Fugaku Uchiha walked ahead, his face expressionless, but a fire burned in his heart.
Money, power... and one more thing.
Daimyo Manor was selecting imperial concubines for its new lord.
If they could send an Uchiha woman there and have her bear a child with the Sharingan...
Fugaku Uchiha suddenly realized that the Hokage position he had once been obsessed with had become insignificant.
Hyuga Hiashi followed not far behind him, his expression grim.
He had also thought of the daimyo's imperial concubine selection.
For the Hyuga, this was an even thornier problem than the Twelve Guardian Ninja. The Byakugan could not be allowed to spread beyond the clan.
But refusing the daimyo meant openly opposing him.
Hyuga Hiashi felt trapped, with death waiting on both sides.
Shikaku Nara ambled along behind them.
He looked at Fugaku Uchiha's back, then glanced at Hyuga Hiashi.
Talent cultivation, the Twelve Guardian Ninja...
Those were all out in the open.
The truly lethal things were the ones no one could see.
Such as the imperial concubine selection.
The Uchiha saw a shortcut.
The Hyuga saw an abyss.
"The weather is about to change!"
Shikaku Nara muttered under his breath.
Without looking back, he lightly waved at those behind him.
"Inoichi, Choza, come have a drink at my place."
"Alright!"
Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi agreed in deep voices without the slightest hesitation.
The three figures left the crowd and headed toward the Nara Clan compound in silent understanding.
In the Nara courtyard, deer leisurely grazed on the grass in the backyard, utterly unaware of the turmoil outside.
Warm wine on the stone table gave off a rich fragrance.
Choza Akimichi grabbed a cup and drained it in one gulp, then slammed it heavily onto the table with a dull thud.
His rough voice was full of pent-up frustration.
"What kind of nonsense is this? The daimyo is trying to stick his hand into our heads!"
"Not just our heads." Inoichi Yamanaka gently swirled his wine cup, his gaze sharp. "I can feel it. The hearts of the people in the village have already begun to waver."
Leaning against a porch pillar, Shikaku Nara watched the deer and spoke unhurriedly.
"Because this isn't a scheme. It's an open plot."
"Money gives those Civilian Ninja with no backing a chance to rise. They'll only be grateful to the daimyo."
"Power, the glory of the Guardians of the Twelve, can drive any clan that wants to prove itself mad."
"Look at Fugaku just now. He practically wanted to package up the entire Uchiha Clan and offer it to the daimyo."
Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka both fell silent.
"Then... what about the imperial concubine selection?"
Inoichi Yamanaka's voice was a little dry.
A child with the daimyo's bloodline would immediately elevate the status of the family behind that child above even the Hokage.
"That's the cruelest part."
Shikaku Nara sighed, his face full of helplessness. "The Uchiha see a stairway to heaven, while the Hyuga see a bottomless abyss. And us..."
"We can't do anything."
Choza Akimichi said, "What if we refuse?"
"Refuse? What do we have to refuse with? Do we even dare to refuse?"
"Even if our three clans tied ourselves together, could we withstand the fanaticism of all Konoha? One wrong move, and we'll be isolated."
Choza Akimichi's fists clenched with crackling sounds. "So we just stand by and watch?"
"What else can we do?" Shikaku Nara asked. "Choza, go to the Hokage Building right now and tell Minato that our Ino-Shika-Cho clans firmly oppose the daimyo's decision."
"Then tomorrow, the Uchiha will receive double the cultivation funds, while the children of our three clans might even have their Ninja Academy subsidies cut."
"That's the nature of an open plot. The daimyo has placed fragrant bait before everyone. If you don't eat it, you starve to death."
"If you eat it, you have to obey him."
The courtyard sank into a long, deathly silence.
In the end, Shikaku Nara broke it.
"Don't participate, don't oppose it, don't state a position."
"We... just need to watch."
Meanwhile.
At the Uchiha compound, Naka Shrine.
Fugaku Uchiha sat at the head of the hall, with dozens of clansmen below him. The atmosphere was solemn.
"That is the situation."
Fugaku's voice was steady, though he could not hide his excitement.
"The daimyo is willing to bypass the Hokage and directly support the geniuses of our major clans. This is an unprecedented opportunity!"
An elderly man with white hair and beard frowned. "Clan Head, the daimyo is clearly trying to divide Konoha."
"Divide?"
Fugaku sneered. "Elder, when has Konoha ever been united? When Danzo suppressed us, why didn't anyone think about unity then?"
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"Now that we have an opportunity to bypass the Hokage and speak directly with the highest authority in the Land of Fire, why should we refuse?"
