Takeshi's reform of the ninja divisions had one exception—he deliberately left out the Hyūga main family.
The reason he gave was that the main family rarely carried out missions, so it was better for that money to go to the branch members.
An intolerable humiliation.
Since when had the Hyūga main family fallen beneath the branch family?
The way the other party handled it was practically the same as carving "I hate the Hyūga main family" across his face!
"That may be so, but without evidence, we can't speak recklessly."
Hyūga Sōkata glanced at Hiashi, who had remained silent the whole time, and spoke in a calm voice.
His heart was filled with rage as well, but as the Great Elder, he couldn't afford to be overly radical.
Still, deep down, he too believed the mastermind behind all this was that wicked Shimura brat.
But where could he possibly find proof?
"Why don't we unite the jōnin of the village first, and collectively impeach him? After he's removed from office, we can launch an investigation."
Hyūga Isamu offered a suggestion.
The biggest obstacle right now was the Internal Affairs Department under Takeshi's control.
If they could impeach Takeshi and dissolve the Internal Affairs Department, everything else would be simple to deal with.
"The Uchiha clan might as well be his followers at this point. And the members of the Ino-Shika-Chō have good relations with that boy as well. More importantly, Danzō—that man—would never sit back and allow something like this to happen."
That last line from Hyūga Sōkata was the key point.
Shimura Danzō, that insidious man—he openly defied the Daimyō, yet even during the Third Hokage's era, he still sat firmly in the position of Hokage's advisor.
The power he held in his hands was far greater than the Internal Affairs Department that was paraded openly.
And then there was Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose stance remained unclear.
By all rights, the Sarutobi clan had always been loyal supporters of the Daimyō. But in this matter, they had remained completely silent. Hiruzen himself stayed hidden at home all day, only showing up at crucial moments.
If he too had tacitly approved of Takeshi's actions, then the Hyūga clan would have no chance of bringing that brat down.
As for the Nara clan...
They were far too shrewd. Until the outcome was clear, they would never pick a side.
It seemed this humiliation would just have to be swallowed whole—
Hyūga Sōkata weighed the disparity between the two sides and, after some painful thought, came to a decision in his heart.
But before he could speak, chaos erupted outside.
Before he even had time to react, a mocking voice drifted into the council hall for everyone present to hear:
"Gentlemen, it's so late. Why aren't you at home sleeping? Don't tell me you're plotting how to overthrow Konoha?"
Shimura Takeshi?!
Hyūga Sōkata whipped his head around and saw Takeshi standing right beside Hiashi.
When—how?!
Before he could even figure out how Takeshi had slipped past the Hyūga defenses and entered here, Hiashi's actions already gave the answer.
He pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai from his robes and placed it in front of him.
"Hiashi, you?!"
Hyūga Sōkata was shocked and furious, unable to understand why Hiashi would collude with this man.
As the uproar grew louder, the Internal Affairs Department's ninja had already broken through the Hyūga clan's defenses and completely surrounded the council hall.
When the elders saw that those leading them were Aburame Tatsuma and Uchiha Fugaku, three of the four—everyone except Hyūga Isamu—realized their fate was sealed.
"Hyūga Sōkata, Hyūga Shōta, Hyūga Isamu, Hyūga Ken, Hyūga..."
Reading off the list of names at length, Aburame Tatsuma slapped the written statement down in front of them, signaling for them to explain themselves.
Explain? Explain your damn leg!
This was clearly a setup. If you're going to frame us, at least try harder to make it believable!
Colluding with Iwagakure? Go out and ask—just ask any random Konoha ninja—see if they'd believe that nonsense!
"Damn Aburame clan, damn Shimura brat, I'll personally—"
Before Hyūga Sōkata could figure out how to surrender without losing face, Hyūga Isamu suddenly activated his Byakugan and lunged straight at Aburame Tatsuma.
At this distance, not even Aburame Tatsuma would have time to use his secret techniques—or so Isamu thought.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Just as Tatsuma was about to command his kikaichū to devour the opponent, Takeshi's jutsu struck first, hitting Isamu square in the stomach.
"Take him away and save him."
Ordering his men to stuff back whatever had spilled from Isamu's abdomen, Takeshi even thoughtfully assigned him a top-tier doctor for treatment.
Hiashi glanced uneasily at Takeshi, not even noticing when he had performed the hand seals.
"The main family not only colludes with Iwa-nin, but also tried to resist arrest with force. My, my, this is no light crime."
Walking right up to Hyūga Sōkata, Takeshi looked utterly unconcerned, even resting his hand casually on the elder's rigid shoulder.
"Acting Hokage-sama, I am old. Some things are simply beyond my control. Hyūga Isamu's actions represent only himself. Our main family has always stood with Konoha."
The wise adapt to the times. The Hyūga had stood unshaken in the shinobi world for generations not just because of their bloodline, but also because they knew when to yield.
Hyūga Sōkata had already made up his mind. As long as Takeshi's demands weren't too excessive, he would agree.
And he could more or less guess what Takeshi truly wanted.
Hiashi's defection had already made that much clear.
"So, all of this was Hyūga Isamu acting alone, and the main family knew nothing of it?"
Removing his hand from Sōkata's shoulder, Takeshi helped himself to Isamu's seat. He sat with one leg folded up and the other bent, arm draped lazily over it.
Such a brazen posture immediately drew the ire of everyone present in the main family.
But none of them dared to let it show on their faces.
"If you ask me, this so-called division between main and branch families—it's about time it was abolished. Don't you agree, Great Elder Sōkata?"
As expected, the demand was finally voiced.
Hyūga Sōkata cleared his throat and made one last attempt to resist:
"Acting Hokage-sama, the Caged Bird seal was created to prevent the Byakugan from being leaked outside—"
"If that's the case, then why is it only placed on the branch family, while the main family controls their lives and deaths?"
Takeshi's smile turned mocking.
"If the purpose is to keep the Byakugan from leaking, then shouldn't the main family also bear the seal, to truly embody equality in Konoha? As for who controls the seal—that responsibility should lie with us, the village leadership."
As his words fell, an overwhelming aura burst forth from Takeshi's body.
[This feeling... the same as Danzō. No—stronger than Danzō?!]
The killing intent of a jōnin could make genin freeze in place. But Takeshi's pressure crushed the main family elders so completely they couldn't even summon the will to resist.
"I understand. The system of main and branch families can no longer adapt to the shinobi world as it stands today."
Under the expectant gaze of the other two elders, Hyūga Sōkata forced himself to speak through the suffocating aura and agreed to Takeshi's proposal.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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