Yes, the Hokage!

Feng Lan also chimed in, looking at Fugaku: "Clan Chief Fugaku, I wonder what you would do if this happened to the Uchiha clan?"

"us?"

Although Fugaku is a conservative, he is still an Uchiha at heart. Especially recently, as the meeting recorder, he has obtained a lot of first-hand information. Even without other power, he is already making quite a name for himself.

Those family patriarchs who used to reject and look down on him now all respectfully call him Mr. Fugaku.

With confidence in their position, their courage grew. When Feng Lan spoke, he exchanged glances with the Uchiha around him and revealed a sinister grin as if he had a kunai in his mouth: "Kill all these bastards! Anyone who dares to offend the dignity of the Uchiha and Konoha will be impaled on the guard team's target!"

The guard's pointed target is an out-and-out torture instrument, usually used in wartime to extract information. When the Uchiha said this, a fierce aura naturally came over them, but after seeing the Cloud Village envoy's aggressive attitude, their attitude gave people a sense of reliability with their toughness and decisiveness.

"Well done, Uchiha!" Aburame Shiki immediately chimed in, "That's the attitude a Konoha ninja should have!"

As soon as he spoke, the members of the Aburame clan echoed him. Although they were taciturn, they were also full of passion. For a moment, the scene was extremely heated. The villagers of Konoha also began to join in the rhythm. In the end, some ninjas without clans, and even some ninjas with clans, joined in the roar.

"See that?" Minato tilted his head to the side. "This is the proper demeanor of a true Konoha elite."

The elder's old face twisted in disbelief: "The Uchiha are one thing, but what kind of prestigious family is the Aburame?"

"At a time like this, you still care about such trivial things?" Feng Lan sneered. "I think the Hyuga clan has no reason to exist anymore."

"What did you say?!" Upon hearing this, the main members of the Hyuga clan were immediately enraged.

“I think so too.” Minato also spoke authoritatively. “From today onwards, the Hyuga branch family will officially separate from the main family. You must remove the Caged Bird Seal from every branch family member. They will become the Hokage’s direct troops and will no longer be under your jurisdiction or enslavement.”

"This is impossible!" The elder slammed his cane down in anger.

"If you refuse, you will be expelled from Konoha." However, Minato was more forceful than ever before. At the same time, at Feng Lan's prompting, the Uchiha and Aburame people had already taken action and surrounded these elders of the main clan.

"The Fourth Hokage wants to make a move?!" The First Elder suddenly activated his Byakugan. "Are you planning to start a civil war before Kumogakure attacks? Other clans, you'd better watch out, this is what happens when you pledge allegiance to Konoha!"

He shouted loudly, but few responded, because the clan leaders were all thinking about what would happen if this situation happened to them. Konoha... or would the Third Hokage sacrifice them for the sake of so-called peace?

They don't have the convenient and easy-to-use scapegoat branch families like the Hyuga; every one of them who died was a fellow countryman!

“You might not understand.” Feng Lan also revealed his usual smiling expression. “The Fourth Hokage’s intention was not to drive out the entire Hyuga clan, but to drive out the Hyuga main family and then let the branch family members… become the true Hyuga.”

"You, all of you!" The elders of the Hyuga clan trembled with rage. "This is an insult to the Hyuga tradition!"

"If tradition can't even protect its own people, then it should have been abolished long ago!" Minato refused to back down. "You only have two choices: let the branch family break away from the Hyuga and become independent, or... let the branch family become the true Hyuga!"

"This is outrageous!" The First Elder slammed his cane down. "Third Hokage! Are you just going to watch these two brats shit on our heads like this?!"

The Third Hokage took a deep breath and was about to speak when Feng Lan gave him a look, and Hizashi threw out several corpses: "Third Hokage, these are the ninjas that Shisui dealt with during the Fourth Hokage's speech. They were covered in explosive tags, obviously trying to disrupt the Fourth Hokage's speech. After preliminary investigation... these are Danzo and the Root organization."