His gaze swept over everyone present, and he saw that his clansmen were still hesitant.
He suddenly stood, spreading his arms wide, his voice filled with temptation.
"Money! Power! These can all make us stronger! But they are not the most important things! The most important thing is that the daimyo is selecting imperial concubines!"
"Think about it, clansmen!"
He stressed every word, each one striking their hearts. "If an Uchiha woman can bear the daimyo a child... with the Sharingan!"
"What would that mean?!"
The air within the shrine was instantly ignited.
One elder excitedly crushed the teacup in his hand.
Another elder breathed heavily, staring fixedly at Fugaku.
The Hokage?
Compared to a future ruler who carried both the daimyo's and Uchiha's blood, what was the Kage of a single village worth?
"By then, our Uchiha Clan will surely become the true foremost noble clan of the Land of Fire!"
"I have decided!"
Fugaku's voice echoed through the shrine. "Immediately select the three most outstanding women in the clan. Ninja or ordinary clanswomen, so long as they possess both beauty and character, and have firm minds, send them to Daimyo Manor as candidates!"
"My decision is final. There will be no further discussion!"
At the Hyuga compound.
The atmosphere was completely different from that of the Uchiha.
Hyuga Hiashi's face was dark as water as he listened to the fierce argument among several elders of the Main Family below.
"We absolutely cannot send a daughter of the Main Family!"
"The purity of the Byakugan is the foundation of the Hyuga. It must never be allowed to spread beyond the clan!"
"B-But if we refuse, we'll be openly opposing the daimyo!"
"Then choose one from the Branch Family and send her!"
"No!" Hyuga Hiashi suddenly slammed his palm onto the table, his voice icy. "The Branch Family carries Hyuga blood as well! The Caged Bird cannot lock away the inheritance of blood! Once a child is born, the Hyuga will have no secrets left!"
The entire secret chamber fell silent.
Everyone looked at Hiashi. This young head of the Main Family was bearing immense pressure.
On one side were the clan's iron laws, passed down for a thousand years. On the other was the daimyo's irresistible authority.
No matter what he chose, it could lead to utter destruction.
He closed his eyes, veins bulging on his forehead. The weight of the entire clan pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
"Delay..."
Only after a long while did Hiashi force out a single word through clenched teeth.
"Delay for as long as we can..."
He opened his eyes, and only despair remained within them.
Hokage Building.
Minato Namikaze stood by the window, looking down over all of Konoha.
The village was as it had always been, with people coming and going in peaceful bustle.
But he could feel the undercurrents beneath those calm waters surging wildly.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura sat behind him, their faces ashen, as though they had aged ten years in an instant.
"The Uchiha... have already begun selecting women to send to Daimyo Manor." Utatane Koharu's voice was hoarse.
"The smaller clans, such as the Inuzuka and Aburame, have also sent people to inquire about the specific distribution of talent cultivation funds and the selection standards for the Guardian Shinobi." Mitokado Homura added, his tone full of undisguised exhaustion.
"And the Civilian Ninja..."
Utatane Koharu closed her eyes, unable to continue.
There was no need for her to say more. Minato already knew.
To Ninja without backing, who had relied entirely on themselves to struggle forward, the daimyo's decision was a blessing from heaven.
Their support for the daimyo even surpassed their respect for the Hokage.
In just a few days.
Konoha, the village once united by the Will of Fire, had already been clearly split into two halves.
One half consisted of those who fanatically supported the daimyo, those who already held benefits, and those who longed to obtain them.
The other half was made up of old remnants like them, who still defended the village's autonomy.
"We... have lost."
Mitokado Homura's voice was full of helplessness.
Minato Namikaze did not turn around. His golden hair looked somewhat dim beneath the setting sun.
His mind raced as he dismantled every move the daimyo had made.
First, use money to buy off the lower ranks and divide commoners from clans.
Second, use power to tempt the upper ranks and intensify the conflict between the major clans and the Hokage.
Third, use marriage alliances to bind the ninja clans and turn them into his blades.
Every move was open and aboveboard, and every move targeted the most fragile desires in people's hearts.
Flawless.
He frantically worked through every possible countermeasure, but every possibility ultimately led to the same outcome—civil war, division, and Konoha's complete collapse.
Unless... he bowed his head to the daimyo.
Once again, he remembered what the Third Hokage had said.
Do not speculate. Do not resist.
Only think about how to secure the greatest possible benefit for the village under the rules set by the daimyo.
But would such a Konoha still be Konoha?
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