Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 30: The Spy

"I've left Minato with a mess. Though he's a civilian-born ninja and naturally close to other civilian ninjas, without the support of the clans, his orders will be difficult to implement."

"Strength can solve many problems, but it can't help him govern the village."

"And then there are those three old friends of mine…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head in resignation. "Koharu and Homura are tied to countless interests, with many clans connected to them—some even tied to Sarutobi elders. Danzo, on the other hand, has distanced himself from the clans, but because he runs Root and relies on underhanded tactics, he's the most dangerous of all."

After all, whether it was the Hokage or the two advisors, they all had to be mindful of their reputation and the consequences of their actions. Danzo, however, didn't care about any of that.

A man who operated without restraint and by any means necessary was often the most dangerous.

Danzo always regarded the clans as tools, never bothering to appease them. If not for Hiruzen's restraint, the clans would likely have turned on Danzo long ago.

Many of Root's most powerful members had been forcibly pulled from the clans under Danzo's orders.

"Kushina once complained to me, asking why I didn't dismiss them. But if I really did, the consequences would be unpredictable."

If the clans and Root took it as a sign of an impending purge, Konoha would plunge into civil war.

And such losses were something the village couldn't bear.

Unless all three were eliminated simultaneously, along with their backing factions, or unless they conveniently died at the hands of an external enemy, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo would likely remain in their positions for far longer than any Hokage's term.

Letting out a weary sigh, Hiruzen shifted his gaze to another Hyuga standing in the room.

"Minato is close to the current Uchiha clan leader, and Kushina also has a good relationship with the Uchiha. Combined with the support of the Hyuga Clan and Shikaku's faction, Minato may gradually stabilize his position as Hokage."

He avoided mentioning the Ino-Shika-Cho trio by name, as Shikaku and his peers, like Hiashi Hyuga, couldn't represent their entire clans.

"Perhaps he won't be able to uproot the deeply entrenched ninja clans, but as a civilian-born Hokage, Minato won't let things worsen. I've missed many chances, but I can't afford to miss this one."

Hiruzen turned to Hyuga Tokuma with a solemn expression.

"My apologies, Tokuma."

"Without me suppressing him, Danzo will undoubtedly try something. I need you to keep an eye on him. I'll remove the curse mark on you, and as for this dereliction of duty, I'll explain it away."

"Yes, Lord Third!" Hyuga Tokuma replied firmly.

Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction and turned to Hiashi.

"My apologies to you as well, Clan Leader Hiashi. In my explanation, I criticized the Hyuga Clan. I hope you'll understand."

Hiashi shook his head. "I understand. The ninja clans are rotting from within. If they are left to control Konoha, it's only a matter of time before both Konoha and the clans face complete ruin."

Just like the backlash the Hyuga main house had suffered before, Hiashi thought bitterly to himself.

With a quiet sigh, Hiashi composed himself and asked, "Lord Hokage, why did you choose Tokuma to infiltrate Root? If it's just to monitor Danzo, there should be better candidates."

"The recent turmoil within the Hyuga Clan allows Tokuma to infiltrate Root under the guise of a branch family member who resents the main house. It won't raise suspicion. If anyone else were to join Root at this time, Danzo would immediately suspect me."

Hiruzen explained in a calm tone,

"Additionally, Root's new curse mark is derived from the Caged Bird Seal. Since Danzo also knows the Caged Bird Seal, I'm concerned he may find a way to bypass the seal Tsunade and I designed and target the Hyuga Clan. With Tokuma as a double agent, we'll have advance warning."

It wasn't an impossible scenario. Danzo had long coveted the Hyuga branch family. After all, after centuries of conditioning by the main house, they lacked any resistance to authority and were arguably the most obedient tools.

Recently, the branch family had shown some signs of defiance, but that had quickly subsided under Hiruzen's interventions.

Hiruzen glanced at Tokuma's composed face. Despite knowing his life was now controlled by Danzo, Tokuma remained loyal to the main house.

It wasn't just his body that was enslaved, but also his heart.

The Caged Bird Seal truly was terrifying.

"You're worried Danzo will target the main house to control the branch family?"

Hiashi's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth. "How dare he?"

Hiruzen sighed. "There's nothing he wouldn't dare. If it becomes an internal clan conflict, the Hokage has no authority to intervene."

If Root were to acquire the Byakugan, they could monitor all of Konoha. Why wouldn't Danzo want that?

…

Returning to the Hyuga compound with Hiashi, Hyuga Tokuma didn't linger long. Soon, he slipped away to a secluded location.

Entering an underground chamber through a hidden mountain cave, he walked to the far end, where a figure awaited him.

Hearing footsteps, the figure turned to look at him.

Hyuga Tokuma knelt on one knee and reported, "Lord Fuji, I've successfully infiltrated Root."

Hyuga Fuji regarded his subordinate and nodded.

"Well done. Stand."

In the information he had shared with Minato, Fuji had left out one key word in his assessment of Tokuma: resilience.

The first member of the Hyuga Clan to pledge loyalty to Fuji wasn't Yuki Hyuga, but Tokuma, someone Fuji had known since their days in the Academy.

This calm, composed ninja, destined to become Hinata's future guardian, harbored an extraordinary level of discontent toward the main house.

"The boy who was with Raiga Kurosuki has been sent to your third laboratory," Tokuma continued after rising.

"As for the Third Hokage, his attitude is peculiar. He seems unusually concerned about Danzo's actions."

Tokuma summarized Hiruzen's words and relayed them to Fuji.

After listening, Fuji didn't speculate on Hiruzen's motives. Instead, he simply said,

"The Fourth Hokage will head to the battlefield in two days."

Tokuma was puzzled at first but then seemed to realize something. "Will the Third Hokage go as well?"

Even so, he struggled to understand why a retired Hokage would feel compelled to go to the frontlines.

"To reduce the numbers of the Sarutobi Clan, isn't the Kirigakure battlefield the best opportunity?"

Fuji's rhetorical question made Tokuma's heart turn cold.

That's right. A war led by the Fourth Hokage—a guaranteed victory—was the perfect opportunity for ambitious individuals to accumulate military achievements.

No one in the Sarutobi Clan would suspect that their own patriarch, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would use this war as a pretext to weaken his clan's strength!

But would Hiruzen really have the resolve for such an act?

Fuji's tone was steady as he continued:

"According to frontline reports, after Jiraiya led the vanguard, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure has entered the battlefield, and both of their tailed beasts have been deployed."

"Not only that, but many of Kirigakure's most renowned fighters have begun to appear. The frontlines have already been pushed back once. Sending ordinary ninjas there would be like throwing them into a meat grinder."

Fuji paused, his gaze sharp.

'Based on what I know, the Third Hokage wasn't lying about what the Second Hokage did. In the ninja world, erasing clans isn't unique to Itachi Uchiha.'

"And now, the Third seems intent on emulating his teacher."

Tokuma's heart grew colder by the second.

It was highly likely that the Third Hokage had already known about the severity of the battlefield before deciding to act!

(End of Chapter)