Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

Inside the Main House's ceremonial hall, the atmosphere fell silent once again as Hyuga Soushu went quiet.

Elder Hyuga remained unfazed, calmly brewing and sipping his tea.

"Tell me what you really think."

After nearly ten minutes passed, Elder Hyuga finally spoke: "Just like when you expressed your views on war in the Hokage Office. Speak freely."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Soushu immediately flinched—at least outwardly appearing genuinely startled.

Though there was some pretense involved, for the Elder to know about a conversation that had occurred in such a supposedly secure setting revealed just how leaky Konoha truly was—whether it was the village's poor secrecy or the leaders' loose tongues was hard to say.

"What? You didn't think the family wouldn't know what you said?"

Elder Hyuga gave a slightly surprised look before deigning to pick up the teapot and pour him a cup: "There are no secrets in Konoha—just things everyone chooses not to speak of."

"Hmm..."

Hyuga Soushu couldn't help but rub his face as he let out a deep sigh.

"Please, have some tea."

Elder Hyuga said smoothly, his tone unexpectedly gentle, as if treating an equally esteemed guest.

Hyuga Soushu slowly lifted the cup and took a sip, though this so-called High Mountain Cloud Mist Tea from the Land of Lightning tasted utterly bland to him.

"The rot within Konoha runs deeper than anyone can imagine."

After quickly thinking through his response, Hyuga Soushu used the tea as a momentary excuse to buy time before replying: "If we don't eliminate these lingering poisons soon, there will be endless troubles ahead."

"Whose poison?"

Clearly, Elder Hyuga's focus point differed from others'.

"It's the top-level leaders clinging to power and suppressing policies—those who drive true talents into oblivion with their corruption!"

Hyuga Soushu replied without hesitation.

Whether Konoha was truly like this hardly mattered; the most important thing was saying what others wanted to hear.

A satisfied smile appeared on Elder Hyuga's face: "Now that you've been recognized as a jonin of this clan, do you have any suggestions to offer?"

"War is the ultimate chance to reset the board."

Never mind whether Hyuga Soushu actually had strategies—he certainly wouldn't reveal them even if he did.

"Hmm."

Elder Hyuga gave no clear reaction.

"Oh, by the way, the family has decided to appoint you as our representative within the Martial Faction. From now on, feel free to voice your thoughts."

But this sudden statement shocked Hyuga Soushu.

"And the family will provide full support short of direct assistance! Go forth and prove your worth as we expect."

"I…"

Although Hyuga Soushu welcomed this arrangement, having the head of the family say it so directly made him somewhat uneasy.

"You may leave now. In three days, the 'special' designation attached to your jonin title will be removed."

With a wave of his hand, Elder Hyuga elegantly dismissed him.

Immediately, Hyuga Soushu pretended to look relieved, hastily rising to bow before taking his leave.

"At least he's only from the Branch House after all."

After regaining his composure, Elder Hyuga resumed his contemplation.

Although the elders within the Hyūga Clan didn't support his actions—in particular, allowing a Main House Jonin to act as a spokesperson for the Martial Faction had greatly damaged the Hyūga's image—Hyūga Clan Leader still held firmly to his original plan.

The Hyūga had remained silent for far too long. It was time to make some noise.

Furthermore, having Branch House representatives speaking publicly wasn't without benefits either.

If this seemingly meaningless move paid off, then it could be expanded. If the backlash became too strong, they could simply shift blame onto the Branch House members acting on their own accord. At worst, the Main House would face nothing more than a light scolding for poor discipline.

Even better—if necessary, they could activate the Caged Bird Seal to eliminate any potential threats completely, silencing the clan's stubborn elders and sending a clear warning to any rebellious Branch House members.

Therefore, no matter how far this seemingly minor move went, the Hyūga were guaranteed either a modest gain—or a massive windfall. Either way, there was no chance of losing!

Inside the Hokage Office, the young Hizashi Hyuga was engaged in a tense staring match with Danzō, whose eyes radiated killing intent.

