Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 76
🕑 Added 2024-12-16 14:02:05 +0000 UTCYamanaka Masamune was a person Masashi vaguely remembered.
The Yamanaka clan, which based its foundations on mental control, had its share of outliers, such as Masamune.
A snake among mind-readers. Almost poetic.
Back when the village was founded, with two powerful figures at the top, even the oddballs stayed in line.
Madara wasn't like Hashirama—if anyone dared to act out, he wouldn't hesitate to deal with them ruthlessly.
When Tobirama took on the role of Hokage, Muzo briefly took on Madara's previous position—but unlike Madara, he wouldn't kill anyone.
Though some might have preferred death to his "lessons."
Sometimes, longevity is a skill. Masamune, who was once loathed by his peers, has now become a respected elder. Cockroaches survived because they knew when to hide.
His questionable history was likely not well-known to the current generation, but Masashi could easily deduce that Masamune was definitely involved in some shady activities back then.
Otherwise, Shijime wouldn't have personally come to settle scores.
From Masashi's perspective, given the Yamanaka clan's interest in the so-called "legacy," Masamune was surely involved in their recent underhanded schemes. Anything else wouldn't align with his character. Some people never changed, they just got better at hiding their nature.
Back in the day, Muzo had once strung Masamune up on a tree and whipped him for nearly causing a diplomatic incident.
He wasn't inherently a bad person, but he had a knack for stirring trouble every now and then.
Anything that could be done the normal way, he would find a way to complicate unnecessarily. Maybe his father didn't discipline him enough when he was a child, leaving Muzo to fill in the gap.
The Yamanaka elders hold a certain status in Konoha.
To deal with someone like Masamune, you needed to play by unorthodox rules.
Mostly because leaving him unchecked was just too aggravating.
In this timeline, Masashi had plenty of time. Instead of letting the whole "legacy" charade grow into something worse, he decided to deal with it all at once.
Since everyone involved were ninjas, it was best to handle it by ninja rules.
The next day, Masashi first went to chat with the clan head.
Fugaku's first reaction was...
"You really learned Edo Tensei?"
"No," Masashi promptly shut that idea down. "What's the point of learning something like that?"
Fugaku thought for a moment.
That was true.
Edo Tensei required an excessive amount of preparation and wasn't practical to use—it also carried a terrible reputation.
It only saw use in the past due to the turbulent environment and Muzo's fearsome reputation that kept people silent. After Muzo, the technique fell out of use.
With Masashi's current strength, there was no need for such a method.
"But is it necessary to go to such lengths over an elder from the Hyūga clan?"
"Fugaku-sama, the Hyūga clan has the most jonin in the jonin corps."
Fugaku suddenly understood. It was a matter of perspective. He had grown accustomed to overlooking these things.
Masashi was now part of the jonin corps, and the Uchiha clan was no longer confined to the Police Force. The dawn of a new era had arrived.
Change came slowly, but it did come.
In the past, the Uchiha could indulge in their own insular pride, but now they could no longer afford to.
The Hokage Office had already made concessions. If the Uchiha couldn't capitalize on this opportunity, they couldn't continue to claim oppression.
"You're right." He quickly embraced his role. "But if you go alone, it might raise suspicions. It's better to bring a few others—it'll better demonstrate the Uchiha clan's goodwill."
He was well aware of Shijime's significance. Due to her history, she held a seniority that commanded respect in Konoha.
She was also one of the most influential elders of the Hyūga clan, with strong support within her clan.
Fostering goodwill with her could yield significant benefits.
Moreover, as another marginal ninja clan and a fellow dōjutsu clan, the Uchiha and Hyūga needed to establish good relations.
"Why bring so many people?" Masashi was puzzled. Why is he suddenly so enthusiastic?
Besides, he wasn't looking for any legacy from his past life. He just wanted to check if Madara had left anything useful behind.
Too many people would only be a hassle.
"You're overthinking it, Fugaku-sama," he replied with a stern expression. "It'll leave too much of a mark."
"Hmm... You're right…" Fugaku nodded after some thought.
He couldn't help it. After years of being suppressed, this taste of hope left him a bit too excited.
Being clan leader came with a lot of pressure...
"Alright then, be careful on your journey," he said formally.
The Uchiha clan's slogan of being the strongest was more for show than reality, but it was also true that Uchiha ninjas could become extraordinarily powerful.
Masashi, with all his versatility, was someone he had no safety concerns about.
"Got it. I'm heading out." Masashi acknowledged, then instantly vanished using the Flying Thunder God.
