Chapter 66: We Uchiha Will Become Hokage! Who Approves? Who Opposes?
"Speaking of which, our Hyūga clan doesn't seem to be that close with your Uchiha clan, right?"
Inside the Hyūga tea room, Hyūga Hiashi looked at Renji with some frustration, silently cursing him for being so thick-skinned.
Today, Renji had come to meet him. Originally, Hiashi had planned to brush him off with the excuse of being too busy. After all, it wasn't a good time to get too close to the Uchiha.
But Renji, with his shamelessness, even proposed staying at the Hyūga estate until Hiashi had time to meet him. Hiashi was left with no choice.
"What does that matter? We now share a common enemy."
"Heh, that's between you and Konoha. We're not enemies."
Hiashi could see clearly that Renji wanted to rope them in.
But he refused!
Though he harbored resentment toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, he wasn't about to have the Hyūga clan follow the Uchiha into rebellion.
The Hyūga needed a stable Konoha, not a chaotic one. Even if they overthrew Hiruzen, what about the other ninja villages?
"Speaking of which, your recent small businesses have been doing pretty well."
Hiashi was actually shocked by Uchiha's recent activities.
First, they reclaimed their original territory, then expanded their small businesses—selling snacks, perfumes, and lipsticks.
They gifted these as luxurious items to noble families and even got the celebrity Kazahana Koyuki to endorse them. With her popularity, Uchiha's logistics business became famous, setting up a delivery service that used both neutral ninja and Konoha civilians, promising to deliver goods swiftly across the nations.
It was a dimensional strike—completely revitalizing all Uchiha industries.
Because of noble support across various countries, even other ninja villages, though reluctant, tolerated it. After all, the goods were ordinary consumer products, and they couldn't afford to lose business ties with the Land of Fire just because of this.
"Indeed, I think our business has been going great recently."
You really don't hold back, huh.
Hiashi silently grumbled in his heart after hearing Renji's answer, but he gained a deeper understanding of him.
After Renji had shared his plans with Fugaku, who then informed Mikoto, everything had taken off much faster than expected.
In less than a month, Uchiha-branded snacks, luxury goods, and express deliveries had all become hot commodities.
Idle Uchiha clansmen had been assigned to work, and even civilians from the village were hired, slightly improving the Uchiha's public image.
To ordinary people, whoever fed them, they would support.
Within the clan, even those who hadn't yet become wealthy could receive monthly stipends taken from business profits. Support for Renji had reached its peak.
He had reclaimed their land and restored prosperity—all within just a few months after taking leadership.
"When a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will destroy it. Hasn't your Uchiha been targeted even more recently?"
With money flowing in, naturally Konoha's F4 grew restless.
And this time, the leader wasn't a fool like Fugaku—it was someone skilled at winning over the people.
Even their old tactic of controlling public opinion seemed ineffective against Renji.
But now Uchiha faced another challenge—these products could be copied.
The Mitokado, Homura, Shimura, and Sarutobi clans had all entered the business, trying to snatch a share of the market.
Seeing Uchiha making money pained them more than losing money themselves.
Still, thanks to the Uchiha's early head start and prime locations, their businesses remained dominant—though the competition had indeed caused some impact.
"Clan Head Hiashi, I didn't come here to chat idly. I have just one question: do you want to spend your life as Hiruzen Sarutobi's dog, or do you want to avenge your dead brother?"
If Naruto hadn't later become Hokage, and Hiruzen hadn't died,
The Hyūga might truly have faced liquidation.
Even back then, wasn't the Hyūga Incident a warning from Konoha?
Because of it, the Hyūga had endured countless years, hailed as Konoha's number one clan after Uchiha's fall, yet always forced to keep a low profile.
"What do you mean?"
Hiashi's hand clenched the table tightly. Last time, Renji had hinted at this matter but not spoken so directly. Now he laid it all bare, igniting a fury in Hiashi's heart.
"I want to overthrow Hiruzen and the others. The Uchiha clan is now almost fully unified. Konoha has pushed us to the brink—there's no more room for retreat. Hiashi, you know exactly how chaotic Konoha has become under Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others, don't you? It's time to end this farce."
Renji spoke calmly. He had already made full preparations for rebellion.
As long as the other clans didn't intervene to protect the old guard, he could almost directly move into action. All he needed was a suitable pretext.
"We have no reason to take such risks."
Hiashi was tempted but didn't want to gamble everything.
"No, we're the ones taking the risk for you."
"What will we gain? If you succeed, it seems we get nothing. If you fail, we suffer the consequences too."
At this moment, Hyūga Hiashi was no longer as firm as before.
He weighed the pros and cons.
If they succeeded, it would at least avenge Hyūga Hizashi.
And truthfully, he had long been dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule, but Hiruzen's control over Konoha had been so strong that despite all his resentment, Hiashi had been helpless to act.
But now it wasn't just about him—it concerned the entire Hyūga clan.
If he wanted to move, he had to convince the clan elders, and the Hyūga would certainly not help for free.
"Isn't the division of those four families' interests enough?"
Renji said indifferently.
Once those four people fell, their clans—who weren't even particularly powerful—would be forced to spit back what they had taken.
Did they not know exactly why they had seized those benefits?
"You Uchiha don't want anything?"
Hiashi found it hard to believe Renji didn't want any share.
"Clan Head Hiashi, support me fully to become the Fifth Hokage. When the next era comes, if your Hyūga clan wants to have a Hokage, you will have the opportunity. The Hokage position doesn't belong solely to them. Since we are all citizens of Konoha, why should only they be allowed, and not us?"
