Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

The answer to Hiruzen's desire to become the Fourth Hokage has already been given.

"You won't outlive me, believe it or not."

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew nothing about Jinji's lifespan.

He saw it as a pie in the sky, full of anticipation for a bright future, and was determined to work hard.

Konoha ninjas aren't afraid of hardship; they can endure it. As long as they can endure hardship, they can endure it indefinitely; endless hardship awaits Hiruzen Sarutobi…

There are also villagers in Konoha who can't endure hardship, and Danzo is one of them.

As a result, he was sent to Konoha Prison to serve his sentence.

Having cleared away all obstacles to becoming Hokage, he turned and left the Mito clan compound, strolling through the streets with Jiri and Tsunade.

In the afternoon, they set off for the Uchiha clan to conduct clan affairs visits and show their concern for the new generation of Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha was exceptionally intelligent, displaying remarkable qualities even at the young age of three.

Uchiha Sosuke's son, Uchiha Wataru, is four years old this year and is a handsome boy in the making.

And there's also Uchiha Hachimoku, Uchiha Tetsuka...

They were all old acquaintances.

The flourishing of the Uchiha clan is a good thing for Shen Er, but the only thing that Shen Er can't let go of is Uchiha Kagami.

He has been serving as a commander on the front lines of Kumogakure, leaving him no time for personal relationships, marriage, or children. According to the original timeline, Kagami should have died in battle this year, leaving behind descendants, but there's been no word of it at all.

This also made Shen Er worry that the birth of Uchiha Shisui might also be affected.

He seems to have everything now, but who would complain about having too many cards in their hand?

The strongest version of Kotoamatsukami is designed to be useful at any time; who knows, maybe one day we can use Kotoamatsukami on Kaguya-hime and see how it goes.

In short, Shen, along with his beautiful wife and daughter, made a strong impression within the Uchiha clan. He secured the promise from the clan elders: the Uchiha's votes of trust would always be cast for Shen.

The next day.

Chiri went to the Ninja Academy, and Tsunade was called home.

He then made a solo visit to the Hyuga clan to discuss clan affairs.

At the main gate of the Hyuga clan compound, two branch family ninjas dressed in traditional Hyuga kimonos, with headbands covering their foreheads to conceal their markings, had been waiting for some time. Upon seeing Shen, they immediately bowed and greeted him.

"Sir Sir."

Shen Er didn't say much, just nodded slightly, and followed the two branch family ninjas into the Hyuga clan's territory.

His prestige was not limited to the Uchiha clan.

The same applies to the Hyuga clan, except it's referred to as a "branch family." This is because his second disciple in the medical school, Hyuga Jun, and Matsumoto Waka's close friend, Hyuga Kotone, are now the heads of the branch family.

Kindness is passed down from generation to generation.

Shen Er's image in the eyes of the divided family goes without saying.

He also received extremely high honors at the main family. The current clan head, Hyuga Eizo, led Jin to see his two newborn children.

Just as the war was ending, the Hyuga twins were born.

The sun is full and the sun is full, and the sun is getting worse.

Shen Er looked at the two infants still in their swaddling clothes with a deep gaze.

The future of these twins.

The elder brother, Hiashi, inherited the position of clan leader. His two daughters were exceptionally beautiful, and the eldest daughter later married the Seventh Hokage, Naruto. The younger brother, Hizashi, was branded with the Caged Bird Seal from a young age and ultimately sacrificed himself for his brother. Even his children repeated a similar tragedy years later.

They are blood relatives, yet their fates are completely opposite.

The villagers' claim that they can never repay the Hokage's kindness might be a politically correct exaggeration. But for the branch family, the debt of gratitude owed to the main family is truly something they could never repay, even with their lives.

However, with Shen'er's intervention, the incident of him dying in place of his brother will probably not happen again. The caged bird curse mark is unavoidable; around the age of three, he will be branded according to clan rules.

This was also the meaning conveyed by Hyuga Eizo and the elders of the Hyuga clan during the negotiations.

"Lord Shinji, what do you think of our Hyuga clan?"

Shen Er smiled faintly and gave a very high evaluation: "A prestigious clan. In terms of overall strength, it is no exaggeration to call them the number one ninja clan in Konoha."

There's an element of praise involved, but it's not exactly a case of overpraising someone to death.

Aside from having an extra billion chakra, the Senju clan has no other bloodline abilities; the Uchiha clan has a low rate of Sharingan awakening and its production is unstable. Only the Hyuga clan can reliably produce Byakugan, giving Konoha an unassailable intelligence advantage in both hot and cold wars.

"So... what is your opinion on the current Hyuga branch family system?"

Shen Er paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup, realizing that the clan chief's words had a hidden meaning.

Are you testing my own attitude?

She even recalled the cake she had given to the branch family through Hyuga Jun, hinting that one day the treatment of the branch family would be improved, breaking the predetermined fate.

Now, it seems the time has come to fulfill that promise...

Shen Er smiled and said without blushing or panting, "It is an immutable ancestral law, and also a rule!"

"In my opinion, the main and branch family system and the Caged Bird Seal left by the Hyuga ancestors are the foundation that has ensured the Hyuga clan's continued existence for thousands of years, and the root of the clan's long-term prosperity."

Hyuga Eizo's eyes lit up; Shin's response made him breathe a sigh of relief.

The second generation leader was sensible and rational. He knew the significance of the Byakugan to the village, as well as the significance of the Caged Bird Seito and the main and branch families to the Byakugan. Therefore, during the clan affairs visit, he made a straightforward guarantee that he would not interfere in the Hyuga family affairs.

