Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 149: Danzo—I'm Going to the Moon! (To Die)

"But if the Hyuga clan truly possesses such a historical stone tablet, it would likely already be in Hyuga Fuji's hands. What does your intel suggest?"

Faced with Tsunade's questioning gaze, Danzo replied bluntly, "This information offers a critical lead that can help us verify the existence of these historical stone tablets. I believe you should hear it out before making any decisions."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the door.

Following his line of sight, Tsunade saw a masked ninja standing quietly outside and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Come in."

With her permission, the masked ninja entered the Hokage's office. He removed his fox mask to reveal a pair of pure white eyes and respectfully addressed her:

"Tsunade-sama."

"A Hyuga, huh..."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and glanced meaningfully at Danzo before letting out a cold snort. "Your reach really knows no bounds, does it?"

Danzo ignored her sarcasm, maintaining his composure. "Tokuma, share all the information you have."

"Yes!"

Hyuga Tokuma nodded and began his report. "As far as I know, the Hyuga clan doesn't currently have anything resembling a historical stone tablet. However, that doesn't rule out the possibility that one existed in the past. Given the constant conflicts during the Warring States period, the Hyuga clan, despite its strength, faced numerous crises and even relocated its ancestral grounds. It's possible such a tablet was lost during one of those transitions."

Tsunade nodded slightly, signaling for him to continue.

Tokuma added, "I had a decent relationship with Hyuga Fuji when we were in the academy—he was a year below me. Back then, he showed promise, but nothing that would suggest his current level of power."

"Things changed dramatically after he became a jonin last year. From that point on, his growth was exponential—even mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique."

At this, Tokuma cast a glance at Yakumaru. "For reference, Yakumaru here also trained in the Flying Thunder God Technique under the Fourth Hokage, yet he hasn't mastered it."

Yakumaru's face darkened.

If you don't know how to talk, just shut up!

Tokuma ignored Yakumaru's sour expression and pressed on. "While mastering the Flying Thunder God could be attributed to his talent, his power skyrocketed afterward. That rapid progression…"

"You're suggesting that Fuji's sudden advancement is due to acquiring something during that time, potentially even the key to learning Flying Thunder God?"

Yakumaru set aside his annoyance, his expression turning serious. "But this is all just speculation. There's no solid evidence."

Tokuma glanced at Danzo, who gave him a nod. Taking out an ancient book, Tokuma said, "I used to be assigned as a protector for the Hyuga clan's main family. When the main branch was destroyed, I was tasked with organizing their texts and came across a piece of history."

"..."

Both Tsunade and Yakumaru turned their attention to Danzo.

Wasn't the Hyuga main family destroyed under his orders?

At least, that's what the Fourth Hokage had told them.

Noticing their stares, Danzo snorted in irritation. "Don't tell me you two actually believe the nonsense about everything being my fault. Everyone wants to dump their crimes onto me!"

Yes, he had done many dark deeds for Konoha, but the annihilation of the Hyuga main branch? That was Hyuga Hiashi's doing!

The man had orchestrated the downfall of the main family to abolish the Caged Bird Seal, then pinned the blame on him!

And it wasn't just Hiashi. Others had eagerly joined the bandwagon to scapegoat him. Jiraiya even had the audacity to claim Danzo had sent people to spy on women's baths…

While Danzo accepted he had done plenty in Konoha's shadows, that didn't mean he was going to shoulder the sins of everyone in the village!

Danzo had no idea how many baseless accusations he'd been made to carry.

This was outright bullying!

Danzo's outburst brought to mind some of the ridiculous accusations Jiraiya had laid at his feet. Tsunade's lips briefly curled into a smile, but her expression quickly turned somber.

Jiraiya's whereabouts remained unknown, and the search parties had found no clues. The likelihood that he had passed on was growing more certain…

Tsunade quickly pushed aside her emotions and spoke sternly. "What's done is done. Danzo, don't go picking a fight with Hiashi."

From her tone, Danzo could tell Tsunade had no intention of clearing his name. It seemed these crimes would forever remain on his shoulders. His face darkened.

Pick a fight?

Between Hiruzen's constant surveillance and the layers of sealing jutsu regularly reinforced by his former rival, Danzo couldn't even think about retaliation.

Setting his grievances aside, Tsunade took the ancient text from Tokuma and began flipping through its pages.

As she read, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The book contained a fragmentary history, its earliest entries dating back nearly a thousand years.

"Before Hyuga Fuji became the Fourth Hokage's bodyguard, a member of the Hyuga main family was mysteriously killed," Tokuma explained as Tsunade read. "No items were reported stolen, nor were there signs of a search."

"But if the culprit was another Hyuga, then searching wouldn't be necessary."

Tokuma pointed to his own eyes. "With the Byakugan, some things can simply be seen."

"...Are you saying Fuji read this book?"

"Exactly. Even if that death had nothing to do with Fuji, his rank at the time as a bodyguard would have granted him access to this text."

In the Hyuga clan of that era, the position of bodyguard to the clan head was of immense importance.

Hearing this, Tsunade's face grew grim as she continued reading.

The text detailed an ancient history dating back a millennium, though parts were missing—likely lost during the chaos of the Warring States period. Even so, the fragments that remained were astonishing.

The Hyuga clan's roots extended far back, linked to the Kaguya clan and tracing their lineage to a common ancestor.

This ancestor was Ōtsutsuki Hamura, the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths. Hamura was said to possess blue "Tenseigan" eyes and had helped create the moon before departing for it with some of his descendants, never to be seen again.

The mythological tone of the story was set aside as Tsunade focused on one particular detail—the blue Tenseigan eyes.

Blue eyes… a direct ancestor of the Hyuga clan…

The last time she had seen Fuji, weren't his eyes blue?

Could it be that, like the Sharingan, the Byakugan could evolve? Was Fuji's transformation tied to the Tenseigan?

Pondering this, Tsunade handed the book to Yamari for him to review while she turned back to Danzo. "So, your idea is to go to the moon and investigate?"

"Exactly."

Danzo seemed pleased with her quick understanding.

"According to this text, the Hyuga ancestors and their descendants migrated to the moon. If we can find evidence of their presence or locate their successors, we can verify the authenticity of this history."

And if the text proved true—if Ōtsutsuki Hamura had truly existed—then Fuji's power could be explained.

His Byakugan was evolving into the Tenseigan!

In Danzo's view, Fuji must have read this ancient text, discovered the Byakugan's potential for evolution, and unearthed the critical information to make it happen.

As the first Hyuga ninja to achieve this transformation, where had Fuji learned the key to such progress?

Drawing a parallel to the Uchiha clan, Danzo speculated that the Hyuga clan might also have a historical stone tablet. Perhaps it had been lost in the past, only for Fuji to recover it.

If the Hyuga and Uchiha clans both possessed such tablets, it wouldn't be surprising if the Kaguya and Senju clans had them too.

Danzo's theory seemed plausible to both Yakumaru and Tsunade.

Under their watchful gazes, Danzo finally uttered the words Tokuma had been dreading:

"So, the next step is figuring out how to get to the moon!"

(Chapter End)