The Nara Clan's Plan to Lie Flat Failed

"Make way, don't crowd together, someone's coming!"

"Hyuga Clan ninjas are clearing the way as guards? Who is it? Why such a grand display?"

"Looks like... looks like the Uchiha? The two surviving Uchiha Clan members? And that fox demon brat?"

Amid the noisy whispers and curious questions of the crowd, a group of Hyuga Branch Family Ninjas guarded the outside and cleared a path through the packed crowd as they approached.

Protected in their midst were the six who had just arrived: Daren Yi, Izumi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto Uzumaki.

What surprised the onlookers was that Naruto Uzumaki, the fox demon brat, was actually walking right in the center.

This time, Daren Yi was not wearing his disguise and had revealed his true face. He was holding the soft little hand of the girl at his side, whispering sweet nothings intimately with the teardrop mole girl in full view of everyone, as though no one else existed.

On Naruto Uzumaki's other side, Neji Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha had an entirely different style. Every gesture they made strictly followed the rules of etiquette passed down through their ancient noble families.

As the heirs of Konoha's two largest and strongest dojutsu bloodline families, they were familiar with each other as fellow Shamate members online. Yet when they met in person, they greeted each other politely, reservedly, and curiously. A faint fighting spirit rose in both their hearts toward this peer of theirs.

Walking in the very middle, Naruto Uzumaki stared blankly at the Konoha he loved and hated, somewhat lost in thought. They had only been apart for one night, yet he felt as though a lifetime had passed.

More precisely, after spending several months in the Dream World and undergoing a complete transformation, it was not wrong to say that it felt like a lifetime had passed!

Compared to the five standing in a row ahead of her, the shy Hinata was like a little tail, following half a step behind Neji. Under the gaze of the masses, she was utterly dazed, her little face flushed red, steam practically rising from her head as she looked bashfully and timidly toward Naruto ahead of her.

"Yi? Yi, Yi..."

Daren Yi suddenly heard someone by the roadside calling his name. Turning around, he saw several familiar neighbors gathered together. Uncle Imagawa, who had once drunkenly sworn he would introduce Daren Yi to a wife, was shouting the loudest, waving his arm vigorously for fear that Daren Yi would not see him.

"They came too!"

Daren Yi returned the smile and waved back. Then he lifted the hand still clasped with Izumi Uchiha's, showing it to them.

"Tsk, tsk. Who would've thought that little Izumi would end up with Yi after all? I always said those two were a perfect match!"

"Yeah, no one could have imagined it. Yi actually showed up here today... Sigh, that kid hid himself well!"

Listening to the discussions of his familiar neighbors behind him, Daren Yi and Izumi Uchiha exchanged smiles, recalling memories they had shared as children.

A moment later, all the young powerhouses had gathered together, excitement shining in their eyes.

It was the first time in their lives that they had experienced such a major event—and they had started it with their own hands. How could they not be excited?

"Konoha's cancer will be eradicated by our own hands! For Konoha, for the Will of Fire!"

Kiba Inuzuka, the one least able to hold himself back, was already howling excitedly, accompanied by Akamaru's voice-over. "Woof woof woof!"

Everyone's emotions were thoroughly stirred up by the fervent atmosphere. "For Konoha!" "For the Will of Fire!" "Eradicate Konoha's cancer!"...

At that moment, in the corridor outside the conference room of the Hokage Building, Inoichi Yamanaka, the Yamanaka Clan head, frowned tightly as he once again asked his longtime partner, Shikaku Nara, the Nara Clan head.

"Is it really appropriate for us to just do nothing and let the children mess around? Something won't actually happen, will it?"

Shikaku Nara sighed helplessly and could only reassure his old friend once again. "The situation is chaotic right now. I can no longer see it clearly either. But no matter what, it would be inappropriate for our clan to completely and thoroughly draw a line against the force that has Shisui Uchiha and stand on the opposite side.

"Now even the Hyuga Clan has chosen its position in advance. We can't hesitate for too long either! I have a feeling that whoever is making moves behind the scenes and stirring everything up may be far stronger than we imagine. The Third Hokage very likely...

"Look at the Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan. Aren't they not stopping them either? Besides, this is the children's own wish!"

A short while later, Konoha's jonin entered the conference room one after another. Aside from the small number who were not currently in Konoha, most had arrived. Shikaku Nara counted the jonin present and announced the number on the spot.

According to the rules that had remained in place since Konoha's founding, as long as the attending jonin made up seventy percent of the total number of jonin, it was considered a "Full Jonin Meeting."

Resolutions passed during the meeting could not be directly vetoed by the Hokage. The Hokage could only convene another Jonin Meeting for discussion. If a resolution passed three times in a row, the Hokage was not permitted to object further and had to carry it out directly.

Just as the meeting began, waves of clamor came from outside. Danzo demanded unhappily, "What's going on?"

A chunin pushed open the door and entered to report, "The plaza outside the Hokage Building and the nearby streets are packed with people. They have all come to petition us. The representatives they selected have just negotiated with us and put forward their first demand.

"They demand that this Full Jonin Meeting be held publicly in the plaza outside, and that multiple television stations be permitted to broadcast it jointly for all Konoha residents, so as to prevent certain Konoha High-Ranking Officials from harming Konoha for their own personal interests."

"Absurd!" "Nonsense!" "Why not just arrest them all?"...

For a moment, quite a few jonin slammed their hands on the table and berated them angrily. Yet Shikaku Nara had a bad feeling and asked, "Who are the representatives they selected?"

The chunin's words caught in his throat. He glanced at the many jonin from ninja clans present and said cautiously, "There are heirs from the Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Aburame Clan, Hyuga Clan, and Inuzuka Clan; surviving members of the Uchiha Clan; and several young geniuses from Civilian Ninja backgrounds..."

Uh...

Some of the jonin who had slammed the table awkwardly withdrew their hands. Something was not right about today's situation.

The jonin from the various clans all turned their eyes toward their clan heads. Had these ninja clans already discussed this in private?

Shikaku Nara's face darkened. He had hoped that the Nara Clan would avoid taking a clear stance—not supporting, not opposing, and certainly not taking responsibility—so they could weather this chaotic period with a more tactful posture.

But unfortunately, whoever was behind the scenes clearly had no intention of letting him muddle through so easily!

The Nara Clan's plan to lie flat had failed...