Kuroto did not have to wait much as Shinichi's response came soon enough.
Kuroto opened the scroll and read, 'The missions we all are performing are different, so I do not have much information about the ongoing events in the Land of Demons.
However, there was indeed a person by the name of Yomi among Shinno and Hiruko's subordinates, but because he didn't seem of any value I did not bother inquiring any information about him.'
Looking at the message, Kuroto shook his head helplessly.
During his time in Akatsuki, Shinichi has always tried to keep an eye on the movements of Pain and Obito, as well as other main members of the organization, and has also reported quite a lot of information to Kuroto that he finds to be useful or worthy of attention.
But for inconspicuous and disposable subordinates like Yomi who have no importance, and don't even have the strength of a Jonin, Shinichi never bothered to care about them.
And Shinichi would obviously not bother to waste his and Kuroto's time by giving out information about people he doesn't even care about.
Well, there's nothing that can be done about it, this is Shinichi's nature, moreover being a spy in an organization like Akatsuki is also not easy, if he is discovered then there would be consequences..
Anyway, from the information he received from Shinichi, many of the doubts in Kuroto's heart were cleared.
Yomi is Shinno's and Hiruko's subordinate, which means that he was somehow saved or probably revived by either of them.
This means that the riots in the Land of Demons do involve Akatsuki, but one thing that Kuroto is glad about is that the riots probably only include Shinno and Hiruko, not the entire Akatsuki.
And the fact that Yomi can entice Hiruko and Shinno to help him in this chaos is probably through Moryo the demon who was sealed by Miko-sama.
This is the best explanation since Shinno has been creating an artificial Bijuu called, Reibi.
One of the biggest hurdles in creating an artificial Bijuu is to obtain a good enough source of chakra, and Moryo is obviously a good chakra source if you ignore the dark chakra he has.
Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Shinno to be tempted, moreover, Moryo's dark Chakra somehow works better for him because his Reibi project was based on dark emotions.
And Hiruko is Shinno's teammate, since Shinno helped him in his Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual, it won't be strange if Hiruko does the same for Shinno. There is also the fact that Hiruko needs to gain combat experience, so Hiruko also probably participated in this action.
And there was one more thing that became clear to Kuroto, Yomi was able to survive despite having his head beheaded must mean that he has mastered some sort of special healing or regenerative technique, and it is that very same special technique that Hiruko used during his Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual, which allowed him to survive even the disintegration and cell collapse. Anything else doesn't make much sense.
With these things clear now comes the pressing matter, "Should I heed to Miko-sama's instruction and not go to the Land of Demons, or should I go to the Land of Demons, despite Miko-sama's clear warning?"
Thinking of the debt he owes to Miko-sama, Kuroto did not need to think this more than once.
"I must go to Land of Demons, and I must go there as soon as possible!"
Before receiving clear news of Miko-sama's death, Kuroto could not sit back with peace of mind, as such he must go to the Land of Demons.
If it's possible to save Miko-sama then save her, but if she is already dead, then she must be avenged at least.
After making up his mind, Kuroto made all the preparations, told Yui to take care of Shion and Taruho in his absence, and rushed towards Shisui's home in the Uchiha Clan territory.
Shisui who was eating his meal was taken aback by Kuroto's sudden appearance in front of him, and almost choked on his food, unable to breathe, Shisui beat his chest a little and immediately drank plenty of water to swallow down the food, and spoke after taking some deep breaths, "Kuroto-san, you almost killed me just now!"
Kuroto did not care about Shisui's complaint as he did not have time for that, he just passed a scroll to Shisui and looked at Shisui with a serious gaze.
Shisui realized the seriousness of Kuroto and asked, "Kuroto-san, what happened?"
Kuroto did not speak much and stated simply, "I am going to the Land of Demons, I will leave the village affairs with you!"
Shisui was shocked and asked, "Wait what? Did I hear correctly? You are going to the Land of Demons? But why?"
