Hinata, Stop Pretending

"Just moments ago, the Third Hokage also sent Anbu to inform me of this news, further confirming the intelligence."

After Hyuga Hiashi finished speaking, the Hyuga clansmen clearly could no longer remain calm. Whispers and hushed discussions immediately rose all around.

After all, in Konoha, the Uchiha had always firmly overshadowed the Hyuga in public. Even the village's most important Security Force was practically the private property of the Uchiha Clan.

Yet who could have imagined that such a powerful, illustrious clan would be wiped out overnight, silently and so easily?

And the ones who had acted were actually members of their own clan. Fate truly had a cruel sense of irony.

At that moment, a Hyuga clansman in his forties or fifties stood up. He appeared to hold considerable prestige within the Hyuga Clan, and once he rose, the Hyuga clansmen who had still been discussing matters around him gradually fell silent again.

As Hinata watched him, a piece of information flashed through her mind: Takasaka Hyuga, one of the few radicals in the Hyuga Clan.

Takasaka Hyuga said, "Clan Head, now that this has happened, what should our Hyuga Clan do next? The Uchiha Clan Downfall is also a warning from the village to bloodline clans and secret technique clans like ours."

"Perhaps for a long time to come, clans like ours will be unable to hold our heads high because of this."

None of those present were fools. Although Itachi Uchiha was the chief culprit behind the Uchiha Clan Downfall, without the assistance of village ninja, was it really possible to wipe out the Uchiha Clan in such a short time? What a joke!

Hyuga Hiashi sighed again. "I know all of this. Perhaps what the village has done will create a rift between the clans and the village."

"But everyone has seen how the Uchiha behaved for such a long time—arrogant, lawless, acting as they pleased. I had long expected today's outcome."

"But the one thing I never expected was for the village to have a member of the Uchiha Clan carry it out personally."

With that, the Hyuga Clan completely lost its composure. One after another, they stood and asked, "Clan Head, what should our Hyuga Clan do next?"

At this moment, whether they were from the Main Family or the Branch Family, they temporarily stood united.

Because if things went wrong, the Hyuga Clan could become the next example. At a time like this, how could disputes between the Main Family and the Branch Family be more important than the life and death of the entire clan?

Hyuga Hiashi said, "Quiet down."

The entire room immediately fell silent again. Hyuga Hiashi continued, "The Third Hokage's meaning was that, since the Uchiha have already been wiped out—"

"—in order to stabilize relations between the village and the clans, he intends to elevate our Hyuga Clan as Konoha's strongest clan. At the same time, he will introduce a series of preferential measures for ninja clans like ours."

"If our Hyuga Clan is willing, we may even take over the Military Police Force again. But I trust that our clansmen will not be like the Uchiha, concerned only with immediate gains. You must understand that the Military Police Force was the cause behind the Uchiha Clan Downfall."

"I agreed to the Third Hokage's conditions, but I did not mention the Military Police Force at all. This will allow the prestige of our Hyuga Clan to reach the peak of the entire ninja world, following the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan."

"Although I have removed the greatest danger, our Hyuga Clan has also been pushed into the eye of the storm."

Mature System

"From now on, every move we make will determine the survival of our Hyuga Clan."

"Therefore, in order to strengthen our relationship with the village, I require that we select a group of young members from our Hyuga Clan and send them to the Ninja Academy."

"And from now on, all clansmen must remain true to themselves. Do not bring disgrace upon our Hyuga Clan over unnecessary matters."

Although Hyuga Hiashi had harbored resentment toward the village ever since Hizashi Hyuga's death, he was not arrogant enough to believe that the clan could stand against the entire village.

Moreover, the Hyuga clansmen had always been overshadowed by the Uchiha Clan, so they did not possess the arrogance that came with blind confidence.

Without those factors, most clansmen were still quite rational.

This included Takasaka Hyuga and the others among the small number of radicals within the Hyuga Clan.