After a few flashes, he appeared at the entrance of the Hokage building.
Nowadays, there were no more ANBU members blocking his way to the Hokage's office.
Knocking on the office door, he heard a voice from inside. "Come in."
Masashi opened and entered.
Minato was hard at work writing.
Masashi had timed his visit well; it was before departmental meeting hours.
"Hokage-sama, I'm heading out of the village and came to report."
"Oh, I see," Minato responded without looking up.
Masashi patiently waited.
A moment later, Minato suddenly looked up.
"Masashi, it's you," he said, setting his pen down and rubbing his eyes. "What did you just say?"
"I'm reporting that I'm heading out of the village for a while."
"What's the reason?" Minato asked as he picked up an empty tea cup, only to find it already drained.
"I visited the Hyūga clan yesterday. Elder Shijime seemed concerned, so I promised to look into something for her."
"Oh…" Minato recalled the matter. "Do you think you'll find anything?"
"I'll do my best. It's not polite to refuse her."
"True," Minato agreed. "That elder is quite approachable and lacks any airs."
It wasn't until he became Hokage that he realized how significant this Hyūga elder was, someone even the Third Hokage had to treat with respect.
Apparently, she had a fiery temper in her younger days, though Minato hadn't seen that side of her.
"In that case, there's a piece of intel you should be aware of," Minato said, opening a cabinet to retrieve a scroll. He handed it to Masashi. "Take a look."
Masashi opened the scroll, his expression growing more peculiar as he read.
So, this guy hadn't joined the Akatsuki yet?
"The intel suggests he's a formidable ninja. Recently, many bounty missions have been linked to him. He's also searching for traces of the legacy and might cross paths with you," Minato explained.
Then, his expression also turned odd.
"There's one part of the intel that seems a bit far-fetched—it says he tried to assassinate the First Hokage…"
No, that's true.
This guy really did try that. Whether he was tricked or simply overestimated himself, he actually went through with it.
He just happened to pick the perfect target—the merciful Hashirama, who avoided unnecessary killing.
As the "God of Shinobi" who ended the Warring States Period, Hashirama was an unparalleled genius.
Mastering Yin-Yang Release, the five elements, time-space ninjutsu, medical ninjutsu, sealing techniques, and Sage Mode—he excelled in all of them.
He wasn't a mere hexagon ninja; he was a complete circle.
Using Wood Release was just his favorite pastime.
His only flaw was that his idealism slightly outpaced reality. Of course, this made him far more grounded than Madara, who lived entirely in the realm of fantasy.
"I understand," Masashi said, returning the scroll. "I shouldn't need much time. If I encounter underground-world ninjas, I'll act accordingly."
"Good, as long as you're prepared," Minato nodded. "Just don't disappear for months like Jiraiya-sensei. If your trip exceeds a month, make sure to return to the village briefly."
"Understood."
After reporting in, Masashi turned and left.
---
He first headed to the Land of Hot Water.
Not for any special reason, but to destroy any techniques left behind in his arsenal. Loose ends had a way of becoming nooses.
Previously, he had been in a hurry and hadn't had time to deal with it.
The techniques definitely needed to be destroyed. While it was just an auxiliary technique and posed little risk even if it leaked, it was still better not to let others get their hands on it.
After all, he was used to freeloading from others, not the other way around.
This wasn't about the technique itself; it was a matter of principle.
He first rushed to the national border and then followed his original route toward the northwest mountainous area.
He remained cautious, knowing that the fortress in the southern pass had already been "redeemed" by Kumo.
Since even the gold exchange offices had been tasked, it was unlikely that the Kumo ninjas would let this place go unchecked.
Along the way, he began noticing traces of ninja activity.
Judging by the traces, there were quite a few of them, but they were scattered and unorganized.
These were likely remnants of underground missing-nin who had lost or betrayed their organizations.
Without the backing of an organization, these missing-nin lacked "companions." Even if they teamed up, their partnerships were based solely on mutual interest, devoid of trust and cooperation.
This was one reason why the major ninja villages despised these ninjas.
As Masashi drew closer, the traces became more frequent, even showing signs of battles.
Once he entered the forest, he encountered several explosive tag traps. Their placement was amateur at best.
Not wanting to waste resources, he disarmed the traps and confiscated the tags.
He refrained from using the Flying Thunder God. While chakra wasn't an issue for him, it was wise to conserve it in case of a large-scale confrontation.
Following a winding mountain path, he ventured deep into the forest.
Here, he encountered his first enemy.
