Yes, the Hokage!

"Then get the project moving forward as soon as possible and prepare to build the new school," Minato instructed with a hint of excitement. This was the first step in his successful reforms; he had even eradicated the root of the organization, so what was there to fear about the other families not being obedient?

Feng Lan picked up the project proposal, first glancing at the indignant Danzo, then his gaze swept over the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, finally settling on Minato, and he nodded slightly.

"Yes, Hokage."

Chapter 20 The Hyuga Clan

Although the matters discussed in the high-level meetings were kept secret, secrets always spread quickly. With Feng Lan's covert efforts, the elimination of the Root organization and the commencement of construction on the new school became common knowledge in just one afternoon.

The former, needless to say, is used to establish Minato's authority as the new Hokage. I believe the heads of those major clans are now sweating bullets. They even dealt with Danzo of the Elder Council, so how could they not deal with you?

The latter is something Feng Lan is very happy to see. The faster and more exciting the news about the new school spreads, the more valuable the land in his hands will be.

He casually instructed the pre-prepared construction team to begin work, while he continued to train with Dai. Feng Lan discovered that as his physical strength improved, not only did his resistance to blows and fatigue increase, but his chakra also increased slightly. Even his control over chakra became much more precise. It can only be said that the early bird catches the worm. At this rate, not only will his taijutsu improve rapidly, but he should be able to use the Rasengan soon.

As the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad. While Feng Lan was in a great mood, others were in a bad mood. In Danzo's Root organization's underground meeting room, the Konoha F4 gathered together for the first time.

Danzo, who had been overshadowed, was undoubtedly very unhappy, but he also knew that he had lost face badly today, so he could only shrink into a corner and remain silent, while the discussion mainly focused on the other three.

“Hiruzen.” Koharu Utatane frowned. “Minato didn’t sign the proposal to lease Shukaku. He chose the path of establishing a standing new army. Shouldn’t he be a believer in the Will of Fire?”

"It was my miscalculation." The Third Hokage's expression was also not good. "I originally thought that with Kushina's connection, he would choose to rent Shukaku no matter what. I didn't expect... Hmph, the successor I raised with my own hands is now turning around and biting us."

“It’s definitely influenced by that Feng Lan.” Mitomon Yan said coldly, “Hiruzen, you’ve been too lenient with that kid.”

“Yes, I did initially intend for him to become the successor of the Will of Fire and silently assist Minato from behind. Now it seems he has overstepped his bounds.” The Third Hokage slowly spoke. “Originally, I thought that a kid without family background or inheritance could only cling tightly to Minato’s leg. I didn’t expect him to be so greedy and to throw my good intentions to the back of his mind.”

"Hiruzen, you're too merciful!" Danzo couldn't help but say. "You were thinking of nurturing him to keep me in check, but now this kid is about to become the only one who can hold power, and he's already eyeing you!"

"If you hadn't made so many mistakes, he wouldn't have been able to dominate the market." The Third Hokage glared at Danzo. "And what about that guy, A? How are you going to explain that?"

Danzo lowered his head, his lips twitching, clearly considering whether to hand over this precious Wood Release ninja child. The Third Hokage coldly reminded him, "No matter what special things that child has, at least he can believe in the Will of Fire if he follows us. If he falls into the hands of that Feng Lan, things will be troublesome."

Danzo's expression changed several times upon hearing this. In the end, he thought to himself, in a very self-deceptive way, that he couldn't have the Wood Release ninja either, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll hand that child over to you."

However, neither the Third Hokage nor Danzo knew that Fenglan had never relied on Captain Yamato's Wood Release; they were instead focusing all their efforts on training Obito.

"And then there's Fenglan. It seems that simply telling him to reduce redundancy in the middle ranks isn't enough to warn this kid. Instead, he's combining reducing redundancy with establishing a standing new army." A cold glint flashed in the seemingly kind old man's eyes. "If that's the case, then we'll just have to use a few more cards."

……

"Dong dong dong."

The scene shifts back to Feng Lan, who had just finished a hot shower and was about to go to sleep when he suddenly heard a polite knock on the door.

He was very cautious, especially since he had offended quite a few people during this period. He immediately extended his senses and, to his surprise, sensed an unexpected guest.

[Rolls eyes...]

Feng Lan pondered for a moment, then walked over and opened the door while calling out, "Who is it?" He knew that no one except Shui Men knew what he was aware of, so he naturally had to keep up the pretense.

The man standing outside the door was tall and straight, with a serious and upright face, and long black hair tied back. Most striking were his light-colored white eyes, the pupils almost transparent, his gaze steady and sharp, exuding an air of authority without anger. He was none other than Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan.

