Naruto: From Fake to Real, Deceiving the Ninja World.

If the two had joined forces, it would have been uncertain whether the Land of Rain would have won or lost. So, in retrospect, it can be said that Danzo completely changed the course of the Third Shinobi World War.

Regardless of whether Danzo, whose name is written as "Ninja Darkness" and pronounced as "Stirring Shit Stick," is dirty or not, at least his underhanded tricks often have a surprising effect.

It's the same this time.

By sowing discord between Iwagakure and Kumogakure, the tension between the two countries escalated, which ironically eased relations between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.

However, Hyuga Kumokawa knew very well that all of this was a scheme by Kumogakure.

"This day has finally come."

Looking at the crowd gathering in the distance, Hinata Kumokawa smiled.

Another plot inconsistency has been discovered. In the original story, Neji met Hinata for the first time with his father on Hinata's third birthday, and was then branded with the Caged Bird Seal. Hizashi harbored murderous intent towards Hinata and was punished. In other words, Hizashi lived for a long time after Hinata's third birthday.

However, according to Neji's account in the manga, specifically the illustration I posted, the Cloud Village kidnapped Hinata on her third birthday. This means that Hizashi's substitution for Hinata occurred within a few days after her third birthday.

This is a complete contradiction, so for now, let's write it according to the latter, and move forward the time when Neji was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, to before Hinata's third birthday.

Chapter 20 Like oil being poured on a raging fire, or flowers being adorned in brocade

In front of the Konoha gate, where the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Wearing the Hokage robe and Hokage hat, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood solemnly at the front, flanked by three high-ranking advisors: Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado. The clan leaders of the Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans were also waiting further back.

They were standing on the street in front of the gate, and the street was packed with people. Even with the Konoha police maintaining order, they couldn't stop the villagers from gathering there. People were shoulder to shoulder, and the noise was deafening.

"Lord Patriarch."

The Uchiha clansman named Uchiha Yatsuho instantly appeared behind Uchiha Fugaku. He frowned when he saw that Fugaku's position was slightly behind that of the other ninja clan leaders, and then lowered his head and calmly said, "It's all arranged."

Uchiha Hachiho wore a black tight-fitting inner garment, covered by a green sleeveless Jonin chainmail, with the Konoha Police Force emblem embroidered on his shoulders.

Fugaku Uchiha was wearing a dark blue robe with the Uchiha clan's fan emblem on the back, indicating that he was acting as the head of the Uchiha clan rather than the captain of the Konoha police force.

"Yes, we must maintain order at the scene and absolutely cannot allow any mistakes to happen, otherwise we will lose face for the entire family."

Fugaku Uchiha had a cold and serious expression. He turned slightly to the side, gave a few words of advice, and then turned back.

He glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing at the very front of the group, his eyes flickering as he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"After Konoha and Kumogakure formed an alliance, the Third Hokage's prestige in the village will surely increase. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing."

The Konoha Police Force was established by Tobirama Senju, and its members are mainly from the Uchiha clan.

The main job of the police force is to maintain security and stability within Konoha. They are responsible for formulating village regulations and strengthening and maintaining village order and security, as well as arresting people and ninjas with criminal tendencies, but excluding the Anbu directly under the Hokage.

Tobirama Senju's original intention in letting the Uchiha clan take control of the police force was good. Although he did feel that the Uchiha clan with Sharingan was a destabilizing factor, he always tried to integrate and guide the power of the Uchiha clan during his lifetime.

However, with the rise of Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage, some of the functions of the Anbu, which was essentially a "spy organization," were replaced by "Root."

As a result, he began to interfere in some of the village's security affairs, which led to conflicts with the police force in terms of functions.

It can only be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, being longtime friends, both promoted their own "personal guards."

It's important to know that the full name of the Anbu is "Assassination Tactical Special Forces," which is only responsible for reconnaissance, assassination, protecting the Hokage, and preventing foreign invasion.

Unfortunately, most members of the Uchiha clan are straightforward and inflexible. Compared to the flexible and adaptable Anbu, the Konoha villagers who were punished generally disliked the outcome of the Uchiha clan's treatment.

Therefore, conflicts and disputes often arise between the secret service and the police force due to law enforcement issues.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's firm yet gentle approach to handling the conflict deepened the Uchiha clan's resentment towards the Third Hokage, even affecting the usually composed Eighth Hokage...

Thinking about these things gave Fugaku Uchiha a headache, and he even missed the time when Minato was the Fourth Hokage.

This was not only because he and his wife were friends with the Fourth Hokage and his wife, but also because the Uchiha clan admired the Hokage who came from a commoner background.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already abdicated, but after the Fourth Hokage's death, he returned to power without any intention of finding a successor. His behavior was truly disgraceful.

