XX-level Hokage

Looks like I need to move to a bigger house.

Yugito did not doubt Mashiro's words. In her mind, such matters required consultation with the village's higher-ups. Soon, Mashiro took Yugito out of the prison. Although the seal was removed, the sealing technique on Yugito's body remained.

Looking around Konoha Village with curiosity, this was Yugito's first time visiting the village. "It's as prosperous as the rumors say," Yugito remarked.

Compared to the other four ninja villages, Konoha's climate and environment are incredibly suitable for living. "Want to eat something?" Mashiro asked, her hands behind her back.

"Anything is fine." Yu Muren has no particular requirements for food. When she was in Yunhu, in order to gain the villagers' approval, she cultivated and carried out missions almost frantically, and had no high requirements for food, clothing, shelter and transportation.

“Let’s go eat hot pot then,” Mashiro said.

Yugito hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She had never eaten stew before, because it took too long. Passing by an ice cream shop, Mashiro suddenly remembered something and smiled at Yugito, saying, "Wait for me here."

Then Mashiro went into the ice cream shop. After a while, Mashiro came out carrying a bag, took out a cream puff from the bag, and held it to Yugito's lips: "Ah~"

Yugito looked at the strange thing in front of her. She had never seen such food before, but Mashiro had already handed it to her, so Yugito opened her mouth and ate it.

Sweet and smooth, with a rich milky aroma. "Do you like it?" Mashiro asked with a smile.

After a struggle within himself, Yukito finally spoke, "It's alright."

"I thought someone like Yugito wouldn't like sweets. Since it's alright, there are some more in this bag. You can take them back and eat them in jail." Mashiro handed the bag to Yugito.

Yugito obediently and cleverly accepted the bag. [Yugito's affection level +10]

Mashiro wasn't surprised by the result; most women love sweets, and it's understandable that someone like Yugito, who had a difficult childhood, would have a fondness for them.

The degree is even higher. When she was in the Cloud Ninja, she might not have shown a love for sweets because she needed to conform to her status.

But things are different now. In a sense, she is Qi Bai's slave. She doesn't need to hide anything from Qi Bai, so when a delicious treat she has never tasted before comes to her, she doesn't resist it.

Soon, the two of them went to a restaurant. After finishing their hot pot, Mashiro learned that Yugito disliked two kinds of food: spicy and hot. After finishing their meal, Mashiro sent Yugito back to prison and then left.

In the cell, Yukito looked at the desserts in the bag, took out a cream puff, and popped it into her mouth. "It's really delicious."

Meanwhile, Mashiro returned to her room.

Perhaps because she was caught running away by Mashiro yesterday, Tehan was cleaning the house. She had been cleaning all day. Although Mashiro allowed her to go out freely, she still felt inexplicably guilty.

Tayuya was still lying on the sofa watching TV; she had never watched TV when she lived in Otogakure.

Seeing Mashiro return, Tehan cleaned even more diligently, while Tayuya quickly stood up and sat upright on the sofa.

“Tayuya, come on, I’ll take you shopping,” Mashiro said to Tayuya. The feather duster in her hand fell to the ground with a “clatter.”

Tayuya remembered that Mashiro had mentioned this yesterday, so she turned off the TV and went to Mashiro's side. Mashiro led Tayuya out of the Hyuga clan's territory and to the nearest shopping street. "Does Tayuya like shopping?" Mashiro asked.

Tayuya shook her head, looking at the dazzling street, she didn't know what to do. (Author's Note)

I want to eat cream puffs

Chapter 72: A New Member of Akatsuki

"Has Tayu never been shopping before?" Mashiro asked. Tayu shook her head.

“It just so happens that I don’t know how to go shopping either, so let’s look around together.” Mashiro said with a smile, holding Tayuya’s hand.

The two ate snacks together, listened to the vendors' coughs and shouts, and watched the laughing crowd. In the lamplight and twilight, an incomparably relaxed and free feeling arose spontaneously. Tayuya seemed to understand why Temari liked to go shopping so much.

[Tayuya's favorability +5]

“Tayuya seems to always wear the same clothes. Let’s go buy you some new clothes.” Mashiro said, pulling Tayuya to Yunzhi’s house. Looking at the various beautiful clothes in the store, Tayuya was a little overwhelmed.

"Let me see which one I should try on first, this one." Mashiro picked out a white dress with a pale yellow floral print and handed it to Tayuya. Tayuya took the dress, feeling a little embarrassed, but under Mashiro's urging, she went into the fitting room to change.

After changing into a dress, Tayuya pushed open the fitting room curtain. "It's beautiful," Mashiro praised.

Upon hearing Mashiro's praise, Tayuya's face inexplicably flushed.

"Take this outfit and let her take care of it." Mashiro said, handing Tayuya a piece of clothing.

Immediately afterwards, Mashiro handed Tayuya one outfit after another, which Tayuya obediently tried on. She was completely unaware that the clothes Mashiro was handing her were getting stranger and stranger: maid outfits, school uniforms, nurse uniforms, cat-ear outfits...