It was not wartime at the moment, so Hiashi was not wearing the Konoha headband. He was wearing a light gray kimono and had the dignified and noble air of a patriarch.

To be honest, Feng Lan really didn't expect that the Hyuga clan would be the first to get restless, because with their Byakugan's almost bug-like X-ray vision and long-range vision, they could hold a firm place in the reconnaissance team, and in theory, they would never be afraid of him reducing the redundancy of the middle level.

Unless... he sensed that Minato was preparing to build a standing new army.

The Hyuga are, after all, a prestigious clan in Konoha, and are on par with the Uchiha. Since the Uchiha have their own connections that allow them to know information in advance, why can't the Hyuga have their own connections?

So what is the relationship of the Hyuga clan?

Feng Lan's brain was spinning rapidly, the images of the old men from the Elders Council flashing through her mind one by one, finally settling on one person.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This cannot be blamed on the Third Hokage's carelessness. In fact, the Hyuga clan has always been a hidden trump card for him, which he has only protected in secret (for example, he rarely went to the front lines during the Third Shinobi World War) and has never really used it. Using this move against Feng Lan at this time is precisely a manifestation of how much he values ​​Feng Lan.

But the problem is... Feng Lan is a time traveler! Many things on this timeline haven't happened yet, but he already knows them.

According to the original work, after Minato's death and the Uchiha clan's extermination, the Hyuga clan brazenly declared themselves the strongest in Konoha and began to show signs of becoming a powerful clan. So who was the Hokage during this period?

The answer is the third generation.

What happened during the Third Hokage's reign? The envoy from Kumogakure attempted to abduct Hinata Hyuga and was killed. However, Kumogakure turned around and questioned the culprit. At this point, in order to avoid putting the Third Hokage in a difficult position, the Hyuga clan actually handed over their clan leader's younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, to take the blame.

It's hard to imagine this kind of thing happening to the Uchiha... or any clan with a bit of spirit. And if the Hyuga clan doesn't have enough benefits, why would they sacrifice themselves for the stability during the Third Hokage's reign? Don't fucking tell me it's because of the Will of Fire!

Combining that plot with his own investigation into the fact that the Third Hokage was still in actual power, Feng Lan could easily conclude that the Hyuga clan and Hiruzen Sarutobi were in cahoots, and that their fates were intertwined, which was why they made such a huge sacrifice.

So Hiashi Hyuga's visit today is definitely not in the usual sense of worrying about cutting off the middle ranks or showing loyalty and currying favor; he's here to cause trouble.

Although he was deep in thought, Feng Lan only paused for a moment, seemingly trying to recall what the other person looked like, before clapping his hands and exclaiming, "You must be Mr. Hyuga Hiashi, please come in."

"Sorry to bother you."

Rizu nodded and entered, his gaze unconsciously sweeping across the room. He found it unexpectedly simple, not to mention compared to the advisors of the elders' council, even the residence of any clan chief was better than this.

Yet, in such an ordinary dwelling, and with such an unremarkable young man, he wields immense power that keeps the heads of various clans awake at night.

Feng Lan brewed a very ordinary cup of tea as a gesture of hospitality, since he didn't really have any good tea. He then sat down opposite Ri Zu with a smiling face, without taking the initiative to ask any questions.

This is his usual way of dealing with things: using a squinting smile that makes it impossible to tell what he's thinking to subtly exert pressure, waiting for the other party to speak first before responding accordingly. Before knowing the other party's tactics, this is the safest and most practical strategy.

Hiashi felt somewhat uncomfortable being looked at like that, but as the head of the clan, although he was still young, he was still a man of considerable experience. He first took a sip of tea to calm himself down before smiling and saying, "Mr. Fenglan, our Hyuga clan has received some news that the Fourth Hokage and you are planning to drastically reduce the redundancy in the middle management. Is this true?"

"Oh? Mr. Rizu's information network is quite impressive." Feng Lan seemed to be implying something.

"Mr. Fenglan, you are joking. Right now, the entire Hidden Leaf Village knows about the Fourth Hokage and your determination to reform. Even Lord Danzo's Root organization has had its manpower and funding reduced. As a member of Hidden Leaf Village, how could I not know?"

"So what does Mr. Hiashi mean?" Feng Lan narrowed his eyes and slowly stared at Hiashi, but unfortunately, the Hyuga clan's innate Byakugan made it difficult to see what was hidden in the other's pupils.

