"In the Hatake Clan, I call the shots."
"..."
Fugaku Uchiha was speechless. Only after a long moment did he ask, "Why do this? Even if the higher-ups want to suppress Lord White Fang, your Hatake Clan will still be the Hatake Clan, and White Fang will still be White Fang."
"You're wrong." Ling Tian sneered. "This isn't just suppression. They're jealous of capable people. My older brother has done so much for the Leaf Village, yet after one failed mission, they blew everything out of proportion. This village is rotten at its roots. If we don't make up our minds now, sooner or later, your Uchiha Clan will be next."
"I believe you." Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "But I can't agree to this. I can't gamble with my clansmen's lives."
He wanted to do it, but the chances of success were too low.
No, it wasn't that the chances were too low. There was simply no chance of success at all.
Even if what Ling Tian said was true and Orochimaru really had joined them, could Orochimaru hold off Tsunade and Jiraiya?
Even if he did, they still couldn't win!
The Hatake were the ones in a hurry now, not the Uchiha.
Unperturbed, Ling Tian continued, "What if, besides Orochimaru, we had another Shinobi who was no weaker than my older brother?"
"Who?"
Fugaku Uchiha cried out in shock. Someone no weaker than White Fang? Apart from the Third, did the Leaf Village have another Shinobi like that?
Ling Tian said, "You don't need to know who. I wouldn't lie to you about something like this. Just tell me whether that's enough."
Two White Fangs, Orochimaru, and the Uchiha Clan.
Could they succeed?
Fugaku Uchiha was still weighing the pros and cons when Ling Tian added, "Before we act, we can find a way to send Jiraiya away. If there's a chance with Tsunade, we'll send her away too...
"Clan Head Fugaku and my older brother will handle the Third. The Uchiha clansmen will take care of the Anbu. Orochimaru and his subordinates will hold off the Two Advisors' forces, and the remaining person will handle Danzo. If nothing unexpected happens, our success rate will be one hundred percent."
Root and Danzo could be left out of the calculations for now. After all, he needed to preserve his useful life to protect the Leaf Village.
"One hundred percent?" Fugaku Uchiha asked. "What about Root, the Sarutobi, the Hyuga, and all the other Great Ninja Clans? What if we can't send Tsunade and Jiraiya away...
"And the civilian Shinobi? Some of them are very powerful too. Then there's the intelligence department, the Sealing Squad, the Ninja Academy, the prison, the hospital, and all the retired Shinobi..."
Two White Fangs, Orochimaru and his subordinates, and the Uchiha Clan wanted to stage a coup, yet they couldn't even fucking beat half of the Leaf Village's forces...
And that was after excluding those involved in the coup and sending Jiraiya and Tsunade away.
He hadn't realized it until he did the math. Now that he had, Ling Tian's heart was pounding in alarm.
Hiruzen Sarutobi really was fucking impressive.
He had actually managed to ruin such a powerful Leaf Village until only a handful of stragglers remained.
Hmm... if the Kurama Clan hadn't been wiped out yet, and a few fewer members of the Senju main line had died...
He wouldn't even have dared entertain this fucking idea!
He had always thought the Leaf Village wasn't all that strong.
Third, you nearly screwed me over.
Ling Tian grumbled inwardly, but his expression remained calm. "I'll visit the Hyuga shortly."
Fugaku Uchiha said, "Even with them, it wouldn't be enough. Besides, they won't take this risk with you."
Ling Tian said, "Add the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans."
"Impossible. Those three clans are the Hokage's inner circle."
"Clan Head Fugaku, leave that to me. Just tell me, with two White Fangs, Orochimaru, and the support of the Ino-Shika-Cho, would the Hyuga agree? And if they did, what would our chances be?"
"Thirty percent."
Fugaku Uchiha held up three fingers.
Just as Ling Tian was about to slap him, he added, "If we really can send Tsunade and Jiraiya away, then we'd have a seventy-percent chance."
