Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 261 No matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family! (4000 words)

On December 27, the Cloud Village delegation arrived in Konoha. The streets were lined with Konoha villagers who came to welcome them, and banners and streamers were hung along the streets.

This time, the Cloud Village delegation was led by a Cloud Village ninja leader, a high-ranking position equivalent to a frontline commander.

However, the appearance and demeanor of this Cloud Village ninja leader were really not good. His ninja headband covered his right eye, his hair was sparse, and he had a thick beard on his chin, giving people a vague feeling of cunning and treacherousness.

If someone with this kind of appearance lived in an ancient dynasty, they would definitely not be qualified to be an envoy; they would make a bad first impression.

The leader of the Cloud Village envoys and the Cloud Village ninjas wore meaningful smiles as they headed straight for the central Hokage Building plaza where the celebration was being held, waving to those around them from time to time.

A high platform has been erected below the Hokage Building plaza, where Konoha's F4, department heads, and clan leaders are all gathered.

The Konoha Police Department and the Anbu were responsible for maintaining order. The edge of the square was surrounded by Konoha villagers and Konoha ninjas, who were all talking to each other. The buzzing and noise were lively.

On the high platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, "Has the Hyuga clan not arrived yet?"

"Today is the third birthday of the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, and all the members of the Hyuga clan have gone to attend the birthday party."

Kyoko Sarutobi, the daughter-in-law of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the head of Konoha's Anbu, reported in a low voice, her fairly pretty face full of displeasure.

"understood."

Upon seeing the arrival of the Cloud Village delegation, Hiruzen Sarutobi's cold expression vanished, replaced by a gentle and friendly smile, though his tone remained quite indifferent.

The old man is really angry; the Hyuga clan is probably in for a rough time...

Sarutobi Kyoko thought to herself.

The absence of the Hyuga clan was naturally not hidden from others, after all, the Hyuga clan was the second most powerful clan in Konoha after the Uchiha, and a well-known force in the ninja world.

His blatant absence from such a grand celebration carries a rather complex meaning...

Having personally participated and drawing upon his memories from his previous life, Uchiha Gen somewhat understood why the Hyuga clan was absent from the festival.

This is an open expression of dissatisfaction with Hiruzen Sarutobi!

As for the reason, it is very likely because the Third Hokage has been reinstated, and the candidate for the Fifth Hokage is still uncertain.

Perhaps in Hiashi Hyuga's eyes, he should be the best candidate for the Fifth Hokage.

With the Fourth Hokage killed in battle, the Sannin leaving, and Fugaku Uchiha assassinated, who else but him could become the Fifth Hokage?

Is he Uchiha Gen?

Although he is very strong, he is too young, has only been famous for a short time, and lacks sufficient experience and foundation.

He wasn't in the original story, and Hyuga Hiashi probably thought so too.

With Minato Namikaze's death in battle, the three legendary Sannin leaving, and the Uchiha clan unable to produce a Hokage for thirty years due to the Nine-Tails incident, Fugaku Uchiha was also eliminated.

So, considering all factors, who else but him?

The reason for making Hiruzen Sarutobi so humiliated was to force him to abdicate!

In Neji's memory, Hiashi Hyuga ordered all Hyuga members: they were not allowed to attend the peace celebration between Konoha and Kumogakure, but they were required to attend Hinata's birthday party.

This is really strange.

Even for the third birthday banquet of the clan leader's eldest daughter, surely not a single Hyuga person would be sent to the celebration?

Since Hyuga Hiashi, as the clan head and father, cannot leave, then send a main family elder, branch family head, ordinary main family member, or even a branch family elder.

Even if we take a step back and send a member from a branch family, even just one would be fine.

But Hiashi Hyuga, on the other hand, didn't send a single person, and wouldn't allow anyone else to go...

Did Hyuga Hiashi not realize that his actions would severely offend Hiruzen Sarutobi and his supporters?

If there's no ulterior motive, does that mean the dignified head of the Hyuga clan has been kicked in the head by a donkey?

Hyuga Hiashi was perhaps blinded by the prospect of becoming Hokage, or perhaps by his resentment towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, and failed to consider one, no, two, points.

The first point is the huge negative political impact of the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Seal.

If a caged bird only had the function of protecting its eyes, that would be fine, but it also has the ability to control people, and if it disobeys, it suffers a fate worse than death...

This is far more terrifying than the seal of the root of all evil, the tongue, which merely forbids the revelation of secrets.

If Hiashi Hyuga became Hokage, what would happen if he used the Caged Bird Seal on ninjas outside the Hyuga clan?

