Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 312 Shifting Flowers and Grafting Trees (420013000)

The midday sun shone brightly through the large glass windows of the new building, illuminating the interior, but it could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere that had been building up invisibly.

Nara Shikaku walked side by side with Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza in the corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty space.

The newly built Hokage Building uses more sturdy stone and metal structures than the old building, making it more defensive and well-protected.

However, it also lacked some of the familiar liveliness and gained a sense of deathly silence, solemnity, and coldness.

Click.

The three arrived at the door of the conference room, and Nara Shikaku raised his hand and pushed the door open.

Inside the conference room, a dark-colored conference table occupies the center, its surface polished smooth to a shine.

A freshly brewed cup of tea sits in front of each seat, steaming gently and emitting a delicate fragrance, while sunlight streams in through a window on one side.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the innermost part of the long table, with the Konoha flag hanging behind him. He wore the Hokage robe and a straw hat, but the weariness between his brows was hard to hide.

"Three generations have arrived so early?"

Nara Shikaku's eyes flickered as he quickly scanned the people already seated at the table.

On the left sat Mitokado Homura, the masked head of the Anbu, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

When Nara Shikaku's gaze shifted to the right, his pupils contracted slightly, almost imperceptibly.

The person sitting at the head of the table on the right was not a high-ranking official from Konoha, but a middle-aged man wearing a robe with the insignia of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Nara Shikaku naturally recognized him.

It was Kazuma, one of the "Twelve Guardian Ninja".

Noticing Nara Shikaku's gaze, Kazuma turned his head, a meaningful smile appearing on his face, and nodded slightly to Nara Shikaku.

Nara Shikaku's expression remained unchanged. He responded politely and then lowered his eyes, but in his heart, he was making plans.

"Kazuma, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, is actually attending this meeting, and sitting in such a prominent position. It seems he's representing the Daimyo?"

"Moreover, the fact that the third generation arrived so early suggests that they had already held a small meeting with this daimyo's envoy before our arrival, and conducted an informal consultation."

With this in mind, Nara Shikaku immediately realized that the daimyo's will would also intervene in this meeting, which was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Besides Kazuma, sitting on the right side were Koharu Utatane, Danzo Shimura, Kakashi Hatake, and others.

"There's a turbulent undercurrent..."

Nara Shikaku sighed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

He walked to the seat with his name on it, which was located in the middle of the long table.

This time, he attended not as the head of the Nara clan, but as the leader of the Konoha Jonin team.

This position carries more weight in the village's decision-making system than a single clan leader, and is responsible for overseeing all Jonin, serving as a crucial link between the Hokage and elite ninjas.

Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza sat further back in the positions representing their respective ninja clans.

Although the three races of pig, deer, and butterfly are closely related, their positions are clearly defined in this meeting.

Soon, the meeting room door was pushed open again, and the other participants arrived and took their seats.

However, since it was not a meeting of Jonin but a high-level meeting, the number of participants was actually not large.

Besides the few people who were present earlier, there were only the heads of key departments such as the medical department and the logistics support department, as well as the clan leaders or representatives of several other ninja clans.

For example, Uchiha Shisui, Aburame Shiki, and...

Nara Shikaku's gaze lingered on an empty seat.

That seat belongs to the head of the Hyuga clan.

Having suffered devastating losses previously, with the core of the main branch almost entirely wiped out and the position of clan head still undecided, it remains to be seen who will attend this level of meeting today.

Just as Nara Shikaku and the others present were having different thoughts, a voice broke the slightly dull silence in the conference room.

"Lord Hokage."

Seemingly to ease the tension, Kazuma looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and smiled, "During this time, I have heard many stories about his heroic resistance against the enemy in this calamity."

"In particular, it seems that a heroic figure has emerged who has turned the tide and saved the village. I wonder who it is?"

"If I have the opportunity, I would like to get to know him so that I can report back to my lord in detail. I believe he will be pleased that Konoha has gained such a talented person."

Despite how much Kazuma despises the Hokage, his words at this moment are quite appropriate.

It not only expressed "concern" for Konoha, but also pointed out the Daimyo's "concern" about the matter, and further steered the conversation toward the name that is currently in the most prominent position.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado frowned slightly, while Danzo Shimura lowered his single eye, making his expression unreadable.

