I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Chapter 75 You're the one who drove Naruto away.

The next morning, inside the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage exhaled a smoke ring, staring at the thick stack of documents in front of him, his face full of exhaustion.

He stayed up all night last night, and after several hours of sorting things out and meeting with Itachi Uchiha, he roughly understood how many major events had happened yesterday.

First, Naruto attacked the Hokage Building, repelled Danzo's pursuit, and left Konoha with the Scroll of Seals.

Secondly, Shisui, who was originally confirmed to be missing, has returned and escaped Konoha with the remaining Uchiha. His current whereabouts are unknown.

In addition, Itachi brought him another piece of news.

The mysterious masked man whom Itachi contacted to massacre his clan is very likely the culprit behind the Nine-Tails attack. Itachi wants to infiltrate the masked man's organization as a spy, on the condition that Sasuke be treated fairly in Konoha.

These three events, each a major event worthy of a high-level meeting, all occurred on the same day.

This left the Third Hokage unsure how to explain to the advisor elders, but attributing it to coincidence was also somewhat unreasonable, since there aren't that many coincidences in the world.

It's possible that the same organization orchestrated Naruto's defection, Shisui's return, and the assisted Itachi in exterminating his clan.

But if that's the case, how powerful must an organization be to accomplish all three things at the same time? Even our old rivals, Iwagakure and Kumogakure, couldn't do it. Could there be some organization in the ninja world that surpasses the ninja villages?

With a soft sigh, the Third Hokage had little interest in dealing with the pile of trivial documents in front of him.

He needs more information to understand the relationship and inside story of these three things, and to resolve them one by one. This is his responsibility as Hokage, and he cannot shirk it.

The Third Hokage got up and headed to Konoha Hospital, arriving at Kakashi's ward.

According to eyewitness Might Guy, Naruto knocked Kakashi unconscious before escaping Konoha. Before that, Kakashi may have spoken with Naruto and learned the reason for Naruto's departure.

Inside the ward, Might Guy was preaching his theories of passion and youth, leaving Kakashi helplessly rubbing his forehead.

Upon hearing the Third Hokage's footsteps, Kakashi quickly said, "Third Hokage, what brings you here?"

The Third Hokage smiled knowingly, as if concerned for his subordinate. After a few words of greeting, he cut to the chase: "Kakashi, Naruto fought you before he left the village. You should know why Naruto left, right?"

After Naruto was mentioned, Kakashi's expression darkened considerably: "Third Hokage, I roughly know why Naruto left, but it's not convenient to talk about it right now."

The Third Hokage's expression changed, and he then signaled the others to leave the ward.

After the visiting nurse and Might Guy left the ward, the Third Hokage continued, "Now that there are no outsiders, you can tell me why Naruto left. Does it involve other high-ranking members of the village? Or forces outside the village?"

Kakashi gave the Third Hokage a deep look, then pointed at him.

The Third Hokage glanced behind him and then realized that Kakashi was pointing at him. He frowned and said, "Kakashi, are you saying that Naruto left the village because of me, that I caused his defection?"

In the Third Hokage's view, there must have been external reasons for Naruto's departure from Konoha.

It's either because of the mysterious masked man Itachi mentioned, or it's because of Danzo's instigation. His parenting methods are fine, so how could it be him?

Kakashi said with some helplessness, "Although it sounds absurd, I still believe that you drove Naruto away."

The Third Hokage's expression darkened considerably: "That's impossible. At most, I concealed his true identity, but that was for his own good. Given his age and mental capacity, he certainly couldn't accept the reality of being a Jinchuriki."

Kakashi's tone turned cold: "You know I'm not referring to his status as a Jinchuriki. I'm talking about what if Naruto had known from the beginning that he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the son of the Fourth Hokage, and a descendant of a hero."

"The hero's descendant is being treated like a fox spirit; I think even adults would find that unacceptable..."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage stared at Kakashi for a long time before falling into a deep silence.

He didn't tell Naruto about his past in order to protect him, but if Naruto had known about his past from the beginning, his protection would have had the opposite effect. It's not impossible that Naruto would have chosen to leave the village after being extremely disappointed.

