The Kirigakure Shinobi's Conspiracy

"Asana, if you fought Uchiha Yuan again, could you win?" Hyuga Chiwa asked, looking thoroughly displeased.

"I could. No matter how many times we fought, I would be the one who won!" Hyuga Asana answered without the slightest hesitation.

Hyuga Chiwa was clearly very satisfied with that answer. She smiled and said, "Then next time, help me teach him another lesson!"

"Yes, Miss Chiwa."

In a certain sense, Hyuga Asana had not lied.

Because neither Uchiha Yuan nor Hyuga Asana were the sort of people who cared greatly about winning or losing, nor were they especially prideful.

Besides, Uchiha Yuan knew very well that if he defeated Hyuga Asana, Hyuga Chiwa would make trouble for Hyuga Asana.

So at the very least, during their time at the Ninja Academy, no matter how many times the two of them sparred, Uchiha Yuan would never be able to beat Hyuga Asana.

After the sparring ended, the Third Hokage gave the children some encouragement, then had the teachers take them back.

Next, the Third Hokage had the teachers from the other classes bring their students over as well.

This time, there was only a brainwashing speech, and no sparring.

There was no need to arrange sparring for the classes afterward either. Their strength was too poor; once they went onto the battlefield, they would be standard cannon fodder.

The Third Hokage stayed at the Ninja Academy for an entire day, only leaving the academy when school was almost over.

When the Third Hokage returned to his office, the two Hokage advisors and the Hokage's assistant, Danzo, were already waiting for him.

"Hiruzen, I heard you went to inspect the Ninja Academy?" Danzo asked.

"Mm. This batch of students is about to go to the battlefield, so I went to get a rough measure of their strength and encourage them while I was at it," the Third Hokage replied.

"How did this batch of children perform?" Mitokado Homura asked.

"Not bad. There are a few students with both strength and talent."

"Speaking of which, Hiruzen, your son Asuma is also among this year's students, isn't he? How do you plan to arrange things for him?" Utatane Koharu asked.

"However the other students in his class are treated, he will be treated the same. I won't give him any special treatment just because he is my son," the Third Hokage answered without hesitation.

"Hiruzen, you just said there are some promising seedlings with both strength and talent among this batch of students. Are there any talents suited for my Root?" Danzo suddenly changed the subject and asked.

"Danzo, it's better if your Root doesn't replenish its ranks for now. The battle situation on the front lines is tense, and what matters right now is stabilizing the situation," Utatane Koharu opposed before the Third Hokage could speak.

"Koharu is right. Stabilizing the battlefield situation is what we should be doing now," Mitokado Homura followed up.

"That's what I think as well. Danzo, don't absorb any of this graduating class into your Root. I plan to dispatch most of them to the Land of Bears," the Third Hokage said.

"You still haven't found a way to deal with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?" Danzo asked with a frown.

"Mm. They're very troublesome. All I can think of is to send more people over and slow their advance," the Third Hokage replied.

Hearing this, Danzo was silent for a moment before saying, "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should still be in the village, right?"

"Kushina cannot be moved. Only with her in the village can we guarantee the village's safety," Mitokado Homura said.

"Indeed. The current situation has not yet reached the point where we need to use the Nine-Tails' power," Utatane Koharu agreed.

"Hmph! Do you two not know that Sunagakure Shinobi's One-Tail, Kumogakure Shinobi's Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, Iwagakure Shinobi's Four-Tails and Five-Tails, and Kirigakure Shinobi's Three-Tails have all appeared on the battlefield?" Danzo asked with a cold snort.

"Of course we know that intelligence. But the Nine-Tails is different from the other Tailed Beasts. Danzo, don't tell me you don't know how powerful the Nine-Tails is?" Mitokado Homura asked back.

"If you had handed the Jinchuriki over to me earlier, no matter how unruly and difficult to tame the Nine-Tails was, by now it would have no choice but to obey," Danzo said in an indifferent tone.

"The Nine-Tails is right there. You can go and take it yourself, provided your Root can deal with Minato, as well as Minato's teacher, Jiraiya," Utatane Koharu said.

"If you supported me, what could the two of them do? Would they really dare to stand against the entire village?"

"How could we possibly support you in something like that? Danzo, don't forget that Kushina is the Jinchuriki chosen by Lady Uzumaki Mito."

"So what? She's already dead! We can't possibly because of a dead person—"

"Enough! Danzo, watch your tone. Lady Mito was Lord Hashirama's wife!" The Third Hokage cut off their argument with a cold expression.

"Hiruzen."

"Danzo, say no more. The Nine-Tails cannot possibly be sent to the battlefield. To us in Konoha, a Jinchuriki is not merely a weapon."

After hearing the Third Hokage's words, Danzo sat down with a dark expression.

"I called you here not to discuss these matters with you. Recently, I received a piece of intelligence. The Kirigakure Shinobi in the Land of Bears are gathering their strength, intending to seize the Hyūga Clan's Byakugan." The Third Hokage brought the topic back.

"Seize the Byakugan? But the ones the Hyūga Clan sent over are basically all shinobi from the Hyuga Branch Family, aren't they? At most, there are only one or two from the main family, and they rarely participate in the war. They only come out to earn a bit of battle merit when things are absolutely safe. Where would the Kirigakure Shinobi get the chance to take the Byakugan?" Utatane Koharu asked.

"I also find it strange, but this intelligence has been verified by the Anbu through multiple channels. The Kirigakure Shinobi have also been making relevant preparations all along. It doesn't look like a Smoke Bomb they released."

"Then simply have the people from the Hyūga Main Family not go to battle. In any case, they aren't of much use," Danzo said.

"That won't do. The conflict between the Hyūga Clan's main family and branch family is already serious enough as it is. If the main family doesn't even send anyone to the battlefield this time, what will the branch family think?" Mitokado Homura said.

"Homura is right. The main family cannot possibly send no one to participate in the war. Even if the village steps in to negotiate with the branch family and tells them the whole story, the branch family won't believe it. They will only think this is an excuse the village came up with to protect the main family," the Third Hokage said.

Hearing this, Danzo was silent for a moment before saying, "In that case, we can only increase the protection around the main family's people."

"That is what I think as well. Danzo, how about I leave this mission to you?" the Third Hokage asked.

"Leave it to me? You want Root's people to secretly protect the members of the Hyūga Main Family this time?"

"That's right."

"I refuse," Danzo said without even thinking.

"Why?"

"Every shinobi in Root is elite. Sending Root's elites to protect some useless piece of trash would be far too wasteful. The value Root Shinobi can create on the battlefield is countless times greater than protecting someone from the Hyūga Main Family."

After hearing Danzo's words, the Third Hokage was just about to speak when Mitokado Homura, standing beside him, advised, "Hiruzen, I think Danzo is right. Having Root protect the Hyūga Main Family would be too much of a waste. Why don't we place this person from the Hyūga Main Family closer to the center of the camp and have a few squads with excellent sensory abilities take turns protecting him? Wouldn't that work?"