Naruto: From Capturing the Main Clan to Becoming the Mastermind

Chapter 29 A Staggering Proportion

"I see."

Minato nodded solemnly, then suddenly smiled.

"I'm so glad my Shadow Guard is you and Pill. You haven't reported any intelligence to the tribe yet, have you?"

"This is the Shadow Guard's duty," Hinata Yu said calmly, putting down the documents.

Minato shook his head. "If you hadn't reminded me, I might never have understood the rules of the ninja clan. There are some things that, without being reminded, you can't even get started."

The ninja clans... strictly speaking, Konoha is in their hands!

Both advisors... and even the third generation, were from ninja clans.

Keeping the issues beyond his current ability to handle to himself, Minato asked with a smile:

"Yu, you're now the third head of the Hyuga clan, right? That explains why you know so much about ninja clan affairs."

The Shadow Guards have a long period of contact with the Hokage and hold positions that allow them to access core Konoha affairs.

As members of the Shadow Guard, Yu and Uchiha Yakumaru naturally have a certain degree of influence within the clan. And because of the special nature of the Hyuga clan, those who yearn for freedom will seek out Hyuga Yu, right?

Hyuga Yu: "My clansmen came to me, but I ignored them. It was the clan chief, Hizashi, who spoke to me about these things."

Although Hijiri's main purpose was to prevent him from spreading the family's secret techniques...

"Support from your clan is very important; it will make your journey smoother."

Minato shook his head with a smile and looked out the window. Because of the shadow of war, Konoha was quiet during the day, lacking the liveliness of peacetime.

Neither of them spoke, and the room fell silent for a moment.

After a long silence, Minato whispered:

"I want to go to the battlefield in two days and end this war!"

The hidden troubles in the village were far more numerous than he had imagined. Staying here as Hokage to stabilize the situation would not be very effective. In that case, he should first quell the external threats!

The situation at the front lines was not as smooth as the villagers had imagined, even though two of the three legendary ninjas were there.

Seeing the puzzled look on Hinata Yu's face, Minato handed him another piece of information.

"have a look."

Hinata Yu saw a few somewhat familiar names in the intelligence report, and his eyes narrowed.

"This is Kirigakure's last-ditch effort."

"That's right, so I have to go." Minato nodded.

"Do you plan to entrust the management of the village to a few advisors?"

"Well, I was thinking of asking the third generation to stay and oversee things, but it seems he has other plans, so...would you be willing to stay in the village?"

Faced with Minato's gentle words and gaze, Hyuga Yu was taken aback.

Should the Shadow Guard remain in the village to assist in handling Konoha affairs?

This isn't just about grooming him as a bodyguard and nurturing a promising junior...

With that in mind, Hinata Yu said in a low voice, "The branch family cannot be placed in a high-ranking position, and as a member of the Shadow Guard, I should naturally go to the battlefield with you. Please understand."

"Really? What a pity."

With a long sigh, Minato didn't try to persuade him further on this matter.

There's plenty of time ahead; some things can be taken slowly.

"Hokage-sama, Tokuma Hyuga has come to report that he has killed Raiga Kurosuki of Kirigakure!"

Just then, a member of the secret service appeared and informed them of the news.

Minato glanced at Hyuga Yu, pondered for a few seconds, and said to the Anbu, "As is customary, record the merit and send the body and ninja sword to the advisors."

There's no point in investigating this now; he can't do anything about the rules of the ninja clan.

"yes!"

After the Anbu left, Minato, as if reminded, looked at Hyuga Yu and asked, "Some of those ninja swords were your spoils. Do you want any of them?"

"I'm a taijutsu ninja, these techniques won't help me improve my strength. Besides, you'll have other uses for them after the war, won't you?"

It was a question, but Hinata Yu's tone was certain.

Upon hearing this, Minato smiled but did not reply, feeling somewhat sentimental.

It's a real shame that you're only a powerful ninja, Yu.

……

"Really? Minato didn't do anything, that's good. For him right now, the Fudo Ninja Clan is the best choice."

In the Sarutobi clan's ancestral home, after listening to the report from the newcomer, Sarutobi Hiruzen clicked his tongue, sighed, and said to the two people before him:

"Minato was an excellent Hokage, but he wasn't suitable, or rather, he was born at the wrong time."

"His most suitable era was when the Second Hokage was suffocating the ninja clans and desperately needed a gentle Hokage to show mercy, which was also my position."

