Celebration Within the Clan

The Third Hokage selection had finally come to a close, and the news of Uchiha Nan's overwhelming victory swept through Konoha in an instant.

According to gossip from onlookers at the scene, Mito-sama had been beaten into a swollen mess by Uchiha Nan, ultimately having to cover her face with a cloth just to return to the Senju Clan Compound.

Of course, the Senju Clan immediately issued a statement regarding such rumors.

Rumors, pure rumors!

Anyone who dared to spread gossip again would be invited for a sit-down in the Anbu.

Mito-sama had merely stepped aside to avoid blocking the path of the younger generation, voluntarily conceding!

In the end, she had narrowly lost to Uchiha Nan!

The Senju Clan directly mobilized their clan's influence, spreading their version of events through every street and alley of Konoha—such a disgraceful matter still needed some cover-up.

However, this news was quickly drowned out by the announcement that Uchiha Nan was about to become the Third Hokage.

In the past, the Hokage position had always been monopolized by the Senju Clan, but now the situation had changed—the tables had turned, and the Uchiha Clan would take the initiative in Konoha.

The major and minor ninja clans of Konoha had always been quick to shift with the wind, siding with whichever of the Uchiha or Senju came out on top.

For a time, the doorstep of the Uchiha Clan compound was nearly worn down by the constant stream of visitors, with various clans coming to pledge their allegiance in an endless procession.

Uchiha Nan naturally welcomed this development—if these ninja clans wanted future protection from the Uchiha, they wouldn't dare show up empty-handed, would they?

Every envelope contained a thick stack of bills; if the offering was too meager, Uchiha Nan simply wouldn't see them!

It was all about social graces—the clans were well-versed in this game.

However, Uchiha Nan only met with the heads of minor clans to put faces to names; whether they would be given important roles later was another matter entirely. He might not remember who came, but he would certainly remember who didn't.

The ones Uchiha Nan prioritized meeting were the Bloodline Families and Secret Jutsu Families.

Hyuga Takuma arrived in high spirits bearing gifts to pay his respects to Uchiha Nan. The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans were in their honeymoon period, and with Uchiha Nan defeating Mito-sama to ascend to the Hokage throne, the Hyuga Clan, as allies, stood to reap great rewards.

What caught Uchiha Nan's attention, however, was that Hyuga Takuma had brought along a young girl from the Main Family named Hyuga Asuka, only twelve years old.

After exchanging pleasantries, Hyuga Takuma eagerly introduced Hyuga Asuka to Uchiha Nan.

Dressed in a yellow kimono, she was polite and mature beyond her years, though still carrying an air of childishness. Her features were naturally beautiful, bearing some resemblance to Naruto's sister-in-law Hanabi, but with a more composed demeanor.

Hyuga Takuma heaped praise upon Hyuga Asuka, calling her the most outstanding young woman of the Hyuga Main Family.

Hyuga Takuma had thought it through clearly—Uchiha Nan's strength had already reached the top tier of the ninja world, and his rule over Konoha would likely last decades. For the future of the clan, what was one woman?

While it might cause some bloodline dilution, that wasn't a problem. Hyuga Takuma had a long-term vision—if everything went smoothly and Uchiha Nan and Hyuga Asuka came together, bearing children...

Uchiha Nan's bloodline combined with the Hyuga Clan's—the talent of such a child was unimaginable, a genius among geniuses.

As Uchiha Nan's child, the future Fourth Hokage might well be them. A child with both Hyuga and Uchiha bloodlines—round it off, and it was almost like the Hyuga Clan had produced a Hokage too.

The harm of bloodline dilution was far less than the gains from this investment, so why not do it?

The Hyuga Clan pursued prosperity and legacy; in later generations, they would stoop to sacrificing the clan head's own brother to death, putting on airs of superiority while having no real integrity at heart.

If it were the Uchiha, they would have fought the Cloud Village to the bitter end.

Was this pimping?

Uchiha Nan watched Hyuga Takuma's sales pitch and thought to himself that he had already reached a moral vacuum, but he hadn't expected Hyuga Takuma to be even more unrestrained.

Pushing out a twelve-year-old girl—though Hyuga Asuka didn't seem dissatisfied. Konoha had only been founded for twenty years, still steeped in the Warring States era's customs; once a girl had her first bloom, she was considered fit for bearing children.

After all, the high mortality rate of shinobi was common knowledge.

But Uchiha Nan wasn't beastly enough to lay a hand on a twelve-year-old girl. He had no desire to eat the River Crab God's bullets, so he brushed it off with vague words.

Seeing that Uchiha Nan had no interest, Hyuga Takuma dropped the subject. This was only an initial meeting; there would be plenty more opportunities.

After a busy round of meeting countless people, the Uchiha celebration began!

Night

Naka Shrine

All of Uchiha Nan's clan members had gathered—even ordinary clan members who hadn't awakened their Sharingan were present. Fireworks and firecrackers lit up the night sky, turning it into a sea of daylight.

After the fireworks, Uchiha Nan was pulled by the clan elders to perform ancestral rites. The elders, tears streaming down their faces as they looked at the ancestral tablets, wept profusely while endlessly praising Uchiha Nan.

Calling him the hope of the Uchiha Clan, the strongest Hokage of Konoha.

In short, they said whatever sounded good, from the founding of the village to the Uchiha being suppressed by the Senju for twenty years, finally reaching the day they could hold their heads high.

All kinds of flattery made even Uchiha Nan feel a bit embarrassed, and they even slapped Hiruzen Sarutobi's titles onto him.

He wasn't that narcissistic—facing Hashirama Senju now would likely end with him being squeezed into paste by a giant hand, just like the Nine-Tails.

After the ancestral rites, a grand banquet was naturally held, and Uchiha Nan was dragged off to drink. On such a joyful day, he wasn't about to spoil the mood.

But one fist can't beat four hands—no matter how much Uchiha Nan could drink, he couldn't withstand the clan members toasting him one by one. In the end, Manji had to drag him home.

While the Uchiha celebrated under bright lights, the Senju Clan was naturally in deep grief, turning off their lights and going to bed early.

The Hokage position, passed down for two generations, had been snatched away by the Uchiha—this was an utter disgrace.

Senju Clan Compound

An underground secret room, filled with all kinds of experimental instruments and piles of research data.

This was Tobirama Senju's original laboratory room.

Senju Touma pulled out a sealed research file from the very bottom.

"Clan Head, are we really going to restart the Cell Experiment?"

This was an experiment that Lord Tobirama himself had ordered stopped back then—every single clan member who volunteered to participate had died without exception!

Senju Toury's face was etched with fear. He was one of Senju Touma's trusted men, having followed him onto the battlefield all along.

Senju Toury was a few years older than Senju Touma, and he had witnessed the horrific state of the test subjects firsthand. It was utterly unbearable—each one twisted in agony, reduced to something no longer human, giving the younger him nightmares for days.

"The Uchiha have already climbed on top of the Senju!"

"I need greater power to reclaim the Hokage Position in the future!"

Senju Touma's face burned with resentment. Uchiha Nan's sneering expression back then had completely shattered his composure.

"And what about Mito-sama?"

"Keep your mouth shut tight about Mother. I'll handle it when the time comes."

Senju Touma waved his hand, unwilling to dwell on the issue any longer.