Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Not long after, Hiashi departed; in the end, the two had reached a reconciliation.

How could Neji not understand? Even if Hiashi spoke the truth, so what?

If their brotherhood were truly deep enough to die for one another, why was the Caged Bird Seal activated to punish his own brother simply because of a single look back then?

The Branch House hated the Main House too much to ever be willing to die for you.

It was nothing but a forced necessity!

You didn't force him, because you didn't need to; the rules of the Hyuga Clan would have forced him onto a dead-end path regardless!

As a member of the Branch House, his duty as a father was to protect his older brother. If his father hadn't died in his stead, even if Hiashi had truly died, his father—as the designated protector—would have been punished for failing to protect him, and the outcome would likely have been death anyway.

At that point, his own son would likely have been implicated as well.

It was better to trade his own life to ensure his son would be treated well within the household.

How could this be dying for his brother? It was clearly for his own son...

As a member of the Main House, could you not even understand this much?

He had seen through Hiashi's hypocrisy. What was the meaning of coming to this secluded place to kneel?

If he were truly sincere, why not kneel in front of everyone?

You were merely putting on a show for my benefit!

In truth, Neji felt a bit of a "broken jar" mentality at this moment, because he realized that everything he had meticulously planned had not unfolded as expected.

It seemed his accusations against the Hyuga Clan had not garnered much sympathy for the Branch House.

Those high-and-mighty adults did not care about their feelings at all.

Otherwise, Hiashi could never have spoken to him so calmly; he had knelt before him with the posture of a victor.

And he could only passively choose to accept it; what else could he do?

Besides, he no longer wanted to fight Hiashi to the death; he had a new goal.

Thus, he calmly accepted Hiashi's so-called apology, preparing to coexist with him in peace.

Naruto's final words had left him deeply shaken; if he became Hokage, he would change the fate of the Hyuga Branch House.

This was undoubtedly a political promise made publicly in front of everyone, made solely to secure the support of Neji Hyuga.

And he was already prepared to support Naruto—not because he had lost this duel, but because he had suddenly seen many things clearly.

Just as he was deep in thought, someone else came to visit.

Keiichi. It was just as he had expected.

"The bet... you won," Neji said, sighing as he sat on the hospital bed.

"So, are you ready to listen to what I have to say now?" Keiichi smiled indifferently.

"Although I don't know what you want to say, I will listen with respect," Neji said solemnly.

"Hmm, where to start? Let me think... ah, you must still be thinking about what Naruto said to you, right?"

Neji's expression was startled. Could it be that you possess mind-reading abilities?

"What exactly are you trying to say? You should be a supporter of Naruto, right? Are you here to persuade me?"

"A supporter? No, no, no. You seem to have misunderstood something. He recognizes me as his big brother; the relationship between us is one of equals."

Neji frowned, but quickly relaxed.

That's right, such a rule did exist.

"So, does that mean when Naruto becomes Hokage, you will be the deputy Hokage he appoints?" Neji asked tentatively.

"I know what you want to say—the dual-Shadow system of the Leaf, right? During the era of the First Hokage, it was Hashirama and Tobirama, one in the light and one in the shadows. Later, when Hashirama passed away from illness, Tobirama moved from the shadows to the light and became the Second Hokage. Unfortunately, he didn't last long before dying in the First Great War, and so the Leaf entered the Third Hokage era. Hiruzen took power, and Danzo became the Shadow Hokage."

What Keiichi didn't say was that even in Naruto's era, the Leaf remained the same, only the person inheriting Danzo's position had become Sasuke.

"So you have thought about this more clearly than I have. You are truly worthy of being Naruto's strategist," Neji looked at Keiichi with a hint of admiration. It seemed the name Sage Eight was not earned in vain.

Although Keiichi flatly denied it, Neji still assumed he was part of Naruto's camp, acting as a lobbyist.

"So, have you also discovered who the person is that might become Hokage in the future?"

"Yes. From the moment he spoke those words and displayed power that did not belong to him, I knew."

"Might you share your thoughts?"

