Malphegor
patreon
HSU: Ch. 55
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 21:25:58 +0000 UTC"I see. I understand the situation now."
In the Hokage's office, Minato looked at the "dusty and travel-worn" Masashi and Pakura standing beside him.
He felt like he needed time to process everything.
The death of Fuguki didn't surprise him; based on various signs, he had suspected that the Kiri ninja was likely already dead. Assigning Masashi to investigate had been both a precaution and a test to observe the Uchiha's methods.
A person's adherence to the Will of Fire could often be discerned from their approach to tasks.
This mission, entirely unrelated to external factors outside Konoha, served as a perfect litmus test for Masashi's loyalty to the village. The results would show whether he prioritized Konoha's interests or pursued his own agenda.
Now, the outcome of the mission had completely exceeded all of his expectations.
It wasn't that Masashi had performed poorly. Rather, he had done too well. Perhaps too well for comfort.
One shocking revelation after another bombarded Minato.
"This… I did not anticipate…" Rubbing his forehead, he felt a headache coming on. "The person claiming to be Madara turns out to be Obito, and he manipulated the Fourth Mizukage…"
How could it be Obito?
Was it really as the Second Hokage had warned, that the Uchiha clan was destined to fall into darkness from repeated losses?
No, there must be more to this. The Second's warnings were based on observation, not destiny.
In his heart, Obito had truly inherited the Will of Fire. He had even once hoped the boy might one day become Hokage.
Suddenly, Minato raised his head and looked seriously at Masashi.
"You said you only confirmed it this time. When did you first suspect?"
"I was certain it wasn't Madara since the Mangekyō Sharingan patterns didn't match," Masashi replied sincerely, maintaining eye contact. "But this time, I tracked his movements in Kiri and confirmed that it was indeed Obito."
"How did you confirm it?"
"I tricked him by saying his grandmother had made me some strawberry daifuku."
"…"
Minato was sure now. It really was Obito.
As Obito's teacher, he knew how much the boy cherished his grandmother. But his grandmother had been dead for years.
Talking about strawberry daifuku? It would have been strange if he hadn't exploded.
He hadn't realized before just how cheeky Masashi could be.
"And… Kakashi's eye…" Minato hesitated, focusing on this detail. "Could it also be a Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"That's something you might need to confirm with Kakashi yourself," Masashi replied.
"Isn't the Uchiha clan considering reclaiming it?"
"Would you approve of that?" Masashi countered. Seeing Minato's silence, he smiled faintly. "Hokage-sama, every Uchiha who awakens the Sharingan has experienced the pain of losing a companion. Obito's decision is one that the clan respects." And one that serves our purposes better than reclaiming it would.
"And you, Masashi?"
"Hokage-sama, I've lost no less than anyone else."
Minato gazed intently at him for a long moment. In the young man's eyes, he saw it—regret and resentment, emotions familiar to many shinobi.
He chose to trust him. He had to.
Masashi's power was too important to Konoha right now. The village had already lost White Fang. Orochimaru was imprisoned, Tsunade had left, and no one dared stop her. Only Jiraiya, remained steadfast.
Despite Konoha's reputation as a village teeming with talent, true elites capable of holding their own on a battlefield were not significantly more numerous than in other villages.
In the previous generation, Hiruzen had been the lone standout, overwhelming his opponents in every domain during a time when the likes of Hashirama and Madara were no longer present.
During his prime, Hiruzen had been the sole person of such caliber.
In Minato's generation, the village had reached its peak in top-tier combat power with White Fang, the Sannin, and Minato himself. This had been Hiruzen's greatest political achievement.
Minato and Jiraiya shared a similar combat philosophy: gather intel, fight, collect more intel during the battle, devise strategies, and fight again.
If things went south, stack on Sage Mode and go another round.
The new generation had now begun.
While many assumed Shisui would be the new face of the Uchiha, Masashi's sudden rise had stunned everyone.
With mastery over three nature transformations, proficiency in taijutsu, genjutsu, and Sage Mode, and even time-space ninjutsu, he had no apparent weaknesses.
His vast chakra reserves rivaled those of a tailed beast, enabling prolonged combat. The night of the Nine-Tails incident, he had gone toe-to-toe with the Nine-Tails outside the village by himself.
On a personal level, Minato considered Masashi a friend. But as the Fourth Hokage, he had to set aside personal feelings.
Managing the balance between the village and the clans was a challenge every Hokage faced.
"Thank you for your understanding, Masashi." Minato exhaled in relief.
