Two Choices

Chapter 31 Two Choices

Days passed by in Amegakure.

Hyuga Yuto is doing well. It's the beginning of Konoha Year 48. The Amegakure trio are still good people, and the Akatsuki organization is an organization with the vision of world peace. Living here, apart from the trouble of clothes not drying naturally after washing, is surprisingly comfortable.

Having stayed in Amegakure for nearly a month, Hyuga Yuto had gotten used to the continuous rain and even thought that rainy days were alright, at least they were cool.

On this day, he finished his arduous cultivation and returned to his room.

The room wasn't large, but it had a quiet floral fragrance. The seeds that Asano Kaoru sent were excellent; I don't know how they were made, but the fragrance lingered. Lying in bed, I felt a refreshing sense of being in the wilderness.

Hyuga Yuto's appearance has changed since he first arrived. His hands and arms are wrapped in bandages, and if the bandages are removed, you can see dense, unhealed scars on his skin.

—The Lion's Tooth Bites Through is basically complete.

Based on Hyuga Yuto's understanding of chakra and Gentle Fist, and with guidance from Namikaze Minato and further research by Uzumaki Nagato, this technique has incorporated ideas from various ninjutsu. While its power has increased significantly, it has also caused harm to the user's body.

Now, Tsunade must make the final improvements to reduce or even eliminate the backlash against the caster before the technique can be considered completely complete.

Without a doubt, this technique is a genuine S-rank in terms of both "power" and "difficulty of mastery"!

This trip to the Land of Rain was more fruitful than expected. Hyuga Yuto originally intended to use the heads to continue building his base, but unexpectedly gained the opportunity to complete the Lion's Fang Bite.

Just as he lay down on the bed, a strange feeling suddenly came over him.

Hyuga Yuto squinted, sat up straight, frowned at his bandaged hands, smiled helplessly, and could only bite his tongue to use the blood from his tongue to perform a summoning jutsu.

Bang! A large cloud of smoke dissipated, revealing the slug.

"Yuto-kun... Hey! What happened to your hand?"

"It's nothing, just a side effect of training. With proper rest, it'll be fine," Hyuga Yuto said respectfully.

"Lord Slug, is there any news about Lord Jiraiya?"

"I've got it! He asked Tsunade to relay a message... [Hahaha! Those three kids have really made something of themselves! You can entrust their letters to me with peace of mind!] That's what Jiraiya said."

"Thank you very much, Slug-sama."

"Wait a minute." The slug's gentle voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"Tsunade said that you've been away for a month and a half, and she's almost forgotten that she has a male disciple."

"...Uh." Hyuga Yuto scratched his head, looking apologetic.

"I'm so sorry, Master... I was so engrossed in developing my ninjutsu that I lost track of time. I'll be back soon, with a letter for Lord Jiraiya." As he spoke, he pulled a small box from under the bed.

"These are some trinkets I collected in Amegakure. I hope you like them, teacher. They're all good things to carry around... because they can be exchanged for a lot of money if necessary." He emphasized the last few words.

"Yuto, you are such a filial and good child." The slug praised sincerely, swallowed the valuable little box into its body, and disappeared with a "poof".

Inside the room, Hyuga Yuto rubbed his shoulders, got up, took off his turtleneck coat, changed into Konoha-style ninja attire, and then walked out of the room.

He was already quite familiar with the base, and soon he arrived outside Yahiko's house.

After knocking and receiving a response, Hinata Yuto pushed the door open and entered.

The moment he stepped inside, the boy's heart skipped a beat.

As a traitor to Konoha, Hyuga Yuto required himself to be constantly alert, and the moment he entered the room, he sensed that something was wrong.

Yahiko and Konan's faces were so dark they seemed to be dripping with water, and Nagato was no longer as calm as before; he now resembled a tsunami about to erupt.

"It's Yuto-kun." Yahiko forced a smile.

"What's the matter?"

"Lord Jiraiya replied to me. He and you do indeed have a deep connection. I can take that letter with me."

"This is one of the few good things that happened today," Yahiko sighed softly.

"Nagato, could you please give that letter to Yuto-kun in a little while?"

Hinata Yuto blinked:

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. I've been here for almost a month now. Since Lord Jiraiya has given me permission to carry letters, I should say goodbye..."

"No need to rush." ​​Nagato suddenly spoke up. He and Yuto Hyuga had been getting along well lately, and their words had become more intimate.

"Yuto, your technique is still lacking something. I'm thinking of perfecting it. Give me one or two days to finish it before you leave."

Hyuga Yuto thought for a moment and agreed. He knew the three of them must have something to talk about, so he yawned and left the house.

The atmosphere in the room froze again.

After a long silence, Yahiko said softly:

"Konan, bring Takeda Seigen over here."

The paper crane flew out, and not long after, the door was pushed open again.

"Leader." Takeda Seigen stood respectfully.

Yahiko's expression was somewhat dazed. This subordinate had always been his most capable, always at the forefront of battle, sincere, and responsible... How many troubles had he solved for him since the Akatsuki was founded? When thunderstorms occurred, Seigen's head would throb with unbearable pain—a hidden wound left from when he shielded Yahiko from a knife attack years ago...

The handsome and bold young man felt a pang of pity, closed his eyes, and didn't know what to say.

Konan was more decisive; seeing Yahiko hesitate, she steeled herself and said directly:

"Shiyuan, the spy who leaked your route a month ago has been identified... It's Asano Kaoru, she's from Konoha."

Takeda Seigen's breath hitched, as if struck by lightning.

Xiao Nan sighed:

"For the past month, I've secretly investigated many places, worked closely with Yahiko in clandestine operations, and after multiple rounds of probing, I finally confirmed it was Asano Kaoru. Seigen, I know you feel about her..." Konan paused, but still revealed everything she knew:

"Asano Kaoru is now the person you trust the most, and you have a very close relationship... Your subordinates are practically her subordinates."

"And more importantly, I accidentally intercepted a message: Shi Yuan, an assassination attempt against you is about to begin. If you die in the assassination, Asano Kaoru will take your place. This is too dangerous."

"We must strike first to gain the upper hand; the source of momentum..."

"Impossible." After a long silence, Takeda Seigen suddenly spoke, uttering only a few words before standing speechless again.

What's impossible? Asano Kaoru couldn't be a spy? Or Asano Kaoru... couldn't possibly have really killed you?

Thinking this, Konan looked at Yahiko.

Ultimately, it is up to Yahiko to decide what to do.

"...You can handle it yourself. As long as it doesn't harm the organization, I'll approve of your actions," Yahiko said softly, making the greatest possible concession after careful consideration.

"Either we banish Asano Kaoru from the Land of Rain, or we kill her. There is no third option."

"I'm sorry, Seigen, say goodbye to Asano Kaoru properly..."

"But remember, don't be soft-hearted; after all, she's the woman who wants to kill you."

(End of this chapter)