Internal Meeting

The Shinobi World was in turmoil.

Konoha, still unaware that war was imminent, remained a place struggling to rebuild from ruin.

Say what you wanted about the Old Village Chief's domestic abilities, but when it came to putting on a show and earning prestige, he was a genuine master.

A round of reassurance not only softened the impact of leading Konoha through lost battle after battle, but even won over quite a bit of public support.

Though Konoha still carried some of the grief left by the disaster, it was already showing signs of recovery, and its people had quietly become much stronger.

But if one looked closely, that so-called strength was nothing more than a thin fig leaf.

To tear away that hypocritical mask and expose the false strength beneath, all it took was a casual conversation after a meal.

"Can Sarutobi Stink really make tailed beasts hallucinate? Is that true?"

"Of course it's true. You've clearly never teamed up with anyone from the Sarutobi Clan. That smell... it's hard to describe."

"What's so hard to describe? I was fortunate enough to go on a mission with Lord Sarutobi Shinnosuke. All I can say is, after coming back, even stinky tofu mixed with fermented bean curd and dipped in herring can tasted bland."

"You little bastard, you really know how to eat!"

"Speaking of which, if we're already like this, then Lord Biwako, who shares a bed with Lord Third year-round, must have Sarutobi Stink symptoms deep in her bone marrow, right?"

"That should be the case. They're the Sarutobi Clan, after all—not to be underestimated. And I heard their entire clan uses that move as their trump card. In battle, they grab the enemy's head and shove it under their armpit. In the Shinobi World, very few can withstand that move."

"Eh, moves like that aren't exactly rare in the Shinobi World. Everyone just makes use of their own advantages."

"Fair enough. Mainly, I heard that when the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki gave birth, Lord Biwako was the one handling the delivery? Could it be—"

"Holy shit! BIG balls! Discussing village affairs recklessly can get you beheaded!"

"Eh, I was just saying it casually. We're just shooting the shit, and that's not illegal. Eat, eat."

"..."

Perhaps a few words of post-meal gossip would not draw anyone's attention.

But—

"The beginning of a rumor is the start of a lie."

"True and false, false and true. Once people find Sarutobi Stink hallucinates Nine-Tails unreasonable, they will seek out the truth themselves. By then, kind-hearted people will naturally remind them of Lord Orochimaru's deeds, and everything will naturally happen."

Hyuga Clan, the Clan Head's private residence.

Hitoshi Hyuga lay on his side in a lounge chair while Hyuga Pakura massaged his calves beside him. Before him, Hyuga Gyuba, Hizashi Hyuga, and Hiashi Hyuga listened to the Clan Head's teachings. This counted as an Internal Meeting.

He had not concealed every detail of his cooperation with Fugaku from his subordinates.

Growth could only be gained through experience. The task he had assigned them was to cooperate properly with Fugaku, ensuring he would not be isolated and helpless.

"Of course, once the rumors reach a certain extent, the Old Village Chief will naturally take notice."

With a casual wave, several masks appeared.

The patterns on them were even stranger and more sinister than those of ANBU.

"When that happens, take a stroll through Root."

In Hitoshi Hyuga's script, Danzo was clearly also a top priority. Danzo had to do his job properly and take the blame he was supposed to take.

"Clan Head, you do not seem optimistic about our clan's future in Konoha?"

After digesting his assignment, Hiashi Hyuga's expression turned somewhat complicated.

He had a premonition that, if they followed the Clan Head's instructions, the Hyuga Clan and Konoha's upper echelon would sooner or later become estranged.

That was not hard to see.

After all, the Clan Head's actions already amounted to openly standing with the Uchiha.

If he were the Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan, he would absolutely never dare, nor choose, to do such a thing. He would watch coldly from the sidelines, perhaps even kick someone while they were down when the Uchiha were suppressed.

That would better fit the logic of being the rival of the protagonist in Legend of Glasses.

"Fine. You will find out sooner or later anyway. I do indeed plan to lead the clan out of Konoha. I have even found a temporary place for us to settle after leaving."

After considering it, Hitoshi Hyuga nodded readily.

