The brilliance of the Hyūga clan is beyond doubt. As far back as the Warring States period, they were already one of the most dazzling stars in the world.
The Senju, Uchiha, and Hyūga were once the three most powerful ninja clans in the entire Land of Fire. If it weren't for the Senju and Uchiha clans each producing two monstrous individuals, the struggle between the three clans would probably have continued indefinitely.
But even with the sudden emergence of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the Hyūga clan's position in the Shinobi World did not weaken in the slightest.
On the contrary—
With the founding of the Hidden Villages and the evolution of warfare from clan-based skirmishes to large-scale battles between villages, the Hyūga's Byakugan—capable of near-perfect vision—became a truly lethal weapon on the battlefield.
Konoha's shinobi, unrivaled in prowess—none can stand against the Hyuga!
This saying, widely spread throughout Konoha and the entire shinobi world, clearly illustrates the Hyūga clan's unique and honored status in the village.
And now, the current head of the Hyūga clan, Hyūga Hiashi, had actually voluntarily cast his vote—for Uchiha Fugaku!
The main branch members of the Hyūga were completely shocked. Their disbelief quickly turned into furious outrage.
Even if you're the clan head, you can't just abandon the thousand-year glory of the Hyūga without reason!
Yet, faced with countless furious glares from the main branch, Hiashi remained unfazed, simply sitting quietly in his seat.
On the platform, countless eyes watched as the scales of power tilted dramatically in a single instant. No one could find the words to speak. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, the election overseer, widened his eyes, clenched his fists, and his face turned crimson with fury.
"Jōnin Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Uchiha Fugaku's voice rang out clearly, his tone deliberately emphasizing Hiruzen's title:
"It's time to proceed to the next stage of the election process."
"You—!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen practically transformed into Rambo—WARNING, WARNING, WARNING…
The victorious smirk on Shimura Danzō's face instantly froze. He looked at Fugaku's calm expression, then at his old comrade's red, trembling face, and a tide of uncontainable fury surged from his chest.
Almost on reflex, Danzō was about to signal with his tea cup—to trigger the assassination plan by his 500 hidden Root operatives, prepared to strike down Uchiha Fugaku.
But that thought lasted only a second—before he forcibly suppressed it.
If it were only the Uchiha, even if Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, with all their prior preparation, there was still a chance of victory.
After all, as powerful as the Mangekyō was, they hadn't forgotten who their teacher was:
The true nemesis of the Uchiha, the Second Hokage with white hair, who had dedicated his life to eradicating the evil Uchiha—Tobirama Senju!
To secure this chance at the Hokage seat, they had long prepared for confrontation with Fugaku. Various barriers, secret techniques, Sharingan-countermeasures—all ready.
But now...
This wasn't just the Uchiha anymore.
The Hyūga and the Uchiha. Byakugan and Sharingan.
With the Senju in seclusion, these two great noble clans of the shinobi world joining forces—no one dared underestimate them. No one dared make a reckless move.
Danzō's face grew darker and darker. Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned pale, then purple.
The two exchanged glances in heavy silence. Only when Fugaku reminded them again did Hiruzen snap out of his daze like waking from a dream.
"...Next, we move to the ballot count."
"Open the boxes, verify the votes..."
But truthfully, there was no need for such formalities. Every ninja present already understood—the moment Hiashi voted for Fugaku, the outcome was sealed.
As the ballot boxes opened, cheers erupted from the Uchiha below the stage. Wild and unrestrained. On the other side, those affiliated with the Hokage faction wore complicated expressions, many giving bitter, helpless smiles.
It didn't take long to count.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's bitter voice, the results were announced—Uchiha Fugaku had defeated Shimura Danzō and officially become the Hokage candidate of Konohagakure, Land of Fire!
"Thank you, everyone! For me, Fugaku, to stand here today—it is entirely thanks to your support. On this day, I want to express my gratitude to Konoha..."
With visible emotion, Fugaku rose to his feet and began his victory speech—ushering in a new chapter, both for the Uchiha and for himself.
