I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 556 Some people can't even control their own lives, yet they try to control others.

In the Hokage's office in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Tatsuma handling his work with great skill and said, "Tatsuma, I think that since the Hyuga has chosen to compromise, you don't need to investigate any further."

Today, Hyuga Hiashi set off to return to Konoha, but the relevant documents and applications have already been submitted, and Sarutobi Hiruzen can naturally see that this is already a compromise by Hyuga.

The person who is most at odds with Tatsuma is Hyuga Ei. Now that Hyuga Ei has chosen to semi-retire from the upper echelons, it is likely that Hyuga Hiashi will gradually take over Hyuga Ei's power.

Hiashi Hyuga's attitude towards Tatsuma was much better than that of Hyuga Yu. After all, Hyuga Yu had reached the point where she could rely on her seniority, and even if Tatsuma didn't give her face, the others would save face and not let Tatsuma do anything more outrageous.

Hiashi Hyuga is different. He hasn't even become the head of the Hyuga clan yet, and his peers are all supporters of Tatsuma. Therefore, it would be too easy for Tatsuma to make things difficult for him.

It is precisely for this reason that Hiashi Hyuga is now taking over the work of liaising with the village and Tatsuma. This also shows that the Hyuga clan is making concessions, and Hiashi Hyuga is even willing to accept it as long as Tatsuma does not make things too difficult for him.

"Lord Hokage, you jest. I never intended to delve into anything. I have always approached the Hyuga clan with a cooperative and mutually beneficial attitude. However, I am but a nobody, and my voice is not as powerful as that of a clan with such a deep-rooted heritage as the Hyuga."

Although Tatsuma's words still carried a hint of sarcasm, he made it clear that he wasn't unwilling to compromise. He would naturally welcome the Hyuga clan if they also adopted a cooperative and mutually beneficial mindset.

Of course, the conditions for the win-win cooperation starting now are different from those when Tatsuma actively sought it. Before, Tatsuma was willing to make concessions, but now it's the Hyuga clan's turn to make concessions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pursed his lips and asked, "What do you think the Hyuga clan should do in the future to best benefit the village?"

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma raised an eyebrow. Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to advise him on how much profit to extract from the Hyuga clan.

"People used to say that the Uchiha clan was like a wanderer outside Konoha, but isn't the Hyuga clan the same? It's just that one of them is only superficial, while the other is hidden deep in their hearts."

However, the Uchiha clan realized their mistake and chose to increase communication and strengthen cooperation with the village, so the Hyuga clan naturally could not continue as before.

After Tatsuma finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. The Uchiha clan had paid a considerable price to strengthen cooperation with the village.

The Uchiha clan gave up all of their Fire Release techniques in exchange for the opportunity to allow Tenka to infiltrate the inner circle of the Hokage faction. Then, in order to strengthen cooperation, they eliminated all the clan members who opposed the Hokage faction.

They also relinquished the core family businesses to the village in a nominee arrangement, thus forging a strong bond of interests with the village. In the end, to ensure the stability of the cooperation and prevent its disruption, they even killed a portion of their clansmen.

When the war broke out, the Uchiha clan, without hesitation, mustered almost all of their combat-ready members and rushed to the battlefield.

Even Fugaku Uchiha, as the clan leader, almost missed the birth of his son because of the war. This kind of do-or-die determination is unmatched by other ninja clans.

Of course, other ninja clans are not in as awkward a situation as the Uchiha clan was back then, unless they are like the Hyuga clan now, with something the village has incriminating against them, and the village wants to get rid of the Hyuga clan.

However, it's hard to say whether the Hyuga clan is willing to offer so many benefits in exchange, since unlike the Ino-Shika-Cho and Inuzuka clans, the Hyuga clan doesn't have its own core industry.

Furthermore, the Hyuga clan is not considered a wealthy ninja clan. Instead, they are more traditional, supporting the entire clan by accepting commissions from ninjas, with only a few non-irreplaceable industries.

It's unlikely that they'll get any real money from the Hyuga clan. Even if Tatsuma wanted it, they probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

Since there's no money, what about people? It's the same reason as before: the Hyuga clan's system is that all the Hyuga ninja support the clan itself; people are their money, and wanting people means wanting their money.

Therefore, the Hyuga clan could not accept the demand that some Hyuga ninjas break away from the clan and become independent, since the Hyuga clan did not even have the freedom to marry, making them even more conservative than the Uchiha clan.

Although the Uchiha clan valued the Sharingan, they never stopped intermarriage with outsiders. However, the Hyuga clan truly practiced internal intermarriage to maintain the purity of their bloodline.

At the same time, the system of separate branches of the Hyuga clan and the existence of the Caged Bird Seiryu are also important reasons why the Hyuga clan is inseparable.

If a branch family ninja is taken away by the village and required to be independent, what happens if the village asks these independent branch family members to do something detrimental or disrespectful to the Hyuga main family?