Tayuya seemed to be immersed in that wonderful atmosphere.

When they came out of Yunzhi's house, Tayuya was already carrying many gift bags, all of which were clothes that Mashiro had picked out for her that looked good on her—or at least, clothes that Mashiro thought looked good.

Mashiro led Tayuya to the front of the Hyuga residence, then suddenly turned around and patted Tayuya's head before taking out a gift box from her sleeve.

"Today is your birthday, this is a birthday present for you," Mashiro said softly. Birthday? Even Tayuya herself had forgotten that today was actually her birthday.

Tayuya looked at the gift box in her hands with a complicated expression; this was the first time she had received a birthday present. Mashiro took the gift bag from Tayuya and said with a smile, "Open it and see."

Tayuya nodded, gently opened it, revealing what was inside: a purple flute.

“This flute is one I’ve had people search for for a long time. Purple bamboo is very rare in the ninja world now, and few people use it to make bamboo. I really like this rare thing, and I hope you will like it too,” Mashiro said softly.

Tayuya picked up the flute with a slight tremor and said expressionlessly, "Why did you give me this? I'm clearly just a loser. Someone like me doesn't deserve to receive a birthday present."

Mashiro suppressed her thoughts, her expression suddenly turning serious. She flicked Tayuya's forehead and said calmly, "Everyone is unique, and the birth of every life is worth celebrating. Not just you and me, but also the civilians who need protection, and the low-level ninjas who die like cannon fodder. Their births are all worth celebrating. Life is meaningless without it. So, happy birthday, Tayuya."

Tayuya suddenly grabbed Mashiro's collar, pulled her taut, and their lips met. [Tayuya's affection +20, reward: Music Mastery]

Fang Fen thanks, my master. Tayu also looked at Mashiro in the moonlight, her red hair incredibly vibrant. Meanwhile, in Amegakure...

Deep within the Tower of God, Obito appeared before Nagato.

"Is there something you need, Madara?" Nagato asked, looking at Obito.

"Nagato, I heard that Hyuga Mashiro infiltrated Amegakure a few days ago and escaped unscathed from your clutches," Obito said, mimicking Madara's tone. "She took Konan hostage, so I had no choice but to let her go," Nagato said calmly.

"It seems we need to speed up the capture of the Tailed Beasts. Hyuga Mashiro escaped from you, successfully obtaining information that you possess the Rinnegan, and from her..."

"Judging from the fact that we started with Amegakure, Konoha should already have a lot of information, and Akatsuki's existence can no longer be hidden." Obito said coldly.

"Uchiha Madara, don't interfere with God's plans. I will handle the matter of Hyuga Mashiro myself," Nagato said, looking directly at Obito.

God? Obito's eyes held a hint of sarcasm, but remembering the plan ahead, he calmed himself and said in a low voice, "Then I won't say anything more. By the way, Hidan has been dealt with. In order to ensure that the plan to capture the tailed beasts can still proceed quickly, I have brought a new member."

Obito's body began to fade into the background, and then a young man appeared before Nagato. The man had short black hair, fair skin, a handsome face, and a radiant smile.

Looking at Nagato, he smiled and said, "You must be the leader of Akatsuki. My name is Kaguya Shinji, and I'm here to join Akatsuki." Nagato glanced at Shinji, then turned to Obito and asked, "Who is he?"

Obito looked at Shinji and said, "He's an extremely strong ninja. In the current Akatsuki, besides you and me, no one else can defeat him." Nagato, hearing this, didn't say anything more, and calmly said to Shinji, "Welcome to the Akatsuki. From today onwards, you are one of the three leaders of Akatsuki."

The Azure Dragon group will be responsible for the Three-Tailed Beast. I will inform the other members about Ming Guan.

"Thank you, leader." True Self said with a smile, having no objections. Afterwards, Obito led True Self away from the Tower of God.

Soon, Mashiro received news of this new member of Akatsuki.

Kaguya's true self? Could this be another result of world upheavals? Mashiro muttered to himself. Black Zetsu shared some of the confusion with Mashiro.

Ever since Obito brought back Kaguya's true self, Black Zetsu had sensed something was off. Although it had lied to Obito, claiming to be the remnant will of Madara Uchiha, this...

Madara himself believed the lie without a doubt, but no one knew that it was actually the will of the Mother of Chakra, the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths.

For thousands of years, it has orchestrated almost all the wars and chaos in the ninja world, and it knows almost all the powerful ninjas very well.

However, it had no impression of Kaguya Shinwa at all. Not only did it have no impression of her, it also felt that there was an aura about Kaguya Shinwa that it found extremely familiar.

He also asked Obito, who told him that he found Kaguya Shinwa in a valley. At that time, Kaguya Shinwa discovered him in the shadows. After their initial exchange, he realized Kaguya Shinwa's strength and then considered bringing him into the Akatsuki organization.