For a moment, everyone's gaze seemed to fall on Hiruzen Sarutobi, awaiting his response.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression remained unchanged as he prepared to speak.

squeak...

Just then, the conference room door was pushed open from the outside.

A breeze, different from the warmth of the room, carrying a cool air, swept in, causing the steam from the teacups on the table to sway.

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to the doorway.

A figure stepped in, silhouetted against the light from the corridor outside.

Her black hair was tied back, and she wore a plain white dress with a striking dark red stain on the cuff of her right sleeve, like splashed blood. Her injured left arm was hanging in front of her.

It was Hinata Kumokawa.

His gaze swept over every familiar or unfamiliar face in the room, a pale blue light shimmering deep within his pupils, reflecting the figures of those present.

The moment their eyes met, the person being looked at felt an inexplicable sense of unease and instinctively leaned back slightly.

It was an indescribable sense of oppression, not something deliberately released, but rather an innate nobility that came from the depths of one's blood.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Hinata Kumokawa gave a slightly apologetic smile: "I just finished the discharge procedures this morning, and then I had to deal with some trivial matters within the clan, which took up some time."

With the appearance of his smile, the imposing aura that had enveloped the conference room seemed to dissipate like a thin mist under the sunlight, causing everyone to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Hinata Kumokawa said nothing more and went straight to the empty seat, sitting down calmly.

Kazuma looked at Hinata Kumokawa, his eyes flashing with an unfathomable light.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced deeply at Hyuga Kumokawa, who was seated, and then at Danzo, who remained silent with his eyes lowered. His expression was complex and unreadable. "Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a heavy voice. "First, let's discuss the Hyuga clan's experience in this incident."

"Through internal recommendation within the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Kumokawa Jonin has now officially succeeded as the head of the Hyuga clan. The specific details will be explained to you by Headmaster Kumokawa."

Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on Hinata Kumokawa.

"As the Third Hokage said, the Hyuga clan suffered the most devastating losses in its history during this attack."

His expression was calm, but there was a hint of pain in his eyes. His tone was heavy. "The culprit is a former member of the branch family, Hyuga Neji."

Hyuga Kumokawa briefly recounted the long-standing feud between Hyuga Neji and the main family, and continued, "After I returned to the Hyuga clan, all the adult males of the main family, including the clan head and elders, had perished."

"Furthermore, it was later discovered that the Hyuga clan's forbidden library, which was used to preserve various secret techniques and ancient books, was also burned down by Hyuga Neji."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people present varied. Although they had already received the news, they were only now finally certain.

The Hyuga main family is truly reduced to only women and children.

Those who mastered the Caged Bird Seal have all been killed by Hyuga Neji.

Even the forbidden library that housed the "Caged Bird Seal" had been burned down, a devastating blow to the Hyuga clan.

If it weren't for Hyuga Kumokawa's existence, they might have ended up like the Uchiha clan, completely relegated to a second-rate ninja clan.

But at the same time, that is to say...

"Has Hinata Kumokawa really become a free man?" This thought popped into everyone's minds at the same time.

It's important to know that the biggest obstacle preventing Hyuga Kumokawa from becoming Hokage was the "Caged Bird Seal".

In any case, the Hokage of Konoha could not be someone who doesn't even have his own life in his own hands.

But now, all those who could use the "Caged Bird Seal" are dead.

Therefore, the only obstacle preventing Hyuga Kumokawa from becoming Hokage is his lack of experience in handling political affairs.

Aside from that, in terms of reputation, strength, and contributions, Hyuga Kumokawa deserves the title of "Fifth Hokage".

With this in mind, everyone looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. If nothing unexpected happened, Hiruzen Sarutobi would naturally support Hyuga Kumokawa to take over.

"After arriving at Lord Hiashi's residence, I used my Byakugan to see Hyuga Neji preparing to attack Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Hinata in a secret underground room."

Ignoring their various gazes, Hyuga Kumokawa continued, "So I rescued the two of them, while Hyuga Neji took the opportunity to escape."

"Before I got involved, Hyuga Neji claimed that if one's talent is strong enough, the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan can evolve into an eye called the 'Tenseigan' after experiencing extreme emotional stimulation."

"The way to awaken the Tenseigan is similar to the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, requiring a strong emotional outpouring. Hyuga Neji achieved this by massacring the main branch of the Uchiha clan."

