My Villainous Life Starting with Naruto

Chapter 9: Schemes Targeting the Hyuga and Uchiha

Little did Hyuga Yuto know that just as he was leisurely returning to his clan's territory, a meeting concerning his fate was quietly beginning.

A very detailed analysis report was placed in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The autopsy reports for Sugisaki Tetsujiro, Sato Mahiro, Yamagata Reiro, and Hirahara Eiji have been submitted by the medical team's ninjas.

There is no doubt whatsoever. If one had to point out a flaw, it would be that Sugisaki Tetsujiro's fatal wound—the penetrating wound between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae—was inflicted from behind by a kunai.

For the Cloud Village ninjas who excel in using Lightning Release ninjutsu, their fingers are the sharpest blades. Therefore, the reporter concluded at the end:

"I really can't understand why the final battle ended in close combat."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at it and dismissed the question from his mind.

The Hokage of Konoha have always been practical fighters who rose through the ranks based on their battle achievements and strategies. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who has lived to this day, has experienced more than a thousand battles, big and small. He naturally understands that when ninjas fight to the death, they will tear each other apart like wild beasts. He once witnessed two powerful Jonin fighting to the point of exhaustion, desperately stabbing each other with frozen fish.

The bodies of the Konoha ninjas who died in battle were recovered, and Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi did not question the report of the sole survivor. The credit for the raid reconnaissance team's "obtaining important intelligence" and "killing multiple enemy ninjas" all fell on Hyuga Yuto.

Including his previous achievements, that genius from the branch family already possessed a substantial amount of military merit.

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, and the words that Yuto Hyuga had said to him in this office yesterday involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The door creaked open, and the three filed in.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was unperturbed by the intruder and said softly:

"Danzo, En, Koharu, you've arrived."

"Hiruzen..." The three of them stood in front of the desk. When no one else was around, they would call each other by their first names, not by their honorific titles.

Every week, in this Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane would hold secret meetings. There were no ANBU eavesdropping records, no village ninja clan leaders, and not even Hiruzen Sarutobi's proud disciples, the "Sannin."

Most of the clandestine and secretive plots that could not be made public, and even those that affected the policies of the entire Land of Fire, began to take shape at this time.

"Hiruzen." Shimura Danzo spoke first. He had a scar on his jaw, and his right eye and forehead were wrapped in bandages. Even without speaking, he was unapproachable.

"Let's strike first. Let Minato Namikaze infiltrate Kumogakure and attack the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. We'll prepare a portable technique that might be able to break the sealing jutsu and release the Eight-Tails."

Releasing the Eight-Tails in the center of Kumogakure is far too "anti-human" even in the Naruto world. After all, there are still a lot of ordinary people living in the ninja villages, and with the destructive power of the Eight-Tails, the casualties in the Land of Lightning would definitely reach six figures.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. There were no outsiders here, so there was no need to maintain a righteous and perfect image. He then seriously considered the feasibility of the plan:

"The Eight-Tails is the perfect Jinchūriki, with excellent compatibility; ordinary techniques probably won't work."

"Then let Minato Namikaze bring along the Uchiha clan. With their Sharingan and that forbidden technique, the chances of unleashing the Eight-Tails are over 40%!"

"Danzo, do you want the world to know that Konoha did this? Even if the plan succeeds, the major powers will attack us together."

"Then let's fight!" Shimura Danzo said dismissively.

"At that time, Kumogakure was severely weakened, and the only one worth noting in Iwagakure was that old codger Onoki... As for Sunagakure and Kirigakure? Ha, they're nothing but chickens and dogs."

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a while, but ultimately shook his head:

"It's too risky... One against four? I'm the Hokage, I can't kidnap the whole village to accompany me on this adventure."

"Hmph..." Shimura Danzo snorted, but since Sarutobi Hiruzen had already referred to himself as Hokage when he spoke, he had obviously made up his mind, so he couldn't argue with him any further and could only give up.

Just then, Koharu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up:

"However, war is imminent. Kumogakure is already stirring, Iwagakure's attacks on us are increasing, and the other two powerful ninja villages are also preparing for war. Once the war starts, it will not be a small skirmish... I believe that the Third Shinobi World War will occur in the next two years."

"I understand," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, exhaling a smoke ring.

"My main purpose today is to discuss this matter. If war sweeps across the entire world and all five great ninja villages join the war, we will not be able to cope with it using conventional forces."

He paused, then continued:

"We must get the Uchiha and Hyuga to contribute more to the battle. The Sharingan and Byakugan have a huge impact on the battlefield, and we need these two bloodline limits."

Mitokado En nodded in response:

"A good idea, Hiruzen. In the past, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans would send troops to help the village, but their core strength was kept hidden. They were enough to deal with minor border skirmishes, but if the Third Shinobi World War really breaks out, we will definitely need their full assistance. However, sending more troops means greater casualties. They..."

Danzo Shimura sneered, a hint of blood seemingly emanating from his teeth:

"If we get rejected, we can use this opportunity to..."

"Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

"We're all from the same village. In my eyes, whether it's the Hyuga or the Uchiha, they're all brothers and sisters, belonging to the power of Konoha. There's no need to go to that extent."

"Oh? Then tell me, what should we do?"

"We can give them a hint," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, squinting as he explained his idea.

"Implications to them that the next or the next Hokage position will be prioritized for the Hyuga and Uchiha clans... Hey, Danzo, Homura, Koharu, don't rush, I know it's not appropriate for powerful ninja clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha to be Hokage."

"Therefore, it's just a hint, and what is meant by a hint is an empty promise that will never come true."

"It's like blindfolding a donkey pulling a millstone and putting a carrot in front of it. It can smell the aroma and therefore works hard and dedicates its strength, but it can never eat it."

The other three remained silent. Everyone knew that the Hyuga and Uchiha clans longed for the Hokage position. Using this to keep them hanging was indeed a brilliant way to get both clans to work hard and risk their lives.

The key question is whether the hint is subtle.

This way, they can truly feel that "the Hokage throne is within reach," while the war can be easily avoided and excused.

It cannot make any substantial promises, yet it carries enough weight.

It needs to be blatant, a "naked" hint.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't keep us in suspense:

"My three disciples are a Senju and two commoners."

"The disciples of the ...

"I'm getting old and don't have the energy to train my disciples anymore. So I'll have my disciples choose a successor from a major clan to show the outside world that I don't reject the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, and I'm even willing to consider making them the leaders of Konoha."

(End of this chapter)