Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 210
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 17:44:28 +0000 UTCThrough long-term observation, Masashi had come to realize that while Itachi's way of thinking was peculiar, his sense of insecurity was undeniably severe.
However, this insecurity wasn't about himself but rather about the things he valued.
For anything or anyone that posed a threat to what he held dear, he would rather expand his scope and eliminate the target physically to ensure its removal.
Ultimately, it all traced back to a certain fool who had taken the then-four-year-old Itachi to the battlefield for an "observation tour" and even casually slit a man's throat in front of him.
Even during the Warring States period, people weren't this reckless.
Back then, if a child under six had any battlefield experience, it was purely passive participation.
From this perspective, Itachi's psychological resilience was already quite impressive. But at the end of the day, he was only four years old when he was exposed to such horrors. Following the path of a ninja, as a firm believer in the Will of Fire and a die-hard Konoha loyalist, he chose to uphold his beliefs in the most extreme way possible.
Now that the Uchiha clan had reconciled with Konoha, Itachi's extreme approach to things didn't seem entirely unacceptable.
Having a strong tendency to kill was not a flaw back in the Warring States period—Masashi himself had once adhered to the principle of "physical persuasion" in his lifetime as Muzo.
But times had changed.
Now, in this era, ninjas had new requirements. It wasn't just about being able to fight; one had to know how to negotiate too. Extreme violence was no longer a universal solution—unless one was a literal god.
Apart from never having taught Itachi any ninjutsu, Masashi believed that he had somewhat served as a mentor to him.
This time, Itachi had nearly gone off the deep end, wiping out an entire target family in a single stroke. It served as yet another reminder to Masashi that his teachings to Itachi were far from over. In fact, they were ongoing.
Given Itachi's current state, Masashi felt he needed to focus more on social interactions and communication.
Within the village, Itachi always appeared kind and polite, but in reality, he had almost no meaningful communication with his peers.
His kindness was full of detachment.
The Fire Daimyō, on the other hand, was a completely different kind of person—quick-witted and endlessly talkative, capable of chatting with anyone and filling the room with laughter.
His presence was lively and engaging.
Coincidentally, the daimyō also had a favorable impression of the Uchiha clan and treated them with respect. Masashi figured that from now on, he would bring Itachi along whenever he met with the Fire daimyō.
Who knew? Over time, there might be some unexpected benefits.
Surely, the daimyō wouldn't mind building a personal connection with the Uchiha clan leader's son.
With this thought in mind, during their stay at the daimyō's residence, Masashi brought Itachi along every time he met with the Fire daimyō.
At their first meeting, the daimyō showed great interest in Itachi.
For instance, despite being one of the few nobles in the court who wasn't particularly interested in Fugaku's calligraphy, on that day, he suddenly acted like a die-hard fan of it.
Itachi, in turn, displayed the demeanor of a well-mannered child. However, when the daimyō asked what level of artistic achievement he thought his father's calligraphy had reached, he struggled to respond properly.
He was young, it was understandable.
After that day, the daimyō never brought up Fugaku's calligraphy again. Instead, he became even more friendly with Itachi.
Masashi figured it was because, deep down, most people agreed that Fugaku's calligraphy skills were terrible. In a world governed by twisted aesthetics, meeting someone with a normal sense of taste was a rare joy.
That was how it should be. That was the normal reaction to Fugaku's handwriting.
Even the White Snake Sage had fallen for the deception—how absurd.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, a month had passed. The Konoha ninjas had almost completed their mission at the daimyō's court.
Regarding these so-called "foreign spies," the daimyō demonstrated solidarity with Konoha, showing a firm stance. With a bold stroke of his brush, he ordered that they all be granted a special cup—execution by poison. Their fiefdoms were confiscated, while their other properties were inherited by their families.
Several hundred people ended up enjoying this treatment.
Despite the sudden loss of so many officials, the daimyō's court was unaffected. There were simply too many people eager to take their places. Every position had a long line of contenders waiting for a promotion.
At the execution ground, Masashi brought Itachi along to witness the event.
