Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 50: All for Someone Else's Gain

After conversing with the Third Hokage for a while longer, Hyuga Fuji glanced at the shadows in the command room before standing to take his leave.

"Sensei, what do you think of him?"

A soft, sinister voice emerged from the corner after Fuji had been gone for some time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru, who stepped out of the shadows, and gave a complex smile. "I didn't expect you to take an interest in such matters."

"After all, it concerns me," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. "You're planning to hand Root over to me, aren't you?"

"I hadn't considered it before, because you were too close to Danzo. That was my mistake—I shouldn't have let you go to Root in the first place."

Hiruzen's expression was conflicted, though a faint smile tugged at his lips. "But I'm glad that, when Konoha needed it most, you voluntarily stepped back and let Minato take the Hokage position."

"After this war, Koharu and Homura aside, Danzo will have no choice but to step down from his role as Hokage's advisor. He can no longer be trusted to manage Root either."

"I had originally considered Shikaku for the Hokage advisor position. The Nara clan has always been brilliant strategists, and aside from those Shikaku couldn't stop Danzo from dragging into Root, the Nara clan has largely stayed out of this mess."

"However, being a Jonin commander is practically tradition for them. Combined with Minato's suggestion, selecting Hyuga Fuji is also a viable choice. It's just..."

Here, Hiruzen's tone grew heavy.

"Root is not an option. Combining the role of Hokage's advisor with command over an independent force... Danzo has already shown us the dangers of that arrangement."

And wasn't it your leniency that allowed things to get to this point?

Orochimaru inwardly noted but kept to himself, merely smiling. "And you think handing it over to me is a better idea?"

"You spent time in Root before, which makes you more suitable than Danzo. Besides, the title of Hokage's advisor may sound impressive, but it only holds real power if the Hokage is willing to delegate. In other words, the position requires someone the Hokage trusts completely."

"Hyuga Fuji is part of the Hokage Guard Platoon. His suitability for the role is unquestionable."

Hiruzen muttered to himself, "Konoha needs fresh air. Minato, Hyuga Fuji... You Sannin... It's time for us old-timers to retire."

The impact of that letter was greater than he had imagined.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in his hoarse voice, "That letter I sent you back then, the one that spoke of bringing fresh air to Konoha—who did it remind you of?"

Hiruzen's movements stiffened.

Who did it remind him of?

His mind replayed the contents of that letter.

It had recommended Minato for the Hokage position, naturally listing his strengths: kind and amiable, an exceptional individual fighter, and highly trusted among the civilian shinobi...

Who did it remind him of?

Konoha once had a shinobi very much like Minato. Just as adept at swift, surgical strikes. Just as gentle and kind. Just as trusted by the civilian shinobi.

When Minato stood alongside Kakashi, that familiar feeling had been suffocating.

It was Konoha's... White Fang.

Hiruzen instinctively didn't want to think about it, but seeing Orochimaru's eyes, he knew he couldn't avoid it.

"I didn't mean to drive Sakumo to his death. Danzo only wanted to damage his reputation. None of us ever thought he would take his own life!"

"He still had a five-year-old son to take care of, he still had Kakashi to raise! Why would he choose such an extreme path?"

The previously composed Third Hokage now fumbled with his pipe, his gaze distant. "We didn't want him to die..."

Seeing this, a trace of pity flickered in Orochimaru's eyes.

Guilt was a blade.

Sakumo's death had been a major catalyst for the Third Great Ninja War.

As the war dragged on, Hiruzen must have repeatedly wondered how different things might have been if Sakumo had lived.

And when Minato, a shinobi so reminiscent of Sakumo, appeared before him, everything seemed to fall into place.

"I've been wondering lately... What if I had made Sakumo Hokage?"

"He was just as inexperienced as Minato, just as reliant on reputation without much backing from the shinobi clans."

"But if I had made up my mind to help him carve out a path, would things be better now?"

Hiruzen looked toward the door of the command room as if gazing at someone.

"He didn't know much about administration—I could have taught him. He didn't have support—I could have given it to him. Sakumo was so gentle; he and Minato would have worked well together. That way, he could have gained even more support."

"The Hokage position... Who can say someone is unfit unless they've sat in that seat themselves?"

In his mind's eye, Hiruzen could see Sakumo wearing the Hokage's robes, flanked by Minato, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Tsunade, Hyuga Fuji, and others. The vision was so radiant that he closed his eyes.

"If he had lived, Kakashi wouldn't have been torn between his comrades and his mission. He would have grown much faster. The emergence of a second White Fang in Konoha would have been inevitable."

"If he had lived, many in Konoha wouldn't have died. He was, after all, the White Fang who kept the Sand Village awake at night!"

"I've already made one mistake. I can't afford to make another!"

Hiruzen opened his eyes and repeated those words, his clouded gaze locking onto Orochimaru.

"Sakumo's death... I, Danzo, and the two advisors were all at fault. But the shinobi clans are just as culpable. They fanned the flames and stood by, watching it happen."

"For ninjas like Sakumo and Minato, who come from civilian backgrounds, the clans are their greatest opponents. Last time, I hesitated. This time... I'll take action myself!"

"Do you think I'm making the right choice this time? I should be, shouldn't I?"

