The Hokage's office today was unusually busy compared to its typical quiet state. Besides the current Hokage, Namikaze Minato, the former Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and all three of Konoha's Council Elders—Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—were present.
Minato sat behind the desk, while the others were seated on the office sofas. No one was speaking, making the atmosphere in the office somewhat heavy.
"Knock, knock!"
A moment later, a knocking sound broke the silence in the Hokage's office.
"Enter." After receiving permission from Minato, the office door was pushed open by an Anbu wearing a cat mask.
The figure stepped inside, ignoring the people on the sofas, and reported directly to Namikaze Minato:
"Hokage-sama, the Hyūga Clan members are almost downstairs."
The Anbu's voice was young and sounded like he was still going through puberty. He wasn't very tall, and despite the mask, it was evident the ninja was not very old.
Before Minato, who had just received the information, could speak, a cold snort suddenly came from the sofa.
"Hmph!"
"The Hyūga Clan is becoming increasingly undisciplined!"
"They haven't even finalized the arrangements yet, and they're already thinking about claiming credit!"
"If all of Konoha's ninjas behaved like them, how are we supposed to manage the rest of the shinobi forces?"
"Minato, Hiruzen, when all is said and done, you two have been far too lenient with them!"
Minato, sitting behind the desk, had yet to speak. At this moment, Mitokado Homura, seated between Danzō and Koharu, spoke up angrily after his cold snort.
Yesterday, Danzō, learning that the Hyūga Clan wanted to borrow the Forbidden Scroll of Seals, attempted to stop the matter but was brushed aside by Sarutobi Hiruzen. However, he had no intention of giving up and immediately brought the other two Elders today to challenge the decision.
All three Council Elders were against lending out the Forbidden Scroll.
Ostensibly, the Elders were worried about the Forbidden Jutsu recorded in the scroll leaking out and causing problems for the Village's security.
But the actual objective was to prevent the relationship between the Third/Fourth Hokage and the Hyūga Clan from progressing any further.
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had been Hokage for many years, Konoha was still not his personal domain. Factional struggles had always existed in the Village. Danzō, Homura, and Koharu, despite being Hiruzen's comrades from the same era, essentially served to divide Hiruzen's authority.
The current Hokage was Namikaze Minato. Having no solid foundation, he hadn't been Hokage for long, and his gentle personality made him ill-equipped to resolve the Village's factional issues. To command the great ninja clans in the Village, the title of Hokage alone was insufficient.
Minato only fully realized this after becoming Hokage. For this reason, he was keen to win over some major clans to strengthen his authority. In this regard, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Minato were essentially on the same front. Compared to his old comrades like Danzō, Minato, his grand-disciple, was undoubtedly closer and easier to control—his own man!
From the day Hiruzen and Minato went to the Hyūga compound, the political struggle within Konoha had already begun!
Homura's tone was icy, and his words drew glances from the others in the office.
Minato looked slightly embarrassed, but due to the differences in seniority, he was momentarily unsure how to mediate, so he shot a look toward Hiruzen. The power of the Elders to constrain the Hokage's authority was evident: even the future Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, despite being the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama, would still be restricted by the Council Elders.
"Claiming credit is a bit much, isn't it?"
"After all, the Hyūga Clan fully cooperated and selected eight elite ninjas for the mission to guard Kushina's delivery."
"We are all comrades, merely helping each other out."
"Do you people perhaps harbor some distrust towards the Hyūga Clan?"
Since Minato was uncomfortable speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt no need to hold back in front of his old comrades. As he finished, Hiruzen suddenly countered with a pointed question.
"..."
Distrust the Hyūga Clan?
Even Homura, despite being an Elder, dared not utter such words. Although he was a Konoha Elder, compared to a massive entity like the Hyūga Clan, he was just a veteran ninja with some tenure. Complaining in private was one thing; openly opposing them could lead to major problems.
"Hiruzen, you clearly know that Homura doesn't mean that."
"The Forbidden Scroll records numerous forbidden techniques. Should any problem arise, it will bring immense trouble to the Village."
"Or tell me... can you guarantee that no issues will arise from the Hyūga Clan borrowing the Forbidden Scroll? Or, Fourth Hokage, can you guarantee it?"
