Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 207: Is White Zetsu One of Hyuga Fuji's Subordinates?

"Konoha must be waiting for us. Be prepared."

With these words, Onoki brought the conversation to an end.

He then picked up another scroll, examining the future technology within. His gaze immediately locked onto one specific technique that he couldn't ignore.

A cloning technique based on the Split Clone Jutsu?

If he could use this to replicate himself, wouldn't Iwagakure be able to form an army of Dust Release users?

Onoki's face lit up with excitement. "Quick, bring me Master Mu's Split Clone Jutsu!"

After assigning Kitsuchi this task, Onoki continued delving into the scroll.

Intelligent cores, earthen golem puppets...

A variety of seemingly outlandish yet plausible technologies were listed within. With the essence of Suna's puppet techniques already traded to them by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, and given Iwagakure's own expertise, many of these technologies could become a reality as long as they had the right direction for research.

Closing the scroll, a satisfied Onoki leaned back in his chair, shutting his eyes as he murmured, "The coming era will be a time of rapid growth for us."

At nearly the same moment, in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage sat in his chair, making a similar remark. "Impressive—technology from the future. The Land of Lightning will develop greatly."

"And would you like it to develop even further?"

A strange voice suddenly spoke from behind him.

"Who's there?!"

The Fourth Raikage leapt to his feet, turning into a streak of lightning as he appeared in front of his desk, facing off against the figure now standing in the center of the room.

The intruder wore a white haori and had a long braid trailing down his back.

"Greetings. My name is Jigen. I've come to meet with you at the request of future Mabui."

Jigen—or rather, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki—spoke with remarkable politeness.

"Jigen?"

The Fourth Raikage's body tensed as he stared at the stranger, not daring to relax. The man exuded an incredibly dangerous aura. "If you were invited, do you have proof?"

Thud thud thud.

Before Isshiki could reply, the office doors were flung open. The guards stationed outside had apparently heard the commotion and rushed inside.

"Raikage-sama, are you alright?"

"Who is this? How did they infiltrate?"

"Daring to invade Kumogakure, you—"

"Enough!"

The Fourth Raikage's furious shout silenced the room, commanding the guards to stop their shouting.

Once order was restored, the Raikage ignored the confused looks of his guards and fixed his gaze on Isshiki, waiting for his response.

Isshiki paid no attention to the others, instead nodding toward the Raikage. "This was entrusted to me by Lady Mabui."

He produced a scroll, tossing it to the Fourth Raikage under the watchful and tense eyes of the Kumogakure shinobi.

The Fourth Raikage didn't hesitate. Without a hint of fear, he caught the scroll and immediately opened it, unconcerned about potential traps.

After all, if Isshiki had truly intended to kill him, the silent way he had infiltrated suggested he could have done so long ago.

Inside the scroll was a message from Mabui, intended to confirm Isshiki's identity.

She wrote candidly, stating that this unexpected visitor was their best hope of defeating Hyuga Fuji. Isshiki possessed terrifying technologies and knowledge.

However, in the future, due to poor timing and mistrust of his advanced techniques, Isshiki had been pursued by Hyuga Fuji and ultimately vanished. His disappearance had caused them to lose any chance of surpassing Hyuga Fuji in technological advancements.

Hope, huh?

The Fourth Raikage furrowed his brow as he rolled up the scroll, then solemnly turned his attention to Isshiki. "Very well. Then I ask that you demonstrate the technology you possess."

Isshiki's expression didn't waver. "Rest assured, you won't be disappointed."

After all, his knowledge... was the embodiment of Ōtsutsuki technology!

"But first, let's clean up the spies among you."

Still calm and composed, Isshiki disappeared in a flicker, reappearing behind one of the Kumogakure shinobi. His palm struck the back of the shinobi's head before anyone could react.

The struck shinobi froze, then collapsed limply to the ground.

"!!!"

The Fourth Raikage and the other Kumogakure shinobi stared in shock and anger at Isshiki. But the transformation that followed left them speechless.

The fallen shinobi's body began to change, transforming from its original form into a strange white creature.

Watching indifferently, Isshiki explained in a low voice, "This is a being called White Zetsu. It's worth studying—it can disguise itself so perfectly that it even masks its chakra signature. Without prior intel, it's almost impossible to detect. However, because I've studied them, I can counteract them."

Isshiki spoke with an air of authority, his face calm, though his heart was filled with icy disdain.

The White Zetsu of the ninja world had been created by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. But after Kaguya had been sealed away by her two sons, these creatures had remained dormant. Lately, however, Isshiki had sensed their presence more and more.

To Isshiki, this anomaly meant only one thing—

Kaguya's revival mechanisms had been activated.

Strictly speaking, this was not the time for Isshiki to emerge in the ninja world. Doing so risked attracting Kaguya's attention after her eventual revival.

His current state was far from optimal. Without consuming a chakra fruit, he wasn't strong enough to face Kaguya. His priority should have been recovering his strength.

Once he found the perfect host, he could ensure his survival and pursue his goals with greater security.

But the information from the future had forced his hand.

Mabui hadn't just given him the scroll for the Raikage; she had also entrusted him with items left behind by his future self.

Among them was a partial account from his future self.

For Hyuga Fuji to have cornered his future self into allying with these "natives" clearly indicated that certain developments had gone beyond Isshiki's expectations. If left unchecked, he might fall in this small world before Kaguya's revival even began.

Directly confronting Hyuga Fuji wasn't in Isshiki's best interest. Until he found a suitable host, he couldn't afford to reveal himself fully.

And so, Isshiki had appeared.

By sharing Ōtsutsuki technology and knowledge, he could help the nations advance, delay Hyuga Fuji, and buy himself time to recover.

And thanks to Mabui's endorsement, he could also gain access to resources that would have otherwise been difficult to obtain.

As Isshiki predicted, after exposing the White Zetsu spy and further tests, he quickly became a highly regarded guest of the Land of Lightning.

...

In the spiritual realm, Hyuga Fuji stood before a floating sphere, watching it hover and display a scene from the Raikage's office.

The footage replayed the events, from the Kumogakure shinobi entering the Raikage's office to the White Zetsu's death.

Hyuga Fuji smiled faintly as he observed Isshiki within the scene. "So, you couldn't resist showing yourself after all."

Beside Hyuga Fuji, the future Kitsuchi, who had been brought into this space, stood in stunned silence.

White Zetsu is Hyuga Fuji's subordinate?

From what he knew, weren't they Uchiha Madara's underlings?

When had Hyuga Fuji managed to infiltrate White Zetsu?

As Kitsuchi watched Isshiki and the oblivious Raikage converse, then glanced at Hyuga Fuji's amused smile, his stomach churned.

Uchiha Madara, you fool—you didn't even realize your subordinates had been replaced? You've doomed us all!

(End of Chapter)