You Like Older Women, It Turns Out

The succession ceremony was held on the third day. The day before, the Third Hokage had informed the entire village and sent word to Minato, Shikaku, and the others still fighting on the front lines.

Shikaku found it hard to understand. Why were he and Minato risking their lives on the battlefield while the village had already changed leadership?

And Hyuga Hiashi had actually turned out to be an enemy agent!

He wanted to return to Konoha with Minato immediately and confront the Third Hokage face-to-face.

But the letter sent back by the Third Hokage ordered them to remain at the front. The current situation could not do without them there, so they were to fight without worry and make any requests they needed.

It was all over!

At the Hokage succession ceremony, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, handed the Hokage hat in his hands to the student before him with a complicated expression. Everything felt too unreal. The Orochimaru in his memories was certainly not someone skilled at political struggles.

But when he carefully considered everything that had happened, each event linked seamlessly with the next, every step meticulously planned. His scheming was terrifyingly deep!

And now, Sarutobi no longer had the power to turn things around. He could only hope Orochimaru would truly prove worthy of the position of Hokage.

Otherwise, even if it cost him this old life, he would eradicate this menace.

"Don't look so frightening, Teacher Sarutobi," Orochimaru said with a faint smile.

"You are entrusting the village's future to me now."

Sarutobi merely said in a low voice, "Orochimaru, Konoha is in your hands."

Orochimaru lightly placed the hat on his head, then turned and walked to the edge of the Hokage's Office rooftop. Looking at the villagers cheering wildly below and hearing his own name echo through the air, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

At last, he could do whatever he wanted in this village.

Behind Sarutobi stood Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Shimura Danzō, and the others.

Jiraiya and Tsunade were there as well.

Tsunade was surprised that Orochimaru had truly become the Fourth Hokage, but she did not feel much resistance toward it in her heart.

Jiraiya's feelings, on the other hand, were far more complicated.

Standing off to one side were also the Uchiha Clan head, Fugaku, and the new head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Shin.

Fugaku was still wondering why the head of the Hyuga Clan was only a teenager—and one without the Byakugan, at that.

But seeing no mark on Shin's forehead, he guessed that Shin was the new Main Branch. In Fugaku's eyes, the Hyuga Clan was a malformed clan.

He was not the only one puzzled. Everyone present, including Danzo, found it strange, even absurd.

After the ceremony ended, Fugaku took the initiative to approach Shin for a conversation.

"Lord Shin."

"Senior Fugaku."

Fugaku smiled lightly. "For Lord Shin to take up the position of Hyuga Clan head at such a young age is truly admirable."

Shin said, "This junior often feels anxious as well, fearing that I may not be capable of the role. The Uchiha Clan is one of Konoha's foremost prestigious clans, so I will have much to learn from Senior Fugaku in the future."

"Lord Shin overpraises us. We dare not claim to be foremost. The Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan are both pillars of Konoha. We should work together and advance side by side from now on."

"Senior Fugaku is right."

"When Lord Shin has time, please come visit the Uchiha Clan. My wife and I will welcome you warmly."

"I certainly will."

The two merely exchanged pleasantries. The boy was far smoother than Fugaku had expected.

After parting ways, Shin returned directly to the Hyuga Clan Compound.

The clan members he encountered along the way all bowed to him.

In any clan other than the Hyuga Clan, someone who had risen to power like Shin could never possess such intimidating authority.

Only in the Hyuga Clan, where the Caged Bird Seal existed, could Shin have such an unshakable position.

His residence had also changed. He had moved from his former home into the clan head's courtyard, which had previously been Hiashi's residence.

That was only proper. Otherwise, when clan members came to see him, there would not even be a decent reception room.

There were also quite a few servants in the house, with an elderly man serving as the steward.

Many things had been replaced with new ones, and the place had been simply rearranged according to Shin's preferences. For instance, most of the clan's books had been moved into Shin's study.

Unfortunately, he was no longer as close to Ayari.

When he returned, Kamado was waiting for him in the courtyard.

"Lord Shin."

"What is it?"

Kamado hesitated briefly before saying, "Lord Hizashi said that from now on, I will serve as Lord Shin's guard."

