Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 54
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 16:34:27 +0000 UTCEven though such suspicions had crossed his mind, when faced with an Uchiha openly stating it, Mangetsu was momentarily stunned.
A jinchūriki under genjutsu? Could it be true?
Of course it could.
Jinchūriki, due to their unstable mental states, were particularly susceptible to genjutsu. The volatile chakra of their tailed beasts makes them especially vulnerable to external manipulation.
Perfect Jinchūriki fared better, but even they weren't immune. If faced with a genjutsu expert capable of subduing tailed beasts instantly, even a Perfect Jinchūriki could fall before realizing it.
This revelation perfectly explained Yagura's abrupt personality shift. The pieces were falling into place with terrifying clarity.
For a jinchūriki to fully master their tailed beast's power, they must gain the full approval of the beast as a partner. Cruel-hearted individuals could never earn such recognition or become a Perfect Jinchūriki.
The bond required trust, understanding—qualities the current Yagura seemed to have forgotten entirely.
"You're starting to see it, aren't you?"
Yagura's disdain for the policies of the Bloody Mist was no secret.
He had been able to assume the title of Mizukage during a period when Kiri was in decline, garnering support from fresh talent like Mangetsu, because he embodied their aspirations—sweeping reforms to overturn the oppressive policies of the Third Mizukage.
Among his most loyal supporters was Zabuza.
Zabuza's infamous act of slaughter during the academy graduation exam wasn't born of inhumanity. It was calculated—a step toward revolution.
The one who chronicled and led this transformative movement, turning a moment of shame in Kiri's history into a symbol of change, was none other than Yagura himself.
Otherwise, could Zabuza have graduated or joined ANBU after such an act?
All these hopes crumbled after Yagura's abrupt personality change. He abandoned his reformist stance, reinstating the Bloody Mist policies and plunging Kiri back into terror.
Mangetsu didn't doubt Masashi's claim. It was the only plausible explanation for the drastic changes.
And as for a genjutsu master capable of such a feat...
Damn Uchiha!
"What's the big idea!?" he snapped, his anger directed at the Uchiha standing before him.
"You call Mei paranoid, but I think you're the neurotic one here," Masashi replied, exasperated, having already deactivated his Sharingan. "I'm on your side."
Back in the war, his Sharingan hadn't been powerful enough to dominate Mangetsu. Despite clashing multiple times, Masashi's genjutsu hadn't worked effectively due to Mangetsu's teamwork strategies.
The Hōzuki clan seemed to have unique ways to counter the Sharingan's genjutsu, indicating an in-depth understanding of it.
"Who knows?" Mangetsu responded impassively. "You Uchiha always switch sides in the blink of an eye. If someone could pull this off, don't tell me it's not a Sharingan user."
"That person is now also an enemy of the Uchiha," Masashi said. "Not long ago, he tried to stir up trouble with us. Thankfully, I prepared in advance, or things would've gotten messy."
"Who is it?"
"Obito," Masashi said, pulling out a scroll. "Here, take this."
"I'm not coming near you. Throw it over," Mangetsu insisted.
Masashi rolled up the scroll and tossing it over.
Mangetsu caught the scroll, inspected it, and then unfurled it to examine the contents.
"Why is there no face? This is so half-hearted," he complained.
"Has your brain turned to water? Don't just look at the mask's pattern—think carefully. That guy has been wearing a mask since he went rogue."
Mangetsu pondered deeply.
After a long moment, he suddenly remembered he hadn't seen this "traitor" since Yagura's personality shift. How could he possibly know if such a person was around Yagura?
What was the point of racking his brain?
"I haven't seen him. Have any of you?" Mangetsu passed the scroll to others.
Ameyuri gave him a glance but didn't take it, her expression unreadable.
What, like she frequently visited Yagura or something?
Instead, Zabuza snatched the scroll. After one glance, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Wasn't this the guy he'd seen when he went to seek an audience with Yagura? That guy who made him want to punch something?