Although he couldn't actually find any evidence that it was a member of the organization, under the current circumstances, Feng Lan could say whether it was him or not.

The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened immediately, and he was about to speak when Feng Lan preemptively attacked: "In my opinion, Danzo has probably already reached some kind of agreement with Kumogakure and is about to betray the village."

"Lord Fenglan!" Just then, Shisui, whom he had sent out, returned. "The Root organization's base... is completely empty. Danzo has escaped!"

After realizing he had fallen for Danzo's scheme, Fenglan knew that Danzo would definitely run away, because this was his only chance to escape in the chaos. Otherwise, once Minato and he had resolved the current situation, Danzo would surely come back to settle scores with him.

This time the charge is even bigger, it's colluding with other villages... How could Danzo not run away?

That damned Danzo!

At this moment, the Third Hokage realized that Danzo had betrayed him! With Danzo running away, the blame fell on him. In the face of such public outrage, how could he possibly have the strength to protect the Hyuga main family?

He reacted quickly, immediately shouting angrily, "Damn Danzo! I trusted you so much, how dare you betray the village!"

Upon hearing this, Danzo's status was immediately changed from Hokage advisor to rogue ninja.

“Fourth Hokage.” He paused slightly, then immediately volunteered, “Let me lead the Anbu to catch up with him… and settle this once and for all.”

He knew in his heart that staying any longer would only make things more awkward.

"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Third Hokage." Minato nodded slightly.

The third generation then immediately vanished with a teleportation technique, leaving a group of clan elders bewildered.

"Now, make your choice." Minato and Fenglan turned around again, looking down at the Hyuga clan below. "Branch family... or be replaced? I think after seeing your despicable deeds, no one will object to expelling the Hyuga main family from Konoha like this."

With the passing of the third generation, the heads of the various families were aware of the situation. Lu Jiu was the first to react, leading the people of the Pig, Deer, and Butterfly clans to block the elders' retreat. The other family heads were a step behind and could only curse Lu Jiu's cunning in their hearts as they surrounded him.

The elder's lips moved violently: "You, you all... We did this for the good of Konoha, for peace! Such a noble sacrifice and risk, and you actually..."

“Konoha doesn’t need your kind of sacrifice and dedication.” Minato interrupted him. “Konoha needs ninjas who wholeheartedly protect the village and everyone. And I, the Fourth Hokage, will set an example by protecting everyone!”

The elders of the main clan had their expressions twisted to the extreme, but the current situation did not allow them to refuse, especially the group of hot-tempered young men from the Uchiha clan who were sharpening their knives... no, sharpening their kunai. They were afraid that as soon as they said "no," more than a dozen fireballs would be spewed over from the other side.

What can they do now? Really leave Konoha? Don't be ridiculous, even if they leave Konoha, they'll have to release the branch family from the Caged Bird Seal first. These high and mighty old guys will probably be targeted by other forces as soon as they leave the Land of Fire, becoming lambs to the slaughter.

As for stubbornly refusing to release the caged bird? That's even simpler; you won't even be able to leave Konoha Village.

The First Elder glanced at the menacing Uchiha and Aburame around him, then at the silent other clan heads, and suddenly exerted force in his hand, even crushing his cane: "Fine...fine!"

He threw his cane on the ground as if venting his anger: "From now on... the Hyuga branch family is officially separated from the Hyuga clan!"

Those present had not yet separated, so there was no cheering; only a few people standing on the platform could be heard sobbing and choking.

Having recovered from his injuries, Hiroshi Hyuga wiped away his tears and whispered from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you, Fourth Hokage, Lord Furan... Thank you so much..."

……

The Hyuga branch family's departure went surprisingly smoothly. Once they realized that the main family was a paper tiger, the strict rules and the caged bird mentality of the past were nothing but a joke.

Originally, the elders of the main family, like Danzo, harbored a sliver of unrealistic hope that the younger generation, such as Hiashi, were quite kind to the branch family. What if someone was grateful and willing to stay and continue to serve us like a slave?