Kuroto said, "Yes you heard me correctly. This matter is very important and requires my attention, although there is no news yet, Miko-sama's life is in danger, and the Land of Demons is probably in chaos. This news will most likely spread to the other villages soon enough and their respective forces will intervene but that will still take too long, this matter also involves Moryo and we can't be careless when dealing with the Ghost Army consisting of hundreds of thousands of stone soldiers."
The spies of various villages are obviously planted in all the countries, so it won't be strange if the surrounding countries become aware of the events that are happening in the Land of Demons.
Shisui asked, "Should I… Should I come with you?"
Kuroto shook his head, "No, you stay in Konoha, the village lacks high-level combat personnel to deal with emergencies, moreover, I am not even exactly sure of the exact situation that the Land of Demons is facing, there are also chances that Akatsuki might target Konoha, so if both of us are absent at the same time then situation will only worsen."
Shisui said, "I understand."
After instructing Shisui, Kuroto came to Sandaime-sama's office.
…
"Hyuga Kuroto, I was wondering how long will it take for you to come." – Sandaime said as he put down the document and looked at Hyuga Kuroto.
Kuroto kneeled in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "Please forgive me for making you wait Sandaime-sama."
Sandaime nodded and spoke, "So what did the daughter of Miko of the Land of Demon had to say?"
Kuroto did not speak much, just took out a scroll and passed it Hokage-sama.
Hiruzen took the scroll and read the information recorded in it, as he was reading the content written in the scroll, his gaze hardened and his brows twisted in a deep frown, he has already read the information from the scroll sent by Miko to him, but this here only makes the situation worse.
"So that's your conclusion about the events happening in the Land of Demons?" – asked Sandaime.
Kuroto nodded, "Yes Hokage-sama!"
"Alright, and what do you plan to do now?" – asked Sandaime.
"Since the life and death of Miko-sama is unknown so the investigation must be carried out, and I would like to volunteer myself to go to the Land of Demons!" – said Kuroto after taking a deep breath.
Sandaime was surprised and asked, "And why do you want to volunteer? Moreover what relationship do you have with Miko? As soon as her daughter came to Konoha, she was ardent to meet you, why is that the case?"
Kuroto knew that there are some things that he can't hide forever and this is one of those moments when he has to reveal some of his secrets, "It was during Team-11's first mission that was at the Land of Demons, back then after our mission was completed and I was recovering from my injuries at the temple of Miko-sama, I asked for her guidance, to teach me Fuinjutsu as I wanted to master it, and because Miko-sama was grateful to our team for helping her out in sealing Moryo, so she agreed to accept me as a student, and helped me build up a strong foundation which helped me to learn high-level Fuinjutsu. So Miko-sama is also my Sensei, and I will have to make sure that I save her, and if saving her is no longer an option then her death should at least be avenged"
Sandaime considered Kuroto's words, and now he also understood how Hyuga Kuroto suddenly developed a high talent in Fuinjutsu that even rivaled and surpassed Yondaime Hokage.
Of course, talent and hard work are necessary but without a solid foundation reaching such a level is not easy. Miko's Fuinjutsu proficiency is indeed famous, and receiving her guidance does make it possible.
At the same time, Sandaime also looked at Hyuga Kuroto in a new light. To receive the guidance of Miko of the Land of Demons is not a joke, in terms of status alone she is no inferior to the Daimyo of a country, and the fact that Hyuga Kuroto is a disciple of such a person makes his background more difficult to be touched politically.
"Moreover, it was team-11's responsibility to eliminate Yomi and his cult, but it appears that we clearly failed, so if something were to happen to Miko-sama, then the responsibility will fall on Konoha's shoulder, as such we have to be hasty and make sure that we try our best to salvage the situation if possible."
Sandaime nodded with a serious expression.
In a situation where several missing ninjas of Konoha are causing chaos throughout the Shinobi world, the last thing Konoha needs is the blame for the death of Miko of the Land of Demons.
"Sigh, you are right. But I am afraid that I won't be able to spare any manpower to follow you." – Sandaime said helplessly.
"I am aware of the troubles that Konoha is facing, and I don't request any reinforcements, the situation of the Land of Demons is not clear enough so it would be best that we hold back a little and let someone do some investigation and then resolve the matter using that piece of intelligence." Kuroto obviously knew this, and frankly, he doesn't really want anyone to come with him because that would not only slow him down but also be a burden.
