villager from this village?" Mashiro asked with a smile as she stepped forward. The girl glanced at Mashiro but didn't say anything.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm." Mashiro smiled very gently.

"You outsiders all say that. A few days ago, a group of people kidnapped one of our villagers." The girl's tone remained icy. "Kidnapped someone from your village? Those people are probably a bunch of rogue ninjas. They've always committed countless atrocities. I'm a ninja from Konoha, and a former Hokage..."

"You should be able to trust me, Shadow's disciple, that I won't do anything evil." Mashiro removed the headband from her arm and handed it to the girl, saying.

The members of "Root" never wear Konoha headbands when they are on missions, so Mashiro doesn't need to worry about any problems.

"Konoha? Hokage? I've heard my teacher say before that Konoha is indeed a peaceful village." A slight smile appeared on the girl's usually cold face, as if she were recalling something. "Then I wonder what your purpose is in coming here, Konoha ninja? This small village has nothing of value; in fact, it's quite dangerous."

"The girl asked, her attitude becoming much gentler."

“I received a mission from the Land of Grass. They said that caravans and ninjas have been frequently disappearing in this area, so they asked me to come and investigate,” Mashiro said.

"Do you want to go to this village?" the girl asked in a low voice.

“It’s my profession, and because of you, I’m even more curious about this village,” Mashiro said with a smile. “Then you’d better hold me tight. Also, your eyes are very beautiful,” the girl said, looking into Mashiro’s bright eyes. “Thank you for the compliment. My name is Hinata Mashiro,” Mashiro said, extending her hand to the girl.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then grasped Mashiro's hand. "Hello, my name is Yuuma Kiyoshi."

The moment they shook hands, Mashiro's pupils contracted briefly before quickly returning to normal. [Name: Yuuma Kiyoshi]

Gender: Female Age: 17 Favorability: 20 Relationship: Strangers

Favorability Reward (50): Tail of Desire Favorability Reward (90): Multisexual Reproduction What kind of ability is this?

Before Mashiro could even begin to wonder, Yuuma Kiyoshi withdrew her hand and walked towards the village. Mashiro followed her, walking alongside her.

"Is Kiyoshi from this village?" Mashiro repeated the question. "Perhaps," Kiyoshi answered somewhat ambiguously.

They soon arrived at the entrance to the village. Before entering, Qing said, "For some reason, all the people in this village have been afflicted by an unknown curse. Everyone has become very strange. Please do not be alarmed when you see them."

Mashiro smiled and nodded.

Then the two of them went inside together.

The village wasn't large, and the houses were just simple wooden structures. Judging from the houses, there were probably only a dozen or so households. Strangely, the village was filled with poisonous miasma. Apart from ninjas, ordinary people would absolutely not be able to survive in such miasma.

Just as Mashiro was observing, some of the original inhabitants of the village came upon hearing the noise. Just as Aburame Torune had said, all of these villagers were human-snake hybrids, which made Mashiro think of Kabuto in his previous life in his immortal form.

Upon seeing Mashiro, these snake-people displayed an extremely strong desire to attack, but when they saw Kiyoshi next to Mashiro, they all turned back. "They look terrifying, don't they?" Kiyoshi said coldly.

"Fortunately, I've seen a similar situation with someone named Orochimaru before." Mashiro said softly, her eyes constantly glancing at Kiyoshi as she spoke.

Just as Mashiro had predicted, Kiyoshi's expression changed abruptly, revealing fear. So it really was related to Orochimaru?

"Does Kiyoshi know Orochimaru?" Mashiro asked calmly.

"I've heard of that name; it sounds like a very bad person," Qing said expressionlessly.

"He was indeed a very bad person, but fortunately, he was killed by my teacher and me three years ago," Mashiro said casually, her eyes still observing Kiyoshi's expression.

"Orochimaru is dead?" Kiyoshi seemed unable to control the expression on his face as he asked.

"He's truly dead. I personally extracted the power and implanted it into his head." Masahiro said calmly. [Yuuma Kiyoshi's favorability +20]

"I see, that would be perfect." Qing's momentary lapse in composure quickly vanished, and he returned to his expressionless state. Leading Mashiro to a room, Qing entered and gently closed the door.

Then he put down the sickle in his hand and the basket on his back, filled the teapot with water, and placed it on the stove. "It's rather simple; I guess it'll be a while before the tea is served," Qing said, sitting on a wooden stool.

"It is indeed a bit shabby. Qing has lived here for so many years, has he never thought about leaving?" Mashiro asked, sitting on the other half of the stool.

The curse afflicting the people of this village needs to be healed. My sister was the first, but she passed away, and now it's my turn. I won't leave until these people are cured. "Qing paused for a moment before speaking.

"So, has Kiyoshi found a cure yet?" Mashiro asked softly. Kiyoshi didn't speak, but gently shook her head.

"Kiyoshi really has it tough, having to shoulder such a heavy responsibility at such a young age," Mashiro said, seemingly with a sigh. Kiyoshi remained silent.

A moment later, she suddenly asked, "What is Konoha like?"

Konoha is a prosperous and peaceful place. Its people live in peace and contentment, and all live in harmony… just as Konoha's ideals dictate, where leaves dance, the fire will never cease. The fire will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout. "Mashiro answered using the Third Hokage's words."

"How envious I am!" Qing's eyes were filled with longing.

"Does Kiyoshi want to go to Konoha? With my abilities in Konoha, I can arrange a good place for Kiyoshi." Mashiro said gently with a smile. Kiyoshi hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head.

"That's a real shame. I'm leaving before I finish my mission. I expect to be in this area for the next few days. I can bring Qing some Qiao tomorrow."

"Creams and marshmallows." Mashiro said, then walked out the door.

