I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 108 Hyuga Split

Leaf.

This day was like an earthquake, but upon reflection, everyone realized that the Hyuga clan split up during this upheaval, part of the Uchiha clan's territory was occupied, and Danzo was suspended from his post.

For the village, Konoha's second-largest clan can be said to have officially disintegrated and split into two groups, falling directly from the top of the elite clans to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Although the Hyuga clan after the split, whether it's the branch family or the main family, is stronger than the Ino-Shika-Cho single family, it's no longer as overwhelmingly powerful as it once was, and its strength is only limited.

Currently, the Uchiha clan is the only top-tier clan in Konoha, but they have always been marginalized.

It seems that only the village's higher-ups benefited, as the split within the Hyuga clan signified that the rulers' control over the village had become even stronger.

The Hokage Meeting Room.

Sarutobi smoked his pipe until noon, when the turmoil was finally brought under control, and he summoned all those involved.

The head of the Hyuga main family, Hyuga Hiashi, and the elders, along with Hyuga Hizashi from the branch family, arrived, along with Uchiha Yoru, the captain of the seventh squad who was ordered to act during this turmoil.

The person in question sat upright in front, but the Hyuga branch family and the main family seemed to be clearly separated, sitting on either side, while in the very center were Uchiha Yoru, the captain of Orochimaru's seventh division, and the head of the Uchiha clan.

The heads of various clans and the Jonin from Konoha Village were also present; this time, almost all the power of Konoha's high-ranking officials was gathered.

This time, Konoha's top F4 were missing the important Shimura Danzo. Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru kept his head down, making it impossible for others to tell what he was thinking.

"Since you're all here, let's talk about how to resolve this matter."

After exhaling a cloud of smoke, the Third Hokage looked around at everyone with a dignified expression, then asked them a question in a seemingly inquiring manner. At the peak of his ninja career, his aura was still extremely terrifying, directly overwhelming everyone.

In the oppressive and somber atmosphere, after a long silence, Uchiha Yoru lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice.

"Third Hokage, I only received orders from Orochimaru-sensei, and these orders were issued in the name of Root. As a member of Konoha, I carried them out almost without thinking. This was my mistake!"

First, he offered a heartfelt and sincere apology, then Uchiha Yoru solemnly declared, "From this day forward, I, Uchiha Yoru, will definitely learn from this lesson. Any order issued by Root, even if it is in the name of Orochimaru-sensei, I will carefully consider it! If I am unable to make a decision, I will inform the Hokage immediately."

Uchiha Yoru's voice echoed in the conference room. This was the first time that the Konoha high-ranking officials had seen this recently controversial figure. Beneath Uchiha's unique handsome appearance, he was less arrogant and more approachable. However, his sincere apology made those who understood secretly curse the little fox.

What apology? This is clearly shirking responsibility, completely absolving yourself of all blame, and even dragging others into the mess.

After Uchiha Yoru spoke, the Uchiha clan head Fugaku also put on a stern face and said in a stiff voice, "The Uchiha clan's territory is indeed quite large, which seems to have attracted the envy of some people. At the same time, even though the Uchiha have moved to the edge of the village's forest, some people are still not at ease and have even sent the Hyuga branch family to monitor them."

"The Uchiha clan's territory welcomes all Konoha ninja to reside here. After all, Lord Danzo personally allocated a large portion of land to the Uchiha!"

Fugaku Uchiha's words were barbed and sarcastic, directly revealing the Hokage's targeting and distrust, and even implying sarcasm: "You're not at ease? I'll just open up the clan territory, come on."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage coughed lightly twice, glancing subtly at Fugaku, and pondered inwardly. Perhaps Danzo's Root organization had actually done a good thing this time, dividing the Hyuga clan while simultaneously planting a spies within the Uchiha clan—truly killing two birds with one stone.

Has the Hyuga branch family sided with Orochimaru? In his eyes, Orochimaru is his disciple, so is this disguised sword something he can use?

"Ahem, I understand that the Uchiha clan head is somewhat angry. After all, Root did indeed go too far in this matter. On behalf of Danzo, I apologize to the Uchiha clan and am willing to compensate them."

The Third Hokage, a seasoned political veteran, appeased the Uchiha clan with a single sentence, without paying a cent, perfectly demonstrating what it means to get something for nothing.

Hyuga Hizashi coughed lightly, instantly drawing everyone's attention. This time, everyone was filled with curiosity, after all, this was the protagonist.

Hyuga Hizashi calmly met everyone's gazes, and then began to speak in a calm and composed tone.

"Everyone, I won't go into the details of how long the Hyuga branch family's Caged Bird fate has been. The Caged Bird has troubled the branch family for so many years, and every generation has had members of the branch family who are unwilling to be enslaved by fate and have been secretly accumulating strength to resist..."