"How about that? Isn't this more satisfying than cutting them down yourself?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes," Itachi nodded. "It is quite satisfying." He thought the daimyō was a great ruler—fair and just.
To this, Masashi merely smiled without responding.
If there were any wrongly accused among the executed, he would have lived his life in vain.
Most people could not accept death peacefully. Their struggles in their final moments were always deeply moving.
Ninjas had hearts of stone—unless they had just graduated.
But for the other officials in the daimyō's court, this was a heavy blow.
Once again, the close relationship between Konoha and the daimyō's court was put on full display.
After the executions were completed, Masashi took Itachi for one final visit to the daimyō before leading his team back home.
Having been away for a month, he missed his children dearly.
Itachi also missed his younger brother.
At long last, this grand-scale investigation across the shinobi world had come to an end.
Now, the Five Great Ninja Villages could resume peace negotiations.
But that was no longer Masashi's concern.
He returned to his routine as a teacher, moving between his home, the academy, and the training grounds.
Neji's class had entered the final sprint of their training exercises, and by the end of the year, they would officially begin the applied phase of their studies.
With that in mind, Masashi started preparing for the private lessons he would need to conduct at that stage.
He had no intention of teaching in the village.
It wasn't just about Haku and Karin—even Neji, despite his disciplined and conventional training, wasn't particularly suited for a standard curriculum.
Someone who could figure out the Palm Rotation on his own deserved greater expectations.
Masashi thought the Land of Rice Fields would be an ideal place. Or should it be called Land of Sound now?
Anyway, it was the country closest to both the Kumo and Iwa battlefields. Kumo's fleets also had to pass through its offshore waters. With Konoha and Kiri considering forming an official war observation group, the Land of Rice Fields was the best base for such operations.
Because of this, despite it being Orochimaru's territory, it was still relatively safe.
As of now, no one in Konoha, apart from Masashi, was aware that Orochimaru was the true leader of Oto.
Only a few individuals knew that the curse mark he had brought back to the Uchiha clan was one of Orochimaru's research results, and the clan had even invested in it.
This jutsu, which carried some elements of senjutsu, was undeniably dangerous. However, a few individuals had successfully adapted to it.
Even so, Masashi was always extremely cautious during every attempt. If a clan member showed signs of incompatibility, he would immediately retract the power of the curse mark.
His version was much gentler than Orochimaru's original, which could actually kill people.
Masashi had been pondering how to replicate something similar to what Naruto did in the original timeline—allowing the power of a tailed beast to be channeled through him to aid others.
He was not a jinchūriki and had no intention of becoming one. Moreover, Matatabi's power was different from Kurama's. The curse mark provided him with a solution.
Once the first Uchiha member successfully acquired the curse mark, he immediately conducted an experiment. The results were promising—he successfully transferred Matatabi's chakra to that person.
With this, it was finally accurate to say that "the Uchiha Clan has acquired the power of the Two-Tails." Before this, Matatabi had only been his personal battle companion, able to share chakra solely with him.
Before taking his students to the Land of Rice Fields, he planned to meet Orochimaru one more time.
As for acting alone, he had plenty of justifications.
Whether it was for the sake of his students or to scout the area for the observation group, conducting a preliminary assessment and coordinating with their ally, Oto, made perfect sense.
But that excuse wouldn't fly at home.
While he had been away handling the investigation, Pakura had already completed her mission and returned. Unlike Hikari, Pakura, after reuniting with her husband, didn't see any reason for him to leave again just for teaching.
Using the observation group as an excuse wouldn't work either.
So, he didn't set off right away. Outside of his time at the Academy, he spent all his free hours with his family.
His son was noticeably more lively now that his mother had returned home.
Masashi paid close attention to this. After all, Yosuke was usually far too reserved.
Personality needed to be nurtured from a young age—otherwise, he might struggle with relationships in the future.
All the experience he had accumulated over different lifetimes in casually chatting with young women—who else could he pass it on to but his son? It would be a waste otherwise.
A ninja's family life should be purely joyful and heartwarming.
Immersed in this warmth, Masashi spent the last season of the year and stepped into the first month of Year 61.
