Chapter 19 - What? Are you going to go head-to-head with them?
"We have always been deeply tied to the Hokage faction, so we definitely cannot return it.
Akimichi Choza rubbed the back of his head. After hearing Nara Shikaku's words, he also stated his position.
The Ino–Shika–Chō have been tied to the Hokage faction ever since they joined Konoha.
"But we also have business dealings with the Uchiha Clan. Are we just going to cut ties from now on?"
Inoichi Yamanaka suddenly felt troubled. Konoha was a community of shared interests. After so many years, everyone, more or less, had some business dealings.
Especially with a large clan like the Uchiha. For example, the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurants and military rations pills, and the Nara Clan's medicinal herbs, etc., were mostly sold to large Ninja clans, and among them, the Uchiha Clan bought the most.
Before, it was Konoha and the Uchiha Clan going head-to-head.
Their clans didn't need to get involved at all, so naturally, their business wouldn't be affected.
But now it was different. Bai Ye had come up with this method, and no one knew how.
The pressure now fell directly between the Ninja clans, which meant they could no longer hide behind the Village and not worry about their relationship with the Uchiha Clan.
"Then what can we do? Shikaku, what do you say we do?"
Akimichi Choza thought about it and felt that it was true; cutting ties directly with the Uchiha Clan didn't seem good.
His previous idea was a bit extreme.
So, he decided to see if Nara Shikaku had other ways to influence this situation without affecting the current state.
"It's unsolvable, at least I need to know their attitude, so we need to meet with him first."
A gleam flashed in Nara Shikaku's eyes. As he finished speaking, someone outside reported that Bai Ye had arrived and asked if he should be invited in.
The three exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes, then said, "Let's go to the reception room; we'll all go there!"
After arranging for Bai Ye to be in the reception room, Nara Shikaku and the other two quickly arrived.
Looking at Bai Ye, who was quietly sitting and waiting for them, Nara Shikaku's eyes flashed with emotion as he looked up. He was indeed young but had great courage!
When Uchiha Fugaku was still in power, Nara Shikaku had already realized that if the Uchiha Clan continued down that path, their living space in the Village would only shrink.
And after Bai Ye took office, he seemed to have found a way.
But that alone wouldn't be enough.
Nara Shikaku looked at Bai Ye and directly said, "You should have already settled things with the Hyuga Clan, right?"
"Ah?!"
Akimichi Choza, who was beside him, was instantly dumbfounded.
No?
Do you know what you're saying?
Would the Hyuga Clan really return the land to the Uchiha Clan?
"As expected of the Nara Clan's head!"
A hint of admiration flashed in Bai Ye's eyes. He even knew this, but he was still curious how Nara Shikaku knew.
"If you had failed, you wouldn't have come to us, because you know it would be impossible to get it if the Hyuga didn't agree, so you wouldn't come to us."
Nara Shikaku explained the reason for his guess.
In his opinion, if Bai Ye hadn't settled things with the Hyuga Clan, it would have been basically impossible for him to come to them.
After all, if he couldn't even handle the Hyuga, then it had already failed from the start.
"Since that's the case, I won't hide it anymore. The Hyuga have also agreed, so I'm preparing to ask you to return the land that originally belonged to us. Of course, we can also buy it back with money. Anyway, these lands aren't very useful to you."
The real big portions were taken by the Konoha F4.
What the Ino–Shika–Chō got was not much different from the Hyuga; they were all just scraps. Asking them to give it up wouldn't feel like a huge loss.
"Bai Ye, you are a smart person. You should know our difficulties."
Shikaku looked at Bai Ye, then let out a long sigh, unsure how to answer Bai Ye.
This matter put them in a very difficult position.
"Are you Konoha's Ino–Shika–Chō, or Hiruzen Sarutobi's Ino–Shika–Chō?"
Bai Ye also didn't answer but turned to look at Nara Shikaku and the other two.
Listening to Bai Ye's question, Nara Shikamaru inwardly thought it was indeed troublesome, but he patiently explained to Bai Ye, "We have always followed the strategy of supporting whoever is the Hokage."
