Chapter 232: Placing a Piece First, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death [3/3]
Masahiko took it.
This was a delivered intelligence report. It stated that the attackers in Kyoto were from the Jashin Cult and detailed their intention to provoke a war.
Furthermore————
In the final sentence, the sender's brushstrokes were particularly heavy.
"War is coming; no one can escape!"
Masahiko fell silent for a moment before looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Hokage-sama, this————is a warning delivered by someone? Could it be Jiraiya-sama or Lady Tsunade?"
"Impossible."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head solemnly. "If it were Jiraiya, he would have sent it back via a toad. As for Tsunade————"
"She hasn't sent news to Konoha in a very long time."
He looked down at the scroll.
This handwriting... he felt it looked very familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He suddenly paused and said, "Masahiko, look at the handwriting. Does it look like someone you know?"
Masahiko picked up the scroll and looked closely.
He observed it carefully, and then his expression gradually became solemn. "Hokage-sama, it indeed looks very familiar, but I can't recall who it is right now."
"Hmm, me too."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, holding the scroll and contemplating for a long time.
Masahiko looked at the Anbu. "Is there no information regarding Chakra signatures or anything similar?"
"No, the other party seems to be aware of the maximum range of our barrier."
The Anbu replied.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded solemnly. "Understood. You may leave."
"Yes!"
The Anbu Ninja left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi held the scroll, turning it over and over. It felt familiar, yet he couldn't remember where he had seen it.
He pondered for a long time but had no clues.
"Hokage-sama, I believe we should first confirm if the information on it is correct. Regarding this Jashin Cult————we need to investigate."
Masahiko reminded him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "If we can confirm information about the Jashin Cult, perhaps we'll have a clearer direction."
"Then this subordinate will go————"
"No, have your subordinates contact Kakashi and the others. Also, check if this organization exists in the Land of Hot Springs. I will be here all night."
"Yes!"
Masahiko took his orders and left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe, still staring blankly at the scroll.
Leaving the Hokage Building, Masahiko headed for the base without stopping.
The scroll was, of course, delivered by him, but the handwriting wasn't his; rather, Masahiko had imitated Naruto's writing style and characteristics.
The reason Hiruzen Sarutobi found it familiar was precisely because he had seen Naruto's writing.
This was the effect Masahiko wanted.
However.
Currently, Masahiko hadn't decided how to utilize this yet; he was just thinking about placing a piece on the board first.
What if it could be used later?
And now.
On one hand, he would search for information regarding the Jashin Cult through the intelligence network.
——
On the other hand, Masahiko contacted Kabuto Yakushi and arranged to meet tonight.
The Jashin Cult was currently in its infancy; even in the Land of Hot Springs, probably only remote Villages knew of it.
It would be difficult to get any results from investigating them in the short term.
As for the rest, it would depend on Kabuto's reply.
In the outskirts near the Orphanage.
In the night, Kabuto Yakushi, wearing a dog-faced mask, slowly walked out of the forest.
"Senior, having me come at this time involves a great deal of risk for me. I wonder what important matter you have?"
"Of course, it's a very important matter."
Masahiko smiled.
He looked at Kabuto Yakushi. "Regarding Orochimaru and Shinno, don't you have anything you want to tell me?"
"About that matter————"
Kabuto Yakushi lowered his head and said, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru is indeed cooperating with Shinno, and this matter is also related to you."
"If I didn't ask, you wouldn't have brought it up?"
Masahiko said with a half-smile.
Kabuto became even more respectful. "It's not that. Rather, I was indeed busy today and thought this matter was still a bit far off, so I procrastinated for a bit."
He whispered, "Shinno approached Lord Orochimaru to discuss kidnapping Yakumo during the upcoming Chunin Exams. Lord Orochimaru believes he should consult with you————"
Kabuto paused slightly and said, "If you do not agree, Lord Orochimaru will never agree to Shinno's request."
"The Chunin Exams?"
Masahiko pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"We haven't decided yet, so I wanted to report to you after some time."
Kabuto said respectfully.
Masahiko said, "Tell Lord Orochimaru that this depends on Yakumo's own thoughts. I will give him an answer in a while."
"Understood."
Kabuto Yakushi bowed his head.
Masahiko said, "Wait, don't be in a hurry. There's one more thing————if Orochimaru wants to get something from Shinno, please hurry. If he comes to Konoha, there's a high probability he won't be able to leave."
"Understood."
Kabuto Yakushi nodded slightly, and after confirming several times that there was nothing else, he gave a respectful bow and turned to leave.
Anbu Base.
Masahiko looked at his panel, stared at the 'Special Skill Random Card,' and chose 'Use'.
A moment later—
[Demon Flute: Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death: Entry Level]
A very special Genjutsu.
This kind of sound-based Genjutsu is difficult to break even with the Sharingan, and its upper limit is extremely high.
However.
The specific effect still depends on the user's ability————
With the Training Space and acting instance, he could continuously practice and experiment with this sound Genjutsu to improve his skills.
And.
In fact, he already had some research results in this area of Genjutsu. When dealing with Might Guy before, he had tried similar methods.
Of course.
The effect of Genjutsu at that level was very poor; it could only interfere with the opponent's hearing and couldn't even completely block it.
As for this technique————
Masahiko looked ahead.
Over at the Anbu, it would probably take some time before there were any results.
He closed his eyes and entered the Training Space.
After a long time, Masahiko roughly understood the techniques and principles of the Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.
It uses Chakra in conjunction with a special audio frequency to create the necessary binding-type Genjutsu.
Therefore.
It needs to be used with a Demon Flute————
"Let's try again."
If it required a Demon Flute every time, the limitations of this technique would be too great.
After practicing for a while, he had some new ideas.
Perhaps————
He could use a whistle or something similar to simulate and replace it.
The key lay in the audio frequency; a musical instrument wasn't a hard requirement.
Masahiko wanted to try again.
Regrettably, someone came to disturb him at this time.
He opened his eyes.
In front of him, the Anbu Ninja quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Intelligence from the front lines."
"Thanks."
Masahiko took it.
It wasn't news from the Land of Hot Springs, but intelligence from the eastern border of the Land of Fire—
According to border Ninja reconnaissance, Hiruko recently appeared on the edge of the eastern coast but quickly returned to the sea.
Hiruko is here too?
After waiting a bit longer, intelligence from the Land of Hot Springs also arrived.
According to their reconnaissance————
Several murders had indeed occurred in the Land of Hot Springs area, and the traces at the scene were similar to the murder of the two Guardian Shinobi in Kyoto.
Masahiko picked up the intelligence and immediately stood up.
"Continue to monitor the intelligence sent from these places. If there is important information, send it to the Hokage Building immediately."
"Yes!"