That Sharingan had long since transcended its physical form; it symbolized Obito's Will of Fire. Allowing Kakashi to retain it meant Masashi acknowledged Konoha.
"This isn't worth discussing, Hokage-sama. I think the more pressing issue is how we engage with Kiri," Masashi reminded him.
"Of course." He stood and paced the office, his headache worsening.
Since Danzō's death, Hiruzen seemed to have lost his former drive, focusing instead on family matters and his grandson, who was the same age as Naruto.
It felt inappropriate to drag Hiruzen back into active duties, especially with the two remaining advisors lacking his competence.
Minato turned to Masashi, seeing an opportunity to gain insights.
"What do you think? Should Konoha support Kiri?"
"Konoha and Kiri are friendly but not allies," Masashi said. "Why not adopt a dual approach? Send a formal delegation to negotiate an alliance while also reaching out to individual clans in Kiri. Ultimately, our goal is to secure stability in the rear."
"Only the clans?"
"Hokage-sama, Kiri is a clan-led village at its core. They prefer clan-based interactions. Sending representatives from our clans would be more effective."
He wasn't lying. Kiri did operate this way.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have demanded Pakura's life during negotiations—a demand that had little strategic value, as she wasn't some one-person army.
In contrast, Konoha would have prioritized trade or mission allocations.
Minato remained silent, deep in thought.
"I admit I don't know much about Kiri's inner workings." He decided to deliberate further before taking action.
Turning to Pakura, who had been standing silently, he offered an apologetic smile.
"Forgive me, Pakura-san. I've been inconsiderate." Minato acknowledged her unique status. "Are you certain about joining Konoha? And joining the Police Force?"
As a wielder of Scorch Release, she was entitled to such a request. Minato refrained from suggesting she join the ANBU directly in front of Masashi, though he was tempted.
"Yes," Pakura replied calmly.
Initially hesitant, she had changed her mind after observing Masashi spin wild tales, seamlessly crafting an airtight mission report from limited truths.
Such mastery was impressive.
He had a bright future ahead.
Villages selling out their own clans were one thing, but seeing a clan sell out itself?
That was new.
---
Leaving the Hokage's office and standing on the bustling street, Pakura felt lost as she observed the lively scene around her.
Did this mean she was officially part of Konoha now? Not even the most basic quarantine or scrutiny?
"What's wrong?" Masashi, walking ahead, turned back to look at her. His eyes studied her stance, reading the tension in her shoulders. "Why are you zoning out like that?"
"It's just… Konoha… is it always this lenient with outsiders joining the village?"
"Oh, that's what you're thinking about." Masashi nodded. "Of course not. It's just that you're joining the Police Force."
In theory, the ANBU is responsible for background checks and oversight, and they have jurisdiction over every department. But there are always exceptions.
The Uchiha clan has no authority outside of the Police Force. Similarly, even the ANBU, which is directly under the Hokage, has no say over the Police Force.
With that, how could a proper investigation even begin? No one can access the Police Force without their permission.
In other words, from today onward, Pakura was under the responsibility of the Uchiha clan.
If anything went wrong, it would be their problem to deal with.
Coming from Suna, Pakura quickly understood what Masashi meant. So this is how Konoha maintains its balance of power.
Instantly, she regretted it a little.
The relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage office was this tense?
But it hadn't seemed that way in the Hokage's office earlier. Everything looked so smooth on the surface...
She was confused. Clearly, she wasn't yet accustomed to Konoha's complex political environment.
"Don't overthink it. Let's head back to meet the clan leader first," Masashi said, continuing forward.
Pakura followed.
Her Suna forehead protector had already been discarded by Masashi on their way back, but her distinct appearance and attire still drew curious glances from passersby.
After all, her demeanor clearly marked her as a ninja. While it wasn't strange to see foreigners in Konoha, spotting a foreign ninja was unusual.
When they arrived at the Uchiha clan's district, she was immediately struck by its sheer size and meticulous layout.
The Uchiha compound, which almost integrated with the Police Force headquarters, was on a scale unseen in Suna. It resembled a small ninja village within Konoha.
She could believe it if someone told her this was a separate village.
What amazed her wasn't just their wealth but the fact that, in this era, a clan could maintain such autonomy within a major village.
For such a situation not to devolve into open conflict—what kind of unique system did Konoha operate on?
"Don't let your imagination run wild," Masashi said, easily reading her expression. "The Uchiha compound isn't even the largest in Konoha."