During the summary report regarding the mission to request special military funds from the Daimyo's court, Danzō claimed that it was totally unacceptable for the maggots in the Daimyo's court to have swallowed seventy percent of the allocated budget. He demanded at least fifty million be retrieved from those bloated bureaucrats who gorged themselves on luxury, and if needed, he was willing to dispatch Root ninjas to help the honorable Daimyo restore order and reform the government.

Hizashi, however, insisted that thanks to the efforts of the Hyūga Clan and the Konoha Ninja Clans Alliance, the village had successfully obtained the requested military funds and shouldn't stir up more trouble. Following his father's direct instructions word-for-word, he lavishly praised Hyūga Soushu's quick thinking and recommended promoting him immediately to Jonin.

Such a demand predictably poured oil on the fire, especially praising Soushu's achievements, which triggered painful memories buried deep inside Danzō.

As expected, both sides ended up shouting fiercely at each other.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who acted as the mediator, sat comfortably puffing smoke rings, clearly enjoying the feeling of holding all power in his hands.

His two advisors sat silently beside him, maintaining the composure of statues unaffected by worldly affairs.

Unsurprisingly, the entire mission to the Daimyo's court had been successful, effective, and met its preset objectives. Overall, the Hokage was quite satisfied.

Of course, in a large collective like Konoha, having certain dissenters was perfectly normal; moreover, expressing reasonable concerns through legal means was completely acceptable.

But merely listening to opinions wasn't enough—one had to take action too.

Though Danzō had his own ideas, ultimately he was nothing more than a universally despised scapegoat. As long as he remained within the rules, he would never pose any real threat.

"Finished?" 

After leisurely finishing his pipe, the Third finally spoke up, "Since there's nothing more to say, I'll now make the final decision."

Both Danzō and Hizashi bowed respectfully, indicating their willingness to accept.

Considering their many years of friendship, Danzō believed he wouldn't lose.

Hizashi Hyuga, however, remained indifferent. No matter what decision the Hokage made, the outcome would remain unchanged—and must not change—otherwise it would certainly trigger severe consequences capable of shaking the foundations of Konoha's rule!

"The village plans to assemble two thousand ninja for formal reorganization and joint training in preparation for future battles."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, said calmly, "This mobilization requires at least the rank of chunin. Each ninja clan must contribute at least one thousand personnel."

"You—"

Danzo was greatly shocked.

He knew the result of the previous meeting with the clans. There was no way the old monkey could have quickly reached consensus with those insatiable clan leaders during these few days of diplomacy. So the only possibility was that Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, had compromised!

"Additionally, Tokubetsu Jonin Hyuga Soushu from the envoy will be officially promoted to Jonin!"

"Special members of the envoy such as Toshimichi Yamanaka and Mitotou Takahiro will all be promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin and join the newly formed ninja force for training!"

As expected, the Third skipped right over Danzo's suggested punishment, directly proceeding to reward the members of the diplomatic team.

"Oh, and Hizashi Jonin, you've worked hard too. Go home and rest well."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke after hearing this.

"Thank you for the Hokage's concern, Hiruzen. I'll take my leave now."

Satisfied, Hizashi Hyuga elegantly performed a bow before rising and departing.

After Hizashi left, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, continued, "By the way, Homura, please help draft specific categories for the twenty-billion military budget expenditure plan."

"Hiruzen!"

This time, Danzo could no longer contain himself. He angrily shouted, "Are you just going to let the village rot away piece by piece like this?"

"Can you face Tobirama-Sensei?!"

"Have you forgotten what we once stood for?!"

Instead of being shamed by those words, Sarutobi just looked confused.

"Aren't things always like this?" Homura Mitokado carefully interjected. "If it really doesn't work out, maybe we can discuss it with the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance and give the Shimura Clan some funding too?"

"Danzo, have you forgotten that the Senju Clan is gone now? Without compromise, can the village still defeat the current enemy in war?"

Koharu Utatane added more pressure.

...

Danzo couldn't speak.

Konoha had changed a lot under Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule—or maybe it hadn't changed at all.

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