At first, Renji hadn't thought about becoming Hokage.
But realizing that doing so would alter the storyline and earn him another chance to draw rewards, he naturally embraced the idea.
Moreover, he understood that in the current situation, the Uchiha desperately needed a Hokage—it was the dream of generations.
"You want to become Hokage?!"
Hyūga Hiashi widened his eyes, staring at Renji in disbelief.
He hadn't expected Renji's ambition to be even greater than his own.
At the same time, he was calculating gains and losses.
The Hyūga too had dreamed of producing a Hokage.
But Hiashi understood very well: the Hokage position had always been a lineage game.
The First Hokage was Senju Hashirama, one of Konoha's founders.
The Second Hokage was his brother, Senju Tobirama.
The Third Hokage was Tobirama's disciple.
The Fourth Hokage was the disciple of the Third's disciple.
The Hokage lineage had always been passed down that way.
Although the Hyūga had entertained hopes, they preferred a peaceful environment over seizing power.
The Uchiha, however, were different.
As another founding clan of Konoha, they had endured Senju dominance during the village's early years.
But the Third Hokage was from the Sarutobi clan—historically driven away from their original lands by the Uchiha.
How could they be satisfied?
Besides, the Third Hokage wasn't elected—he was personally named by the Second Hokage.
When the Fourth Hokage rose, although the Uchiha still had grievances, Minato had promised to improve relations, and he truly had, so resentment eased.
But after Minato's death and Hiruzen's return, everything changed.
"Exactly. There's no such thing as a 'Hokage bloodline.' Anyone should have a chance. They're old—we are still young. The village shouldn't always be held hostage by a group of aging relics. Hiashi, you may not even realize: Danzo is researching the bloodlines of the village!"
Danzo had long been eyeing the Hyūga's Byakugan, though the Hyūga's branch family protections made it difficult.
Still, to say he wasn't coveting it was impossible.
Danzo wanted every clan's secret techniques and bloodlines.
"What do you mean?"
"His right arm is entirely embedded with Sharingan, created by grafting onto Hashirama's cells. Haven't you noticed he's always wrapped up in bandages? It's not just injury—he's hiding the evidence. He's even dissected the First Hokage's body for research. You really think Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know about it? Impossible. This is the true Konoha under their rule—doesn't that terrify you?"
"How could that be possible!?"
Hiashi's eyes widened in disbelief, struggling to accept Renji's words.
It was too shocking.
He hadn't expected Danzo to go that far already.
If it was true, a chill crept up Hiashi's spine.
He realized Danzo would certainly not stop at the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines—the Byakugan would definitely be his next target.
With a venomous snake stalking them from the shadows, how could Hiashi remain calm?
"How can I trust you?"
Hiashi forced himself to calm down.
He couldn't believe Renji's words so easily.
This could be a ploy to make him cooperate.
"Simple. I've recently accepted a disciple—Fugaku's younger son, Uchiha Sasuke. He's scheduled to graduate early in two days. During the graduation exam, Danzo will personally attend. At that time, use your Byakugan to see for yourself."
Renji said slowly.
Actually, it wasn't just Sasuke's graduation.
He, as Uchiha clan head, had officially invited Hiruzen and Danzo for a 'negotiation' about Uchiha's future with Konoha.
Recently, Hiruzen and Danzo had been trying to stall Renji.
Given that Renji's words seemed to suggest compromise, they agreed to meet.
Renji had invited Danzo precisely so Hiashi could see the truth.
Danzo rarely appeared publicly now—because he feared being exposed by the Byakugan.
"Alright. If what you say proves true, the Hyūga clan will cooperate with you. How do you intend for us to help?"
Hiashi had no more hesitation.
If Danzo had already begun coveting bloodlines, the Hyūga could not sit idle.
Damn it.
If this continued, even their Byakugan might not remain safe.
Hiashi didn't believe for a second that Hiruzen didn't know.
"The details of the plan I'll tell you later. When the time comes, if other ninja clans act, I'll need you to intercept them. As for the main targets—leave them to us Uchiha."
Renji said calmly.
He didn't want to drag the Uchiha into unnecessary bloodshed.
Bringing in the Hyūga was to ensure they stayed neutral and, if needed, to intercept enemy ninjas.
"Fine. If what you say is true, the Hyūga will block them. But remember—you promised: the wealth seized from those four families must be shared, and when the Sixth Hokage is chosen, if the Hyūga put forth a candidate, the Uchiha must fully support us!"
Hiashi quickly laid out his terms.
If everything Renji said was true, few clans would oppose them.
Danzo had already crossed the ultimate taboo—tampering with bloodlines and secret arts.
No ninja clan could accept that.
Thus, Hiashi agreed to help Renji become the Fifth Hokage.
But in exchange, if the Hyūga presented a candidate later, Renji must support them for the Sixth.
"Agreed. Pleasure doing business."
Renji extended his hand toward Hiashi, a trace of joy flashing in his heart.
As expected—
Once he exposed Danzo's bloodline research and transplant experiments, Hyūga Hiashi could no longer sit still.
After all, who could guarantee that the next target wouldn't be them?
Especially the Hyūga's branch family members.
No way Hiashi would risk it.
In fact, he had long suspected that the incident with Hizashi might have had Konoha's shadow behind it.
The more he thought about it, the more deeply chilled he felt.
Under Hiruzen and Danzo's rule, Konoha had truly become a terrifying place.
(End of Chapter)
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