His answer also stated his position: if Bai Ye were the Hokage today, they would support Bai Ye. It wasn't about explicitly supporting anyone.
This itself was related to the strategy of the three clans when they joined Konoha.
The Ino–Shika–Chō were allies during the Sengoku period. Because their Ninjutsu could be coordinated, the three families had a good relationship. After they joined Konoha, a policy established by the Nara family and agreed upon by the other two families emerged.
"The Hokage doesn't always exist, and isn't it a bit foolish loyalty to continue serving an aging Hokage who can't even control the Village?"
Bai Ye was curious. With Shikaku's wisdom, he should be able to see that Hiruzen Sarutobi would only become weaker and weaker during his tenure.
"Even if he can't control it, we can't act rashly. Besides, what you're doing will only cause Konoha to collapse."
Nara Shikaku knew what Bai Ye wanted to do.
But this couldn't be done!
"One clan cannot be the opponent of an entire Village. I think if possible, you can completely sit down and talk it over!"
Shikaku advised, though he also knew that the Uchiha Clan's internal factions were already restless.
But a Village was a violent organization composed of countless clans. No matter how strong the Uchiha Clan was, unless they had their ancestor Madara, it would be impossible.
"Shikaku, you are wrong. We were never enemies from the start. Taking back what originally belonged to us is simply for the peace of the Village. The clan members are already so suppressed that they are on the verge of desperation. If we don't find an outlet now, the Village might fall into great chaos.
And from the moment we start taking back the land, there is no loss for the Ino–Shika–Chō or the Hyuga. Even for the Sarutobi clan, it's just moving from the center of the Village to a more remote location. The place we currently live in can be given to them."
Yes.
What Bai Ye said made a lot of sense. How could Nara Shikaku not know that? But if you move the central location to a remote one, it's impossible to say that the Sarutobi clan wouldn't have any thoughts.
"I want to know why the Hyuga Clan would agree!"
Nara Shikaku finished speaking, his eyes fixed on Bai Ye.
Before making this decision, he had to know why the Hyuga Clan would agree to such an absurd approach.
"Because one Village cannot be dominated by one family; it needs balance. When you are young, if you retreat, you must retreat gracefully. Only then will people respect you when you are old. They have been in power for too long, and most of the Village has been swallowed by those guys. Who knows, if this continues, they might even create a new Konoha?"
Bai Ye said, a smile playing on his lips. Ultimately, wasn't it just that the Hyuga Clan was dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi?
If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't done those things, and if these benefits hadn't been mostly consumed by the Sarutobi, Shimura, and other clans, they wouldn't have cooperated with the Uchiha Clan.
"Your way of thinking is very dangerous!"
Nara Shikaku hoped for a peaceful Konoha, not a broken one.
Ultimately, once Konoha really went to war with the Uchiha Clan,
Then other forces in the Ninja World would definitely go to war with them. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to divide Konoha, and who would be willing to miss it?
"If we return the land to you, can you maintain the status quo? What we want is a peaceful Konoha. If you can do that, then we can return the land to you!"
Nara Shikaku really didn't want Konoha and the Uchiha to go to war.
And this newly appointed Bai Ye was most likely a radical within the Uchiha Clan.
So, if they didn't agree at this point, there would likely be internal strife. In fact, after Bai Ye arrived here, he had already decided to return it to Bai Ye.
Since he could even handle the Hyuga Clan, there must have been some kind of deal with them, otherwise they wouldn't easily return these lands.
"I can ensure that if they don't provoke us, we won't cause trouble, and I will restrain my clan members. But if they continue to be aggressive, that will be beyond my control."
Bai Ye finished speaking and remained silent. Inoichi Yamanaka and Akimichi Choza also looked at Nara Shikaku.
Clearly, they had left the final decision to him. Even if they had many more questions, they decided to wait until Bai Ye left to ask them.
"I understand. We will give you the land through a transaction. I hope you keep your promise."
"Good!"
It was just as he had thought. Once the Hyuga Clan was settled, the Ino–Shika–Chō were actually very easy to deal with.