Whether they are clan ninjas or commoner ninjas, who would want to be enslaved like the Hyuga branch family, with the Caged Bird tattoo on their head?

Even if Hiashi Hyuga repeatedly promised not to do it, probably no one else would be willing to take the risk.

The Hokage possesses a noble title and immense power; once he issues an order, how many ninjas would dare disobey?

Secondly, Hiashi Hyuga failed to see the unspoken rules governing the succession of the Hokage position.

Without sufficient strength or influence, it is impossible to break these invisible yet persistent unspoken rules!

If you can't see through these two points, it's impossible to become Hokage.

The fact that he didn't realize the backlash from the first point was enough to make Hiashi Hyuga suffer.

The Hyuga clan is not a one-man show run by Hiashi Hyuga...

He had the qualifications to run a one-man show but didn't, at least on the surface he gave the three elders the respect and treatment they deserved.

Despite having many thoughts in his mind, it did not affect Uchiha Gen's ability to follow behind Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others as they went through the formalities with the Cloud Village delegation. Every move he made was very proper.

Multitasking is a piece of cake for Uchiha Gen.

After the ceremony ended and the crowd dispersed, the Cloud Village delegation was accompanied by designated personnel to the most luxurious hotel in Konoha.

……

Daylight flew by, and dusk began to fall. Because the battlefield was over and peace had arrived, the streets of Konoha remained bustling, filled with celebratory crowds.

At the hotel where the Cloud Village delegation was staying, a figure easily bypassed the Konoha guards and entered the room of the Cloud Village ninja leader.

"Who is it?"

The leader of the Cloud Village ninja exclaimed in surprise, a kunai appearing in his hand as he assumed a defensive posture.

"It is I."

A deep voice sounded, and the mask of the Dark Guard was removed, revealing a face with bandages covering his eyes, cold and hard, and slightly aged.

"So it's Lord Danzo."

"What brings you here so mysteriously?"

The leader of the Cloud Village ninja put away his kunai, a meaningful smile on his face.

"I've come to make a deal with you," Danzo said expressionlessly.

"Oh? What kind of deal?" the ninja leader asked with interest.

"You Cloud Ninja are here to get your hands on Byakugan, aren't you?"

The ninja leader's expression changed slightly, then instantly turned into anger. He roared, "Lord Danzo, we from Kumogakure have come with great sincerity!"

"I hope you will not make unfounded speculations, let alone fabricate accusations, as this could easily jeopardize the hard-won peace between our two countries."

"You can't afford to take this responsibility, can you?"

Danzo scoffed, "Heh heh... Stop pretending."

"As far as I know, you have a terminal illness and don't have long to live."

"Isn't the Hidden Cloud Village afraid that sending an envoy like you might lead to some unexpected incident along the way?"

"Most importantly, don't underestimate Konoha's intelligence capabilities."

The ninja leader was shocked and cursed inwardly, "Damn Konoha spies, damn Kumogakure ANBU!"

"Don't be nervous, this deal is all about eye rolls."

"If I'm not mistaken, your Cloud Village's scheme is probably just a common sect's Byakugan, right?"

"Make a deal with me, cooperate with me, and you can get the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan's main family head. The purity of that Byakugan is incomparable to that of an ordinary main family Byakugan."

After a moment of silence, the ninja leader asked, "Why do you do this?"

Did you see a member of the Hyuga clan at today's celebration?

"Most importantly, Hiashi Hyuga coveted something he shouldn't have!"

The ninja leader suddenly realized and said, "I think I understand what you mean."

"Okay, we can cooperate. How would you like to cooperate?"

Danzo corrected, "It's not 'us,' it's just you and me. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Haha... As expected of the Darkness of Konoha, I admire you!" the ninja leader laughed loudly.

"I admire you too. Despite having a terminal illness, you were willing to give up the rest of your life for the sake of the village and face death with equanimity."

"Such ninjas are rare," Danzo said with a slight smile.

"Haha, shouldn't we have a drink?"

"After tonight, we probably won't have the chance to drink anymore."

The ninja leader threw his head back and laughed heartily, his voice quite bold, which dispelled any hint of cunning and treacherousness in his appearance and demeanor.

"Okay, consider this a farewell gift."

"It's interesting that the elders of Konoha saw me off."

"Please wait a moment while I order some wine and food."

To avoid any misunderstanding, the ninja leader did not leave the room, but instead went to the door and asked his subordinate to go and make a message.

As honored guests of Konoha, the hotel responded quickly, and the drinks and snacks were delivered in less than two minutes.

