So furious I'm shaking~
Useless~ Useless~ Useless~
A bunch of useless idiots! That damned Exchange Office even told me a four-nation alliance was guaranteed to win. Guaranteed, my ass~
And now that brat's made a name for himself.
Ohhh~ My eighty million...
What a load of bullshit. Sarutobi, you're reimbursing me.
Danzo cursed inwardly.
But no one paid him any attention. He always wore that same corpse-like expression anyway, warning everyone away. Even dogs wanted nothing to do with him.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen was all smiles on the surface. "Hahaha~ The Hyuga have a worthy successor. What wonderful news! Having such a young hero is truly a blessing for Konoha... Excellent..."
"If you have a son, let him be like Hyuga Seigo."
That was exceptionally high praise for Qingwu, and the guests wholeheartedly agreed.
Asuma Sarutobi's face darkened. What do you do when your own old man puts you down to your face by praising someone else's son and wishing he had one just like him?! Waiting for answers online. Urgent~
Dad, don't you love me anymore?!
"Lord Hokage certainly has a way with words. He summed it all up in one sentence: if you have a son, let him be like Hyuga Seigo~"
"Exactly. If my little brat were half as good... No, even a tenth as good, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams..."
"He deserves that praise. If you ask me, this kid isn't just a genius anymore. He's already a powerhouse..."
"Is Lord Hokage saying his own descendants are no good?"
"Hehe~ Looks that way to me."
"Lord Hokage is still in good health. Perhaps he should have another child. The other day, I even saw him..."
"Ohoho~ Lord Hokage... Now that's youth... Fiery youth..."
"Wait, what did you see that day? What... Lord Hokage was peeping into the women's baths..."
"Seriously? Something that juicy?"
"Ah~ Han Tai~"
"Shh~ Asuma's here too. Keep your voice down..."
"Oh, right~ Let's talk over there..."
Dammit, could you at least keep your gossip out of earshot of the person involved? You three Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads, don't think I can't tell it's you just because you're whispering... What the hell... Kakashi, Guy, you bastards, why are you going over to listen... Anko... Kurenai...
Holy shit~ Lord Daimyo, why are you there too?!
Asuma was about to fall apart. His friends and superiors were all gossiping about his family's dirty laundry. What was he supposed to do?! Waiting for answers online. Urgent.
"Yes, yes. Truly a blessing for Konoha."
Completely unaware of all this, Sarutobi Hiruzen had a shadow beneath his smile that refused to fade. Danzo really was useless. He couldn't even handle something this simple.
The ceremony still had to continue.
"Qingwu, from today onward, you are the head of the Hyuga Clan." With Qingwu's battle over, the Handover Ceremony went remarkably smoothly. No one wanted to court death, after all.
Good grief. That Eight Trigrams Palm was utterly unpredictable. One strike, one silent victim—how could they make a sound when they were dead? It worked at any range. Terrifying.
Most importantly, Hyuga Seigo was young. Thirteen years old.
The last thirteen-year-old that badass seemed to have been Itachi Uchiha, the ruthless kid who had wiped out his own clan. Were youngsters all this incredible now? This vicious?!
Compared to those two, their own little brats were downright embarrassing. Still playing with mud mixed with their own piss.
On second thought, perhaps it was better for children to behave themselves.
They certainly couldn't handle those two. Neither Qingwu nor Itachi was any good. Each struck more viciously and killed more ruthlessly than the other, all without batting an eye.
"Congratulations to the Hyuga Clan on gaining a Qilin Child! No, a Divine Dragon emerging from the waters. Your esteemed clan will surely soar to new heights."
"I have a daughter..."
The guests came forward one after another to offer their thanks.
Then Hyuga Hoze and the others exchanged glances and nodded.
They stepped forward.
"Everyone, are you curious about the good fortune our Hyuga Clan has encountered recently? We recovered our ancestral Summoning Beast Scroll and found the Holy Land, Hundred Beast Mountain."
"There, our clan learned Senjutsu. The Hyuga Clan of today is no longer what it once was." Hyuga Hoze's voice was steady and powerful, as though proclaiming the Hyuga Clan's strength.
This was something Qingwu and the others had discussed as well.
They were deliberately revealing this information. Senjutsu and miraculous medicines had always been the stuff of legend to ordinary people. If they came from a Holy Land, however, everything made sense.
"What?!"
Hyuga Hoze's words caused an uproar.
"Hiss~" A chorus of sharp gasps followed.
A new Holy Land.
The power of Senjutsu.
Danzo's expression turned extremely ugly, but he still refused to give up. Just as he was about to speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed drastically too.
This news was far too shocking.
Was Konoha about to undergo a massive upheaval?!