The war between Iwa, Suna, and Kumo had begun to shift.
From subtle signs within the intelligence network, Masashi realized that Iwa was on the verge of collapse.
Fighting against two villages at once was never easy—Iwa wasn't Konoha.
A plea for assistance from Iwa had already been sent to Konoha, now sitting on the desk of Minato.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire shinobi world, Masashi, as one of Konoha's key strategic assets, openly departed from the village and headed north toward the Land of Rice Fields.
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Once a ninja reached a certain level of strength, they naturally carried political influence.
A genin who disobeyed orders was called undisciplined and unorganized.
A chunin who disobeyed orders was considered lacking a broader perspective.
And a jonin who disobeyed orders caused a major security incident.
But if a Kage-level ninja acted independently, the village would first cooperate with them. Even if it really was an accident, they would find a grand justification to cover it up.
Masashi had never acted independently without reporting first. He always followed protocol.
He was the kind of Kage-level ninja that all four other great ninja villages wished they had.
When he set off for the Land of Rice Fields, everyone believed that Konoha was preparing for action.
And they were right. Soon, Konoha and Kiri publicly announced their plan to establish an observation team.
By this time, Masashi had already set foot on the soil of the Land of Rice Fields.
After the outbreak of war between Kumo and Iwa, the northern region of this country entered a peculiar state.
On one hand, they opened their ports to supply Kumo's military transport fleet, creating a strong commercial atmosphere.
On the other hand, the northern nobles temporarily closed their territories and moved their families southward.
Orochimaru himself had little regard for the Five Great Villages. After years of training, his Oto ninjas had developed not only considerable skill but also high ambitions.
Oto accepted all commissions from the feudal lord and nobles of the Land of Rice Fields without hesitation.
Business was booming.
For example, Oto was responsible for military defense at the ports. Kumo ninjas were known for their aggressive nature, but Oto's forces were even more domineering, which oddly enough earned Kumo's respect.
The two sides got along well.
Masashi first visited the feudal lord of the Land of Rice Fields, delivering official documents from the Hokage and Mizukage. The lord warmly welcomed the proposal to establish a military observation team, stating that they were free to use any land they wanted, and if they chose his residence, that would be even better.
Masashi simply responded with a polite smile, saying he would try to secure the best outcome for the feudal lord before leaving.
He headed straight for Oto.
As an ally of Konoha, it was only natural for a Konoha ninja like him to visit Oto with confidence.
His dealings with Orochimaru were highly secretive. Only a few high-ranking Uchiha members in Konoha had their suspicions, but since he was the top candidate for the next clan leader, no one spoke of it—on the contrary, they covered for him.
Masashi himself was also extremely cautious, ensuring that no evidence could be used against him.
Orochimaru's interest in acquiring leverage over others depended entirely on whether he could monetize it.
Holding something over the Uchiha clan certainly had financial potential.
When he met Orochimaru, it was still inside his laboratory.
"Masashi, are you satisfied with the effects of the curse mark?" Orochimaru spoke in a casual tone, though he didn't even glance at Masashi.
His eyes remained fixed on a test tube in his hand, observing the changes in the liquid inside.
In some ways, he was the easiest boss to deal with.
As long as he received a steady flow of funds and experimental materials, no one could drag him out of his lab.
Unless, of course, someone blew up his lab and destroyed his important research data.
In that case, he would reveal the most human aspect of himself—he would spend an excruciatingly long time making life miserable for the perpetrator, regardless of whether there was any benefit in doing so.
Ever since accepting the Uchiha clan's indirect investments, Orochimaru's activities in the ninja world had drastically decreased. In the past three years, he had become almost invisible.
So much so that some in Konoha had begun to suspect that he was dead.
Hiruzen firmly denied it. He knew his student well—Orochimaru was definitely holed up somewhere conducting experiments.
At his age, Hiruzen often reminisced about the past, regretting that he hadn't done enough to prevent the disbanding of the Sannin.
But he also knew that Orochimaru would never return. Even Tsunade might not come back.
"The curse mark is fine," Masashi replied, glancing around the lab without stepping closer or touching anything.
