Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 50
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 23:11:25 +0000 UTCThe news of Danzō's death fell like cold rain, extinguishing the flames of anger and resentment that had consumed the village.
Reason returned.
When someone like Danzō died, he inevitably leaved behind something for others to reflect on and remember.
Despite being the kind of person who made others grind their teeth in hatred, he had his merits.
When all his past deeds were no longer shrouded in secrecy, people had to admit one thing: leaving aside his lack of moral boundaries and his unconventional way of thinking, he was exceptionally skilled in foreign intelligence and special operations.
His personal finances were also impressively clean.
The Shimura clan, under his leadership, did not gain any personal benefits.
All the funds he controlled were poured into his organization's activities, whether assassinating outsiders or conducting experiments within the village.
Of course, he had personal ambitions, and very strong ones at that—he always wanted to become Hokage and genuinely believed he was the most suitable candidate for the position.
On this point, everyone would sincerely think: "You really are not suited to be Hokage!"
If you had become Hokage, the village would have exploded. But it doesn't matter now. Danzō ended everything with his own life.
No one knew why he didn't resist until the very end, but that no longer mattered.
What mattered now was Root, which had been detached from the rest of the village's structure.
"So, that's pretty much how things stand," Fugaku said. This time, he wasn't meeting Masashi in the study.
The clan head's house felt off today, with key members packed in and tension in the air.
Perhaps he had realized that the clan's recent rumors—about the "clan head loving calligraphy but being terrible at it"—were secretly spread by Masashi.
"This time, bringing down Danzō was a major success, and you contributed greatly. The clan wants to hear your thoughts." As he spoke, Fugaku sipped tea and observed Masashi's reaction.
The past month's operations had involved every ninja clan working tirelessly to mobilize and create momentum.
After all, with someone like Danzō, if you moved against him, you had to finish the job—leaving him alive would only create endless trouble.
Now that it was done, it was time to divide his "inheritance."
The intelligence network Danzō had built, which spanned the entire shinobi world, was a treasure trove every ninja clan coveted.
This, of course, included the Hokage's office.
But Masashi found himself uninterested.
With Danzō gone, Konoha's entire political ecosystem would change.
In all fairness, he and his Root had been like a mountain pressing down on all the ninja clans, forcing them to behave. No one else in the old "guard" of the Third Hokage's administration could pull that off.
While Minato had shown decisive leadership during this operation, he was no schemer like Danzō. To the ninja clans, his presence didn't carry the same intimidating weight.
This likely meant Konoha would enter a "flourishing" era where everyone sought to rise.
The good news was that the Hokage's office wouldn't need to worry about the Uchiha anymore.
The bad news? They'd have to worry about every ninja clan, including the Sarutobi clan.
Handled well, this could significantly boost Konoha's military strength and cohesion.
Mishandled? It could breed the next "Danzō."
At least, for now, this was good for the Uchiha—everyone was starting from the same line.
So why, on this sunny day, did Fugaku summon him for a meeting at home?
The bars in the commercial district were having a terrible month! And what about this year's winter festival?
Wasn't he planning a theatrical exhibit about Prometheus, starting with his theft of fire?
He even wanted to stage a play about the titan's defiance of Zeus, complete with sculptural art and serialized story adaptations.
Wouldn't that be better than Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise nonsense?
Men should be reading about Prometheus's noble sacrifice, his gift of fire to humanity, and his eternal punishment. Who caredd about Icha Icha Paradise?
"I have no ideas," Masashi finally said, pulling himself back from his daydreams. Regretting the revenue he'd lose this year, his tone was lackluster. "Why not take this chance to pivot entirely?"
"Oh?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow as he sipped his tea. "Let's hear it."
"Express support for the Hokage. Propose transferring the Police Force's management directly under him, while allowing Uchiha clan members to join other departments or take missions from the Hokage Building. Even allow jonin to join the elite jonin squads."
The suggestion nearly made Fugaku spit out his tea. Around the room, several clan members shifted uncomfortably.
"That's impossible," he said, shaking his head repeatedly. "The clan council would never approve of transferring the Police Force—it's a long-standing tradition."
