I will traverse countless worlds and become a god entirely on my own!

"Are you Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho or Hiruzen Sarutobi's Ino-Shika-Cho?"

Bai Ye also did not answer, but turned to look at Nara Shikaku and the other two.

Hearing Byakuya's question, Nara Shikamaru thought to himself that this was indeed troublesome, but he still patiently explained to Byakuya, "We have always followed the strategy of supporting whoever is the Hokage."

His answer also revealed his stance: if the Hokage today were Byakuya, then they would also support Byakuya, without explicitly stating that they support anyone.

This is related to the strategy of the three clans when they joined Konoha.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio were allies during the Warring States period. Because their ninjutsu could be used in combination, the three families had a good relationship. After Konoha joined, the policy established by the Nara family and agreed upon by the other two families emerged.

"The Hokage doesn't exist forever, and isn't it a bit foolish to continue serving an old Hokage who can't even control the village?"

Byakuya was quite curious. Given Shikaku's intelligence, he should be able to see that during Hiruzen Sarutobi's reign, he would only become weaker and weaker.

“Even if we can’t control it, we can’t act rashly. Besides, what you’re doing will only cause Konoha to collapse.”

Nara Shikaku knew what Byakuya wanted to do.

But you can't do that!

“A clan is no match for a village. I think if possible, you should sit down and have a proper talk!”

Shikaku offered a word of advice, though he knew that the Uchiha clan was already stirring with unrest.

However, a village is a violent institution composed of countless families. No matter how strong the Uchiha clan is, it would be impossible for them to succeed unless their ancestor Madara is around.

“Lu Jiu, you’re wrong. We were never enemies from the beginning. I took back the land that originally belonged to us, but it was only for the peace of the village. The people in the clan were already so repressed that they were about to go to their deaths. If we don’t find some outlet for our frustrations at this time, the village will probably fall into chaos.”

"From the moment we reclaimed the land, neither the Ino-Shika-Cho trio nor the Hyuga clan actually suffered any loss. Even the Sarutobi clan merely moved from the center of the village. We can give them the place we're currently living in."

Yes.

What Byakuya said makes a lot of sense. Nara Shikaku certainly knew that, but if you move the central position to a remote location, it's impossible for the Sarutobi clan not to have their own thoughts.

"I want to know why the Hyuga clan agreed!"

After Nara Shikaku finished speaking, he stared intently at Byakuya.

Before making this decision, he needed to know why the Hyuga clan would agree to such an absurd approach.

"Because a village can't be dominated by one entity; it needs to be balanced. When you're young, you have to retire gracefully so that you'll be respected when you're old. The village has been controlled by one entity for too long, and most of the village's resources have been swallowed up by those guys. Who knows, if this continues, they might create a new Konoha in the future?"

As Bai Ye spoke, a smile appeared on his lips. In the end, wasn't it just that the Hyuga clan was dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi?

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't done those things, and if most of the profits hadn't been taken by the Sarutobi, Shimura, and other clans, they wouldn't have had to cooperate with the Uchiha clan.

Your kind of thinking is dangerous!

Nara Shikaku desires a peaceful Konoha, not a broken one.

Ultimately, once Konoha really goes to war with the Uchiha clan...

Then other forces in the ninja world will definitely go to war with them. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to divide up Konoha. Who would want to miss it?

"If we return the land to you, can you maintain the status quo? What we want is a peaceful Konoha. If you can do that, then we can return the land to you!"

Nara Shikaku really didn't want Konoha to go to war with the Uchiha clan.

The newly appointed Byakuya is most likely a radical member of the Uchiha clan.

Therefore, if he really didn't agree at this point, there would likely be internal strife. In fact, he had already decided to return it to Bai Ye after Bai Ye came here.

If they could even handle the Hyuga clan, then there must be some kind of deal with them; otherwise, the other party wouldn't have returned these lands to them so easily.

