To Homura Mitokado and all the other top figures in Konoha, Hyuga Soushu was a ninja of overwhelming strength—yet also arrogant and unrestrained.
Unlike traditional Konoha ninjas, known for their humility and kindness, or the gentle, courteous traits typically associated with the Hyuga clan, Soushu showed none of these conventional virtues. Beyond his close ties to the Uchiha kunoichi—a faction notoriously at odds with the Hokage's side—he had virtually no connections with other Konoha shinobi.
In short, apart from Mahiru Uchiha, there was nothing left to use against Hyuga Soushu.
Therefore, Homura had no room to apply his usual negotiation tactics.
As for forcibly taking Uchiha Mahiru away from Soushu as leverage or bargaining chip—
Sure, Homura had grown a bit out of touch after years in power, and maybe even acted a bit too proud—but he wasn't dumb enough to pull a stunt like that.
Besides, just like the hidden tensions stirred up by Soushu back then, the key to resolving the current standoff among various factions in Konoha rested on Soushu's next move.
"Jonin Hyuga Soushu,"
With a graceful leap straight onto the newly restored tower, Homura quickly cleared his mind of distracting thoughts. He hurried forward with a bright smile, stretched out his hand, and attempted to shake hands with Soushu in camaraderie.
"Good day, Honored Elder Mitokado."
Soushu didn't respond further—just gave a slight nod.
At this moment, the weeping Uchiha Mahiru—who had been hiding her face in Soushu's arms—lifted her head. She openly examined Homura with her double-tomoe Sharingan eyes, but she didn't say anything unnecessary. Instead, she kissed Soushu gently on the cheek before leaping down below, leaving room for the two men to talk.
"Not bad at all," Homura thought to himself—not only because of the young girl's awakened double-tomoe Sharingan, but more so due to her sense of timing and self-restraint.
Honestly, most kunoichi from other clans wouldn't have handed over such a crucial bargaining chip to their lover so easily—and so wisely.
Not to mention the Uchiha Clan had even sent a top-tier tactical squad straight from the Policing Department to back up Soushu—such a gesture clearly demonstrated their willingness to invest heavily!
Homura glanced briefly at the Uchiha ninjas gathered below the tower, then turned his gaze back toward Soushu.
He looked around and noticed everything seemed normal—the Chunin Exams were proceeding smoothly. It was a pity that Kousuke Jonin, a talented ninja from the Mitotou clan, wasn't present here; otherwise, he could have played the emotional card a bit harder.
"The Hokage is always fair… always just,"
Homura opened his speech bluntly, attempting to seize the moral high ground first.
"A Hokage is human, not divine,"
Soushu didn't directly refute Homura's view, but he stated his own perspective clearly, "Everyone makes mistakes—but what's truly frightening is not even realizing you've made one!"
"Every Jonin of Konoha is the village's most valuable strategic asset!"
Homura Mitokado did not rush to argue back, instead continuing to draw his line in the sand.
"Only those united in purpose truly represent Konoha. If we end up isolated and betrayed, surrender would be better than continuing like this."
Hyuga Soushu remained noncommittal and continued expressing his stance.
"The village has its own difficulties. Everyone should learn to show understanding."
Homura let out a slight sigh.
"The village should be a refuge for ninja. But if it fails to offer essential protection, then its existence becomes meaningless."
Hyuga Soushu still held firm.
After this initial exchange, both understood each other's positions.
The Hokage faction Homura represented sought stability above all. As those in power, they naturally loathed anything that could threaten stability. Anyone endangering the established order would become their enemy—that was simply the nature of hierarchy.
Although they had once plotted to eliminate Hyuga Soushu himself to preserve order, now that these plans had clearly failed—and the truth likely exposed—combined with internal ninja clans eyeing prey like tigers, making some concessions to Soushu wasn't entirely unacceptable.
After all, priorities must always be weighed by urgency. Compared to conceding certain personal benefits to Soushu—which hardly mattered at all—it was far more critical to focus on vigilance against the Hyuga-led clan forces gradually whittling down power like a dull blade.
"There are traitors close to the Daimyo,"
Homura pointed out bluntly. "This attack on Jonin Soushu was orchestrated entirely by conceited courtiers surrounding our Lord who conspired together to frame loyal servants of the state."
"Is that so?"
