Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 17: Uchiha Yakumaru

"Bloodline limits really are convenient," Dai thought to himself, sensing Hyuga Fuji's progress.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset, the green steam around his body intensifying.

"But it seems I can't teach you much with just the Gate of Pain. Let me show you this move instead."

"The Eight Gates Formation, Sixth Gate—Gate of View, open!"

As the Gate of View opened, flames wrapped around Dai's fists. Fuji's pupils contracted as he immediately leapt several meters back to avoid the incoming attack.

"Morning Peacock!"

The fiery barrage of punches enveloped the area, leaving nothing unscathed.

So this is the move Dai taught to Guy? It's as terrifying as I expected. Hyuga Fuji thought to himself.

Guy, after unlocking the Sixth Gate, could go toe-to-toe with Kisame. Using just the Konoha Strong Fist style and the Gate of Pain, Fuji wouldn't be able to withstand such a devastating move from the Gate of View.

"Fuji, you're only fifteen years old. In the future, you'll definitely be able to open the Gate of View, but I can't say the same for the Seventh Gate."

Dai looked at Fuji with a solemn expression.

"I'll teach you all the taijutsu techniques I've created. Whether you can use them will depend on you."

"Yes!" Fuji nodded seriously.

The two trained together until late into the night before going their separate ways.

---

The next day, Hyuga Fuji received a notification from the Anbu:

The jōnin exam would take place in one day!

As a village's elite force, jōnin were a crucial measure of its military strength.

Due to the ongoing war, excluding Tokubetsu Jōnin, Konoha had only about 100 active jōnin remaining. Each one was a squad leader and a core figure.

In critical situations, these jōnin could even act as commanders for an entire battlefield, underscoring their strength and importance.

---

On the day of the exam, Hyuga Fuji was escorted by the Anbu to an underground training facility.

When he arrived, 20 other participants were already there.

Fuji quietly observed the group. He recognized most of them, though only because he had gathered intel on their abilities.

The only unfamiliar face was a young man wearing the Uchiha clan crest.

As Fuji glanced toward him, the Uchiha youth quickly noticed and turned to see a pair of Byakugan staring back at him.

"…"

A Hyuga, huh?

The boy's expression visibly darkened, and he sneered, "So your clan is doing fine now? You even have time to participate in the jōnin exam?"

The recent internal troubles of the Hyuga clan had caused no small amount of trouble for the Konoha Police Force.

Some Hyuga clan members' bodies hadn't been discovered by the patrol units in time, leading to civilians stumbling upon the scenes. The Police Force had to clean up the aftermath.

Yet the culprit was never caught, and the higher-ups showed no intention of pursuing the matter further. This had irritated the Uchiha members of the Police Force for some time.

Fuji stared at the youth for a moment before shifting his gaze elsewhere, ignoring him entirely.

"You…"

The blatant disregard only made the Uchiha boy angrier. Still, his impression of the Hyuga Branch Family as a group of gloomy introverts made him feel it was to be expected.

With a disgruntled huff, he muttered, "Hmph. It won't matter how much you observe. The jōnin exam is all about strength. Weaklings have no place here.

I'm Uchiha Yakumaru, a Tokubetsu Jōnin. Pray you don't run into me."

Fuji, who had initially planned to ignore him, paused for a moment, his expression turning slightly strange. He turned back to look at him.

"Uchiha Yakumaru?"

"What, you've heard of me?" Yakumaru, seeing Fuji respond, looked somewhat pleased. Crossing his arms, he said, "You look about fifteen years old—this must be your first time taking the jōnin exam, right?

If you face me, you won't even have the chance to showcase your skills, let alone become a Tokubetsu Jōnin."

Konoha didn't hold separate exams for Tokubetsu Jōnin. Since Tokubetsu Jōnin specialized in a particular area but lacked the overall capability to be full jōnin, there was no need for a dedicated exam.

Instead, during the jōnin exam, the abilities of eliminated candidates were recorded, and suitable individuals were selected for the rank of Tokubetsu Jōnin.

However, if one's performance was too poor, they would remain stuck at the chūnin level.

"So…"

"If you represent the Hyuga clan well and apologize to me, I might let you off the hook."

Fuji remained silent.

It was clear that this Uchiha Yakumaru had mistaken him for a mere chūnin.

"I've never heard of you. I just thought your name sounded similar to Yakumi-san's."

Yakumaru… that name suited an Uchiha all too well. Whoever named him had remarkable foresight.

"Yakumi-uncle?" Yakumaru frowned, his arrogant demeanor fading as he scrutinized Fuji. "You were on the Mist battlefield?"

Uchiha Yakumi was a direct subordinate of Uchiha Fugaku, tirelessly assisting him.

Originally part of the Police Force's leadership, Yakumi had been deployed to the Mist battlefield alongside Fugaku due to the war effort.

Realizing this, Yakumaru's tone softened. "If you're Yakumi-uncle's comrade, I'll let it slide.

If we face each other, I'll go easy on you and give you a chance to show off."

"You know discussing this before the exam could get you disqualified, right?"

A warm voice interrupted from behind, causing Yakumaru's expression to freeze. Reluctantly, he turned to see the smiling face of the Fourth Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, I wasn't…"

"I know," Minato replied, still smiling. "But underestimating your opponent is a critical mistake, Yakumaru."

Minato's gaze shifted to Fuji as he added, "Fuji, like you, is a Tokubetsu Jōnin."

"…?"

Yakumaru's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Fuji.

A 15-year-old Tokubetsu Jōnin, on the verge of becoming a full jōnin—a genius not unlike himself—and yet, here he was pretending to be some inexperienced kid?

It was absurd!

While it wasn't unheard of for chūnin to overestimate themselves and attempt the jōnin exam, any Tokubetsu Jōnin participating was almost guaranteed to pass.

And yet, this Hyuga was observing the chūnin as if wary of them, making Yakumaru assume it was his first attempt.

What a lunatic!

Ignoring Yakumaru's incredulous gaze, Fuji bowed respectfully. "Hokage-sama."

For Fuji, observing the chūnin and gathering intel was essential. After all, in a few years, these individuals would be the backbone of Konoha.

"Mm."

Minato nodded in response, satisfied with Fuji's vigilance.

As expected of someone with battlefield experience—his mindset was entirely different from Yakumaru's.

Though Yakumaru was also a Tokubetsu Jōnin, he was part of the Uchiha who remained in Konoha during the war. Having grown up during the peaceful period between the Second and Third Shinobi Wars, he lacked the same level of mental fortitude.

Combined with the inherent arrogance of the Uchiha, it was clear he viewed the exam as a mere formality.

But for shinobi, even a single explosive tag could be a deadly threat—let alone a chūnin, who was far more dangerous.

Underestimating them could easily lead to failure.

Minato was reminded of his own experience rescuing Kushina; the shinobi who kidnapped her had similarly underestimated him.

(End of Chapter)