A Promising Future

Konoha Plaza.

At this moment, the vast open space was filled with villagers who had survived the Nine-Tails Attack, fortunate ninja, and prominent figures from the various clans.

They had all been drawn here by the disturbance caused by the Uchiha Clan.

Judging by their numbers, although they had suffered a disaster, Konoha still had quite a few survivors.

But at this crucial moment, there was no need to maintain order, no matter how many people were present.

Everyone quieted down and waited for Uchiha Satoshi to speak.

Hyuga Hitoshi also released the two little girls and stood beside Uchiha Satoshi in full readiness. Judging from Hitoshi Clan Head's sharp gaze, if anyone made a move again, they would likely be spotted immediately.

But only Hitoshi Clan Head himself knew what was really going on.

Protecting Uchiha Satoshi?

There was no need for that at all.

As long as the Old Village Chief and Danzo had even a little sense, they would know that killing Uchiha Satoshi would bring nothing but side effects. Aside from enraging the Uchiha Clan and making themselves impossible to justify, it would accomplish nothing.

But that was exactly the effect Hyuga Hitoshi wanted.

That was right—Uchiha Satoshi's attack had been arranged by Hyuga Hitoshi!

His Two Generals had done a great job. Those forged Root masks had not been given for free.

Even if Yuhi Shin'en went after them, he would find nothing.

He would only watch helplessly as the "Root Ninja" entered the Root Base, but he clearly did not have the guts to investigate it as the Anbu Deputy Minister.

And as for standing beside Uchiha Satoshi?

It was not merely for show. More than that, Hitoshi Clan Head was afraid Uchiha Satoshi would fail to express himself clearly and waste this opportunity. Hadn't Hitoshi Clan Head's gaze already turned sharp?

He was ready at any moment for Uchiha Satoshi to start spouting nonsense!

With the plan having reached this point, everything had fallen into place naturally, and Hyuga Hitoshi was quite satisfied.

"In the Original Work, the Uchiha Clan suffered in silence under ANBU surveillance and was driven out of central Konoha. But through this Clan Head's efforts, they have now launched an assault on Konoha's upper ranks. Without question, this counts as a major event."

"From this Clan Head's perspective, Konoha became even more rotten after the Nine-Tails Attack. Even after gaining an advantage on the battlefield, they did not dare act arrogantly and were instead pushed back step by step by Kumogakure. So this Clan Head's intervention came at precisely the right time."

The right time, the right place—Hyuga Hitoshi believed he had accomplished an extraordinarily important event.

Looking at this incident as a whole, it would completely intensify the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha. The angered and ashamed Third would definitely target the Uchiha even more harshly, perhaps even distance himself from the Hyuga Clan as well.

This was the beginning of everything, the top priority.

"Mm, the conclusion of this incident also marks the beginning of the Uchiha Clan's eventual clash with the upper ranks. When it comes time for the settlement, it should be enough to upgrade my Golden Finger, right?"

Ever since he had been reborn, successfully unlocked the memories of his past life, and reactivated his Golden Finger, Hyuga Hitoshi had gained some insight.

His Golden Finger was far from simple.

Even with its limited usefulness in his previous life, it had allowed him to reach the limits of humanity within that world's worldview. In this world, then, it should theoretically be able to reach that same height.

It might even break past the limits of this world's worldview!

Very likely, his Golden Finger had lacked sufficient energy in his previous life, which was why it had been unable to surpass those limits.

But this life was different. The Shinobi World was a magical place.

The planning of this incident was inseparable from Hyuga Hitoshi's earlier state of enlightenment. At the time, he had considered matters concerning his Golden Finger, and that state of enlightenment had deepened his understanding of it.

Somewhere in the dark, he had also sensed that this major event would have no small impact on the world of the Hokage, allowing the Golden Finger to absorb even more power.

Hyuga Hitoshi was not the pretentious type. He knew that in the world of the Hokage, even though the Hyuga Clan possessed the Otsutsuki Bloodline, he probably would not be able to awaken the Tenseigan without some fortuitous encounter.

