Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Hiashi Hyuga picked up his teacup, drank the warm tea in one gulp, quenching his somewhat dry throat while trying to quell the intense excitement in his heart.

"Hizashi, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain! Overthrowing the Third Hokage is just the beginning. Hyuga... will break free of the Caged Bird Curse sooner or later!!!"

[60. Chapter Sixty has no 'roots' left! (Seeking votes! Seeking investment!)]

"Are Hiashi Hyuga and Sogen Uchiha still at Shochiku-tei?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Do you know what they're talking about?

"Your subordinate is incompetent."

The members of the Dark Division lowered their heads deeply.

eavesdropping on the conversation of the Hyuga and Uchiha clan leaders, even someone with their toenail could tell how absurd this was. Of course, since it was the Hokage who was asking the questions, they could only blame the Anbu for their poor performance!

This is Konoha Hospital.

After the meeting adjourned, the Third Hokage did not return to his office or the Sarutobi clan's home. Instead, he went to Konoha Hospital and entered the ward where Hokage Danzo Shimura was assisting him. He came to visit his old friend who was irreversibly heading towards death.

"Go down!"

The third generation waved his hand, his annoyance barely concealed.

The Anbu, as if granted a pardon, withdrew, leaving the ward to the Third Hokage and the two elders... Oh, and there was also the Hokage, Danzo Shimura, who was still clinging to life!

That's right,

Not long after the Third Hokage arrived at Konoha Hospital, the two elders, who followed him like shadows, also arrived! The Konoha F4 reunited in this spacious and luxurious hospital room once again!

"Damn it! Uchiha Munen, Hyuga Hiashi, those two bastards!!!"

After the secret service officers withdrew, Koharu Yotsuna angrily cursed aloud.

"Xiaochun, calm down. Even if you curse here for a whole day and night, it won't do any good. Instead of wasting your energy and time, you should calm down and discuss how to resolve this trouble." Mitokado Homura was also in a bad mood, but he was still able to maintain a sense of rationality and calmness.

Xiaochun, who was turning over in her dorm, kept a straight face and stopped talking.

"Sarutobi".

Mitokado Homura looked at the Third Hokage, who was standing by the window, puffing on his pipe and showing no regard for the patient lying on the bed, and asked, "What are your plans? Hiashi Hyuga and Munen Uchiha are making blatant contact. If they are not punished, the situation will only get out of control!"

“The Hyuga clan has been making extensive contacts with families of all sizes in the village since last month.”

The Third Hokage held his pipe in his hand and calmly said, "According to the Anbu's investigation, all the families that have had contact with the Hyuga clan have been experiencing varying degrees of unrest these days. However, the Anbu has not yet figured out what the Hyuga clan is trying to do. I originally thought that the village's troubles lay with the Uchiha... but now it seems that these powerful clans are all destabilizing factors. In their eyes, the clan is above the village. This time, I was careless!"

As long as he is in power, the Hokage is the core of power in the village.

Nine out of ten things that happen in Konoha Village cannot escape the Hokage's careful investigation, let alone the Third Hokage, who has served the longest!

However, having held power for so long, he became increasingly careless without even realizing it. Instead of thoroughly investigating the obvious unusual movements of the Hyuga clan, he continued to focus his efforts on plotting against the Uchiha, which allowed the Hyuga clan to take advantage of the situation.

"Stop spouting useless nonsense, Sarutobi. What we need to know is what you plan to do. Only then can we help you." Mitokado Homura was dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's indirect answer. Usually, it was one thing for everyone to speak in riddles and beat around the bush.

The problem is that now is not the time to waste time.

We don't yet know what kind of trouble will arise when Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Muneaki meet. We must take action before they do, only in this way can we nip the danger in the bud.

"Why not just eliminate Uchiha Mugen and Hyuga Hiashi?"

Xiaochun suddenly suggested it when she was changing dorm rooms.