Two Kage Level fighters.
They were still very powerful. At the very least, Orochimaru and Fugaku would have to stay behind to hold them off.
If that happened, the Two Advisors and the Third would become very difficult to deal with.
Though he was five years younger than the Sannin, this ambitious clan head was confident he could hold off one of them.
"What if-and I'm only saying what if," Ling Tian said, "Tsunade and Jiraiya were sent away, and the Inuzuka Clan also agreed to support us?"
"Then eighty percent."
Ling Tian offered no comment. Adding one of the Leaf Village's top ten ninja clans only increased their chances by a twentieth.
No complaints-one more on their side meant one fewer on the other, didn't it?
Ling Tian thought for a while, then continued, "What if public opinion favored us? Say we exposed what the Third has done over the years: suppressing the Uchiha, secretly slaughtering the Senju, and now targeting White Fang...
"And what if we pinned the disappearances and deaths of some famous Shinobi during the wars on the Third too? Finally, we bring out Torifu Akimichi, who was also the Second's student."
Fugaku Uchiha shuddered at those words. Only after a moment did he speak. "If the entire village denounced the higher-ups, then we'd have a ninety-percent chance of success. The remaining ten percent would account for Tsunade, Jiraiya, and any unforeseen developments."
Just imagine it.
Konoha's White Fang, Orochimaru of the Sannin, Torifu Akimichi, and an Uchiha-led Team.
Leading the five clans-the Ino-Shika-Cho, Hyuga, and Inuzuka-they would storm the Hokage Building with overwhelming momentum behind them. How could they possibly fail?
With White Fang's and Orochimaru's popularity, the villagers wouldn't object to either of them becoming Hokage.
And to the Shinobi, a Third whose true colors had been exposed couldn't compare to either of those two.
Forget the Third's past contributions. Compared to the future, past achievements weren't worth shit. Hadn't everyone already forgotten the First and come to know only the Third as the Strongest Hokage?
The Second had only been dead for eight years!
If things really went that way, victory would be assured. Their Uchiha Clan could easily secure the intelligence department and a senior advisor's seat.
But would the Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, and Inuzuka agree?
And most importantly, how would they get public opinion on their side?
They couldn't have people getting arrested by the Anbu before the rumors even started spreading.
And that White Fang—he had been Anbu Captain for so many years, yet he hadn't brought the Anbu under his control. Otherwise, their chances would have been one hundred percent.
That would have been destiny!
Soon, Ling Tian gave Fugaku Uchiha an explanation.
"Clan Head Fugaku, if it really comes to that, you'll have to hand over the Police Force."
Seeing him frown, Ling Tian hurriedly added, "Otherwise, why would the Inuzuka Clan agree?"
"When the time comes, Clan Leader Fugaku, the Hyuga clan head, and Torifu Akimichi will serve as the three advisors. The Inuzuka Clan will take charge of the Leaf Village's Police Force. We'll also divide the jonin into three units, with their commanders selected from the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans. The Uchiha will also take charge of the Intelligence Department. What do you think?"
When Fugaku Uchiha still raised an eyebrow after he finished, Ling Tian thought he was about to make trouble. Instead...
"What about Orochimaru?"
That's all you're worried about?
Ling Tian smiled at the question. "I'll establish a Research Department and put Orochimaru in charge."
"Will he agree?" Fugaku Uchiha was still a little worried.
"Don't worry. I guarantee he'll agree."
It seemed his older brother becoming Hokage was already a done deal.
Wouldn't it be a waste not to have Orochimaru do research?
After Ling Tian's smooth talk, this clan head favored his older brother more. That wasn't surprising.
"Clan Head Fugaku, you could arrange for a little girl to join Team Kakashi now. Affection should be nurtured early."
Ling Tian was in a good mood. Even his way of addressing Fugaku had become more respectful...
His nephew would definitely be delighted!
Before you continue