“I can ensure that they don’t provoke us, and we won’t cause trouble, and I can restrain our people, but if they continue to be aggressive, then it’s beyond my control.”

After Bai Ye finished speaking, he remained silent. Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza, who were standing to the side, also turned their gazes to Nara Shikaku.

Clearly, they ultimately left the decision to him, even if they had many questions in their minds, they decided to ask him after Bai Ye left.

"I understand. We will give you the land through a transaction. I hope you will keep your promise."

"it is good!"

Just as I thought, once the Hyuga clan is dealt with, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio will be easy to handle.

Although they are on the Hokage's side, they also have to consider the interests of their own families. In addition, what Hiruzen Sarutobi has done over the years has indeed aroused the dissatisfaction of many families.

The reason why Hiruzen Sarutobi did not take action against the Uchiha clan at this time was partly because his control over Konoha was too weak.

If he takes action personally, it will provoke a backlash from the other families in the village.

Therefore, he needed an opportunity, and Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly hoped that the Uchiha clan would be wiped out.

First, it eliminated one of the biggest problems, and second, it deterred other clans. This is one of the reasons why Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to regain control of Konoha after the Uchiha massacre and before the start of the story.

Although he didn't directly take action, such a major event occurred in Konoha; it's clearly impossible that Hiruzen Sarutobi was unaware of it and that not a single Anbu member went.

Therefore, after the massacre of the clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi once again seized power in Konoha.

The reason why Bai Ye said this was partly because the other party would not stop at all. Danzo was determined to exterminate the Uchiha clan, otherwise how would he get his hands on the Sharingan of Izanagi?

Secondly, there's the issue of interests. Having already offended all four of them, it's unlikely that things will turn out well in the future.

But Bai Ye couldn't care less about all that now. He wanted to quiet things down for a while, first and foremost, to silence the voices within the Uchiha clan.

Secondly, Bai Ye needs to buy time to create space. Although he has activated the Kaleidoscope, the current threat has not yet been eliminated.

Obito was the one behind the whole thing who most wanted to destroy the Uchiha clan, and Shisui was the person Byakuya most wanted to win over. Once he got Shisui on his side, with Kotoamatsukami around, he didn't believe Obito could act so recklessly.

One has soil, the other is absolute.

Both of them desperately wanted the Uchiha clan to be wiped out.

Therefore, time is the most important thing for Bai Ye right now. After this incident, Bai Ye believes that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others will most likely quiet down for a while. It is during this period that Bai Ye must make the most of it.

So Baiye naturally agreed to Shikaku's request.

After both parties signed the purchase agreement and Bai Ye left, Yamanaka Inoichi couldn't help but ask, "Shikaku, why did you agree so quickly?"

"The other party has an agreement with the Hyuga clan. If either of the two clans doesn't handle things properly, it could directly cause Konoha to fall apart."

Secondly, we are indeed from the Hokage lineage, but as I said before, we support whoever is the Hokage. So what we need to do is stabilize Konoha and prevent it from falling into chaos, rather than stabilizing anyone's rule. Byakuya is right; after that incident, he shouldn't have taken over.

It's such a pity about Minato. If he were still here, this wouldn't have happened.

A hint of nostalgia flashed in Nara Shikaku's eyes. Back when Minato was Hokage, he had been the Hokage's assistant. However, after Minato's death and Hiruzen Sarutobi's ascension, Danzo became his assistant.

He was not greedy for power, but it was obviously impossible for him not to have some opinions.

He was very dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's return to power and the various actions that followed, especially regarding Naruto. Despite being Minato's son, Naruto was treated this way. Even if Jinchuriki are not well-liked in other villages, you can't make them eat expired products every day, can you?

Minato is the Fourth Hokage, and Naruto is the son of a hero. Even if he doesn't receive the best treatment, is this how you take care of someone's son after promising to do so?

"How could the Hyuga clan possibly have an agreement with the Uchiha clan?"

