True friends help you, nurture you, and protect you, Sometimes, from beyond the grave too.
Just like Souta. He was dead. But what he said was not. Over time, he had told us things. Things about power in the Branch families. Every generation had its right wing that yearned for freedom. And this generation, it was Hyuga Kenta.
See, this was something anyone other than an invisible branch member would not be able to tell you. After all, if the main house knew. The consequences will not be pretty. But the branches knew. And so did my dear friend. He had never said it out loud. But I could deduce it from all his offhand comments over the years.
In the moonlight, Kenta looked exactly like he did during the Genin exams. As if time had no effect on him. But this meeting was a secret. And secrets have a tendency to spill. The faster we did this the better it was.
As I reached the clearing. We nodded to each other. Then the veins around Kenta's eyes bulged. The Byakugan was active. "Why did you want to meet me here like this?"
"I can help you research the caged bird seal."
He paused. "Why would-"
"Do not insult my intelligence Lord Kenta. Your support in exchange of research down the line."
He stopped. Weighing his options. Finally, he spoke.
"Voting for you does not benefit us. Once the law passes, you will not be able to do any unsanctioned research. Let alone the extensive kind we will need."
"The law will not pass."
"Why?"
"Because I am only 4 votes shy." Kenta controlled 4. 1-2 I would go someplace else. Exact 4 made it more sense for me to come to him.
He raised an eyebrow. Visibly surprised. "Any major clans?"
"Yes." He did not ask who. He must have asked around before he came here. While siding with the Uchiha wasn't ideal. Interests came first.
"This will not stop them. Only delay this"
"I don't need long."
He paused again. Clearly studying my demeanor. Then he slowly smiled. "It would appear that people have severely underestimated you Lord Ren."
"I hope so."
"If someone asks I'll say you promised a regular supply of tags." He stopped using his Byakugan and disappeared.
Alright, that's 28. Now on to the Gekko clan. I could have gone through a more secure route by paying the bribes to all those middling clans than risking my neck out like this. But this move had two reasons. One was the Hyuga name. The other, yes you guessed it. It really was the research itself. The research would bring me Byakugans. Which in turn should give me fragments. And I'll have an inside partner while I did all this.
-----
Gekko clan mansion.
"I will be straight with you, Lord Ren. I am first and foremost a businessman. I have accepted this meeting as a courtesy. But I do not believe that you can offer me anything. I have no intentions of tying my horse to a losing chariot."
"Then I will be straight with you, too. I have the support of the Uchiha, some of the Hyuga, the AKSE, and the daimyo, among others. That law is not gonna pass. The only thing that will pass is your opportunity."
The elders sat in silence. "So the Daimyo is making a move?"
"A lot of people are."
Now he sat back down. This tim,e he was serious instead of dismissive.
"What happens if I say no?"
He was assuming that the Daimyo must be the key player. I let him. I needed the votes. Which is why he asked that question. There were consequences to saying no to powerful men.
I said nothing. Just opened the box in front of me. "I am to sign an exclusive contract stating that I will only trade my infamous cluster bombs with your clan or the village. I know you are currently on the losing end of the market war against the Hinote and Jiban."
Outright kills weren't common. But injuring people and sabotaging the civillians was allowed. And cluster grenades, that I hadn't sold till now would be a major deterrent for daily operations.
"If you say no. I'll walk across the street and offer the same deal to them."
The deal was done. He promised 15 votes.
-----
I had enough. In theory that is. But the problem was that I simultaneously had 40 votes and zero votes.
I needed a trigger. All of them were dependent on each other. The Uchiha will vote only if I had 40 vote. I'll have 40 votes only if they vote. And vice versa for everyone.
You remember the Speaker? The guy who presides over the parliament or the senate or whatever alternate you have in your country? I'll tell you exactly why he was so important and why political parties fought for it. Aside from changing the direction of conversations, he could change the direction of votes.
Suppose Koharu asks the FAK first. They will favor me. Seeing this will be enough to assure the AKSE. This will, in turn, be enough for Gekko. All of this will be enough for Hyuga and Uchiha. But if she asks the Uchiha first. They will abstain. Konoha had a law. The number 40 had another significance.
40 Nays opened the floor to discussion. In major laws like this one, a clan could use its right of consideration if it had at least 40 Nays. The floor would be open again for half an hour before being put to the vote again. Of course. One middle clan could only call for it once a year.
It was rarely used because half an hour was nowhere near enough to change so many minds. But it did serve as a political proving ground. And that's why the order of votes was important. I was assuming the Uchiha were banking on that rule. They would stay neutral, then vote. But if they stayed neutral. I won't have my 40 votes.
But Koharu won't be giving me the luxury to choose the voting order. I needed a trigger to inspire voting confidence in the first round itself, or my house of cards would collapse. These guys were all promising this on paper-thin trust. And if anyone fell, they'll all fall like dominoes.
Time to try and set up the first block.