Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 64: Contrast Breeds Beauty

Hyuga Fuji was well aware of his current shortcomings.

His combat system was already well-constructed, but his chakra reserves were insufficient.

Although his chakra would significantly increase when his Byakugan evolved further, that was a future gain. For now, opportunities like this—where his actions wouldn't be detected—were rare.

The rebirth of a tailed beast required time, and until that happened, no one would even think of searching for the Seven-Tails.

In a way, he had Madara to thank. Likely to prevent Obito from noticing anything suspicious, Madara had chosen to use an actual tailed beast in his plans.

If he had used genjutsu, Obito would have realized something was off when he began capturing tailed beasts.

And so, the Mist Village had been framed as the scapegoat. With Rin now "dead," if Takigakure wanted to seek accountability, they could only direct their ire at the Mist.

But ultimately, Takigakure's position was precarious. With their level of power, it was unsurprising that their tailed beast had been stolen.

Lost in thought, Fuji turned to Rin and said, "Transferring a tailed beast would drain your life force and could even kill you. While I have ways to prevent that, I have an alternative proposal instead."

Before Rin could respond, the Seven-Tails spoke up, its voice sharp.

"Humans, how much longer are you going to pretend I don't exist?"

Chomei glared at Fuji. "There are no seals binding me here. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you both?"

"If you truly wanted to attack us, you wouldn't have waited this long," Fuji said with a calm smile. "You understand the consequences better than Rin does."

The Seven-Tails fell silent, recalling its capture by the Mist and its experience with that terrifying Uchiha.

If it went on a rampage and released its chakra, drawing the attention of others, it couldn't predict what would happen to Rin—but it knew it would likely end up under that man's control again, used as a mere tool.

Being subjected to genjutsu manipulation was an unpleasant experience. While Fuji clearly wasn't a good person, at least he wasn't forcing it into submission.

It was all about comparison, after all.

"Even so," Chomei said grimly, "I have no interest in becoming your power source, greedy human. Unlike this girl, I won't be thanking you for saving me. I'd rather die than remain imprisoned inside another jinchuriki."

"And then what? Revive, only to be sealed again?"

"At least I'd have a brief period of freedom!"

"A brief period of freedom?" Fuji shook his head with a soft laugh. "Your expectations are rather low."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I can give you some degree of freedom," Fuji said, looking up at the Seven-Tails. "Tailed beasts can erode and control their jinchuriki through chakra. I can provide you with a shadow clone to control directly."

Chomei froze, clearly taken aback. "You're not afraid I'll control you outright?"

From Fuji's tone, it seemed he intended to seal Chomei within himself without imposing additional restrictions, meaning Chomei's chakra could theoretically influence him.

"If you think you can manage that, you're welcome to try," Fuji said, his blue-tinted eyes glowing faintly. A heavy pressure filled the air as he continued, "But the moment you attempt it will also be your last chance."

"…"

This… this sense of danger. It wasn't as overwhelming as that old Uchiha's, but it was equally chilling. Could this Hyuga ninja also use genjutsu to control it?

Chomei's heart skipped a beat as it suddenly felt the world had become a more hostile place.

In the past, tailed beasts might have been sealed by humans, but they still had a degree of choice. If they didn't cooperate, their jinchuriki couldn't access their full power.

Now, however, it seemed as though any random person could find ways to subjugate them.

It recalled the Sage of Six Paths, who had once said that their immense power should be used to coexist peacefully with weaker humans.

Humans were no longer weak.

Chomei lowered its head in humiliation. "Fine. I hope you'll keep your promise."

It wasn't much different from before. Maybe it would even get to move around freely outside for once—that would be an improvement.

Once again, comparison bred appreciation.

Seeing that the Seven-Tails had agreed, Fuji smiled and left with Rin.

Currently, the power of his eyes wasn't inferior to a Mangekyo Sharingan, and the strength of his Yin Release chakra was similarly impressive.

While genjutsu was a product of Yin Release, and his ocular powers could amplify its effects, he couldn't manipulate tailed beasts as effectively as a Mangekyo Sharingan could.

After all, the Byakugan and Sharingan emphasized different areas of strength, and the nature of their ocular powers differed.

Still, intimidating the Seven-Tails, which had just experienced Mangekyo manipulation, was easy enough.

When Rin's consciousness returned to the surface, she asked, "Fuji-senpai, what was the alternative proposal you mentioned?"

"If you want to learn the full truth and take meaningful action, you'll need to strengthen yourself," Fuji said with a faint smile.

"I understand," Rin said, nodding firmly.

Right now, she was only a chunin. Even knowing what she did about Obito, she couldn't do anything about it.

Fuji's smile deepened. "If you're willing, you could participate in another one of my experiments. You could become… a pseudo-jinchuriki."

…

"Hey, something about this feels off," Jiraiya muttered, glancing at the Third Mizukage, who was being forced to defend himself from all three Sannin. Looking to the distance, he spotted Kisame and Yagura fighting against other Konoha shinobi while retreating.

Even Jiraiya, ever the optimist, couldn't help but grimace.

Sure, the Mist Village was at a disadvantage, but leaving their Kage behind to flee? Wasn't that a bit too much? Weren't they afraid of the consequences when they returned to the Mist?

"It's likely that many within the Mist oppose the Third Mizukage. Those two are probably among them," Orochimaru said, glancing at Tsunade, who was taking out her frustration on the Mizukage with unparalleled fury. Sensibly, he chose to stay back and support from the edges while conversing with Jiraiya.

"This war offers the Mist no chance of victory, but openly defying the Mizukage's orders on the battlefield requires either a coup or something like this…"

Meanwhile, Yagura, who was leading the retreat, explained to Kisame, "We had no choice. Either we take the blame for failing to protect the Mizukage and leave him to Konoha, or we use this opportunity to unite those in the Mist who want to end the war and suppress the pro-war faction."

To achieve peace, the Third Mizukage couldn't be ignored.

For Yagura and Kisame, both options were considered high treason, but they were mentally prepared for that.

What was a little treason compared to saving the Mist from being dragged into ruin by the Mizukage?

"So, how do you plan to explain this when we return?" Kisame asked coolly.

"The Third Mizukage heroically held back the Sannin to cover our retreat," Yagura replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"…"

Kisame fell silent, his sharp gaze lingering on Yagura.

"You promised to reduce the Mist's losses and lead it back to greatness. I hope those weren't empty words."

Yagura's eyes lowered, his voice soft but resolute. "They weren't."

The Mist had potential. Many of its younger shinobi were incredibly talented. With time to recover, it could regain its former glory.

But first, this war had to end without further damage.

Kisame stared at him for a moment before looking away. "Aside from me, who else supports you? I'm just a temporary guard filling in for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. My voice doesn't carry much weight."

(End of Chapter)

***

To read an advance 80+ chapters

Support me at [email protected]/NahinS77

Change @ to a

Or go to that website and search NahinS77