At this point, everyone froze, then their eyes widened.

"The Byakugan can evolve like the Sharingan?" Uchiha Shisui asked seriously. "How reliable is this information?"

The Byakugan can evolve, which is unprecedented in the history of the ninja world!

In everyone's perception, the white eye is just the white eye; there is no record of it proving that it has the potential for evolution.

“This is what Hyuga Neji said himself,” Hyuga Kumokawa said indifferently. “At that time, he was already about to kill Hyuga Aoi, and I don’t think he had any reason to lie to a dying man.”

He paused, then pointed to his eyes: "Moreover, I think my eyes might serve as some kind of evidence."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes instantly focused on Hinata Kumokawa's eyes.

The eyes, which should have been pure white, now seemed to have pale blue nebulae slowly flowing in the depths of their depths, exuding a mysterious and profound aura.

"Your eyes, are they also the Tenseigan?" Mitokado Homura's gaze was filled with astonishment and doubt. "You broke through that powerful technique before by relying on the power of these eyes?"

“Yes.” Hinata Kumokawa readily admitted, “That technique is called ‘Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion,’ but it’s too much of a burden for me right now.”

Everyone witnessed or heard of the power of that attack.

In their view, it was a power that transcended the scope of ordinary ninjutsu, a terrifying power that surpassed even "Susanoo".

The "Susanoo" is called the power of the gods, and the "Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion" is worthy of this evaluation, and is even stronger in terms of attack power.

“Hyuga Neji has obtained such terrifying power.” Nara Shikaku frowned. “No wonder he would resort to such extreme measures.”

[Ding! Your lie has been judged as [blank fabrication], [distorting the truth], and [misrepresentation]. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Kazuma, and others experienced intense emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [complete belief]. You have gained 4000 truth points...]

"Fortunately, we in Konoha also possess the same power." Jiraiya spoke up at the right moment, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi frown.

"Based on the traces left at the scene and eyewitness reports, Hyuga Neji also controlled 'Wrath', one of the 'Seven Deadly Sins'."

At this moment, the head of the Dark Division, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Its ability is to release a special kind of flame, which does not burn matter, but directly burns the target's 'soul'."

"The intensity of the burning seems to be related to the 'evil' that the target carries, and it can affect 'hollows' by converting their essence into one's own use. This is what Hyuga Neji calls 'karmic fire'."

Nara Shikaku asked, "If 'Karmic Fire' can kill 'Hollows,' why did the Hyuga clan still produce 'Hollows' at the Espada level?"

The head of the Dark Department shook his head: "The specific reasons are still under investigation. It cannot be ruled out that the 'Shadow' that appeared later and the Void Realm forces behind it directly intervened."

“Based on what Hyuga Neji said to Hyuga Aoi at the time, perhaps the criterion for judging karmic fire is the ‘evil’ accumulated by the target against the branch family during their lifetime,” Hyuga Kumokawa suddenly said.

“Those branch family members who were killed, perhaps their ‘evil’ did not meet the standard, so they were not killed by the karmic fire, and their souls may have become a breeding ground for ‘emptiness’.”

Upon hearing this, everyone showed thoughtful expressions and nodded in agreement.

"Hyuga Neji colluded with external forces to carry out a premeditated and bloody massacre of the main family members and stole the 'Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath'."

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi took over the conversation and said, "His actions were heinous, and he has already defected from the village. His current whereabouts are unknown."

"Konoha will launch a top-level investigation and purge operation against them and the 'Virtual Realm' forces associated with them, sparing no effort to eliminate the threat."

"Based on the conclusive evidence we have gathered so far, the mastermind behind this attack on Konoha is an organization called 'Akatsuki'."

Hiruzen Sarutobi surveyed the room, noticing the solemn or puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, and continued, "Jiraiya will now give you a detailed introduction to the information about Akatsuki."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's face no longer held its usual carefree expression, but instead appeared slightly gloomy, and he sighed.

"The Akatsuki organization did not appear out of thin air. Its first founders were three young ninjas from the Land of Rain: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan."

He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "They are my disciples."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people present changed slightly, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado couldn't help but frown.

The second time.

Jiraiya, for the second time, didn't do what they had agreed on.

　Four thousand words, more than eight thousand words to go, please wait a moment.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)