Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 115
🕑 Added 2025-01-04 16:22:28 +0000 UTCAfter finalizing an action plan with the Hōzuki clan, Masashi and Shisui spent a peaceful day in Kiri.
They ate dango when it was time, rested when needed.
Unlike their time in Kusa, Masashi didn't dare to casually consume food or water from Kiri—who knew what strange concoctions might be lurking here?
The benefits of being proficient in fuinjutsu became evident: he carried plenty of bottled water and soldier pills.
When it came to safety, these expenses were entirely justifiable.
To avoid wasting time, he practiced chakra control in his room, keeping his skills sharp.
Work was work, but training couldn't be neglected.
Hikari, as usual, was an excellent audience—she never interrupted him, watching quietly without saying a word.
While Masashi conserved his energy, the Hōzuki clan was busy making the rounds, visiting allies and rallying support.
The ANBU from the Mizukage Building, predictably, dispatched operatives to monitor the Hōzuki clan's movements.
The leader of this operation was none other than the man operating under the alias Tobi.
Thanks to his self-developed jutsu, Obito now had more free time than ever, no longer tied down to the office slogging through paperwork. All he needed to do was periodically reinforce the genjutsu cast on Yagura.
Yagura diligently followed his hypnotic suggestions: with the Yuki clan eliminated, the Hōzuki clan was next.
Once the major clans were eradicated, Kiri would have only one voice: the Mizukage's.
The Mizukage controlled Kiri, and he controlled the Mizukage.
Without these troublemaking clans stirring up dissent, Obito could turn his attention to Ame, where things were currently being handled by Black Zetsu—though he wasn't entirely confident in Zetsu's competence.
Black Zetsu didn't seem all that smart, after all.
Moreover, as the embodiment of Madara's will, Zetsu's loyalties would never truly align with his own.
Then there was Ame itself. Hanzo of the Salamander was proving to be an obstacle and needed to be dealt with. It was high time Nagato was pushed further into hating the great nations, to eliminate Hanzo and seize control of Ame.
Nagato was becoming increasingly adept at wielding the Rinnegan. In Obito's eyes, the time was ripe for taking Ame.
From there, Ame could serve as a base to grow Akatsuki. Using its strategic location, they could incite military conflict across the continent, further deepening the hostility and division among the great ninja villages.
With Kiri's resources at his disposal, Obito would simply bide his time, letting events play out until the moment came to unite the two sides of his plan and bring his ultimate vision to fruition.
Now that was true ambition!
Ever since Masashi and Shisui entered Kiri, he had kept a close eye on them.
When he saw them teaming up with the Hōzuki clan, he was thrilled, nearly bursting into maniacal laughter.
At last, they had fallen into his hands! This time, he was determined to utterly humiliate them!
Even though he was itching for action, Obito methodically directed Kiri's ANBU to keep a tight watch on the Hōzuki clan's movements.
That night, a squad of ANBU appeared outside the guesthouse where Masashi and Shisui were staying.
Standing atop a fortress overlooking the guesthouse, Obito led his men, peering down at the scene below.
Finally, the time had come to face Masashi again.
And this time, the once-renowned prodigy, Shisui, was part of the equation.
Obito's entire body trembled with excitement.
"007, step forward," his tone was sharp and commanding.
Although his subordinates didn't understand why their leader was so exhilarated, they wisely kept silent.
This man—prone to sudden violence—was terrifyingly ruthless.
An ANBU member respectfully stepped forward.
Obito retrieved a letter from his cloak, holding it between two fingers before handing it back without even looking.
"Deliver this to Masashi. Inform him that he is expected to attend the signing ceremony as scheduled."
"Yes," The ANBU member accepted the letter with both hands before vanishing into the streets below.
Obito watched the scene unfold, a smug smile on his face.
Kiri's ANBU had been thoroughly tamed under his rule.
Madara truly was a genius. The genjutsu he developed was not only incredibly fast-acting and highly penetrating but also devastatingly effective against tailed beast chakra. This was how Obito had managed to control Yagura, a perfect jinchūriki, in one fell swoop.
However, his own genjutsu, developed on top of Madara's, was nothing to scoff at either.
While Madara's genjutsu was formidable, it could still be detected and countered by powerful Sharingan or Byakugan users. Obito's version, however, was subtler, with Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan being the sole credible threat.
Given Shisui's proficiency in genjutsu, his Mangekyō abilities were undoubtedly centered around illusions.