Hyuga Soushu smiled, but his eyes were cold as ice, brimming with killing intent.
Noticing this, Homura realized empty courtesies wouldn't satisfy Soushu. "Then tell me what you're thinking, Jonin Soushu!"
"The Daimyo has grown old."
Soushu grinned, speaking casually—but his words sent chills through Homura. "The Crown Prince's wisdom and virtue have been personally attested by high-ranking officials such as the Minister of State and the Inner Minister. He shall undoubtedly be the sole legitimate successor!"
"How arrogant!"
Homura's face darkened with anger. "Who told you that?"
Though currently weak-willed, the current Daimyo was the critical fulcrum maintaining balance between the noble families of the court and the ninja clans of Konoha. Should the Daimyo's seat change hands, every equilibrium painstakingly maintained until now would shatter completely.
Unlike the deeply entrenched clans—who never truly broken their lingering bonds with aristocratic powers even after joining the Hidden Leaf—the Hokage lineage, especially Konoha's F4 following the Senju Clan's withdrawal into seclusion, relied entirely upon the Daimyo's support!
And the reason why the Daimyo consistently supported the Hokage line was precisely to counterbalance the nobles who wielded powerful ninja clans as their backing!
"I said it myself!"
Hyuga Soushu grinned again, openly taking full responsibility.
Although he had only visited the Fire Daimyo's court once before on an official mission, he had clearly seen how domineering the noble families behaved—and how feeble the Daimyo appeared.
The Hyūga Clan and the Minister of State, together with the Uchiha Clan and the Inner Minister, have long maintained a deeply entrenched alliance bound by shared interests. A new Daimyo would be completely beneficial to them!
Moreover, given the greed those aristocrats revealed when demanding military funds, they were likely already eyeing the treasures hidden within the Daimyo's inner treasury.
"Do you even realize what you're saying?!" Mitokado Homura's face darkened as he spat out the words through clenched teeth. "The Daimyo is an imperial descendant! He's not some base ninja you can command at will!"
"Is that so? Then Elder Mitokado no longer sees himself as one of us lowly ninja either?"
A brilliant smile returned to Hyuga Soushu's face.
Everyone knows how negotiations work—you ask for the moon first, then you can talk seriously.
Homura's intense reaction also revealed one crucial point: the demands Hyuga Soushu had just raised indeed touched upon the core interests of the Hokage's bloodline!
His fierce response, extreme wording, and even his ignoring the fact that he was currently seeking assistance—all demonstrated how shaken he felt upon hearing Soushu's request.
But this was precisely what Hyuga Soushu wanted.
He especially enjoyed striking deals with people who were livid yet too frightened to walk away altogether.
Atop the Tower, the two men exchanged cold stares.
Hyuga Soushu wore a smiling expression, yet his Byakugan showed no emotional fluctuations—it was as if he were an emotionless puppet.
Meanwhile, Advisor Elder Homura, after calming slightly, suddenly realized he had fallen right into Hyuga Soushu's verbal trap, getting caught twisting words directly on the spot.
For a powerful old-school ruler like him, such a humiliation was worse than a rabbit managing to best an eagle.
"The village will not compromise!"
Homura declared coldly. "The Land of Fire and Konoha are interdependent—complete separation between military and political affairs is the foundation of peace for the entire nation!"
At this point, Homura no longer doubted Soushu's martial faction stance—his demands were so extreme that even die-hard martial faction veterans would've called themselves moderate by comparison!
"Elder Mitokado," Soushu asked casually, pulling out a scroll and spinning it repeatedly in his palm while speaking increasingly louder, "do you really believe those attackers acted solely on their own rogue initiative, as you claim?"
"I didn't say that! I never meant that! Don't make things up!"
Mitokado denied immediately.
He'd only slipped for a moment—but if he got labeled as someone who disrespects both villagers and ninja, he was done for.
At the same time, he also noticed the crimson-marked sealed scroll Soushu was idly twirling in his hand—a blood-character sealed scroll, its mark indicating the presence of flesh and blood inside. According to ninja naming conventions for sealing scrolls, this typically meant the contents were human remains—in other words, a corpse!
Therefore, the Sealing Scroll must contain the remains of those attackers, serving as evidence that they were the daimyo's personal guardian ninjas!
If this leaks, Konoha will truly be thrown into chaos!
