The Old Village Chief Loses His Cool (Happy New Year)

When giving orders to Hyuga Hiashi and the others, Hitoshi Clan Head did not make Kakashi leave.

Right in front of him, he clearly stated that the Hyuga Clan did not trust the village and might even leave Konoha one day.

The impact on Kakashi was immense.

On top of that, Hitoshi Clan Head had answered his questions about Obito.

Under all that pressure, it was hardly surprising that Kakashi ultimately chose to follow Hyuga Hitoshi and see What's Going On.

He wanted to know the truth of this world.

He wanted to know why Obito had attacked his own teacher.

Too many questions awaited answers.

Hitoshi Clan Head naturally had his own plans.

He did not know whether Kakashi would still become Naruto's teacher in the future and the jonin instructor of Team 7.

But he knew that completing major events and shaking up the Original Work's Worldview could grant him power that benefited him and might even upgrade his Golden Finger.

It was necessary to make more preparations. Only those who remained prepared at all times were qualified to plan for the bigger picture.

Hitoshi was laying out a grand scheme.

For Kakashi, standing with Hyuga Hitoshi did not count as falling to darkness, but it was not far from it either.

If Kakashi truly became Naruto's teacher one day, he would certainly teach Naruto the spirit of resistance and the indomitable will of Hyuga Hitoshi Clan Head.

This was the beginning of guiding the Child of Prophecy onto the right path, and it carried immense symbolic significance!

Therefore, in Hyuga Hitoshi's view, extending an olive branch to Kakashi when he was at his most despairing moment was simply doing the right thing at the right time and in the right place.

And that was indeed the case.

After Kakashi lowered his head and declared that he would Embrace the Darkness, the Golden Finger naturally gave its feedback.

Golden Finger: You used the talent skill Great Deceiving Art on Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi expressed trust in you and was willing to follow you in seeking the truth of the world. Your plan is progressing smoothly.

Golden Finger: Your ocular power has increased. The Byakugan Coercion attribute of your eye technique has upgraded again. If you wish, the coercion will affect the soul and spirit. This effect is even stronger against those inferior to the Byakugan, though the specifics Vary from Person to Person.

The upgraded Golden Finger's text display was highly convenient. It also clearly told Hyuga Hitoshi what aspect of himself had improved, so he no longer needed to discover and explore it on his own.

Nor would there be another incident like when he first awakened the bargain-bin version of Intangible Teleportation and inexplicably appeared in Konoha's Women's Bath. Fortunately, he had been quick-witted back then and used the Transformation Technique to Become Jiraiya. Otherwise, his lifelong reputation would have been ruined.

What surprised him was that the improvement was still to the coercion effect of his eye technique, allowing his ordinary version of coercion to Go Further.

Hyuga Hitoshi was satisfied with that.

After all, deceiving—no, guiding Kakashi to seek the truth was merely incidental and had not taken much effort. It was like planting a landmine; if it exploded, it would be in the future.

He just did not know what Konoha would look like once Naruto, after killing off his saintly personality, learned to resist.

Heh heh, as the crown prince, he should at least take back the house the Fourth Hokage bought on a mortgage!

How far things could go would depend on the future. Hyuga Hitoshi personally leaned toward believing in the crown prince. After all, once his strength improved further, he intended to completely erase the mark of Asura from Naruto and let the Six Paths' son die for good.

Especially since the Golden Finger had improved his abilities concerning souls this time, making it genuinely possible for him to accomplish that.

However—

Watching the subtitles before him gradually turn transparent and disappear, Hyuga Hitoshi Rubbed His Chin.

"Golden Finger and all that should have a name, shouldn't it?"

He had read plenty of novels. A Golden Finger needed its own style, like the Strongest Harem System. That sounded pretty badass.

As though responding to Hyuga Hitoshi's thoughts, the subtitles appeared again.

Golden Finger Sequence 9132254 reporting in.

What a lack of prestige. Who would have thought that, as a Transmigrator, even my system would be a bargain-bin version?

Hyuga Hitoshi quickly shook his head. It definitely could not be called that. Wouldn't that be blatantly padding the word count? He was not that kind of person.

After thinking for a moment, Hyuga Hitoshi's Eyes Lit Up. He then waved a hand grandly and wrote a line in the air.

Then—

Mr. 91 Gold: ?

At last, the Golden Finger that had accompanied Brother Hitoshi through both his past and present lives had a new name of its own.

This held great significance for Hyuga Hitoshi.

It happened to be a spring night, and Hitoshi Clan Head happily headed toward the backyard.