Orochimaru looked into Hiruzen's somewhat lost eyes but remained silent.

Perhaps, for an old Hokage like you, this is the best you've ever done.

But at the same time, you've become a blade for Hyuga Fuji, cutting away every obstacle in his path to power.

In the Mist battlefield, Fuji had orchestrated events to force you to recall Tsunade and resolve the issue of the Caged Bird Seal, preventing Danzo from exploiting it.

He earned his promotion to Jonin, entered Minato's inner circle as a member of the Hokage Guard Platoon, and escalated tensions between the Hokage and the shinobi clans. He forced you to confront these contradictions head-on.

The clans feared Minato because his rise was supported by bloodline clans—Hyuga and Uchiha!

Bloodline clans, with their unparalleled power and irreplaceable abilities, made them a far greater threat than other shinobi clans. Minato's ascent threatened to leave those who didn't back him in the dust, and it would make it even harder to suppress Hyuga and Uchiha in the future.

The old clan alliances you once fostered have been thoroughly fractured by Minato's rise, and now you're forced to eliminate their influence to prevent internal conflict.

Meanwhile, Fuji, under the guise of these events, has nearly secured the abolition of the Caged Bird Seal.

A branch family member of the Hyuga, who should never have risen to Konoha's upper echelons, now only needs to bolster his reputation to take the position of Hokage's advisor.

And the Mist Village has already handed him the perfect opportunity to do so.

Danzo was your blade, wielded to ignite the clans' discontent. You, in turn, have become Fuji's blade, clearing away every hindrance to his rise.

Orochimaru silently lamented.

One phrase came to mind: "All for someone else's gain."

As you pave the way for Minato, trimming away the influence of the old clans, what kind of power will Fuji gain with Minato's trust?

Even without Root, would Minato stop Fuji from forming his own force?

With Fuji's abilities... who will truly control Konoha in the future is far from certain.

Fuji, you've chosen a very special position for yourself to watch over the peace Minato envisions.

But... is that really all you want?

...

Hyuga Fuji walked out of the command room, gazing at the brightening sky.

Under the one-country-one-village system, the Daimyo had no say in Konoha's politics. Konoha, as the Land of Fire's military force, functioned more like mercenaries—taking missions from other nations without needing the Daimyo's approval.

The village's primary source of income came from missions, not trade ...and this created a precarious relationship. The Daimyo held Konoha's economic lifeline but lacked the power to counterbalance the village militarily.

A warped, absurdly symbiotic relationship.

The highest authority in the Land of Fire—the Daimyo—did not control the military force of his own nation, instead relying on soft measures like financial leverage.

An efficient government should possess cohesion and unity, yet this system had none of those traits.

Even worse, the vast potential of chakra, a resource with applications far beyond warfare, was monopolized by ninja, samurai, and monks, and most of it was wasted on violence—on killing and war.

How many people did Konoha have? How many resided in the Fire Temple? And how many more populated the Land of Fire as a whole?

If the knowledge of chakra was universal, if every citizen could learn to use it, the Land of Fire's war potential and overall foundation would grow exponentially.

But the Daimyo wouldn't dare spread it.

He lacked the means to control such power, and the same was true for the Hokage.

Old ways were not inherently right. This applied to Jinchuriki, to the shinobi clans... and also to the one-country-one-village system itself.

As Hyuga Fuji stood beneath the dawning sky, the pale light reflecting off his impassive eyes, he thought to himself:

If this system cannot be fixed, then perhaps it must be overturned.

---

Elsewhere, in the Konoha camp, Uchiha Yakumaru watched from a distance as Hyuga Fuji emerged from the command room. He sighed deeply.

"Thinking about something?"

Yakumaru turned his head to see Kushina approaching, her bright red hair swaying lightly behind her. She had her arms crossed, her expression curious but cautious.

"Just wondering what's going on in that guy's head," Yakumaru muttered, gesturing toward Fuji. "He's always so calm, as if nothing in the world can touch him."

Kushina glanced at Fuji's retreating figure and grinned. "That's just how he is. He's like Minato in that way—they both keep everything bottled up. It's frustrating sometimes, isn't it?"

Yakumaru snorted. "Frustrating is one way to put it. But don't compare him to the Fourth. Minato wears his heart on his sleeve, even if he's quiet about it. Fuji... I can never tell what he's really after."

"Maybe that's why Minato trusts him so much," Kushina said after a moment of thought. "He's steady. Reliable. The kind of person you can lean on when things get tough."

Yakumaru didn't reply, his eyes still fixed on Fuji. After a while, he muttered, almost to himself, "Reliable... sure. But people like him, the ones who always stay two steps ahead, they're the ones you have to watch the most carefully."

Kushina tilted her head. "You don't trust him?"

"It's not about trust." Yakumaru shook his head. "It's about knowing where the pieces are on the board—and Fuji is a piece I don't know how to place."

Kushina's expression softened. "Minato trusts him. And I trust Minato."

"That's exactly why I'm worried," Yakumaru murmured under his breath.

---

Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the Konoha camp, Hyuga Fuji stood alone, gazing at the distant horizon where the first rays of sunlight pierced through the forest.

The Mist Village's forces were gathering. The war was nearing its climax.

For many, this was the beginning of the end.

For Fuji, it was merely the next step.

---

(To be continued...)