Chapter 201: Has Hyuga Fuji Finally Stopped Being Human?
Chapter 201: Has Hyuga Fuji Finally Stopped Being Human?
Glancing at the despairing Kitsuchi, who had missed his "ride" back to the future, Hyuga Fuji turned his attention to the seal he had placed on the man.
Once the Dragon Vein was sealed, anyone involved in time travel would disappear, returning to their original era. This had nothing to do with proximity—whether someone was standing next to the Dragon Vein or miles away, they would vanish all the same.
After all, with the Dragon Vein itself sealed, its effects were nullified everywhere.
Put another way, those who traveled to the past via the Dragon Vein could only remain in this timeline because of its power. Once it was sealed, that support vanished, and so did they.
However, this raised another question.
In the original timeline, Naruto left a short blade with the Queen of Roran when he traveled to the past. That blade didn't return to the future when the Dragon Vein was sealed.
But could the Dragon Vein differentiate between people and objects? Unless it possessed sentience—which was highly unlikely—it shouldn't be able to.
Or was it simply that inanimate objects didn't require the Dragon Vein's power to exist in the past?
As Hyuga Fuji pondered this, Kitsuchi, unnerved by the intensity of his gaze, shivered and stammered, "Did you do something to prevent me from going back?"
"In a sense, yes."
Hyuga Fuji's thoughts were interrupted. He gave Kitsuchi a sidelong glance and smiled faintly. "With your chakra sealed, you're being treated as an object."
His hypothesis might have been slightly off, but the result was clear—Kitsuchi's current situation was the same as the blade Naruto left behind in Roran!
"…"
Kitsuchi was speechless, despair welling up inside him.
Why was he so unlucky? Why him, of all people?
Trapped in this era, now captured by Hyuga Fuji, he could only imagine the tortures awaiting him… What had he done to deserve this?
Seeing Kitsuchi's devastated expression, Hyuga Fuji didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he grabbed him and activated Flying Thunder God, vanishing into the desert sands.
---
Meanwhile, at the site of the Dragon Vein's seal, Ōtsutsuki Shinichi stared at the now inert source of chakra, clenching his fist in frustration.
Bang!
Debris flew as his punch left a clear imprint on the wall.
"Hyuga… Fuji…"
Grinding his teeth, Ōtsutsuki Shinichi muttered the name, his expression dark.
After witnessing Hyuga Fuji's power, his initial confidence had been completely shattered. He no longer believed he could deal with Fuji alone.
This sinner had grown beyond their ability to control—far beyond the reach of the Moon's Ōtsutsuki clan alone.
Was collaboration with the nations of the shinobi world the only option?
His thoughts turned to Naruto and Sasuke, with their Konoha headbands. While undeniably strong, they were from the future. Present-day Konoha was not something he considered a threat.
"What should I do?"
Hiding in the shadows, Black Zetsu had been observing Ōtsutsuki Shinichi all along. Realizing it was time to act, he emerged and spoke.
"You want to defeat Hyuga Fuji? Then perhaps we should work together."
The sudden voice startled Shinichi. He turned to see the pitch-black figure and narrowed his eyes.
---
Hours later, as night began to fall…
After contacting Tsunade and giving her a full report, Kakashi approached Yakumaru, who lay in a hospital bed.
"Tsunade-sama has ordered us to push deep into the Wind Country's territory and launch a full-scale offensive. We're to seize as much of their land as possible," Kakashi said.
"What?" Yakumaru was taken aback. "Shouldn't we be pursuing peace talks right now?"
"The northwest region of the Wind Country has reported that Hyuga Fuji's forces have taken over three cities. If we don't act, the entire Wind Country will fall into his hands."
"That guy… even while fighting us, he was doing this?"
Yakumaru frowned deeply. "Understood. You want me to hold the line here, don't you?"
"Exactly. You've suffered mental trauma and need time to recover. I'll handle this."
Kakashi nodded firmly.
With Yugito and Kitsuchi now withdrawn from the Wind Country to process future technologies and devise a strategy against Hyuga Fuji, their support was gone. Kakashi believed he could manage on his own.
As Kakashi prepared to leave, Yakumaru suddenly asked, "By the way… Naruto should be born soon, right?"
Techniques involving spinning spheres, an enormous chakra pool, and the Nine-Tails' golden form… The resemblance was uncanny.
"Yes, if he really is Minato-sensei's child, he should be born any day now," Kakashi replied, his expression turning slightly odd.
Could it be… Naruto's birthday was today?
That would be quite the coincidence.
---
"Dragon Vein, the future, Hyuga Fuji, the Alaya Plan…"
In Konoha's meeting room, Tsunade sat with a headache.
The sheer volume of critical information left her at a loss for where to begin or how to respond.
"Hizashi, Shikaku, take a look at this," she said finally, deciding to delegate. No point in overworking her brain when there were smarter people available.
She divided Kakashi's intelligence report into two parts, handing the details of the battles to Shikaku and Hyuga Hizashi.
As the current head of the Hyuga clan, Hizashi had also taken over as an advisor to the Hokage.
Yes, the advisor role still existed for now.
Having been part of Konoha's structure for so long, certain changes required time for the ninja population to adapt. Tsunade, however, was working to transform Konoha into a fully militarized base. In another year, the village would look vastly different. By then, the advisor role might be obsolete, and the mission system for shinobi would also undergo significant revisions.
From that point on, shinobi would function as a national defense force, with stricter controls on their activities, missions, and education. Civilian access to the village would also be restricted, making it even harder for spies to infiltrate.
Sitting beside Tsunade, Hizashi and Shikaku exchanged the intelligence report, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
"Summoning meteors?"
"A hundred-meter-tall Wood Release Buddha?"
"A Perfect Susanoo cutting meteors?"
The two men looked up at each other, their shock and confusion evident.
What kind of mythological battlefield was this?
And to think their former advisor, Hyuga Fuji, was the ultimate victor of it all… Has he finally stopped being human?
"You're thinking the same thing, aren't you?" Tsunade said aloud, breaking the silence. "Hyuga Fuji has finally stopped being human."
Hearing their private thoughts spoken aloud, Shikaku and Hizashi turned to Tsunade, who continued, "He's ascended to my grandfather's level. The only saving grace is that it didn't last long. That kid, Toneri, might be one of his future experiments. We'll need to keep a close eye on the younger Hyuga clan members. Hizashi, what's your take?"
She didn't mention Sasuke or Naruto, the standout fighters in the battle. Sasuke's identity had already been uncovered, and Naruto… well, she'd known about Kushina's baby for a long time.
"You're absolutely correct, Hokage-sama," Hizashi said, nodding solemnly.
"A godlike level of power…" Shikaku sighed. "We'll definitely need to focus on the Hyuga clan. Clan Leader Hizashi, I'll assist you with this… Hizashi, what do you think?"
"You're absolutely correct, Shikaku."
In this serious setting, Hizashi's oddly repetitive responses drew some strange looks, but Tsunade and Shikaku were already used to it.
Hyuga Hizashi—advisor?
No, in the meeting room, he was more like a parrot, forever repeating the same phrases:
"Hokage-sama is absolutely correct!"
"Shikaku-san makes a good point!"
"Elder Fugaku's insights are truly unique!"
(End of Chapter)