February 17, 7:00 AM.
On the outskirts of a small town along the eastern border of the Land of Rain, watched by the skeptical and reserved gazes of numerous Akatsuki members, Hyuga Yu walked out of a crude training ground. He merged with the peace delegation organized by Yahiko, setting off on the road toward the central region of the Land of Rain—the designated location for the peace talks with Hanzo.
By now, after several days of cultivation, Hyuga Yu had largely completed his exploration of shrouding his body in cyan chakra, adapting to and entering the Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
At the same time, the passive transformation of his body's Yang Release nature had entered a new phase. The functional strength of various internal organs and tissues had caught up with the speed of cell proliferation, successfully suppressing the wildly multiplying cells. This managed to establish a relatively normal circulatory system, maintaining his bodily metrics at a stable level.
At this point, Hyuga Yu's stamina stat had broken through from a 7 to a 9.
If calculated by the eight ninja attributes—excluding his Tenseigan-side abilities, Byakugan ocular jutsu, and the massive boost from a fully stacked Wind Release: Ryūgō system—Hyuga Yu's base stats stood at:
Ninjutsu: 10, Taijutsu: 7, Genjutsu: 6, Intelligence: 9, Strength: 8, Speed: 8, Stamina: 9, Hand Signs: 10.
Among these, aside from the achievements made in developing his ninjutsu system, the stats for Strength, Speed, and Taijutsu required absolutely no sweat or hard work; they were pure numerical increases brought about entirely by passive enhancements.
His total score was 67 points.
This was only one point lower than the elderly Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, at the start of the original story, and probably about 3 to 4 points lower than the "God of Shinobi" Third Hokage in this current era.
In terms of raw numbers alone, this already far exceeded a conventional Jonin, and even surpassed the vast majority of elite Jonin, reaching a level capable of competing as a candidate for the title of Kage.
However, for Hyuga Yu, this was still far from enough.
After reaching this tier, subsequent improvements would become incredibly difficult. Mastering conventional ninjutsu could no longer provide much of a boost for Hyuga Yu. Only his taijutsu training still had room for growth. The Eight Inner Gates and the Hyūga Gentle Fist system—which had been shelved early on to quickly raise his combat effectiveness—needed to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
Hyuga Yu estimated the time investment and the expected results for his subsequent training, concluding that fully mastering the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist style and developing the Eight Inner Gates—with self-refinements via medical ninjutsu—to the Seventh Gate would take approximately three years.
This was slow, painstaking work that could not be rushed.
Once he completely mastered both, Hyuga Yu's base stats would surpass the Third Hokage, making him the number one shinobi in the world.
Beyond that, the only directions left for Hyuga Yu to choose would be: first, developing the Hyūga Gentle Fist to recreate the Hyūga clan's [Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack].
Second, practicing and mastering the nature transformations of other elemental ninjutsu to unlock the remaining four forms of the Caged Bird chakra.
However, these two options would merely broaden Hyuga Yu's tactical options against enemies; they could not fundamentally elevate his ultimate combat capacity.
If he wanted to fundamentally transcend human limits, reach a non-human tier, and even... catch a glimpse of the Six Paths realm—Hyuga Yu pondered for a moment, and a clear direction soon formed in his mind.
First, he had to establish the absolute top biochemical laboratory in the entire shinobi world, recruiting numerous scientific research talents to push forward the complete development of Yang Release nature transformation, as well as launching deep-level research projects for the remaining six elemental natures.
Second, he needed to supplement his bloodline defects, purify his Hyūga lineage, and trace back the power of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, allowing the Byakugan to combine with the Ōtsutsuki bloodline to fuse into a true Tenseigan.
This required a large number of top experts in the field of gene fusion to form a think tank for him. Hyuga Yu quickly thought of Hiruko, whom he had beaten half to death more than half a month ago. He wondered which remote corner of the world the man was hiding in right now.