The Hyuga Clan did indeed have such a rule. Every member of the Main Branch had a personal guard chosen from childhood. Kamado was about the same age as Shin, making him the most suitable candidate.

Kamado was also among the best of his peers. Though he could not compare with Kakashi, he was likely second only to him.

"My strength is lacking, and I fear I may not be able to protect Lord Shin properly. But I will train even harder in the future and strive to be worthy of this position."

Kamado's expression was slightly unnatural as he spoke. Even after two days, he still had not adjusted to Shin's changed status.

"You don't need to put so much pressure on yourself," Shin merely said. "Go back for now."

"Lord Shin, I'll take my leave."

The Hyuga Clan had suddenly undergone drastic changes, leaving many matters for Shin to handle, along with those Hiashi had accumulated in the past.

Shin carefully reviewed everything. The most important matters were nothing more than two.

The first was the clan's businesses. Too many people had died in the previous war, leaving the businesses under the Hyuga Clan's name unattended. Most of these were ventures outside the village, and if this continued, they would inevitably end up in outsiders' hands.

Hiashi had not had any good solution to this while he was alive.

Yesterday, some clan elders had even come to Shin on their own to raise the issue and ask whether he had any suitable solution.

But asking a teenager such a question was nothing more than waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

The second was the clan's reputation within the village.

Hyuga Hiashi had become an enemy agent. Although he had said before the Hokage that the clan members had no involvement and Hizashi had righteously put family loyalty aside, once such matters spread among the public, they were bound to become distorted.

Shin had not yet given much thought to the first matter, but the second was much easier to solve.

The Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru, could step forward to clarify matters, while public opinion could be guided in secret. Soon enough, the Hyuga Clan could be portrayed as a glorious image of enduring humiliation and sacrificing themselves to protect the village.

But Shin had other considerations before that. Unlike before, he had now stepped into the spotlight. There was no need to hide what he did anymore.

That evening, Hizashi came to visit on his own.

"I intend to break off my engagement with Ayari," Hizashi said.

"Alright." Shin was not surprised by this and agreed without hesitation.

Hizashi continued, "What I need to remind you is that you should have a fiancée as well. At present, Natsu is the most suitable choice in the clan."

"If you want to marry Ayari, no one would dare object. It just would not sound good once word got out."

There was quite an age gap between Shin and Ayari. If word of it spread outside the village, it would surely become fodder for the villagers' idle chatter. In Hizashi's view, it would damage the reputation and image of both Shin and the Hyuga Clan.

Shin did not respond. He had expected this long ago.

He had dangled before the clan members the promise of removing the Caged Bird Seal, so the clan's attitude today was certain to be different from before.

Many people believed that Natsu would become Shin's future fiancée, mainly because there were no other girls his age.

Natsu would surely be the next person to have her Caged Bird Seal removed as well. There had probably been no shortage of people trying to build connections with Natsu's family over the past two days.

After thinking for a long time, Shin suddenly asked, "How is Ayano now? Have you gone to see her?"

Hizashi was stunned upon hearing this. Then his gaze became strange. "So you... like older women."

Ayano and Ayari were sisters. Did Shin really have such a preference?

At such a young age...

Shin immediately rolled his eyes. "I was just asking casually. What are you thinking?"

Hizashi pondered for a moment. "Not well. She used to be Hiashi's fiancée. You should be able to imagine what her circumstances are now."

Shin nodded. "You don't need to worry about my marriage. I have my own plans."

After Hizashi left, Shin thought alone at home for a long while before finally heading out to Ayari's place.

The house next door, his former residence, now had its door tightly locked.

He had been busy these past two days and had not gone to see Ayari. Sibi was staying with her as well.

As night deepened, Ayari's door was closed too.

Shin walked up and knocked.

"I'm asleep!"

Ayari's voice came from inside.

Shin found it amusing and called through the door, "Open up. I came to pick up Sibi."

"Sibi is asleep too!"

"Woof?"

"..."

Shin sighed helplessly and softly called out from the doorway, "Sister Ayari."

A faint rustling sound came from inside.

The door opened slightly, and warm yellow light spilled out, falling over Shin outside.