The Hyuga Shall Stand Above, In The Heavens!

The peace talks between the Land of Thunder, Land of Earth, and Land of Fire were taken very seriously within all three countries.

In fact, looking at it, the losses Kumogakure Village and Iwagakure Village suffered from the previous war were not much less than those of Konohagakure.

Otherwise, Raikage wouldn't have lost so much without going berserk.

On one hand, he wasn't a match for Hyuga Hitoshi. Rushing into a fight wouldn't necessarily give him an advantage, especially since his opponent had taken the initiative and badly injured him, leaving the rest of the delegation unable to threaten him.

On the other hand, Raikage understood that the so-called test was supposed to be brief. He never expected Hyuga Hitoshi to be so tough. According to the original plan, the one who should have gained control of the test and ended it was Raikage. After all, the Land of Thunder's Daimyo had clearly told him that, regardless of the process, the Land of Thunder would no longer support Raikage in starting a war.

Everyone needed to recover.

At the very least, for the next few years, the word "war" should be kept far away from them.

So, Raikage didn't explode and swallowed his humiliation.

But such a simple truth, only a few people in Konohagakure could truly see.

Perhaps some people can understand, but they choose to turn a blind eye and remain silent, not wanting to be the wise one, simply aiming for a peaceful resolution to end the war.

"Though there were some issues during the process, from the result, it seems we've finally got the other side's stance."

Patiently waiting for Raikage to wheel his chair over to the table, Oonoki glanced at him before turning his gaze elsewhere.

"I only hope this cooperation doesn't go wrong."

Shimura Danzo, the one being watched, didn't blush at all, after all, this wasn't his first time working with Oonoki and Raikage.

As the person in charge of hosting the envoy delegation for Konohagakure, Danzo's presence here was not surprising.

Right now, Sarutobi had too few trustworthy people under him.

Other than the recently odd and somewhat active Hatake Kakashi, who seemed to be trying to win him over, Danzo was the only one left who could be trusted.

Even if Sarutobi Asuma hadn't left the village like in the original story and hadn't become a guardian ninja, he still didn't dare entrust important tasks to his son.

The Third Hokage feared that if he gave Asuma too much responsibility, his son might end up saying something shocking like Uchiha Itachi did, especially since Asuma had a history of being unreliable.

There was only Kakashi.

His sudden change was mysterious, so he was still under observation, but the Third Hokage hadn't distanced himself from him either.

The reason was simple: besides Kakashi's eyes, he hoped to use Kakashi to bring Uchiha Shisui over to his side. However, due to the pressure of the peace talks and the unstable Hokage position, he hadn't focused much on this aspect recently.

"Whether the cooperation goes wrong depends on Konohagakure's attitude."

Raikage's face turned pale, but his voice was still loud.

"Why didn't Hokage come himself? He sent you, a useless fool—what can you decide? This is Hokage's territory, and I still expect him to compensate me for my legs!"

Raikage was furious about his leg injuries.

However, his Land of Thunder couldn't afford to keep fighting, and the war had to end, so peace talks had to continue.

Wanting revenge, he couldn't fight Hyuga Hitoshi, so his anger turned towards the Konohagakure ninja in front of him.

Was this a demand for an explanation?

Danzo frowned. "I'll find a way to help with your legs."

Can it really be cured?

Raikage's attitude softened slightly when he heard that.

"Can Tsunade really heal broken bones?"

He thought Danzo would be able to persuade Tsunade.

But Raikage didn't know that, due to their bond from battles and Tsunade's moments of dealing with blood phobia, Tsunade had become Hyuga Hitoshi's woman.

If she knew Raikage's injuries were the result of trying to show off against Hyuga Hitoshi, she would probably laugh and kick him a few more times.

Healing? Impossible!

"It's not Tsunade, it's Orochimaru."

Danzo waved his hand, seemingly not wanting to dwell on the issue.

Although Orochimaru couldn't fully restore Raikage to his previous state, getting him back on his feet and even replacing his legs was well within his capability.

Before Orochimaru defected, they had been cooperating, and even after his defection, that cooperation hadn't ended. Danzo could probably contact him easily and solve the problem.

Now, he was using this as a bargaining chip in the negotiations.

Orochimaru, huh?

Raikage fell silent for a moment but didn't press the issue further. Instead, he looked towards Oonoki beside him.

The Third Hokage sent Danzo in the middle of the night, which pretty much showed his stance. But can this person be trusted?

He came later, so we don't know what the two of them talked about.