But why did Naruto choose to defect on the day Itachi took action? Was it just a coincidence?

Seemingly anticipating the Third Hokage's thoughts, Kakashi spoke up to remind him, "Third Hokage, Naruto is the village's Jinchūriki, and his strength has already surpassed mine. You'd better stop treating him like a child."

The Third Hokage fell silent again, gazing blankly at the large tree outside the window.

Yes, Naruto defeated Kakashi and escaped Danzo's pursuit, making him an outstanding ninja.

Perhaps Naruto had already considered defecting long ago, and choosing yesterday as the date for his defection was definitely not a coincidence. Naruto must have discovered the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan long ago.

It was my fault for neglecting Naruto's upbringing and education, and for rejecting Naruto through deception.

After finishing his visit to Kakashi, the Third Hokage returned to the Hokage Building and crossed Naruto Uzumaki's name off the list of rogue ninjas. He could not treat Naruto as a rogue ninja.

This decision naturally drew Danzo's opposition, who came to the office to protest, leaning on his cane.

"Sarutobi, Naruto attacked the Hokage Building, causing great damage to the village. He is an S-rank dangerous criminal and we absolutely cannot let him go so easily."

The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo and then said, "Then go and bring Naruto back?"

Danzo remained silent. His suggestion to classify Naruto as an S-rank rogue ninja was naturally based on Naruto's strength.

Unlike other ranks of rogue ninjas, once a rogue ninja is listed as an S-rank rogue ninja, it actually means that the village can't really do anything about that rogue ninja. It's more of a warning to the village's ninjas not to easily provoke that rogue ninja.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage pressed his advantage, saying, "Naruto hasn't graduated from the Ninja Academy yet, so he's not considered a ninja and naturally can't be on the list of rogue ninjas."

"Besides, Naruto is the only Jinchuriki left in the village. If the news of his departure is leaked, Iwagakure and Kumogakure might restart the war. For the sake of the bigger picture, we even have to conceal the news of Naruto's departure."

Unable to find a reply, Danzo understood the Third Hokage's resolve and decided to stop dwelling on the matter, changing the subject:

“Naruto may not be on the list of rogue ninjas, but Sasuke should at least be placed in Root for training. His parents and brothers are all rogue ninjas in the village, so there is no reason to let him go.”

The Third Hokage gave Danzo a deep look, then shook his head: "I've already decided how to deal with Sasuke, it's none of your business. As for Itachi, you need a reasonable explanation."

Chapter 76 We'll Know Sooner or Later

After a heated argument, Danzo finally slammed the door and left.

The tragedy that occurred last night in the Uchiha clan's territory, and the responsibility for most of the Uchiha defections, must be borne by someone.

The vast majority of the blame lies with S-rank rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha, while the remainder is attributed to Danzo, who was Itachi's direct superior and notorious for targeting the Uchiha clan.

Danzo also wanted to rebel, but after Root lost most of its fighting force, he could not oppose the Hokage's decision.

They can only lie dormant in the darkness, waiting for the next chance to replace the light.

However, given the current mess in the village, not taking over the mess would mean avoiding responsibility and the risk of stepping down, which is also in his best interest.

After Danzo left, the Third Hokage did not rest; according to the schedule, it was his turn to deal with the Uchiha.

Besides sealing off the Uchiha clan's territory, he also wanted to meet the only Uchiha clansman remaining in the village, a child with the same name as his father, Sasuke.

Compared to visiting Kakashi, the visit to Sasuke was a much more elaborate affair.

According to the medical ninja's report, Sasuke may have witnessed Itachi killing his parents last night, and his mental state has been unstable since he woke up, constantly and uncontrollably activating his Sharingan with two tomoe.

The Sharingan is the eye that reflects the soul; even a simple glance can send chills down one's spine.

The Third Hokage ignored the Sharingan's gaze, walked to Sasuke's side, and asked him in a gentle tone about everything that had happened the previous night.

Under the influence of his gentle smile, Sasuke gradually calmed down, but he still gritted his teeth when Itachi was mentioned:

"Don't worry, Lord Hokage, I will study hard until I have the strength to kill that man and avenge my dead parents and clansmen."

