I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 557 If the contact person cannot make a decision, then replacing them with someone who can make decisions is the simplest solution.

In a conference room, two young men who looked remarkably alike looked at the documents in their hands, but their expressions were different.

Hiashi Hyuga, whose forehead was smooth, frowned deeply as he looked at the documents in his hand as if facing a formidable enemy, while Hizashi Hyuga, who was covering his forehead with a headband beside him, had longing in his eyes.

"These conditions."

Hiashi Hyuga looked up at Tatsuma opposite him. Tatsuma's expression remained unchanged, but Hizashi Hyuga's expression changed, and he became tense.

Hyuga Hizashi even hoped that his family would agree to these conditions, even more than Tatsuma did, so that the Caged Bird Seal would truly be a protective measure rather than a means of control.

He knew, of course, that the condition for the branch family to benefit from the division was that the main family was willing to make concessions. If the main family refused to agree to the village's conditions, then no matter how much benefit the branch family could gain after the matter was successfully implemented, it would all be empty talk.

Hyuga Hizashi is terrified, having heard his older brother say things like, "The Hyuga clan would never agree to these conditions," and there's a high probability that Hyuga Hiashi would say such a thing.

After all, although they are brothers, one is from the main family and the other is from the branch family. Hyuga Hiashi was instilled from a young age with the idea that everything within the family should prioritize the main family, and within the main family, the clan head should be the most important.

Moreover, as the future clan leader, Hiashi is undoubtedly the biggest victim of these conditions, so the possibility of him agreeing to them is extremely slim.

Under Hyuga Hizashi's tense gaze, Hyuga Hiashi said, "These conditions are too harsh, and they concern the very foundation of the Hyuga clan. I am not qualified to make a decision."

Tatsuma didn't get angry, and his expression didn't even change much. He calmly said, "It's your problem that you can't make a decision, not mine. The village's conditions won't change just because you're not qualified to make a decision."

If the ninja clan sends someone who is not qualified to make decisions to attend meetings whenever the village makes any decisions, will the village's work not progress?

From the time the message was conveyed until now, a full three days have passed, and all you, Hyuga, have given the village is the answer that you are not qualified to make decisions? This meeting should have been attended by those who are qualified to make decisions.

Since you chose to come, then it's your decision to make it.

"But even if I agree, there will be dissenting voices within the tribe."

"This is your problem, your difficulty, not the village's problem, nor mine. What I need now is your answer to whether you agree or not."

Tatsuma Hyakushu interrupted Hyuga Hiashi, making Hyuga Hiashi, whose face was already pale, even more frustrated. His face turned dark red, he gritted his teeth, and his eyes were unfocused and unfocused as he looked at the documents in his hand.

"What if... what if I don't agree to these conditions?"

He asked in a slightly weak voice. The expected outburst of anger from Tatsuma did not occur. Tatsuma leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms, and calmly said, "Then we'll proceed according to the rules."

"Follow the regulations? How?"

Both Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi looked puzzled. After all, was there any rule about this? Before their Hyuga clan, which other clan had ever been split up?

But Tatsuma said, "If you refuse, then the camp under the Hyuga clan's control will have no right to take any action from the moment you refuse. Konoha will set up a special team as quickly as possible."

"A specialized team?"

"Yes, the special task force will investigate all the actions of the Hyuga clan over the past year, and the village will also disclose the cause, process, and result of this matter to the public in accordance with the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency."

Those responsible for this incident will have their identities and penalties made public for the entire village to monitor and enforce.

After Tatsuma calmly finished speaking, the two Hyuga brothers broke out in a cold sweat. Hyuga Hizashi immediately said, "The village can't do this! The camp commander is the Hyuga clan head."

"And the one who will take over the position and become the new commander is the future head of the Hyuga clan. By doing this, you are undoubtedly letting the position of clan head fall into the hands of someone else, which will cause turmoil throughout the entire Hyuga clan!"

"You're right, but that doesn't explain why the village can't do that."

Tatsuma even crossed his legs, admiring the two brothers' performance. Hyuga Hizashi was so anxious that he stood up, wanting to say something, but was pulled back down to sit by Hyuga Hiashi.

Hiashi Hyuga, noticing the throbbing veins on Tatsuma's forehead, asked, "Does the village really have to do this?"

"No, is it really Hyuga's fault for insisting on this?"

Tatsuma looked at Hiashi Hyuga and said, "The conditions won't change, but the people who agree to them can. Whether it's you or your father, if you're unwilling, the village will find a Hyuga clan leader who is willing to agree to these conditions."

"How could the Hyuga main family possibly agree to such conditions?!"

Hiashi Hyuga glared at Tatsuma, who lazily raised an eyebrow and said, "Sento seems to have a right to inherit as well, doesn't he?"

Instantly, the meeting room fell silent. Even the heavy breathing of the two Hyuga brothers subsided, and they began to breathe cautiously.