"Then here's another approach," Masashi suggested. "Instead of privatizing it, propose expanding its scale. Bring in the Hyūga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans, and formalize the Police Force's responsibility for all public security in the village, except for secret agencies. This would allow the Police Force to broaden its jurisdiction."
"That's essentially the same thing," Fugaku responded, still shaking his head.
"So why ask me?" Masashi threw up his hands. "This isn't my area of expertise."
He glanced around. Shisui was also present, sitting in a contemplative posture.
Other active three-tomoe Sharingan users from the clan were also in attendance, but most of them seemed to be zoning out.
It's the weekend—who wants to attend meetings? At least make them interesting.
"Shisui, what do you think?" Fugaku looked expectantly at the clan's other rising star.
"I believe the Police Force should align closely with the Hokage's leadership," Shisui said diplomatically. "At this time, the village's interests should take priority. Returning the Police Force to the village's control is a good idea."
This was practically meaningless—worse than useless. At least Masashi had proposed a trade or expansion of authority.
And neither of these young men seemed interested in vying for control of Root, likely unaware of its immense value.
"Forget it," Fugaku sighed. "Perhaps this issue is too complex for you both." He looked at them. "Shisui, you're in the ANBU. Focus on improving the Hokage's perception of our clan. As for you, Masashi…"
He paused thoughtfully.
"Remain in the Police Force and continue as usual. Don't slack on your training."
Masashi and Shisui both nodded in agreement.
"There's one more matter—Orochimaru."
The room instantly grew serious. Even the previously disinterested members straightened their postures.
"The Third Hokage's influence complicates things," Shisui noted carefully. Several heads nodded in agreement.
"We must tread carefully," Fugaku added. "The Third Hokage is not Danzō."
They had no choice but to be cautious. Orochimaru's fate was still unresolved.
With Danzō dead, everyone had snapped out of their frenzied state and was now treading carefully when it came to Orochimaru.
Hiruzen was still not someone to cross lightly.
In this incident, his prestige remained intact. As a former Hokage and once the strongest individual in Konoha, no one wanted to provoke him over Orochimaru.
A retired Hiruzen might not be much help, but he could certainly ruin someone's plans with ease.
The old man's finesse far exceeded Danzō's—he could derail you and leave you speechless.
"Shisui, what's Orochimaru's status?"
"He's still held in ANBU's internal prison," Shisui reported. "Interrogation hasn't gone smoothly. Out of respect for the Third Hokage, the Yamanaka clan hasn't been allowed to probe his mind. But we've obtained an important piece of intelligence."
"What intelligence?"
"Fuguki had a secret agreement with Root. They were supposed to meet monthly for handovers, but last month…"
Everyone immediately understood.
This major incident had hit Root the hardest, essentially halting Konoha's foreign intelligence operations. All they could do now was ensure their agents' identities remained secret.
Beyond that, they were powerless.
"What does the Hokage intend to do?"
"Both the Fourth and Third Hokage agree: the collaboration cannot be interrupted. A highly capable jonin must be sent to Kiri to complete this month's handover."
At this, Shisui looked at Masashi.
"Masashi-nii, the Hokage specifically named you. Without the Flying Thunder God, there's no way to ensure the operative's safety."
"Me? Sure, I can do it, but…"
"The Hokage classified this as an S-rank mission."
"Leave it to me!"
---
Because it was an S-rank mission, Masashi woke up super early the next day.
Before dawn.
He couldn't help it—after a year of not counting stacks of money, he got a little too excited.
Since he woke up too early and the village gates weren't open yet, he had to cook breakfast for himself. That worked out fine—no need to snack on ration pills along the way.
Ration pills were, after all, just a kind of dry food, and their taste? None whatsoever.
After breakfast, he washed the dishes and found the timing just about right. He happily stepped out of his house.
Once he passed through the village gates, Masashi immediately used the Flying Thunder God.
This was to prevent anyone from tailing him.
When Fuguki first visited Konoha, he made a grand entrance. As part of a diplomatic delegation, he was treated to accommodations, food, and drinks along the way by the Land of Fire and Konoha, ensuring his journey was as comfortable as possible.
That had been the Konoha way—treat anyone with money like a king, and they'd come back for more.
Masashi wasn't so lucky.
