Tsunade flipped through the file in her hands.
Even with many details concealed—her entire shinobi career reduced to only a few lines—one could still glimpse that Yakushi Nonō, known as the "Wandering Miko," truly had been an exceptionally outstanding spy-nin.
"So that poison shipment from back before the war with the Land of Wind… it was Nonō who delivered it. I still remember Chiyo's shocked face when we produced the antidote."
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a stream of smoke, sounding half like a sigh. "But that merit can only be buried in darkness, never known by the public."
Tsunade also felt regret. "That's the fate of spy-nin. Most of them don't get good endings."
"So when she chose to withdraw from Root, I personally confronted Danzo and made him release her. The orphanage's monthly subsidy is also, in a sense… compensation from the village."
"Old man." Tsunade's brows knit, as if she'd noticed something in the documents. "I want to see Root's complete roster. As Anbu's so-called training division, Root's power seems… far too large."
Hiruzen didn't refuse. He told the Anbu outside the door, "Go get Root's personnel roster too—complete."
In his view, Tsunade would become Hokage sooner or later, and once she took office she would definitely move against Root. Letting her understand the situation early was fine.
Soon, Anbu presented a scroll.
"You may go." Hiruzen waved the Anbu away, then told Tsunade, "This contains basic information on all Root personnel—active and retired. Take your time. Don't rush."
Tsunade unrolled the scroll. Her eyes moved line by line through a long record of hundreds of Root members, their code names and real names.
She read carefully—active and retired, full members and probationary members—scanning every name.
Yet she never found "Yakushi Kabuto."
She checked again from beginning to end.
Still nothing.
Kabuto's information had been deliberately erased by Danzo.
And if he could hide one "Yakushi Kabuto," he could hide many more "Yakushi Kabuto."
This so-called Anbu training division had long since slipped completely out of the old man's control—and he was still being kept in the dark by the materials Danzo fed him.
Even the old man himself had changed this much. How could he trust that his "old friend," forged through life and death, was still the same as back then?
Hiruzen noticed Tsunade's subtle shift. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Tsunade hesitated, then shook her head. "No. Nothing."
About Kabuto, she could only investigate privately. Exposing it now would just alert the snake.
"Are you sure?" Hiruzen still looked concerned. "Your face doesn't look right."
"I just didn't realize Root's scale was so big," Tsunade replied casually, picking an excuse. "I didn't expect Danzo to have so many people under him."
"Root really did expand quickly." Hiruzen sighed. "Sometimes I reflect on whether I gave Danzo too much freedom. But I can't deny Root has been of great use in many matters."
Before the words finished, a knock came at the door.
"Hokage-sama," Anbu reported outside, "Clan Head Hyuga Hiashi requests an audience."
Hiruzen and Tsunade exchanged a glance, both surprised.
"Let him in."
The door opened. Hyuga Hiashi walked in. When he saw Tsunade present, he paused slightly, then quickly returned to composure.
He bowed politely. "Hokage-sama. Tsunade-sama."
Hiruzen's eyes grew subtly heavy.
This… is trouble coming to his desk.
Tsunade rose, intending to leave them privacy. "You two talk. I'll go."
"Tsunade-sama, please wait." Hiashi suddenly called out.
"What is it?"
Hiashi glanced at Hiruzen, then said to Tsunade, "Tsunade-sama, what I must discuss next… I ask that you hear it as well. This matter… concerns you."
Tsunade raised a brow and sat back down. "Oh? Let's hear it."
"This concerns all of Konoha—perhaps even the safety of… the entire ninja world."
"What could be that serious?" Hiruzen's posture instantly straightened.
Hiashi fell silent.
A thousand years ago, the Hyuga and the Ōtsutsuki on the moon truly had been one clan. Strictly speaking, if the Ōtsutsuki came after the Hyuga, it would be an internal clan dispute.
And after agonizing all night, Hiashi finally realized—
Why treat it as only an internal clan matter?
The Hyuga are an indispensable part of Konoha!
So he continued, "Our Hyuga clan… has received a warning from our ancestor."
A warning from an ancestor?
That didn't sound like something as rational and pragmatic as Hiashi would normally say.
Tsunade frowned. "What does that mean?"
"This is a secret passed down through generations—known only to successive clan heads." Hiashi was, without doubt, a capable actor; the struggle on his face was vivid and convincing.
Hiruzen and Tsunade exchanged looks again, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
The Hyuga were an ancient noble clan, with a unique main-branch system that preserved many inheritances. Perhaps they truly did possess shocking secrets.
"Speak, Hiashi," Hiruzen said heavily. "Since you chose to make it public, it must have reached the point where you cannot remain silent."
Hiashi nodded and began telling his carefully woven story.
"This begins with the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage of Six Paths?" Tsunade arched a brow. "Isn't that just a legend?"
"No. The Sage of Six Paths is not a legend—he truly existed." Hiashi's expression was solemn. "And—our Hyuga clan is the bloodline of his younger brother."
Tsunade spoke slowly, disbelief threaded through her voice. "The Sage had a younger brother? That's not even in the legends… you Hyuga—"
"Sigh." Hiashi sighed and continued. "Because it involved a colossal secret, history erased that ancestor's name."
"A thousand years ago, our people split into two parts. One stayed on the earth—becoming the Hyuga of today. The other followed our ancestor to live on the moon."
"On the moon?!" Hiruzen stared. "You're saying… people live on the moon?"
He couldn't even imagine what the moon was like—or how they watched the ninja world from above.
Tsunade leaned back, trying to digest this. When she was a child, Grandma Mito had told her some half-true stories—if those were real too…
Hiruzen pressed, "You said you received a warning from an ancestor. What happened?"