If the incident causes ordinary citizens and ninjas to become estranged from the Hokage's faction forever, then Konoha's F4 would become rootless—just like Root without a master!
"Konoha and the Daimyo are equal; I believe even the Hokage won't deny this point, right?"
Hyuga Soushu picked up where he left off and pressed further.
"Konoha and the country are relatively independent!"
At this moment, Mitokado Homura also displayed an appropriate cautious attitude, carefully avoiding a direct response.
"I'm not interested in beating around the bush anymore."
Hyuga Soushu glanced at the Uchiha ninja below the tower and the special red-armbanded elite jonin hastily gathered by the Jonin Unit. He said coolly, "If the daimyo lives, then Danzo must die!"
"That's impossible!"
Mitokado Homura firmly rejected again!
Even if he was willing to offer Danzo as a scapegoat, the old fox certainly wouldn't agree! So it was better just to refuse outright, saving time and reducing unnecessary discussion!
"If you're unwilling, then let's settle this with force!"
Soushu's expression darkened as he prepared to rise and leave.
"Let's talk reasonably!"
That's how it always goes—threaten to tear the house down for a window, and even the most stubborn man starts listening to reason.
"The village cannot descend into chaos. You're part of the Jonin Unit—you must understand your responsibilities as a high-ranking Konoha leader!"
"Spare me the talk of 'high rank'!"
Soushu couldn't help but flare up even more: "Do you think there's another fool across the entire ninja world who'd still remain loyal after having been purged like this?"
"All misunderstandings! We already told you, there are scheming individuals close to the daimyo!"
Mitokado Homura continued denying Hyuga Soushu's accusations.
"It seems you're only here to provoke me!"
Hyuga Soushu stomped furiously onto the stone bricks of the tower, shattering them underfoot, as he spat out harshly: "Is this how you approach someone for help?"
"I'm negotiating with you on behalf of the village!"
Though Homura's tone lacked firmness, his meaning remained very clear-cut.
"I'm a senior member of the village myself—since when did I get 'represented' without even knowing?"
Hyuga Soushu immediately counterattacked.
"The Daimyo's court will offer you an explanation."
After a long silence, Homura finally offered something very vague—an empty condition which wasn't really much of one at all.
But this was nowhere near enough!
The sealing scroll spinning in Hyuga Soushu's hands rotated even faster!
"The commander position over the northern border defense forces is still vacant. Considering Commander Soushu's strength and reputation, it would suit you quite well."
Homura Mitokado said slowly.
This vacant command role among Konoha's five major border defense units represented a pretty sincere form of compensation from the Hokage's faction!
And if this power could smoothly fall into Hyuga Soushu's control, then the Hyuga clan would dominate both the Eastern Coastal Defense Garrison and the Northern Border Defense Forces—two key overseas ninja units belonging to Konoha! Regardless of the actual benefits such positions might bring, symbolically alone, they would greatly overshadow the Uchiha clan!
So when he stated this condition, Homura Mitokado intentionally raised his voice, making sure that Takahiro Uchiha and others at the base of the Tower could hear clearly.
"I've never cared about power or position!"
Hyūga Soushu declared sternly while frowning. "As a Konoha Jonin, I only demand three things!"
"What are they?"
Homura Mitokado felt somewhat surprised.
"Fairness! Fairness! And damn it, more fairness!"
Hyūga Soushu growled through clenched teeth.
But in the vast Ninja World (Shinobi Realm), where could one truly find fairness?
Homura immediately found himself in a dilemma.
If the demands concerned money, power, or even *Kinjutsu* from the [Scroll of Seals], there might have been room for negotiation.
But fairness...
If they really pursued fairness, then not only should the Guardian Ninjas who carried out the attack be held accountable, but also Danzō—the orchestrator—and perhaps even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the mastermind behind it all, deserved some scrutiny and criticism.
If things went that far, what meaning would remain for the existence of those top leaders who genuinely served all the ninjas of Konoha?
"Fairness sounds great in theory, but decisions have to take real circumstances into account," Homura said, once again displaying his flexible moral stance. "Compared to the prosperity and stability of Konoha and the Land of Fire, personal grievances are hardly worth mentioning."
He decided not to finish what he was saying.
Because Hyūga Soushu's expression had darkened again!
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