Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 157: Black Zetsu Gets Misled by Madara

Hearing Madara's words, Black Zetsu fell into deep thought.

It was true—unless Hyuga Fuji had received some other form of education or was older than his apparent age, many of his abilities seemed somewhat extraordinary.

While Fuji's aptitude for research and strength development could be explained, his proficiency in handling economics and governance was another matter entirely. Without prior exposure, it would be difficult for him to manage such things so skillfully.

But what if Hyuga Fuji was merely a front for Senju Tobirama? Suddenly, everything would make sense.

Could it be that the Hokage's advisor had only appeared to be Fuji, when in reality it was Tobirama behind the scenes all along?

The possibility couldn't be dismissed.

"In White Zetsu's investigations, it's clear that most of the administrative affairs in the Land of Snow are being handled by Tobirama, while Fuji rarely shows his face. Furthermore, the Konoha shinobi who left with Fuji appear to follow Tobirama's orders without hesitation. Clearly, those who seem to be Fuji's followers are actually Tobirama's people," Madara said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hyuga Fuji is nothing more than a scapegoat put forward by Tobirama. After all, Konoha can tolerate Fuji defecting, but it would never accept the Second Hokage doing so."

Unless Fuji had absolute dominance, there was no way he could let Tobirama govern freely. But given the circumstances, there was only one other explanation:

The thousands of shinobi who left Konoha with Fuji were Tobirama's people from the start.

Deep down, Madara also admitted that he harbored a bias against Fuji's abilities. He couldn't believe that someone of Fuji's generation could possibly control someone like Tobirama.

And compared to Fuji, Madara found it far more plausible—and easier to accept—that Tobirama was the true mastermind.

Black Zetsu nodded in agreement but couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

After all, when Fuji gathered his researchers, they seemed genuinely respectful toward him…

Yet Madara, who seemed to be in a particularly talkative mood, continued elaborating on his theories.

"The collapse of the Land of Fire's political system benefited Tsunade and Konoha the most. This clearly shows Tobirama's influence behind the scenes."

"But… but would Tobirama really allow the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and Jiraiya for something like this?" Black Zetsu asked, still puzzled.

Madara cut him off sharply. "Don't forget—Tobirama has mastered the forbidden art of resurrection!"

Black Zetsu suddenly understood. "So, because he can reverse death, he allowed the Fourth Hokage to die in order to complete his plan."

"Exactly. Although Tobirama likely didn't anticipate Jiraiya being sealed away."

Madara tapped his wooden chair with a finger, a cold gleam in his eyes. "That's easy to confirm—if there's evidence that the Fourth Hokage is still alive, it proves that everything, from the Five Kage Summit to Fuji's supposed death, Tsunade's rise, and the defection of thousands of shinobi, was part of Tobirama's grand scheme."

"Lord Madara, you're absolutely right!" Black Zetsu said, offering a compliment before asking, "But I still don't understand—why would Tobirama go to the extent of taking thousands of shinobi out of Konoha? Wouldn't that weaken the village?"

"He has two objectives. First, to divert attention onto Fuji, giving the Land of Fire time to stabilize. Second, to enable the Land of Fire to unify the shinobi world. If Tobirama uses the shinobi who left Konoha to unify the smaller nations around the Land of Snow, what lies between the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire?"

Black Zetsu recalled the geography of the shinobi world and answered, "The Land of Wind."

Madara nodded. "You might not know this, but the Fourth Kazekage is already dead. He died on the same day as the Fourth Hokage. The ones who killed him… were Konoha's former ANBU operatives."

"If Fuji is merely a puppet, the one pulling the strings of Konoha's ANBU must be Tobirama. In other words, it was Tobirama who ordered the assassination of the Fourth Kazekage."

Black Zetsu fell silent.

He could already imagine the chaos engulfing the Land of Wind.

The Sand Village was leaderless, and this happened to coincide with the collapse of the one-nation-one-village system in the Land of Fire. Would the daimyo of the Land of Wind not seize this opportunity to take direct control of the Sand Village?

After all, if a Kage could rise to become a daimyo, why couldn't a daimyo take control of a shinobi village's military?

As someone deeply familiar with the darkness of human nature, Black Zetsu was certain the Land of Wind's daimyo would think this way.

Unlike the Land of Fire, where the daimyo had been limited in their influence, the Land of Wind's daimyo had previously withheld funds from the Sand Village and enjoyed significant support within its ranks. It wouldn't be hard for him to take partial control of the Sand's forces.

"Chiyo from the Sand Village went to Konoha as part of a previous diplomatic mission and was prohibited from returning by the Land of Wind's daimyo. Konoha, in turn, welcomed her to stay. Now, only her brother can hold things together in the Sand Village, and tensions between the daimyo and the village have reached a stalemate," Madara said, his eyes dark and contemplative. "The situation is a powder keg, waiting for a spark to ignite it."

Hearing the tone of Madara's voice, Black Zetsu could tell he had likely had a hand in stirring this chaos.

Or perhaps… was it Obito?

With the Fourth Kazekage dead and the Land of Wind in disarray, this was the perfect opportunity to seize Shukaku.

Everyone—every faction—was pushing the Land of Wind closer to the edge.

And the one digging the pit was none other than the mastermind behind the collapse of the one-nation-one-village system and the assassination of the Fourth Kazekage—Senju Tobirama.

Following Madara's reasoning, Black Zetsu's initial skepticism toward his theories gradually gave way to belief.

Once the Land of Snow unified the smaller nations around it, the Land of Wind, already weakened by internal strife, would find itself caught between the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire.

If war broke out, the Land of Wind would be attacked on two fronts and easily divided.

And to the rest of the shinobi world, the conflict over the Land of Wind would appear to be a showdown between Hyuga Fuji and the Land of Fire. Other nations would seize the chance to interfere and reap benefits, but none would commit enough resources to stop the division outright.

After all, once the Land of Wind was split, the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire would share a border, forcing Fuji and the Land of Fire into direct confrontation. At that point, the other nations could simply sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

But if Fuji was merely Tobirama's puppet?

At the critical moment, Tobirama could betray Fuji, allowing the Land of Fire to claim the entire Land of Wind and the smaller nations surrounding the Land of Snow. Half the shinobi world would fall into Tsunade's hands.

"And by swiftly annihilating the Land of Wind, along with the ambiguous stance of Kirigakure, which seems to have some cooperation with Konoha, only the Lands of Earth and Lightning would remain struggling to hold on. The outcome would already be decided," Madara said, his aged voice tinged with both admiration and coldness.

"Using Fuji as a scapegoat to make everyone believe he's an enemy of the Land of Fire, all while concealing the truth—what a brilliant strategy. It seems that after dying once, Tobirama has finally realized that Hashirama's methods cannot bring peace."

By this point, Black Zetsu had fully bought into Madara's depiction of Tobirama.

A man of profound cunning, a strategist for the ages, willing to use any means to achieve his goals…

Truly terrifying. Utterly ruthless.

(End of Chapter)