Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 179: Suddenly Understanding Why the Second Hokage Left

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

On the fortress wall, Kakashi stood expressionless as he faced Uchiha Yakumaru. "So, let me get this straight—you tried to take him down but couldn't because he can fly, and you can't?"

"Yeah, he can fly, and I can't, so of course I couldn't stop him," Yakumaru replied with a helpless shrug. "I was trying to finish him off there, and I even chased him for quite a while."

One in the air, the other on the ground—how was that fair?

To make matters worse, Kitsuchi had flown so high Yakumaru hadn't even gotten a chance to launch an attack, leaving him to watch helplessly as the man escaped.

"Is that really the main issue here?!"

Kakashi rubbed his forehead, exasperated, before glaring up at the sky. "That's the Tsuchikage's son! If you'd actually killed him, it would've caused a huge diplomatic problem. Besides, there's no way he would engage in a life-or-death battle with you. He's too cautious, and since he can fly, you never had a real chance to take him down."

"…Is that so?" Yakumaru blinked, carefully asking, "Are you sure?"

Seeing Yakumaru's apparent drop in IQ, Kakashi's lips twitched. "Isn't it obvious? What we're after is the Land of Wind's territory and its people, not just a few rare resources like in the previous shinobi wars."

"Once we take the Land of Wind's territory, our borders will expand significantly. That means we'll have to defend a much larger area. But the Land of Fire's nationwide education initiative has only just begun, and the number of trained shinobi hasn't increased significantly. If we expand too quickly, we'll spread ourselves too thin."

"That's why we're proceeding cautiously, expanding step by step, like boiling a frog in warm water. It'll take time, but we need to gradually occupy the Land of Wind, eliminate resistance, and stabilize the population's loyalty."

"It was predictable that the Land of Earth would send reinforcements, but they know we won't take the Land of Wind in one swift move. That's why they only sent a small elite force—not to win outright but to delay our progress, buy time to extract benefits from the Land of Wind, and strengthen themselves in the process."

Kakashi gave Yakumaru a suspicious look. "With all this in mind, why did you chase after him? You were at the strategy meeting—didn't Shikaku-sama explain all of this to you?"

The Land of Wind had the largest territory among the great nations. Although most of it was desert, there was no denying that the Land of Fire couldn't conquer it all in one go.

Because of this, other nations were willing to send elite reinforcements rather than commit their full armies. No one wanted to provoke an all-out war with the Land of Fire.

Kakashi had assumed Yakumaru remembered Shikaku's analysis, but apparently, he hadn't.

"Uh, I… forgot for a moment!" Yakumaru coughed awkwardly, then quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, has there been any enemy activity here during my absence?"

"You intercepted them, so no one else has come through."

Saying this, Kakashi suddenly recalled something. "Kitsuchi wasn't trying to launch an attack here, was he? Which direction did he retreat to?"

"Hold on."

Yakumaru pulled out a map, carefully pinpointing the direction Kitsuchi had fled. Finally, he pointed to a specific location.

"If he didn't change course midway, he's likely headed toward the Rōran Ruins."

Kakashi's brow furrowed.

'That place has already been abandoned, hasn't it? Was Kitsuchi deliberately trying to lure Yakumaru there?'

Kakashi studied the map closely, his frown deepening.

Rōran… He vaguely remembered his teacher mentioning something about it. The queen of Rōran had once issued a mission to seal something, and Minato-sensei had initially accepted it, only to cancel it later.

Shortly after, the queen had suddenly abandoned Rōran, leading her people to settle elsewhere.

It was strange, almost as if something terrifying had been sealed there, forcing the Rōran people to relocate. If something was sealed there, what could it be?

Some kind of powerful creature?

For Minato-sensei and several jōnin to have been involved, it must have been an S-rank mission!

Thinking this, Kakashi's tone turned serious.

"This location is important. We've completely overlooked it until now."

"Hm?" Yakumaru looked puzzled.

"The Rōran Ruins aren't far from Moonlight Castle. If there are enemies stationed there, we'd be vulnerable to attacks from both sides when we assault Moonlight Castle. We need to investigate… I'll go myself. You stay here."

Yakumaru blinked, his mouth twitching. "Are you sure? How about we go together?"

He had a feeling Kakashi was trying to trick him.

"You're the commander of this unit. Show some responsibility!"

Kakashi's face held a faint trace of disdain. "And stop overusing your Mangekyō Sharingan—you'll go blind at this rate."

"Don't worry about it." Yakumaru dismissed Kakashi's concern with a smug grin. "Thanks to Lady Tsunade's research into her grandfather's cells, we'll soon have a solution. Give it a few more months, and the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō users won't have to worry about blindness anymore."

"…For some reason, I suddenly understand why the Second Hokage left."

Kakashi stared at him, speechless.

Lady Tsunade using the First Hokage's cells to help the Uchiha overcome the Mangekyō's limitations… It was beyond words.

…

After ensuring no one was pursuing him, Kitsuchi landed and furrowed his brow.

After exchanging blows with Yakumaru, he was certain he couldn't defeat him in a short time.

In fact, if the fight dragged on too long and he fell victim to the Sharingan's genjutsu, he might end up losing outright.

Weighing his options, Kitsuchi had chosen to divert Yakumaru's attention while his subordinates retreated.

They weren't here to fight and die for Sunagakure, after all.

Their mission was to scout Konoha's supply lines, not to engage in unnecessary battles with someone like Yakumaru.

Now, he just needed to regroup with his team and find a way to bypass Konoha's forces to continue the reconnaissance.

Looking around at the barren landscape, Kitsuchi muttered to himself, "The Rōran Ruins should be around here, right?"

He was curious about what Uchiya Shinji had called Sunagakure's hope for revival—the Ryūmyaku.

That curiosity had led him to choose the ruins as the meeting point with his subordinates.

According to Uchiya Shinji, there were still Sunagakure forces stationed at Rōran. If Yakumaru had kept pursuing him, Kitsuchi could have feigned weakness to lure him into an ambush.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Kitsuchi trudged through the seemingly endless desert. The rolling sand dunes resembled waves in an ocean, rising and falling beneath his feet.

As the sun rose higher, the sky was painted in vivid hues of gold, orange, and purple, casting an otherworldly glow over the desolate landscape.

It was then that Kitsuchi noticed a faint outline on the horizon.

At first, it was just an unusual shadow against the skyline. But as he drew closer, the silhouette grew clearer, revealing the remnants of an ancient ruin.

The ruins stood in stark contrast to their barren surroundings. Under the morning light, the broken columns, crumbled walls, and weathered sculptures exuded a sense of forgotten grandeur.

"So this is Rōran," Kitsuchi muttered, stopping to take in the view, squinting as he gazed across the desert.

(End of Chapter)