"Fifth Hokage, huh..."
In Kirigakure, inside Kushina's residence, Uchiha Shisui stared at the image projected on the screen, unable to suppress his excitement.
Clan Head Fugaku, you really did it!
You cast aside your personal burdens, broke the chains in your heart, and made a choice—for your goal and for the future. Your success was inevitable.
This is the power of the Uchiha. This is the power of love!
"The Uchiha... They really do deserve the Hokage position," Tsunade said as she downed a full cup of sake with a sigh.
In the past, the Uchiha and the Senju together founded Konoha. Over the years, the Uchiha, though founders, had been isolated and marginalized.
Even though Tsunade was a Senju, and the Princess of the Land of Fire, both emotionally and rationally—the Uchiha deserved a Hokage.
And yet...
"Hiashi, that guy... actually supported Fugaku?" Tsunade muttered, suddenly turning to Yuki Yoru.
"Hey, this was your doing, wasn't it?"
Everyone in the room looked at Yuki Yoru.
They were all high-ranking Konoha figures, fully aware of the political dynamics between the Uchiha and Hyūga.
Under normal circumstances, during a Hokage election, it was already generous for the Hyūga not to stab the Uchiha in the back. Support? Unthinkable.
"Ah, just a small trade," Yuki Yoru replied casually. "I agreed to provide Hyūga Hiashi with the research data we have on the Byakugan—and inform him of the existence of the people from the heavens. That was the price for his help in securing Fugaku's victory."
Research data on the Byakugan?!
The existence of heavenly beings?!
Yoru's words made everyone's pupils shrink slightly.
"That's not a small price..." Orochimaru licked his lips, very aware of the weight behind what Yoru had just said.
"What can I do? I made a promise to Shisui-kun. I'm not someone who breaks promises," Yoru said with a smile, then turned to Shisui.
"So, Shisui-kun, how about it? When I say something, I mean it, right?"
"...Thanks."
"Oh my, hearing you say 'thank you' really is rare~ By the way, Hiromi is about to begin the Hollowfication experiments soon. You'd better prepare yourself."
Shisui forced a stiff smile, wanting to say more, but before he could, Yuki Yoru waved and vanished into a puff of white smoke.
"The show's over. I won't intrude on you old friends' tea party any longer. There's still a mountain of work waiting for me. Ciao~"
"Bastard!!"
Shisui growled, then collapsed to the floor in mental and physical exhaustion.
Tsunade and Kushina exchanged a glance. Knowing what Shisui had endured, they could only look at him with pity. Orochimaru, meanwhile, licked his lips and inched closer.
"Shisui-kun, may I perhaps—"
"GET LOST!"
...
The Hokage election had come to an end.
Its twists and turns had left many people sighing with emotion.
But the final result did not stray far from what most in Konoha had anticipated—from the very start, many had believed that Uchiha Fugaku, a war hero, had what it took to become the Fifth Hokage.
And so it was.
That very night, after the election concluded, elite Uchiha member Inabi departed for the Fire Capital, carrying the candidate list. Meanwhile, the rest of the Uchiha clan began celebrating wildly—both within their compound and throughout Konoha.
Cries of excitement, laughter, even sobbing.
Especially the older generation—tears streamed down their cheeks as they shouted:
"How many years has it been? How many years?!"
"The Hokage seat—at long last, it's finally the Uchiha's turn! It's OUR turn!"
"This old bag of bones can finally rest easy!"
In the midst of this loud, drum-filled celebration, even though Fugaku had not yet received the Daimyō's formal recognition, he had already moved into the Hokage Office, carried on the shoulders of the ecstatic Uchiha.
Of course, before that, the ever-efficient Uchiha had thoroughly cleaned up everything left by that... previous occupant who had moved in twice before.
Crystal ball? Old pipe? All of it—into the trash.
And while the Uchiha clan reveled like mad, the real MVP of the day—Hyūga Hiashi—sat in solemn silence within the Hyūga compound, his mind restless.
