Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 2: Don't You Hate Them?

"Stay alert and investigate further."

Quickly regaining his composure, Uchiha Kotaro glanced at Hyuga Fuji but did not ask him to use his Byakugan to scan.

All three Hyuga ninjas were likely dead, unable even to escape. The enemy they had faced clearly had methods to counter the Byakugan.

Perhaps it was a sensory jutsu with a range beyond the Byakugan's detection or a speed-based technique akin to the Yellow Flash's teleportation prowess.

At this point, relying too heavily on the Byakugan could easily lead to losing the upper hand.

The team maintained a cautious formation, keeping close enough to assist each other as they carefully scouted the forest. At one point, Hyuga Fuji's shadow clone momentarily disappeared from view, while Fuji's real body seamlessly rejoined the group unnoticed.

As the squad's sensory ninja, it was all too easy for him to deceive his companions.

Hyuga Hisan had already been knocked unconscious and sealed within a storage scroll designed to hold living beings. Once this mission concluded, Fuji would officially begin his experiments.

In the end, after discovering another battle site several kilometers away but finding no further clues, the team had no choice but to return to the command camp to report.

The black-haired commander listened to Uchiha Kotaro's report and turned his gaze toward Hyuga Fuji.

A Byakugan falling into enemy hands would have little impact on the broader war effort. But if a member of the Hyuga main family were captured by the enemy, the potential dangers were immense.

This fact was clear to Fuji, Kotaro, and the black-haired man alike.

"I'll report this to the Hokage immediately. Notify all Hyuga clan members on the battlefield to act with caution. If it's confirmed that the enemy has gained control of the Caged Bird Seal, all Hyuga ninjas are to withdraw from the Mist battlefield immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Watching the two ninjas vanish with Body Flicker, the black-haired man suddenly smirked.

With such a major blunder, the old man back at the clan would no doubt scold him mercilessly.

But surely, you must be pleased, Fuji-kun.

...

Drip. Drip.

The sound of water droplets echoed through the dark space. Hyuga Hisan was startled awake by the faint noise. He tried to open his eyes, but his body was completely numb, and his eyelids refused to move.

Still, the faint sounds around him and the smell of antiseptic told him one thing: that person was here.

"Hyuga Fuji, you traitor! How dare you attack a member of the main family!"

His hoarse voice escaped weakly, yet it still reached Hyuga Fuji, who was meticulously mixing chemicals. Fuji smiled faintly.

"Don't say it like that. I've held myself back for so long. A main family member showing up on the battlefield with only two Jonin bodyguards—what a perfect opportunity. Letting it slip by would've been such a waste."

"My whereabouts… you… you leaked them to the Mist?" Hisan's broken voice faltered as he spoke.

"Exactly. Though I didn't expect them to send three Jonin. Luckily, those two branch family Jonin you brought along managed to hold them off. Otherwise, there might have been some traces left behind."

Having finished preparing his concoction, Fuji approached the operating table where Hisan lay prone and spoke in a low voice.

After arriving in this world, Fuji had trained diligently using the shadow clones left to him by his late parents, making rapid progress.

With the advantage of foreknowledge, he earned the trust of Might Duy and inherited the Eight Gates technique. By the age of fourteen, Fuji had already reached the level of an elite Jonin.

Taking down multiple Chunin was no problem for him, but dealing with Jonin remained a challenge.

"You… hate the main family, don't you? Hate the Caged Bird Seal!"

Hisan murmured, "That's why… you're using this method… to get your revenge."

Fuji's expression flickered with a trace of amusement. "Revenge? Maybe I had thoughts of that before today. But now..."

"Why would I care?"

His detached tone caused Hisan's heart to sink.

He wasn't afraid of Fuji seeking revenge. The Caged Bird Seal ensured that any branch family member showing the slightest sign of rebellion would meet instant death.

Fuji had only succeeded this time because of the chaotic conditions of the battlefield. After this incident, the main family would surely be even more cautious.