If not for the dozen Mizukage guards present...
"Zabuza, you've seen him?" Mangetsu asked, noting the rage building in his comrade's posture.
"He's always at the Fourth's side, leading his personal guard," Zabuza growled through gritted teeth.
Mangetsu understood him well. Despite his bloodthirsty appearance, Zabuza was deeply introspective and emotionally intense.
For Mangetsu, born into a great ninja clan, supporting reforms was more pragmatic than ideological. But Zabuza was a true idealist, following Yagura because of his belief system.
Mangetsu could tell—if no one stopped him, Zabuza might attempt an assassination tonight.
"So, you're the Demon?" Masashi looked at him intently.
Zabuza returned the gaze.
Although expressionless, he felt Zabuza's stare radiating a "what are you looking at?" vibe.
This was the man who, in the original timeline, took on young Naruto and Sasuke.
Tough indeed.
"Hey, what's your name?" Masashi asked, turning to the last unfamiliar face in the group.
Seeing the twin swords in her hands, he had a guess.
"You're strong," the woman said with a cheeky smile, showing sharp teeth similar to Mangetsu's. "My name is Ameyuri."
"Oh?" Masashi blinked in surprise before turning to Mangetsu. "I know you have a younger brother, but I didn't realize you also had a sister. She doesn't carry the Hōzuki name—already married?"
"She's not from my family," Mangetsu replied with a frown. "Are you here to complete a mission or flirt?"
"I'm not interested," Masashi waved dismissively.
The moment she mentioned her name, he realized who she was—the successor of the Kiba, and stronger than the previous wielder.
Looking at the four people standing here, they likely represented the best of Kiri's current generation.
"Now that we've verified the information, you know I wasn't lying, right? So, how about renewing our pact?" Masashi asked, carefully gauging their reactions.
"What do you mean by 'renew'?" Mei, who had been silent so far, spoke up.
"It's simple—an alliance for mutual defense and cooperation," Masashi said. "Konoha and Kiri already have a friendly relationship. Why not take it a step further? Let's form an alliance between our clans. It'll make collaboration much easier."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Mangetsu found the proposal baffling. "Are the Uchiha planning to rebel?"
"Mangetsu, you still don't understand the position of clans with bloodline limits in this era," Masashi replied.
He was drawing on his knowledge from the original timeline, where bloodline clans had rapidly vanished.
By the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War, bloodline clans in the Land of Fire and the Land of Water had mostly faded from history. Konoha had only the Hyūga remaining, while Kiri's clans were presumed wiped out.
Even with all the efforts he had made, the Uchiha clan still stood isolated in Konoha. The root of the issue was the clan itself—its internal problems were too severe. This was evident from their response to Danzō's death.
Although everyone understood that improving relations with other ninja clans was the right move, no one in the Uchiha leadership was willing to make that decision. The Uchiha clan remained tightly bound to the Police Force, which isolated them further.
As long as the Police Force remained Uchiha-controlled, the clan could never have true allies within the village. Other ninja clans resented and envied this fact, and every Hokage was wary of it.
Not to mention, the Uchiha leaders were now even trying to win over members of Root. These leaders had been followers of Madara and were deeply influenced by his ideals.
Before Madara left the village, he was a staunch ninja clan nationalist. That was the problem—the times had changed, but the people hadn't.
Masashi couldn't help but think of leaving a backup plan.
Don't be fooled by the Hyūga—they also had dōjutsu, but their clan has always prioritized survival over pride since the Warring States Period. The idea of them joining forces with the Uchiha was a pipe dream.
Other Konoha clans were even less likely to align. On the other hand, Kiri's clans seemed like better potential allies.
"Alright," Mei suddenly agreed.
Mangetsu and the others were stunned. They exchanged glances before their expressions shifted to ones that seemed to say, "So that's how it is."
