Morning fog still lingered before Konoha Gate.
Wearing the Hokage Robe and the Hokage Hat, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the very front with a solemn face. Behind him on both sides were the three senior advisers, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, while the clan heads of Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Aburame Clan, Inuzuka Clan, and others waited farther back.
They stood on the street before the gate, and both sides of the road were packed with people. Even with the Konoha Police Force maintaining order, villagers kept gathering, bodies pressed together and voices overlapping without pause.
"Clan head."
An Uchiha named Yashiro Uchiha used Shunshin to appear behind Fugaku Uchiha. Seeing his clan head standing slightly behind the other leaders, he frowned, then lowered his head and said calmly, "Everything has been arranged."
Yashiro Uchiha wore a black tight underlayer with a green sleeveless Jonin chain vest on the outside, the emblem of the Konoha Police Force stitched on both shoulders. Fugaku Uchiha instead wore a dark blue long robe with the fan crest of the Uchiha Clan on the back, making it clear he was here as the clan head rather than a police captain.
"Good. Maintain order at all costs, and do not allow any mistakes. Otherwise, the entire clan will lose face."
Fugaku Uchiha had sharp, stern features. After turning slightly to give his instructions, he faced forward again.
He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi at the very front of the line, his eyes shifting as he let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
"Once Konoha and Kumogakure sign the alliance, the Third's prestige in the village will only rise. I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing."
The Konoha Police Force had been founded by Tobirama Senju, and most of its members came from the Uchiha Clan. Its main duty was to maintain internal security in Konoha, enforce village regulations, and arrest those with criminal intent, including rogue ninja, but excluding the Hokage'sdirectly subordinate ANBU.
Tobirama Senju had good intentions in letting the Uchiha control the police force. Although he believed the Uchiha Clan, with their Sharingan, were an unstable factor, he had always tried to integrate and guide their power during his lifetime.
However, after Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Third Hokage, part of the functions of the so called "special operations organization," ANBU, were replaced by Root. This led them to intervene in village security matters and caused functional conflicts with the police force.
It could only be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura truly were old friends, both promoting their owndirectly subordinate "guard units" without prior agreement. After all, the full name of ANBU was "ANBU Black Ops," and it was originally only responsible for reconnaissance, assassination, protecting the Hokage, and preventing foreign infiltration.
Most members of the Uchiha Clan were rigid and inflexible by nature. Compared to the adaptable ANBU, villagers punished by the police force in Konoha rarely liked the Uchiha's rulings.
As a result, ANBU and the police force often clashed and argued over law enforcement issues. Hiruzen Sarutobi's firm yet restrained handling of these disputes only deepened the Uchiha Clan's dissatisfaction with the Third Hokage, and even the steady Yashiro Uchiha was influenced by the clan's mood.
Thinking of all this made Fugaku Uchiha's head ache, and he even found himself missing the time when Minato served as the Fourth Hokage. It was not only because he and his wife were friends with the Fourth and his wife, but also because the Uchiha Clan genuinely respected that commoner-born Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already stepped down, yet after the Fourth's death he returned to the position and showed no intention of choosing a successor. No matter how one looked at it, the move appeared unbecoming.
"I will wait until the alliance is signed and the Third is in a good mood, then raise a few suggestions," Fugaku Uchiha thought as he looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi ahead.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly was in high spirits. Listening to the excited chatter and praise from the villagers behind him, he felt deeply satisfied and completely ignored the sour expression on Danzo's face nearby.
However, noticing the empty spot behind him from the corner of his eye, he frowned slightly.
"Has Hiashi Hyuga not arrived yet?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked without turning his head.
Standing behind him, Nara Clan's Nara Shikaku forced a bitter smile and stepped forward, lowering his voice. "We already sent someone to urge him half an hour ago, but…"
Before he could say anything in defense of the Hyuga Clan, an ANBU member used Shunshin to appear beside Hiruzen Sarutobi and whispered a report into his ear. Shikaku only vaguely caught the words "today is the third birthday of the Hyuga Main Family's eldest daughter," and he let out a deep sigh.
The Hyuga Clan's approach this time was rather foolish. In terms of self-preservation, they might be better than the Uchiha Clan, but neither clan truly possessed political insight, and today's matter made that clear.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered slightly, and a trace of displeasure flashed through his cloudy gaze. As a father and clan head, Hiashi Hyuga could choose not to come, but if the Hyuga Clan truly cared, they could have sent a respected Main Family elder instead.
In their eyes, the third birthday of the Main Family's daughter represented the future of the Hyuga Clan, far more important than the "small matter" of an alliance between Kumogakure and Konoha. What Hiruzen Sarutobi hated most was clans placing their own interests above those of the village.
The Uchiha Clan did so, and the Hyuga Clan was no different.
"The Hyuga Clan has important matters and cannot attend," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly despite his displeasure. "Fill the position and prepare to receive the delegation from Kumogakure."
Many people present were startled. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado frowned, while Danzo let out a faint scoff, intentional or not, darkening Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression.
This time, however, Danzo had indeed rendered service. Since he had picked the fruit, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not openly vent his anger, and could only place his resentment on the Hyuga.
"They're here, they're here!"
Among the tightly packed villagers lining the street, a child who had climbed a tree to look into the distance suddenly shouted, and the noisy crowd immediately erupted.
In the distance, several figures entered the gates of Konoha under the guidance of Konoha ninja. The three leading shinobi from Kumogakure wore forehead protectors of Kumogakure, their dark and rugged features forming a sharp contrast with the people of Konoha.
Women leaning out from the buildings on both sides scattered flower petals from their baskets into the air. Amid the crowd, Ryuji Hyuga watched calmly, a cold smile forming in his heart.
What a splendid scene of celebration and praise. The happier they laughed now, the greater their fear would be later.
Peace through compromise? There would be no such chance.
"The world is already a maze. Why build another one?" Ryuji Hyuga's eyes flickered slightly.
There were too many secrets in the shinobi world, enough for him to do many things. Only by stirring this stagnant water could he find a chance to profit from the chaos.
So he would make war arrive ahead of time.