Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 225: Absorbing Souls

"Understood!"

The Daimyo shuddered, bowing deeply in response, his voice trembling with reverence.

Hyuga Fuji nodded lightly and turned toward the door to leave.

Noticing this, Hyuga Miyuki quickly rose to follow, but as though recalling something, she paused, turned back, and addressed the Daimyo:

"You've got a shady shop here that charges extra just to sell information. You might want to look into that."

Hyuga Miyuki's tone carried a hint of annoyance, her words lingering in the air. Although she didn't name the shop outright, the Daimyo was left confused and uneasy. He quickly replied, "Thank you for the reminder. I'll see to it that this is cleaned up immediately."

Satisfied, Hyuga Miyuki nodded, then caught up with Hyuga Fuji as they exited.

Once they were a safe distance away, and certain no one could overhear them, she leaned closer to him, curiosity flickering in her expression.

"What's this 'Alliance of Nations' you mentioned?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Hyuga Fuji replied.

"Are we going to participate?"

Hyuga Fuji turned his calm gaze toward her. Catching his meaning, Hyuga Miyuki shrugged. "Got it. Do you think that Daimyo will stay in line, then?"

"He doesn't need to do anything significant. As long as he behaves and waits for the right moment, that will be enough."

"I see." She nodded thoughtfully, then glanced back at the grand hall where they had just been entertained.

Though the Land of Hot Water's military power was negligible, after today's events, it was clear the Daimyo would likely tear apart the local ninja village—if only to find a scapegoat.

…

The Daimyo watched as the two terrifying figures left, his hands trembling as he stared at the bloodied corpses around him. Swallowing hard, he summoned his attendants to begin cleaning up.

However, when the summoned samurai entered the hall and their faces filled with terror, the Daimyo seemed to reconsider something. His expression darkened and flickered with indecision before he finally gave his orders.

"Wait. Frame the samurai for these killings and call for an assembly of officials immediately."

"Understood!"

And so, deep into the night, the officials of the Land of Hot Water were roused from their beds and summoned to the palace. Though irritated by being disturbed at such a late hour, their complaints vanished the moment they stepped into the blood-stained hall.

The sight of the carnage instantly silenced their grievances, replacing them with expressions of fear and submission.

Standing before them, the Daimyo delivered his carefully prepared speech.

"Since the outbreak of the Shinobi World Wars, the Jashin Cult has sown chaos in our land, committing countless atrocities under the guise of their wicked doctrine.

"Worse yet, they've corrupted certain disloyal members within my administration, using these traitors to shield themselves while committing unspeakable crimes in the shadows."

The Daimyo paused, his gaze scanning the frightened faces of the officials before settling on one man—the finance minister.

"If not for the bravery of our finance minister in exposing their treachery, who knows how long these fiends would have gone unpunished?"

The finance minister blinked in confusion before quickly realizing the Daimyo's intent.

He was being roped into this mess as a scapegoat.

And yet, looking at the gruesome pile of noble corpses, he felt cold sweat trickle down his back. If he refused to play along, he might very well join those unfortunate souls on the ground.

The choice was clear.

Forcing a smile, he responded shakily, "Daimyo-sama, I was only doing my duty."

The Daimyo nodded approvingly, relieved that the most troublesome figure had fallen in line. He then elaborated on the fabricated crimes of the deceased nobles before asking the assembled officials, "That is the truth of the matter. Is there anything I might have missed?"

The officials exchanged nervous glances, their gazes briefly flickering to the finance minister, who remained silent. Seeing no objections from him, they quickly nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely, Daimyo-sama. The Jashin Cult has been a scourge for far too long. Your decisive action was long overdue!"

"Indeed! The Daimyo's judgment is flawless!"

Relieved by their unanimous approval, the Daimyo dismissed them to begin handling the aftermath. Once the room emptied, he slumped into his chair, exhausted.

That ordeal probably took ten years off my life. I just hope this so-called Alliance of Nations won't bring any more nightmares my way.

…

The next day, Hyuga Fuji and Hyuga Miyuki declined the Daimyo's offers of further hospitality and quietly departed the palace.

During their return journey, Hyuga Fuji suddenly recalled something and turned toward Hyuga Miyuki.

"You still have Sasori's body, correct? I'll need it."

"Yes." Without questioning his intentions, Hyuga Miyuki retrieved a scroll, releasing the puppet that once was Sasori.

"He turned himself into a puppet, so I was able to control him using my dojutsu," she explained, her tone laced with bemusement.

Sasori's dread of her was evident from his desperate attempts to avoid her, and it wasn't hard to see why—he had likely feared becoming just another tool in her arsenal.

But honestly, wasn't it his own fault? What was wrong with keeping a human body?

Hyuga Fuji opened the puppet's chest compartment and extracted a sample of blood from Sasori's preserved heart.

Seeing this, Hyuga Miyuki raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to revive him?"

Hyuga Fuji nodded slightly. "I thought it might be nice to reunite him with his grandmother. I'm sure Lady Chiyo would be thrilled."

"..."

Thrilled?

Hyuga Miyuki shivered at the thought of the grandmother and grandson tearfully reuniting in captivity, shooting Hyuga Fuji an odd look but choosing not to comment.

After storing the blood sample, Hyuga Fuji took out the chakra he'd extracted from Nagato earlier, separating a portion for experimentation.

Noticing that he made no effort to conceal his actions, Hyuga Miyuki asked curiously, "What are you doing? Whose chakra is that?"

"The man who tried to kill you earlier. His name is Nagato, a survivor of the Uzumaki clan."

Her expression shifted as she recalled the aftermath of their battle—the devastated battlefield she'd seen upon finding Hyuga Fuji.

"He must be strong."

"He wields the legendary Sage's Eyes. Of course, he's strong."

"The Sage's Eyes…"

Noting Hyuga Fuji's calm demeanor, she smirked. "But he's no match for you, is he?"

"Those eyes don't belong to him," Hyuga Fuji replied casually, continuing his work.

Chakra carried a wealth of information, including emotions and memories. But if all that extraneous data were stripped away, what remained was pure energy.

And if a ninja's chakra—along with their soul—were entirely purified of emotions and memories, it would become the ideal chakra source, akin to the neutral chakra of the Tailed Beasts.

By sealing and absorbing purified chakra sources of different natures, achieving compatibility with all seven elemental affinities was theoretically possible.

This process could even be enhanced using Amado's techniques, avoiding the need to absorb physical tissue entirely. Instead, the pure soul could be extracted and refined, minimizing any strain on the body.

And as a bonus, such a process would also strengthen his soul and increase his total chakra reserves.

(End of Chapter)