Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 184: The Alaya Project

As Gari silently wondered what was happening, three figures suddenly appeared in the corridor ahead, causing his pupils to contract.

Flying Thunder God?

"Kitsuchi's intel seems accurate. This is the Explosion Release ninja, Gari. Be careful; he's a member of Iwagakure's demolition unit."

Mabui, the first to recover from the teleportation, scanned the area and locked her gaze on Gari, speaking in a low voice.

"Demolition unit? That brings back unpleasant memories. But he's just a Reanimated ninja—you're overreacting. Leave him to me while you two take care of Kitsuchi."

The man beside Mabui stepped forward. "I'll leave the historical artifact to you as well."

Mabui exchanged a glance with the Hyuga ninja and nodded, dashing toward the prison behind Gari.

Gari frowned, displeased at being ignored by the two of them, and prepared to intercept them.

But then, a purple skeletal structure formed around the man in front of him.

Seeing this, Gari's eyes narrowed, and he froze mid-action.

"Susano'o?"

His moment of hesitation allowed Mabui and the Hyuga ninja to slip past him.

But Gari had no time to chase after them—the unknown Uchiha ninja was already attacking him.

…

Kitsuchi, meanwhile, had noticed the commotion outside.

Seeing a man and a woman open the prison cell, Kitsuchi frowned as he turned his gaze to Mabui, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Noticing his stare, Mabui asked proactively, "Kitsuchi-dono, do you still remember me?"

"Mabui… Mabui-dono?"

Kitsuchi had met this trusted aide of the Raikage before, but in his memory, she had been much younger and less mature.

"I know you have many questions, but time is short, and we don't have time to explain everything."

While helping Kitsuchi break free from his restraints, Mabui began to explain, "For now, all you need to know is that we've come from the future."

"???"

If he hadn't been sure that Mabui was breaking his sealing jutsu and that he wasn't under a genjutsu, Kitsuchi would've thought someone was playing a joke on him.

"This world has four great historical texts. Collecting all of them reveals the greatest secret of the ninja world since ancient times. Roran contains one of them. In the future, we formed an alliance with the Land of Fire. Our mission now is to recover the historical text here and prevent it from falling into Hyuga Fuji's hands."

As Mabui frowned at the intricate sealing jutsu on Kitsuchi, she pulled a special talisman from her scientific ninja tool and placed it on his forehead.

The stubborn sealing runes dissolved under the talisman's power, as if absorbed, and merged into the talisman itself.

Feeling the restraints lift, Kitsuchi stood and stretched, asking curiously, "An alliance with the Land of Fire?"

It wasn't surprising for the Land of Lightning to ally with the Land of Earth, but how had they formed an alliance with the Land of Fire?

After all, the Land of Fire had already started a unification war—how could there be peaceful coexistence?

"What, you have an issue with that?" the Hyuga ninja beside him said coldly.

"No, just… surprised," Kitsuchi replied, his gaze lingering on the Hyuga ninja as his doubts deepened. But he kept his thoughts hidden, speaking sincerely. "If there's no greater threat, it's hard to imagine the great nations forming an alliance."

"But a greater threat is exactly what we're facing."

Mabui's tone was heavy. "The Reanimated ninjas under Hyuga Fuji in this era are an unsolvable problem. None of your nations have the means to resist them—you must work together."

"The number of Reanimated ninjas under his command isn't the ten or so you might imagine. It's closer to forty."

"You're joking," Kitsuchi said, his expression stiff.

If there were forty Reanimated ninjas of Gari's caliber, they could easily overpower two great nations.

"I don't have time for jokes." Mabui raised her fingers to prepare the Heavenly Transport Technique. "You'll soon witness Hyuga Fuji's true strength for yourself."

"But don't despair—he has enemies of his own. All you need to do is escape from here. I'll transport you to the surface. Afterward, stay alert and don't approach the battlefield."

With that, she pulled out a scroll and handed it to Kitsuchi. "This is a set of technologies your future self entrusted us to deliver. Take it back and develop them in the Land of Earth as soon as possible—they're your hope for staying relevant."

"And remember this: you must collect the historical texts. Don't let them all fall into Hyuga Fuji's hands. In the future, with just two of them, Hyuga Fuji already stands at the pinnacle of the ninja world. That's all I'll say. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. The future is ultimately in your hands."

Before Kitsuchi could respond, the Heavenly Transport Technique activated. His vision blurred, and in the next instant, he was on the surface.

In the distance, he could see a massive wooden figure and an enormous stone giant entangled in battle with Hatake Sakumo and Pakura.

Kitsuchi glanced at the scroll in his hand and remembered Mabui's warning. Without bothering with the fight, he quickly fled.

The stone giant's technique was one he had seen his father use before, and its presence here eased some of his doubts.

…

Back underground, the Hyuga ninja watched Kitsuchi disappear, then said after a moment of silence, "Why not just tell them everything about the future?"

"We can't. With Hyuga Fuji's spies everywhere, we have to be cautious. For his safety, we can't reveal everything."

Mabui exhaled, her tone somber. "In this era, there are few people we can trust. On the Wind Country battlefield, the only confirmed allies are Yugito, Kitsuchi, Uchiha Yakumaru, and Kakashi."

"Their strength is decent, but compared to the conflicts about to unfold, they're far from enough. If we tell them too much and they're captured by Hyuga Fuji, it'll be over."

"That's why we can only share key pieces of information. Even the technological scrolls contain only research directions—they require prerequisites to be useful."

The Hyuga ninja shook his head. "It's pointless. Hyuga Fuji's research team is the most advanced in the ninja world. With even a hint of direction, they'll surpass the other nations."

He stopped speaking when he noticed Mabui's expression.

At that moment, Mabui wore an exhausted expression he had never seen before. Forcing a smile, she said, "Of course I understand that. But this is our last chance to resist—we can't keep hesitating."

The Hyuga ninja was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I'll head to recover the historical text."

"Mm."

Mabui nodded and handed him a marker similar to a Flying Thunder God kunai. "Take this. I've already left coordinates at the Dragon Vein. After completing the mission, I'll find you, and we'll return via the Dragon Vein."

To teleport to a specific location, the Heavenly Transport Technique required coordinates. Since this era was unfamiliar, and Mabui had only recently become the Fourth Raikage's secretary, she hadn't left any coordinates in the Land of Lightning.

As for staying long-term… that wasn't part of their plan.

In this era, the great nations were at a disadvantage against Hyuga Fuji. A few individuals wouldn't change that.

On the contrary, being captured would have catastrophic consequences.

"I'll deliver the remaining scrolls to the other nations."

Mabui's expression hardened, her voice regaining its determination. "We must stop this at all costs. Hyuga Fuji's Alaya Project cannot be allowed to succeed!"

***

If you wish to read all the chapters of this fic till chapter 381 (where it ends) and support me.

You can go to patreon. com /NahinS77