Uchiha's personal opinion

"The troops of Jonin Shinnosuke, commander of the Northern Border Defense Force, are about to arrive at the village! The Hokage is preparing to go out of the village to greet them!"

"The team of Jonin Mimura Hasumaki, commander of the western border defense forces, is about to arrive at the village! Lord Sakumo is among them!"

The Hyuga clan chief felt an even bigger headache coming on.

"Gentlemen... let's go out and greet the generals as well..."

The commanders of the three different border armies arrived in the village at roughly the same time, and the Hyuga clan chief feared that they would start fighting each other on the spot.

"...How about we invite more people to come together?"

Chief Inuzuka proposed.

The Hyuga clan chief nodded silently.

Chapter 185 The Debate on Ideologies and Strategies

When the Hyuga clan leader arrived at the gates of Konoha, he happened to see the smiling Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walking out surrounded by a group of Anbu members.

"Lord Hokage!"

The Hyuga clan leader greeted the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He also noticed that not far away, a group of Uchiha ninja clad in red armor were lined up in formation.

"It's been a long time..."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, responded with a chuckle: "Peace has always been our greatest aspiration, hasn't it?"

This particularly abrupt and pointed remark left the Hyuga clan leader unsure how to respond, so he could only force a smile and remain silent.

The first to appear was Uchiha Tokumitsu's team.

Although he already knew the itinerary, the Hyuga clan chief was still somewhat uneasy, fearing that the two sides would start fighting right at the village entrance.

"This is……"

Thanks to the Byakugan's enhanced vision, the Hyuga clan leader noticed the headband-less ninjas in Uchiha Tokumitsu's group.

"Hozuki, Minazuki... the two great Mizukage families of Kirigakure..."

The Hyuga clan leader was secretly alarmed.

His gaze fell upon another group of ninjas wearing vests, their faces showing some unease.

"And the Kaguya clan..."

Despite their vastly different personalities, the Kaguya clan was an ally of the Hyuga clan during the Warring States period, and it is said that the two clans also had some distant blood ties.

However, after the era of the ninja villages, the relationship between the two clans gradually faded because they belonged to different ninja villages.

After being lost in thought for a while, the Hyuga clan leader was brought back to his senses amidst a commotion.

Surrounded by a group of heavily armored Uchiha ninja, Uchiha Tokumitsu walked with a broad smile toward the gates of Konoha.

The ninja forces of the three Hidden Mist Clans under his command dispersed in the rear, seemingly not intending to enter the village, but rather to camp outside it.

"Thank you for your hard work, Deguang-kun~"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spoke with a broad smile.

Good day, Hokage!

Uchiha Tokumitsu bowed slightly as well, saying, "This is the duty of a Konoha ninja, and it doesn't deserve the word 'hardship'."

Seeing the two interacting so harmoniously, the Konoha ninjas around them couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as the top officials of both sides do not publicly break off relations, it means there is still room for maneuver.

"Lord Deguang, that is..."

With a broad smile, the Third Hokage raised his chin, gesturing to the ninja forces of the three Hidden Mist clans in the distance.

These ninja soldiers, who came from powerful clans in Kirigakure, did not wear Konoha headbands, nor did they have the slashed insignia of rogue ninjas. They were simply wearing Konoha ninja vests with only the Uchiha fan emblem.

"The remnants of the three clans hidden in the mist."

Uchiha Tokumitsu also smiled broadly, "The survival of the ninja clan is of paramount importance, isn't it?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, seemed about to say something more, but at that moment, two teams appeared in the distance.

Appearing from the north is Sarutobi Shinnosuke, a member of the northern border defense force.

The western border defense force discovered was led by Mimura Yomaki and returning from an inspection tour by Hatake Sakumo.

The Hyuga clan leader looked intently and spotted a familiar face chatting and laughing with Sakumo Hatake in his group.

It was Uchiha Hamon of the Northwest Border Defense Force.

Now, the five generals of the Land of Fire and the four border army commanders have all returned.