"As for the plan, I've already exchanged opinions with Danzo. All I can say is that we're on the same page."

Could they not be on the same page?

One wants the Byakugan and Sharingan, the other has long wanted to strike at the Hyuga and Uchiha clans but hasn't had a proper opportunity. The arrival of the Tsuchikage and Raikage was a godsend—perfect timing for them to team up!

Oonoki wasn't hiding anything either.

"The Sharingan, I must have it!"

"I just hope that when things unfold, the people of Konoha can make things easier for me."

Some things don't need to be spelled out clearly.

Actually, the three of them sitting here was also a form of negotiation.

The difference was, if the village's Kekkei Genkai was used openly as part of the compensation agreement, it wouldn't sound good if word got out. It could affect the village's unity and make the other ninja clans start thinking too much.

But as a member of the village, one must be prepared for this reality.

"I'll make sure everything is done reasonably and sensibly. Once it's done, all Hokage needs to do is step up and say a few words. From what I've observed, it seems the Uchiha and Hyuga clans aren't exactly on good terms with Konoha's higher-ups. Isn't this a chance to suppress them?"

Suppressing the ninja clans was basic skill for the Kage, and Oonoki played it smoothly.

As for the plan?

He'd already discussed this with the Raikage. The simpler the plan, the fewer the flaws.

As for how to get the Byakugan and Sharingan without affecting the peace talks, Oonoki and the Raikage had already worked it out. Danzo and Sarutobi didn't need to worry.

"I'm of the same mind. All we need is for you to get Hokage's approval. The rest we'll handle. Whether it's suppression or anything else, we'll cooperate with Hokage."

"And Hokage must also ensure the attitude of the Land of Fire's Daimyo."

Raikage said gruffly.

"If everything goes well, and you really manage to get Orochimaru to give me back my legs, I'll make the call. I won't take a single penny of the compensation."

No amount of money was worth his legs!

Sometimes, you only realize what's important after you lose it. He deeply regretted his earlier provocations.

But Raikage was surprised when Danzo immediately changed his tone after hearing he didn't want money:

"No! Absolutely not! How can you refuse the money?"

Raikage paused, frowning and looking at Danzo with a look of disbelief.

But Oonoki, being a seasoned negotiator, smiled slightly and stopped Raikage from speaking.

"I understand the rules. I'll prepare two copies of the compensation contract with Raikage. How to proceed from there is up to you and Hokage."

Two copies? 

Raikage looked at Oonoki, confused, hoping for an explanation.

However, seeing how straightforward his Kage was, Raikage's secretary, Mabui, couldn't hold back anymore and quickly came over to explain.

"It's a 'Yin-Yang contract.' On the surface, it looks like the compensation is being given to us, but in reality, the private contract is the real deal. It's a way to legally pocket the compensation money."

They can play like this? Isn't this just turning the village's money into their own?

Raikage, who had never signed a defeat treaty, was shocked. He looked at Danzo with newfound respect.

"Damn, when it comes to exploiting your own people, it's definitely Konoha! You may be bad at strategy and weak in strength, but you're really good at sucking up to people!"

Of course.

"That's a given."

Though my fighting skill may not be as good as Hiruzen's, at least I was the one who truly helped the Senju clan integrate into Konohagakure. As for this Yin-Yang contract stuff, I had already asked about it when Utatane Koharu was still alive.

This is what you call putting knowledge into practice!

But what's Raikage trying to say? Is he complimenting me, or insulting me?

Danzo cast an annoyed glance at Raikage but didn't lose his temper. Compared to the task of striking down the Hyuga and Uchiha clans and stabilizing Sarutobi's position as the third Hokage, these small grievances didn't matter much.

To show sincerity, Danzo also brought the intelligence they wanted.

"It seems that the Hyuga clan gave birth to a pair of twin girls at the beginning of last year. Since Hyuga Hitoshi doesn't have any children of his own—well, that's not quite it."

Danzo frowned, rewording his statement.

"Because Hyuga Hitoshi's bloodline is now that of Uchiha's second son, if Raikage wants the Hyuga clan's blood, you'll have to look at the younger generation of the collateral family closely connected to the main branch. Those two girls are suitable, but the boy—Hyuga Neji—is already old enough and would be hard to train."

What does that mean?

Oonoki and Raikage both frowned when they heard this.

From Danzo's brief words, it seemed like something important was being hinted at.

"This is a difficult situation to explain. Even the new Uchiha Patriarch's wife directly married into the Hyuga clan—there's no way to explain that." Danzo waved his hand. "All you need to know is that Uchiha Sasuke, the second son of the Uchiha Patriarch, has the powers of both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. That's enough."