Next would be... Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Leaving aside Orochimaru, who was universally known as the top scientist in the shinobi world, Tsunade's research capabilities could not be underestimated either. In the years following the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War [Translator Note: Referring to the future timeline context Yu possesses], Konoha, under her leadership, used Hashirama cells to develop standard medical methods capable of regenerating severed limbs.
In the field of biochemical medicine alone, she would be a massive help.
In addition, Director Yajima of the Kirigakure Medical Department, though weaker in pure research capabilities, had a synergy with Hyuga Yu that was undeniably as smooth as silk. He was another top-tier research workhorse.
Then, besides the shinobi Hyuga Yu had already interacted with, there was also Sasori of the Red Sand, the genius puppeteer who had already defected from his village by this time. Without a doubt, he was a top-tier expert in mechanical dynamics.
Shinno, the leader of the Sky Ninja Village, who wielded aircraft carriers, frigates, and even a flying fortress, and mastered the Body Activation technique.
In the Land of Snow, the top energy engineer, Anker, who developed the massive geothermal generator capable of altering an entire nation's climate, the "Rainbow Ice Wall."
Thinking about it this way, there were actually quite a few top scientists in the shinobi world. It was just that each of them was inexplicably fighting back and forth with barbaric ninjas who only knew how to brawl, deeply entangled in the vortex of power and conflict, completely unable to unleash the immense potential they were meant to possess...
At this thought, Hyuga Yu instantly felt a profound sense of pity, wishing he could immediately fly in front of these top talents, throw sacks over their heads, and pack them all away.
But soon, Hyuga Yu realized a problem. Recruiting talent wasn't difficult for him at this point. As long as he activated his Tenseigan Chakra Mode and had a "nice chat" with these geniuses, surely every single one of them would become completely obedient to him, right?
However, even after gathering a massive pool of talent, how would they begin their research?
The problem quickly came full circle—Hyuga Yu needed the single finest research institute in the shinobi world.
In fact, just a research institute wouldn't be enough. If he wanted to guarantee uninterrupted, continuous scientific output, Hyuga Yu would also need to establish a massive talent cultivation system built upon the foundation of these geniuses.
Building such a system required the shinobi of the Five Great Nations and numerous smaller countries to put aside their past grievances, cooperate fully, and piece by piece, construct this tower of technology together.
And to achieve this, what was needed was a stable, peaceful geopolitical environment, and—money!
Massive amounts of money!
No matter how much, it would never be enough to fill this bottomless research pit. We were talking about astronomical sums of money measured in hundreds of millions, billions, tens of billions, hundreds of billions, and trillions of ryo!
In the end, all this money would transform into tangible, visible power that would directly manifest upon Hyuga Yu himself!
But the problem was—
Hyuga Yu rummaged through his pockets, pulled out the bankbook he carried with him, and opened it:
[ -800,000 ryo ]
A glaring negative number and a long list of repayment slips below it filled his vision.
Not only did Hyuga Yu have no money, but he currently owed the bank 800,000 ryo. Counting the time, he hadn't repaid his loan for over three months, and the apartment left behind by his parents was fast approaching foreclosure...
The 200 million ryo in operational funds he had requested from Danzo when executing the Kirigakure Collapse mission still hadn't been transferred to his account yet!
Damn it!
At this thought—smack!
Hyuga Yu furiously slammed the bankbook onto the ground!
"This won't do. Continuing to train down the line will require money. I need to get money!"
Hyuga Yu raised his head, a flash of urgency striking his eyes, like a stone cast into a mirror-like, tranquil lake, sending ripples cascading outward.
Even he didn't know why his usually calm self would suddenly experience such a massive emotional surge at this moment.
Perhaps it was the immense psychological pressure left on Hyuga Yu by that ultimate creature of the Ōtsutsuki clan drifting through the starry skies, or perhaps it was...
Feeling the blood inside his body—which, compared to its usual baseline, had begun to boil and surge at some unknown point—Hyuga Yu furrowed his brows slightly.
He suddenly had an inexplicable premonition. It felt as though something dangerous was about to happen very soon!