"Since the founding of the Leaf Village, the First Hokage passed the position to the Second; it was brother to brother. Logically speaking, the Senju Clan was prosperous and filled with experts, and they were the founders of the village, so the Third should have been chosen from the Senju Clan. But no one expected the Second to pass the position to his own student," Neji sat upright and spoke eloquently.

"Exactly. As you said before, the Leaf cannot be the Leaf of the Hyuga Clan; it must be the Leaf of 'everyone'."

"Therefore, it cannot be the Leaf of the Senju Clan either. The Second saw this clearly, which is why he passed the position to Lord Hiruzen. He was sending a signal to the outside world: anyone from any clan has the potential to sit in the position of Hokage."

"Correct. The Second had great vision. If he hadn't done this, the Leaf would have either become an even larger Senju Clan or headed toward division, and the ninja village system established by the First would have ceased to exist. Other clans could see this as well and would never have allowed the position of Hokage to be held exclusively by the Senju Clan. That would have evolved into a situation of one family dominating, even threatening the survival of other clans."

"But this brought about a new problem: Lord Hiruzen's claim to power was not strictly legitimate. He did not follow the precedent of bloodline succession, but rather teacher-to-student succession, which would invite criticism."

"So, even if only to avoid being gossiped about by future generations a hundred years from now, he had to carry out this path of teacher-to-student succession. Otherwise, he would not only have failed the Second Hokage's painstaking efforts, but his own reputation would also be ruined," Keiichi said with a smile.

"Furthermore, it concerns the consistency of policy. If a newly inaugurated Hokage overturns the policies of his predecessor, such constant flip-flopping would inevitably lead to instability in the Leaf Village, giving enemies an opportunity to strike. But if one of his own disciples or grand-disciples takes the seat, that problem ceases to exist."

"That is why, when Hiruzen discovered that Orochimaru was leaning toward the radical faction led by Danzo, he decisively abandoned him." Keiichi wore an expression of 'a student worth teaching'; Neji's reasoning was indeed thorough.

"The person whose political philosophy most closely aligned with his was Jiraiya, and since Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya's disciple, he ultimately chose Minato to take the seat. This truly conforms to the path of succession from master to apprentice."

"Through these facts, you have reached a startling conclusion: not just anyone can become Hokage. Only those who fit into this master-disciple lineage established by Hiruzen can ascend to the position."

"Orochimaru defected from the Leaf Village, so it is impossible for him to inherit the title. Tsunade has been gone for many years, and her whereabouts are unknown. Although Jiraiya meets the criteria, since Hiruzen skipped over him to choose the Fourth Hokage directly, perhaps there were other factors that prevented Jiraiya from becoming Hokage."

"So, we turn our gaze to the line of the Fourth Hokage. Among his disciples, only Kakashi remains alive today. But as long as Hiruzen draws breath in this world, Kakashi will never become Hokage."

"Why is that?" Neji asked, somewhat surprised.

"Don't forget Kakashi's surname. Back then, the White Fang's reputation was so high that he was nearly pushed to be the next Hokage, yet he ended up committing suicide for no apparent reason. I fear both Hiruzen and Danzo are inextricably linked to that incident."

Neji fell silent for a moment, then whispered, "You are truly bold to dare say such things."

"Only to you; I wouldn't dare say this to anyone else."

"You trust me that much?"

"I believe my judgment of character is sound."

"If Kakashi is also out of the question, then only his three disciples remain."

"Sasuke is impossible. The reason is simple: his brother betrayed the Leaf Village, so he cannot gain the village's trust."

"Indeed, there will always be those worried about Sasuke's stance. Then what about Sakura Haruno?"

"Sakura has mediocre talent, no ambition for the position, and her way of thinking is far too emotional. Anyone can see she is not suited to be Hokage."

"Then... that only leaves Naruto Uzumaki."

"Yes, only Naruto remains."

Having said this, both of them fell into a heavy silence.

"But this is only speculation..." Neji's throat felt dry.

"Not long ago, Hiruzen arranged for Jiraiya to be his teacher. You understand the political signal behind that, don't you?"

"..."

"Furthermore, Naruto's biological father was actually the Fourth Hokage."