Danzō glanced at the silent Homura, internally cursing him as "useless," and then took over the conversation.
When the subject turned to guarantees, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately fell silent. Although it was highly unlikely that anything would go wrong in this matter, if he actually gave a guarantee, an accident was almost certain to happen... Danzō's Root was still beyond his control, and his other old comrades were not to be underestimated.
The heavy losses Konoha suffered during the Third Great War were pinned on him, forcing him to step down. Otherwise, Hiruzen wouldn't have ceded the Hokage position so early. Look at Ōnoki of Iwa; he was older than Hiruzen and still sitting comfortably as the Tsuchikage! Hiruzen was only 57; in modern society, he would be far from retirement age and still in his prime!
"Danzō, no matter what you say, I have already promised Hiashi that the Hyūga Clan can borrow the Forbidden Scroll."
"Minato also agrees to this matter."
"As the Hokage, we cannot go back on our word."
Even though he refused to give a guarantee, Hiruzen was still determined to push the matter forward. This concerned the prestige of the "Hokage-samas," and he would not yield.
"Hmph!"
"We never intended for you to break your promise!"
"It's just... the Forbidden Scroll is not something just anyone can borrow, is it?!"
"I heard that Hyūga Hiashi is requesting it for his son? A five-year-old brat wants to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?!"
"Heh heh, in that case, wouldn't it be reasonable for us to first vet the child's aptitude for learning the Flying Thunder God?"
"If he doesn't have the talent, why talk about learning the Flying Thunder God? Let them retreat gracefully and give up on their own—surely that wouldn't count as you breaking your word?"
"Of course, if the opponent truly possesses the extraordinary aptitude to learn the Flying Thunder God, then that's easy to handle. Cultivating Konoha's excellent next generation is our duty, is it not?"
Danzō and his cohort had clearly planned this before arriving. Seeing Hiruzen try to dismiss them with the notion of "keeping one's word," they came up with an alternative solution.
With the conversation reaching this point, if Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato continued to oppose, they would be completely severing ties with the Elders and acting unilaterally. Reaching that level would not only cause them to lose face but also harm internal harmony in the Village.
Contending without breaking—that was the most beneficial path for Konoha's development. For this, Hiruzen could even tolerate the existence of Danzō's Root, which was outside his command.
The Third Great War had not yet ended. Konoha's top leadership absolutely could not afford to fall out. Even Minato felt it was inappropriate to say much at this point.
Of course, the main reason was that both Hiruzen and Minato felt there was some merit to Danzō's suggestion. Hiashi's son wanted to learn the Flying Thunder God, but it was not a technique anyone could learn. If the child lacked the aptitude, letting him retreat gracefully might actually be a good thing.
"Danzō, how exactly do you propose to vet his aptitude? Don't be unreasonable!"
Hiruzen, however, would not openly admit his agreement. Although he countered Danzō, anyone could tell he was giving ground.
"Heh heh heh..."
"Why would I be unreasonable?"
"While my method might not be absolutely foolproof, it will certainly convince the Hyūga Clan!"
"Look, the man standing right in front of the Fourth Hokage is the best person to conduct this vetting, is he not?"
"Hatake Kakashi! He is Konoha's renowned genius ninja, yet even he failed to master the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"My method is very simple: allow that child... to defeat Kakashi, and then he will be permitted to borrow the Forbidden Scroll of Seals!"
"Of course, considering the age of Hyūga Hiashi's son, our promise to the Hyūga Clan remains valid indefinitely!"
"Whenever Hiashi's 'genius' son manages to defeat Kakashi, he will be allowed to borrow it."
"Otherwise... let him continue to study his Hyūga Clan's inherited Ninjutsu and grow first!"
"Hiashi's son is such a genius, wanting to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. If he cannot even match Kakashi's talent, then giving him the Flying Thunder God would just be a waste of the child's time."
"Hiruzen, this is the Council's decision. You may relay it fully to the Hyūga Clan."
As Danzō spoke, the young Anbu standing in front of Minato couldn't help but turn his head to look at Danzō, his handsome face hidden beneath the mask, filled with question marks.
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