Even though he wasn't involved in research in this timeline, his keen eye remained.
Orochimaru had set up many seemingly valuable but actually deceptive traps throughout the lab.
As for the Sannin himself, he was likely carrying even more hidden tricks.
In the lab, he was at his deadliest.
"I've always been curious—why are you so familiar with these things?" Orochimaru finally set down the test tube, carefully placing it in its holder before turning his sharp gaze on Masashi.
"Does the Uchiha clan conduct experiments as well?"
If there was one thing about working with the Uchiha clan that surprised him, it was Masashi's ability to quickly understand even the most complex experimental data that he had deliberately made convoluted—Masashi grasped it at lightning speed and even gave him a look of "This is all you've got?"
That was awkward.
His investor actually understood his work.
Still, he was a good investor.
Even after realizing that Orochimaru had been diverting funds for personal research, he didn't get angry. Instead, he pointed out some flaws in Orochimaru's study and reaffirmed his trust in his expertise.
From his tone, the Sannin could tell that Masashi truly believed that diverting research funds was completely normal—so much so that he didn't even consider it worth mentioning.
This touched him deeply—this was a true confidant!
He had left Konoha and founded his own ninja village mainly because he felt that, under the existing system, there was no one who truly understood him.
But to his surprise, his kindred spirit was in the Uchiha clan!
For such a rare confidant, he felt the need to prove his professional competence. So, for a period of time, he actually refrained from diverting funds and seriously focused on this one project.
Without comparison, there is no pain.
As for Akatsuki? To hell with them. They were the worst investors—barely provided any funds but had an endless list of demands.
Take Kakuzu as an example. He constantly accused him of faking the books and threatened to kill him once he had proof.
Kill him? That was beside the point. But how could research ever be called fraudulent accounting?
How crude!
As if he would ever get caught.
Did Kakuzu think Orochimaru's "Grand Justification of Research Funds" technique was just for show? Even Danzō pulled out half his hair trying to investigate him and still found nothing—only suspicions, no evidence.
And without evidence, how could they claim he was falsifying accounts? He was merely using the resources more flexibly.
So far, the only person who had actually seen through it was Masashi.
But he was a confidant. And if he was a confidant, then of course he could see through it.
"For such a large and ancient ninja clan, doing some experiments is perfectly normal," Masashi answered Orochimaru's question. "So many jutsu exist—not all of them were just copied."
To be fair, most of them were copied and then improved.
The Uchiha clan's experiments had always revolved around the Sharingan.
Though, those experiments were... a different kind of research.
"So, what brings you here today? Are you interested in the second stage?" Orochimaru asked.
After finalizing the mature version of the curse mark, he had entered the phase of mass experimentation.
For now, the second stage had yet to show results.
"Not quite," Masashi shook his head. "I heard rumors—are you trying to improve the Edo Tensei?"
"Oh?" Orochimaru's snake-like pupils flickered slightly. "Where did you hear that?"
"I still have some ethics, so I won't tell you. But you should be careful—that technique is extremely sensitive."
"Alright, then I won't ask." Orochimaru chuckled. "What, do you have someone you want to revive?"
"Of course, but using Edo Tensei? No thanks. Who are you planning to bring back?" Masashi asked.
In the original timeline, it was that fool and the rich guy. But in this timeline, Orochimaru hadn't been as prepared when he left Konoha. Plus, Konoha's internal landscape had changed—no one was secretly working with him anymore. So, did he still have access to their remains?
Wait a minute... did this mean I took Danzō's place and became the "insider" secretly working with Orochimaru?
"Masashi." Orochimaru didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tidied up his experiment table. After everything was put away, he removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash. "Let's go somewhere else."
"Alright." Masashi turned and left the lab first.
A moment later, Orochimaru followed, carefully locking the door behind him.
This underground base was no longer an unfinished project from when he first arrived. It was now fully equipped with all necessary renovations, electrical systems, and bright-lit hallways.
After securing the door, he turned back.
"Since you've asked, I might as well show you the progress on this project. Right now, Kabuto is overseeing things for me."
