In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, blowing smoke rings as his eyes, shadowed by the Hokage hat, turned toward Uchiha Kin, who sat comfortably on a chair crafted from dark matter.
Hyuga Kiyoshi and Hizure stood rigidly behind Kin.
Why does he seem more imposing than the Hokage himself?
Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment.
His gaze shifted to Shimura Danzo, who had also arranged for a chair to be brought in by Root operatives, mimicking Kin's posture. Two Root members stood stiffly behind him.
The scene resembled a three-way negotiation between factions.
Do they really not take me, the Hokage, seriously?
It was downright infuriating.
"Wasn't Lord Danzo restricted from taking action? What brings him here?" Kin's tone dripped with sarcasm.
"That's none of your concern, Uchiha Kin!" Danzo retorted darkly.
"So you're treating the Hokage's orders as mere suggestions, then?"
"Watch your tongue, Uchiha Kin!"
"Oh? Got a problem with that, Shimura Danzo? How about we settle this one-on-one?"
"You think I fear you, Uchiha Kin?!"
The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down.
Hiruzen massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Enough!"
He slammed his palm on the desk, cutting off their argument before it escalated into another brawl in his office.
Both men snorted simultaneously, begrudgingly giving the Hokage face.
Well, he is the Hokage.
Hiruzen sighed. For the first time, he felt the weight of his position. When it had just been his own people, things had been easier.
Tsunade had no issues with the four of them, focusing solely on the Medical Division and leaving other matters alone.
But then Kin had barged in like a disruptive force.
The only silver lining was that Kin hadn't used his influence to elevate the Uchiha clan's status. Instead, he'd fractured their power—now the Research Division and the Uchiha clan operated separately.
At least he didn't have to worry about the Uchiha growing too powerful.
That was the sole consolation.
Truthfully, setting aside his Uchiha heritage, Kin's contributions to the village's strength were undeniable.
But today's meeting wasn't about that.
"Kin, your actions at the Hyuga compound went too far. Hyuga Yoshikata has lodged a formal complaint."
The Hyuga incident was why he'd summoned Kin. As for why Danzo was here—well, that remained a mystery.
"They tried to kill an active-duty Konoha shinobi. I intervened. How is that my fault?"
Kin's rebuttal was unshakable.
His actions had been flawless. If he'd truly wanted to act without restraint, would he have needed Hyuga Kiyoshi to sneak around?
He could've just stormed in and taken the Byakugan by force. Who in the Hyuga clan could've stopped him?
"True, in that regard, you weren't in the wrong."
Hiruzen nodded, privately agreeing with Kin's stance. The Hyuga clan's autonomy in handling their own had long been a thorn in his side.
If Konoha's leadership hadn't been weak back then, he wouldn't have conceded that authority.
Every Hyuga shinobi was, at their core, part of Konoha's fighting force.
In truth, his sympathies lay with Kin.
But this time, the Hyuga clan had offered significant concessions in exchange for restraining Kin.
"However, the Hyuga clan is deeply displeased with your development of a technique to block the Caged Bird Seal."
"Not my problem."
Kin shrugged. Now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no point hiding it.
He laid the matter bare without hesitation.
"They're just trying to protect their clan. Many forces covet the Byakugan."
"I said it's none of my concern. I developed it for Hyuga Kiyoshi, that's all."
Kin's tone was indifferent.
"Besides, my blocking technique only lets them choose to suppress the seal. If they die, the Caged Bird still activates. They should be thanking me."
The Caged Bird Seal Blocking Technique was designed to curb the Hyuga main family's exploitation of the branch families.
It wasn't a removal technique—if a branch member died without voluntarily lifting the block, their Byakugan would still be destroyed.
"I see. In that case, the fault lies with them."
Hiruzen's bias was obvious.
While this undermined the Hyuga clan's control, it benefited the village.
But that made it harder to impose restrictions on Kin. Still, the Hyuga had surrendered too much for him to do nothing.
Knowing Kin well, Hiruzen cut to the chase.
"Name your terms for sealing this technique away, keeping it out of the Hyuga branch families' hands."
That was the limitation the Hyuga clan demanded.
Kin stroked his chin, studying Hiruzen. The Hyuga must've bled heavily for this.
"Double the Research Division's funding."
"Impossible."
Hiruzen refused outright. The Hyuga had paid dearly, but that didn't mean he'd let Kin gouge him.
"I'll hand over the Caged Bird Seal Blocking Technique to the village."
"Deal."
Hiruzen agreed instantly, afraid Kin might reconsider.
I undersold it.
Kin shot the old man a deadpan look.
If the village possessed this technique, it could fully co-opt the Hyuga branch families.
Even Danzo cracked a rare smile. He'd long coveted the Hyuga—only the Caged Bird had deterred him.
With the exchange concluded, Danzo pressed his own agenda.
"What exactly did the Hyuga clan lose?"
He was desperate to know what had driven the Hyuga to such extremes.
Kin glanced at Hyuga Kiyoshi, feigning ignorance. The act lessened Hiruzen and Danzo's suspicions.
Their attention turned to Kiyoshi.
"I only exchanged the Caged Bird Seal Blocking Technique with those five. What they did afterward is unknown to me."
Kiyoshi's expression remained blank, revealing nothing.
Hiruzen and Danzo were skeptical, but with Kin backing him, they couldn't resort to interrogation.
Reluctantly, they let it go.
"By the way, has your Research Division produced any new results lately?" Hiruzen changed the subject.
"Was the Breathing Style not enough?"
Kin rolled his eyes. He'd uploaded all Breathing Styles—albeit outdated versions—but they still significantly boosted combat power. And their potential was vast.
"It's sufficient, but we could use more ninjutsu-based developments. These are all taijutsu-oriented."
Konoha was renowned for its ninjutsu diversity. Having everyone rely on enhanced taijutsu was… unconventional.
"You think breakthroughs grow on trees?"
Kin scoffed.
"We'll see."
Konoha's strength had grown substantially.
Other villages? Not so much.
(End of Chapter)