Danzo and the ninja leader sat facing each other. Danzo first took a sip of wine before they began to discuss business.

"What are your specific plans?"

"You infiltrated Hiashi Hyuga's mansion to steal his eldest daughter, Hinata Hyuga, and were then discovered and killed by Hiashi Hyuga."

"Your subordinates are filled with righteous indignation and demand that Konoha and the Hyuga clan hand over Hyuga Hiashi, in exchange for one life."

After a moment's thought, the ninja leader said, "That sounds wonderful, but I have two questions."

"The first and most important question is, how can we ensure that Kumogakure can obtain the Byakugan?"

In terms of combat power, the Byakugan is far inferior to the Sharingan in the ninja world, especially when compared to the Mangekyou Sharingan of Uchiha Gen. However, the Byakugan has great strategic value.

Wuyin was lucky enough to get a Byakugan, and he treasured it like it was something special...

Danzo said in a deep voice, "Without absolute certainty, the Hyuga clan will definitely not be willing to let the Byakugan be leaked. We can only try our best."

"Didn't you Cloud Village also just want to give it a try?"

"But don't worry, even if we fail, you won't die in vain."

"This is a guaranteed benefit for Yunyin, obtained through a black market transaction."

"With it, your descendants should receive proper care from the higher-ups of the Hidden Cloud Village."

After saying that, Danzo took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.

The ninja leader took the paper, glanced through it, and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Not bad, you... you've shown a lot of sincerity."

"My second question is, how can I successfully and accurately infiltrate Hiashi Hyuga's mansion and find Hinata Hyuga's location?"

"You should know better than I how strong the Byakugan's reconnaissance ability is."

Danzo nodded slightly, looking confident, and said, "You don't need to worry about the police officers and ANBU members outside the hotel."

"The members of the Dark Unit will be replaced by members of the Root Unit within half an hour after I leave. With their cover, it won't be difficult to deceive the members of the Police Department."

"I'll give you a map of the patrol routes of the police department and the secret service along the way. With that map, you shouldn't be discovered, right?"

The Anbu do not usually patrol the village, but the visit of the Cloud Village delegation to Konoha is a special occasion.

"Although I suffer from a terminal illness and am not particularly strong, I am a seasoned and experienced ninja!"

"it is good."

After Danzo finished speaking, he took out three small scrolls and handed them to the ninja leader.

The ninja leader opened them one by one and found that the first one was a map of Konoha with patrol routes marked in two colors.

The second document is a layout of a house, and the third document is the most complex, with various lines and markings densely packed together.

"This last one is..."

"That's right, that's the patrol and defense deployment map of the Hyuga clan's territory."

The ninja leader looked surprised and said, "You managed to get your hands on this?"

"Today, Hiashi Hyuga's actions have aroused the dissatisfaction of many elders of the Hyuga clan, including some who are anxious because they have offended the higher-ups, and who are also ambitious."

"If Hiashi Hyuga dies, he..."

"I understand, I understand," the ninja leader said with a sudden realization.

No, you don't understand. In reality, that person is not qualified to be the head of the Hyuga clan.

The policy of using Hiruzen to suppress large clans and support small and medium-sized clans will only maintain the internal balance of the Hyuga clan, causing the Hyuga clan to weaken due to infighting over the position of clan leader.

Although Hiruzen didn't mention it, I knew he would change his mind.

No, it should be that I would change my mind. Hiruzen didn't go to contact that person; it was I who went to contact him.

He's used to taking the blame; as long as it's not something he's taken for granted, he can accept it.

"Good. Just follow the red lines on the map, and your Byakugan won't see you, nor will you encounter any Hyuga ninjas."

Once you reach the target location, the specific timing for taking action is up to you; it can't be planned.

"Furthermore, inform subordinates what you should inform them of, and do not inform them what you should not."

"If they talk nonsense, it won't be good for them, for Kumogakure, or for Konoha."

"I know, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The ninja leader nodded emphatically, then put away the paper and three small scrolls, finally raising his glass and laughing, "Come on, let's wish each other a pleasant and successful cooperation!"

"A pleasant and successful collaboration."

Danzo raised his wine cup and clinked it together. Then the two of them drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing a pot of sake, the two stopped drinking. Danzo put on an Anbu ninja mask and left the hotel with practiced ease.

The ninja leader ordered some more food to help him sober up. One of them stood by the window, looking at the bright moon in the sky, listening to the lively noise around him, and silently enjoying his last meal.

At 9:30 PM, the ninja leader left the room...

(End of this chapter)