Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 154
🕑 Added 2025-01-23 18:42:48 +0000 UTCAt the northern gate of Konoha, a team of Konoha ninjas waited patiently.
According to the intelligence reports, the delegation from Kumo had already entered the forests surrounding Konoha. They were expected to rest at a nearby temple before formally entering the village through the northern gate.
However, the expressions of the Konoha ninjas were far from welcoming. The reason? A low-ranking head ninja was leading the delegation.
Before the Third Great Ninja War, ninja ranks had been standardized after Konoha's model: genin, chunin, and jonin.
During the war, Konoha introduced the rank of special jonin, which was quickly copied by the other villages.
These individuals were responsible for organizing multiple lower-level ninja squads on the battlefield while receiving directives from their assigned jonin.
This arrangement suited Kumo's philosophy of strength and helped ease the organizational burdens on their jonin during warfare.
By contrast, Konoha's special jonin often operated in specialized units or as independent operatives, frequently transitioning into roles within the ANBU or the Police Force, like the Uchiha clan's elite members.
Yet, at the end of the day, a special jonin was still technically a chunin.
For Kumo to send a chunin-level emissary was, understandably, a sore point for Konoha.
In the shinobi world, the personnel and venue for treaty signings often reflected the relative strength of the two parties. The stronger party dictated terms, often selecting the weaker party's territory for negotiations while choosing a delegate of higher rank to emphasize superiority.
For example, during the last treaty signing with Iwa, Minato had sent Masashi, not just to remind Iwa of Konoha's superiority, but also to extend respect to the elderly Tsuchikage in hopes of fostering goodwill between the villages.
Conversely, in cases where the weaker party initiated negotiations on the stronger party's turf, their delegates needed to be of considerable rank to save face.
This was evident in Kiri's dealings with Konoha: The first delegation included a surviving member of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who carried enough weight. The second visit saw the Mizukage himself traveling to Konoha.
Konoha, adhering to protocol, extended high-level receptions on both occasions.
Yet not all villages were as respectful.
Kumo, in particular, had a reputation for disregarding protocol, earning them criticism even from villages like Kiri during its Bloody Mist era. Even Suna, the perennial underdog among the Five Great Villages, displayed more courtesy than Kumo.
At least Kumo had sent someone from the Yotsuki clan this time, a small consolation. But rank still mattered, and a head ninja was not enough.
While the Konoha ninjas were still fuming over this slight, a figure suddenly appeared before them.
"Masashi-sama!" the team exclaimed in unison upon recognizing him.
"There's no need for you to wait any longer," Masashi said casually, addressing the group. "The Hokage has entrusted me with the task of receiving the Kumo delegation."
"But..." the team leader, a chunin, began hesitantly, seemingly dissatisfied. Masashi initially thought the man was upset about having his task taken over, but instead, the chunin indignantly exclaimed, "How can someone of your stature be sent to receive a mere head ninja?"
Close call! Masashi mentally sighed in relief, grateful for his habit of letting others finish speaking before reacting.
"Ah, don't say that!" He playfully threw an arm around the man's shoulder. "We're all from Konoha here—no need for such formality! Besides, I've got free time. You all work so hard, so take the day off. Tonight, go have some fun, and tell the shops to put it on my tab."
"But..." The team leader's face flushed with embarrassment. "That's too generous of you."
All right, you can stop pretending now, or I might revoke the offer, Masashi thought wryly.
"Don't worry about it. I have a monthly quota for this kind of thing. Might as well use it!"
"Then... we'll gladly accept!"
"Exactly, that's the spirit!"
After a round of hearty banter, Masashi gave the team the rest of the day off and inquired about the Kumo delegation's whereabouts before heading out.
A temple, huh? Nice and quiet.
Masashi recalled that the temple was no longer in use, serving merely as a waypoint for travelers entering Konoha.
There had been recent discussions in the village about demolishing such old structures to build proper inns or taverns. This could save on demolition costs and possibly even extract some funds from Kumo in the process.
Humming to himself, he made his way to the temple, choosing to walk instead of using the Flying Thunder God. He wanted to surprise the Kumo emissaries.
---
In a decrepit temple in the northern forests of Konoha, the so-called Kumo delegation rested, replenishing their supplies of food and water.
The lead emissary, a Kumo jonin, sat silently on the temple steps, eating.