That was why he had long understood the importance of his Golden Finger. Being reborn and transported to an unfamiliar world, there was no shame in using cheats. The truly shameful ones were those who used cheats yet looked down on them and despised them.

The Golden Finger was closely tied to oneself. A truly capable person should develop their own Golden Finger to the fullest and become stronger.

Hyuga Hitoshi had already lived one life with cheats enabled. He understood that principle well.

He looked forward to the upper limit of his future. Even if he could not surpass this world's worldview, it did not matter.

There was no other reason.

Because this world had gods.

And the god he spoke of was not a Soul Body like the Sage of Six Paths.

It was Otsutsuki Shibai, who had truly transcended dimensions, broken through the Dimensional Barrier to travel to other dimensions, and reached the level of a god!

In short, the future was promising!

Although the Golden Finger's imminent evolution was only a small step for Hyuga Hitoshi, its significance represented a great step forward.

This was Hyuga Hitoshi's plan for himself: make the fullest use of everything around him to improve himself and improve his Golden Finger!

As for the environment he had thrown into disorder, and the Original Work's plot?

Well, he truly did not care about any of that.

The more thoroughly it collapsed, the higher the limit he could unlock might be, right?

Fine.

Now, let Everyone Present experience the shock of a god's-eye view.

"I know that none of you believe me, but please hear me out."

Uchiha Satoshi's expression was grave.

"What I say is not baseless. In truth, if the upper ranks had trusted the Uchiha Clan, this disaster would never have happened."

The main event had arrived.

A way to prevent the Fourth's death and avert the disaster.

The people pricked up their ears, waiting for what he would say next.

"Everyone knows that the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan can control tailed beasts."

Uchiha Satoshi swept his gaze around, three tomoe appearing in his eyes.

"And the Nine-Tails' rampage was nothing more than the result of being provoked or controlled by an illusion. Everyone saw that for themselves. At the start of the disaster, the Nine-Tails seemed to have no reason and knew only destruction, but true tailed beasts can communicate."

"But whether it had been provoked or controlled, Clan Head had already thought of a countermeasure."

Uchiha Satoshi pointed towards the equally solemn Fugaku.

"Clan Head gave the order for the clan's elites who had awakened the Three Tomoe to gather. We would head together to the battle zone and use the Uchiha Clan's Illusion Combination Technique. We could certainly bring the out-of-control Nine-Tails under control again and then wait for it to be sealed!"

"The men, women, young, and old of our clan all had that confidence. We would use our illusions to overwrite the Nine-Tails' commands. Even if our ocular power was exhausted and we became blind, we would not hesitate!"

Uchiha Satoshi spoke proudly, carrying the air of someone willing to brave fire and water for Konoha.

Quite a few people thought it over and immediately understood.

If the Uchiha had truly acted back then, it seemed the tragedy really could have been avoided. Even if there had been losses, they definitely would not have been as severe as they were now!

The Fourth and his wife really would not have needed to die!

But in reality...

Neither the villagers nor the surviving ninja had seen the Uchiha Clan appear on the front lines.

At the time, they had even believed all along that the Uchiha Clan had been secretly controlling the Nine-Tails!

If they had truly wanted to help, why had they not gone?

Many people were affected by Uchiha Satoshi's words, frowning in confusion.

And the considerate Hitoshi Clan Head hurriedly spoke up to help, voicing the question for them.

"Then why didn't you go?"

The Hitoshi brothers worked together perfectly!

Fugaku silently gave his approval, then chose to answer before Uchiha Satoshi could speak.

Fugaku was stunned at first. Then a look of grievance appeared on his face, before that grievance turned into anger.

He slapped his palm and pointed his chin at Danzo.

"This Clan Head truly wanted to go, but Lord Danzo wouldn't allow it!"

Just a casual extra chapter. The usual two-update schedule remains unchanged. As usual, please send votes—any kind will do.