And he... even though he had already made it this far, still lacked the capability to cope with danger of that caliber!
At this moment, Yahiko, who was walking in the middle of the peace talks delegation, caught sight of Hyuga Yu's sudden, unusual behavior with his sharp eyes. He immediately walked over alongside Nagato and Konan. "Tennin, what's wrong?"
Hearing this concerned inquiry, Hyuga Yu, whose mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of making money, subconsciously replied, "Shin, bring me paper and a pen!"
Hyuga Yu had a habit: whenever a new idea struck, he liked to record it with a pen and paper to avoid forgetting it.
"Huh? What paper and pen?"
Yahiko scratched his head in confusion. Behind him, Konan and Nagato glanced at each other, equally bewildered.
"Shin isn't here..." Hyuga Yu finally snapped out of it and raised his head to look at the three before him. Shin—who was usually taciturn and followed closely behind him, always ready to provide paper and a notebook to record his thoughts—should be lagging behind this group with Terai, Yamato, and the others right now. This sudden realization made Hyuga Yu feel a bit out of place.
"Right, Konan, you use Paper Ninjutsu, don't you?"
Hyuga Yu turned his gaze to Konan. "Can you make a notebook for me?"
"No problem."
Although Konan didn't know what Hyuga Yu was suddenly up to, she nodded curiously and raised her hand slightly. Sheets of blank white paper quickly fluttered up and gathered in her hand, binding themselves into a white-covered notebook.
Hyuga Yu took the notebook and looked back at Yahiko. "Yahiko, help me find a pen. You're going to sign a peace treaty; you wouldn't have forgotten to bring one, right?"
Yahiko blinked, stunned. "I mean, I brought one, but as for signing a treaty... nothing is set in stone yet..."
"It doesn't matter. From this moment on, you are the leader of the Land of Rain."
Hyuga Yu gave a casual promise, then stared at him and urged, "Hurry up and get me a pen!"
Looking at Hyuga Yu, who was oddly stubborn about finding a pen, Yahiko felt utterly speechless.
It was as if to Hyuga Yu, the upcoming, peril-laden peace talks were merely a trivial matter—perhaps not even as important as getting a pen.
Yahiko quickly retrieved a pen from an Amegakure ninja carrying supplies and handed it to Hyuga Yu.
Upon receiving the pen and paper set, Hyuga Yu decisively wrote down a title in the notebook: 1,000,000,000.
Following that, Hyuga Yu began to ponder how he could secure ten "small goals" in the shortest amount of time possible.
Right then, he recalled the intelligence that Terai had delivered on the 15th—three days ago—which had been gathered by Nonou Yakushi: to eliminate the leaders of Akatsuki and Hyuga Yu at the peace talks venue, Iwagakure had secretly escorted a massive cache of war supplies into the Land of Rain.
At this thought, Hyuga Yu lightly raised his hand to note this piece of intel down in his notebook. He then pinched his chin, deep in thought, as a cold glint flickered across his pristine white eyes.
He immediately set his pen to paper, rapidly calculating the potential envoys that Iwagakure and Hanzo might deploy, their combat strength, and the estimated value of the various supplies. Soon, by cross-referencing Terai's prior intel and mapping out connections in his notebook, Hyuga Yu circled the highest-value individual out of hundreds of names: Kitsuchi, the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
Excellent, Kitsuchi-san, you're the one!
Just wait for your old man to bring the ransom money!
On the other side—
"Achoo!"
At that moment, at the site of the peace talks, Kitsuchi—serving as the supreme commander of "Operation Owl Hunt"—sneezed loudly. "Strange. Could the old man be scolding me again?!"
Kitsuchi furrowed his brows and sniffled.
Right beside Kitsuchi, Rōshi looked over in surprise, asking in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, young master, are you alright?"
"The weather in the Land of Rain is bizarre; it never stops raining. It might just be a mild cold."
Kitsuchi shook his head and turned his gaze downward.
