Will of Fire

There had never been an absolutely perfect plan in this world.

And even under normal circumstances, Hyuga Hitoshi had never been arrogant enough to think his intelligence could crush everyone else's.

The combo fist aimed at the Old Village Chief was not some high-end maneuver. It was far from perfect and could not withstand repeated scrutiny.

The key point of this combo fist was to guide public opinion and split the blame for being the suspected mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Attack, currently pinned on the Uchiha Clan, with the Old Village Chief.

They would whitewash the Uchiha Clan from being regarded as the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Attack into merely suspected masterminds, then make everyone recognize what the Uchiha had gained after the disaster—and what the Old Village Chief had gained.

As long as that step was achieved, it would be enough. The destructive power of this combo fist would already be apparent. Hyuga Hitoshi's original intention had never changed: fool Fugaku into leading the Uchiha charge, buying time for the Hyuga Clan's two-pronged gains.

But he could not place too much faith in the Uchiha's Aggressive Kids. If those people got excited, they might actually fool Fugaku into launching a coup in one go.

That was why he had come to patch up the gaps, and also to have Fugaku restrain his clansmen. They should not get cocky too quickly. They needed to slow down before showing off. Overturning the table now would not be good for either the Uchiha or the Hyuga.

The open scheme he had designed for the Old Village Chief was still to come. There was no need to rush at all.

It was just that Hyuga Hitoshi had not expected Kakashi to be among the ANBU squad monitoring the Uchiha.

But when he worked out the timeline, it made sense.

The Fourth had died in the Nine-Tails Attack, and the nightmare of years ago had struck again. There was no way Kakashi could settle down. Soaking himself in ANBU and killing people was what he wanted most.

It had been the same in the original work. Only when the Rookies were about to graduate did the Third realize that something seemed wrong with Kakashi's mental state and tell him to calm down and raise a child.

If he had to sum up Kakashi in one sentence right now—

"Struggling in confusion, he numbs himself by being a dog that works hard without complaint. There is no light in his eyes."

Hyuga Hitoshi could not help sighing over Kakashi's circumstances.

He did not know whether the force of the eggs he had people throw earlier could wake Kakashi up—make him understand that a blade called public opinion could be used for one's own purposes, and make him realize that the ones who had forced his father to death had never been the comrades his father saved, nor the so-called villagers. Behind them stood the Old Village Chief, weapon in hand.

Look at how quickly Fugaku had grasped this power.

Then look at confused Kakashi. He actually still wanted to take the blame for the Third?

Helplessly, since he had come to patch up the gaps, Hyuga Hitoshi had no choice but to act.

Even though the power he currently possessed from the Byakugan was still considered a knockoff version, combined with his research into ocular techniques during his previous state of enlightenment, he could still use his eye power to give someone a slight psychological suggestion and draw out the doubts and dissatisfaction in their heart.

Facts Prove that Kakashi was not all that loyal to the Hokage. With just a little guidance, the thoughts buried in his heart were amplified.

"Brother, what are you doing here?"

Hyuga Hitoshi's appearance had been part of the plan, but clever Fugaku chose to pretend to be ignorant. Meanwhile, Uchiha Satoshi beside him looked at his Clan Head with a little more peculiarity in his eyes.

It was nothing else. He had seen a green leaf blown by the wind onto the Clan Head's head and was hesitating over whether to help remind him.

"I'm fine. I'm just taking a walk. Brother, do whatever you need to do. Don't mind me."

His sharp gaze swept over the ANBU pinned to the ground. Once he confirmed that there was no issue, Clan Head Hitoshi's gaze turned gentle again.

"Oh, right, Brother."

Slapping his forehead, Clan Head Hitoshi spoke again.

"Sister-in-law is catching up with Xiao Cang tonight, so she won't be going back. I thought I'd let you know in advance."

Did you have to say that here?

Fugaku's expression changed. In an instant, he felt countless gazes aimed at his head. Angered and ashamed, Fugaku immediately barked at the people around him.

