Who Won?

"What a brilliant move, advancing by retreating."

Hyuga Hiashi stood in the shade of a distant tree, watching the Third Hokage with a complex expression.

He had not understood why his father had suddenly passed the position of clan head to him, but now, he understood.

To deal with the Branch Family, this Hokage had long since set his plans in motion.

He had arranged for the ninjas returning from the Lightning Village battlefield to be placed in various units, letting them spontaneously spread the glory of the Fourth Hokage to lay the groundwork for his own abdication.

Then, today, under the guise of stepping down, he bestowed favors upon the Branch Family.

Could the Branch Family resent his previous indifference?

They could not!

What the previous two Hokage had failed to change was being changed by the Third Hokage; the shadow of the village himself had bowed his head to apologize to them and was even resigning from his position. What could they possibly resent?

Yet, this was something the Branch Family had fought for themselves!

Some of the rebellious Branch Family members had even killed members of the Main Family. If the Hyuga Main Family did not want a complete falling out with the Branch Family, they were bound to make some concessions.

But the Branch Family would never know this.

Thus, the Third Hokage could use this to bestow grace upon them.

By loosening the reins just a little, many Branch Family ninjas would be filled with gratitude.

Because no one believed that the Caged Bird could be broken, and the Branch Family ninjas, long accustomed to the Caged Bird, did not believe the Main Family would ever remove it.

As for the thoughts of the Main Family?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's recent lack of effort in hunting down the culprits, acting as if he were ignoring the matter, was surely a way to make the Main Family feel the pressure and be forced to cooperate with him.

The Branch Family respected him, and the Main Family owed him a favor.

The historically low-profile Hyuga Clan had been dragged onto the Third Hokage's war chariot!

A brilliant maneuver.

Although this meant the Third Hokage could no longer pursue those culprits—lest he dissatisfy the Branch Family and render his strategy futile—those Branch Family members acting in the shadows were similarly restrained.

Many in the Branch Family were already satisfied; if they continued their actions, the rest of the Branch Family might not support them, allowing the Third Hokage to abandon concerns for the majority and use thunderous force to execute them.

Watching the Third Hokage rise due to the Branch Family's forgiveness and smile in his direction, Hiashi took a deep breath.

"Hizashi, it is our turn. From now on... we can be as close as we were in the past."

Hyuga Hizashi looked at the Hokage on the high platform with dazed eyes. "Will it really be the same?"

Hiashi did not answer, stepping forward first.

His and Hizashi's rise to power represented a concession from the Main Family, which would further extinguish the anger that had burned in the Branch Family for hundreds of years. He did not know if doing this was right.

He only knew... he had no choice.

Seeing the clan head's two sons ascend the platform, Hyuga Miyuki closed her eyes and turned to leave.

She did not want to listen, nor did she want to see the satisfied expressions of her clansmen.

The Branch Family had not won!

What was there to be happy about?

A hand reached out from the crowd and grabbed Hyuga Miyuki, who was trying to leave. She frowned and looked over.

It was Hyuga Hane.

This youth, similar in age to her, wore a smile like those around him, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

He listened intently to the speeches of Hiashi and Hizashi about "bringing a new wind to the Hyuga," then withdrew the hand that had been holding her.

During this process, Hyuga Hane made several subtle gestures.

It was the code from the Mist Village battlefield!

Because the Hidden Mist Technique, which the Mist Village excelled at, would obscure the movements of enemies, the Hyuga ninjas acting as eyes had prepared several sets of codes to subtly inform their companions of the enemy's position.

The enemy's position is at eight o'clock...

Hyuga Miyuki instantly understood the implication of this message and calmed down.

A soft smile appeared on her face as well.

Yes, this was the best opportunity.

An opportunity to observe how many people in the Branch Family were extremely dissatisfied with the Main Family!

What had happened to her lately?

Because she intended to take everything upon herself and then defect, did she feel that the suspicions of others no longer mattered deep down?

She had lost her basic vigilance!

Hyuga Miyuki secretly warned herself, returning a look of gratitude and apology to Hyuga Hane.

Perhaps they would not do anything immediately, but the Main Family would certainly monitor those who remained dissatisfied and deal with them in the future.

Hyuga Hane's reminder to her carried risks; perhaps her expressions and actions just now had already been observed.

Ignoring Hyuga Miyuki's gaze, Hyuga Hane observed the surroundings through his eyes, carefully scrutinizing everyone's expressions.

Those who showed genuine smiles were quickly ruled out by him.

The others were etched into his memory.

Unexpectedly many, aren't there? About thirty people?

It seems I have Orochimaru to thank for this.

After a long while, Hyuga Hiashi announced, "We shall now begin the branding of the new Caged Bird!"

At home, Hyuga Hane was writing names onto a blank scroll.

These were the names of the Branch Family members he had noted down earlier.

Hyuga Meigoku stood behind him like a bodyguard, his fury burning as he watched the names appear one by one.

"Do you intend to unite them against Konoha and the Main Branch?"

He could not match the names to faces, but he knew these were the people Hane had identified through his perspective—those dissatisfied with the Main Branch.

"They are qualified," Hyuga Hane said indifferently. "Compared to those still lost in sweet dreams, they have at least woken up."

There are truly many uses for Impure World Reincarnation.

It can be used to summon the dead for battle, or for research.

Even reconnaissance can be accomplished using Impure World Reincarnation!

The reason he was able to gather information at will this morning was by relying on Impure World Reincarnation.

The caster of Impure World Reincarnation can share the vision of the reincarnated ninja; by summoning and positioning Hyuga Meigoku, a Kage-level powerhouse, in advance, he was able to enjoy the effects of the Byakugan on the field.

After all, the visual tell of activating the Byakugan is too obvious; he could not have used it himself in that situation.

As for the people on the list... they were the Branch Family members he personally deemed useful.

In the actions to follow, if expendable resources are needed, these people can be excluded first.

"So calm, as if you've already won. Wasn't your plan easily crushed by that little brat Hiruzen?" Hyuga Meigoku sneered.

He was the Hyuga patriarch who led the Hyuga Clan into Konoha; Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage whom the Second Hokage liked to call a monkey, was merely a junior in his eyes.

"I don't even know what plan I supposedly had for this incident myself."

Hyuga Hane looked at him with amusement.

"If helping a test subject cover up information and incidentally acquiring some ocular power counts as a plan, then it seems I completed it perfectly."

Hyuga Meigoku continued to sneer, as if looking at a stubborn loser.

"Isn't your goal to have the Branch Family break the Caged Bird and turn against the Main Branch?"

"While I do indeed need the Hyuga Branch Family to break the Caged Bird, it is not as you think."

Hyuga Hane put away the scroll and took out another one recording his chakra research, forming the seal for a summoning.

A White Viper appeared, looked at the scroll he offered, and swallowed it in one gulp.

Watching the white snake disappear, Hyuga Hane chuckled softly:

"I never thought of myself as the savior of the Branch Family; I only need a group of helpers I can use when necessary."

He did not consider himself a villain who committed every evil, but he was no saint either.

Helping the Branch Family break the Caged Bird naturally comes with a price.

"Besides, do you really think Sarutobi Hiruzen, or even Namikaze Minato, truly won?"

"The one who pushed him to become Hokage right now... was me."

At the sight of Hyuga Meigoku's stiff expression, Hane laughed in a low voice.

"With seniors like the Sannin still around, how do you think the Third managed to bypass them and have Minato directly assume the position of Hokage?"