Hyuga Hizashi began to slowly recount the tragic fate of the branch family, as if telling a story, causing everyone to frown. Indeed, the fate of the branch family was quite tragic.

"Finally! Some time ago, we branch family members made a breakthrough in our century-long struggle against our fate. We broke the caged bird's destiny, and we are overjoyed! But we are also afraid. We branch family are afraid of how to get along with the main family, whether to go to war, and whether the Hyuga clan will decline or perish?"

"Although the karmic feud between the main family and the branch family has lasted for over a hundred years, we are all Hyuga! We are all of the same bloodline, so we chose to escape the cage. In order to survive, we turned to Root. You all know what happened next. Lord Orochimaru, the vice-head of Root who inherited the Will of Fire, enthusiastically helped us."

Seeing Hyuga Hizashi's grateful expression, everyone secretly cursed him, thinking, "What nonsense! What 'eager to help you'? There's clearly something wrong with what he's saying."

You broke free from your cage after separating from your family? Nobody would believe that.

And Orochimaru, whom you mentioned, is currently at the border. Furthermore, the orders issued last night were carried out by Root. Although Orochimaru has the authority to do so, it's clear that no one believes him.

Even some intelligent people narrowed their eyes as they listened to Hyuga Hizashi's explanation, as if the whole thing was connected in their minds.

The Root family cracked the Caged Bird Seal and then used the feud between the main family and the branch family to directly split the Hyuga clan. What Orochimaru? In this upheaval, Orochimaru was probably just someone who researched the Caged Bird Seal.

By splitting the Hyuga clan and causing the branch family to relocate, they then turned around and took advantage of the Uchiha clan. He was another perfect spy, tsk tsk, such methods are clearly something only Danzo could come up with.

Hyuga Hizashi didn't mention Shimura Danzo at all, but everyone attributed it all to this high-ranking official hidden in the shadows of Konoha.

The darkness of Konoha! It truly lives up to its reputation! At this moment, all the Jonin who thought of this felt a chill in their hearts, while the major clans became even more wary. Danzo was too ruthless; they had to be careful in the future.

After Hizashi finished speaking, he solemnly performed a Shigeza (a form of kowtow) on Fugaku Uchiha, his forehead slamming heavily into the ground.

"Clan Head Uchiha! I am deeply sorry for this! But the Hyuga branch family truly had no other choice. Please forgive us, Clan Head Fugaku!"

Good grief, you not only occupied part of someone else's territory, but also monitored them, and then you ask for their forgiveness?

At this moment, everyone looked at Uchiha Fugaku with pity. If they didn't forgive him, it would be heartless, and the Uchiha's reputation would be even worse. If they agreed, they would not only lose territory but also be monitored. For a moment, Uchiha Fugaku pretended to have a grim and ugly face.

"Hehe, in my opinion, Hizashi, you should lead your clansmen to stay here for the time being. We can discuss the clan land later. As for the Uchiha clan, the village will definitely compensate them."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, managed to seize the opportunity. He appeared to be smiling and trying to resolve the matter peacefully, but he was actually quite cunning. The Hyuga branch family's presence on Uchiha territory served as a check and balance, as well as a surveillance force. This time, he couldn't help but want to give Danzo a thumbs up. Well done!

However, Fugaku Uchiha felt extremely frustrated, but inwardly he sneered, thinking that this time the Uchiha clan was likely to win.

Fugaku Uchiha snorted in frustration. Although he did not agree, he had no choice but to accept it. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he thought of something else. Orochimaru now had the power of the Hyuga clan's branch family. It seemed that the Fifth Hokage was determined to get it.

However, Fugaku Uchiha was unaware that the Konoha leadership had already devised a plan to deal with Orochimaru.

"Thank you, Clan Chief Fugaku! Thank you, Hokage-sama!"

Hyuga Hizashi respectfully thanked the two, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He and Fugaku had the same thought: in his heart, Root had been made to take the blame this time, and from now on they could only rely on Orochimaru.

Everyone was plotting. The Uchiha and Hyuga branch families shared the same goal: to have Orochimaru take over. However, the Hokage faction believed that with Orochimaru out of the picture, the Hyuga branch family would be their tool, their eyes and ears, used to monitor and check the Uchiha clan.

Finally, regarding the Hyuga main clan, the Third Hokage feigned a worried expression, shook his head, and sighed, "This is originally a matter of the Hyuga clan's internal affairs, and I shouldn't interfere. However, I still don't want to see the Hyuga clan turning against each other. I wonder what the Hyuga clan head thinks?"

At this moment, everyone looked towards the Hyuga main family. The elders of the main family had extremely ugly expressions, and Hyuga Hiashi, barely suppressing his anger, gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "The Hyuga main family and the branch family are connected by blood, and we do not want to see rivers of blood flowing! But Hokage-sama, has Root overstepped its bounds this time?!"