He explained Akatsuki's philosophy to Kaguya Shinga, who wholeheartedly agreed, and then he brought Kaguya Shinga back with him.

Black Zetsu didn't completely believe Obito's words. It sensed that Obito was hiding something, but it didn't say anything. Pretending to be stupid was the only thing it needed to do as Madara Uchiha's will.

"I'll find out who you are, but it doesn't matter who you are, no one can stop my plan." Black Zetsu emerged from a tree, gazing into the distance.

"Obito and my true self," he muttered to himself, before disappearing into the tree.

Chapter 73: The New House

In her spare time, Mashiro would take some time to observe the Uchiha test subject in the Otogakure laboratory. Just as Kabuto said, the test subject grew incredibly fast. But as the test subject continued to grow, Mashiro gradually discovered a fact that terrified her: the test subject looked very much like Izumi.

Now, several days later, Mashiro, having returned to the lab and looking at the experimental subject in the container, concludes that this is a clone of Izumi.

Her emotions were incredibly complex: panic, shock, and even more so, her lingering rage towards Orochimaru.

Whether by chance or by design, Orochimaru collected a sample of Izumi from the Uchiha cells, and even more coincidentally, the only unexpected element was...

The surviving test subject was created using samples from Uchiha Izumi.

This is Kabuto's explanation to Mashiro.

But what's done is done, and Mashiro can't blame anyone. However, looking at the experimental subject in the container who looks exactly like Izumi, she has some inexplicable feelings. In her previous life, when her conspiracy was exposed, everyone she had deceived and forced left her, and only Izumi stayed by her side.

What exactly were her feelings for Uchiha Izumi? Mashiro herself couldn't explain it. Izumi was the first woman she deceived. After saving Izumi, she pinned all the blame on Itachi, and then half-deceived and half-forced Izumi to stay by her side.

Izumi is a very gentle person. She understands Mashiro's preferences and comforts her when Mashiro's plans fail. She even saved Mashiro's life once. The two of them have spent a long time together, from their childhood to their youth. However, as Mashiro's power has grown, Izumi's strength has become useless. Mashiro has been with many outstanding women since then, but Izumi has only smiled in response.

"It's quite moving; I never expected to see your face in this world again," Mashiro murmured, stroking the container.

Although the changes in the test subject surprised Mashiro somewhat, her mind wasn't on the subject—just an empty shell of Izumi. Mashiro was busy with other plans, such as finding a new house.

While Mashiro was pondering where Yugito should go, she realized that her courtyard within the Hyuga clan was a bit too small, as it was originally meant to accommodate Mashiro alone.

The room was already a bit crowded with Han and Tayu, not to mention the others, so Mashiro planned to move to a bigger house and gather the women she liked or whose affection rewards were extremely important in the house.

So Masami began making her selections in the village.

Within the Hyuga clan? Although Mashiro also wanted to, it was a pity that there wasn't a house that big on the Hyuga clan's land, and building one now would be too slow. The center of Konoha village? Mashiro didn't want her residence to be too crowded.

Other families' territories? Although they might agree due to Mashiro's power and even appear very welcoming, Mashiro still felt something was off.

The back mountain? It's too desolate, and for the same reason as the Hyuga clan's territory, it needs to be built from scratch. So, there are only two places left to choose from: the Senju clan's territory and the Uchiha clan's territory.

The Senju clan now has only Tsunade left, and only Tsunade and Shizune remain in the clan's territory.

After the Uchiha clan was wiped out, only Sasuke remained in Konoha. Although most of the Uchiha clan's territory had been confiscated, it didn't matter, as Mashiro was capable of reclaiming it. However, considering that it was the place where a group of Uchiha clan members had died tragically, she decided against it.

Therefore, there is only one place left to choose from.

Upon arriving at the Hokage's office, Tsunade was busy—or rather, working silently. She was constantly occupied with official business, though most of it was rather unproductive.

"Mashiro, you've finally arrived." Shizune was almost in tears. These past few days, she had been helping Tsunade with various matters, and in her spare time, she had also been tutoring Sakura and Karin. She was busy all day, and her salary hadn't increased.

Mashiro smiled at Shizune, then turned to Tsunade and said, "Tsunade, what do you think about me living near your house?"

"Near my house?" Countless strange thoughts flashed through Tsunade's mind in an instant. "What do you want to do?" Tsunade looked at Mashiro with a cryptic expression.

"Nothing much, just looking for a house in the Senju clan's territory," Mashiro said with a smile. "Tch, I thought..." Tsunade's voice trailed off.

"What do you think?" Masashiro's eyes looked at that captivating cleavage.

"It's nothing. If you want to find a house, just go to the Tsunade clan's land and see which one you like. Just don't forget to pay." Tsunade blushed and tugged at her clothes as she spoke.

"Is there another way to pay?" Mashiro stepped forward and touched Tsunade's face. "It depends on your performance," Tsunade said, looking at Mashiro.