The forehead protector of the enemy bore a slash, marking them as a missing-nin.
From Kiri.
That wasn't surprising; since the Third Mizukage had implemented the Bloody Mist policy, Kiri had become a major producer of missing-nin, accounting for nearly half of the missing-nin in the shinobi world.
However, few of them were strong; most were lower- to mid-level ninjas fleeing for survival.
This missing-nin froze mid-charge as he recognized Masashi's face.
"You're--" The recognition died in his throat as he turned to flee.
Only to have his head cleaved off by an ice sword.
Since upgrading his Sharingan to three-tomoe, no ninja below jonin had successfully used a Substitution Jutsu in his presence.
"Bad luck it's me..." muttered Masashi as he continued on his way.
Activating the Lightning Body Flicker, he treated it as a form of training.
Among body flicker techniques, the lightning style was the fastest—bar none.
After understanding the principles of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he had recorded the technique and his derived lightning-based taijutsu into the Uchiha clan archives.
There were quite a few Uchiha adept at lightning chakra nature transformation.
Wind nature transformation, however, was rare in the Land of Fire.
Arcs of lightning flashed through the forest as he sped forward.
By the time the sun hung high in the sky, he reached his arsenal's location.
The seal remained intact, though there were now some uninvited guests.
Five or six ninjas were awkwardly attempting to breach the seal.
Activating his Sharingan, Masashi scanned the surroundings to confirm there were only these few.
Then he stepped out.
These individuals didn't even notice he had been watching them for a long time.
At the sight of Masashi, they flinched before drawing their weapons. No one shouted, "Who are you?" Since they lived off the underground world, they weren't exactly chatty.
They each kept their distance, wary.
There was no need to guess his identity—his Konoha uniform spoke for itself.
Their first reaction was mutual suspicion, assuming someone had made a deal with Konoha.
"Stop speculating. No one made any deals with me," Masashi cut short their inner drama. "This place is now under Konoha's jurisdiction. Please leave."
"Konoha ninja... We cannot— Sorry! Sorry for the intrusion!" The first ninja's defiant tone crumbled as he spotted the three tomoe spinning lazily in Masashi's eyes.
The others were slower to react but ultimately followed suit.
"Oh, so it's a jonin from Konoha. Why didn't you say so earlier? I didn't see anything. I'm leaving."
"Ah, the client's gone, so this has nothing to do with me."
"Um… jonin-sama, I was just trying to earn some money. I have no intention of opposing Konoha. I'll leave right away."
In no time, the group dispersed completely, their footsteps fading into the forest.
Masashi didn't bother chasing them.
As absurd as it sounded, Konoha needed the existence of the gold exchange offices and the missing-nin that thrived within them.
Every year, Konoha issued the most missions through the exchange offices.
Though Konoha had the most ninjas, there were many tasks that its own ninja couldn't handle directly.
Moreover, since Minato had reorganized the ANBU, they had been utilizing the exchange offices to enhance their intelligence-gathering capabilities, yielding valuable information.
Once the group left, Masashi crouched to inspect his seal.
Although it had been tampered with, there was no structural damage. It was still functional.
He swiftly formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the ground.
The intricate sealing patterns crawled up the cliff face like tadpoles, revealing a hidden door.
He stepped inside.
The first sight to greet him was a series of opened coffins, all empty.
Approaching the nearest coffin, he placed his hand on it, and the technique inscribed on it began dissolving.
Visually, it looked like ink washing away in water. However, he had to dismantle each technique individually.
It was a tedious but necessary process.
About halfway through, someone entered.
The newcomer was distinctive.
"Someone beat me to it, huh?" The man's voice was low, his eyes hidden behind what looked like sunglasses.
Masashi glanced at him, then turned back to dismantle another technique.
"Kakuzu, there's no money to be made here. Go back."
"Are you with Konoha's ANBU?" The future treasurer of Akatsuki wasn't angry, merely curious.
After all, Konoha was one of his major clients.
Even if there was no current business, they weren't exactly enemies. Or rather, he had little interest in anything unrelated to money.
Seeing that the Konoha ninja continued ignoring him and destroying the techniques, he guessed that this "legacy" must refer to these.
He approached a coffin, lifted the lid with one hand.
"This should fetch a price…" He hoisted the lid onto his shoulder, ready to leave.
Suddenly, flames lit up in the darkness.
A fiery arrow streaked across the room, striking the coffin lid. The force sent it flying out of Kakuzu's grasp, clattering onto the ground and splitting in two.
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