Overestimating Oneself

Hyuga Hiashi looked down at Uchiha Izuna and couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Uchiha Izuna, I've underestimated you. You're quite the operator, aren't you?"

"Clan Leader Hiashi, what do you mean by that? Zhan doesn't quite understand; please, enlighten me." Uchiha Izuna raised an eyebrow, feigning complete innocence.

Hyuga Hiashi's mouth twitched. You don't understand? You understand better than anyone! He realized he couldn't keep chatting like this; if he kept playing along with this act of feigned ignorance, he'd give himself a heart attack.

"I will support whatever you intend to do, but!" Hyuga Hiashi's tone shifted, and it was precisely because of that 'but' that Uchiha Izuna's eyes sharpened, locking onto Hyuga Hiashi.

As everyone knows, whatever comes before the 'but' is usually nonsense; it's what comes after that truly matters.

"But, the Uchiha and Hyuga alone are not enough. Although our two clans hold great influence, power, and connections in Konoha, at the end of the day, if you are aiming for that position, you will inevitably need the support of capable civil officials."

"Therefore, I hope that before you make your move, you can win over the Nara Clan. If the Nara Clan agrees to participate, then Konoha won't fall into chaos after the coup."

As Hyuga Hiashi said this, his gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Izuna.

Uchiha Izuna didn't speak, falling into deep thought. It wasn't that he hadn't considered this, but he had been struggling with a lack of access; the Uchiha Clan had been removed from the core of the village for too long.

Aside from the Kurama Clan, he doubted many families were willing to associate with them, let alone the Nara Clan, who were the most adept at playing it safe in all of Konoha!

Hyuga Hiashi naturally understood Uchiha Izuna's concerns. He spoke up: "Tonight, I will host the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho families. Whether you can persuade them or not depends on you."

"If you can pull it off, my Hyuga Clan will certainly assist the Uchiha, ensuring you get everything you desire." A flicker of hatred flashed in Hyuga Hiashi's eyes.

It was a hatred for Sarutobi Hiruzen. His own younger brother had been reduced to a sacrificial pawn, abandoned by Sarutobi Hiruzen and sent to Kumogakure as a corpse, denied the peace of a proper burial.

That was a grudge of massive proportions!

The only reason Hyuga Hiashi suggested Uchiha Izuna contact the Nara Clan was his hope that Konoha wouldn't descend into chaos after the war, allowing for timely stabilization.

There was one more thing: Hyuga Hiashi had lied. Even if Uchiha Izuna failed to win over the Nara Clan tonight, the Hyuga Clan would still join forces with the Uchiha to revolt.

Hyuga Hiashi had waited too long for this moment. If he hadn't been isolated and without allies, he would have already led his men to slaughter their way into the Sarutobi Compound! The death of Hizashi would forever be a thorn in his heart!

After hearing Hyuga Hiashi's conditions, Uchiha Izuna's brow smoothed: "Very well. In that case, please make the arrangements, Clan Leader Hiashi. We need to get some sleep and recover our strength to face the three clan heads tonight."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded. Although Uchiha Izuna was not yet ten years old, he possessed a steady temperament and formidable strength. Most importantly, he was young and carried a drive for progress, which was crucial.

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was now old and lacked ambition, indulging Shimura Danzō as his white glove and making one blunder after another. Did he really think everyone was unaware of how he and Shimura Danzō had driven Hatake Sakumo to his death?

It was just that, cowed by their power and combat prowess, no one dared to speak out.

Hatake Sakumo, a man of such immense strength, upright character, and a record of constant victory, had been mortally wounded by the rumors and gossip spread by Sarutobi Hiruzen and his ilk, eventually committing suicide under the pressure of public opinion!

Afterward, Sarutobi Hiruzen had even hypocritically claimed that Hatake Sakumo was a hero of the village!

If not for his tacit approval, how could those rumors have spread?

Most importantly, there were those who claimed Hatake Sakumo had already donned half of the Hokage Haori, earning him the title of Hokage Half-Sleeve.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even bother to use his brain; he knew that such news was clearly a scheme of sowing discord by enemy spies. Did he not know? He knew.

However, once suspicion takes root in a person's heart, it sprouts and grows vigorously.

Looking back at Hatake Sakumo's performance from his debut to his death, his only mistake was the one where Shimura Danzō had set him up. Before that, his success rate was 100%!

Furthermore, he was in his prime, and his strength was already on par with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Hyuga Hiashi paused, wondering why he was thinking about this. However, at the mention of Hatake Sakumo, a flicker of pity crossed his eyes, for Hatake Sakumo's son, Hatake Kakashi, was still working under the enemy.

If Hatake Kakashi ever found out that his father's death was due to Sarutobi Hiruzen's indulgence and Shimura Danzō's plotting, who knew if he would go insane!

Uchiha Izuna and his two companions were led to a guest room containing three large beds.

After introducing the room, the servant left.

Uchiha Izuna sat on the innermost bed first, then called out to the other two: "Shisui, Itachi, come over here. Regarding tonight, this is what I'm thinking..."

Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted: "This... is this really okay? Zhan, you're not joking, are you?" He couldn't believe Uchiha Izuna had come up with such a plan!

Uchiha Shisui also frowned: "Wouldn't that be too extreme? If it doesn't work and we end up being hated for it..."

"No, no, don't worry. Smart people will know what to do," Uchiha Izuna laughed.

He looked toward the door, seemingly anticipating the arrival of night. Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, not feeling tired, took out their kunai and began to spar in the Hyuga training grounds.

Uchiha Izuna, meanwhile, slept soundly on the bed, waiting for the night to come.

Hyuga Training Grounds

The ninjas of the Hyuga Clan stopped what they were doing and surrounded Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui. Watching their fighting style—fists meeting flesh, every strike landing with explosive force—they felt their blood boiling!

Some even started heckling: "Nice hit! Brother, that strike was awesome!"

"Brother, kick his leg! Kick his leg! Ah! That's it! Look, you've turned the tide!"

A group of people was discussing the fight excitedly when suddenly, the Great Elder of the Hyuga Clan arrived at the training grounds.

The atmosphere in the training grounds instantly cooled. Most of the people here were from the branch family, as the main family members didn't need to fight; they just stayed home making babies or went out shopping.

Missions were handled by branch family ninjas, so the training grounds naturally became their territory.

However, there were always those who lacked self-respect, people with mediocre skills who insisted on coming to the training grounds to posture.

Uchiha Itachi and Shisui looked at each other and stopped simultaneously. A few young Hyuga girls handed them towels, and the two didn't refuse, offering a word of thanks.

This caused several of the Hyuga girls to blush, murmuring that it was nothing.

The Great Elder walked up to the training grounds and looked at the two: "You two must be the Clan Leader's guests, right? Heh, I have a grandson about your age. I wonder if you'd be willing to spar with him?"

The branch family ninjas were stunned, their eyes filled with mockery. With the skills of that pampered brat, he wanted to challenge these two monsters?

These two were at least at the Jonin level, the kind of well-rounded warriors who had mastered ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and kenjutsu. His grandson was only a Chunin; wasn't he just asking for a beating?