This was no head ninja but a full-fledged jonin.
Fully aware of the perilous nature of this mission, the original plan had been to send a head ninja. However, the selected head ninja was deemed unfit for the task's new requirements and was demoted to the role of deputy emissary—a backup tool in the broader scheme.
The role of lead emissary was instead taken up by a jonin of the Yotsuki clan who had volunteered himself.
His name was Matsu.
As the original rulers of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, the Yotsuki clan had been the first to ally with the First Raikage, ceding their lands to establish Kumo.
Though they had never held the Raikage title, they had long been the Raikage's closest allies and the premier bloodline clan of the village, famous for their mastery of Storm Release.
Over time, the Yotsuki and Raikage clans had become so mixed through intermarriage that distinguishing them was nearly impossible. Even Masashi, who had dealt with the Yotsuki clan members in the past, could no longer differentiate the two.
This closeness also meant the Yotsuki clan fully supported the Raikage's decisions, especially since the next Raikage was likely to be Darui—a Yotsuki clan member.
At just 13 years old, he was already a chunin and had inherited the clan's signature Storm Release.
"Captain," a Kumo ninja suddenly spoke, "someone is approaching."
"Is it a Konoha ninja?" Matsu asked.
"Not sure yet," the sensor ninja replied. "But their chakra is immense—at Kage level!"
The sensor ninja, a rare breed in the shinobi world, looked visibly unsettled. The chakra he sensed was so overwhelming that everyone present, save for Matsu, would be utterly insignificant before the approaching figure.
Even he might need to flee. The difference in chakra was that vast.
"Tell everyone to be prepared," he ordered, setting down his food. "This is Konoha's territory, so it's undoubtedly one of their elites. Stay calm, and you'll be fine."
---
In the forests surrounding Konoha, stepping off the main road caused the light to dim significantly.
During the day, it was tolerable. At night, it became eerily sinister.
This forest had existed for an exceedingly long time. Compared to the first timeline, not much had changed aside from the addition of a few paths.
The once-proud Senju clan had lived here.
It was in this forest that Itama met his end.
The Uchiha ninja who killed him was later taken down by Tobirama and Muzo.
This forest bore witness to countless grievances between the Senju and Uchiha clans. Even their ultimate reconciliation occurred here.
But the peace wasn't born out of mutual understanding. It was simply because both sides grew tired of killing. Neither the victors nor the defeated wanted to continue, realizing that surviving one day didn't guarantee living through the next.
At that point, the ninjas of both clans had one common thought: "I just want an easy win; I'm tired of evenly matched battles."
Even Madara himself was worn out. If it weren't for the death of Izuna, he wouldn't have had the will to keep fighting.
Unlike other Uchiha, he had lost interest even in easy victories. He didn't want to fight anymore. All he wanted was to find a wife for his brother and fulfill his paternal instincts.
Then, he imagined himself lounging on a recliner, basking in the sun, with his brother's kids calling him "Uncle." The thought brought a rare smile to his face.
This was the ultimate dream of the most stubborn man in the ninja world—Madara.
And no, this wasn't something Masashi made up.
He had personally heard Madara tell this to Hashirama. At the time, Masashi and Kai were sparring nearby, both eavesdropping.
Don't think they were slacking off... But toward the end of the Senju-Uchiha battles, slacking had become commonplace.
After Izuna's death, Madara's only remaining support was the dream he had once shared with Hashirama during their childhood.
As for that dream, both the former Muzo and the current Masashi had their opinions.
Trees whisked past as he sped through the forest, heading toward the temple.
By now, the sky had darkened.
When he left the prison, the sun was already setting. Now, the last rays of light had disappeared, and the night wind rustled the treetops, making the shadows dance like sinister creatures.
In his original life, Masashi would have avoided such a spooky place at all costs.
But after the first life in the shinobi world, he didn't fear ghosts anymore. In fact, he feared they wouldn't show up.
Activating his Sharingan, the chakra world unfolded before his eyes.
In this world, all living things possessed chakra. Those who couldn't manipulate it—ordinary people, animals, and plants—simply lacked the ability to mold it, making it seem as if they didn't have it at all.
The Sage of Six Paths' greatest contribution to this world wasn't his moving tales of brotherhood or his natural possession of chakra that he spread around. It was his discovery of how to mold chakra by combining physical and spiritual energies.
