Is the Hyuga Clan Rebelling?

Appearing on the rooftop of the Hokage Building once more, Minato wasted no time. He hurried down the stairs, pushed open the door to the Hokage's office, and announced loudly the moment he entered, "Hokage-sama, something major has happened with the Hyuga Clan!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated at his desk, raised an eyebrow but calmly replied, "Minato, don't rush. Tell me slowly!"

Affected by the Hokage's composed demeanor, Minato took a deep breath before speaking, "Hokage-sama, I met Hyuga Ritsu."

"Oh? Did the Main House members of the Hyuga Clan not intend to punish Hyuga Ritsu?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flickered.

Unexpectedly, Minato shook his head. "The Hyuga Clan no longer has a Main House. At least, the Main House within the village is gone."

"What?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't maintain his composure and exclaimed, "What do you mean the Hyuga Clan no longer has a Main House?"

"According to Hyuga Ritsu, the Branch House members of the Hyuga Clan could no longer tolerate the Main House's tyrannical rule. So, he led the Branch House members in a revolt, killing Hyuga Masamune and the other Main House members. After a joint discussion, they removed Hyuga Hiashi, who is not in the village, from his position as Clan Head. Then, Hyuga Ritsu was elected as the new Clan Head. Afterward, he gathered over a hundred Jonin and Special Jonin from the Hyuga Clan and selected six elders from among the Branch House members."

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened. He stood up, pressing his hands firmly on the desk. A fierce killing intent appeared in his eyes as he growled, "What do they intend to do? Is the Hyuga Clan trying to rebel?"

Slaughtering the Main House, dismissing the Clan Head, electing a new Clan Head and elders – such actions were outright rebellion!

He had to consider the worst-case scenario.

The Hyuga Clan's Branch House had lost control and retaliated against the Main House. Was this the end? Or the beginning? Would the Branch House members, in their hatred for the Main House, also resent the village for standing by and doing nothing?

After killing off the Main House, where would their blades turn next?

Was the Hyuga Clan truly planning to rebel?

If the Hyuga Clan intended to rebel, how should the village respond? Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind raced through one plan after another targeting the Hyuga Clan.

Just then--

"Hokage-sama, please remain calm for now. From what I observed, the situation hasn't reached that point yet. Hyuga Ritsu personally told me that the Hyuga Clan is a founding clan of Konohagakure, and the Hyuga shinobi are also Konoha shinobi. He also said that once he stabilizes the situation within the clan, he will come to pay his respects to you, Hokage-sama."

Minato spoke up in time, roughly relaying Hyuga Ritsu's exact words.

"Did he really say that?"

"Three minutes ago, Hyuga Ritsu said it himself."

"Minato, do you believe his words?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression softened slightly, but his doubts remained.

"I believe this is merely an internal conflict within the Hyuga Clan. This storm will be confined to the Hyuga Clan itself. Hyuga Ritsu's demeanor appeared very rational; he knows what he is doing and what he cannot do. I don't believe he will oppose the village."

Minato sincerely shared his opinion.

After listening to Minato's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat back down.

He turned to look out the window. The heavy rain was still falling, large raindrops pounding against the windowpane with the fierce wind. The thick curtain of rain obscured his vision, making it impossible to see anything further away.

Such terrible weather made everything inconvenient!

However, the Hyuga Clan members were not as affected as ordinary people. Their Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, allowed them to ignore the visual limitations caused by the harsh weather. In fact, weather with poor visibility was precisely when the Hyuga Clan excelled.

The reason the Hyuga Clan was dispatched to the eastern front to deal with the Kirigakure shinobi was that the Byakugan was highly effective against the Kirigakure shinobi's signature "Hidden Mist Technique." The Byakugan could easily see through the dense fog that rendered ordinary shinobi blind.

"Send in more people!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen called out.

The next second, four Anbu appeared, lining up and kneeling on one knee before the desk.

"Mao, go find Danzo. Tell him about what Minato just said regarding the Hyuga Clan. Release his 'Root' operatives and station them around the Hyuga Clan compound to monitor them closely. Report any unusual activity immediately. Also, have him come to my office."

"Fuji, go to the Police Force. Order Uchiha Fugaku to assemble the Jonin and be on standby, but do not tell him why."

"Chai, go inform the two Elder Advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, and have them come to my office immediately."

"Bao, go inform the clan heads of each village... Never mind, you and Chai can go find the two Elder Advisors together."

Orders were issued one by one.

Minato stood silently to the side.

Clearly, the Hokage had not let his guard down and was still preparing for the possibility of the Hyuga Clan rebelling. Putting himself in the Hokage's shoes, he would likely make similar decisions. Even if he trusted the Hyuga Clan, the necessary preparations could not be skipped.

In this world, many things are most feared because of that one "what if"!

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

The Anbu squad responded in unison.

The four of them left the Hokage building and parted ways in the pouring rain.

"Minato, I'll have to trouble you further. Stay and keep me company for a while!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Minato.

At times like this, having a top expert like Minato around would certainly bring more peace of mind. Minato alone was worth a hundred men, not to mention his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

If the worst were to happen, the power of the Jinchuriki might be needed to quickly quell the rebellion.

"I told Kushina I'd be back early when I left, but it looks like I won't be able to make it back now," Minato gave a wry smile.

"Minato, tell me more about the current state of the Hyuga Clan. I remember Hyuga Ritsu is only fifteen this year, right? Even if he's hailed as the Hyuga Clan's greatest genius, can he truly secure the position of Clan Head?"

"I can't say for sure if he can secure the position of Clan Head, but I've noticed that the six new elders of the Hyuga Clan show a high degree of obedience to Hyuga Ritsu!"

"The six new elders… I almost forgot to ask, who are these six elders?"

"I don't know many people in the Hyuga Clan, but I happen to know all six of these individuals. They are Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Takashi, Hyuga Tenma, Hyuga Shinichiro, Hyuga Isamu, and Hyuga Karin."

Minato listed the six names.

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and murmured, "They're all skilled members of the Hyuga Clan's Branch House!"

He knew these names as well, as these six were all outstanding Jonin within the Hyuga Clan. The youngest, Hyuga Tenma, had earned many merits on the battlefield, which was proof enough that Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered his name and general situation.

However, the one who concerned him the most was Hyuga Hiashi.

He was Hyuga Hiashi's own brother!