Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 77: Shadow Hokage (Part 2)

"Are you here as the victor to mock me, new Hokage Advisor?"

Seated in the dim, cramped cell, bound tightly by iron chains inscribed with sealing formulas, Danzo stared darkly at Hyuga Fuji from his chair.

"I'm not that petty."

Hyuga Fuji's gaze was calm but probing. "I'm here to ask you some questions. Among the Root members you sent away, were there any from the Hyuga clan?"

Danzo narrowed his eyes, letting out a cold chuckle. "Tokuma? I believe he was one of your seniors at the Academy. Are you curious about his whereabouts?"

"I'm not."

Hyuga Fuji replied indifferently, "I'm simply asking whether there were Hyuga members in Root."

"What if there were?" Danzo frowned.

Hyuga Fuji didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to a nearby table, pulled out a stack of documents, and placed the topmost one aside.

It was the list of Root defectors, and to no surprise, it included several names from the Hyuga clan: Hyuga Shinsnow, Hyuga Tokuma, Hyuga Yuki, among others—all now inexplicably labeled as Root members.

After all, with Hyuga Hiashi's earlier "pretend allegiance" to Danzo, it wasn't far-fetched for Root to have included Hyuga ninjas. Or at least, that's what Hiashi wanted people to believe.

Following the near annihilation of the Hyuga main branch, the disappearance of many branch members could no longer be concealed. Previously, Hiashi had been able to suppress such questions using his authority as head of the clan. But now, with the main branch in disarray, his excuses no longer held weight.

The fact that several Root operatives had fled conveniently provided Hiashi with a golden opportunity to add fuel to the fire. He subtly arranged for Tokuma to alter certain records, effectively expanding the list of alleged Root members.

This move served several purposes: if these so-called Root members were captured, Hiashi could plead on their behalf, claiming they were coerced into joining. It would spare them from execution while piling more blame onto Danzo.

Danzo, the eternal scapegoat.

"During your experiments, did you conduct research on Wood Release or Sharingan…?"

"Enough!" Danzo's sharp voice cut him off. "You can find all of that in the Root archives. Why come here to ask me?"

Hyuga Fuji silently placed the documents containing Orochimaru's "shifts of blame" to the side.

Compared to others, Orochimaru had only attributed a few of his shared experiments with Danzo to the latter. Strictly speaking, it wasn't much of an exaggeration and could hardly be called slander.

Hyuga Fuji pulled out another file, glanced at it, and asked a third question:

"Were you the one who ordered the massacre of the Hyuga main branch?"

"…?"

Danzo's eyes finally lifted to meet Hyuga Fuji's, his previously indifferent expression now twisted slightly in disbelief. From the questions being asked, he realized exactly what Fuji was doing.

"Shameless cowards!"

He slammed his bound hands against the table.

He'd anticipated being made a scapegoat when things fell apart, but to this degree? Did Hiashi abandon all logic?

Why would he, Danzo, target the Hyuga main branch?

Hyuga Fuji noted Danzo's lack of a direct response and casually moved the file to the "confirmed" pile. Danzo's eye twitched at this, but Fuji paid no mind and instead asked another question.

"What did Hiashi claim?"

"He said the main branch was targeted by Root after his betrayal that day. He and his wife barely escaped with their lives, while the rest of the main branch perished," Fuji replied.

The file contained details about the sudden absence of the main branch members. Hiashi had clearly placed the blame on Danzo.

But no one cared about the truth. Hiashi himself didn't seem to care about the main branch's fate. With the main branch now weakened, no one was going to stand up for them or dig deeper into the matter.

The document had initially been placed in the corner of Minato's desk, clearly reviewed but left uninvestigated.

And now, Danzo's lack of denial essentially sealed it—so this was the story they were going with.

"How utterly ridiculous," Danzo sneered.

Though he didn't know the full details, the fact that Hiashi had feigned loyalty to him suggested that the main branch hadn't been causing trouble for Hiashi.

He had assumed they were imprisoned, but it turned out they were all dead.

Perhaps Hiashi had acted out of fear that the main branch would hinder the clan's transition to removing the Caged Bird Seal. Killing them all certainly showed determination.

"If you're hoping I'll take the blame for them, just handle it yourself."

Danzo closed his eyes, refusing to look at the files any longer.

Seeing this, Hyuga Fuji skipped over some of the investigation files and turned to the personal grievances section.

"Attacking fellow Konoha ninja."

"Threatening children to join Root."

"Massacring innocent villagers."

"…"

The personal grievances far outweighed the documented crimes.

It seemed as though all of Konoha had been harboring grievances against Danzo for years, just waiting for the right moment to vent them.

And those were the more conventional accusations. Some were downright bizarre:

"…Sending Root operatives to spy on the women's bathhouse."

Danzo, who had been indifferent thus far, opened his eyes and said dryly, "Jiraiya?"

Hyuga Fuji nodded with an odd expression.

Yes, it was a claim made by Jiraiya.

But the cause-and-effect seemed off.

According to Jiraiya, he'd once noticed Root operatives near a women's bathhouse by chance.

In reality, it was likely the other way around. Root was monitoring Jiraiya, and they just happened to follow him to the bathhouse.

Fuji continued, "Lady Tsunade, knowing you can't be dealt with for now, took some of the funds recovered from Root. She said it was compensation for Shizune."

"Seems like I'm not very popular," Danzo remarked flatly, his tone unreadable as he stared at the stack of grievances.

Some were people shifting blame, while others were simply venting their dislike of seeing him alive.

"You've never had much standing among Konoha's people."

Hyuga Fuji calmly organized the files and set them aside for later. "You've always worked from the shadows. Many villagers don't even know you exist."

"To them, Root was merely your tool. You have no successors—neither in bloodline nor politically. Becoming the scapegoat was inevitable."

Danzo finally looked directly at Hyuga Fuji, his voice low. "In the end, it's because I lost."

He paused before continuing:

"You didn't come here just to tidy up paperwork, did you? What do you want—leverage over the ninja clans? Or perhaps, Root's remnants?"

Fuji remained silent.

Danzo scrutinized Fuji's face for any reaction, but his expression was unreadable. Narrowing his eyes, Danzo ventured:

"Could it be… you're after information on the daimyo? Are you certain Minato will support you? You're just the Hokage Advisor!"

"That's none of your concern," Fuji replied calmly. "I'm merely preparing for the future."

"…Preparing, huh?"

Danzo chuckled coldly before suddenly adding, "The daimyo's letter of appointment, granting Root authority to manage his affairs, is currently in a hidden base in the eastern sector. It could be quite useful to you—if you dare to take it."

(End of Chapter)