Obito had already devised a strategy to ensure Shisui would never get a chance to use them.
First, he would use Kamui to remove Shisui from the battlefield, leaving him free to toy with Masashi.
Obito couldn't wait to see the expression on Masashi's face when he, lacking mastery in genjutsu, lost to him.
Rumors? What a joke. These spineless Kiri fools would be silenced as long as he displayed overwhelming power. They wouldn't dare make a peep.
As for Yagura, he would execute the Hōzuki clan and their allies on the spot.
Defying the Mizukage was a crime punishable by death.
"Masashi, you've truly disappointed me this time!"
Too weak. Too incompetent.
Konoha's ideals only bred weakness, leaving one blind to their own frailty.
Despair, on the other hand, was the key to strength.
In this battle, Obito would eliminate Kiri's stabilizing clans in one fell swoop, severing any ties between the village and Konoha.
Kiri was his to control, and no one else could have it unless he allowed it.
Obito's gaze locked onto the ANBU operative entering the guesthouse. He smirked as the subordinate unceremoniously barged in.
The Hōzuki clan was doomed, and this guesthouse would soon belong to the Mizukage. With full confidence in their imminent victory, the ANBU had no reservations about antagonizing the Hōzuki.
Moments later, the ANBU returned, their previous arrogance gone, replaced with respectful humility as they reported back to Obito.
"The letter has been delivered."
"And?" Obito kept his tone calm. "What is Masashi doing?"
"He's in his room with Hikari. According to our investigation, ever since he took that woman, he hasn't been leaving his quarters. She's been serving him diligently the entire time."
"Disgusting," Obito sneered in contempt. "The Hōzuki clan deserves to die if they're allying with scum like him."
He waved a hand dismissively, exuding authority.
"Leave one team to keep watch here. The rest, return to base."
"Yes!" the ANBU responded in unison.
Obito turned to leave, intent on reinforcing Yagura's genjutsu one more time.
As per his orders, a handful of ANBU stayed behind to monitor the area.
They took up positions in various spots for surveillance.
One operative assigned to watch a window had an agonizing night. The room's curtains were tightly drawn, but the light inside stayed on all night, casting silhouettes of two figures constantly entwining in all sorts of movements.
Watching this, the ANBU couldn't help but feel envious, knowing Hikari's famed beauty.
These Konoha ninjas were seriously creative—he hadn't even thought of some of those moves! He resolved to help the captain teach these Konoha intruders a lesson the next day.
After all, the guesthouse would soon belong to the Mizukage, and the women inside would need new "protectors." He could only hope Hikari would choose him.
The ANBU spent the night alternating between monitoring and daydreaming. By the time dawn broke, he was bleary-eyed, exhausted from watching the seemingly endless "activity" in the room.
"Damn it, they went at it till almost morning! Is this guy even planning to attend the signing today?"
Just as he fumed, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind—a signal from his team to switch shifts.
Relieved, he turned casually, muttering, "Don't worry. That guy's sleeping like a log. No need to be so cautious—"
He froze, staring into a pair of Sharingan.
In an instant, his consciousness slipped away.
---
Fixing his gaze on the ANBU member, Masashi was utterly irritated. If he weren't trying to avoid unnecessary trouble, he would've already beaten this guy up.
What kind of idiot is this?
Last night, after Obito left, Masashi had to prepare some things in his room. So he used a genjutsu on the guy outside.
The result?
While he was busy all night, that guy stared at the room with an extremely perverted gaze the entire time, wriggling around like a lunatic.
What the hell is wrong with you!?
I just made you see what your subconscious desires, so what on earth did you see!?
The signing time was at 3 PM, so he could've caught up on some sleep. But that thing outside had irritated him to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. He was left with no choice but to teleport out again. This time, he didn't bother with illusions—he directly erased the guy's memory and put him to sleep.
This dude was seriously nauseating.
He raised his foot, but fearing he might accidentally kick the guy to death, Masashi withdrew it and muttered, "Consider yourself lucky this time," before teleporting back to his room.
---
Inside, Hikari was staring blankly at a pile of explosive tags on the ground.
Last night had been an eye-opener for her.
Back when she was handling her clan's business, she'd dealt with explosive tags before and had reviewed the production process countless times.
But she was sure that no one could make them the way Masashi did.
This speed... It was like when she used to stamp documents back at the office!
