Konoha Family Conference!

Konoha Village.

Senju Clan Compound.

Naruto lay sprawled on the tatami.

Drool hung from the corner of his mouth, his golden hair scattered along the edge of the pillow.

Chiba stood outside the door for a few seconds before gently closing it.

The child was sleeping soundly.

But tonight, countless people in Konoha Village were destined to lie awake all night.

Uchiha Compound.

Naka Shrine.

Fugaku Uchiha sat in the chair at the very top.

Over a hundred Uchiha clansmen stood below in a dense mass.

More than a hundred Sharingan opened at once.

Their crimson glow stained even the night blood-red.

"The Police Department is about to be reorganized."

"The village's Public Security Defense and Border Patrol."

"Lord Chiba has handed half of that authority to us Uchiha."

Fugaku Uchiha looked around.

His voice was not loud, but every clansman heard it clearly.

"Wonderful!"

"That's real power! True core authority!"

"We finally won't have to take crap from those high-ranking officials anymore!"

In an instant.

The atmosphere erupted.

The younger clansmen trembled with excitement.

They had been excluded by the village for far too long, and now they had finally seen a ray of hope.

"Quiet!"

The Great Elder seated in the front row slammed his cane down.

His old, orange-peel-like face crumpled into a knot.

"Fugaku."

"Don't let the benefits before your eyes blind you!"

"That brat is a Senju!"

"The Senju Clan has always regarded us Uchiha as a thorn in their side!"

"Have you all forgotten how the Second Hokage treated us back then?"

"He's throwing us this bone now, so he must be plotting something!"

As soon as the Great Elder spoke.

Several elders from the radical faction immediately chimed in.

"That's right!"

"Senju Qianye's strength is unfathomable."

"The Third Hokage doesn't even dare fart in front of him."

"How could a monster like that genuinely support the Uchiha?"

"..."

Listening to the elders.

Fugaku Uchiha remained silent.

He lifted the teacup before him, and the water inside rippled slightly.

These elders were stubborn in their thinking.

But did the Uchiha still have the luxury of being picky?

Just as he was about to suppress them by force.

A young figure stood up.

It was Shisui Uchiha.

"Great Elder, you say this is a trap?"

"Then what do you think we have now that's worth Lord Chiba scheming against?"

Shisui Uchiha walked to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping across those elders.

His voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"What kind of nonsense is that!"

"We are the noble Uchiha!"

The Great Elder choked on his words.

"Noble?"

"Before absolute power, nobility is worthless."

"You should all know what happened at the Senju Compound."

"The hundreds-of-meters-tall Wood Golem."

"One palm strike could level half of Konoha."

"Great Elder, how many slaps do you think the entire Uchiha Clan could withstand from that Wood Golem?"

Shisui Uchiha shook his head.

Lord Chiba's vision and ambition had long surpassed this tiny Konoha Village.

The hall fell utterly silent.

The feverish atmosphere seemed to have been doused with a basin of ice water.

Everyone recalled that suffocating, terrifying pressure.

It was a despair so profound that even their souls had trembled.

"Lord Chiba is not plotting against the Uchiha at all."

"He gave us authority as a test."

"What he needs are people who can get things done."

"If the Uchiha do not even have this much courage, then we should stop calling ourselves ninja!"

Shisui Uchiha's words were merciless.

Several elders flushed red, yet they could not find a way to refute him.

"Shisui is right."

"Lord Chiba saved my life."

"I, Fugaku, must repay that debt."

"Besides, Konoha has already changed."

"The Third Hokage's era is completely over."

"We have no choice but to support Lord Chiba with everything we have!"

Fugaku Uchiha set down his teacup and slowly rose to his feet.

The Mangekyō Sharingan slowly turned within his eyes.

"Pass down my order."

"All clansmen are to reorganize immediately."

"Select the most elite fighters and await Lord Chiba's orders at any time!"

Hyuga Clan.

Hiashi Hyuga sat kneeling in the center of a Japanese-style room.

His younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, sat opposite him.

A chessboard rested between them.

But neither had the mind to move a piece.

Just moments ago.

Several Main Branch elders had left.

Yet the air still carried the lingering traces of their argument.

"Brother."

"Several Main Branch elders seem very dissatisfied with Lord Chiba."

Hizashi Hyuga touched the forehead protector on his brow.

Beneath it was the humiliating Caged Bird Cursed Seal.

"Dissatisfied?"

"They're afraid."

"For years, Konoha High Command has been suppressing prestigious clans like ours."

"The Hyuga Clan may appear glorious, but in truth, every step has been difficult."

"The elders had grown accustomed to the Third Hokage's balancing tactics."

"Now that an unreasonable powerhouse has suddenly appeared, of course they're panicking."

Hiashi Hyuga let out a cold laugh.

He picked up a white stone and slammed it heavily onto the board.

"Then what do you mean?"

Hizashi Hyuga frowned slightly.

"Lord Chiba acts domineeringly, but he clearly distinguishes between gratitude and grudges."

"He handed half of the defense authority to the Uchiha, yet he did not forget to include us Hyuga."

"That shows he values our abilities."

"This fierce tiger has descended from the mountain."

"What we must do is not block him, but become his sharpest claws and fangs."

Hiashi Hyuga raised his head.

The veins at the corners of his eyes bulged slightly as he calmly watched Hizashi Hyuga.

"Even if..."

"We must completely break with the Third Hokage's faction?"

Hizashi Hyuga took a deep breath.

He had completely understood his brother's intentions.

"The Third Hokage is old."

"What does he have to fight Lord Chiba with?"

"From today onward."

"The Hyuga Clan will support Lord Chiba without reservation!"

"Anyone who dares to obey openly while defying in secret will be expelled from the clan!"

Nara Clan.

"Shikaku."

"Has the Third Hokage's side really just admitted defeat like that?"

Yamanaka Inoichi narrowed his eyes and asked uncertainly.

Although they had long since sided with Chiba.

The victory had come too quickly, making it feel unreal.

"What else could they do but surrender?"

"Danzo died without even ashes left behind."

"The remaining two advisers probably have to sleep with one eye open."

"What Lord Chiba did was called flipping the table."

"Rules? Righteousness? Personal ties?"

"Before absolute power, all that stuff is bullshit."

A faint smile appeared on Shikaku Nara's face.

His mind was clear.

Before absolute power.

Any schemes and tricks were nothing but wasted effort.

"What should we do next?"

Akimichi Choza spoke up.

He was not good at thinking about such things.

Whatever Shikaku Nara said, he would do.

"What else can we do?"

"Get to work!"

"Lord Chiba doesn't keep freeloaders."

"The greater the authority he gives, the greater the test."

"We not only have to handle daily government affairs, budget planning, and mission assignments."

"Within a month, we also have to squeeze money and resources out of those four families."

"It's a thankless job that's bound to offend people."

"But if we pull it off beautifully,"

"our Ino-Shika-Cho clans won't have to worry for the next fifty years."

"..."