Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 167: Tobirama: Crossdressing Hashirama

At Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage dreamed once more of a past vision—a scene where Hyuga Fuji, accompanied by Orochimaru, traveled to the Land of Wind to seal the Dragon Vein within the now-ruined city of Rōran.

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Emerging from the eerie atmosphere of the lab, Hyuga Fuji and Tobirama exited the room where their latest experiment had been conducted.

"I didn't think you'd take action against Madara at a time like this," Tobirama remarked.

Fuji chuckled. "He did it himself—for the sake of his own ideals and desires."

Tobirama: "..."

He knew that wasn't what Fuji had meant, but hearing those words brought back an unwelcome image—the face of Hashirama embedded on Madara's chest.

Madara's supposed ideals were peace, but Tobirama couldn't help thinking his "desires" must have included his brother.

The implication gave Tobirama an unsettling thought: had Madara essentially "died for" Hashirama?

Memories he had tried to bury resurfaced, and Tobirama's face darkened.

Even in death, Madara managed to haunt him, leaving a trail of "nightmares"!

Taking a deep breath, Tobirama forced himself to set aside thoughts of Madara and moved to a different topic.

"The Land of Demons has submitted a formal treaty of alliance. That priestess of theirs seems quite capable. Her ability to foresee people's deaths—is it real?"

"It is," Fuji confirmed, catching the brief flash of discomfort on Tobirama's face. His gaze flicked to his own shadow, and he smiled to himself.

Looks like it's working.

"Prophecy... what an intriguing power," Tobirama mused, narrowing his eyes. "The priestess likely foresaw the threat you posed to the Land of Demons. That's why she agreed to the alliance, isn't it?"

Though it was presented as an alliance, given the disparity in power, the Land of Demons was effectively becoming a subordinate state.

Announcing this outright would be jarring, but Miroku, the priestess, seemed prepared. When the timing was right, she would likely integrate the Land of Demons fully into the Land of Snow.

Sensing Tobirama's subtle wariness of the priestess's abilities, Fuji shook his head lightly and said with a smile, "It's nothing more than a manifestation of natural energy and chakra. It's something one can learn. If you're interested, I'm sure Miroku-sama would be willing to teach you how to become a priestess. With your capabilities, you'd likely succeed."

Tobirama's eye twitched. "I'll pass."

He wasn't entirely sure how priestesses trained, but judging by the purity and detachment associated with Miroku's serene, virtuous demeanor, becoming one likely required giving up worldly desires and distractions. A pure heart would undoubtedly make the process easier.

If anyone in the Senju clan were suited for such a role, it would be Hashirama, not him.

Wait... Hashirama as a priestess... Hashirama cross-dressing as a priestess... Hashirama and Madara...

Unbidden, his thoughts circled back to Madara's chest, where Hashirama's face was grotesquely fused.

Tobirama frowned deeply, his expression turning grim as his mind ventured into increasingly bizarre territory. He suddenly turned to Fuji, eyes narrowed.

"What did you do?"

It's just cellular grafting, Tobirama thought to himself. Normally, seeing Hashirama's face on Madara's body didn't bother him this much. But today, his thoughts kept spiraling into absurd scenarios involving Hashirama and Madara together.

And these strange thoughts had started after Fuji showed him Madara's corpse...

Fuji glanced at him, a picture of innocence. "Tobirama-sama, what are you talking about? Weren't we discussing the priestess of the Land of Demons?"

Tobirama scrutinized Fuji's expression, searching for a crack in his mask, but found nothing. He also couldn't detect any signs of genjutsu or other techniques affecting him. His unease grew.

Could it really just be his own overactive imagination?

Was it his past experiences watching Hashirama and Madara interact that caused these bizarre associations?

Hashirama and Madara... Hashirama cross-dressing as a priestess...

Tobirama, feeling as though long-buried memories were attacking him, pressed his fingers to his temples in frustration.

"It's nothing," he finally muttered, trying to shake off the intrusive thoughts. Changing the subject, he asked, "The priestess willingly submitted to the alliance. Given how revered she is within her country, gaining control over the Land of Demons should be a simple matter. Is that why you didn't act against them earlier?"

Fuji nodded. "Miroku-sama will make the choice that best benefits her nation. There was no need for us to intervene."

Given Miroku's ability to foresee the future, she would naturally choose the most favorable path for her people.

Tobirama acknowledged this with a nod and moved on to another question.

"With the Land of Demons under control, the Land of Snow now directly borders the Land of Wind. Should we provide support to Pakura's forces? Her troops are stationed near Rōran, aren't they?"

"No need. The citizens of Rōran have already been relocated. It's just a ruin now. She can handle it."

Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "I understand your lack of faith in the Land of Wind, but I've always been curious about why you had Pakura act in the first place—and why you placed such importance on the Rōran ruins. The Dragon Vein there is special, but it's at best comparable to a tailed beast in terms of chakra. It doesn't seem like something that should concern you."

"Maybe I'm just being greedy," Fuji replied with a smile.

"Fine, don't tell me," Tobirama huffed. "I'm leaving. I'll return to study Madara's body later, when I have the time."

And with that, Tobirama vanished, eager to distance himself from any discussion related to Madara.

For now, he wanted nothing to do with that corpse.

Otherwise, he feared his sanity might truly be at risk.

Watching Tobirama's retreating figure, Fuji glanced down at the shadow beneath his feet and smiled faintly.

"Don't take it too far," he said.

At his words, a blob of inky black substance began to peel away from his shadow, gleaming faintly in the light.

The black mass pulsed as though alive, silently sinking into the ground. It moved stealthily, following Tobirama's trail.

Fuji sighed softly and turned his gaze skyward.

The Dragon Vein... When he and Orochimaru had sealed it back then, he hadn't expected it to be unsealed now.

As a unique chakra source, the Dragon Vein had the power to bend time and space.

Urashiki's attempt to alter history by traveling to the past had failed, but as a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan, his boldness implied that his kind had successfully done so on other worlds.

In fact, both times someone had traveled through the Dragon Vein—once during Naruto's journey and once during Boruto's—they had indeed altered the past.

Naruto's changes were minor, merely leaving the Queen of Rōran with a keepsake that didn't affect the broader timeline.

Boruto's actions, however, were a different story.

His influence had even led to the invention of the railway, creating a time loop of sorts.

Years ago, Fuji had traveled to Rōran with Orochimaru, hoping to prevent such temporal disturbances from affecting his plans.

After all, from the perspective of the future, the present was the past—and the past could always be rewritten.

Now that the Dragon Vein had been unsealed, Fuji couldn't help but wonder: if someone were to emerge from its flow, who—or what—would it be?

A faint smile played on his lips as his thoughts drifted.

(End of Chapter)