They've come at us!

They went straight to the point, which is the answer everyone is concerned about and all the major families want to know: whether the Konoha leadership will really interfere in family affairs. If this happens once, it will happen again.

Each family silently looked at the third generation of families. If they were not given a satisfactory answer this time, they would probably band together for warmth when facing certain methods from the Konoha leadership, such as the removal of members from Root.

At this moment, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, frowned and looked at everyone with a solemn expression, saying in a deep voice, "Everyone! I really didn't know about the Hyuga clan's internal affairs this time, let alone that Root was involved. As soon as I found out, I suspended Danzo Shimura from his duties and is now under investigation."

"And didn't Hizashi just say that the Konoha leadership has never interfered with the Caged Bird incident? I can guarantee that."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been blatantly lying, stood up and solemnly bowed to the main branch of the Hyuga clan, expressing his apology: "As for Root's secret instigation of the Hyuga branch family, I will definitely investigate to the end and make Danzo give the Hyuga clan an explanation!"

Good heavens, Sarutobi's methods are incredibly smooth. Danzo takes the blame for all the bad guys, while Sarutobi himself appears all magnanimous and righteous.

"I hereby solemnly declare!"

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed the aura of a ninja hero. A powerful pressure of chakra swept through the entire meeting room. He declared resolutely in a deep voice, "Aside from my identity as Hokage, I am also the head of the Sarutobi clan. The rules of Konoha cannot be violated! No one can interfere in the internal affairs of any clan before they break the village's regulations! Not even me!"

This can be considered a solemn declaration from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi: this matter ends here and he will never do it again.

Everyone understands that this is a guarantee; if the higher-ups dare to interfere again, then a crisis of trust will arise among the major families.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, led Konoha to victory in the Ninja World Wars one after another. Although he suffered three defeats and was driven into the Land of Fire, for which he resigned once, it must be said that no one in Konoha has ever had the prestige of the Third Hokage.

This solemn guarantee is credible.

For a moment, all the representatives of the clans fell silent. In their judgment, even if the Hyuga clan's actions were not the work of the Konoha leadership, the Hokage had probably chosen to remain silent. In the end, Danzo took the blame, and the three representatives expressed their stance, which they reluctantly accepted.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage was cursing Danzo in his heart. "Danzo, you've made me clean up your mess again. If it weren't for how well you did this time, I would have punished you severely."

Looking at this situation, Uchiha Yoru lowered his head, but his heart was filled with joy.

With what happened today, it will be much more difficult for the Konoha leadership to deal with the Uchiha clan in the future. After all, if they were to deal with the Uchiha again, what happened today would be a blatant slap in the face.

And then there's the Hyuga branch family. Thinking of this, Uchiha Yoru sneered even more. This sword wasn't prepared for your Konoha high-ups, but for himself.

The Hyuga main family members were all incredibly frustrated. They were the ones who suffered the most. Hizashi had said that it was their branch family that had broken the Caged Bird Seal, even though they all knew it was nonsense. But what could they do?

This is a family matter for the Hyuga clan. They can either accept the Hokage's mediation or resolve it in their own way. After all, there has been a rule since the founding of Konoha that the village cannot interfere in the internal affairs of any clan unless the clan violates the village's rules.

Right now, the Hyuga main family will either choose to start a war within themselves, resulting in bloodshed, and regardless of the outcome, the decline of the Hyuga clan is certain.

They could either swallow this bitter pill and at least preserve the strength of the main family, and if they focused on developing their strength in silence for several decades, they would have a chance to recover to their current level.

Similarly, the Third Hokage remained unmoved, saying either the Hyuga main family would accept it, or they would simply abandon the matter and let the others fight it out themselves.

Ninjas aren't just about fighting and killing; at their level, they've become adept at understanding human relationships and social dynamics.

"Hiashi!" The elder of the Hyuga clan spoke in a hoarse voice, looking much older than before. It was clear that the blow he had suffered was too great, and he was exhausted.

When Hiashi Hyuga saw the elder's exhausted and weak appearance, he showed a complicated expression.

"Hiashi, I entrust the task of restoring the prestige of the Hyuga main family to you. Do not let the branch family overshadow the main family."

After offering a weak word of comfort, the Hyuga Elder stood up abruptly, his face flushed, and roared, "Hyuga main family! Branch family! We are bound by blood! The caged bird is not a so-called destiny, but protection! Now that the branch family has decided to leave, the main family still remembers our brotherhood!"

"Hyuga main family! May the branch family enjoy great success in the future!"

This loud shout almost used up the last of the Hyuga elder's strength. His face was flushed and his eyes were red. This was humiliation!

However, everyone was filled with admiration. This elder had endured all the humiliation and chosen to let the head of the family continue to shoulder the burden. This elder was also a dying man, almost exhausted.

(End of this chapter)