At that moment, Hyuga Hoze and several elders formed hand seals together, chanting, "Summoning Technique, Moon Wolf King~"
"Radiant Goddess Butterfly."
"Black Bear King."
"Flying Tiger King."
"..."
In an instant, the smoke cleared, revealing enormous Summoning Beasts inside the hall. Their imposing presence struck terror into everyone.
"Awooo~"
"Rustle~"
"Raaagh~"
"Roar~"
Then the Hyuga Clan's Four Great Elders stepped forward. Their faces were youthful and full of vitality, without the slightest trace of age. They all looked like young men in their twenties.
Their youth had been restored.
A flicker of greed flashed through the Land of Fire's Daimyo's eyes.
The other nobles were no different.
Hyuga Seigo looked at everyone and said slowly, "Do you know where the Youth-Preserving Pill that restored their youth came from? From the Sage of the Holy Land. Our Hyuga Clan has a Sage's protection."
Sarutobi Hiruzen lived up to his title as Hokage, recovering first. "Then, Clan Head Hyuga, what is the meaning of this?! Did you summon these beasts to keep us here, or..."
"Hmph~ That's exactly what I think." Danzo had long since had enough.
"Please don't misunderstand. Our Hyuga Clan means no harm." Qingwu replied with a smile, "If we did, you wouldn't all still be sitting here unharmed."
Several members of the Hyuga Clan released their auras in support.
"Hiss~" Another chorus of sharp gasps rang out.
Qingwu was exasperated. Are you people air pumps?
"What?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"They all have Kage Level pressure..."
"Oh my god."
"The Hyuga Clan has really hit the jackpot..."
"..."
Everyone lost their composure. Even Nara Shikaku, normally renowned for his strategic mind, couldn't help cursing inwardly. Hyuga, have your ancestors blessed you from beyond the grave?!
Danzo, what do we do?! Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with his eyes.
Danzo was stunned. Sarutobi, you're asking me?!
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him an affirmative look. Danzo, aren't you the best at stirring things up? With your Root and the forces you can contact in the Ninja World, can you take them on?
How the hell would I know what to do? Counting the Summoning Beasts, that's seven or eight fighters with Kage-Level Combat Strength. What am I supposed to fight them with, my head...? Danzo was on the verge of losing his mind. Hiruzen, you vicious bastard. You're trying to get me killed.
"..."
You're asking me? Why don't you do it?! Danzo shot back with a murderous glare.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked perfectly solemn. Because I'm afraid of dying~
*&@4678890**** Danzo's curses were filthy. You bastard, you're afraid of dying, but you still want me to go? You ****!
"..."
Qingwu was utterly disgusted. These two old bastards were exchanging meaningful looks as though no one else existed. Couldn't they at least do it out of sight?
So there's nothing we can do about the Hyuga?!!
Correct. We definitely can't repeat what we did to the Uchiha. There's no chance anymore...
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a glance, each seeing the gravity and panic in the other's eyes. They really could no longer keep the Hyuga down.
The Summoning Holy Land, Hundred Beast Mountain.
A Senjutsu legacy.
Great Elder Hyuga Hoze had regained his youth and was unquestionably Kage Level. With Senjutsu, he was even among the strongest at that level.
The Hyuga Clan's other three elders and Two Clan Elders were near Kage Level, and with Senjutsu, they unquestionably possessed Kage-Level Combat Strength. Hiashi and his brother were elite Jonin, and with Senjutsu, holding off a Kage Level opponent would be no problem either.
Facing such a powerful lineup, how was the Konoha F4 supposed to stir up trouble?!
At this moment, it wasn't the Hyuga who needed to worry about trouble, but they themselves. With the Hyuga Clan possessing such strength,
would they begin to harbor thoughts of rebellion?
Oh no~ Oh no~
Jiraiya, save me! Tsunade, save me! Orochimaru, save me!
Your teacher is so scared~
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo looked as miserable as if they had eaten shit.
These two old bastards are panicking.
Qingwu understood perfectly well. He merely smiled and let it pass.
Seize power now?!
What a joke. The Hyuga Clan was already perfectly satisfied for the moment and had no need to pursue anything more. They needed to be strong themselves first. They would digest what Qingwu had given them before doing anything else.
They could fight for territory anytime. But if they missed this brief period of peace, they wouldn't have nearly as much time to cultivate their strength. Without power, they wouldn't survive the major events to come.
So, if the Hyuga could travel light on their own, why should they shoulder the heavy burden that was Konoha?
Wouldn't it be better to wait until Orochimaru launched the Konoha Collapse Plan, then put everything back in order?
It was only a short two or three years. The Hyuga Clan could patiently wait, building up its strength while laying plans across the Ninja World.
For Konoha's higher-ups, however, those years would be long and agonizing.
Before you continue