"Kill Uchiha Sogen and Hyuga Hiashi?"

Mitokado Homura frowned. If it could be done, it would certainly be a good idea, extinguishing the flames at the source. As for the potential for a Uchiha rebellion, that could be avoided. When Uchiha Mugen was alive, Uchiha Fugaku would naturally not do anything outrageous.

However, if we kill Uchiha Mugen and then use the village's righteousness and the survival of the Uchiha clan as bait, we should be able to appease the Uchiha clan with the help of Uchiha Fugaku.

As for Hyuga

To be honest, he wasn't worried at all. Given the nature of the Hyuga main family, if Hyuga Hiashi died, there was a high chance that no one would come to avenge him. They would only fight each other to the death for the position of clan leader.

The crucial problem, however, is that Mitokado Homura couldn't calculate how many people would be needed to defeat Uchiha Munen and Hyuga Hiashi. Sending too few people would likely give them ammunition, while sending too many would make it difficult to conceal their movements unless they had a suitable excuse or reason...

"Danzo, if only you could still move right now!"

The Third Hokage walked to Danzo's bedside, looked at his emaciated old friend who looked like a demon, and sighed softly.

Upon hearing what the third generation said,

After a few seconds of silence, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu nodded in agreement. Indeed, if Danzo were still alive, they wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to scheme against Uchiha Munen and Hyuga Hiashi; Danzo would have readily taken on the role of the villain.

Unfortunately, Danzo never rose to power.

Lying motionless on the hospital bed like a zombie, unable to open its eyes or mouth, it was as if it were dead, even though it was still clinging to life.

"Sarutobi..."

Xiaochun, who was turning over to her dorm, didn't finish her sentence.

"Yan, Koharu, Hyuga Hiashi, and Uchiha Sogen are too selfish and disregard the interests of the village. They only care about their clans and not Konoha. In order to prevent them from causing greater harm to the village, I am prepared to eliminate them with swift and decisive measures, even if... we will have to pay a heavy price for it!"

The third generation has made a decision.

The contact between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans was something he never expected. The Hyuga clan had always tried to compete with the Uchiha clan for the title of the number one clan in Konoha. Although the two clans were not irreconcilable enemies, they were by no means friends. At most, they would cooperate on the battlefield, but back in the village, they would always keep to themselves.

but,

Ultimately, he didn't expect that the hatred hidden in Hiashi Hyuga's heart had not subsided to this day!

If the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were to truly join forces, the Third Hokage didn't even want to think about the consequences... To avoid that unpleasant future, he decided to take a gamble. There is no such thing as adequate preparation; preparation is never sufficient.

"We should have done it this way from the beginning!"

"Turn to bed," Xiaochun said resentfully.

The third generation head shook his head upon hearing this. Regret at this point was pointless; it would only highlight his past mistakes.

"Sarutobi, you're going to..." Mitokado Homura was about to ask which unit the Third Hokage was going to mobilize when he caught sight of Danzo out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. "Root! Sarutobi, are you planning to use Root to deal with Uchiha Sogen and Hyuga Hiashi?"

"There are no roots left. Konoha only has one Anbu!"

The third generation replied in a deep voice.

If Danzo still had the strength to jump up, upon hearing the Third Hokage's words, he would definitely be so angry that he would jump up and fight Sarutobi. Sarutobi was a trusted elite he had spent so many years cultivating, but after he fell, he was completely taken over by the Third Hokage!

Furthermore, they planned to use this group of people to eliminate Uchiha Sogen and Hyuga Hiashi at any cost.

Even if the plan succeeds,

One can imagine the enormous losses that would result!

[Chapter 61. Faint Thunder, Overcast Sky (Seeking Votes! Seeking Investment!)]

The situation in Konoha is far more complex than anything White Zetsu had investigated. Even Obito Uchiha never expected that the Kirigakure envoy would have such a significant impact on Konoha. It seems that Konoha itself is about to start fighting before the Kirigakure army even lands on the Land of Fire.