"What are you looking at? My wife and my brother's wife are good friends! What's wrong with her staying at my brother's place for one night?"

Clan Head...

You would have been better off saying nothing.

Wasn't that just admitting it without being asked?

Uchiha Satoshi finally couldn't help it. He sighed softly, walked up to his Clan Head, and brushed away the scattered green leaf from his head.

"Clan Head, business comes first."

Right, business came first.

He still had prisoners to interrogate!

This Clan Head was busy with his career. Where would he find time to care about romantic affairs?

Seeing that more and more villagers were gathering around them, Fugaku did not waste any more words. With a sweep of his hand, he led his people grandly toward Central Square.

Of course, before leaving, he did not forget to invite Hitoshi Brother to serve as a witness.

And when it came to punishing evil and promoting good, Clan Head Hitoshi naturally took responsibility without hesitation, happily following the group.

"Ideological education must begin with children. This old man has discovered that only a minority of people in our village possess the Will of Fire."

Inside the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffed on his pipe as he spoke kindly to the two ninjas standing below him.

The younger ninja looked somewhat numb and merely stood there, waiting for orders.

"No matter how poor we are, we cannot deprive children. No matter how hard things get, we cannot neglect education. No matter what, there absolutely cannot be problems with ideology."

"Otherwise, certain policies may not be promoted in time. The resulting losses could easily cause misunderstandings among those below, creating unnecessary trouble."

The Old Village Chief wore a benevolent expression as he promoted these so-called key points.

Hearing the Old Village Chief's words, the older ninja fell into thought.

Combining the Old Village Chief's earlier hints—

With his current attitude—

He had it!

He pulled out a notebook and began writing furiously in front of the Old Village Chief.

In just one minute, he completed a proposal titled Ninja School Reform and handed it to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The Old Village Chief patiently read through the proposal. Then the smile on his face became even kinder.

He nodded at the man and returned the proposal to him.

"Good. The rebuilding of the Ninja School and the revision of the textbooks will be entrusted to you."

"Yamazaki Ryuji, I hope you will not disappoint this old man. I think the position of dean of students suits you very well!"

The ninja named Yamazaki Ryuji nodded respectfully, then led the younger ninja out of the Hokage Office.

"Uncle Ryuji, can I take a look at your proposal?"

The younger ninja asked, somewhat confused.

He had come along this time to broaden his horizons. Looking over the proposal would also help him work more smoothly in the future, since he had already decided to devote himself to education.

"Of course."

Yamazaki Ryuji rubbed Iruka's head and handed him the proposal.

He hoped this Unlucky Kid, who had lost his family in the Nine-Tails Attack, could emerge from his grief sooner.

And this proposal should give his fragile heart a small shock.

Sure enough.

When Iruka's gaze fell upon the proposal, he fell silent.

Its contents were not complicated, but they were completely different from everything he understood.

Especially the first point.

"According to our investigation, Konoha's New Generation lacks the ideology of loyalty to the Hokage and loyalty to the village. Quite a few even believe that impeaching the Hokage during the previous war was only natural. This subordinate believes that this is fundamentally unhealthy and therefore offers the following suggestion."

"The Ninja School textbooks were lost during the Nine-Tails Attack. This subordinate will revise them, and the new textbooks will emphasize the Will of Fire that you proposed."

"Your great deeds in leading the village to victory during the Third Shinobi World War should not be buried either. This subordinate believes that the so-called Strongest Hokage can be expressed through multiple concepts. Your strength should not be forgotten, and the words 'strongest' are well-deserved. This concept is worthy of inclusion in textbooks for future generations to observe and learn from."

"Everything the Kage does is objectively correct. Doubt or distrust will affect the village's development. This subordinate suggests making ideological education grades a key focus of the Ninja School. Only those who pass may graduate."

"."

After a long while, Iruka put down the proposal.

But Yamazaki Ryuji sighed.

There was no other reason.

He could tell from Iruka's eyes.

This child...

Was even more confused now.

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