The warm and hospitable Hitoshi Clan Head, who loved making friends, had heard that Pakura and Mikoto were sharing a room today. This was no hint—it was an open declaration!

Late at night.

After Pakura and Mikoto put up a token show of reserve, the lamplight eventually began to sway.

Spring had arrived, and so had the season for making friends. You made the correct choice. Your endurance has increased slightly, and your waist strength has Go Further. Keep up the good work.

Under the moonlight, Mr. 91 Gold said this.

The spring night was quiet. Only Itachi, who had come out carrying Sasuke to let him pee, wore a grave expression. He had, after all, seen the figure enter his mother's room.

No matter the era, the word "war" was heavy enough.

When Kumogakure's army pressed in and could not even be bothered to Declare War before directly breaking through the Land of Fire's defenses, the entire Shinobi World turned its attention there.

Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure had all suffered through a major war and appeared too weak to act, but no one knew whether they would stab Konoha in the back at the most critical moment.

The atmosphere in war-shrouded Konoha was especially oppressive.

However, this had little to do with the Hyuga Clan, which had not received any orders for war.

After gaining the energetic buff from visiting his sister-in-law at night, Hyuga Hitoshi made another trip to the moon to replenish a Shadow Clone. After returning, he calmly selected elite members and planned to secretly head to the moon to seize territory.

Thus, anyone looking at the current Hyuga Clan would judge them to be law-abiding and well-behaved.

Unlike Hyuga Hitoshi.

To prove his ability, the Third Old Village Chief had not slept for several days.

From a certain perspective, this war was an opportunity for him.

After losing the previous war, the Old Village Chief had never believed it was his responsibility, nor that he Should Not have been removed from office.

But a true man did not dwell on past glories. He planned to wipe away his humiliation and lead Konoha in teaching Kumogakure a proper lesson. He believed that as long as Konoha achieved a great victory this time, he would be able to sit firmly in his position again, and no one would dare point fingers at him anymore!

As Hokage, he personally handled every matter this time, striving to ensure that nothing went wrong in any detail. Perhaps that was also one reason Konoha was having such a difficult time in this battle.

In order to win, the Old Village Chief personally went to the Sarutobi Clan to encourage his clansmen, telling them that their opportunity was right before them. He also warned Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu to stop eyeing the war supplies and at least show some restraint. This was a battle for Konoha's survival!

Looks Like the Old Village Chief also knew exactly what kind of worthless beasts his two advisors were.

In short, the Old Village Chief had been exhausted lately, but he also felt fulfilled, experiencing once more the sense of presence that came with being Hokage.

Having noticed this, Fugaku planned to make the Old Village Chief even more fulfilled. Not only did he have no intention of making his clansmen behave themselves, he even chose to charge forward proactively.

Konoha.

Inside the temporary Hokage Office, the Old Village Chief leaned back tactically while smoking his pipe. Looking at his subordinate's awkward attire, he could not help frowning. But sometimes, those with no desires were the strongest, and the Anbu Deputy Minister who had given up was truly hard to control.

Below him, Yuhi Shin'en, who was reporting on his work, tightened the Gas Mask over his face. After making sure he would not be poisoned, he ignored the Old Village Chief's frown and Spoke Again.

"To this day, there are still people in the village who believe that, for the Hokage Position, you personally orchestrated the Nine-Tails Attack and should be held responsible for the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and the villagers."

The same old argument. Its bite was far too weak.

Sarutobi's eye twitched, but he did not Take Seriously.

"Some also believe that you should Offer Up Orochimaru's research results rather than enjoy them privately. Others feel that your protection of Orochimaru does not accord with the virtue expected of a Hokage."

They could even dig up Orochimaru's old accounts. Uchiha Fugaku had only this much ability.

Sarutobi was utterly dismissive.

"Additionally, the noble Second Young Master, Sarutobi Asuma, publicly stated that he looked down on a Hokage who did not dare go to the battlefield and disdained associating with you. He publicly expressed his view that, as the Hokage is the village's strongest person, you should go to the Front Line and teach the Raikage a lesson instead of cowering in Konoha while being protected by others."

"He believes you are trash, and that your Will of Fire is nothing but passively taking a beating—"

Bang!

The Old Village Chief instantly lost his cool, slamming A Slap onto the table as he rose and roared.

"What the hell does he know about the Will of Fire?!"

Thanks to the great Meow Meow Jiangzi for the monthly ticket!!

Happy New Year to all the great readers passing by! May you be blessed with health and prosperity!

As usual, please send your votes!