"I'm not sure if this is good or bad. On the bright side, it means he has the abilities of both clans' dojutsu, but on the downside, it means his bloodline might not be pure—he could turn out to be a half-blood."

"So, I suggest that if Tsuchikage wants the Sharingan, once this is done, you can go directly to Uchiha Fugaku and ask for it. There's no need to train from scratch."

The idea of combining the Uchiha and Hyuga bloodlines?

Oonoki and Raikage both understood now.

But Oonoki clearly dismissed Danzo's suggestion, as Hyuga Hitoshi's strength had already been proven. How could his child be weak?

Looks like two plans need to be prepared.

Tsuchikage and Raikage exchanged glances, both understanding each other's thoughts.

It had to be said that since the war started, Oonoki and Raikage had become more in sync. Who knows, maybe Killer Bee would get jealous if he found out.

In the end, the representatives of the three great ninja villages confirmed their cooperation in the meeting room, and under Danzo's advice, they enriched and refined their individual plans.

The brief meeting ended, and everyone was satisfied with the outcome.

But what they didn't know was that a small, nearly invisible device, resembling a camera, hidden on the chandelier above the meeting room, had already recorded everything.

Including but not limited to how Danzo politely refused the compensation, Raikage's clever manipulation of cataracts, Tsuchikage's favoritism toward the sharingan, and a series of other plans.

Patriarch Hitoshi believed that once these images were made public, they would definitely cause a huge stir in the village.

Every village had its own ugly sides, but no one had ever brought such a dirty deal into the open.

Hyuga clan's territory.

On the familiar lounge chair, Patriarch Hitoshi fiddled with a mini chakra-powered, long-lasting, remotely controlled camera while reading the research report sent by Orochimaru.

"Hitoshi-kun, forgive my bluntness, but this kind of research is completely useless and a waste of life. Moreover, using chakra as a power source to record past events with this fixed technique has no practical value. It's also something that can be easily discovered by stronger individuals if used to spy. I don't understand the meaning behind your development of this, Hitoshi-kun, but since it's a task you assigned, I have done my best to complete it."

"Also, the moon's uniform movement is still stable. Your control over the Tenseigan is impressive, and it truly is a marvelous thing. The power within it is awe-inspiring."

This was a letter from Orochimaru.

But that wasn't important. Hyuga Hitoshi glanced at the moon, which seemed slightly bigger in the night sky, and with a snap of his fingers, fixed it in place.

He then began playing with the so-called "camera."

The technology in the Hokage world was skewed, and ninjas rarely used such high-tech devices.

Yet, Hyuga Hitoshi still made full use of this item. By first using a barrier left by Hamura to block its presence, it became a perfect tool for spying.

This device wasn't exactly a camera, it was more like a tool that could temporarily record certain events in a fixed scene using the special nature of chakra. It could be said to have a similar function, but it was essentially a ninja tool developed by Orochimaru.

When needed, you could point it at the sky, and everything recorded previously would appear, even with sound.

Hitoshi didn't plan to mass-produce this tool for now; it was just a gift for the great village.

"Patriarch, I've informed the clansmen in the village. They are ready."

Ushiuma respectfully approached Hitoshi and reported on the progress of the task.

In a year and a half, even though the migration wasn't fast, most of the clansmen who were supposed to move to the moon had already done so. The ones remaining were those who volunteered to stay behind, serving as a front to avoid suspicion. They were willing to join Hyuga Hitoshi in his madness, ready to fight for the Patriarch at any time.

But Hitoshi didn't intend to make them fight.

On the contrary, there was another wave of drama waiting for them to play along with.

"It's finally come to this day."

Hitoshi stretched and waved his hand at Samui, who was passing by. Samui paused for a moment, her face reddened slightly, then she walked over and kneeled beside him, obediently offering a hand to massage Hitoshi.

The little kitten skills were effective; at least she wasn't resisting her role as a maid.

By now, considering the rumors that had spread around the village after he publicly crushed Raikage, Hyuga Hitoshi already knew it was probably time to say goodbye to this village.

He...

He should never have had any expectations for this village from the start.

But Hitoshi was someone with a sense of ceremony and plans, so it was better to follow the proper procedures, even if he was leaving.

With that decided,

Let's cause a big stir.

Hitoshi's expression turned cold.

"Tell the clansmen to be on alert. Any suspicious individuals who enter the village without permission..."

"Kill them!"

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