After all, no matter how much a person follows the rules, there will be times when they break them unconsciously. For example, if an independent branch family member catches a member of the Hyuga main family dining and dashing and refuses to let him leave, how should the Hyuga family handle it?

If the Hyuga main family doesn't stop it, then they are trampling on the system of main and branch families. After one or two times, all the branch families will yearn to become independent Hyuga ninjas, and the impact will be no less than the collapse of the traditional social order.

What if we try to stop it? Then this matter will escalate. What might have started as a simple matter of eating two bowls of noodles and paying for only one bowl could, with a little manipulation, turn into a serious incident of Hyuga violently defying the village.

Moreover, even if the Hyuga clan agrees to allow some branch family members to leave independently, would the village really feel comfortable using them?

Especially for confidential matters, how can we ensure that these secrets are not known to the main family?

Or is it that after much back and forth, they only want to recruit some members of the Hyuga branch family, and then assign them some basic, non-classified tasks? Who would do such a losing business?

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tatsuma and bluntly asked, "If the Hyuga clan really makes concessions as they wish, what are your plans?"

Tatsuma said, "I have only one idea for the future of the Hyuga clan: that the Hyuga clan cannot be united either in terms of consciousness or material resources."

The Hyuga main family can continue to be idle, but at least within Konoha, there will be no Hyuga branch family members to serve them. From now on, if the Hyuga main family wants to survive, they will have to earn their living through their own efforts, just like other members of the village.

I don't mind them exploiting the branch family members, but the Hyuga branch family can do more for the village instead of staying in the main family to serve tea and water to the patriarchs. Anyone can do those things themselves.

Surely not everyone in the Hyuga main family has lost the ability to take care of themselves?

"Are you stationed abroad year-round?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly understood Tatsuma's meaning, and soon he also realized the danger of Tatsuma's idea, and the danger it posed to the Hyuga main family.

It's not just that the clan leaders have to shed their haughty airs and live like normal people; this kind of suppression on appearances is merely superficial.

On a deeper level, it aims to erode the respect that the branch families of the Hyuga clan have for the main family. This may not be apparent in the short term, but what if it takes a long time? What if it extends to the next generation, and the generation after that?

The Hyuga branch family is now accustomed to living on their knees. Those living in the Hyuga clan have no right to choose any other way of life, because the Caged Bird will punish every instance of disrespect shown to the main family.

However, this wouldn't happen if they stayed away from the Hyuga clan. In places where the Hyuga main family couldn't monitor them, they could freely say disrespectful things about the main family. At the same time, their descendants wouldn't be instilled from a young age with the idea that they were born to serve the main family.

It will only take two generations at most for the Caged Bird Seal to become a mere decoration, because by then the Hyuga main family will have lost the right to use the Caged Bird Seal as a weapon.

Perhaps the curse mark of the caged bird is still there, but would the main family still dare to cast the curse at that time?

A gun with only ten bullets might intimidate a hundred people who are used to obedience, but what if it's used against a group of unruly people?

One shot kills one person, ten shots kill ten people, but can you intimidate them within those ten shots?

Every time a bullet kills someone, its deterrent effect increases, but the number of bullets in the magazine decreases, thus reducing the deterrent effect.

The Hyuga main family can easily kill a branch family member who disrespects the main family by casting a curse, but what about a group of branch families? Can they control them all at the same time?

Moreover, would the main family of the Hyuga clan dare to kill so many branch families? After all, the branch families are the most important asset of the main family.

The result of this stalemate is that they first coexist, then separate in pursuit of a more equal status. The main family continues to make concessions, and after one or two generations, even the caged bird may lose its lineage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned in thought. This matter was undoubtedly only detrimental to the Hyuga main family, but what about the village? It was a mixed bag.

The loss of control over a caged bird also means that the white eye may be leaked, and the white eye plays a very important role on the battlefield.

If Tatsuma's idea is implemented, other ninja villages will also have Byakugan ninjas within a hundred years. However, given Tatsuma's abilities, it is possible that by then there will be no other ninja villages that can pose a threat to Konoha.

After pondering for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "Then you should try to persuade Hyuga. Reach an agreement as soon as possible and don't delay the war."

The village is going to be managed by Tatsuma anyway. This old man can stop Tatsuma for a while, but as long as Tatsuma's ideas don't change much, Tatsuma will eventually continue to promote this idea.

Rather than expending effort to stop it, I'd rather... after I'm dead, who cares if the world is flooded?

Konoha has only been established for a few decades, yet countless things have already happened that he could not have predicted. Especially in recent years, with the rapid advancement of technology, perhaps in a few more years, the Byakugan's function will be replaced by something else?

At that time, being scorned wouldn't be so important. Even if it were to flow out, there wouldn't be much loss. Who knows what will happen a hundred years later?

Human beings have only had control over their own bodies for a few decades. To expect to control a century-long situation is simply worrying unnecessarily. Trust the young people; they will find a way.

(End of this chapter)