The rise of the Seii Taishogun's Shogunate was like a sudden storm—sweeping through the Ninja World before vanishing into obscurity.
Beyond designating two so-called Beast Summoning Holy Sites that barely registered with commoners and lower-ranked ninja, it had clearly identified no other enemies.
With the news of Hyuga Soushu's legitimate heir drawing widespread attention, the Shogunate's presence faded even further.
Yet visible presence did not equate to actual influence.
To the Three Great Hidden Villages, the Shogunate was an utter enigma.
The Kage of these villages could not comprehend how such a military organization—one that crossed national and village boundaries bound solely by practical interests—could be successfully created and sustained long-term.
Just as they had never understood how the monstrous Ninja Clan Capital Corporation could unleash such massive productivity and military power.
These differences stemmed from fundamental systemic and cognitive divides.
Therefore, for the Three Great Hidden Villages, already lacking the capacity for internal reform, there was little courage to actively question or challenge the Shogunate's existence.
Now, this shared ostrich mentality—pretending not to see anything—was actually quite convenient for everyone involved.
"Ryujū! I've decided. His name shall be Ryujū!"
After the full moon marking his eldest son's birth, Hyuga Soushu formally named his son.
"Hyuga Ryujū sounds pretty good."
Uchiha Mahiru wasn't particularly invested; her mind focused on something else: "If you think about it, Fugaku's child and Ryujū were born on the same day."
"Is that so?"
Hyuga Soushu gave a slight nod, deep in thought.
Possibly due to the butterfly effect he had caused, along with the many upheavals within the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha's wedding date had also shifted accordingly.
"At least it's only a girl," Mahiru added. "If everything goes smoothly, perhaps our children might one day…"
"No need to rush. It's still early."
Soushu chuckled as he comforted her.
"Right now, the Uchiha are developing too quickly and advancing too smoothly. Many have become arrogant and conceited."
Uchiha Mahiru, who had practically turned her allegiance elsewhere, muttered discontentedly, "If we'd waited another ten or twenty years, taking over the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have been so easy!"
"It's fine, really. We already have a faction of the Uchiha under our control. That should be more than enough."
Hyuga Soushu patted her head soothingly. "Besides, on the surface, the Hyuga and Uchiha have long been allied partners. Certain things just aren't very convenient to do."
Truthfully, recently Soushu had focused heavily on his own child and the formation of the Shogunate, leaving him little energy to monitor intelligence across the Ninja World. Therefore, he hadn't learned yet that Fugaku Uchiha's firstborn was actually a girl!
And this was a total departure from the set course of history!
In other words, Itachi had practically ceased to exist in reality.
Besides, considering the current situation of the Uchiha Clan, it's unlikely they would still nurture a member who stands against the clan's interests, right?
Moreover, many Uchiha currently serve within the Standing Ninja Army, as well as in the Shinsengumi and Instructor Corps directly under Hyuga Soushu. The integration between both sides is quite high. Hyuga Soushu didn't even need to make special efforts to gain support from within the Uchiha—there were already many Uchiha ninja enthusiastically rallying under his command.
After all, as naturally warlike Sharingan wielders, what they pursued was never a life of ease.
Konoha's position became even more precarious after the establishment of the Seii Taishogun's Shogunate.
Especially the secret collusion between Danzo and Jiraiya had been partially uncovered by the ninja participating in the campaign against the Dawn Organization, leaving behind some clues.
Although there was no solid evidence, this did not stop everyone from turning their suspicion toward Danzo. After all, Danzo was widely known as the Shadow of the Ninja World—personally branded by Hyuga Soushu as Konoha's cockroach. He had become the natural scapegoat; any dirty deed could easily be pinned on him without question!
Therefore, Danzo's extended Root Division tentacles were severed once again. And this time, pressured collectively by the ninja clan representatives, Danzo could do nothing but stay confined to the village, avoiding any rash moves.
Yet such a predicament was definitely not what Danzo desired, nor was it something he could accept.
"Hiruzen! If things continue like this, the legacy left behind by our teacher will only die a slow death!"
Rushing into the Hokage Office, Danzo immediately began passionately persuading: "Right now, the village still has sufficient ninja forces, and most people are still on our side. If we strike early, we still have a chance to turn the tide!"
"Then what?" asked Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly, unmoved by Danzo's plea.
"Then we can smoothly seize control of the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation and gradually reclaim all the authority!"
Danzo's expression was extremely excited, as if he had taken some stimulant.
"So, what exactly is your plan?"
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe and asked indifferently.
"Mobilize Konoha's elite force, unite Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and even the Three Great Hidden Villages, and launch a surprise attack on Hakone Prefecture City together!"
Danzo's voice overflowed with passion: "As long as we capture that white-eyed brat, Hyuga Soushu, the leadership of the Hyuga Clan will quickly collapse!"
"Believe me! They're incapable of resistance!"
"Kill him! Just kill him!"
"Take action, Hiruzen!"
Danzo's voice grew increasingly fervent, yet Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi continued puffing his pipe, releasing waves of smoke.
But this was simply unrealistic.
If the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation were truly that fragile, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi would never have allowed—let alone tolerated—the expansion of various ninja clans beyond the village in the first place.
As for the supposed loyalty of Konoha ninja toward the Will of Fire—or even to him personally—Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply skeptical.
After all, the core function of a ninja is to take money and get the job done. And right now, the richest entity is the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation. Indeed, a large number of Konoha ninja earn their living by accepting outside missions from the Organization.
In such circumstances, anyone still foolish enough to provoke Hyuga Soushu directly would, in the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, simply be asking for death.
"Finished?" the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi asked calmly.
"Yeah." Danzo hesitated slightly before slowly nodding.
From Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression, he already knew his request was impossible.
