Naruto: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Otsutsuki

Chapter 21 A Family That Rise Above the Village...

Konoha Village is a ninja village established based on the Senju and Uchiha clans.

Later, many more families, such as Sarutobi, Shimura, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, and Aburame, joined, gradually forming the current scale.

From the time of the First Hokage to the reign of the Third Hokage, Konoha continued to grow stronger.

By the time Naruto Uzumaki graduated, the village had over 12607 registered ninjas.

This does not include ninjas who have already died or retired.

In fact, the major clans have always maintained the tradition of not sending all clan members to ninja academies, but instead training a portion of clan ninjas internally.

This custom has existed since the village was founded, and even when Tobirama Senju set an example by disbanding the Senju clan, it could not completely change this practice.

Each major family secretly cultivates the fighting power of its direct family members, and these forces are usually only used in the most critical moments.

Of course, the Shimura family also had some.

However, basically all those who met the required strength were absorbed into Danzo's Root.

And now...

The Hyuga clan actually sent out their hidden clan ninjas?

Danzo Shimura's brow furrowed even more deeply.

The Hyuga clan held a festival recently, he lost his Byakugan, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to shift the blame onto him. Given the current situation, he can still tolerate it.

I won't dwell on it.

But what are they plotting in the shadows now?

Isn't the current situation chaotic enough?

"How's your strength?"

"Reporting to Lord Danzo, it was a four-person team. Based on observation, there were two Jonin and two Chunin."

Two Jonin?!

Danzo's one eye, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes, which then turned into intense doubt and anger.

It's important to know that a Jonin is enough to hold an important position in a village, and in a small ninja village, the Jonin can even become the leader directly.

Jonin like Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze can even influence the course of a war.

With fierce fighting raging on the front lines, it's one thing for the Hyuga clan not to send their own clan ninjas to the battlefield, but they've even secretly dispatched Jonin to the Iwagakure war zone.

What exactly are they trying to do?

Could it be... that they're preparing to defect?!

"Does Hiruzen know about this?"

"The Hokage was unaware of this."

Terai replied quickly and expressionlessly, "If it weren't for Lord Danzo's prior arrangements of spies in the village, the Hyuga clan's operation this time would probably have gone completely unnoticed."

"No one will even notice...?"

Danzo repeated the words in a low voice, his mind filled with doubt.

Could it be that the loss of the Byakugan and the failure to capture the culprit have caused the Hyuga clan to become dissatisfied with the village?

wrong……

A terrifying hypothesis took shape in Danzo's mind.

The Hyuga clan wouldn't be so foolish.

unless………

Unless it is determined that the village will inevitably lose this battle...

They then made preparations for their escape route in advance, sending a clan Jonin to secretly contact Onoki, intending to surrender.

"A family that reigns supreme over the village..."

Danzo slowly uttered these words, his tone icy and chilling.

This was just intelligence that his "roots" had accidentally intercepted.

If the Hyuga clan does this, what about the other clans?

Do you also have this idea?

"Keep a close watch on all the major families in the village, and don't let the slightest movement go unnoticed."

"Especially the Hyuga clan!"

"yes!"

Terai bowed his head and accepted the order, then vanished from the Hokage's office in a flash.

Danzo slowly got up and walked to the window.

The streets were much quieter than usual. His gaze swept over the few pedestrians and landed on the children playing "ninja games" in the open space in the distance. He was momentarily lost in thought.

Once upon a time, he and Hiruzen Sarutobi also ran and played like that, rivals and companions alike...

"Hiruzen, you are Konoha bathed in sunlight, while I am the root buried deep in darkness..."

"If anyone attempts to overthrow the village..."

"Then let's give it a try."

Just as his thoughts were racing, a steady knock came from outside the door.

Thump, thump...

"Come in."

"Lord Hokage, the Qinglan Squad has returned from their mission and is here to report."

"This is..."

Hinata Seiran pushed open the door and entered, instinctively bowing and reporting to the figure whose back was to the door, but paused for a moment when the other person turned around.

"What? Are you surprised to see this old man?"

Danzo turned around, his tone indifferent.

However, Hinata Seiran still managed to detect a faint trace of hostility in his expression.

What happened?

"No, Lord Danzo,"

Hinata Seiran was puzzled, but showed no sign of it on his face. He gently placed the two people he was carrying on the ground, then bowed respectfully.

"These are the Cloud Village ninjas my team captured while escorting the Daimyo's son. We have already reported the details to the Hokage."

"Yeah?"

Danzo glanced into the shadows of the office; the shadow moved very slightly.

He slowly sat back in the Hokage's office chair, his gaze falling on Hyuga Aoran: "Then let's report the details again."

Seeing Hyuga Seiran's hesitant expression, Danzo added, "I am now the acting Hokage, so there's no need to hesitate."

"Yes...this is how it is..."

Hinata Seiran responded in a deep voice, smoothly recounting the entire mission while rapidly processing the details in his mind.

"Danzo seems to have developed hostility towards me..."

"To be precise, was that hostility directed at the Hyuga clan?"

What's going on?

If it were said that Hiashi Hyuga harbored hostility towards Danzo because of Hikaru Hyuga's death, it would be understandable.

After all, Hyuga Tenun was killed by Orochimaru using Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, which was Danzo's signature ninjutsu.

Although it is unknown whether Orochimaru did it intentionally, in terms of the outcome, Hiashi Hyuga most likely tacitly acknowledged that Danzo was behind it.

It's puzzling that Danzo turned against the Hyuga clan.

Could it be that Hiashi Hyuga didn't dare to openly attack Danzo, but was secretly making moves, which led to Danzo's current attitude?

Hinata Seiran observed Danzo's expression discreetly, while keeping an eye on the presence in the shadows out of the corner of his eye.

If that's the case, then it makes sense.

But this is good, as the two sides check and balance each other, making it easier for him to fish in troubled waters.

"That's how it is, Lord Danzo."

After the report was completed, Hinata Seiran stood quietly and waited.

"good……"

Shimura Danzo looked Hyuga Aoran up and down for a moment, then took the letter of authorization from him, stamped it, and put it away.

"You've had a tough mission, go back and rest now."

"yes!"

Hinata Seiran glanced at the unconscious Saji and the stiff-faced Dekayi on the ground, bowed, and turned to leave.

"Ryoma, how's it going?"

Only after Hyuga Seiran's figure had completely disappeared did Danzo slowly speak: "Was he lying?"

"Lord Danzo, the insect told me that Hyuga Seiran's emotions were very calm. He was only surprised for a moment at the beginning, and there was no other fluctuation."

"It doesn't sound like a lie."

Ryoma Aburame emerged quietly from the shadows and answered calmly.

"I see..."

Danzo tapped his fingers lightly on the table, recalling every detail of Qinglan's report.

The fact that Hyuga Aoran, as the team leader, was able to lead his team to encounter the Cloud Village squad and successfully capture two of them clearly demonstrates his considerable strength and decisiveness.

He's strong enough, and he's from a branch family... it's just unknown whether he was persecuted by the Hyuga main family.

If that's the case... perhaps it could become a pawn for monitoring the Hyuga clan's internal affairs.

"Take these two Cloud Village prisoners to the interrogation department and make sure they extract all the information they need."

"Also, retrieve all of Hinata Seiran's information and send it to me."

"Yes."

Aburame Ryoma bowed and accepted the order, his figure disappearing back into the shadows.

Danzo sat alone in his chair, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Hyuga clan's territory outside the window.

It remained unmoved for a long time.