Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 230: Six Paths Sage: Another Illegitimate Child

"With just the Fire Country's strength, we lack the assurance to take down Hyuga Fuji. That is one of the reasons for today's summit," Tsunade said earnestly. "I understand your concerns, but reclaiming the Seven-Tails requires careful planning. I urge everyone to proceed with caution."

The leader of Takigakure looked dazed and sat back down, unable to find words to respond to her sincere gaze.

Tsunade scanned the room. "Now, let us discuss the situation concerning Hyuga Fuji and the northwestern territories."

Hearing this, the representatives, who previously had only a vague understanding of Hyuga Fuji's power, grew solemn. However, as they glanced at Tsunade and the two Kage sitting beside her—Onoki and the Fourth Raikage—their inner tension eased.

Tsunade had only stated that the Fire Country alone could not guarantee a victory against Hyuga Fuji. But if the Fire Country joined forces with the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the other nations, then what could stand against them?

A united front of over half the ninja world? It seemed invincible.

The smaller nations wouldn't even need to take the brunt of the battle themselves; the three great nations could handle that. All the smaller nations had to do was cheer from the sidelines.

Seeing the other nations visibly relax, Onoki and the Fourth Raikage exchanged knowing smiles.

Tsunade's carefully chosen words emphasized Hyuga Fuji's threat, but also gave the smaller nations confidence by underscoring the united strength of the three great powers.

After all, for decades, the Five Great Nations had dominated the ninja world. It was plausible that Hyuga Fuji could rival one great nation. But multiple great nations working together? Surely no one could stand up to that.

However, behind their outward smiles, Onoki and the Fourth Raikage felt immense pressure.

According to information from the future, Hyuga Fuji's power would eventually grow to rival that of multiple great nations combined. If they didn't take action now…

Onoki sighed inwardly.

Tsunade said she has a plan. Once today's meeting concludes, I'll discuss it with her and the Fourth Raikage. And I'll deliver the stone tablet to her as agreed.

With over thirty nations involved, there was no way everything could be settled in one day. Everyone was prepared to remain in the Land of Rain for several days.

This was precisely why Tsunade had delegated her other duties to Shikaku.

"…You should all understand that Hyuga Fuji, who seized half of the Land of Wind and killed its daimyo, is no ordinary enemy. He is the mortal foe of all our nations' leaders. I urge all of you to think carefully and avoid walking toward your own demise."

At 6 p.m., Tsunade concluded the day's session with these heavy words.

The delegates left the venue in groups, while the Fourth Raikage and Onoki followed Tsunade into a smaller conference room. After activating a barrier for privacy, they began their discussion.

"Tsunade, what is the plan you mentioned earlier?"

Now that they were alone, Onoki wasted no time asking.

Plans targeting Hyuga Fuji were, of course, unsuitable for open discussion at the summit. That venue was mainly to secure the nations' cooperation and emphasize Hyuga Fuji's threat.

After all, no one could guarantee that some smaller nations weren't secretly colluding with Hyuga Fuji. Furthermore, the great nations didn't expect much military contribution from the smaller ones—they just needed to serve as supporting players.

"Before we get to that, shouldn't you hand over what belongs to my clan?" Tsunade looked at Onoki, smiling faintly.

Onoki sighed and pulled out a scroll, tossing it to her. "Take it."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly as she passed the scroll to an operative standing behind her. "Koh, verify this."

The masked ninja stepped forward, accepted the scroll, and unfurled it. Infusing it with Wood Release chakra, he carefully examined its contents.

"The Leaf Village still has Wood Release users?" The Fourth Raikage watched Koh intently, his expression complicated.

He wasn't surprised that the Leaf Village had a way to access the stone tablet—its apparent importance to future Konoha made that clear. But he hadn't expected a Wood Release user to appear in the present.

Wood Release, the power that ended the Warring States Era, was a symbol of peace and overwhelming might.

Konoha truly is favored by fate, he thought bitterly.

"It's genuine, Tsunade-sama," Koh confirmed, withdrawing his chakra. He carefully replaced the stone tablet in the scroll and handed it back to Tsunade.

"Good. You may leave," Tsunade instructed.

After dismissing Koh, she turned to Onoki and finally addressed his question.

"Rather than calling it a plan, it's more of a pursuit of Hyuga Fuji's source of power."

"What do you mean?" The Fourth Raikage leaned forward, intrigued.

"We go to the moon," Tsunade said, locking eyes with them both. "According to my research, there's a clan on the moon that has existed for a thousand years. They're distant relatives of the Hyuga clan and may hold crucial information about Hyuga Fuji."

"The moon?" Onoki's brows furrowed. "Are you talking about the so-called 'Moon God'?"

The Fourth Raikage also frowned.

They had both investigated Otsutsuki Shinichi and knew about his connection to the moon. The existence of a Moon God possessing the Byakugan had always seemed highly suspicious.

"Exactly," Tsunade confirmed. "This story begins over a thousand years ago."

"We have time," Onoki said, his expression solemn.

With that, Tsunade recounted the story she had pieced together with the help of the Great Slug Sage and her own investigations.

"A thousand years ago, the Sage of Six Paths…"

The tale seemed more like mythology than history, but as Tsunade detailed the origins of the Hyuga, Uchiha, and Senju clans, as well as the existence of the Otsutsuki brothers, Onoki and the Fourth Raikage listened intently.

By the end, Onoki looked both shaken and contemplative.

"So the Sage of Six Paths really existed… The Uchiha, Senju, and Hyuga clans, as well as the Kaguya and Otsutsuki clans, are all descendants of him and his brother? That explains the four stone tablets."

The revelation was staggering, but Onoki didn't doubt it. After all, the information came from the Great Slug Sage, relayed by Tsunade herself.

The Fourth Raikage, however, seemed distracted by a particular detail.

The Sage of Six Paths' descendants… Does this mean the Fire Country's lineage is more legitimate than the Lightning Country's daimyo?

This thought made him frown deeply.

In the past, to unify their people, the Lightning Country had propagated the idea that its daimyo was a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths. But if this information became public, the Fire Country's ties to the Sage would appear far more credible.

No… I need to adjust the narrative.

The Fourth Raikage's mind raced.

The Sage of Six Paths had two sons, Indra and Asura. But nothing says he didn't have other children. That's it. The Lightning Country's daimyo must be descended from one of the Sage's illegitimate children!

Convinced of his own reasoning, the Fourth Raikage made up his mind. He would return home and declare that the Lightning Country's royal family descended from the Sage's third, previously unknown son.

After all, who could prove otherwise? The Sage of Six Paths isn't coming back to refute me.

(End of Chapter)

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