The Konoha High Command had yet to make its move.
"I, Hyuga Hiashi, have decided to devote myself to training and leave the position of Clan Head to the younger generation. The new head will be Hyuga Seigo..."
The Hyuga announced Hyuga Hiashi's retirement and Seigo's succession as Clan Head. The Handover Ceremony would be held in a month, and invitations went out welcoming the other clans to attend.
Once again, the Ninja World was rocked.
It caused an uproar.
"Goddamn, does Konoha ever stop?"
"This whole year."
"Every single day, it's news about you lot."
"Itachi Uchiha, a thirteen-year-old S-rank Missing-nin, slaughtered his clan."
"Kakashi Hatake has a thousand techniques. He's killed so many foreign spies that the rest don't dare show their faces, and he fought Ōnoki's son Kitsuchi to a draw."
"The Blue Beast, Might Guy, has brutally powerful Taijutsu. He can go head-to-head with Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu, even against several opponents at once. Terrifying~"
"The Moonlight Dancer, Hayate—crippled by a lung injury~—comes and goes like a ghost with his Transparent Escape. Combined with his swordsmanship, his assassinations are almost impossible to guard against~"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen's youngest son, Asuma Sarutobi, has made a name for himself in the Land of Fire's capital alongside his Guardian Ninja companions~"
"We get it. Your Land of Fire is awesome, Konoha is full of talent, and your youngsters are amazing. But aren't you tired of this?"
"And has the Hyuga run out of people? Putting some wet-behind-the-ears brat in charge of the clan—what are they thinking...?"
"At such a young age, he's already reached a peak most people can't reach in their entire lives."
"I'm so fucking jealous! Why don't I have an awesome grandfather or father?"
"..."
For a time, undercurrents began stirring throughout the Ninja World again. Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning was especially restless. The failure of their scheme a few years earlier still rankled.
"Good. You've handed yourselves to us this time. We're taking the Hyuga's Byakugan. That bastard Sarutobi Hiruzen..."
Back then, they had used peace negotiations with Konoha as an opportunity to have their delegation infiltrate the Hyuga and obtain the Byakugan. Their target was the Hyuga's eldest daughter, Hyuga Hinata. They had even prepared a contingency plan in case they failed.
If discovered, they would arrange to die at the hands of someone from the Hyuga Main House, then accuse the Hyuga of attacking their delegation and undermining peace between the two nations. They would demand that the Hyuga hand over the killer, threatening war otherwise.
Their strategists had concluded that both Konoha's war-weary villagers and the weak, easily bullied Sarutobi Hiruzen would agree. It had all looked perfect, until something went wrong. The one who killed the delegation's ninja turned out to be Asuma Sarutobi.
(Seigo: Bet you didn't see that coming. I did it.)
Having just lost a son and daughter-in-law, Sarutobi Hiruzen refused to sacrifice his only remaining son and took an exceptionally hard line. Damn it, why did you have to be the killer, Asuma...?
"Hmph~ Sacrificing a comrade to obtain peace?"
"Konoha's will of fire means protecting others—burning ourselves to protect our comrades and allow Konoha's new shoots to flourish."
"If necessary, I will take to the battlefield myself."
Good grief. That performance moved Konoha's villagers deeply. They cheered, "Long live Lord Hokage!" "Down with the Cloud Village!" "The Land of Lightning has gone too far!" Their fighting spirit surged, and calls for war filled the village.
The clearheaded members of the major clans cursed inwardly.
"Hypocrite. When you first heard someone had killed a member of the delegation, you couldn't wait to arrest the culprit and hand them over to Kumogakure."
"You even said Konoha's economy could no longer bear the burden after so many wars, that we must never rush into another war, and that we should sacrifice ourselves for the will of fire and peace in the Ninja World."
Then he found out it was his youngest son.
His tune changed instantly. "Peace bought by sacrificing comrades is a disgrace." "Peace gained through compromise cannot last." "It violates the will of fire." "If we can't even protect our comrades, how can we protect Konoha? We'll fight."
Holy shit~ You really could twist anything however you pleased.
When it involved your son,
there was no need for sacrifice, was there?
And that bullshit about taking to the battlefield yourself if necessary—weren't you just tricking the youngsters into charging ahead while you watched how things played out?