"I have no objections either," Mangetsu said, his earlier hostility seemingly dissolved.
Masashi couldn't quite interpret their expressions or what they were imagining, but it didn't matter. He felt reassured by their agreement.
"As long as there's consensus," he continued, "the Uchiha clan will send representatives to finalize the details. Officially, it'll appear as a diplomatic exchange between Konoha and Kiri, so there's no rush. We can take our time."
"Yes, we can take our time to negotiate," Mangetsu nodded.
Masashi couldn't help but feel Mangetsu's hostility toward him had suddenly lessened.
The Hōzuki clan—truly an enigma.
"Alright, let me remind you of one thing: don't think dealing with Obito will be easy. Once the alliance is formalized, we'll take him down together," Masashi said.
He didn't want these people ending up like Fuguki, killed and losing a valuable blade.
"Hey, you're overstepping!" Mangetsu protested. He felt he had been more than accommodating, mainly for Mei's sake.
"I don't care about you," Masashi said. "I'm just worried that next time I come here, you might be dead. Do I negotiate with ghosts instead? Have you ever heard of the Mangekyō Sharingan? You can't handle Obito's abilities alone."
Kiri's techniques had no effective counter for Obito's unique abilities.
Without the Flying Thunder God mark Masashi had left earlier, he would have been helpless too. But now, he had a trump card—Tandem Explosive Tags.
If Obito didn't bring extra eyes for Izanagi, he'd better prepare to be blown to pieces.
Still, Kiri's clans weren't pushovers. They'd come up with strategies. Joint action, however, would give the Uchiha more leverage in negotiations.
As a fellow Uchiha, Obito's actions inadvertently served the clan by forcing Kiri into this situation. But Kiri's pond couldn't be allowed to be spoiled by his games.
After finalizing the general cooperation process with the elites of Kiri, Masashi used the Flying Thunder God to bring Pakura over.
Without his assistance, she wouldn't have been able to leave the Land of Water on her own. The mist-covered borders were too well guarded, even for someone of her caliber.
The superiority of the Flying Thunder God was evident.
Mangetsu and Mei, who had experienced this trick many times before, merely commented, "This guy has gotten even more proficient."
However, Zabuza and Ameyuri, seeing the Flying Thunder God for the first time, were horrified.
So this is the technique that made the Yellow Flash legendary, Zabuza thought.
Fighting such an opponent would indeed be a headache. It was no wonder the Fourth Hokage had caused nations so much trouble.
What they didn't know was that Masashi's Flying Thunder God Technique was different from Minato's.
In fact, it was even different from Tobirama's.
When Tobirama invented the technique, it was far from perfect. It required high standards in many aspects and consumed a significant amount of chakra. The seal matrix was rigid, lacking the flexibility needed for combat applications.
Even Tobirama himself didn't use the technique frequently.
During his second life, Masashi memorized the original version of the technique and drew inspiration from the Uchiha clan's interpretations and various theories. Combining this with his unique understanding of chakra networking, he developed a version of the Flying Thunder God tailored for himself.
Minato's improvements focused primarily on reducing chakra requirements, enhancing its sustainability, and simplifying its operation. He also adapted it to his combat style, creating specialized kunai and other tools.
In contrast, Masashi's emphasis was on maximizing the effects of chakra networking.
His tailed beast-level chakra reserves enabled him to use the technique frequently. This all underscored the importance of choosing the right "major."
In his first life, he had studied computer networking and data science.
Setting aside lives and bloodlines, if there was something truly unique to him, it was his entirely different understanding and usage of chakra networking compared to anyone else in the shinobi world.
For instance, even with something as common as shadow clones, he could use them in extraordinary ways. His shadow clones were so lifelike that even the best Hyūga members couldn't tell the original from the duplicates.
He could also seamlessly combine different ninjutsu in nearly perfect harmony.
After bringing Pakura back, he decided to make a friendly gesture before leaving.