Because Tatsuma is right, Hyuga Sento is also a member of the Hyuga main family. If the current clan leader, Hyuga Hideaki, is forced to step down, and Hyuga Hiashi also loses his right to succession, Sento is indeed qualified to compete for the position of clan leader.

It's estimated that the calls for Sento to succeed him will be much stronger than those for other equally qualified successors, because Sento is aligned with the Hokage line.

Moreover, Sento is the only Hyuga clan member who has received much attention since the war began, thanks to his military achievements. In the past year, the public contributions of the entire Hyuga clan have not been as great as those of Sento alone.

In this situation, who would the villagers support as the head of the Hyuga clan? Without a doubt, it would be Hyuga Sento, the one who truly contributed to the village.

This ensures Qian Dou's support outside the clan, but what about within the clan? Once these conditions are announced, all branch families will likely become Qian Dou's supporters and help him take the throne.

Although the final decision on who will succeed as clan leader should be made by the elders, just like when Fugaku Uchiha succeeded to the position, there are far too many things the village can do.

Putting aside everything else, do those clan elders dare to truly offend Tatsuma, the absolute, or even the only, candidate for Fourth Hokage? Because if they dare to choose someone else, the Hyuga clan will inevitably face targeting from the next generation of Konoha's leadership.

This is all predicated on the Hyuga clan being able to choose their successor based on their own will. If the village really wants to interfere, the Hyuga clan won't even have the right to choose a clan head.

Seeing that the two brothers were quiet, Chenma continued, "Or perhaps, the position of clan chief is not necessarily exclusive to the head of the clan. Your clan follows the system of dividing the clan into families, but the village does not."

"If it's beneficial to the village, then what's wrong with dividing the family and having someone become the clan head? You agree, right, Hizashi-senpai? If it were you, you would probably make a wiser decision, wouldn't you?"

Hyuga Hiashi looked at his younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, who subconsciously avoided his brother's gaze. He had to admit that he was very tempted by the conditions offered by the village.

If he could make a decision, he would support the village's idea and agree to the village's conditions. Unfortunately, he couldn't make a decision. Compared to his older brother, he was the one who was truly unqualified.

Hiashi Hyuga had already discerned the answer from his younger brother's evasive gaze. When he turned his head back, he appeared unusually stiff. He sat blankly in his seat, his eyes unfocused.

If he agrees to the conditions offered by the village, the main family will lose its privileges and protection. In fact, the main family members will even have to go to the market to buy groceries and cook for themselves. Such a scenario would be extremely ridiculous for the main family.

If he dares to agree, he will become a sinner of the entire Hyuga main family, someone despised by the entire Hyuga main family. The only benefit, almost none, is for him as the head of the main family.

What if the village's conditions are rejected? Then the patriarch's arrogance and privileges will still vanish without a trace, the branch family can still "fly far away," and he might even lose his status as the clan chief's successor.

No matter how you look at it, the Hyuga main family has become the victim. Unless the village is willing to change the terms, but Tatsuma's attitude is clear: sign it or not, the village will find the "Hyuga clan head" to sign the consent form anyway.

After hesitating for a while, Hiashi Hyuga finally came to his senses, his expression gradually returning to calm. He gave his younger brother a deep look, then turned to Tatsuma and said:

"Investigating Hyuga's mistakes is something the village probably doesn't want to happen, right? The most urgent task is dealing with the collusion between Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure, not internal village power struggles."

If I refuse, and Hyuga comes to a standstill, it will be a huge loss for the village, and could even lead to the war situation spiraling out of control. Am I right?

"indeed."

Tatsuma nodded, making no attempt to hide anything, and said, "I believe you can see that all the village's actions are aimed at ensuring that the war situation does not get out of control, especially since I do not want to cooperate with people whose goals are contrary to mine."

Unfortunately, Hinata couldn't use this to negotiate with the village, because compared to the temporary imbalance in the war situation, he was more intolerant of someone in the village being able to be high and mighty.

The temporary halt is merely a necessary growing pain for Konoha's long-term development. Don't think I will compromise, because I know all too well how arrogant Hyuga will be after gaining merit from this war.

Therefore, I chose to initiate this negotiation while the Hyuga are still "penniless." If you agree, then everyone will be fine, and we can fight together for Konoha. If you refuse...

"Then from today onwards, Hyuga will not have the slightest chance to achieve anything. If you're unwilling to sprout for the sake of new life, then you might as well rot in the mud."

Upon hearing this, Hiashi Hyuga pursed his lips. He dared not gamble that Tatsuma was trying to scare him, since the path forward for the sake of the entire clan was not viable.

He looked up at Tatsuma and said, "Even if I sign these documents, only if I become the head of the Hyuga clan and take control of the entire Hyuga clan can I guarantee that the Hyuga clan will not break the agreement."

Tatsuma smiled and said, "Then I look forward to working with you from now on, Chief Hiashi."

Hiashi Hyuga seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but still nodded and said, "Please take care of me from now on, Fourth Hokage."

Since protecting the privileges of the Hyuga main family is destined to be impossible, then I will protect my own position as clan head.

(End of this chapter)