Chapter 242. I Heard You Guys Have a Lot of Brothers?
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"This big brother is really something!"
Having been kicked out of the Uchiha compound, Yuto shook his head helplessly and spat angrily toward the gate.
You ignore me today, but I'll make you out of my league tomorrow!
How could he, as an uncle, possibly harm his own nephew?
He wouldn't even let him hug his nephew!
Yuto glanced at the time. It was getting dark. He'd had dinner at Fugaku's place earlier, so now it was probably time to head home.
Hyuga Hanabi and Honoka were likely back home by now too.
With a wave of his hand, he called out to Suzune, who was giggling beside him, and started heading home.
On the way, Yuto was thinking about the Caged Bird Mark. And now that Jiraiya had left the village—
Given his personality, once Jiraiya found out that his close friend defected from the village over a billion ryo, he'd definitely try to bring Orochimaru back. After all, Danzo was now bankrupt, his net worth had plummeted, and he had run from the village.
Thinking about it, if Orochimaru really wanted to come back, the village would definitely not stop him.
Especially since the Fourth Hokage was his former student—if Jiraiya took him out for some fun, Minato would probably get so scared that he'd agree without hesitation on the spot.
Then—
He'd probably shut the door immediately afterward and promise Kushina that he'd never go out with them again.
Of course—
Knowing Orochimaru's personality, he was still busy exploring the mysteries of the ninja world and researching forbidden jutsu related to immortality. So, he probably wouldn't come back to the village.
But if he could track down Orochimaru and offer to sponsor his research, then maybe he could get Orochimaru to help him out?
Suddenly—
While he was lost in thought—
"Yuto…" Suzune's nervous voice broke through. "There is…"
Before she could finish—
"Ouch!" Yuto clutched his head.
Then—
He instinctively looked up and… saw a tree. He stared at the tree in front of him in confusion, then turned his head toward the other mysterious tree that had appeared not long ago.
"…"
This…
Why are you here again?!
…
"The Ancient Kingdom of Roran!"
Hanabi sat alone in the hall, frowning deeply in thought.
This period of time…
Even though this ninja world felt a little… off, overall, it still resembled the world under Infinite Tsukuyomi that she understood.
A beautiful, peaceful world.
For example—
The Fourth Hokage… Although Kushina had been reported for domestic violence, at least she and the Fourth Hokage didn't die in the Nine-Tails' incident—because it didn't happen.
And Danzo, that old bastard… Although he was still on the run due to bankruptcy, it didn't seem like he had conducted any human experiments, and the Uchiha clan also seemed unlikely to face extinction.
So… maybe this really was a world of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The only problem—
She still hadn't figured out how to break the illusion.
Of course—
That's what she thought before.
It wasn't until this morning, while digging through records, that she came across information about the Ancient Kingdom of Roran.
It wasn't classified or anything—you could find it for 10 ryo at an internet cafe.
Apparently, someone from the Land of Wind had uploaded it, and it even included some legends about Roran.
For example—
The Dragon Vein, which could allow people to travel through time and space…
Of course, she had heard of this legend in the real world too, and it seemed that the Fourth Hokage had sealed the Dragon Vein there.
And the Seventh Hokage had even investigated it during a mission in the past. But traveling through time and space… everyone assumed it was just a legend.
After all, many people had studied the site, and other than the Fourth Hokage's unexplained seal, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. So most people believed it was nothing more than a myth.
Initially, Hanabi didn't think much of it either. But later, she discovered that the site of the Roran ruins was the exact spot where she first appeared in this world.
And there were reports of a massive explosion there not long ago—but the cause of the explosion was still unknown.
After comparison…
The explosion happened at the exact moment she arrived in this world. And she had actually heard the explosion when it happened.
Therefore, she couldn't help but wonder… whether she had traveled through time and space
and come to a…
A world where neither her sister nor she had appeared yet?
However—
Is this world really the world of the past?
If so, why did it feel just a little… off?
So—
What is going on in this world?
Did she travel to the past, or was she really trapped in an illusion?
For a moment—
Even Hyuga Hanabi began to doubt herself.
Especially when she thought about the Land of Rain… Yuto-san seemed to know something about that masked man…
So, did Yuto know something even now?
Or perhaps…
Was he hiding it from her?
"Looks like I might need to go back to where I came from," Hyuga Hanabi murmured thoughtfully, her face serious. "And also… Uchiha Yuto…"
What exactly does he know?