Unfortunately, Fenglan had already anticipated this. He directly asked Hizashi to take Hiroshi with him and Minato. With Hizashi, who had been freed from his cage and was living a comfortable life, as an example, who wouldn't know what to do?

Moreover, Fenglan arranged for Guangzhi to raise his voice and recount his entire ordeal that day. Hearing the old man's ugly face and despicable behavior, even the branch family members who were still attached to the family dared not stay. They could sell Guangzhi today, and they could sell you tomorrow!

The elders of the main clan were so angry they almost died, but they could only put on a stern face and release the caged birds from the branch families one by one.

Fenglan then extended an olive branch to these bewildered branch family members. Although Minato had previously said that he wanted them to become the Hokage's direct bodyguard, the other party had not yet directly agreed.

He first promised to give a property he had bought to the branch families as a new residence, and then showed off the excellent treatment they received—treatment that even the members of the main family didn't receive, let alone the main family. This immediately made the branch family members cheer.

Those members of the main family who were usually high and mighty were furious to see that the branch family members, who could only be treated like slaves, were being treated so well by Feng Lan.

But they were helpless; after all, the elders of the main family had done such a foolish thing.

Last time, when they said goodbye, Hiashi didn't even dare to look back, but this time he embraced Hiashi calmly: "How are the kids who were arrested?"

"Yes, he's safe and sound." In comparison, Hiashi was rather embarrassed and could only nod slightly.

"That's good... Brother, take care." Hizashi smiled, then waved his hand to command the branch family members, "Follow me, stay behind the Fourth Hokage and Lord Furan!"

Looking at his younger brother, who used to be listless but is now full of energy, Hiashi felt for some reason that this wasn't so bad.

As the branch family members stepped out of the heavy gates of Hyuga with expressions of trepidation and hope, Feng Lan's lips curled into a satisfied smile: "The caged birds... are all free now."

Chapter 53 Is a young person not hot-blooded?

The leader of the branch family was naturally Hyuga Hizashi, and he moved out of that small apartment and into Fenglan's private property with the other branch family members.

In this way, the Water Gate faction now has the support of two and a half families, and his strong and decisive performance today should attract even more support. After all, if you're going to support someone for three generations, you have to consider whether they'll betray you if something happens.

After settling the Hyuga branch family, Minato returned to his office and let out a long sigh of relief, slumping softly in his chair, a stark contrast to the golden flash he always appeared to others.

"Fenglan," he finally spoke slowly after a long pause, "How did I perform today?"

“Great.” Feng Lan gave a thumbs up. “Especially the sudden attack by the Hidden Cloud Village. We hadn’t rehearsed this situation at all, but our attitudes were completely consistent.”

“Any ninja who believed in the Will of Fire would have made the same choice back then,” Minato sighed. “These were things the Third Hokage taught me, so why did he…”

“People change,” Feng Lan said calmly. “The thoughts of the Third Hokage when he was in his prime were naturally different from those when he was old.”

Power can be intoxicating and corrupting. In the history before he traveled back in time, many emperors were considered wise rulers in their youth, but in their later years, they failed to maintain their integrity.

"Then..." Minato suddenly looked up, "What about us? Will our future be different?"

"Who knows?" Feng Lan shrugged. He didn't know if Shui Men would change, but he certainly wouldn't, because his initial goal was to make his life better.

An awkward silence fell over the room. After a long while, Minato finally spoke: "Let's get down to business first. What are we going to do next?"

“Go back and stay with Kushina. She must be very worried after everything that happened today,” Fenglan replied immediately.

"What?!" Minato exclaimed in surprise. "Such a big thing happened today. Shouldn't we be discussing how to deal with it if another war breaks out in Kumogakure?"

“That’s something to be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting. The envoy from Kumogakure hasn’t even returned to the Land of Lightning yet, so why are you in such a hurry?” Feng Lan chuckled. “Besides, Kushina is not only your wife, but also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It’s the Hokage’s job to calm her down so she can have a smooth delivery, and it’s also your job as her husband. This is very important.”

