Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 185: Sage Art, True Several Thousand Hands!

A squad raced across the desert, heading toward Roran.

Among them, Jounin Kohei glanced at the woman beside him and sighed quietly. "Roran is just ahead, Lady Yugito."

"Mm," Yugito replied, her expression grave.

Even from a distance, she could feel the oppressive atmosphere emanating from that direction.

"Kohei-sama, there's a group of over a hundred ninjas ahead!" a sensory ninja reported as they approached Kohei and Yugito.

"What?"

Kohei immediately halted, exchanging a look with Yugito. He suggested they detour, but Yugito shook her head.

"They've clearly noticed us too, yet they haven't stopped to block us. That means they're also heading for Roran. They're probably from Konoha. Are you willing to give up the Dragon Vein?"

Kohei: "..."

Giving up the Dragon Vein was akin to abandoning the Wind Country's hope for rising to power.

That was out of the question!

Taking a deep breath, Kohei turned to his subordinates. "Maintain your distance and continue forward!"

"Yes!"

The disturbance in Roran seemed to be a stronger lure for both groups. Although each side was aware of the other's presence, they maintained a fragile balance, neither engaging nor retreating, as they moved together toward Roran.

Eventually, confrontation became unavoidable.

About one kilometer from the ruins of Roran, the two sides finally crossed paths.

Seeing Kakashi leading the other side, Kohei felt a small wave of relief when he didn't spot the Uchiha among them.

Fortunately, he had brought Yugito along.

Both Kakashi and Yugito were Jinchuriki. If it came to a fight, Yugito wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

As Kohei silently weighed his options, he and Kakashi assessed each other. Behind them, their respective forces awaited orders.

Before either could speak, a booming male voice interrupted from a distance, drawing everyone's attention.

"Get out of here immediately!"

"Jounin Kitsuchi?"

Looking toward the approaching figure, Kohei was confused about why Kitsuchi was there. As he contemplated how to question him, Kitsuchi's voice rang out again.

"Yugito, be careful of Jounin Kohei! He's one of Hyuga Fuji's subordinates!"

"?"

Kohei was utterly bewildered. He felt the eyes of the surrounding Sand ninjas and Yugito turn toward him with suspicion. His expression shifted slightly.

"No, I…"

Yugito didn't immediately attack but did take a step back, putting some distance between herself and Kohei. Meanwhile, Kitsuchi arrived at Yugito's side, warily watching Kohei.

"The Sand ninjas in these ruins are under Hyuga Fuji's command, and the Dragon Vein is already under his control!"

Hearing this, Yugito's gaze toward Kohei turned even more scrutinizing.

The Dragon Vein's intelligence had come from Uchiya Shinji, who had also provided supplies to Roran. The situation now seemed suspicious.

Kohei, stunned by Kitsuchi's accusation, felt as if he'd been struck dumb.

The Dragon Vein under Hyuga Fuji's control? Shinji working for him?

His mind raced in denial, feeling like he was trapped in a nightmare. But Kitsuchi's hostile gaze brought him back to reality, forcing him to respond stiffly:

"Kitsuchi-dono, isn't there some misunderstanding here? Uchiya Shinji and I are in charge of Tsukimi Castle. How could we be connected to that rogue ninja? Perhaps we should return to Tsukimi Castle and confront Uchino to clarify things?"

"I would like to believe you, but all evidence points to someone in Tsukimi Castle being connected to Hyuga Fuji. Until that is cleared up, I won't be returning to Tsukimi Castle. I hope you understand," Kitsuchi said coldly.

"…"

Kohei felt a surge of anxiety. Without Kitsuchi's cooperation, how could they stop the Land of Fire?

The Land of Fire…

His eyes flicked to the Konoha ninja, particularly Kakashi, who seemed to be enjoying the internal conflict. Kohei's expression stiffened.

"Is this some kind of amusing performance?"

Noticing Kohei's glance, Kakashi broke his silence, speaking with interest as he looked at Kitsuchi and Yugito. "Iwagakure and Kumogakure arrive uninvited to support Sunagakure, and now you're putting on this show in front of me. Are you trying to declare your stance?"

Kitsuchi glanced in the direction of the Roran ruins, feeling the vibrations in the ground. "Kakashi, times change. Hyuga Fuji is the greatest threat to all our nations now. He's your rogue ninja, but we can work together."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, about to reply, when a massive explosion from the direction of Roran cut him off.

A colossal figure rose into the sky. Even from a kilometer away, it was visible to everyone.

"What is that?"

Behind Kakashi, Uchiha Yakumaru—disguised with the Transformation Jutsu to avoid revealing the empty state of their stronghold—stared at the towering multi-armed giant. His expression shifted.

That thing felt far more dangerous than his Susano'o, almost as if his full-armored Three-Tailed Beast form was nothing but a toy in comparison.

…

Boom!

A flash of silver light streaked across the battlefield. No one saw Hatake Sakumo's blade as it moved.

Kitsuchi instinctively had his stone giant raise its arms to block, but it was futile. He was sent flying instantly.

A slash several dozen meters long carved into the ground, and the stone giant that bore the brunt of the attack crumbled into rubble.

Witnessing such a devastating strike, Naruto's expression turned grim.

That was swordsmanship enhanced with Sage Chakra!

After achieving soul embodiment, absorbing natural energy had become second nature to Sakumo, without the risk of petrification. This allowed him to gradually build up Sage Chakra during battle.

It was his ultimate trump card and the most dangerous aspect of soul-embodied ninjas.

Their very essence had transformed into Chakra-based lifeforms!

"Your strength may surpass mine, but it's not enough to completely disregard me, is it?"

In front of Naruto, Pakura noticed his distraction. Seizing the opportunity, she abandoned her aerial maneuvering and rapidly approached him, the fireballs around her merging.

"Scorch Release: Superheated Steam Killing!"

Boom!

A massive explosion engulfed Naruto and the wooden construct he stood on. As the smoke cleared, the upper half of the wooden giant had withered away.

But Pakura showed no signs of relief. She shifted her gaze to the right, where Naruto stood unscathed amid the ruins, staring back at her.

'The wooden giant alone won't hold them off for long. If that's the case…'

Realizing time was running out and he couldn't afford to hold back, Naruto made a decision.

He dispelled the shadow clone he had left underground to gather natural energy. Sage markings appeared around his eyes as he clasped his hands together.

"Sage Art: Wood Release, True Several Thousand Hands!"

Under his chakra's influence, the wooden giant began to regenerate. Massive roots surged from the ground, forming an enormous Avalokitesvara statue.

The colossal wooden statue dwarfed even the wooden giant, which now sat atop its head.

Hundreds of majestic arms stretched out from the statue's back.

Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo, who had been about to press his advantage against Kitsuchi, narrowed his eyes and halted.

"This… is the power that the First Hokage used to pacify the warring states?"

But why were there only hundreds of hands? Didn't the Second Hokage say there were thousands?

(End of Chapter)