The Uchiha clan was this insane?
Was this the rumored power of the Uchiha clan, said to be invincible?
Explosive tags weren't even pre-made—he just brought the materials and crafted them on the spot?
"Hikari, help me tidy these up. I'm going to take a shower," Masashi said, then headed into the bathroom.
The sound of running water soon echoed from inside.
She quietly began collecting the explosive tags one by one. Around her, neat stacks of explosive tags were organized, along with scrolls inscribed with complex sealing formulas.
After a while, Masashi emerged from the bathroom, wearing a bathrobe.
His hair was messy and still damp.
By then, Hikari had already cleaned up all the explosive tags. Seeing his still-wet hair, she stepped forward, took the towel from his hand, and began drying it for him.
Masashi initially wanted to tell her it wasn't necessary, but then he figured she probably felt insecure about not contributing anything.
He decided to just let her be.
This was common. Since she was from the Yuki clan, she naturally understood that in the ninja world, everything was about mutual exchange.
Kindness existed but always had its limits.
Being rescued without having to pay anything back would surely make her uneasy.
After letting her dry his hair and fix his hairstyle, Masashi walked over to the fruits of his overnight labor.
Hikari had organized everything beautifully—stacked neatly and pleasing to the eye.
He quickly formed hand seals and sealed all the explosive tags into a scroll.
The quantity was probably a bit excessive, but it didn't matter. Obito had White Zetsu cells—these wouldn't kill him.
Besides, Masashi's Tandem Paper Bombs had been modified; he didn't need to use them all at once.
After securing the sealing scroll and placing it into one of the scroll pouches on his combat vest, Masashi noted that all six scroll pouches were now full.
Mission accomplished.
"Done. Sleep time!" Masashi clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"I'll stand guard for you."
"No need. If something happens, I can react faster than you anyway." Masashi patted her arm. "You've had a long night too. Go rest."
He placed two pillows on the bed and pointed to the side against the wall. "You sleep inside; I'll sleep outside. I can respond if anything happens."
Hikari nodded. She was already used to doing whatever Masashi told her.
Moving lightly, she climbed onto the bed, afraid to wrinkle the sheets too much. She obediently lay on the farthest side.
"I told you to sleep inside, not stick to the wall…" Masashi sighed. "I'm not that fat."
Hikari adjusted her position to look a bit more natural.
Masashi climbed into the bed as well, not caring about the details. He had already set up a sensing barrier, so he simply closed his eyes and fell asleep.
After years of honing his physical and mental energy, he had excellent control over his body. Staying up all night wasn't too damaging for him, nor was he affected by a biological clock. He just needed enough hours of sleep.
Exactly six hours later, his eyes opened right on time.
The sensing barrier hadn't been triggered, so he slept very well.
Beside him was the sound of steady breathing.
He turned his head slightly—Hikari was deeply asleep, her black hair spreading out like a cloud. Her shoulders and arms were exposed outside the blanket.
Even in sleep, her brows held a trace of worry. But her lips were slightly upturned, suggesting a good dream. Her cherry-red lips glistened with a bit of drool.
Masashi confirmed that it wasn't his drool.
Honestly, no dreams would've been best; that would mean she was sleeping deeply.
He got out of bed quietly and pulled a blanket over her shoulders.
Then he began changing into his Konoha ninja uniform.
The standard Konoha ninja attire was designed for convenience, flexibility, versatility, and durability—refined through countless life-or-death battles.
For example, the six scroll pouches on the combat vest were the maximum practical number; any more would hinder movement.
The thigh-mounted tool pouch was positioned based on personal height.
Since advancing in fuinjutsu, Masashi no longer used the tool pouch.
The Uchiha's shurikenjutsu required a high quantity of projectiles, with many techniques needing large volleys at once. The standard pouch couldn't hold enough.
Now, he often combined this skill with the Flying Thunder God, so he needed even more.
After tying his leg wraps and putting on his gloves, Masashi was ready. He left the room, set up a sealing formula on the door, and headed for the exit.
Outside the guesthouse, Shisui was already waiting.
"Masashi-nii."
Shisui nodded at him, indicating he was ready as well.
Masashi had been busy all night, and so had Shisui. As members of the same clan, they wouldn't let Obito down.
"Let's go. We're meeting the Mizukage," Masashi said with a smile.
The two of them began walking toward the Mizukage Building.
There, Yagura had already prepared the stage for them.