Kiyoshi stood there, lost in thought, somewhat dazed, until the sound of the teapot boiling brought him back to his senses. He murmured to himself, "Hyuga Mashiro? What a gentle person."

As Mashiro walked through the village, the snake-people villagers emerged from their houses, their vertical pupils filled with desire, yet seemingly hesitant to approach due to some lingering fear. Mashiro glanced at them, paid them no heed, and vanished from the spot.

I created an original little plot point to give Mashiro a new skill.

Chapter 59: Life Experiments and the Priestess

Kabuto was in his office recording his recent experiments when Mashiro suddenly appeared in front of him.

Kabuto was already prepared for Mashiro's elusive nature, so he stopped what he was doing, stood up, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Lord Mashiro."

"Kabuto is still so busy. Once you're done with this, you should all go back to Konoha. I'll set up a new system for the research institute: four days on, three days off. That way, you'll have enough time to do what you want," Mashiro said with a smile.

“On behalf of all the members of the research institute, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Lord Mashiro,” Kabuto said gratefully.

Even in Otogakure, he frequently received letters from the orphanage; the children missed him dearly. "Does Kabuto know the specifics of Orochimaru's experiments in Kusagakure?" Mashiro suddenly asked.

“I’m sorry, Lord Mashiro, I’m unaware of this. I wasn’t with Orochimaru when he was conducting his experiments in the Land of Grass. If you really want to know, perhaps you could ask Kimimaro and the other Sound Ninja.” Kabuto replied.

"I see, okay, I understand." Mashiro said before disappearing into the shadows. Back in Konoha, Mashiro headed straight for the Anbu's prison.

"Take those Sound Ninja to the interrogation room," Mashiro said to the ANBU guarding the prison. "Yes, Lord Mashiro."

Mashiro entered the interrogation room and waited quietly. Out of humanitarian spirit, Mashiro did not put the Sound Four in the same cell as other prisoners, after all, they were not very old when they were imprisoned.

Soon, the Sound Four were brought to the interrogation room: Kimimaro, Sakon, Ukon, Tayuya, and Jirobo. After three years of imprisonment, except for Kimimaro, the other three had lost the courage to resist.

"Guests, how were your three years in prison?" Mashiro asked with a smile. All four of them had empty eyes and remained silent.

"I can give you a chance to go out now, and not just a casual drive, but a real chance to go out freely. I can even..."

"I'm giving you the status of a Ye resident, so you can truly bask in the sunlight," Mashiro said gently.

Listening to Mashiro's story, all three except Kimimaro showed longing in their eyes. "What do you want to do?" Kimimaro asked, not believing that Mashiro would suddenly be so kind.

"I want to know something about Orochimaru?" Mashiro asked bluntly.

"We could never betray Lord Orochimaru. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Go back now," Kimimaro said coldly.

Although Kimimaro's attitude remained firm, the other three were clearly wavering, after all, Orochimaru had been dead for three years.

"Really? That's a shame. I've had some delicious food prepared for you. I hope you'll consider it." Mashiro said, clapping her hands.

Several secret agents pushed a food cart in and placed the dazzling array of food on the table in the interrogation room.

Without Mashiro's special request, the meals provided to the four of them in the prison were the same as those for other prisoners. As for the food in the Dark Side prison, not to mention the taste, it was already a blessing to have something to eat.

Seeing these things, Sakon, Ukon, Jirobo, and Tayuya were already drooling, and even Kimimaro couldn't help but take a few more glances.

"I'm going to ask Orochimaru some questions. Whoever answers will get to keep the things, and I can even take him out with me," Mashiro said with a smile.

Sakon, Ukon, Jirobo, and Tayuya are all poised for action. Three years of torment have worn away their loyalty to Orochimaru, even Kimimaro...

His eyes were filled with a complex expression.

"Can someone tell me what kind of experiments Orochimaru conducted in the Land of Grass? For example, the experiments on snake people?" Mashiro asked.

No one answered. Kimimaro was somewhat surprised, while Sakon, Ukon, and Jirobo were completely unaware. Only Tayuya frowned, seemingly thinking back on something.

"Does nobody know?" Shinji asked again.

"That's a real shame." Mashiro said, about to order someone to take the things off the table. "Sir, I know something," Tayuya suddenly said at that moment.

"You know?" Mashiro's gaze fell on Tayuya.

Tayu was somewhat afraid of Mashiro's self-illumination, but she still mustered her spirits and faced Mashiro's self-illumination, saying, "I know a little about the snake people's experiments that you mentioned, sir."

“Very well, take the rest of them away,” Zhen Zi ordered.

Soon, amidst the reluctant farewells of Sakon, Ukon, and Jirobo, the three were taken back.

Mashiro gave a signal, and another ANBU member standing at the door came up behind Tayuya, removed her hand shuriken, and left the interrogation room. At this moment, only Mashiro and Tayuya remained in the large interrogation room.

"Eat."

Mashiro pulled up a chair, sat down, and said softly.

With Mashiro's approval, Tayuya couldn't resist any longer and began wolfing down her food at the table. Because she was eating so hastily, Tayuya suddenly stopped, pounding her chest in pain.

"No need to rush, these are all yours," Mashiro said gently, handing the water to Tayuya.

Tayuya quickly finished the water Mashiro handed her. Looking at Mashiro's gentle smile, a strange thought suddenly popped into her mind: this person...

It wasn't as bad as she had imagined.

While Tayuya continued eating, Mashiro gently stroked her hair. Tayuya's hair was a rare natural red, a sight unseen outside of the Uzumaki clan. Mashiro hadn't noticed it much before, but Tayuya was actually very beautiful, a kind of mischievous and cute beauty. She was very thin, yet possessed a faint air of heroism.

"Has Tayuya finished eating? Can you explain in detail now?" Mashiro asked after Tayuya stopped eating.