"When I first became Hokage, I was far from being as gentle as I am today. In order to exercise the rights of Hokage, I promoted many trustworthy ninjas, including members of the Sarutobi clan."

The policy adopted by the Second Hokage continued towards the various ninja clans: promoting commoner ninjas, developing ninja academies, and suppressing them.

"But I soon realized... I was wrong, terribly wrong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's dark gaze fell on the two people in front of him.

"I vigorously developed the ninja academy, and even served as its principal myself, to train commoner ninjas in order to balance the ninjas born into ninja clans."

"But soon, the ninja clans, realizing that the Second Hokage's death wouldn't change anything, came up with a new idea. They infiltrated various departments, instructing Jonin, Ninja Academy freshmen, Ninja Academy teachers, and the interrogation department..."

"They gained power in a more subtle and inconspicuous way, but I didn't notice it in time because of the Second Shinobi World War."

"It's easy to see now that the interrogation department's ninjas are mostly from the Yamanaka clan, while the sensory unit has many ninjas from the Hyuga and Aburame clans. There are issues with ability, but an important department of Konoha shouldn't be controlled by ninja clans!"

Aside from the security force being a problem, the other departments are controlled by a certain clan. If the Hokage doesn't want to confront them head-on, there are some things he can only compromise on.

"In this situation, if they don't cooperate and instead sabotage things, what should the Hokage do? Hiashi, what would you do in that situation?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked one of the two people in front of him a question.

"Lord Third Generation, this is something I cannot do." Hiashi paused, then bowed his head and replied.

What was he supposed to say?

The Hyuga clan was among them. Although the infiltration of Konoha's foundation was probably his father's fault and had nothing to do with him, he was the clan leader now.

"Yes, there's nothing we can do."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wearily closed his eyes. "Because my power also comes from a ninja clan, the largest ninja clan in Konoha right now—the Sarutobi clan!"

"Having served as Hokage for so long, I promoted many trusted confidants, allowing my ninja clan to grow at an unprecedented pace. Gradually, I found myself needing their support to exercise my power. But if I were to take action against the ninja clan, would they still support me?"

"Danzo was always keeping an eye on the Uchiha clan, but did he ever consider how many ninjas the Sarutobi clan had?"

"Even not counting those who died in the war, there are still 2,500 people!"

The two people in front of him stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

How many ninja do they have in the Hyuga clan?

Even if you include both the main family and the branch families, the total number shouldn't exceed eight hundred, right?

The Sarutobi clan outnumbers them by more than three times!

In terms of sheer numbers, they are indeed the strongest ninja clan in Konoha right now.

"Only then did I understand why the Second Hokage allowed the Senju clan to intermarry with the residents of Konoha, to the point that the Senju clan now exists in name only."

"He's annihilating Konoha's largest ninja clan!"

"The political assets left by the two Hokage, as well as the prestige that the Senju clan earned with their blood during the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, allow the Senju clan to maintain control over Konoha."

"To prevent such a thing from happening, the Second Hokage quietly and peacefully eliminated the most prestigious ninja clan in Konoha!"

The third generation's words overturned the worldviews of both Japanese and Japanese athletes.

Did Tobirama Senju personally bring the Senju clan to the past? Is this true?

Hiashi Hyuga glanced furtively at the Third Hokage, but couldn't discern the truth from his somewhat somber expression.

However, the other party's previous speech in Hyuga made it impossible for him to trust him...

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the two some time to process their thoughts before continuing, "The Second Hokage's actions greatly enhanced the potential of ordinary ninjas, paving the way for the subsequent policy of suppressing ninja clans."

"But I failed to grasp it, and Sarutobi became the new Senju."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag of his cigarette, his expression incredibly complex.

"If we had been more lenient from the beginning and given the ninja clans some benefits, and if the common ninja had gradually grown up and become equal to the ninja clans, Konoha wouldn't be in this state now."

"Among the ninjas of Konoha, civilian ninjas make up half of the total due to their large numbers, but most of them are only genin or chunin."

"Among Jonin and Special Jonin, the ratio of civilian ninjas to ninja clan members is... 2 to 8! They also occupy many basic but necessary positions!"

What does this mean?

This means that if the Hokage makes a policy that is detrimental to all ninja clans, they can remove the Hokage!

Even... it turned the Hokage into a rogue ninja!

Is it ridiculous?

Could the village's Kage really become a rogue ninja?

It's ridiculous... but it could actually become a reality!

(End of this chapter)