Naruto's Strongest Force - Chapter 95
Hidden Leaf Village.
At the Hyuga Clan’s estate, in the meeting room, sat the clan’s head, Hiashi Hyuga, and the head of the branch family, Hizashi Hyuga, along with several other elders.
The Fourth Elder sat calmly below them, his face composed, but no one spoke. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and oppressive.
The Great Elder cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “I think it’s good that the Uchiha have withdrawn from the police force. Now, we Hyuga have complete control of it.”
Bang!
Hiashi Hyuga slammed the table, a rare show of frustration. “Great Elder! I opposed opening this door from the start.”
“The police force is already filled with our Hyuga members. Our power is more than sufficient.”
“When the Uchiha were still part of it, sometimes they handled matters we couldn’t directly address. Wasn’t that a good thing?”
“And now, with their entire clan withdrawing, what good are the positions we’ve gained in the Root?”
The Uchiha Clan’s sudden rise had made them the most powerful family in the ninja world.
When the Hyuga were part of the police force, if they faced complex problems, they could rely on their relationship with the Uchiha for assistance.
But now, the Uchiha had left the police force, giving up their positions and even closing their shops.
The Great Elder, seeing Hiashi’s anger, felt bitter inside. Indeed, the Hyuga and Uchiha had once had a strong relationship. They cooperated on challenging missions, which significantly increased the success rate.
Tempted by Danzo’s promise of becoming an honorary elder, the Great Elder had been blinded by greed. He thought simply taking over some positions wouldn’t be a big deal. But the Uchiha reacted fiercely, abandoning the police force and refusing to reopen their shops, causing discontent among the villagers.
Realising the gravity of the situation, the Great Elder repeatedly pressed the Third Hokage to make good on Danzo’s promise of the honorary elder position, only to be told that it had been a private promise made by Danzo and thus didn’t count.
Ultimately, the Great Elder didn’t get the honorary elder title—just a few open positions in the Root after Danzo’s retreat.
At that point, the Hyuga could have cut their losses, but then Danzo approached the Fourth Elder, Haito Hyuga.
Haito was known for his dedication to the clan. He cared little for the distinction between the prominent and branch families. When it came to mentoring young clan members, he treated everyone equally.
Even though Haito had been left crippled, he still worked tirelessly for the clan.
Unexpectedly, Haito had acted on Danzo’s offer. Although the Great Elder had initiated the matter, Haito carried it forward.
At this moment, the Fourth Elder, Haito, spoke up. “Clan leader, this incident is solely my doing. It has nothing to do with the Great Elder.”
Haito then pulled out a scroll and handed it to Hiashi Hyuga.
Hiashi took the scroll, puzzled. Upon opening it, he was surprised to see it was the honorary elder appointment document—with the name section left blank.
“You didn’t use this for yourself?”
“The honorary elder title is of no use to me. The clan leader can appoint someone more suitable.”
Hiashi was astonished. He knew the details of Haito’s dealings with Danzo and hadn’t expected him to hand over the appointment.
Hearing that Haito hadn’t used the appointment for his benefit, the other elders exchanged glances of mixed emotions.
Hiashi set the appointment to scroll down.
“Explain.”
Haito nodded and presented a report that Danzo had given him on the Uchiha clan’s earnings. He had made several copies and distributed them to all the elders.
Both Hiashi and the other elders were stunned to see how much wealth the Uchiha clan had amassed.
Once everyone had a sense of the scope, Haito spoke. “Some clan members with close ties to the Uchiha informed me.”
“The Uchiha clan doesn’t even need to take on missions anymore. The clan distributes money to its members regularly.”
“The missions they previously took from the Leaf were just to hone their skills—they didn’t rely on that income.”
“Moreover, Uchiha Natsuki has issued a reward for having children. The clan gives money to families even if they just stay home and have kids.”
Haito’s words caused a stir among the elders.
“No wonder we’ve seen so few Uchiha taking missions lately. I thought Itachi took some people with him, but they don’t even need to work?”
“They’re giving rewards for having kids? Does the Uchiha have that much wealth?”
The Hyuga clan was prestigious because their Byakugan was a powerful tool in any ninja war. The Byakugan’s ability to gather intelligence made the Hyuga indispensable during conflicts, earning them plenty of money and reputation.
However, the clan’s strict central family and branch family structure gave the central family absolute control, preventing Byakugan from leaking outside the clan and ensuring no traitors emerged.
However, this same structure limited the branch family’s power, no matter how many battle honours they earned.
Now, the Uchiha were on the verge of a giant leap forward in terms of power and wealth, while the Hyuga faced stagnation.
Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, Haito continued his analysis. “Taking over the police force has left us with a shortage of personnel. As you know, we’re facing the same workload that the Uchiha did.”
“The police force has absorbed most of our manpower, leaving us unable to accept many mission assistance requests from other families.”
The elders now realised how precarious their position was.
The Great Elder tapped the table and spoke gravely. “We foresaw this issue when we accepted control of the police force.”
Hiashi nodded and added, “At the time, it wasn’t a serious problem. We’re in a period of peace, so a shortage of manpower isn’t a big deal.”
“As long as we get through the next few years, when the younger generation matures, the Hyuga clan will enter a period of rapid growth.”
The elders exchanged glances, agreeing with Hiashi’s assessment.
However, the report they held showed that while the Hyuga might grow in a few years, the Uchiha would soar to even greater heights by then.
“I didn’t take the honorary elder appointment for myself,” Haito explained. “Nor for my crippled leg. I simply wanted to secure more power for our clan.”
“So that when the Hyuga family grows in the future, we won’t be left behind.”
Haito touched his leg as he spoke. The appointment from Danzo had been nothing more than a sweetener in their deal—he would have cooperated either way.
His reasoning was clear, and everyone knew that Haito’s leg had been restored. They knew his actions were motivated by his desire to strengthen the clan, not personal gain.
The elders exchanged glances, ultimately acknowledging Haito’s intentions.
Hizashi couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid that Uchiha Natsuki will come back for revenge?”
The mention of Natsuki made everyone shudder. He was both intelligent and powerful. The Third Hokage and Danzo had both suffered losses at his hands. If Natsuki returned for vengeance, the Hyuga clan wouldn’t be able to withstand his wrath.
Haito smiled calmly. “When I did this, I considered every possible outcome.”
“One, we manage to obtain all the formulas. In that case, we’ll work with the Hokage to present them to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Once the formulas are shared, even Natsuki can’t do anything.”
“Two, we only obtain part of the formula, and the Uchiha suffer minor losses. The clan can simply execute me to make amends.”
“Three, we’re discovered immediately. In that case, the Uchiha lose nothing, and I can be handed over as a scapegoat.”
“No matter the outcome, the Hyuga will gain the honorary elder position.”
“All that’s at stake is my own life.”
“If the Uchiha need a scapegoat, execute me.”
Haito’s expression was serene, as though he had already accepted death.
The elders turned to Hiashi. The Great Elder opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
In this world, leaking someone’s secrets was a grave offence, akin to cutting off someone’s livelihood. The consequences could be devastating.
Hiashi stared at the honorary elder appointment in his hand and the report on the Uchiha’s earnings for a long time.
Finally, he raised his head. “Have the Hyuga Police spread the word that all of this was done under pressure from Danzo.”
“As for Haito, strip him of his elder position and confine him to the family estate, awaiting further punishment…”
“And about this honorary elder appointment…”
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