Although they were on the Hokage's side, they also had to consider their own clan's interests. At the same time, what Hiruzen Sarutobi had done these past years had indeed caused dissatisfaction among many clans.
And the reason Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't act against the Uchiha Clan at this time was partly because his control over Konoha was too weak.
Once he personally made a move, it would provoke a backlash from other clans in the Village.
So he needed an opportunity. Hiruzen Sarutobi, of course, hoped for the Uchiha Clan's extermination.
Firstly, it would eliminate a major problem, and secondly, it would deter other clans. This was also one reason why Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to regain control over Konoha during the period after the Uchiha extermination until the start of the plot.
Although he didn't act directly, such a major event happened in Konoha, and to say that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know, or that no Anbu went, was clearly impossible.
Therefore, after the extermination night, Hiruzen Sarutobi once again seized control of Konoha's authority.
The reason Bai Ye said this was, on one hand, because the other party would never stop. Danzo was determined to exterminate the Uchiha, otherwise, how would he get the Sharingan for his Izanagi?
Secondly, it was about interests. They had already offended these four people, and it was unlikely they would get along well afterwards.
But Bai Ye couldn't worry about that much. He needed a period of quiet to first silence some voices within the Uchiha Clan.
Secondly, Bai Ye needed to buy time for space. Although he had awakened the Mangekyo, the current threat had not been resolved.
Obito was the one who most wanted the Uchiha Clan exterminated behind the whole affair, and Shisui was also the target Bai Ye most wanted to win over. Once Shisui stood with him, with Kotoamatsukami's existence, he didn't believe Obito could be so reckless.
One Obito, one Zetsu.
Both of them desperately wanted the Uchiha Clan to be exterminated.
Therefore, time was now most important to Bai Ye. Moreover, after this incident, Bai Ye believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others would likely quiet down for a while, and it was this period of time that Bai Ye had to seize.
So Bai Ye naturally agreed to Shikaku's request.
After signing the purchase agreement, and after Bai Ye left, Inoichi Yamanaka couldn't hold back his questions: "Shikaku, why did you agree so quickly?"
"The other party has an agreement with the Hyuga Clan. If those two clans aren't handled well, it will directly cause Konoha to fall apart.
Secondly, we are indeed part of the Hokage faction, but as I said before, we support whoever is the Hokage. So what we need to do is stabilize Konoha, not let Konoha fall into chaos, and not stabilize anyone's rule. Bai Ye is right, after that incident, he shouldn't have come to power.
It's just a pity about Minato. If Minato were still here, this situation wouldn't have happened."
A hint of nostalgia flashed in Nara Shikaku's eyes. When Minato was Hokage, he was the Hokage's advisor. However, after Minato's death and Hiruzen Sarutobi's ascension to power, his position as Hokage's advisor became Danzo's.
He didn't crave power, but to say he had no opinions was clearly impossible.
He was very dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's return to power and his subsequent actions, especially regarding Naruto. He was Minato's son, yet he received such treatment. Even Jinchuriki were not well-regarded in other Villages, but you can't make him eat expired products every day, can you?
Minato was the Fourth Hokage, after all, and Naruto was the son of a hero. Even if he didn't get special treatment, is this how you take care of a son you promised to look after?
"How could the Hyuga Clan have an agreement with the Uchiha Clan?"
Akimichi Choza was bewildered. Weren't they supposed to be at odds with each other?
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Don't forget the Hidden Cloud Village kidnapping Hinata. Hizashi died because of that incident. It's impossible for Hiashi not to care, so it's normal for them to cooperate."
Shikaku slowly analyzed.
"Then wouldn't that completely destabilize Konoha?"
You know, they said that if they returned it, then the Sarutobi clan would also have to return it.
"Otherwise, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to war with the Uchiha Clan?"
Then you only have two choices: one is to let the Sarutobi clan go head-to-head with the Uchiha Clan, and the other is to let them go head-to-head with the Uchiha Clan. How will you choose?
And it might not just be the Uchiha; perhaps the Hyuga are involved too?