The Third Hokage sighed softly and then left the Uchiha mansion.

Despite Naruto's precedent, he still didn't want to tell Sasuke the truth. Itachi's truth was too cruel for Sasuke, and this was part of Itachi's request to him.

Sasuke was driven to grow stronger quickly by the hatred he felt for killing his parents and clansmen.

After the Third Hokage left, Sasuke was left alone in the Uchiha mansion. With nothing to do, he began to train desperately. He couldn't find a reason to train so hard before, but Itachi's ruthlessness gave him that reason.

He already had a plan in mind to become stronger: find Naruto and have Naruto train him in grueling conditions.

……

A few days later, within the Hyuga clan's territory.

The Uchiha turmoil seemed to have no impact on this ancient clan.

The Hyuga ninjas still hold important positions in the village's teams, and the branch family continues to be ruled by the main family under the Caged Bird Seal system. Change seems to have stagnated in this ancient family.

After taking a sip of hot tea brought to him by a servant, Hyuga Hiashi began reading the information sent by the branch family.

A few days ago, two major events occurred in the village: a massive explosion outside the village, suspected to be a Tailed Beast Ball, and the Uchiha clan's territory was turned into a ghost town overnight, with almost all the Uchiha members disappearing.

Hiashi Hyuga frowned at the former, while he had already anticipated the latter.

The conflict between the Uchiha clan and its higher-ups had lasted for decades. This time, the higher-ups finally couldn't hold back and took action against the Uchiha, bringing this ancient clan to the end of history.

The demise of the Uchiha clan was a good thing for the Hyuga clan, but it was also a solemn warning.

This proves that the higher-ups are capable of taking action against any ninja clan, even the Uchiha, who are among the strongest.

However, the Hyuga clan adheres to neutrality and always obeys orders from higher-ups, so there is no reason for them to take action. On the contrary, the actions of higher-ups would be met with resistance from ninja clans of all sizes.

While the ninja clans disliked the most powerful Uchiha clan, they disliked even more the high-ranking members who arbitrarily attacked ninja villages.

From this perspective, the prosperity of the Hyuga clan can continue for at least several more decades, and it is unlikely to decline in his generation.

As for what the next generation will be like, we'll have to see how Hinata performs today.

After entering the training ground, Hiashi Hyuga casually found a seat and began to observe the battle between Hinata and Neji.

Hinata is his daughter, and Neji is his younger brother's son, the most outstanding genius of the branch family generation. Their battle will determine how he will raise Hinata in the future.

Should they continue to be left to their own devices at the ninja academy, or should they receive the most elite education within their clan?

Hiashi's entry also caught the attention of Hinata and Neji, who both looked at the current head of the clan. Hiashi nodded in response.

Soon after forming the Seal of Opposition, Hinata and Neji began their battle.

Two small figures moved nimbly across the training field. With the enhancement of their white eyes, each of their attacks was swift and ruthless, enough to cause fatal damage to ordinary people.

However, since both of them used soft fist techniques, the final contest was still about speed and strength.

Neji was clearly faster, but Hinata had a significant advantage in strength, making it difficult to determine a winner between the two for the time being.

Faced with Hinata's offensive, Neji gradually frowned.

As Hinata's sparring partner, he was the one who could best feel Hinata's progress. In just two years, Hinata went from being easily defeated by him to being evenly matched with him, which gave him a strong sense of frustration.

But he wasn't jealous of Hinata, because Hinata trained just as hard as he did, and deserved to have that kind of strength.

What truly made him feel wronged was the caged bird system and his aloof uncle.

If it weren't for the Caged Bird Sequence system, his father wouldn't have become a victim of the Cloud Village delegation incident, and the person who should have died was his uncle, Hiashi Hyuga.

While Neji was stunned, Hinata seized the opportunity and knocked Neji to the ground.

Neji, who had fallen to the ground, did not continue to struggle. Instead, he chose to admit defeat. He was a year older than Hinata, and the evenly matched contest meant that he had already lost.