Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 88: Tsunade: Fuji, You're Abusing Your Authority!

"Fuji, were you intimidating the Fourth Kazekage just now? Even I could feel the pressure you were giving off."

Tsunade, who had participated in the welcoming ceremony, watched as Minato led Fugaku, the Kazekage, and his two bodyguards toward the Hokage Tower. Turning to Hyuga Fuji, who remained at the scene, she teased, "What's this? Do you dislike him that much? Or are you angry on behalf of that girl behind you?"

As she spoke, Tsunade glanced at Pakura, who stood not far behind Fuji with her head lowered.

Since seeing Rasa, Pakura had kept her head bowed, seemingly afraid to let her expression betray her emotions.

What's her name again? Yazaki Mika? Tsunade thought, noting the woman's striking appearance.

She recalled hearing that this former Root spy, while stationed in Sunagakure, had some kind of grudge against the Fourth Kazekage.

Recently, Tsunade had often seen her with Fuji. What was their relationship? She was curious.

"I was just preparing for future negotiations," Fuji replied calmly to Tsunade's teasing and said no more.

Over the past two days, Fuji had harvested more Byakugan, pushing his own to the next stage.

Sixty pairs.

A total of sixty Byakugan.

This was six times the amount he had consumed during the first stage of his experiments.

Even Fuji, a "Byakugan farmer," couldn't help but feel a little astonished at the scale.

Fortunately, the improvement was significant.

The Yin Release chakra in his Byakugan had undergone a qualitative change.

The latent visual power in his eyes now exerted a palpable pressure on others. This was why the Fourth Kazekage had felt such overwhelming intimidation earlier.

However, this progress had temporarily rendered Fuji's dojutsu unusable.

Much like Sasuke's recovery period after receiving Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, Fuji's enhanced visual power needed time to stabilize.

Although his Byakugan remained functional for normal vision, the heightened chakra flow caused by the upgrade was much more intense than before, leaving his dojutsu inaccessible during the adjustment period.

Beyond that, the increase in his chakra reserves was astonishing. With the transformation of his Yin Release chakra, his chakra levels had yet to reach their limit.

According to Chōmei, the Seven-Tails, in his mental world:

"At this rate, you'll have chakra that rivals a tailed beast's."

Fuji chuckled internally at the disgruntled voice in his mind. What's the point of that? he replied. I already have you, Chōmei.

"Besides," Fuji continued, this enhancement doesn't necessarily surpass the abilities you've granted me. You've given me plenty of useful powers.

Chōmei's expression softened, and it felt somewhat appeased.

It could tell Fuji wasn't lying.

Indeed, for Fuji, this recent upgrade was not necessarily more significant than the benefits Chōmei had provided. The Seven-Tails had given him intriguing abilities, such as partial tailed-beast transformations, flight, and the scale powder concealment technique, which caused blindness and disorientation.

By comparison, this Byakugan enhancement primarily improved his foundational attributes.

Ultimately, the Byakugan differed fundamentally from the Sharingan.

The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was powerful because it allowed access to the full-body Susanoo, which was a game-changer in terms of dojutsu capabilities.

The second stage of the Byakugan, even if it introduced new abilities, was unlikely to match the transformative leap provided by a complete Susanoo.

True qualitative change would only come with the Tenseigan, and Fuji had long prepared for this eventuality.

Unconvinced by Fuji's explanation, Tsunade approached the puzzled Pakura and asked directly, "What's your relationship with that brat? I've been seeing you two together a lot lately."

"I'm merely Lord Fuji's subordinate," Pakura replied, blinking innocently. "Tsunade-senpai, what kind of relationship do you think we have?"

Her use of "senpai" sounded perfectly natural, showing no signs of awkwardness. After all, in Pakura's generation, the legendary Sannin were figures of immense respect, to be treated with caution.

"…" Tsunade's mouth twitched. "Fine, I guess I'm overthinking it."

Fuji at least understood the implication behind her question, but this older kunoichi, apparently, did not. Has she seriously never been in a relationship before? Tsunade thought.

Then, it hit her.

A former spy who had lived every day on edge, hiding her true identity—how could she have had the chance to date?

Tsunade sighed, quickly dropping the matter. Noticing Pakura's curious look, she shifted the topic, "You were stationed in Sunagakure. What grudge do you have against the Fourth Kazekage?"

At this, Pakura's expression darkened slightly. "How could I possibly have a grudge against the mighty Fourth Kazekage? It's just that one of his decisions nearly cost me my life…"

Ah, Tsunade thought, instantly understanding. She must've been used as cannon fodder during her time as a spy.

Nodding sympathetically, she reassured Pakura, "That's all in the past. From now on, you're just…"

She paused, recalling Pakura's current rank, and then casually added, "…a simple Konoha ninja. Forget about your missions from Root."

You were about to call me a Genin, weren't you? Pakura gave her an unimpressed look.

Tsunade ignored it and yawned. "You seem pretty relaxed, considering the Fourth Kazekage is visiting," Pakura remarked.

"His visit is Minato's business, not mine," Tsunade replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I had to get up early for that stupid welcoming ceremony. I didn't sleep well last night, and I plan to hit the casino tonight."

"You won't have time for that," Shizune interjected from behind, stepping forward with a schedule in hand. "This is the itinerary Lord Hokage assigned to you, Tsunade-sama. Your day is fully booked."

Tsunade snatched the schedule, skimmed it, and clenched her fist. She turned to Fuji, glaring.

"Fuji! What's the meaning of this? This isn't what we agreed on! I'm supposed to be free!"

Fuji smiled warmly, which only made Tsunade more apprehensive.

But his words plunged her into despair.

"To warmly welcome the Fourth Kazekage, we've organized a series of activities involving all the casino owners. Tsunade-senpai, even if you go to the casinos, you won't find anyone there."

"In fact," Fuji added, "this arrangement will remain in place until the Kazekage leaves—unless you focus on your work."

"Noooo!"

Tsunade cried out dramatically, her face flushing with anger. She pointed at Fuji, her chest heaving in frustration.

"You're abusing your authority! You're breaking our agreement!"

"When have I broken our agreement?" Fuji asked, feigning confusion as he turned to Shizune.

"Shizune, did I ever break any promises with Tsunade-senpai?"

"Lord Fuji hasn't broken any promises," Shizune replied without hesitation, even under Tsunade's withering glare. "There was never any mention of the casinos in your agreement."

Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief. "Shizune, how could you…? Is this because I leave all the work to you?"

"I just want you to stop gambling every day, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said, her face expressionless, though the dark circles under her eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

Seeing Shizune's weary face, Tsunade felt a rare pang of guilt.

Maybe, just maybe, I've been pushing things a little too far lately.

"Fine. No gambling today," Tsunade muttered, shaking the schedule in her hand. "This is all I have to do, right? Nothing will be added last minute?"

"That's everything," Fuji assured her.

"Good. I'll handle it."

Mustered by a bit of resolve, Tsunade strode off. "Shizune, let's go."

Shizune bowed to Fuji before quickly following Tsunade, her heart brimming with joy.

Mission accomplished. Tsunade-sama's gambling funds are mine this month!

Sorry, Tsunade-sama, Shizune thought gleefully.

But as you said, Lord Fuji is too generous to resist.

While Tsunade technically still received gambling funds each month, Fuji had cleverly arranged it so she was unknowingly spending her own money, leaving the remainder for him to reallocate as he pleased.

(Chapter End)

***

To read an advance 100+ chapters

Support me at [email protected]/NahinS77

Change @ to a

Or go to that website and search NahinS77