"I'll wait until the alliance is formed, and when the Third Hokage is in a good mood, before I offer my suggestion," Fugaku Uchiha thought to himself, glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi ahead.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed in a good mood. He was very pleased to hear the villagers behind him talking excitedly and praising him, completely ignoring Danzo who was standing next to him with a sour face.

However, he noticed the empty space behind him out of the corner of his eye, and he subconsciously frowned.

"Hasn't Hyuga Hiashi arrived yet?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked without turning his head.

Standing behind him, Nara Shikaku gave a bitter smile to himself, but could only pretend not to know and step forward in a low voice, "We sent someone to urge them half an hour ago, but..."

Before he could say anything good about the Hyuga clan, an ANBU ninja teleported to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side and whispered a report in his ear. Nara Shikaku only vaguely heard the words, "Today is the third birthday of the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter," and he sighed deeply.

The Hyuga clan's actions this time have been rather foolish.

The Hyuga clan may be better at self-preservation than the Uchiha clan, but neither clan actually possesses much political wisdom, as demonstrated by today's events.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze flickered slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing across his cloudy eyes.

As the father and clan head, Hyuga Hiashi could have chosen not to come, but if the Hyuga clan truly cared about this matter, they could have sent a respected elder from the main branch. Their current behavior simply shows that they don't care.

In their eyes, the third birthday of the main family's eldest daughter represents the future of the Hyuga clan, and its importance far outweighs "trivial matters" such as the alliance between Kumogakure and Konoha.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi hated most was that these ninja clans put their own interests above the interests of the village.

The Uchiha clan is like this, and so is the Hyuga clan.

“The Hyuga clan has important business to attend to and cannot come.” Despite his displeasure, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm. “Make up for their place and prepare to receive the delegation from Kumogakure.”

Upon hearing this, many people present were startled. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado frowned, and Danzo, whether unintentionally or intentionally, let out a slight sneer, which also made Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darken.

However, Danzo did indeed have merit this time, and since he took the fruit, he couldn't be angry with him, so he could only vent his resentment on the Hyuga clan.

"I'm coming!"

Among the villagers crowding the streets like a surging tide, a child who had climbed a tree to look into the distance suddenly shouted, and the already noisy crowd instantly erupted into a frenzy.

In the distance, several figures, led by Konoha ninjas, stepped into the gates of Konoha. The three leading figures, all from Kumogakure, wore Kumogakure headbands, their dark, rugged appearances contrasting sharply with the Konoha ninjas.

Seeing this, the women who were peeking out from the upper floors on both sides scattered the flower petals they had prepared in their baskets into the air outside the windows.

Among the crowd, Hinata Kumokawa watched this scene calmly, a cold smile playing on his lips.

What a magnificent scene of blazing fire and adorned flowers!

The happier you are now, the more terrified you will be later.

Peace through compromise?

There won't be such an opportunity again.

"The world is already a labyrinth, why build another one?" Hinata Kumokawa's eyes flickered slightly.

The ninja world holds too many secrets, enough for him to do many things.

However, only by stirring up the stagnant waters of the ninja world can he have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Therefore, he wanted to bring the war to an early end.

Chapter 21 The Hidden Clouds' Conspiracy, The Weasel Pays New Year's Greetings to the Chicken

Click click click.

The tall and wide main gate slowly opened, the hinges making a soft sound.

The delegation, led by three Cloud Village ninjas, stepped into the gates of Konoha. The moment they entered, they were greeted by a burst of bright sunshine.

The rising sun pierced through the clouds and shone on their faces. The three squinted slightly, gazing at the Konoha team and the scenery that awaited them in the distance.

The dense canopy of trees, layer upon layer, resembles flowing emerald waves, rippling with golden and green ripples in the early autumn breeze.

Four stone-carved faces on Shadow Rock cast shadows looking down, and a giant wall tens of meters high embraced the entire Leaf Village. The banners of shops on both sides of the road swayed in the wind.

The whole world was bright and cheerful, and the hushed voices of people carried flower petals and a gentle breeze of clean air, warming me from head to toe.

The same thought simultaneously popped into the minds of the three Cloud Village ninjas.

Konoha was indeed as prosperous and wealthy as the rumors had said.

Prosperity and wealth can breed greed and envy.

The Land of Lightning, where their Hidden Cloud Village is located, is built on towering mountains. It is sparsely populated and, apart from having some decent electricity resources, is very poor in resources, just like the countries where the other three ninja villages are located.