Sandaime groaned a little, 'It is not hard to judge that Hyuga Kuroto has grown quite strong in the past years, the kid is probably the strongest in the Hyuga Clan, even surpassing the level of Hizashi and Hiashi, which means that he is already an S-Class shinobi, so he should be safe unless he encounters a siege from members of Amatsukami or Akatsuki, right?'
Kuroto did not interrupt Sandaime while he was in thought, because he was confident that Sandaime would agree to his request.
After a little deliberation, Sandaime nodded, "Alright, you are tasked with the investigation of the events of Land of Demons, your priority will be to save Miko if possible, otherwise eliminate the person responsible for her death. While you are gone, I will arrange a temporary member to the Team-11 in your place to ensure the protection of Uzumaki Naruto."
"Thank you very much Hokage-sama." – Kuroto said, and got up to leave.
As Kuroto was about to open the gate, Sandaime suddenly said, "Hyuga Kuroto, I hope that you wouldn't disappoint me, unlike Orochimaru."
Kuroto's steps came to a sudden halt as he was really surprised by the sudden words, he didn't look back, but asked lightly, "What brought this on Sandaime-sama?"
Sandaime shook his head, and said, "Nothing, I just felt that the mistake I made in not being a proper guide to Orochimaru should not be repeated, you have proven yourself to be an excellent shinobi, and I hope that you will not lose yourself in the pursuit of power.
The desire to be strong is not wrong, zealous in learning things and acquiring knowledge is not wrong either, there is nothing wrong with treading untraveled paths, but what one must always be careful is not to lose oneself for the sake of his pursuits. Otherwise, those pursuits are not worth it.
The world we live in is cruel, and without a doubt, if one is not strong enough then he won't be able to survive, but that's no reason to give up everything for the sake of some perfunctory power. I hope you will keep these words in mind."
Kuroto turned around, deeply bowed towards Sandaime, and said, "I will always keep your words in my heart."
"I hope you do." – Sandaime nodded and signaled him to depart.
Kuroto nodded and without wasting any more time he left the Hokage building and went out of the village secretly. After coming to an isolated place and repeatedly verifying that he wasn't being followed, Kuroto activated the Tenseigan Chakra Mode and flew towards the Land of Demons.
Kuroto's speed with the Tenseigan Chakra Mode was extremely fast and it only took him four days of day and night travel to arrive at the Land of Demons.
When Kuroto sneaked into the village where the temple of Miko was located, he was surprised to find that the temple as a whole was intact, and it seemed as if there no cruel or offensive battle took place here, but unfortunately, that was not the case with the rest of the country that Kuroto passed through on his way here, as it was razed by the Ghost Army, countless corpses lied across various parts of the country, and several villages burned up.
And although there was no damage to this particular village, there was a heavy bloody stench still lingering here, moreover, there was also no enchantment barrier protecting the temple from outside intruders.
Using his Byakugan, Kuroto looked into the distant temple and found that the guards of the temple were also different from the ones he remembered, as they all wore white cloaks with some symbols that symbolized Yomi's cult.
Kuroto's face sank as he saw this.
Honestly, Kuroto didn't really care about what happened to the rest of the Land of Demons and its people, but Miko-sama herself is very important, and Kuroto really hoped that Miko-sama was still alive, but the chances of such a thing happening are already too low…
Seeing that there was not much hope left for Miko-sama, Kuroto did not rush to enter Miko's temple, what awaits him inside is a battle and it would be better to go there in his optimum condition, so Kuroto hid, and focused on recovering his chakra.
Considering that in addition to Yomi, there will also be Hiruko with his five Kekkei Genkai, and Shinno who might have already become a Jinchuriki by now, Kuroto has to be extra prepared.
As the sun began to set, the night took over the sky, and Kuroto got ready to sneak into the temple.
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Read up to Chapter - 539 on P.a.t.r.e.o.n. Page: p-atreon.com/Milta_translations