Below them lay a canyon area, which was the final location selected by Hanzo for the peace talks.
By exploiting blind spots, they could station a massive number of troops in ambush along the upper and lower ridges of the canyon. The only problem was that the Akatsuki side was bringing Tennin along, and since Tennin was a member of the Hyūga clan equipped with the Byakugan, it was highly probable he would spot their ambush ahead of time and retreat with his people.
Kitsuchi turned his head toward his deputy standing behind him, who was currently commanding a group of elite shinobi deployed from Iwagakure Village—the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han.
To Kitsuchi, compared to Rōshi, the taciturn Han—who was accustomed to shouldering every burden—was clearly far better suited to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities.
"Han, is there any issue with the cliffside barrier?"
"No issues. We constructed it to blend seamlessly with the local environment, utilizing the terrain to suppress chakra fluctuations to the absolute minimum. Even the Byakugan shouldn't be able to see through it. Furthermore, no one would ever suspect that we have hidden such a large force here."
Kitsuchi stared down at the canyon floor—at a section of the "ground" that was entirely comprised of paper bombs camouflaged to look like regular soil. His eyes flickered slightly as he continued to ask, "And down below, what about the paper bomb array Hanzo requested?"
"It has been laid out according to his specifications. And indeed, he truly deserves the title of 'Demigod'! His paper bomb formation... is incredibly potent. Even our sensory ninja couldn't detect that the area is completely packed with paper bombs."
"Very good."
"This force will be more than enough to pin down Akatsuki's three leaders and the personnel they brought with them."
Kitsuchi nodded, his gaze hardening. With a solemn expression, he turned around to face the Iwagakure shinobi unit behind him—numbering over five hundred strong—as well as the two powerhouses standing at the vanguard: the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han!
"Next up is our core operational plan for this mission—"
"Operation Owl Hunt!"
"Our objective: execute Tennin!"
"The Akatsuki negotiation team, along with Tennin, is expected to arrive in four hours. I will isolate the battlefield immediately upon their arrival, utilizing the canyon's geography to create optimal conditions to divide and conquer them!"
"Furthermore, I have already set up a jutsu specifically capable of suppressing Tennin's terrifying Wind Release!"
"And according to our intelligence—"
"Aside from conventional S-rank Wind Release, Tennin also masters an S-rank Wind Release Nintaijutsu that is comparable to Kumogakure's secret Lightning Style Chakra Mode. This Nintaijutsu can absorb a massive amount of... well, counter-force from an opponent's attacks, further boosting Tennin's physical capabilities."
"Therefore,"
"Our strategy is to break this technique before Tennin can absorb enough force to elevate his physical combat capabilities to a Tailed Beast level!"
"We will strike with the hottest spear for a fatal, single-hit kill, granting him absolutely no opportunity to stack his buffs!"
"Otherwise... things will become quite troublesome."
At this point, Kitsuchi turned his head, looking seriously at the red-haired, bearded powerhouse clad in ascetic robes behind him. "Rōshi, are you ready?"
Rōshi scoffed, the corners of his mouth curling into a sneer as a look of disdain flashed in his eyes. "Rest easy. Do you think I've spent the last thirty years twiddling my thumbs?"
"The opponent is nothing more than a fourteen-year-old brat chasing empty fame!"
"As for me... a single strike is all it will take to send him running home to his mommy crying! Just like Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze!"
Kitsuchi immediately furrowed his brows and corrected him sternly, "Wrong!"
"We aren't trying to make him cry, nor are we trying to send him running home to his mother!"
"We are going to kill him! We want his head!"
"On the underground black market, even a dead Tennin is worth 100 million ryo!"
"This money is incredibly important to our village!"
Kitsuchi took a deep breath and turned around, checking all the preparations one final time. Finding no errors or omissions, a look of grim determination flashed in his eyes. He barked out a low command to the five hundred elite Iwagakure shinobi behind him: "That is all,"
"Operation, begin!"
"Disperse!"
————
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