Only the Land of Fire, where Konoha is located, can be said to occupy the most resource-rich region in the entire ninja world. It is situated in a hilly area with a mild climate, abundant sunshine, plentiful arable land, a developed economy, and a large population. It is also located in the central transportation hub of the ninja world continent.

Konoha Village is only named "village" and is more like an administrative division. Its actual land area should be called a "city-state". The villagers live in Konoha their whole lives and never step outside the border. They are self-sufficient and live a good life solely based on Konoha's resources.

Hundreds of people die every year in Kumogakure due to lightning strikes, and all resources, including ninjutsu, must be seized and taken with lives...

Jealousy burned like a flame in their hearts, searing the chests of the three Cloud Village ninjas.

"If Azaburo and Lord Raikage's plan succeeds, could Kumogakure also share in this prosperous Konoha...?"

The three Cloud Village ninjas exchanged glances, all seeing the greed in each other's eyes.

The Hyuga main family generally does not leave the village casually, and even if they do, they are always accompanied and protected by Jonin from the branch family.

This makes it very difficult for other villages to capture any living members of the Hyuga clan. Even if they do capture a branch family member, the main family's Byakugan can be remotely destroyed by the [Caged Bird] curse seal.

However, during the Third Shinobi World War, the situation changed.

A Kirigakure Jonin named Ao suddenly obtained a Byakugan and easily completed the Byakugan transplant surgery, greatly enhancing his reconnaissance and support abilities and overall strength.

From then on, all the major ninja villages also learned the difference between the Byakugan and the Sharingan.

Just like the styles of the Uchiha and Hyuga, the Sharingan is relatively domineering, while the Byakugan is gentler and more adaptable to the body.

In the underground black market, the bounty for a single white eye has reached 3500 million taels.

What the Hidden Cloud Village lacks most right now is not ninjutsu, but powerful bloodline limits like the Byakugan and Sharingan.

They couldn't get the Sharingan; even the Cloud Village didn't want to mess with those mad dogs from the Uchiha clan.

But if it's Hyuga...

There are only three possible outcomes for this plan.

The best outcome would be a successful plan, a safe escape, and Kumogakure obtaining the Hyuga clan's bloodline.

However, it is almost impossible to kidnap hostages from the Hyuga clan's territory.

But it doesn't matter. If the plan fails, they will deliberately die at the hands of the Hyuga clan members, and then use this as an excuse to force Konoha to hand over the "culprit," or else they will start a war.

If Konoha were to hand over the murderer from the Hyuga clan, it would not only cause conflict between Konoha's conservatives and radicals, but also sow discord between the Hyuga clan and the Hokage faction, while simultaneously depleting Konoha's manpower.

Even if the Third Hokage agrees to go to war, according to their intelligence, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki died in the Nine-Tails' rampage, Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, defected, and Jiraiya and Tsunade were missing.

With Konoha's power weakened to this extent, Kumogakure naturally has no reason to fear Konoha now.

Success means obtaining the Hyuga clan's bloodline; failure means having a legitimate reason to wage war.

Either way, it would be advantageous for the Hidden Cloud Village.

The price they pay won't be too high; at most, it'll be their three lives.

While the three were observing Konoha, the people of Konoha were also observing them.

"Three Jonin?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his slightly narrowed eyes, knowing this was the standard configuration for an envoy delegation. The last trace of caution he had shown quietly dissipated, and he nodded slightly, saying, "Go, Rena."

"Yes, Third Generation-sama."

The girl Reina, holding a bouquet of fresh, dewy flowers in her arms, ran towards the Cloud Village envoys in the distance, her long, golden ponytail rising and falling with her steps in the sunlight.

"Welcome to Konoha."

She handed the flowers in her arms to the leading Cloud Village ninja. After a polite handshake, she smiled and said, "Please call me Rena. I will accompany you throughout your itinerary for the next few days."

The girl didn't have any distinctive clan insignia on her body, and she looked like just a young female ninja, or even a ninja at all.

"Thank you." The leader, a Jonin from Kumogakure named "Yurui," returned a smile and said in a gentle tone, "Then please take good care of me, Miss Reina."

Wearing high heels and running at a fast pace indicates excellent balance.

The calluses on his hands have clearly been trimmed, indicating he is likely skilled with swords and similar weapons.

and also……

“An ANBU ninja?” Yurui thought calmly, “It seems that getting rid of surveillance won’t be easy.”

While they were thinking, they had already walked to the front of the group in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands firmly with Yurui.

Yurui's first impression was that he was strong and powerful, not at all like an old man who was leading a large group of people in his twilight years.

It's as if a fire is burning within that decaying shell, still radiating a terrifying power that commands respect.