"H-Hokage-sama?!"
Hinata, cradled in Kaede's arms as he carried her away from the courtyard, spoke in a small, timid voice. At just three years old, she couldn't grasp the situation or understand that everything was already over.
Kaede gave her a gentle smile and said, "Don't worry, it's all taken care of."
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Back in the courtyard.
The Cloud ninja were drenched in sweat, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Hyuga Hiashi exhaled deeply as he watched Kaede walk away. A mix of gratitude and resolve flickered in his eyes.
From the time of the First Hokage's founding of the village to the reign of the Second, the major clans within Konoha and other internal factions had always been engaged in subtle power struggles. When a clan's influence grew too large, it inevitably attracted the wariness of the Hokage.
The Uchiha clan had always faced suppression; the Senju as well. This underlying distrust was one of the reasons Tsunade became estranged from Sarutobi Hiruzen after the Second Shinobi World War.
Even when Namikaze Minato became Hokage, little changed.
But that pattern ended when Kaede took office as the Fifth Hokage.
Since then, none of the major clans had suffered suppression. Kaede's policy had always been about nurturing talent, whoever had the greatest potential and skill would be entrusted with responsibility. He treated all of Konoha's ninja with fairness, regardless of clan or background.
As the Hyuga clan's patriarch, Hiashi had stopped worrying about internal political threats long ago. Even the long-standing tension with the Uchiha clan had cooled, and their relations remained stable.
Today presented an excellent opportunity for Kaede to suppress the Hyuga clan if he wished, no one would question it. Yet Kaede didn't take that route. He didn't even hesitate. When the conflict involved Konoha and an outside village, his stance was absolute and unyielding.
On the surface, it may have seemed like he was merely protecting the Hyuga.
But what he was truly doing was sending a clear message to everyone:
He would not interfere with the growth or strength of any faction, even the influential Hyuga. As long as he remained Hokage, no power struggles within Konoha would ever again lead to bloodshed.
"…That's the Fifth Hokage for you."
Fugaku Uchiha looked after Kaede's departing figure and spoke in a low voice. Then, glancing at Hiashi and Nara Shikaku, he said, "Shikaku-sama, I'll leave things here to you."
As the first clan to support Kaede, and being the Uchiha, no less, Fugaku naturally hoped their standing would be strengthened further. He didn't want the rapidly rising Hyuga to challenge the Uchiha's position.
Still, Kaede's equal-treatment policy was a good thing.
At the very least, they no longer had to worry about being suppressed for growing too powerful. They could simply focus on developing their talents, and in that regard, the Uchiha feared no rivals.
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Inside the Hyuga household
Kaede sat quietly, gazing down at Hinata in his arms.
His deep blue Tenseigan eyes shimmered with light.
The reason he had taken Hinata away alone wasn't merely because the conflict had ended. Compared to the situation with the Cloud ninja, something else weighed more heavily on his mind, Hinata herself.
Under the gaze of the Tenseigan,
Kaede could clearly see the presence of Otsutsuki Hamura's chakra clinging to Hinata!
"Chakra on the level of the Sage of Six Paths… Even if scattered, unless absorbed or sealed, it will eventually reincarnate and gather again…"
Kaede's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
When he had acquired the Byakugan infused with Hamura's ocular power, the rest of Hamura's chakra had dissipated.
Now, a small wisp of Hamura's chakra had attached itself to Hinata. Though only a trace, it had rooted itself deeply, and silently, it was attracting more of Hamura's scattered chakra from across the world.
Eventually, Hinata would become similar to Naruto and Sasuke, reincarnations of Asura and Indra. She was on the path to becoming Hamura's vessel.
Kaede pondered silently.
He had several options: one was to forcibly extract and seal Hamura's chakra from Hinata. If he did that, Hamura's chakra might find another Hyuga to attach itself to.
The other was to leave it be, allowing Hinata to inherit Hamura's chakra and grow with it.
After considering for a while, Kaede chose to let things take their natural course. He saw no real problem with Hinata inheriting Hamura's chakra.
This kind of "reincarnation" was different from Kaguya's resurrection. Pure chakra didn't contain consciousness, it merely resonated with those of the same bloodline, forming a legacy of inheritance.
Now that he had stepped into the realm of the Six Paths, if he had descendants and scattered his own chakra across the ninja world, that chakra would likewise be drawn to his bloodline and eventually return to his offspring.
"Hokage-sama."
Just as Kaede was observing the chakra fluctuations on Hinata, Hyuga Hiashi walked in and bowed respectfully.