"Then go home and rest."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep puff from his pipe, letting out a thick plume of smoke as he added, "Besides, recent rumors suggest dangerous winds are blowing—don't leave headquarters anymore."
"Huh?"
Though it sounded like a warning, Danzo detected an unusual undertone beneath the words.
"Oh, and hand over Root Division's personnel roster and location records too."
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi extended his hand. "Right now—I know you've always kept them on you."
"No way!"
Danzo was both shocked and furious, immediately rejecting the demand.
The list of Root Division agents was his biggest secret—it was his most powerful weapon, what gave Root its edge over others. Handing over the full registry along with facility locations would be like completely stripping Root bare from top to bottom!
This was absolutely unacceptable to Danzo.
"The purpose of Root is to train reserve Anbu operatives. Your duty is to fulfill that basic function well," Sarutobi said casually.
"If you can't even handle your most basic duty properly, how can I trust you with anything bigger?"
"But you can't just—"
Danzo was furious yet helpless.
He could clearly sense it now—if he so much as twitched, instant death would follow, as chilling chakra had locked onto every vital spot on his body.
No explanation needed—those chakra signatures (energy readings) could only belong to elite Anbu Jonin!
And one thing was certain: Hiruzen must have given orders before Danzo arrived; otherwise, there wouldn't have been this overwhelming, unmistakable murderous intent.
"You—" Danzo's lips trembled, his eyes bloodshot with rage as he pointed at the composed Hiruzen Sarutobi, unable to speak further.
"If we're speaking purely from the standpoint of benefit, I should sacrifice you."
Hiruzen let out a theatrical sigh. "But I couldn't help myself—I gave you a chance to live, out of respect for our old friendship. If you insist on walking straight into death, though, there's nothing I can do."
"Why?!" Danzo suddenly hissed through gritted teeth.
"No particular reason. Just that you've been stepping far beyond your bounds more and more."
Hiruzen softly tapped out the ashes in his pipe, refilling it with fresh tobacco. "No one—not even you—can act on your own while ignoring the safety of the entire village!"
"I didn't! I never did!" Danzo quickly protested.
Whether he actually had or not was irrelevant by now.
After all, this was nothing but "could-have-been-there" accusations—perfectly normal for Konoha's top brass who thrived on theatrics.
"Root shall return to its original role as a training division. All external affairs will be handled by Anbu. As for village domestic matters..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused briefly before adding, "I believe Hiashi is more than capable of leading the Patrol Force and fulfilling this responsibility excellently!"
A sound like a hyena's desperate howl burst from Danzo's throat.
"Root consumes way more resources than it ever delivers in results."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's reasoning actually made sense: "Besides, Root can't carry out missions outside the village anymore, so we might as well return to its original purpose as a training division."
"Fine!"
Feeling increasingly intense murderous intent mixed with chakra fluctuations locking onto him, Danzo could no longer hold his ground.
Gritting his teeth, he slowly took out a scroll and placed it on the desk.
"In that case, problem solved."
Finally, a satisfied smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
From the moment Danzo stormed into his office until now, he'd managed to strip him of control over the Ninja Force in the time it took to smoke three pipes.
Though Root wasn't as powerful as it once was, Hiruzen didn't care about the surface-level Root ninja—those used just for resource consumption or intel gathering. What he really wanted was access to the secret research labs Danzo had kept locked down.
After all, the only possible shortcut he could think of for overtaking rivals lay in continuing the Wood Release Experiment Project—a project previously halted yet secretly researched continuously by Root!
Tsunade returned to Konoha only after Mahiru gave birth.
As a distinguished guest personally invited by Hyuga Soushu, along with her prestigious background, Tsunade basically enjoyed unrestricted access throughout Hakone Prefecture city.
Except for several highly classified military bases, essentially everything in Hakone Prefecture city was open to Tsunade's inspection, allowing her to look around freely.
That was precisely why Tsunade carried such a heavy heart.
Especially after witnessing how prosperous the Hyuga Clan was becoming, seeing the younger generation bursting with vitality, loneliness once again surged within her chest, making her feel isolated and alone.
The Senju Clan no longer existed, and the only person openly connected to the name was herself—Princess Tsunade, widely respected throughout Konoha.
Moreover, even she—the nominal descendant of Senju—was half-Senju and half-Uzumaki by blood.
She hadn't really cared much about this originally, believing that the gradual disappearance or voluntary integration of ninja clans into the broader village structure was an inevitable trend in progress. But after visiting Hakone city, doubts began stirring inside Tsunade.
Was there really another way forward in this era?
Tsunade felt confused, struggling to figure out any appropriate methods.
She wanted change, but also clearly recognized that even if she and Dan were to move beyond their current polite, purely spiritual romantic relationship—to break through that barrier and become lovers—they still wouldn't be able to produce a powerful clan.
After all, she was human—not some sow that could give birth to a dozen piglets at once.
For Tsunade, who bore the Yin Seal, recklessly pushing past her limits could permanently disrupt her chakra flow—a consequence she was determined to avoid.
It was precisely for this reason that she had kept her relationship with Dan Kato strictly platonic all these years.
"Hyuga, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Senju."
Tsunade silently recited in her heart the names of the four once-great noble ninja clans that had ruled the Ninja World, feeling a deep sense of loss.
The once-mighty Senju Clan was on the verge of vanishing completely into history's dustbin, while the devastated Uzumaki Clan had been reduced to little more than a puppet under the Hyuga's control. As for the Hyuga and Uchiha, these two Dōjutsu Noble Families seemed to be growing ever closer, their power steadily increasing.
As a result, by comparison, Tsunade couldn't help but feel deeply troubled.
"Sigh..."
In the secret chamber, a downcast Tsunade instinctively pressed her forehead and exhaled in frustration.
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