Danzo, Arriving Though Late

"Lord Hokage, I still propose that we keep Kawaki Aoba in my squad for the time being. Once his strength grows and he accumulates more mission experience, we can transfer him to the Anbu. Given Kawaki Aoba's talent, I am certain he will become an outstanding Jonin before long."

Inside the Hokage building, Kawaki Aoba's squad leader, Yuhi Shinku, was presenting his proposal to Sarutobi Hiruzen. He hoped to persuade Sarutobi Hiruzen by highlighting Kawaki Aoba's value, aiming to protect this exceptional student of his.

As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage found himself in quite a dilemma.

Originally, Kawaki Aoba, a genius who could barely be considered a commoner, was someone he had earmarked for his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma's, inner circle. Whether it was his talent for creating seal-less ninjutsu before even graduating or his outstanding performance during missions, Sarutobi Hiruzen was very satisfied with him.

Yet, who could have foreseen that the little guy would awaken the Byakugan during a mission, relying on his thin Hyuga bloodline?

A clansman who had not been branded with the Caged Bird seal by the Hyuga main house, yet had already awakened the Byakugan—if the Hyuga clan hadn't found out, it would have been easy to handle, but now...

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly, lamenting that he had learned of this too late. By the time he sent men to seal the information, someone had already sold the news to the Hyuga clan.

Yuhi Shinku's words were certainly reasonable, but was a mere Kawaki Aoba truly worth the price of snatching someone away from the Hyuga clan?

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was deep in thought, a ninja arrived outside the door to report that the Second Elder of the Hyuga clan requested an audience.

They were truly a prestigious clan that had been passed down for a thousand years in the ninja world; not only was their intelligence network comparable to his own as Hokage, but their actions were also incredibly swift.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze was deep and dark, as calm as a stagnant pool.

However, since the principal party had already come knocking, there was no reason to refuse them.

Soon, the Hyuga Second Elder was brought into the Hokage's office.

Upon entering, the Hyuga Second Elder immediately spotted Yuhi Shinku standing to the side.

Although Yuhi Shinku was the squad leader of that brat Kawaki Aoba, the Second Elder's attention was not on him at all.

The Hyuga Second Elder turned to face Sarutobi Hiruzen. He had no intention of being polite and went straight to the point, stating the reason for his visit.

He had come to ask the Hokage if he intended to interfere in the internal affairs of the Hyuga clan. If that were truly the case, the Hyuga clan was not unwilling to give Lord Hokage some face, but the price for doing so would be...

Moreover, perhaps he had been irritated by the Uchiha, led by Fugaku, who had blocked the Hyuga gates when he left, making his tone more severe and urgent than usual.

Sitting in his chair, Sarutobi Hiruzen kept his gaze lowered. He could tell that although the Hyuga Second Elder's words were polite on the surface, his attitude was actually extremely rigid.

While Sarutobi Hiruzen could understand the Second Elder's current mood, he was, after all, the Hokage.

Well, although he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the Hokage, there wasn't only one voice in Konoha. Even though he had led a group of comrades to win the Second Shinobi World War and gained enough prestige to secure his position as Hokage, in the eyes of certain prestigious clans, his weight still seemed slightly insufficient.

The Hyuga clan before him might not be as arrogant and overbearing as the Uchiha, but that sense of superiority from on high was certainly not fake.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a tightness in his chest, and the scales of interest in his heart tipped slightly toward one side.

Sometimes, balance and the hearts of the people were more important than mere profit.

This was the insight Sarutobi Hiruzen had gathered after serving as Hokage for so many years.

With a plan in mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to muddy the waters further. His goal was not necessarily to protect Kawaki Aoba or to use him as a bargaining chip to extract benefits from the Hyuga clan.

Instead, he wanted to use this incident to discipline the Hyuga clan and suppress the pride of these so-called prestigious clans.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted them to know that this was the era of the hidden village, and even the prestigious clans of the past were merely a part of the village.

Kawaki Aoba was undoubtedly a pawn in this; Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't need to cling to him. As long as he prevented him from returning to the Hyuga clan, he believed those old foxes would be able to analyze exactly what he was trying to express.

Kawaki Aoba's appearance was merely an accident, but as long as he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, remained Hokage, such accidents could be orchestrated through human intervention to awaken the Byakugan.

Having decided on the cards he would play, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of waiting for the Hyuga clan head and their Great Elder to return before making his move.

Compared to those two old foxes, the man before him was a god-sent opponent. Although he was intimidating, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that the man's only strength was being born into a good family.

However, as a ruler who aspired to surpass the two previous Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want a single blemish on his record.

Therefore, at this moment, he needed a "white glove" to do his dirty work.

Shimura Danzo: That would be me.

Perhaps hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's inner thoughts, a figure exuding a sinister aura walked into the Hokage's office from outside.

Half of the man's body was wrapped in bandages, and only his left eye was visible.

"Sarutobi, I just heard some rumors outside that are very unfavorable to the village. It seems to be said that an elite ninja of the Hyuga clan attacked a commoner ninja in the village without cause. I wonder if this is true or false."

Good heavens, as expected of Shimura Danzo, known as the Darkness of the Ninja World; he cut straight to the chase the moment he spoke, with no intention of hiding his motives.

Originally, the Hyuga Second Elder had intended to find the Hokage to get a clear answer and demand an explanation regarding Kawaki Aoba. This had carried a hint of coercion, aimed at "bullying" the "honest" Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But who would have thought that Danzo's appearance would immediately reverse the situation, changing the nature of the event into an accusation that the Hyuga clan was intentionally inciting conflict within the village.

Being labeled as a prestigious clan that bullied the weak and oppressed commoner ninjas was not a hat one wanted to wear in this day and age.

Moreover, the Danzo before them clearly didn't seem like someone who reasoned. Compared to the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo seemed even more unscrupulous.

Furthermore, if the Hyuga Second Elder remembered correctly, not long ago, Danzo had tried to demand people from their Hyuga clan to join his Root, and it seemed they were required to be branded with a curse seal to prevent leaks.

Thinking of this, the Hyuga Second Elder's expression turned quite sour.