"There's something bigger than this?" Pakura was skeptical.
"Of course. The Hyūga compound is larger than ours."
"Really? So Konoha's ninja clans all live separately…" Pakura could only marvel silently. As expected of Konoha.
Truly wealthy.
In the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Suna had the harshest environment and the weakest finances. No ninja clan there enjoyed such privileges.
The buildings resembled sand mounds blending with the desert, their color indistinguishable from the surroundings. Social activities were confined indoors, with streets serving solely for transport and logistics.
Surface-level shopping streets? Those didn't exist.
Due to its advanced mining industry, the Land of Wind had developed extensive underground spaces. Suna's economy relied on constructing intricate underground cities, which also served as effective deterrents for infiltrators.
Getting caught because one got lost was just too embarrassing.
But humans were creatures of the surface. No one enjoyed being confined underground all day—it's too stifling.
Suddenly, Pakura felt that joining Konoha wasn't such a bad idea.
After all, in Suna, people braved sandstorms just to spend more time above ground.
Konoha's environment was vastly superior to that of Suna.
No wonder the First Kazekage almost got beaten up at the Five Kage Summit when he proposed other nations help fund Suna's purchase of tailed beasts—and even suggested Konoha cede some fertile land to them.
She now fully understood the First Kazekage's mindset. It wasn't that he was being unreasonable—any Kazekage would feel envious upon seeing Konoha's environment.
Unbeknownst to her, Masashi had once again fabricated some details.
In reality, only the Uchiha and Hyūga clans in Konoha had dedicated compounds.
The Uchiha's was large due to incorporating Police Force and detention facilities, while the Hyūga's size stemmed from their numerous members and the separate zoning for the Main and Branch families.
In this regard, the Hokage office showed some generosity, allocating a sizable area for their use.
As they entered the Uchiha district, the clan members greeted Masashi warmly. "Welcome back, Masashi," several called out. He was clearly a prominent figure within the family now.
"Is this our new recruit?" one asked, his Sharingan activating casually.
"She'll be joining the Police Force," Masashi replied evenly.
As for Pakura, the Uchiha members activated their dōjutsu for a quick assessment—this was a traditional Uchiha greeting. If they didn't have a proper gift, they'd simply flaunt their Sharingan as a gesture.
Being scrutinized by so many Sharingan made Pakura visibly uncomfortable. Her shoulders tensed, and she unconsciously moved closer to Masashi.
Finally, she followed him into Fugaku's residence.
Fugaku now preferred to manage clan affairs and hold small meetings at home.
He received Pakura in his study, though the desk was unusually tidy today—no ink and brushes in sight.
Masashi was pleased. It seemed his persistent efforts to convince Fugaku that calligraphy wasn't his forte had finally paid off.
Fugaku was polite and welcoming toward Pakura, displaying a fatherly demeanor. "Welcome to the Uchiha clan," he said warmly. "We're pleased to have someone of your caliber join us."
"We've arranged suitable accommodation for you. A recently vacated house in the district."
"It's right next to mine, actually," Masashi added casually. "The old Uchiha house—you'll like it there."
"Once you've settled in and familiarized yourself with the area," Fugaku continued, "you'll start as a secretary in the Police Force. Just until you understand how we operate here in Konoha."
"Thank you for your generosity," Pakura replied, bowing slightly.
However, the location meant that if she ever had second thoughts about returning to Suna, the Police Force would surround her in seconds.
As for working as a secretary, it was clearly an excuse to keep her under close observation.
After their conversation, Fugaku's kind demeanor shifted to a serious one as he addressed Masashi sternly.
"Are you proposing an alliance between our clan and Kiri's ninja clans?"
"That's right," Masashi replied, leaning back with a glance at Pakura. "You know how it goes, Fugaku-sama. The clans there are more willing to talk when they see we've welcomed someone like Pakura. Shows we're... hospitable to talented outsiders."
"You mean they're more willing to talk because she's—"
"Yes." Masashi's lips curved into a slight smirk. "The Kiri clans appreciate that combination. Makes them feel less threatened, more... open to discussion."
Pakura shot him a sharp look.
"Politics is politics," Masashi shrugged. "Their bloodline clans are getting restless. If we play this right—"
"And what do these clans want?" Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
"The same thing we do. More autonomy, less interference. The current Mizukage isn't exactly... friendly to those with special abilities."
Pakura, having survived the Hokage's office earlier, now had to endure another intense mental workout.
At least I'm getting better at reading between the lines, she thought, watching the two men discuss politics.