Kaede slowly closed his eyes, the blue light in them fading. He set Hinata down. She glanced at him cautiously, then ran over to Hiashi's side.
"Hiashi, there's something I need to speak with you about."
"Yes."
Hiashi nodded and gently patted Hinata's head. "Go to your mother."
Hinata responded softly and left the room.
Kaede watched her go.
Noticing Kaede's lingering gaze, Hiashi hesitated, then cautiously asked, "Is it… about Hinata?"
Kaede turned to him and nodded. "You've always wondered why my eyes exert a kind of pressure on your Byakugan, haven't you?"
Hiashi bowed his head slightly.
Indeed, he had.
Ever since Kaede's eyes had changed, every time they met, Hiashi could feel a pressure that came directly from his Byakugan, a sensation he had never felt before, even among his own clan or facing other ocular jutsu.
This mystery had lingered in his heart, but he had never dared to ask, it clearly touched on the source of Kaede's power, a highly sensitive topic.
"No need to be so tense."
Kaede smiled faintly. "My eyes are indeed connected to the Hyuga. They're essentially a higher-level evolution of the Byakugan, originating from your clan's ancestor, Otsutsuki Hamura, the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths."
Hiashi looked up in shock. "So that's the reason… No wonder I always felt a primal pressure from your gaze."
"For certain reasons, I once fought Hamura's reincarnation and took his ocular power. That's how I obtained these eyes. But as for Hamura's chakra, it has now found a new vessel."
Kaede spoke calmly.
Hiashi's heart skipped a beat. "You mean…"
"Yes, Hamura's chakra has attached itself to Hinata."
Kaede nodded slightly. "His chakra is immensely powerful, not easily controlled. In fact, it's far more likely to influence Hinata than the other way around. She's not yet capable of wielding such power. If anything, it will control her."
Hiashi's expression shifted.
It was certainly a great honor for Hinata to receive their ancestor's power. But if she couldn't control it… the consequences could be dire.
And furthermore,
Kaede himself held a portion of that ancestral power. That implied an even deeper significance.
Hiashi looked at Kaede, uneasily asking:
"Then…?"
"Don't worry."
Kaede smiled gently. "I won't let Hamura's chakra harm her. But she's too young right now, far from ready to handle it. So I'm going to place a seal on her, temporarily sealing the chakra. When she's older, I'll lift the seal and teach her how to control it."
Hiashi paused, then smiled in relief. "Then let me thank you on Hinata's behalf, Hokage-sama."
When Kaede first mentioned Hamura's power, Hiashi had briefly wondered if he had some ulterior motive, but that thought quickly vanished.
After all, Kaede had already possessed power far beyond any ordinary ninja before gaining those eyes.
If he truly had designs on the Hyuga clan's power, he wouldn't need to hide it. There was no way the Hyuga could resist someone of his strength.
The disparity was simply too vast.
There'd be no need for him to take such a roundabout approach.
With that worry gone, there were only two things that mattered now: first, Hinata had become the inheritor of their ancestor's power; second, Kaede was willing to take Hinata as his student once she had matured.
Uchiha Itachi, the eldest son of Fugaku, was already Kaede's student. The Uchiha were also the first clan to support Kaede and now held considerable influence in the village, with many of their ninja even serving directly under the Hokage in the elite Hokage Guard unit, outnumbering the Hyuga.
Hiashi had long wanted to find an opportunity to strengthen his clan's ties with Kaede, but such a chance had never come, until now.
And after what had just happened today…
That made three pieces of good news in one day. Even as the usually composed clan head, he couldn't hide his joy.
"Oh, right."
Kaede added with a smile, "That Cloud ninja who died at your hands, turns out I had a little something to do with that."
Hiashi blinked.
Kaede continued, "Last night, the Nine Tails sensed malice from him. I used my power to briefly control him, and then, well… he just happened to get himself killed by you."
Hiashi froze for a moment, then sighed in relief and gave a wry smile. "So that's what happened…"
He'd been worried it was a trap, either from the Cloud or some hidden faction within the village.
Kaede stood and stretched lightly. "Something came up at home, so I didn't come over right away. I was planning to handle it today. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," Hiashi said. "And that Cloud ninja did indeed harbor ill intentions toward our clan. I should be the one thanking you, Hokage-sama, had it not been for your intervention, things could've turned out much worse."
Kaede smiled again and turned to leave. "That's all. I'll go work on the seal. Once I finalize it, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Hiashi followed him all the way to the edge of the Hyuga compound.
Only after watching Kaede's figure disappear with a swish did he finally exhale deeply. As he turned and walked back inside, his thoughts swirled with everything he had just learned.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria