Uchiha's personal opinion

"Uchiha Tokumitsu said."

"That's good……"

Sakumo Hatake nodded.

He had intended to invite Uchiha Tokumitsu to return to the village with him, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say the words, so he took his leave.

After Hatake Sakumo left, Uchiha Tokumitsu sat quietly in the reception room for a long time.

"that power……"

Suddenly, a cold glint flashed in the room.

All the furniture in the reception room was instantly shattered by a single slash of Uchiha Tokumitsu's sword.

"How ridiculous!"

With a cold snort, Uchiha Tokumitsu stepped out of the now-ruined reception room and ordered his Jonin subordinates to be summoned.

Chapter 244 Conflict Escalates

Perhaps Sakumo Hatake didn't fully grasp the consequences of the series of measures that Tokumitsu Uchiha was about to implement, but Tokumitsu Uchiha believed that the old monkey in the Hokage Building would still be able to understand his actions.

The gold coins originally issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate circulated in the southern islands of the Land of Water, which were under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In the eyes of others, it was just a way for Uchiha Tokugawa to levy exorbitant taxes and plunder the wealth of his territory.

With the issuance of relief bonds by the Land of Lightning, Uchiha Tokumitsu forcibly stuffed 1 billion yen into the country. Although 500 million yen of it was returned by the Land of Lightning as a debt repayment, 500 million yen of gold coins entered the Cloud Village's currency treasury. In the future, the Cloud Village will definitely use these gold coins to conduct arms trade with the Tokumitsu Shogunate.

As a credit currency issued under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the gold yuan thus became a crack in the door to circulation in the ninja world, where the gold standard was the absolute mainstream.

However, because the source and composition of the bond's funds are considered top secret by the Nakagawa Stock Exchange and are never disclosed to the public, the outside world knows nothing about it except for the parties involved, the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village.

Otherwise, not only would the Hokage faction be furious, but the Daimyo's residence would also be in an uproar.

The interest rate differential from seigniorage and the issuance of circulating currency is simply too tempting!

The Uchiha clan is already strong enough.

It was so powerful that the Naruto lineage felt suffocated.

In addition to force and military power, the joint company established by Uchiha Tokumitsu also monopolized the seafood supply in the ninja world by leveraging the power of his private army. The Nakagawa Stock Exchange has become the best channel for money laundering and bribery in the black market, and the Uchiha clan's traditional advantageous industry, the arms trade, is booming.

If the paper money issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate were to actually begin circulating, then the Uchiha clan and the Hokage lineage, or rather the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, would have no room for maneuver.

Therefore, ninja clans like the Uchiha, which naturally possess powerful martial arts and enormous wealth, are naturally feared by rulers.

The Uchiha clan has expanded its power base through the reform of the police department, and has also controlled most of the military power of the Konoha border army through the newly established military command. If it is not restricted, the entire Konoha will be completely dominated by the Uchiha clan.

Moreover, since the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, took control of Konoha, the opposition to the Uchiha clan has almost become the politically correct stance within the Hokage faction.

But Uchiha Tokumitsu had already spoken, so how could he possibly take it back?

Peace is impossible; only continuous struggle can maintain the Uchiha clan's superior status.

……

When the attendant ninjas gathered all the Jonin under the Shogunate's command, the first thing they noticed was the special headband on Uchiha Tokumitsu's forehead.

A headband engraved with the Uchiha clan crest.

Those who can become Jonin are not fools; they naturally understand what that means.

Especially after the recent announcement of the Hokage candidate list, the Jonin of the Tokugawa Shogunate were already indignant and were sharpening their knives, ready to return to their village to "set things right".

"Lord Deguang, everyone has arrived..."

The attendant ninja stepped forward to report.

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded slowly and walked to the front of the crowd.

"...Starting today, all staff in all departments will change their uniforms."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said in a deep voice, "Five days from now, all registered Jonin will come back to the village with me!"

"As ordered!"

The group of Jonin responded with a resounding roar.

"Remember, you will be under orders in this operation!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu surveyed the crowd, "No one is to act rashly without my order!"

"I obey your command!"

The Jonin responded even louder.

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu promised not to start a civil war, it did not mean that he would not lead his troops to coerce others.

Moreover, if the Hokage faction still fails to make a compromise that satisfies Uchiha Tokumitsu under duress, then let the civil war begin.

Uchiha Tokumitsu had lost patience with continuing the power struggles with the Hokage faction.

……

Within Konoha Village, the undercurrents stirred up by the list of Hokage candidates are still brewing an even more violent storm.

Even the Hyuga clan, who usually observes the changing world with a detached eye, could no longer contain themselves.

This incident, ostensibly just announcing the candidates for the next Hokage, is essentially forcing all Konoha ninja to choose sides.

Even if there is a candidate like Sakumo Hatake, so what? If a winner is decided in the faction division, it would be an easy task for the current Hokage to abolish the list and re-elect a candidate.

This also shows that the Hokage lineage, which possesses the orthodox righteousness, clearly felt outmatched in the contest with the Uchiha clan; otherwise, they wouldn't have resorted to such a move that would completely tear Konoha apart.

The head of the Hyuga clan sighed deeply, filled with sorrow.

His two sons sat in the lower seat, quietly awaiting their father's instructions.

"What if a civil war really breaks out..."

The Hyuga clan leader closed his eyes, already mentally planning how to deal with the worst-case scenario.

However, the Hyuga clan cannot completely remain uninvolved this time.

After the list of Hokage candidates was released, the astute Hyuga clan leader immediately issued a recall order to the Hyuga clan members serving in the various ninja army units stationed in the Land of Lightning, requiring them to return to the village immediately.

However, apart from the two sons who directly led the Hyuga branch family ninjas to participate in the war, none of the Hyuga branch family ninjas who had served in the Tokugawa and Himon shogunates for a long time returned.

It wasn't that they were detained by their respective ninja forces, but rather that they directly refused their clan's summons!

Even when Hyuga Hizashi, who had already been designated as the next head of the branch family, went to persuade them, the shogunate branch family ninjas either refused to see him or made sarcastic remarks, refusing to accept the clan leader's order to leave the team and return to the village.

Hyuga Hizashi only felt that these clansmen had changed a lot, but to the Hyuga main family, this was a complete betrayal!

This is also the first time since the Hyuga clan established the main and branch family system and the Caged Bird Seal control that a branch family ninja has said "no" to the high and mighty main family!

However, the Hyuga clan did not dare to send members of the main clan to the two shogunates to arrest those clan members who did not respect tradition, and they did not even have the courage to deal with the family members of the branch families.

Because the outcome was still undecided, the Hyuga clan was unwilling to take sides.

"...Father."

Hyuga Hizashi mustered his courage and said to his father, "We don't really need to worry too much. Mr. Sakumo has already been to the Northern Territory once, so there shouldn't be any internal strife this time."

"Even so, what about those branch family ninjas who betrayed their clans?"

The Hyuga clan head opened his eyes and said coldly, "Do you really want to see the clan split apart?"

Hyuga Hizashi was startled by his father's cold gaze and immediately lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

"Don't forget, you will be the future head of a branch family. Do you really want your subordinates to fall apart?"

The Hyuga clan head still coldly questioned, "You've lost your sharpness after only a few days in the war. I'm starting to question whether you still have the ability to lead the branch family!"

Hyuga Hizashi, who was kneeling with his head bowed, began to tremble.

"Father, please calm down. My brother was just being impatient."

Hiashi Hyuga had no choice but to plead for his younger brother, otherwise his father, who was in a fit of anger, might have used the Caged Bird Seal to punish him.

But he didn't understand why his father was suddenly so angry, and what Hizashi Hyuga said was just a casual, ordinary attempt to comfort him.

Furthermore, the clan truly lacks a viable method to punish those branch family ninjas who choose a rebellious path.

"...You don't understand."

The Hyuga clan head shook his head and sighed, "The clan doesn't have many options left..."

The Hyuga clan, together with the Inuzuka and Aburame clans, formed the "third force" of Konoha. However, as the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage's faction intensified, the so-called "third force" found it increasingly difficult to maintain its independence.

This time, the branch family ninja who chose to defy the main family's orders may have been the trigger.

A fuse that could ignite the Hyuga clan, which has existed for over a thousand years.

The Hyuga clan head couldn't understand why the main and branch family system, which had been steadily maintained for a thousand years, and the family order established under the threat of the Caged Bird Seal, failed when faced with a freak like Uchiha Tokumitsu.

And where did those branch family ninjas get their audacity? Don't they even care about their own weaknesses anymore?

"Hiashi, go and invite the heads of the Aburame and Inuzuka families to a meeting tonight..."

After a moment, the Hyuga clan leader said quietly, "As for you... Hizashi, go and reflect on your actions in seclusion before the elders."

"Yes, sir!"

Both Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi breathed a sigh of relief.

……

The Hyuga clan's territory was in turmoil, and the Senju clan's territory was not faring much better.

Tsunade Senju, who was nominated as one of the Hokage candidates without any warning, also incurred the hostility of the Uchiha clan. For several days in a row, Senju clan members who went out on business were inexplicably harassed by Uchiha ninjas from the police department.

However, the Uchiha clan's actions were within the bounds of the rules. They were only required to accept the police department's investigation if they randomly encountered Senju clan members. After taking them back to the police station and leaving them alone for half a day, they would be questioned again and finally, a fabricated charge would be attached to them, and they would be released on bail.

Even so, the Thousand Hands Clan members still harbored a great deal of resentment.

It is well known that once bail money is paid by the police department, it is paid and there has never been a case of it being returned.

Losing money was one thing, but to have a fabricated suspicion record left in the police department's file was a blatant humiliation for the Senju ninja who returned to the sect.

As a result, the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan clashed again on a small scale.

……

Similarly, Orochimaru, another Hokage candidate, is also having a tough time.

The police department's hostility toward him was almost public.