Before she could finish her thoughts—
"Creak~"
The door opened.
Hanabi watched as two people walked in. Her face quickly returned to calm, betraying none of her suspicions. She smiled at Yuto and Suzune (her aunt?).
She planned to quietly investigate Yuto to see if he really knew something.
But then, she frowned when she noticed Yuto holding his nose, which was slightly red.
"Yuto-san… what happened?"
"It's nothing~" Yuto waved his hand and said nonchalantly. "I don't know why a tree appeared at the door, and I accidentally hit my nose."
When he finished speaking—
Hanabi's eyes narrowed slightly, but she quickly masked it.
She had seen it too when she came back—
A tree that had suddenly appeared at the door.
As someone who knew about the events of the Fourth Ninja World War, Hanabi could already guess what might have happened.
It could have been that someone secretly moved a tree from the back hill and planted it there.
Or… it could mean that a White Zetsu had died at the door.
But—
If it really was White Zetsu… why would it die in front of Yuto's house for no reason?
And that too without saying a word?!
It was too strange!
It's impossible that those monsters who don't eat, drink, or poop would deliberately hang themselves at other people's doors just because they failed to collect their debts, right?
Hanabi chuckled at her own ridiculous thought.
And then—
She no longer paid attention to it.
After all—
Why would White Zetsu need money?
That made no sense at all!
Even if they wanted to keep an eye on Yuto-san, they wouldn't just turn into a tree, right?
After all…
They were already dead!
…
"You know what? Another one of our brothers just died! He died a tragic death! Even his body wasn't intact!"
"I feel very sad about what you've gone through!" Danzo forced a smile as he faced a group of black-haired people surrounding him. He sighed dramatically and shook his head.
"Really! I didn't want this to happen either, but unfortunately, in the end… I really have no money left!"
Come to think of it, these guys were pretty pitiful.
First, they got scammed by some online fraud, and the amount involved had apparently reached into the hundreds of millions.
And now, they were running a side hustle, only to run into a bankrupt boss who couldn't even pay a single coin!
It's indeed not easy for them~
But at this point, he was flat broke!
"But trust me! I'll definitely pay you back in the future—triple the amount!"
Danzo's mouth twitched as he looked at the group staring at him with unfriendly expressions. Considering that he was alone now, and yet they were able to find him faster than Konoha, they must be very powerful.
[If I had known… I wouldn't have run away. At least in the village… Hiruzen would've accompanied me to pay it back.]
His heart was suddenly filled with regret.
But then—
Suddenly—
An idea flashed through his mind.
Looking at the people staring at him, he quickly said, "I have a business. How about we cooperate? I guarantee you'll make money!"
As soon as he finished—
"We don't believe it! That guy said the same thing last time!" Everyone sneered in disdain. "Don't lie to us! Do you really think we're idiots? Trying to scam us out of money?"
"You guys…" Danzo's mouth twitched. "Do you even have any money left to be scammed?"
"…"
The White Zetsus instantly glared at him.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"Dig a hole and bury him!"
"This is too much! He's messing with us!"
"Why don't we take him to the black market and see how much he's worth?"
"…"
But Danzo remained completely calm. Instead, he looked at them with a composed expression and said, "Since you're already broke, what's there to be afraid of? Even if you get scammed, you've got nothing to lose! Why not trust me? I'll make you rich!"
As soon as he finished—
The White Zetsus froze. Then, they exchanged glances, and their expressions softened slightly.
"That… actually makes sense."
After a brief pause—
They looked at Danzo suspiciously. "So… how exactly are you going to make us rich? Haven't all your past businesses failed?"
[Got them!] Danzo's heart skipped a beat. Then, leaning on his cane, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he said with confidence, "Don't worry. This time, it's a business with no cost!"
"?!"
"No cost? What kind of business is that?!"
"Tell us now!"
"I heard you guys have a lot of brothers?" Danzo's eyes narrowed as he looked at the excited group. He leaned over and lowered his voice, "You already know about the [1040 Financial Project], right?"
"???"
"That's right!" When the White Zetsus looked confused, Danzo clapped his hands. "That's exactly what I'm planning this time!"
As soon as he finished—
"…"
The White Zetsus fell silent again.
Then—
They glanced at each other, then looked at him with an unfriendly expression and began to get ready again.
This guy…
Are you playing with us?!
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