"...!!"

Good heavens, possessing both the master-disciple lineage and the bloodline succession, the 'buffs' for legal inheritance were fully stacked.

If you don't become Hokage, it would be an affront to the heavens.

Was Naruto's constant dream of becoming Hokage truly not something instilled in him by those with ulterior motives?

Children are the easiest to brainwash, after all.

Moreover, with the Uzumaki Clan wiped out, Naruto has no clan influence backing him, making him the perfect candidate who is least likely to disrupt the balance between the various ninja clans.

With one speaking and the other responding, the two of them dissected the entire matter clearly.

Neji had initially only vaguely sensed a clue, which was why he had made the remark that not everyone could become Hokage.

At that time, he was still stuck at the level of thinking that 'those with powerful clans behind them cannot become Hokage.'

It wasn't until Naruto said that line about helping the Hyuga Branch House change its fate upon becoming Hokage that Neji connected all the clues in a flash of insight.

He finally concluded that Naruto was the one destined to become Hokage.

Now, through their analysis, he realized it wasn't just empty talk; Naruto could truly achieve it.

Do you think Naruto is rebelling against fate?

No, he is actually complying with it; everything is the most perfect arrangement.

However, Neji did not mind this. If supporting Naruto to become Hokage could change the fate of the Hyuga Branch House, then whatever Naruto said, so be it.

As long as his own wish was fulfilled, he didn't care about anything else.

This point eventually developed to the extent that whenever Neji encountered a crisis in the future, he would involuntarily recall Naruto's words and use them as his guiding principle for action.

He was truly brainwashing himself.

"I understand now. You must have been scouted by some high-ranking figure and placed by Naruto's side, right?" Neji asked.

Naruto's birth and background were impeccable, and he possessed an unknown power within him to help him survive life-and-death trials; the only thing he lacked was a brain.

Keiichi was clearly Naruto's external brain; he had indeed been arranged with meticulous care.

"You guessed wrong this time. My helping Naruto is a personal choice; I am not a pawn in anyone's hands."

Neji smiled, though he didn't quite believe it.

You think you aren't someone else's pawn, but who knows if that, too, was arranged by someone else?

Just like Naruto's constant claims that he would become Hokage?

"Fine. I am willing to join Naruto's camp. I only ask for one thing: if he manages to become Hokage in the future, he must change the fate of my Hyuga Branch House."

"But you must understand, that was only something Naruto said in a moment of bravado. Seven or eight years from now, when he becomes Hokage, will he even remember what he said today? Not to mention the immense resistance he will face."

This statement plunged Neji Hyuga into deep contemplation, for it was precisely the possibility he was most unwilling to confront.

Yet, beyond trusting Naruto, he had no other choice.

"It is actually not difficult at all to ensure Naruto firmly remembers today's political promise."

"How so?"

"It is simple: Naruto just needs to marry Hinata."

"!!!"

Neji's mind raced, and he instantly grasped the logic behind it. Why had Naruto been so fired up to defeat him today, if not to stand up for Hinata?

If he were to marry Hinata, every time he looked at her, he would be reminded of everything that happened today; he would never be able to forget it.

Furthermore, once Naruto became Hokage, he would have to consider the negative optics. If the Hyuga Clan, as his in-laws, continued to uphold the archaic practice of the Main House enslaving the Branch House, how could they avoid public criticism?

Truly, it was a brilliant strategy!

Keiichi smiled; this had been Neji's own idea all along, only now it had been voiced by him first.

Years later, Neji would even go so far as to sacrifice his own life to ensure Naruto never forgot the sacrifices Hinata had made for him.

That was a red thread stained crimson with blood!

Chapter 67: Cage Confrontation (Part 2)

"Keiichi... I am convinced. In the future, whatever Naruto may require, I, Neji Hyuga, am willing to offer my life and soul without hesitation!" Neji said with a solemn tone.

"Wait, have you misunderstood something?" Keiichi found his earnest expression somewhat amusing.

"Misunderstood?" Neji looked bewildered.

"Sorry, but I am not here to act as a lobbyist for Naruto."