Naturally, he had seen the Uchiha celebration. Even from within his own clan's territory, he could see the wild revelry of Uchiha unleashing Fire Release techniques into the sky like fireworks.
Putting himself in their shoes, Hiashi could fully understand their emotional release. But he was in no mood to sympathize right now.
Because at this very moment, he was hosting the most important guest in Hyūga history.
"I never expected... the Mizukage-sama himself to come in person."
Hiashi, clad in a pure white kimono, looked at the two figures before him. His hand trembled, nearly spilling scalding tea onto himself.
Given the secrecy surrounding the Byakugan, Hiashi had prepared meticulously. But he never imagined the other side would show even more importance—personally sending the Fourth Mizukage, Yuki Yoru.
Yuki Yoru's fame had long spread across the shinobi world—and to the people of Konoha, he was especially intimidating.
Not just because he single-handedly wrecked Konoha in the Third Great Ninja War, but because of his terrifying power during incidents like the Nine-Tails Attack, and the Iron Country Conflict.
To many, this young Fourth Mizukage was already a living legend on par with the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju—and the Demon of the Shinobi World, Madara Uchiha.
A living legend—still in his prime.
"The secrets of the Byakugan are no small matter," Yoru said as he sipped the fragrant tea. "If I had sent Mangetsu, it might not carry enough weight."
"After all, what we're about to discuss borders on myth. Honestly, if I hadn't already confirmed it for myself, I'd still be skeptical too."
Myths?!
Confirmed?!
Hiashi's breathing quickened. His pure white eyes gleamed with intensity.
"I implore the Mizukage-sama to enlighten me!"
"Ah."
Yoru took another sip, savoring the taste before setting the cup down and gazing far into the night sky.
In the distant darkness, fireworks erupted from the Uchiha compound—fireballs and dragons bursting mid-air. But Yoru's gaze drifted higher, to a bright light in the heavens.
"Clan Head Hiashi, if we're being precise, your Hyūga clan and our Kirigakure's Kaguya clan... are close relatives, aren't you?"
"The Kaguya clan?"
Hiashi nodded slightly. It was no secret that the Hyūga and Kaguya clans were related by blood. The two families had maintained close ties over the centuries. Even after the Kaguya were driven to the seas during the Warring States Period, the Hyūga still kept in touch.
Hiashi himself had met with the Kaguya shortly before the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War.
Though, back then, Kirigakure was enveloped in the Blood Mist, so there hadn't been much interaction.
"Yes, the Kaguya and my Hyūga are close relatives. But what does that have to do with the secrets of the Byakugan?"
"What connection, you ask?" Yoru chuckled softly.
"Back in ancient times, the Sage of Six Paths spread chakra across the world, and shinobi blossomed everywhere. Among them, there were always a few who stood head and shoulders above the rest."
"The Senju, the Uchiha, and yes—the Hyūga."
"The reason, ultimately, lies in lineage. In bloodline."
Bloodline theory might be hard to swallow for your average ninja, especially for those hot-blooded youths who chant 'hard work,' 'freedom,' and 'love and happiness' every day.
But for an ancient, strict clan like the Hyūga—one that still upheld the distinction between Main and Branch Family—bloodline theory was practically gospel.
"According to the information I've acquired, the Senju and Uchiha descend from the Sage of Six Paths. That's why they stand so far above the rest of the shinobi world."
"And your Hyūga clan's ancestor is no weaker—he was the Sage's younger brother: Ōtsutsuki Hamura."
As he spoke, Yoru formed a seal and tossed a scroll toward Hiashi.
Hiashi opened it carefully. The moment he laid eyes on it, his eyes went wide with horror.
"This is someone of the same root and origin as you—also a descendant of Ōtsutsuki Hamura."
"Unlike your clan, they did not change their surname to Hyūga over time. They maintained the purest legacy and name..."
"Ōtsutsuki."
"The Ōtsutsuki clan—from the Moon!"