He had used the word "temporary" only after deep thought.

The moon was not bad, but treating it as their ancestral land was rather small-minded. Combined with the Otsutsuki Clan's twisted way of thinking, it easily made Hitoshi Clan Head wonder whether they had been affected by the Six Paths Chibaku Tensei, causing every one of them to become strange.

On top of that, the place was barely more than a slightly larger prison. Staying cooped up there for too long would not be conducive to development.

All things considered, Hitoshi planned to treat the moon as something like a training ground in the future, a sacred land where the clan could gain experience. After all, Hamura had left behind an inheritance concerning the Byakugan there. By combining that lost inheritance with Hitoshi Hyuga's enlightenment, he was confident that he could once again allow the Hyuga Clan to be completely transformed in a short time.

The current Hyuga were very strong. Under Hitoshi's guidance, their combat power had already surpassed that of ordinary clans in the Shinobi World, but that was still insufficient to support them in dominating a region. A brief period of consolidation was necessary.

Hamura's inheritance, the Energy Vessel Tenseigan, the Living Byakugan Purifier—there were many ways to become stronger.

They only had to wait for the right time.

Hitoshi himself was also confident that he would be invincible in the Shinobi World and calmly face all manner of powerful opponents.

In any case, he would not let his clansmen follow Hamura's old path. Sooner or later, he would find a suitable stepping stone and lead the Hyuga Clan to rule the world once more.

"This..."

Hitoshi Hyuga's words left the two brothers stunned. They looked at each other, completely at a loss.

"Um, Brother Hitoshi."

Hizashi Hyuga scratched his head and cautiously looked at Hitoshi.

"Cooperating with the Senju Clan and joining Konoha together was the decision of our ancestors..."

He put it very tactfully.

But Hitoshi Hyuga still understood what he meant.

The Clan Head smiled and nodded naturally.

"So, I made a decision that went against the ancestors!"

The moment he said that, Pakura, who was massaging him beside him, had the corner of her mouth twitch.

A decision that went against the ancestors, my ass. It sounded absurd.

"I know what you are thinking."

Hitoshi Hyuga sighed ever so slightly, then naturally pointed toward the imposing Hokage Rock Faces and finally aimed at Hashirama Senju's face.

"In fact, when the Senju Clan integrated into Konoha and that surname ceased to exist, our Hyuga Clan had to start considering its own future."

There was nothing wrong with that.

Hashirama Senju was noble. He was remarkable. He had directly snapped the enormous protective umbrella of the Senju Clan, hidden the Senju surname, and allowed them to integrate into the village in all sorts of ways, turning the Senju into nutrients for Konoha in an attempt to cultivate generation after generation of elites.

But the Hyuga Clan could not do that!

Facts prove that Hashirama Senju's decision had also been wrong. Among Konoha's civilians, the number of geniuses who could truly rise was pitifully small, and the Senju Clan's bloodline was not outrageous enough to alter ordinary people's genes.

Not to mention how smoothly the Senju Clan had integrated into Konoha through the Old Village Chief's efforts. That order had been issued while the Second was in office. How long had it even been?

Look at Konoha's civilians. Was there even the slightest trace of the Senju left? Maybe everyone with even a little talent had died in the Second Shinobi World War!

In such a vast village, aside from a few symbolic figures still carrying the Senju Clan name at the Ninja School, the clan's shadow had all but vanished.

Honestly, they were worse off than the Uchiha.

What, they were afraid the Senju would be retaliated against after the First died?

At this point, the Senju Clan would have been better off fighting openly and honestly on the battlefield. At least they would not have ended up like this.

Still, Hitoshi Hyuga could not be bothered to comment on another family's affairs.

He was merely using it as a warning for his subordinates, making it easier to arrange the work that came next.

Without question, he was a qualified Clan Head.

At the right time, he gave his clansmen the right education, and his Golden Finger gave the appropriate feedback as well.

Feeling the fullness that came with his Total Chakra Amount increasing, Hitoshi Hyuga smiled faintly and happily delivered the conclusion of this Internal Meeting to the bewildered Hyuga brothers.

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