Naruto: From Capturing the Main Clan to Becoming the Mastermind

Chapter 30 Spy

"I left Minato with a mess. Although he was of commoner origin and commoner ninjas naturally gravitated towards him, without the support of the ninja clan, it would be difficult to carry out his orders."

"Strength can solve many problems, but it can't help him govern the village."

"Not to mention those three old friends..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly. "There are many vested interests behind Koharu and Homura, and many ninja clans are connected to them, including elders of the Sarutobi clan. Danzo has distanced himself from the ninja clans, but he controls Root and is used to dealing with everything in a dark way, which makes him the most dangerous."

After all, both the Hokage and the two advisors need to be mindful of their reputations and the impact of their actions, but Danzo wouldn't care about such things.

Those who are unscrupulous and unscrupulous are often the most dangerous.

Danzo always treated the ninja clan as a useful tool, never intending to appease them. If it weren't for him keeping them in check, the ninja clan would probably have already attacked Danzo.

Some of the strongest members of Root were forcibly transferred from the ninja clans by Danzo!

"Kushina complained to me about why they weren't dismissed, but if we had, the consequences would have been unpredictable."

If the ninja clans and Root take this as a signal to attack them, Konoha will be plunged into civil war.

They cannot afford such losses.

Unless the three are dealt with along with the forces behind them, or they are killed by external enemies, these three will likely remain in the upper echelons of Konoha for a very long time, longer than a Hokage's term...

With a sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to another Hyuga ninja in the area.

"Minato is close to the current Uchiha clan head, Kushina also has a good relationship with the Uchiha, and with the support of the Hyuga clan and Shikaku, he can gradually secure his position as Hokage."

He didn't mention the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Although Shikaku and Hiashi were clan leaders, like Hiashi Hyuga, they couldn't represent the entire clan.

"Perhaps we can no longer deal with the deeply entrenched ninja clans of Konoha, but Minato, who came from a commoner background, at least won't let the situation get worse than before. I've made many mistakes already, but this time I can't afford to make one."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Tokuma."

"Without my suppression, Danzo will definitely try to do something. Please keep an eye on him for me. I will remove the curse mark on your head, and I will also explain away your dereliction of duty this time."

"Yes, Third Hokage!" Hyuga Tokuma replied in a deep voice.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Hiashi.

"I apologize, Clan Chief Hiashi. My statement contained many criticisms of the Hyuga clan. Please forgive me."

Hiashi Hyuga shook his head. "I understand. The ninja clans are corrupt. If they are allowed to take charge of Konoha, sooner or later, Konoha and they will both face annihilation."

Just like before, didn't the main family suffer a backlash?

With a wry smile, Hiashi Hyuga composed himself and asked with some confusion, "Hokage-sama, why did you send Tokuma to infiltrate Root? If you just wanted to keep an eye on Danzo, there must have been a better candidate."

"The recent events surrounding the Hyuga clan allow Tokuma to infiltrate Root as a branch family member harboring resentment towards the main family, without seeming out of place. Anyone else joining Root at this time would only arouse suspicion, and given Danzo's understanding of me, he would definitely suspect it was my doing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained softly:

"Furthermore, the new cursed seal of Root is an evolution of the Caged Bird Seal, which Danzo also possesses. I'm worried that he might break the cursed seal that Tsunade and I created and then target the Hyuga clan. With Tokuma as an inside agent, we can react in time."

This is not impossible. Danzo also coveted the Hyuga branch family. After all, they had been trained by the main family for hundreds of years and lacked any sense of resistance, making them the most useful tool.

There was only one recent outbreak, but it quickly subsided through its own actions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Tokuma Hyuga's calm face. Even though his life was already in Danzo's hands, he still remained loyal to the main branch of the family.

It is not the body that surrenders, but the mind.

The Bird in a Cage technique... it's truly terrifying.

"Are you worried that Danzo will take action against the main family and control the branch families?"

Hiashi Hyuga's face paled, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "How dare he?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly, "There's nothing he wouldn't dare to do. Just turn it into an internal conflict within the ninja clan, and the Hokage won't have the right to hold him accountable."

If Danzo were to acquire the Byakugan, a bloodline limit, he could even monitor the movements of the entire Leaf Village. Why wouldn't he want it?

……

Returning to his clan with a worried Hiashi, Hyuga Tokuma did not stay at home for long before heading to a secluded place.

He entered the underground cave from the hidden cave, and at the end, a figure was waiting for him.

Hearing footsteps, the other person turned around.

Hyuga Tokuma knelt on one knee and reported, "Lord Yu, I have successfully infiltrated Root."

Hinata Yu looked at his subordinate and nodded.

"You've worked hard, get up."

In the information he gave to Minato, there was one word missing from his evaluation of Hyuga Tokuma—"forbearance"!

Among the Hyuga clan, the first to pledge allegiance to him was not Hyuga Yuuki, but Hyuga Tokuma, with whom he had connections since the Ninja Academy.

This calm and mature ninja, who will become Hinata's bodyguard in the future, harbors unimaginable dissatisfaction with the main branch of the clan.

"I have sent the boy who was with Raiga Kurosugi to your Laboratory Number Three."

Hyuga Tokuma stood up and continued to report to Yu: "As for the Third Hokage, his attitude is a bit strange. He seems to be very worried about Danzo's actions."

But the Third Hokage is in Konoha, and he can suppress Danzo himself, so why let him infiltrate Root?

Hyuga Tokuma briefly summarized what the Third Hokage had said and presented it to Yu.

After listening, Hyuga Yu did not speculate on the Third Hokage's actions, but simply said:

"The fourth generation will go to the battlefield in two days."

Hyuga Tokuma was initially puzzled, wondering why Yu had brought this up, but then suddenly realized, "The Third Hokage will also go to the battlefield?"

But he still couldn't understand why a retired Hokage had to go to the battlefield.

"Isn't the Hidden Mist battlefield the perfect opportunity to reduce the number of Sarutobi clan members?"

Yu's question made De Jian realize something instantly, and a chill ran down his spine.

That's right. In a war that the Fourth Hokage is destined to win, anyone confident in their strength would want to go to the battlefield and earn some merit.

No one in the Sarutobi clan could have imagined that their clan leader, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would use this as a pretext to reduce the strength of his own clan!

But does Hiruzen Sarutobi have that kind of courage?

Hyuga: "Frontline intelligence indicates that after Jiraiya led the vanguard to provide support, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure has entered the battlefield, and both tailed beasts have been deployed."

"And the renowned strongmen of Kirigakure have gradually appeared on the battlefield, and the front line has even been forced to retreat once. Ordinary ninjas who go in will only become part of the meat grinder."

Regardless of other matters, as far as Yu knows, the Third Generation did not lie about the Second Generation's affairs.

The "clan extermination elimination game" isn't limited to Itachi; he's not the only one in the ninja world to have done it.

Now, the third generation wants to learn from their teacher and do it all over again.

Tokuma's heart grew colder and colder.

The Third Generation likely acted only after knowing this intelligence!

(End of this chapter)