Though he hadn't saved any snacks as a peace offering since he'd eaten them all, a handshake would do the job. A smile and a handshake could dissolve grievances. After all, they were all on the same side now.
"Mangetsu, we're allies now. When you come to Konoha, I'll cover all your expenses," he said, extending his hand.
Mangetsu stared at him for a long moment before finally making what seemed like a great sacrifice, shaking his hand.
"Don't go shaking hands with anyone else," Mangetsu said as he withdrew his hand. "You know what you're capable of, right?"
"How could I do something like that?" Masashi could feel how hard it was to earn trust. "I'm really glad you trust me. By the way, do you like food and tea?"
"I'm not trusting you; I'm trusting myself," Mangetsu replied.
Although he didn't understand why he was being asked about tea, he thought it wasn't important information, so after some consideration, he said, "I do."
At that moment, he felt a sudden surge of camaraderie from Masashi.
This guy was as weird as ever.
If not for his strength, someone would have beaten him to death by now.
"I look forward to seeing you guys again," Masashi said his goodbyes to the talents of Kiri. Grabbing the expressionless Pakura, he leapt into the water.
Before diving, he turned back and shouted to Mei, "I swear I didn't mean to touch your clothes last time! Please believe me!"
With that, he dragged Pakura and jumped off the cliff.
The moment they hit the water, the Water Shockwave propelled them forward.
Waves surged, carrying the two of them away in an instant. The technique transformed the sea itself into their highway.
He vaguely heard cursing behind him, but the wind was too loud to make out the words. And it seemed someone tried a water jutsu to block him, but it was slower than the water under his feet and couldn't catch up.
In this friendly negotiation atmosphere, he believed Mei would sense his sincerity and not misunderstand him further.
Mangetsu, being a mature man, would guide her toward peace.
The journey ahead was smooth.
Riding the waves, they carved through the dark sea like a giant fish splitting the water, leaving a trail of white foam behind. The chakra control required was precise—too much would create a tsunami, too little would drop them into the depths.
The roaring wind filled the air as they sped along.
Pakura, on the other hand, was feeling conflicted.
This trip to Kiri had completely upended her life. From hero to exile in the span of a mission.
Thinking about the scroll she received, she realized that her farewell to Suna had almost been eternal.
As a Suna kunoichi, her identity was effectively lost. Returning to Suna was out of the question.
The village was rigid, its people fierce and strength-oriented. Its harsh survival style often showed its cruel side. Where Konoha built bridges, Suna built walls.
Pakura returning to Suna would make her a criminal. The village wanted her to die a hero's death. But from her perspective, dying in this manner was unacceptable.
Yet...should she really go to Konoha? Suna's methods were direct, but was Konoha's subtlety any better?
She glanced at Masashi, who seemed focused on "driving."
This man was undeniably strong and not a bad person, though he was both cheeky and flirtatious. Since he wasn't her man, it didn't matter.
But the animosity between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage faction was an open secret.
Every village had its internal struggles.
Back in Suna, she had deliberately stayed out of such conflicts by creating an "apolitical" persona.
It hadn't worked.
When Suna dealt with individuals they deemed "unpredictable" or "uncontrollable," their methods were far more straightforward and unreserved compared to Konoha. At least in Konoha, you usually got a chance to see the knife coming.
If the Uchiha-Hokage dynamic existed in Suna, they would have openly fought by now.
The Will of Fire wasn't unique to Konoha; other villages had similar ideals. Though differing in details, they all emphasized collective interests over individual ones and prioritizing village needs above clan desires.
Going to Konoha wasn't entirely impossible. After all, Suna was currently allied with Konoha. While there would undoubtedly be consequences later, they couldn't openly act against her now.
However, joining Konoha would inevitably align her with the Uchiha faction.
Wait—was there even an Uchiha faction in Konoha? What if there wasn't?
Good heavens! Would she be the first one!?