But the Zen temple is quite different.

His magnanimity and kindness are well-known in Konoha. The elders of the Hyuga clan have also heard about the situation of Hyuga Jun and Hyuga Kotone.

More than a decade ago, Zenji suggested to the first leader that branch family ninjas be recruited into the Anbu, which indirectly increased the branch family's influence.

This is precisely why the clan elders have always been wary of them.

They feared that once Zenji became the third head, he would interfere in the Hyuga clan's internal affairs, forcibly abolish the Caged Bird Seimei, and dismantle the main and branch family system. That would be a catastrophic disaster for the Hyuga main family.

Fortunately, this person is quite adaptable.

Was it the desire for power that changed his original intentions? Or did he gradually shed his disguise and reveal his true nature after the deaths of the two Hokage?

Hyuga Eizo is hard to guess, and I dare not guess.

In short, it's good that we can live in peace.

He immediately made a guarantee on behalf of the Hyuga clan: "Lord Jin's wisdom is admirable. I believe that after becoming Hokage, he will be able to lead Konoha to greatness again."

The implication is that Hyuga will fully support Shinji in becoming Hokage.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Hyuga Eizo personally got up to see the guest off, watching him leave the Hyuga clan territory.

The instant he turned around.

Even though the smile on his face didn't fade, one side of his face turned up, making him look even more wicked.

He knew perfectly well that the Caged Bird Seal was both protection and oppression. He could also understand the pain of the branch family ninjas. If he were an upright, honest person who didn't lie, the first thing he would do upon becoming Hokage would be to abolish the Caged Bird Seal...

Unfortunately, he did not meet any of the above conditions, and he was not a member of the Hyuga branch family.

It wasn't because Hiashi Hyuga's two daughters were very beautiful that he agreed to his father's conditions.

From Shen's perspective, the Hyuga clan's main and branch family system is undoubtedly an excellent system for maintaining stability. It ensures that the Byakugan, a "strategic bloodline limit," will not be easily lost on the battlefield or in daily tasks, so as not to disrupt their plans.

Besides, the Hyuga main family knew that outsiders would find such rules difficult to accept, so they were quite easy to please. As long as the Hokage agreed to this, they would have their full support.

What Shener needs now is to maintain stability, avoid conflict with the Hyuga, and concentrate on important matters.

The King of Qin unified the six kingdoms, and the three dynasties unified the four kingdoms.

Once all external pressures are cleared, then turn your attention to dealing with the main family.

During this process, he will not directly abolish the Caged Bird Seal as Hokage, but will only continue to give the branch family more preferential treatment and verbal reassurance. Once the branch family truly feels the protection from the village's greater protective umbrella, the oppressive feeling brought by the main family will become increasingly glaring, and their loyalty to Jin will become even purer.

While directly announcing liberation and separation could certainly win over people's hearts, some prefer to keep the reins of power in their own hands.

As for what happens next, even if someone wants to create a new Hinata...

His gaze was deep, his eyes seeing into the distant future.

The core value of the main family is its unique, flawless Byakugan.

According to Jun Hinata's research, the Byakugan's activity gradually declines after the host's death, lasting up to a hundred years. Traditionally, the Byakugan of the main family is collected and hidden away after death.

In other words, the eyeballs of all the head clan ninjas who died of old age or illness over the past century are usable. This number of Byakugan wouldn't be small, but it wouldn't be large either, given the limited number of head clan members to begin with.

She would even use black gloves to steal this part of the flawless white eye and try to synthesize a pair of Tensei eyes.

If the stock of flawless white eyes is not enough, then add the remaining members of the clan who are still alive today.

No matter how rampant the Black Gloves are, they cannot openly infiltrate Konoha.

But... he's the Hokage!

He would secretly sow discord and constantly escalate the conflict between the main family and the branch families. Ideally, another brainless idiot from the main family would emerge to publicly execute a member of the branch family in order to establish his authority, thus triggering the conflict and causing a large-scale bloody upheaval.

If there isn't such natural stupidity, then he should create it himself.

Imagine that scene.

[The branch family members, holding the bodies of their loved ones, kneel before the Hokage Building or the Hall of Shadows, tearfully accusing the main family of their crimes and pleading for true justice.]

[She even used the Earth Grudge to control the main family, and then used the Caged Bird Seal to publicly execute the petitioning branch family member.]

The Third Hokage was furious and ordered the Anbu to surround the Hyuga clan.

Then, the trial began.

Using the village as a pretext, and taking advantage of the long-standing grievances from the division of the family, they enumerated the crimes of the main family over the centuries, launching an unprecedented purge and reckoning!

Perhaps the main family will put up a stubborn resistance, using the Caged Bird Seal to coerce the branch families into violently resisting the law... but under the will of the Third Hokage, all resistance will be in vain.

Heads fell to the ground, and blood flowed like a river.

All those who are blindly disdainful will be brought under the village's control.

Without the baptism of blood, how can there be complete liberation?

In the end, many, many Hyuga will die as a result of Jin's schemes. But Jin doesn't care at all. As long as he can gather enough Byakugan to synthesize the Tenseigan, the lives of the Hyuga clan are just a number to him.

The night of the Uchiha clan massacre? The night of the Hyuga clan massacre!

However, as long as one member of the Hyuga clan survives, it will not be considered the extermination of the clan, and these survivors will rebuild a new Hyuga without oppression.