Hiashi drew a deep breath, his tone grave. "Back when the Sage of Six Paths was still young, an evil god descended. No one knows where it came from. After a fierce battle, the Sage and our ancestor defeated it. But they discovered the evil god could not be truly killed—only sealed."
A flash of realization crossed Tsunade's eyes. "Don't tell me the seal is—"
"Yes." Hiashi confirmed. "On the moon."
"They sealed the evil god on the moon, far from the ninja world, far from where humans live."
"And to ensure the seal remained unbreakable, our ancestor led a portion of our people to the moon, to guard it generation after generation. The Sage remained on earth to help the survivors recover, rebuild, and restore their homes."
"I see…" Hiruzen murmured.
"The branch that stayed on earth became today's Hyuga. The branch that went to the moon became known as the Ōtsutsuki clan."
Hiashi didn't actually know what the scroll's "ancestor's will" and "mission" truly referred to, but inventing an evil god was the best possible method: it framed the Hyuga as having once sacrificed for the whole ninja world, and it expanded the moon's threat to all of Konoha—no, all of the world.
As for whether the lie might one day be exposed… he couldn't worry about that now. First survive the threat in front of them.
Hiashi continued, his tone growing heavier. "And last night, the ancestor's chakra left behind was awakened. He told us the evil god has seduced part of the Ōtsutsuki—then… a civil war broke out."
"What?!" Hiruzen and Tsunade exclaimed at the same time.
"And the result?" Tsunade asked tensely. She already suspected the answer, but needed confirmation.
"The evil god's side won."
The office felt suffocating. If Hiashi's words were true, it meant the seal guarding the ninja world for a thousand years now faced the risk of being broken.
Hiruzen took a hard pull from his pipe. "Then the seal—"
Hiashi rubbed his brow, looking troubled. "The good news is: our ancestor did not leave a method to unseal it. The bad news is… they found another way."
"They are collecting Byakugan eyes, trying to fuse them into a weapon. According to our ancestor, that weapon's power rivals the Sage of Six Paths—enough to forcibly break the seal."
"Collecting Byakugan?" Tsunade shot to her feet. "You mean they'll descend to the earth?!"
"Hiashi." Hiruzen's gaze sharpened like a blade, his voice more severe than ever. "Are you certain this is real? This is too great a matter for me to believe lightly."
"Hokage-sama!"
Hiashi stood and bowed deeply, a perfect ninety degrees.
"I swear on the honor of the Hyuga clan! The ancestor's warning and the crisis on the moon are absolutely true!"
"Wait!" Tsunade suddenly barked.
Hiashi's heart jumped.
If anyone could most likely expose such an enormous lie, it would be clans with thousand-year legacies—Senju and Uchiha.
But he was still bowed, so the flash of panic that crossed his face went unnoticed.
Tsunade asked, "You said they're collecting Byakugan to make a weapon. How many do they need?"
Hiashi silently exhaled in relief and straightened. "I don't know. But to gain power equal to the Sage, the number would be astronomical. The Ōtsutsuki on the moon cannot supply it—and the Hyuga main family has always kept its numbers relatively small."
He paused, then added, "Therefore, they're also targeting the branch family. In other words… they likely have a way to unseal—the Caged Bird seal."
Tsunade understood at once. "So you asked me to stay because—"
"Kiyonari is your student, and he is truly an outstanding child. If we can obtain a method to unseal… for him to be promoted to the main family, I have no objection."
Everyone in Konoha already "knew" Tsunade would become the Fifth Hokage.
And besides—he'd already told enough lies today. One more didn't matter.
Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly, breaking the silence. "Hiashi, this is a grave matter. I need time to verify and consider it. But one thing I promise you—Konoha will not sit idle."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Hiashi bowed deeply again.
"And," Hiruzen continued, "for now, do not disclose anything related to the moon to outsiders. Is there anything else?"
Hiashi shook his head. "No."
"Then we'll end here." Hiruzen waved him off. "Return for now. Report any new developments immediately."
"Yes." Hiashi bowed and left the Hokage's office.
When the door closed, only Hiruzen and Tsunade remained. Both were silent, weighing what Hiashi had just said.
"Tsunade. What do you think?"
"Hard to say." Tsunade's expression was grim. "If the Sage of Six Paths truly existed, it wouldn't be strange for him to have a younger brother. But this is too ancient. And an evil god… it's difficult to believe."
"I feel the same." Hiruzen nodded slowly. "We can't fully trust Hiashi's words. We need further investigation."
"How are you planning to do it?" Tsunade pressed.
Hiruzen exhaled a long ring of smoke, eyes fixed on empty air as if staring through the roof toward the moon.
"The moon hangs high above… How did the Hyuga of the past even get up there?"
"I'll also have them keep an eye out once I return to the border." With that, Tsunade rose to leave.
"That's it for now. I have to go find Kiyonari and talk."
…
"Huh?!"
Hyuga Kiyonari listened to Tsunade's "legend," mouth slightly open, eyes wide.
He had to keep that expression locked in. Otherwise—he would literally burst into a meme face.
If he remembered correctly, wasn't this story originally the one he launched? How did it go out, get passed around a few times, and mutate into this?
They even added an evil god.
Heh…
The good news: the "evil god" is real, actually—and it even has a devoted "son" working tirelessly to break the seal.
The bad news: Sensei, you've been played hard. The "cake" Hiashi handed you is huge, round, and scorching hot!
But—
Kiyonari glanced at his system.
A method to unseal?
That can become real, too.