……

After a lengthy and elaborate welcoming ceremony, Uchiha Tokumitsu strode into the village, surrounded by his clansmen.

"Lord Deguang".

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, called out to him, "If it's alright, let's take a walk and talk."

All eyes were on Uchiha Tokumitsu.

Sakumo Hatake looked somewhat haggard, but he also looked at Tokumitsu Uchiha, who had a surprised expression.

"Okay!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded in agreement.

The two then shook off their subordinates, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with Tokumitsu Uchiha, used a teleportation technique to fly towards the Shadow Rock.

This was also the first time that Uchiha Tokumitsu had stepped onto the top of the Shadow Rock since his rebirth in this world, and he was standing on top of the statue of the Third Hokage.

From this vantage point, one can enjoy a panoramic view of Konoha.

The most striking feature is the high wall surrounding the Uchiha clan's territory, which resembles a village within a village, separating the clan from the village.

"Deguang-kun, is this your first time setting foot on Shadow Rock?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, asked with a smile.

"Yes."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded. "The scenery is surprisingly nice. We can come here often in the future."

"I'm curious, almost every child from Konoha comes here to visit and play, why haven't you set foot here before?"

"It's not just the Shadow Rock, but also the Hokage Building and the North District where the Anbu are located. I never came here when I was a child."

Uchiha Tokumitsu chuckled, "It's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm, don't you agree?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, twitched his face slightly, but quickly regained his composure.

"Konoha belongs to all Konoha people; we are all equal..."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sighed, "Now that you hold a high position, why is your vision still limited to the clan..."

"equality……"

Uchiha Tokumitsu clicked his tongue. "But there are always people in the village who are more equal than others, aren't there?"

"Besides, I was born a member of the Uchiha clan. What else can I do but stand on the side of my clan?"

"My Sharingan tells me that blood is thicker than water! This is an unchangeable fact!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu refuted him repeatedly.

This is a point of contention that is almost impossible to resolve.

Regardless of any ulterior motives, the Hokage lineage has always aimed to break down the barriers between ninja clans and unite everyone into the Konoha family since the first Hokage.

However, the problem is that sometimes this "fusion" is accompanied by oppression from powerful forces. In some cases, after a ninja clan leaves the protection of their clan and becomes an atomized individual, their fate is not good when faced with external threats.

The organizational strength of a ninja village can never match the support it provides to an individual as much as that of a family bound by kinship and blood ties.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had planned to give a speech on the Will of Fire, but then decided against it.

Uchiha Tokumitsu was able to lead Hatake Sakumo astray, which shows that he was already immune to the theory of the Will of Fire and had his own unique way of thinking.

But what the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand the most was how Uchiha Tokumitsu and his other stubborn yet open-minded ideas and attitudes came about.

Even the Third Hokage's version of the Will of Fire, which Konoha is currently promoting, is not without roots; rather, it is developed and expanded upon the foundations laid by the First and Second Hokage.

"Your narrow-mindedness... makes it hard to believe what you'll become after becoming Hokage."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared to be making a accusation, but he also threw out a poisoned bait.

The position of Hokage...

The location that generations of Uchiha have longed for.

"Uchiha Kagami did transcend the limitations of his clan, but the cause of his death remains unknown."

Uchiha Tokumitsu retorted with a smile.

The third generation Sarutobi Hijiri glared angrily at him.

Uchiha Tokumitsu showed no fear.

"Just tell me!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had his head bowed, puffing out smoke from the pipe dangling from his mouth.

"What do you want?"

This is also what he can't understand the most.

If Uchiha Tokumitsu wanted to seize the Hokage position, he wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of holding a ninja council meeting.

With so many complicated and cumbersome new agencies created, not to mention the inefficiency of decision-making, even power was dispersed to individual households, and the Hokage's power was almost completely undermined.

"...I hope for peace in the ninja world."

Uchiha Tokumitsu had a beaming smile.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, turned around, his piercing gaze fixed on Tokumitsu Uchiha: "Even at a time like this, you still refuse to tell the truth?"

"To be honest..."