"But the issue of border defense and surveillance..."

“I can handle this little thing myself. What’s the point of having advisors if the Hokage has to do everything?” Feng Lan waved his hand impatiently. “Go on, I’m much better at this than you are. You’ll only be a hindrance if you stay.”

"Thank you." Minato patted Fenglan on the shoulder gratefully, knowing that the other wanted him to go back to see his wife as soon as possible. To be honest, he was also very worried about Kushina.

"go Go."

Without even looking up, Feng Lan had already taken out a map and started studying it. Minato had absolute trust in him in this regard, after all, the abilities he had shown in the three wars were more than enough to control the entire battlefield.

Fenglan quickly assigned the members: "Shisui, you select the people I nominated from the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Aburame clans, and have them patrol the locations I have assigned to you, in order to guard against a sudden attack by the enemy."

"Yes." Shisui immediately accepted the order and left.

"The situation is getting a bit complicated."

Feng Lan frowned as she looked at the map on the table. Because of her intrusion, the plot had taken a completely different turn. Logically speaking, the Third World War had just ended, and the major powers should not want to start another war, nor should they have the spare capacity... or rather, they could not afford the cost of another war.

But just like wars in real life, every major ninja war in the Naruto world is essentially a struggle for resources. If there were an opportunity to completely annex and divide Konoha and obtain the Land of Fire, the most resource-rich land, the price of war that they couldn't afford could be turned into a price that they could grit their teeth and squeeze out.

Of the five great nations, Iwagakure has preserved its strength the best. Its current leader is the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, a cunning and shrewd man whose strength and strategy are no less than the Third Tsuchikage's. He is also the one that Fenglan fears the most.

Given Onoki's similar mindset to the Third Hokage, he would definitely wait until Kumogakure and Konoha were both exhausted before jumping out to reap the benefits. Logically speaking, if Kumogakure had even a little bit of sense, they wouldn't actually start a war, but unfortunately... they weren't very smart.

The current leader of Kumogakure is the Fourth Raikage, A, a complete brute. Famous memes like slashing Amaterasu with a hand chop, kicking Kagutsuchi with a big kick, and using the genjutsu of the Mangekyou Sharingan all originated from this guy.

In addition to being extremely irritable, he is also exceptionally loyal. If the Will of Fire treats all Konoha members as family, then the Will of Lightning treats all Kumogakure members as good brothers. The Fourth Raikage is the kind of person who would give up his arm for his good brothers, so it's only a matter of time before he comes over.

In addition, Kumogakure also has Killer Bee, the perfect Jinchūriki. He was the strongest Jinchūriki before Naruto became a perfect Jinchūriki. If they really fight and use the Tailed Beast Ball, Kushina, who is about to give birth, will not be able to compete with him.

In addition, the positions of the other two major villages must also be taken into account. Kirigakure is currently implementing a strategy of closing off the Blood Mist Village, but don't think that they will just engage in internal strife and remain harmless. You should know that Rin was captured by them and stuffed into the Three-Tails, which led to the subsequent series of tragic events where Kamui could not be hidden.

The Sand Village has now signed a contract with Konoha, and in theory they are allies. But think about who Orochimaru's collaborators were when he invaded Konoha.

The biggest problem with Sunagakure is that it is too poor. The entire village is located in the desert, and resources are extremely scarce. After the Third Shinobi World War, it was even more strapped for cash. Furthermore, Fenglan strongly rejected their proposal to rent Shukaku. Therefore, if this group finds an opportunity to take a bite out of Konoha, they will definitely take action.

The slightest misstep could easily lead to three or four wars, which explains why the third generation wanted to settle things peacefully.

The best way to avoid this situation is... to deal with the Raikage.

Unfortunately, facing the unpredictable and reckless Raikage, Feng Lan was like a skilled cook without ingredients. Moreover, given the location of Kumogakure, he could hardly even meet the Raikage, let alone subdue him.

[Based on the calculations, war seems to be the more likely scenario...]