"To be honest, I came here tonight because there are quite a few rumors circulating in the clan." Hiashi put down his teacup, a look of unease on his face. "After the news of reducing redundancy in the middle management spread, some people in the Hyuga clan are feeling uneasy. After all, the Byakugan is too conspicuous on the battlefield. It's a powerful weapon in wartime, but in peacetime... it becomes a target. I'm afraid some people will use the Hyuga clan as a scapegoat to sacrifice your project."

His words were indeed reasonable and well-founded. After all, it was something that even the neighboring Hidden Cloud Village coveted. Feng Lan didn't believe that Danzo hadn't considered using the Byakugan. The reason he failed was most likely because the Third Hokage was protecting him.

So... the Hyuga clan sided with the Third Hokage to protect the Byakugan? If that's the case, it seems like they have a lot of potential.

Although Hiashi appeared very sincere, Fenglan, having already prejudged the Hyuga clan as members of the Third Hokage, naturally became more cautious and wouldn't easily believe him.

His eyes darted around, and he had already come up with a plan. He smiled and said, "Mr. Hiashi, you flatter me. With the Hyuga clan's Byakugan alone, they are bound to have a place in the reconnaissance team. Besides, the Hyuga are a prestigious clan in Konoha. They are elders who have followed the village since the time of the First Hokage. It is neither reasonable nor morally right to target you."

Feng Lan's unconventional approach surprised Hiashi slightly, but he was clearly prepared: "Since Mr. Feng Lan says so, Hiashi is much more at ease. From now on, if the Fourth Hokage or you have any requests, Hyuga will not hesitate to comply."

This was already a tacit surrender. If Feng Lan hadn't anticipated that Hyuga belonged to the Third Hokage, he probably would have thought that his domineering aura was overflowing... cough cough, rather, overflowing, causing the other party to tremble and bow down in awe.

Unfortunately, this kind of fantasy only exists in dreams, and it's something that a transmigrator without even a system can't possibly access.

"No rush, no rush, there's no rush." ​​Feng Lan quickly put on a greedy expression and rubbed his fingers together. "There's definitely room for discussion about this."

Hiashi suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly took out a scroll from his side: "A small gift, nothing more."

This scroll clearly doesn't contain ninja tools or secret techniques, but rather money. The ninja world also has a currency system, but Kishimoto didn't describe it in detail. The currency in daily circulation is generally only paper money and coins. The largest bounty earned by Kakuzu was also stored in a box. There was never anything like banknotes or bank cards.

Feng Lan only learned about similar things after she transmigrated, namely money scrolls. These scrolls function similarly to banknotes, allowing users to withdraw and exchange money directly from banks. Kakuzu's insistence on cash at that time was clearly due to the Akatsuki organization's influence, making cash withdrawals difficult. Therefore, he directly requested cash.

However, Feng Lan would certainly not accept this "little gift." Even if he were to find out that he was already flush with cash, he would have to resist the temptation of such a tempting secret technique. Otherwise, it would be a huge weakness that would fall into the hands of others.

"Mr. Hiashi is too kind. I would never dare to accept such a gift. Besides... I'm not exactly short of money." Feng Lan said this, but his face still showed a greedy look. "However, the Fourth Hokage has only recently taken office and lacks a trustworthy team. If Mr. Hiashi could provide some manpower, I guarantee... the Hyuga clan will be more than just a prestigious family in the future."

Chapter 21 Eight Gates Formation VS Gentle Fist (4K)

Even before arriving, Hiashi had anticipated that Fenglan would ask for people, and the Third Generation had assured him that the people sent there were only temporarily acting as undercover agents, and would return immediately as soon as Fenglan's side fell.

However, he still pretended to ponder for a long time before slowly saying, "Mr. Fenglan may not know this, but because the Byakugan is too special, our Hyuga is divided into the main family and the branch family. The children of the main family, as the core bloodline, must never be allowed to flow outside. If you don't mind, when you visit the Hyuga's residence tomorrow, I will offer you a few children from the branch family for you to use."

He didn't mention any secrets like the Caged Bird Seal, but it was common knowledge in Konoha that the Hyuga clan had both a main branch and a branch family. If he were to happily offer up even the children of the main branch, Feng Lan would become suspicious.

【child?】

Feng Lan's lips curled up slightly. Hiashi... or rather, the Third Hokage was treating him like Danzo.

Admittedly, most of Danzo's Root organization members were trained from children. This was the case for his two bodyguards, Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torane, when he served as the 5.5th generation leader, as well as Sai and Captain Yamato. The advantage of training children is that continuous brainwashing can maintain extremely high loyalty, and they can even die for their master without hesitation.