Sarutobi Hiruzen's hard-line stance
caught Kumogakure completely off guard.
"But who the fuck wants Asuma Sarutobi? Cut the crap. We want a Hyuga, or it's war."
That suggestion tempted Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But he could no longer back down. His two changes of face had already put the major clans on their guard.
If he dared propose sacrificing a Hyuga now,
there would be no need for a battle.
Konoha would fall apart on its own.
Because when it was your son, you fought, but when it was anyone else, the will of fire demanded devotion and sacrifice. Were the lives of your Sarutobi Clan the only ones that mattered? Did ours count for nothing?!
"Sure enough, Old Monkey has double standards."
Seigo was not surprised by that reaction. He wanted to shout it aloud: this was the true face of the Hokage they respected—a hypocritical little man.
"Konoha will not sacrifice any of its comrades. If you want a war, you'll have one."
Faced with Konoha's firm stance, Kumogakure ultimately compromised. They genuinely could not afford another war either, so they settled for a large sum of money, plenty of food, and various supplies. The Sarutobi Clan footed the bill.
Kumogakure came out ahead.
Now that the Hyuga was changing Clan Heads, they began scheming again.
Other Factions were discussing it too.
Back to the matter at hand.
Moving out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight was actually quite a headache for Seigo. Left to his own devices, he would have kept a low profile, quietly amassed strength until he was invincible, then steamrolled the world.
"Seigo, I hope you can restore the Hyuga's glory. We've endured too much humiliation over the years..."
"The Byakugan in Kirigakure's hands, the branch family members who've disappeared over the years, and what happened to your parents... Wasn't it all because the Hyuga was weak?"
"Seigo, we're old now. Our thinking can't keep up with the times. All we're good for anymore is being your muscle."
"As long as I can see the Hyuga rise again, I could die on the spot without regrets."
But the hopes and trust his grandfather and the other elders placed in him weighed heavily on him, leaving him unable to refuse.
"Muscle?!" Seigo's mouth twitched.
He knew this was emotional blackmail, but he truly could not reject their hopes. His grandfather really had given everything for him, even dragging his battered body to storm the Hokage Building.
He almost blurted it out.
Choose me as your boss.
I'll lead you to the moon.
Ahem~
So he decided that since he had already exposed himself, he might as well set all his plans in motion and stir up this world's stagnant waters.
He had thought it through, too.
He had always been close to the child of destiny. Perhaps Six Paths had noticed him long ago and simply had yet to act against him.
Perhaps
he had something else in mind.
"Fuck the plot. I'm done caring. The only thing that never changes in this world is that everything keeps changing."
"Goddamn it, if I die, I die. If I survive, I'll live forever. I've got the mighty Demon Refining Pot as my trump card anyway. At worst, I'll sacrifice everything and find another world to mess around in..."
The laid-back Seigo suddenly had an awakening. The instant he made up his mind, he also broke through with the Visualization Method taught by the Demon Refining Pot, reaching a new realm. "Just as I thought. My earlier bottleneck came from my mindset. I lacked a cultivator's courage to defy heaven."
Deep within his mind.
"Nirvana~ Void~"
"Begin."
"Yes, True Self."
"Heh heh~ I've been itching to get started."
It would be a mistake to think Nirvana had done nothing over the past year.
War Orphans.
He had gathered many of the anime's various Bloodline Families, along with named ninja, and sent them all into the Small World. There were also hidden Bloodline Families never mentioned in the story.
Everything was thriving.
Most importantly,
he had seized the Sky Ninja's Sky Fortress and captured Zero-Tails, transporting him into the Small World. Using the Demon Refining Pot's power for Refinement, he had brought the second Six Paths Clone, Asura Path Void, into being.
Preta Path Void wielded the power of darkness. He could absorb the darkness in people's hearts and especially enjoyed feeding on their negative emotions during wartime. Slaughter, hatred, greed, despair, betrayal, fear, lust... all were rich with flavor.
He ate anything.
Seigo had sent him out as well.
To stir up trouble.
Combined with pyramid-selling tactics from his previous life,
he was now a full-fledged warmonger.
"All right, Grandfather. Then I'll take them on."
Before you continue