Yet Fuji's calm, indifferent attitude revealed that he truly didn't care.

How could a branch family member, whose life and death were controlled by the main family, speak with such detachment?

"You… you're not afraid of the Caged Bird Seal?"

"I haven't fully mastered the method to completely remove the Caged Bird Seal, but there are plenty of ways to limit or disable it."

Fuji placed two vials of liquid next to Hisan's head and smiled. "Besides, haven't you already brought me the key to completely solving the Caged Bird Seal?"

"What… what do you mean?"

A deep unease stirred in Hisan's heart.

"Earlier today, a member of the Hyuga main family was captured by the Mist. And that person possesses the technique to activate the Caged Bird Seal."

"If this main family member fails to withstand the Mist's torture and betrays the village, revealing the method to activate the Caged Bird Seal, what do you think will happen?"

The main family would lose its authority entirely.

Hisan wasn't stupid; he immediately grasped Fuji's intent, and a chill ran down his spine.

If the Mist gained control over the Caged Bird Seal technique, what would Konoha's leadership do?

They would pressure the main family to break the seal!

The Hokage wouldn't even need to intervene. The main family would have no choice but to dismantle the Caged Bird Seal entirely or alter its activation method.

Why? Because at that point, the Mist would effectively become another "main family," capable of effortlessly deciding the fates of branch family members.

To activate the seal, a main family member needed a branch family member to be within their line of sight. If the activation technique fell into enemy hands, branch members would die upon merely encountering the enemy!

This was the Third Great Ninja War. Konoha was under siege from multiple villages, and the Hyuga clan was a critical part of its combat strength. Any disruption to the clan's stability could not be tolerated.

The main family and Konoha's leadership would have no choice but to ensure the enemy's version of the Caged Bird technique was rendered useless.

"How… how could this happen… how could this happen…"

Hisan's face turned ashen, and he muttered the same phrase repeatedly.

Because of his own recklessness, the foundation of the Hyuga clan's control over the branch family—the Caged Bird Seal—might disappear?

What would the branch family do then? What would become of the main family?

Once the seal was gone, how would the main family withstand the inevitable retaliation? He didn't dare imagine it.

And that's why Fuji didn't care. Who would care about a group of corpses?

Hisan didn't even consider what would happen if Fuji failed to obtain the Caged Bird activation technique. After all, it wasn't truly necessary.

Just as Fuji had spread false information about Hisan being captured by the Mist, he only needed to fake a few incidents where branch family members "died" due to the Caged Bird Seal. That alone would force Konoha's leadership and the main family to consider altering or dismantling the seal!

Given Fuji's strength, fabricating such evidence wouldn't be difficult.

"It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"

Hisan growled, filled with resentment. "You're destroying the Hyuga clan! Without the Caged Bird Seal, the clan will fall into ruin. You have no idea what enemies the Hyuga face…"

"The Otsutsuki on the moon, right?"

Hisan froze in shock.

"I'm not strong enough to face them yet. But why do you think having the Caged Bird Seal will stop them? If anything, wouldn't they simply target the main family to acquire the activation technique? Just like today—once they have it, the Hyuga clan would still be destroyed, wouldn't it?"

Ignoring Hisan's stunned and hateful expression, Fuji injected him with a sedative. Once Hisan fell silent, Fuji donned his gloves and prepared to extract his eyes.

How ridiculous. A technique that controlled the life and death of an entire clan, and yet every main family member could use it without restriction.

Did they not realize they were practically inviting disaster?

If the technique were ever leaked, anyone could control the branch family's lives.

Even if the main family could ensure secrecy during their lifetime, so what?

This was a world where jutsu could control the dead. Reanimating a single main family member through Edo Tensei would be all it took.

Fuji's hands paused as he turned his gaze toward the doorway. A shadowed figure stepped into the room.

(End of Chapter)

***

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