But Feng Lan wouldn't do that. He wasn't a dirty old man like Danzo. Even if child laborers offered themselves up, he wouldn't bother using anyone who wasn't a genius like Itachi. Besides, Itachi only organized documents for him and went for runs with Dai, which wasn't much different from when he was in school. It was nothing like being abused in a dark and hopeless place like Root.

"No no no."

He waved his finger: "The child is too young. What the Fourth Hokage and I need are strong young men who can fight immediately and be put to use right away. I heard that Mr. Hiashi has a younger brother named Hyuga Hizashi, so I'll send him over."

"Just one person?" Hiashi was slightly taken aback.

“One person is enough.” Feng Lan smiled mysteriously. “Strategic weapons like Hyuga and Byakugan are enough to be fatal if used once at a critical moment.”

Hiashi was secretly delighted, and Fenglan knew he was happy because, according to what Hiashi said to Neji in the original work, Hyuga Hizashi was a younger brother who respected and even worshipped his older brother, and was even willing to die to protect his brother by abandoning his wife and young children. This kind of affection was basically what Hua Rong did for Song Jiang in Water Margin.

With someone he absolutely trusts infiltrating Fenglan's ranks, coupled with Baiyan's excellent insight, how could he possibly fail to find something to hold against Fenglan?

"Please rest assured, Mr. Fenglan." Rizu cupped his hands in greeting. "I will definitely give you a surprise first thing tomorrow morning."

After seeing the guests off, Feng Lan used her senses to confirm that Ri Zu had gone far away before she put away her squinty eyes and revealed a cold expression: "Surprise? I also have a huge surprise for you."

The main family splits up, right? A caged bird, right? The Hokage's son becomes the Hokage's scapegoat's son, and the scapegoat's son continues to be the scapegoat, right?

Sorry, I don't believe in your Japanese nonsense. My belief is: are kings and nobles born with special privileges?

……

The next morning, Hyuga Hizashi was waiting outside Fenglan's door, even earlier than Uchiha Itachi. As for Tetsuka and Inahikasa, who had just been discharged from the hospital... they no longer needed to report here; they could just go for a run with Dai.

"Mr. Fenglan." Upon seeing him leave, Rizashi bowed respectfully.

"No need to be so polite, Mr. Hizashi." Fenglan took the opportunity to carefully examine Hizashi. He looked almost exactly like his older brother and didn't appear any younger, after all, he was only born a few minutes later.

The only difference should be the Caged Bird Seal on the forehead, but it is hidden under the headband and cannot be easily seen.

"What excellent eyes you have." Feng Lan chuckled and reached out to help the other person up. "I have dealt with the Uchiha clan and your brother Hiashi. In terms of eye power, Mr. Hiashi is much stronger than them."

What he said was actually nonsense, but as I said before, Feng Lan's shamelessness lies in the fact that when he deceives people, it is very difficult for the other party to verify it.

After all, given the Uchiha clan's xenophobic nature, the only person they can properly interact with right now is Feng Lan, so his praise is undoubtedly very valuable. However, bringing up Hiashi in the conversation adds a bit of a divisive element.

Hizashi, though fully aware of this, still felt a sense of satisfaction, while simultaneously feeling a pang of sorrow: [What use is such powerful eye energy if I'm destined to be a caged bird for life? I can accept it, but even my newborn child…]

Fenglan was deliberately trying to sow discord, because although Hiashi and Neji said that the younger brother was willing to die for his older brother and was relieved after being resurrected by Edo Tensei, it doesn't mean that Hiashi didn't harbor resentment.

At least in Neji's account, Hizashi lost his composure when watching Hanabi and Hinata, who were far inferior to his son, train. He was even forcibly activated by the main branch of the family and controlled by the Caged Bird Seal. This memory is incredibly real and detailed in Neji's recollection, clearly deeply etched in his mind.

As long as there is resentment in one's heart, there is a possibility of being provoked. Even if Hizashi really respects his brother, Fenglan can create a great momentum to force him to make a choice. However, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What he needs to do now is to gradually amplify the darkness in the other party's heart.

Itachi arrived quickly. Seeing Itachi, who was clearly well protected and seemed to be trusted by Feng Lan, Hizashi felt a pang of sadness. Even though the Uchiha clan was facing such external threats, at least their family and kin could still unite. But what about the Hyuga clan...?

If Feng Lan could hear his thoughts, she'd probably burst out laughing. What kind of unity is this? If it weren't for this transmigrator causing trouble, the Uchiha clan would have been wiped out by this brat soon enough.