Akimichi Choza was dumbfounded. Wasn't it said that the two sides didn't get along?

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Don't forget that the Hidden Cloud Village kidnapped Hinata. Hizashi died because of that. It's impossible for Hiashi not to care. So it's normal for them to cooperate."

Lu Jiu slowly analyzed.

"Won't you just throw Konoha into complete chaos by doing this?"

You should know that they said that as long as they return it, the Sarutobi clan must also return it.

"What else do you intend to do? Do you want to start a war with the Uchiha clan?"

Then you only have two choices: one is to let the Sarutobi clan fight the Uchiha clan head-on, and the other is to let them fight the Uchiha clan head-on. Which one do you choose?

And it's not necessarily just the Uchiha; maybe the Hyuga are too?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 20: Lottery, Eight Gates Formation! (Request to read, recommend, and vote for this 4K-word chapter)

Nara Shikaku believed he had made the best choice, but he was well aware that Hiruzen Sarutobi had released the information to encourage them to fight against the Uchiha clan.

If the Hyuga clan doesn't compromise, then neither will they.

However, the Hyuga clan has already returned the land to the Uchiha clan, so at this point they have no choice but to follow suit. It's simply unrealistic to expect the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to face the Uchiha clan.

Besides, there's no benefit in having this thing. The Uchiha were just taking back the land that originally belonged to them; most of it was taken by the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mito, and Utatane clans.

As a result, the four clans hid in the back, leaving them and the Hyuga clan to hold the line. What a load of crap!

There's not much benefit to them, and they're just expected to take the blame?

"But if we do it this way, the aftermath might be difficult to handle, right?"

Yamanaka Inoichi was also somewhat worried because this matter had created a rift between him and the higher-ups in Konoha.

"There's no other way. Hyuga has already agreed. We don't have the strength to fight against the Uchiha, and the Hokage probably can't offer us any help either. Asking us to resist the Uchiha is simply a pipe dream. Besides, Konoha really can't let one person rule forever."

Shikaku saw hope in Minato Namikaze, hope for changing Konoha.

Unfortunately, the Nine-Tails' rampage changed everything. Hiruzen Sarutobi's return to power meant the original new order reverted to the old one.

Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu once again stood at the very center of power.

Ultimately, changing the Hokage is just about redistributing the spoils, but the original few people end up eating the spoils again. Who would be happy about that?

"Actually, this matter can also be seen as a reminder to the Hokage. In the end, the Uchiha clan and we have never been enemies. We are all clans. It is a bit too much to keep targeting the Uchiha clan."

From a broader perspective, Nara Shikaku believes that Konoha's current high-pressure policy against the Uchiha clan will inevitably lead to problems for the Uchiha in the future.

Although the clans are constantly fighting for resources, they absolutely cannot stand idly by and watch Konoha drive the Uchiha clan to the brink of destruction. If the Uchiha rebels, it will definitely not be good news for Konoha.

And that's about enough. Although the Ino-Shika-Cho trio are supporters of the Hokage, they are not blind supporters. Given the current situation in Konoha, they have already suffered too much.

"Alright, whatever you say, we'll do. Besides, the agreement has already been signed!"

Akimichi Choza didn't want to listen to any more long-winded explanations. He felt that things were pretty much done, and there was no point in saying anything more.

Besides, even if they did that, would Hiruzen Sarutobi do anything to them?

Don't forget that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio have always been allies. Moreover, according to Shikaku's analysis, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans are now dissatisfied with the Hokage, so Hiruzen Sarutobi should be most worried about them.

"Alas, these are truly turbulent times!"

Nara Shikamaru looked towards the door, then shook his head: "Forget it, we don't need to get involved in such troublesome matters. Anyway, this is a problem between the higher-ups and the Uchiha. It's such a hassle, why do we have to get involved in political struggles!"

After doing all this, Nara Shikaku also decided to see who would come out on top in the end.

Most clans in Konoha could see that the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha had reached a critical point.