Just Pawns Pushed Forward

Uchiha Kyu pretended to sigh, looking as though he was afraid the other party would misunderstand and think he had good intentions for Konoha.

"Fourth, don't misunderstand and think we're taking advantage of this opportunity to seize power. The truth is, there's simply no one capable around you."

With that, Uchiha Kyu clasped his hands toward Hyuga Hiashi, his heart brimming with righteousness.

"For Konoha's stability and peace, my Uchiha Clan is willing to take none of the credit this time. I only hope that Clan Head Hyuga will fulfill his duties and properly assist the Fourth in maintaining Konoha's peace."

"The Uchiha Clan Head is truly magnanimous and righteous. This is indeed Konoha's good fortune."

Hyuga Hiashi had never expected Uchiha Kyu to put on such a convincing act. If he had not known the truth beforehand, he probably would have mistaken the other man for a genuinely good person.

Minato Namikaze watched as the two men decided the position of Hokage's aide between them, then forced a smile and echoed them with a few words.

Still uneasy, Minato Namikaze reminded them, "I only hope Lord Sarutobi recovers soon and can be transferred to Konoha's Medical Department as quickly as possible."

With the situation settled, Uchiha Kyu became much more agreeable.

"The Third has Heaven's favor. Perhaps his injuries will be much better by tomorrow, and he may even regain consciousness."

After receiving the assurance, Minato Namikaze did not want to stay there another second. "Then I'll take my leave first."

"Take care."

Uchiha Kyu smiled without warmth and raised his cup, seeing the other man off.

Hyuga Hiashi wore a wary expression, somewhat worried that he would be punished in the future.

"The Fourth is certainly patient. His future achievements will surely be no weaker than the Third's."

Uchiha Kyu clinked his cup against the other man's and laughed arrogantly. "Whether there will even be a future is up to us to decide."

"That's true." Hyuga Hiashi had grown bolder as well, and the thoughts in his heart became even more audacious.

Uchiha Kyu noticed the change in Hyuga Hiashi but said nothing.

What had happened before would happen again, and what had been done before would be done again.

It was easy to board a ship, but difficult to get off.

"Your position should be secure now. However, if you want to stabilize it completely, you'll need to resolve the problems within the Hyuga Clan."

Uchiha Kyu needed an obedient Hyuga Clan, not one whose decisions were swayed by elders who held it back.

"I understand." Hyuga Hiashi tilted his head back and drank some water, concealing the trace of ruthlessness in his eyes.

If a clan wanted to change, it had to use a heavy hand.

The three commercial streets taken over by the Uchiha Clan gradually began to see villagers shopping there, albeit reluctantly.

Uchiha Huo took only one day to seal a large number of shops. Their owners were all arrested on the grounds that they were commercial spies.

Most of these shop owners had shinobi clans backing them.

But the Uchiha Clan was extremely powerful now, while Konoha's higher-ups had chosen to stand by and ignore everything. Naturally, those shinobi clans could only seethe in silence.

With the shops selling daily necessities gone, the villagers had no choice but to go to the Uchiha Clan's three commercial streets to buy what they needed.

To bring Lord Sarutobi back safely as soon as possible, Minato Namikaze had even taken the initiative to use his reputation to guarantee the three commercial streets.

With the Fourth Hokage's reputation as a guarantee, more and more people went to the three commercial streets to shop.

However, the three commercial streets were enormous, and neither the Uchiha Clan nor the Hyuga Clan could occupy all of them.

Uchiha Kyu planned to use the vacant shops to attract merchants from the Land of Fire, charging them an entry fee.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's disappearance could be concealed from the shinobi clans, but not from Konoha's two advisers.

However, the Konoha advisers were now nothing more than two old men.

Without Hiruzen Sarutobi as their source of confidence, the two could only let Minato Namikaze make the decisions.

The news that Danzo had been designated an S-rank missing-nin shocked all the major shinobi clans.

The amusing thing was that no one defended Danzo. The shinobi clans had suffered no shortage of bullying at his hands, and they were too busy gloating to care about him.

No one bothered to investigate why he had betrayed the village.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

With Uchiha Kyu's support, Hyuga Hiashi easily took the position of Hokage's aide.

Minato Namikaze had also reluctantly handed the authority to rebuild the Root Organization to Hyuga Hiashi.

After reading the intelligence sent from the front line, Uchiha Kyu raised his eyes and looked at Fugaku. "How many people have you arranged to enter the Root Organization?"

"I've arranged one Elite Jonin and ten Elite Chunin. That should be enough for us to control half of the Root Organization's personnel."

"Only..."

Fugaku Uchiha asked hesitantly, "The Root Organization used to be Danzo's personal force, so the authority of the Hokage's aide is the most important thing. Giving it to the Hyuga Clan just like that feels like a loss to me."

"A loss?" Uchiha Kyu gave a meaningful smile. "Have you ever thought about whether the Hyuga Clan will still be able to turn back once they take this position?"

"And is the position of Hokage's aide really so wonderful?"

Fugaku Uchiha froze at his words, then immediately understood.

That was right. Was the position of Hokage's aide really such a good thing?

Once Hyuga Hiashi took it, there would be no turning back. He and the Hokage would no longer be able to reconcile.

It was equivalent to the Uchiha Clan placing the Hyuga Clan in front of them, making it a pawn in the struggle for power between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's higher-ups.

Fugaku Uchiha still did not understand. "Could Hyuga Hiashi not realize that?"

Uchiha Kyu spread his hands and shrugged. "So what? Does he not covet the position of Hokage's aide?"

"This is a genuine entry into Konoha's higher-ups, something the Hyuga Clan has yearned for all these years."

"That's true." Fugaku Uchiha finally understood the gap between himself and Uchiha Kyu. One simply had to admit when someone was superior.

Next, Fugaku Uchiha compiled the supplies brought back from the Root Organization and handed the records to him.

"After wiping out the Root Organization this time, we obtained many secret records from various clans, along with a large amount of money and supplies."

Uchiha Kyu casually flipped through a few pages. Seeing that there was nothing about the Uchiha Clan, he looked up and asked, "Did you get rid of the records about us?"

"Yes." Fugaku Uchiha nodded. At the mention of it, he clenched his fist angrily.

"I never expected Danzo to secretly covet our clan's Sharingan. He even harmed quite a few of our clansmen."

"It was my fault. If I had discovered it sooner, they might not have died."

Uchiha Kyu tossed the records back to Fugaku. "For now, there's no need for our clansmen to go out on missions. Have them focus on improving their strength, especially the younger generation."

"Use all the supplies collected from the Root Organization as rewards and distribute them to clansmen with potential."

"And make sure to pay attention to the safety of our clansmen when they leave the clan. We must prevent those clans from lashing out in desperation."

Fugaku Uchiha put away the records and promised, "Don't worry. I'll definitely protect the younger generation of the clan."

"Kakashi, why do I keep feeling that something's been strange in the village lately?"

Might Guy, the big-hearted, bowl-cut man, flashed his white teeth at his close friend Kakashi.