"You mean the people from 'Root' have taken action?"

In a park in the center of the village, Obito Uchiha, who had used the Transformation Technique, sat on a bench. After listening to Zetsu's latest report, he sneered twice, "As expected of Konoha, they never forget internal strife! Root, Root's forces have begun to move... But Danzo's appearance doesn't seem like a disguise, which means that the one controlling Root now isn't Danzo... Is it the Third Hokage?"

Based on the intelligence he had, he quickly deduced the truth of the matter.

"So, who is Root's target? Uchiha Sōgen?"

"It was Uchiha Mugen and Hyuga Hiashi. My clone infiltrated Root. Luckily Danzo wasn't there, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to get in."

Bai Jue said with a chuckle.

His disguise technique can absorb the target's chakra and transform it into the same chakra as before. Even the most familiar people or those with sensory abilities cannot recognize the disguises of the White Zetsu clones. However, the problem is that Danzo planted cursed seals on his subordinates.

The cursed seal is a foreign type of chakra originating from outside. White Zetsu's disguise technique cannot transform the cursed seal along with it. Moreover, if it were to transform it, wouldn't it mean that it would be under Danzo's control?

Therefore,

It is very difficult for White Zetsu clones to infiltrate an organization controlled by a method similar to the Cursed Seal.

Furthermore, most White Zetsu aren't particularly strong in combat. At best, they could infiltrate and gather intelligence, cause minor chaos, and with luck, might assassinate one or two powerful individuals. However, it's clear that neither Obito nor Zetsu were relying on such a low-probability event. Assassinating ninjas isn't easy, especially highly skilled ones…

"Hyuga Hiashi? Hmph! Konoha!!!"

Obito Uchiha shook his head, not taking Hyuga seriously at all. "This is a good thing! If we can use this opportunity to force out Uchiha Sogen's Mangekyou Sharingan ability, or at least deplete his eye power as much as possible, that would be a good result." As for the outcome, not knowing Uchiha Sogen's abilities, he dared not predict the result.

But regardless of winning or losing, it's all free money for him.

"The real show hasn't even started yet, has it?"

Obito Uchiha stood up.

"Not yet! But the people from Root have already gone to that restaurant called Songzhuting. Uchiha Sogen and Hyuga Hiashi are having a secret meeting there. They should start fighting soon. If you want to watch the show, you can go now."

White Zetsu answered Obito Uchiha's questions in a rambling manner.

Pine and Bamboo Pavilion?

Obito Uchiha rummaged through his dusty memories. Luckily, he knew of this place. It was a well-established shop in Konoha with a history of over thirty years. Of course, Obito, who was just a loser in the past, had never been to such a place. He had only seen it many times when he passed by from the outside.

The shop was located in the southwest corner of the village.

It's located somewhere between the bustling area of ​​the village and the forest, and the closest large family there seems to be the Hyuga clan.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Pine and Bamboo Pavilion

After Zongxian and Hyuga Hiashi finalized their collaboration, they discussed some details, which took quite a while to come to an end. After finishing their business, it was time for tea and a break. Songzhuting is a famous high-end restaurant in Konoha, and of course, it's not just known for its elegant dining environment.

The quality of the food is the foundation of any restaurant.

However, Zongxian had only enjoyed the appetizer and hadn't yet witnessed the follow-up of Songzhuting's signature tea cuisine when the murderous intent, as conspicuous as a bonfire in the dark night, made him sigh and had to put down his chopsticks!

"Our Hokage is too impatient. Can't he wait until I finish eating?"

Zongxian's complaints were naturally useless.

With a livid face, Hiashi Hyuga opened his Byakugan and looked at the uninvited guests wearing masks who came from all directions, forming an impenetrable encirclement. His heart sank uncontrollably.

This formation,

This is really going to be a disaster!

"Zong Xian!"

"Chieftain."