Where had these lands and spheres of influence come from?
The Third knew better than anyone.
During his time in office, two Ninja World Wars had taken place.
Each war was an opportunity to redistribute the spoils.
As Hokage, he had not interfered openly, but his influence had always been there behind the scenes.
The benefits the Sarutobi Clan had reaped had come not only from the reparations other countries had been forced to pay.
They had also inherited the legacies of clans destroyed by the wars.
Fugaku Uchiha had noticed the problem, too.
From the founding of the village until now, the Uchiha Clan's lands and sphere of influence had not changed at all.
Konoha's territory had expanded several times over, but theirs had stayed the same. That meant they had received none of the benefits of Konoha's expansion, didn't it?
In the end, he consoled himself with the thought that at least they had held on to their ancestral lands.
But when he looked at the map again, he realized something was wrong.
Konoha's center was shifting, gradually pushing the Uchiha Clan to the outskirts.
And they were surrounded on every front.
That meant their influence had not only failed to grow; it was being steadily swallowed up.
The realization left Fugaku Uchiha feeling even more bitter.
A huge question loomed in his mind!
Could he still trust the Third?
His gaze finally fell on the newly appointed Minato Namikaze.
The Uchiha Clan seemed to have few choices.
Some of the sharper minds gradually understood what this all implied and began to see the truth.
But none of them dared to question it.
The Sarutobi Clan and the clans of several elders had benefited the most.
They had reaped their share of the gains, too.
Whether they were satisfied with those gains was another matter.
The meeting room, which had been somewhat noisy, fell silent. The heads of the clans exchanged glances.
Their expressions varied, and each quietly weighed the situation.
What had their own clan gained all these years?
And what had they given up?
In the end, the answer was clear: their sacrifices and rewards were out of proportion.
So where had the rewards they were owed gone?
Their gazes turned toward the Third, the Sarutobi Clan, and the clans gathered around him.
Minato Namikaze had seen the two maps, and he was quick to grasp their meaning.
He immediately understood what Shinichi Hyuga was trying to convey.
His gaze fell on the elders beside him, and a sense of helplessness welled up inside him.
He might have been Hokage in name.
But the Third and several elders controlled every aspect of Konoha.
His orders simply could not be carried out.
Even the so-called Anbu under the Hokage's direct command was led by Shinnosuke Sarutobi. In this Uchiha affair, for example,
Shinnosuke Sarutobi had only informed him after asking the Third for permission.
His role was that of a figurehead—a clown meant to draw everyone's fire.
After Kushina gives birth? That's three months away.
He recalled the Third's words: he had promised to gradually hand over power after Kushina gave birth.
Now Minato was beginning to doubt whether that promise was genuine.
He hoped the time would come soon. He wanted to do something for Konoha.
He wanted to do something for the civilian ninja.
Their interests needed protection.
He sighed, but still chose to compromise.
The Third had noticed every change in Minato Namikaze's expression, and he nodded in approval.
Choosing Minato Namikaze had truly been the right decision.
"That's enough for today. Everyone, you're dismissed!"
The Third needed to step away from this maelstrom, so he brought the meeting to an end.
The purpose of today's meeting had been to force the Uchiha Clan into submission, and he had achieved that.
He regretted putting Shinichi Hyuga on the spot in front of everyone.
As soon as he finished speaking,
the surrounding ninja all turned to look at the Third.
The Third rose to leave.
But Shinichi Hyuga had no intention of letting things end so easily.
Otherwise, all his preparations would have been for nothing!
"Wait. There's something I want to say.
"As for the Third questioning whether I'm fit to lead my clan, I'll answer him now: I am indeed unfit.
"My people sacrificed so much, yet failed to receive the rewards they deserved. That was a failure on the part of every previous Hyuga Clan head—and on my part as well!
"In the Third Shinobi World War alone, the Hyuga Clan lost more than three hundred people—one-fifth of our strength.
"When the spoils were finally divided, we received less than half of what the Sarutobi Clan got!
"I'm not satisfied!"
Coldness filled Shinichi Hyuga's voice, reaching the ears of everyone present.
And his direct challenge to the Third left them all speechless.
That was the Third. How long had it been since anyone had spoken to him like that?
What was Shinichi Hyuga trying to do?
"Shinichi Hyuga, heavy losses don't mean greater military achievements!
"Every single contribution has been recorded.
"Don't question the fairness of the village's Supervision Squad!"
The Third could no longer avoid the confrontation. Shinichi Hyuga was challenging his authority.
He had faced this kind of thing many times before.
And it was something he was good at: using the village's rules to keep people in line.
After all, he was the one who had made the rules.
"I am questioning the village's Supervision Squad. They're all close associates of the Sarutobi Clan!
"I'll make my own military record public.
"Compared with the Fourth Hokage, I'm every bit his equal!
"Do you expect anyone to believe that my achievements are worth only half as much as the Sarutobi Clan's?
"You need to convince me—and everyone here!
"You need to convince the Daimyo!"
Every word Shinichi Hyuga spoke struck a chord with the smaller clans.
On the battlefield, the people they hated most were those assigned to supervise them.
Their military achievements had been tallied by ninja from the Sarutobi Clan. Everyone knew how much room there was to manipulate those records.
Shinichi Hyuga had first challenged the Sarutobi Clan's Supervision Squad.
Then he had compared himself with the Fourth Hokage—and he had every right to do so.
Finally, he took out a vermilion scroll, an order specially issued by the Daimyo.
It had taken a great deal of effort to obtain it from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Everyone was shocked to see the scroll in Shinichi Hyuga's hand.
The Daimyo was the head of the country, while the Hokage was the head of the ninja village.
In name, the Daimyo had the right to supervise and issue orders to the Hokage.
[Later on, a Daimyo would even brazenly claim that he would replace Konoha's Hokage.]
But all of this depended on strength.
The ninja villages' extensive autonomy had left some Daimyo feeling insecure.
To protect himself from Sarutobi Hiruzen—the longest-serving and most influential Hokage, hailed as the Strongest Hokage in History—the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had created the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
That was meant to ensure his safety!
He and Shinichi Hyuga shared some of the same ideas.
Both were deeply dissatisfied with the current situation in Konoha!
Before you continue