Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 74: I Don't Believe It!

"Kushina-sama, where's Fuji? Ever since he became the Hokage's advisor, he hasn't shown himself. What's he been up to lately?"

"In all likelihood, he's been working on removing the Caged Bird Seal," Kushina replied expressionlessly in the training grounds, addressing Yakumaru's question.

"The seal still has an impact on him. Back when Minato announced Fuji as the new Hokage's advisor in such a public setting, no one dared to oppose it. However, if he jumped straight into handling official affairs, it would've given his detractors an opening. That's why he's prioritizing resolving the seal first."

"I see."

Hearing this, Yakumaru nodded, prepared to begin the day's training. However, something about Kushina's demeanor made a chill run down his spine.

Something's wrong.

Years of interacting with Kushina triggered an instinctive alarm. If he went ahead with training now, she'd almost certainly turn him into her punching bag.

What to do…?

Wait, her expression shifted when Fuji was mentioned. But Fuji not showing up for work shouldn't have angered her this much. Could it be…?

For once, Yakumaru's brain sparked with a rare moment of insight. Tentatively, he suggested, "Maybe I could help Hokage-sama with his workload?"

"You? Handling paperwork? You'd be better off convincing Tsunade to pitch in instead."

As he suspected, Kushina's expression noticeably softened at the suggestion.

And he understood why.

Although the recent political struggle had ended in an overwhelming victory for Minato's faction, the aftermath was far from resolved.

Many key positions couldn't be left to those from the previous regime, and several high-level roles had been reassigned. The transition of power, coupled with the need to establish new chains of command, meant that Minato was buried in administrative work.

As one of Minato's personal guards, Maru had seen firsthand how dire things were.

Paperwork piled high in the Hokage's office, all awaiting Minato's review. To save time, he had even placed Flying Thunder God markers both at home and in the office, allowing him to instantly teleport between the two.

Minato's life now consisted of two destinations: home and the office, with not a second wasted in between.

Even meetings with the daimyo were handled using Flying Thunder God.

Yakumaru recalled one such instance. Minato had sent an early shadow clone ahead to the Land of Fire's capital with a Flying Thunder God kunai, preparing for post-war negotiations.

Unbeknownst to most, the "Minato" meeting with the daimyo daily was merely a shadow clone. The real Minato stayed in Konoha to manage village affairs, periodically sending fresh clones to the capital whenever one dispelled.

This led to an amusing incident where Kazuma, a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, attempted to lodge a complaint with the daimyo, only to find that Minato had been holding meetings in the capital for days already.

At the time, Yakumaru had laughed at Homma's dumbfounded expression. But after learning what had transpired in Konoha during his absence, his laughter quickly turned bitter. He had missed far too much…

Suppressing a surge of frustration, Yakumaru glanced at Kushina and said resolutely, "Don't worry, Kushina-sama. I'll find someone to help Hokage-sama manage the workload."

With Minato clearly overworked to the point of exhaustion, it was no wonder Kushina's mood was so foul.

"Don't bother Tsunade. I was just venting," Kushina replied awkwardly, though the anticipation in her expression betrayed her true feelings.

Among Konoha's current leadership, Tsunade was by far the most relaxed.

For some reason, she had managed to offload most of her responsibilities onto Fugaku, who was now handling negotiations with various clans. Despite the historically poor relations between the Uchiha and other ninja clans, Fugaku had volunteered to take on the task and was somehow managing to produce results.

Tsunade's daily routine now consisted of spending Konoha's money in gambling dens, where she consistently lost, only to return home leisurely. Her sole responsibility seemed to be overseeing the production of the splitting serum.

Although, as Kushina had noticed during one of her "accidental" walks past Tsunade's house, the actual work was being done by Shizune. The young medic had dark circles under her eyes and appeared utterly exhausted, grinding herbs late into the night while Tsunade snoozed peacefully.

By evening, Tsunade was back at the gambling dens. It was clear she was merely recharging during the day for her nightly "battles."

The stark contrast between Tsunade's carefree lifestyle and Minato's grueling work schedule was almost unbearable for Kushina.

Without comparisons, there's no frustration. But this disparity was impossible to ignore.

After "accidentally" passing by Tsunade's house one too many times, Kushina felt too embarrassed to do so again. Instead, she pinned her hopes on Maru, whose reluctant nod was the only response she needed.

"I'll give it a try," Yakumaru said before quickly using the Body Flicker Technique to leave, heading to where Tsunade was likely to be.

…

His first stop was Tsunade's house, where Shizune, with heavy bags under her eyes, answered the door. She looked so utterly drained that Maru felt a pang of guilt for disturbing her.

"Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"…I'm fine. Who… are you looking for?" Shizune replied groggily, her voice hoarse.

Yakumaru scratched the back of his head. "Is Tsunade-sama here?"

"She's… not. Probably… at the casino," Shizune murmured, only to suddenly snap to attention. "Wait—you're Uchiha Yakumaru, right? Tsunade-sama didn't go to the casino today. If you're looking for her, you'll need Hokage-sama's permission to access that place…"

Yakumaru froze, listening intently as Shizune mentioned a specific location.

…

After verifying his identity and obtaining the necessary clearance, Yakumaru passed a guarded entrance and descended into Konoha Hospital's underground facilities.

"Tsunade-sama? Tsunade-sama?"

He called out a few times, knocking on a heavy door, but received no response. A chill emanated from the room, sending shivers down his spine.

This feels like a morgue… but the hospital's morgue isn't in this area.

He activated a shadow clone to cautiously open the door. Once the clone confirmed it was safe, Maru, his Sharingan active, stepped inside.

What he saw made his pupils contract in shock.

A corpse.

In the center of the room lay a lifeless body, preserved by the cold air filling the chamber.

Though scenes of war had numbed him to such sights, this particular body sent a tremor through his very soul.

It wasn't the gore—it was recognition.

The eyeless face was unmistakable. He knew this person.

The tomoe in Yakumaru's Sharingan began spinning violently.

At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows, letting out a sigh.

"If I'd known you'd come looking for me today, I wouldn't have brought him here," Tsunade said.

"…Tsunade-sama, what's the meaning of this?" Yakumaru asked, his head lowered, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

Tsunade glanced at the corpse, her expression conflicted. "The splitting technique carries risks. He used it without me present, so…"

Yakumaru's bloodshot eyes filled with rage as he clenched his fists.

"I don't believe you!"

(End of Chapter)