As his mission involved secret contact, he was all alone. Forget about inns or banquets—that was out of the question.
His objective was Fuguki himself.
He remembered that this veteran Kiri ninja was eventually killed by Kisame.
The charge? Leaking information to the enemy. And there was no doubt who that "enemy" was—Konoha.
What drove Fuguki to do so was simple. He suspected something was off with the Fourth Mizukage and decided to rely on Konoha's help to uncover the truth.
Naturally, Konoha didn't want an unstable factor in their backyard, so the two sides quickly struck a deal.
The payment? A hefty 1.5 billion ryo. Although only 1 billion made its way to them in the end, such a massive income made it entirely reasonable to provide some "after-sales service."
The issue was, while the Hokage Building pocketed the payment, Masashi got stuck with the "customer support."
Had the Hokage Building not designated this task as an S-rank mission, there's no way he would've accepted.
Whoever negotiated the deal should handle the follow-up—that's the rule.
It was clear that Minato was a man of principle; he even offered a generous mission reward.
Taking this long-distance mission as an opportunity, Masashi also planned to extend the range of his Flying Thunder God marks.
The Flying Thunder God allowed movement within the user's maximum sensory range. By setting up enough marks, one could travel freely within the designated area.
For example, Minato's marks spanned the Land of Fire and its allied territories, forming a comprehensive "network." This allowed him to appear in any corner of these lands in the shortest time possible, earning him the title "Yellow Flash."
Masashi's network was much smaller, covering only two areas: the territory of Konoha and the route he took to the Land of Hot Water. With this journey, his network would start extending southward.
---
A day later, after crossing most of the Land of Fire, Masashi reached the southeastern border and entered familiar territory.
The southeastern region was a peninsula extending from the mainland. The Land of Fire occupied about one-third of its center, while the south belongs to a nation called the Land of Tea, which took up nearly half of the peninsula.
Although he wasn't familiar with the Land of Tea, the name intrigued him. He planned to investigate one day—what if it hid some behind-the-scenes boss that threatened the entire shinobi world?
For the sake of world peace, he had to eliminate such a potential threat on behalf of the ancestor of chakra.
To the east was the smallest nation.
This was the Land of Whirlpools, the original homeland of the Uzumaki clan.
The country still existed, but Uzushio had been wiped out years ago —destroyed by Kiri's ninja army and probably others too.
Still, the Land of Whirlpools remained a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and Water. During the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha and Kiri ninjas clashed here.
Beyond the Land of Whirlpools lay a series of islands forming the Land of Water's perimeter.
Cross those islands, and you would reach the Land of Water's mainland—the location of Kiri.
Despite its reputation as a den of horror known as the Bloody Mist, Masashi actually felt quite fond of it.
He had many old friends there. He missed them!
After finishing business with Fuguki, he planned to ask if they could arrange a gathering—call up the old friends, share some drinks, and bury the hatchet.
Mostly, he wanted to clear things up with Mei.
After setting up several Flying Thunder God marks in the Land of Whirlpools, Masashi reached its eastern coast and entered the water, using the Water Shockwave as his transportation to approach the islands.
Originally a combat jutsu for maneuvering freely in water and dragging opponents underwater to suffocate, this water technique, favored by Tobirama, also made an excellent travel tool—far quicker than a boat.
Finally, he landed on the Land of Water's mainland.
The environment was worlds apart from the Land of Fire.
Even on the outer edges of the mainland, the mist was thick. Though its rainfall didn't rival the Land of Rain's, the high humidity and lower temperatures defined its climate.
After roughly determining Kiri's direction, Masashi continued forward, all while adding more Flying Thunder God marks.
Who knows? Future business opportunities in the Land of Water might arise—it'd be convenient to have those marks ready.
As he ventured deeper, the mist grew so dense that ordinary people could no longer rely on sight to navigate.
He was closing in on Kiri.
The village's name stemmed from this natural phenomenon.
Though the mist posed no obstacle to him, he activated his Sharingan for added caution.
He moved with care, minimizing the noise of his movements.
This was familiar territory.
Before long, he detected chakra signatures emerging from the mist.
His presence had triggered the village's sensory barriers—a key part of Kiri's defenses.
Soon, Kiri ninja began heading in his direction.
