Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 186: Otsusuki Toneri

Naruto unleashed his trump card and exhaled wearily, the eye markings around his face beginning to fade.

His chakra couldn't compare to the First Hokage's, and as a novice in Sage Mode, the amount of Sage Chakra he could muster was insufficient to use the First Hokage's True Several Thousand Hands.

He had no choice but to lower the standard and simulate the True Several Hundred Hands... To be honest, it was a severely weakened version.

'Sigh, the real problem is that stupid fox inside me won't cooperate.'

Thinking of the tailed beast within him, Naruto sighed again.

The tailed beasts could absorb natural energy. If the Nine-Tails were willing to help him, he might have been able to use the First Hokage's Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands.

Despite being no match for him, it continued to be stubborn and uncooperative… His mom was right—he needed to stop being too nice to it. When he got back, he would enter the seal and teach it a lesson!

With these thoughts, Naruto turned his attention to Hatake Sakumo and Pakura below. While controlling the giant Buddha to advance toward them, he called out, "Kitsuchi-uncle, get up here!"

Kitsuchi, who had risen from the rubble, heard the shout. Glancing at the massive Buddha below Naruto, he didn't argue. In a flash, he leaped onto the Buddha's head.

"Leave it to you, Naruto," Kitsuchi said as he pulled a sealing talisman from his ninja tool pouch. "I'm preparing to seal their soul constructs."

"Got it!"

Naruto clenched his fists, grinning. "Leave it to me!"

…

"I can't handle this thing," Pakura said, her eye twitching. "What about you?"

Against the wooden figure earlier, she could rely on her flight ability to engage it. But this one… Getting close would mean instant death.

"No way," Sakumo replied, shaking his head. "How's Shikuro's preparation coming along?"

"Still needs some time."

The scene grew silent.

Just as Pakura sighed, intending to stay behind herself, she turned to check on Sakumo—only to find he had vanished.

"What?!"

Her expression froze.

In front of her, she saw Sakumo's figure retreating at full speed.

'So Hatake-senpai isn't exactly the most serious person.'

In a daze, she recalled Hyuga Fuji's casual remark during a chat and turned livid. Ignoring the approaching giant Buddha, she dashed after Sakumo.

"Stop right there, Hatake Sakumo!"

Sakumo slowed his pace slightly and glanced back at the pursuing Buddha. Reaching into his ninja tool pouch, he tossed several small spheres in Pakura's direction.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Smoke bombs exploded at her feet, releasing a thick cloud of smoke that obscured Naruto's vision.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Pakura caught up to Sakumo, her frustration boiling over.

"White Fang, I misjudged you!"

"They've got too many tricks up their sleeves. With decades of development, many of our techniques are already within their reach. That talisman Kitsuchi just used gave me a really bad feeling," Sakumo explained.

The stronger the power, the more it tempted others to study and exploit it.

After the deaths of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, countless people had begun researching their abilities, and there were already results.

Sakumo couldn't be sure how much information about their techniques had leaked in the next ten-plus years, but one thing was certain: with the passage of time, Hyuga Fuji's technology would inevitably be cracked. Methods targeting them at the soul level would only become more advanced.

Unless a historical rupture occurred, technology would always move forward. After all, the soul itself was a form of chakra.

"I've already felt the gap between future technology and us," Pakura said coldly.

That boy Naruto, clearly a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, was somehow able to use Wood Release—a testament to the advancements of future technology.

And then there were those scientific ninja tools, which could turn an ordinary ninja into a versatile powerhouse in an instant.

The technological progress of the future had far exceeded expectations. Pakura had seen enough to know this. What infuriated her now was Sakumo's decision to run away.

"You didn't understand what I meant! If you felt something was wrong, why didn't you at least warn me?"

Sakumo hesitated, then smiled. "They're from the future. If they take a ninja from this era back with them, who knows what might happen? It's unlikely they'll succeed. At most, they'll seal you for a while. Before you're unsealed, I'll make sure to burn incense for you regularly."

"If you think they can't kill me, why didn't you stay behind?"

Sakumo grinned as he replied, "I'm not as mobile as you are."

Pakura's face darkened further. She was infuriated by Sakumo's cowardly actions but couldn't afford to confront him directly, given the looming threat behind them.

Still, she made a mental note of this incident.

"The situation here is beyond what we can handle," Pakura said icily. "We can't fight them head-on. Naruto seems very interested in you. Draw his attention and make sure Shikuro's operation doesn't fail."

With that, Pakura ascended into the sky, leaving Sakumo alone on the ground to face the fire.

Sakumo: "..."

That woman held grudges like no other. One slight, and she immediately retaliated.

His gaze shifted in various directions before settling on the southeast. A faint smile appeared on his face.

His enhanced sensory abilities in Sage Mode had revealed an excellent "battleground."

Without hesitation, he ran toward a location filled with hostages.

High above, Pakura noticed his actions. Raising an eyebrow, she fired a signal flare into the sky before following him.

…

'One last desperate struggle?'

The Hyuga ninja who had returned with Naruto mused on Mabui's words as he used his Byakugan to search the underground for the historical text. He let out a bitter smile.

For him, this was also a final act of resistance.

A violent tremor on the surface interrupted his thoughts.

Through his Byakugan, he observed a scene and felt no surprise.

Uchiha Sasuke had already won.

Against someone with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, an elite Jounin from Iwagakure's past stood no chance.

If Sasuke hadn't held back, the battle would've ended in an instant.

With Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Naruto's partial Nine-Tails Jinchuriki state, and his Chakra-induced Wood Release awakening, they were among the top-tier forces of the Land of Fire's future.

"Yet even with this level of power, the Land of Fire couldn't gain the upper hand against Hyuga Fuji," the Hyuga ninja muttered with a complicated expression.

The reason was clear to him.

The Tenseigan and the Giant Tenseigan…

Taking a deep breath, he glanced up at the ceiling, as though trying to peer beyond it to the moon above.

In this era, there were only a handful of people truly capable of posing a threat to Hyuga Fuji, yet they were all fighting alone.

Especially the people on the moon, who held themselves above the fray and missed their opportunity—an oversight that allowed Hyuga Fuji to take the crucial first step.

"Toneri, how's it going on your end?"

Hyuga Toneri snapped out of his thoughts and pulled out a communication device from his robes.

"Still no sign of it. Mabui-senpai, are you certain the second historical text is here?"

"The second historical text must be here. Someone in Konoha has seen it, and it's linked to Naruto's Wood Release awakening. Based on the research of various nations, this text, originally belonging to the Senju clan, is likely tied to the changes in the Dragon Vein."

"You mean the theory that a Senju clan member carried the historical text into the Dragon Vein, traveled through time, and ultimately caused the Senju clan to lose track of it?"

(End of Chapter)

***

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