Before the Sage, chakra referred solely to the power of the Divine Tree.
After the Sage, chakra became a general energy system. Regardless of whether one inherited the Divine Tree's power, anyone with physical and spiritual energy—and talent—could mold and use this energy called chakra.
This marked the beginning of the chakra era.
The descendants of the Sage were especially powerful because their chakra was unique. They inherited a part of the Divine Tree's power.
This power manifested in special abilities or unique physiques.
Today, the closest accessible power to the Divine Tree was that of the tailed beasts.
Masashi had been preparing for this for a long time.
The chakra of the Two-Tails was only the beginning.
Next up: the Eight-Tails.
Finally, the temple's silhouette came into view—along with over a dozen chakra signatures.
In his view, one chakra presence stood out, surpassing the typical threshold. This was the mark of a true jonin.
Wasn't the envoy supposed to be just a low-level messenger?
It didn't matter. It wouldn't affect his plans.
He quickened his pace, and the dozen chakra signatures grew more prominent, though their colors remained unchanged.
"Who is there?!" a voice called from the darkness. "We are—"
Before the speaker could finish, Masashi had already infiltrated their makeshift camp.
The sound of kunai and shuriken slicing through the air echoed.
"Stay alert!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Stand down!"
The camp descended into chaos.
Konoha's forest at night was indeed effective at creating an ominous atmosphere. But the chaos was mainly due to Masashi's sudden and aggressive approach.
For ninjas, distrusting strangers was instinctive.
The first reaction to an unfamiliar presence was to grab a weapon.
Only those supremely confident in their strength might instead prepare chakra or covertly form hand signs, ready to strike at any moment.
As for the incoming weapons, he paid them no mind. He activated his Sharingan and formed a white chakra cloak, effortlessly deflecting the shuriken aimed at him. With a light leap, he landed on the temple's rooftop.
Below him were over a dozen Kumo ninjas. Some were still mid-throw, while others hesitated.
A Kumo jonin barked an order, halting their actions.
Standing on the rooftop, Masashi gazed down, meeting the jonin's eyes.
The jonin, Matsu, recognized him immediately.
That iconic Sharingan, combined with the technique and age of the individual, confirmed his identity.
Not to mention, the face matched the photos from their intelligence reports.
From Masashi's actions, Matsu was certain the man knew they were Kumo envoys. His sudden appearance and deliberate provocation of their reflexive hostility made it clear he wasn't here for a friendly chat.
Hopefully, this was just a warning.
"Masashi." Matsu stepped forward, tilting his head back to address him. "I am Yotsuki Matsu. We are envoys from Kumo, here to negotiate an alliance with Konoha."
Masashi remained silent, his crimson Sharingan scanning the Kumo ninjas.
One by one, they lowered their gazes, avoiding his eyes.
"Kumo?" Masashi finally spoke. "That doesn't seem right."
The Kumo ninjas collectively looked up sharply, while Matsu felt a sinking sensation in his chest.
"Surely you jest."
"I never joke with enemies." Masashi pulled a crumpled document from his pocket. The Kumo ninjas immediately recognized it as one of their official letters, now dirt-stained and wrinkled.
The fact that the infamous White Ghost was treating it so casually fueled their anger. But they held it in.
They couldn't win here—and fighting was absolutely not an option.
Personal honor was a small matter. Ruining the village's plans was a sin too grave to bear.
"Let me take a look." Masashi leisurely flattened the document. "It says here that the Kumo envoy is led by a head ninja. And you think such a person is fit to negotiate peace with Konoha?"
He casually tossed the document to Matsu.
"A head ninja would never reach the rank of jonin." Masashi's gaze bore into him. "So it's rather curious that someone of your level is here."
Matsu caught the document.
"This is a misunderstanding," he replied calmly. "The village recognized an oversight after the document was issued, so a new one was prepared. We have it with us and can verify its authenticity."
"That's irrelevant," Masashi said with a faint smile. "Documents are man-made. Forgeries can appear authentic. Without the Raikage present, there's no way to confirm anything. You said your surname is Yotsuki?"
The name piqued his interest.
On closer inspection, Matsu's blond hair and fair skin matched the Yotsuki clan he remembered.
"Yes."
"Documents can be falsified, but the bloodline limit of the Yotsuki clan cannot. Prove your identity with your power."
