In Konohagakure, Land of Fire, Hyūga Hitenn, the Deputy Commander of the Anbu, had just finished his shift.
After the Anbu's restructuring, there was usually not much for him to do unless there were urgent matters. However, Hitenn was a creature of habit. He treated the Anbu like his own home, getting up early every morning, whether there was work or not, just to go there and sit for a while, even if it was just to chat with the other members.
By noon, if there was still nothing to do, Hitenn would return to the Hyūga clan compound to spend some quality time with his cousin, whom he would soon be marrying.
Within the Hyūga clan's quiet and elegant courtyard, there was a pond, rock gardens, and a pavilion.
Hitenn was currently sitting in the pavilion, holding a teacup. His cousin, who would soon become his wife, was also there. Whenever Hitenn's cup was nearly empty, she would refill it for him.
Facing Hitenn was a man in Uchiha clan attire. The man's eyebrow kept twitching as he watched Hitenn and his cousin engaging in their "public display of affection."
Finally, when Hitenn's cousin fed him a piece of pastry, the man couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Enough! In broad daylight, with all the world to see, do you two have no regard for an outsider like me? Can you please stop tormenting me?"
Startled by his outburst, Hitenn quickly replied, "Kagami, I've always considered you one of my closest friends. You must not call yourself an 'outsider.' My cousin and I are getting married in a few days, and we are simply cultivating and deepening our affection. Does something about that seem inappropriate to you?"
Hitenn's earnest reply left Kagami speechless. He clutched his chest, a pained expression on his face. He pointed at Hitenn and said, "That's it, that's it! Your greatest strength isn't taijutsu or the Gentle Fist; it's your sincere and serious attitude and words. They are a true weapon of mass destruction..."
Seeing Kagami clutching his chest, Hitenn looked confused. "What are you talking about? Also, is your heart bothering you? Do you need me to check if you have a blocked blood vessel? You should pay more attention to your diet. Don't just eat meat; you should have a balanced and nutritious mix of meat and vegetables..."
Kagami nearly spat up blood from anger. Just then, laughter came from the small gate of the courtyard.
"Hahahaha, you two are always so cheerful. It seems I'm not giving you enough Anbu missions..." Hiruzen, wearing the Third Hokage's hat and holding a large smoking pipe, walked in with a laugh.
Beside him was Sakumo, who also had a wide smile.
Perhaps it was because he was the Hokage, but Hiruzen looked a bit more 'wizened' than his actual age. There were more wrinkles between his eyebrows, as if he was always frowning.
Upon seeing Hiruzen and Sakumo, Hitenn quickly stood up to greet them, respectfully addressing him as "Third Hokage-sama..."
But before he could finish, Hiruzen waved his hand. "Alright, alright, Hitenn. You really haven't changed at all. This is a private get-together; there's no need to be so formal, is there? Just call me Hiruzen."
"Okay, Third Hokage... Hiruzen," Hitenn said, feeling a little awkward.
Meanwhile, Kagami also spoke, sounding relieved. The men were all on good terms in private, so he didn't care about their formal titles or rules. He stood up, clapped Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, on the shoulder, and said, "Hiruzen, you're finally here. If you and Sakumo had been any later, I think I would have died of this ridiculous... no, this serious display of affection."
After some friendly banter, they all sat down in the pavilion. Hitenn's cousin refilled everyone's cups before wisely leaving to prepare fresh tea.
With her gone, they talked for a while longer. Hiruzen looked at Kagami with some hesitation, and Kagami sensed it. He forced a smile and said, "Indecisiveness is a great taboo for a Hokage, Hiruzen. Have you forgotten what Tobirama-sensei taught us? Just say what you need to say or ask. Don't be so wishy-washy."
Hiruzen gave a forced smile. "Listen, Kagami. Can your Uchiha clan really not compromise? We at the Hokage Residence are willing to make some administrative positions available..."
Upon hearing Hiruzen's words, Kagami sighed. He knew Hiruzen was going to bring this up.
Lately, there had indeed been some turmoil within Konohagakure. The Uchiha clan had repeatedly tried to test the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who had been cooped up at home and rarely went out, or rather, it was hard to tell if his real body was even in Konohagakure or if he was using the Flying Raijin Technique to travel.
However, for some unknown reason, perhaps he had his own concerns or simply didn't want to meddle after stepping down as Hokage, Tobirama, who had maintained a policy of high pressure and vigilance toward the Uchiha clan during his tenure, showed no intention of interfering with the village's affairs after his retirement. He was completely unresponsive to the Uchiha clan's repeated provocations.
Over time, this allowed the Uchiha clan to let loose again. Since their biggest 'rival,' Tobirama, wasn't getting involved, they felt it was time for them to show their presence again.
At the very least, they couldn't let the Hyūga clan keep getting the upper hand, right? That would have been absolutely unthinkable in the past. To put it bluntly, the Uchiha clan, aside from their apprehension of the Senju, had always looked down on other clans, even the Hyūga.
But in recent years, the situation in the village had changed too quickly. Under Hitenn's management, the Hyūga clan had been developing at a rapid pace. Not only had their population grown significantly, but they were also a very wealthy clan. Their notoriety was even starting to overshadow the Uchiha with their iconic fan symbol.
The Uchiha clan, however, didn't believe the Hyūga clan was getting stronger because of their own efforts or because Hitenn, who was about to become the clan head and had been handling clan matters for several years, was particularly capable.
When the Uchiha clan saw the Hyūga clan's rise, they were basically convinced that the Hyūga had latched onto the Senju and were being propped up by them.
The same went for the Sarutobi clan. Look at how the Second Hokage had single-handedly helped Hiruzen become Hokage.
The arrogant Uchiha clan disdained forming alliances like the Hyūga. They believed their own development was more than enough to be powerful.
Now, in the entire Konohagakure, the Senju clan, which had been able to suppress the Uchiha in terms of strength, was considered 'retired.' The "God of Shinobi," Hashirama, was apparently off building a city somewhere and hadn't shown up at all. The fastest shinobi in the world had retreated into his home, completely letting loose after retirement and not bothering with anything.
Hibari, who could be considered the only high-ranking Senju member currently in Konohagakure, was also impossible to find. He was in a state of "the legend lives on, but the person is nowhere to be seen." As a result, even if he was a powerful figure in Konoha's leadership, he had no influence on the Uchiha clan whatsoever.
Not only that, but the Senju clan, in terms of their standing as shinobi, could be said to be in 'full retreat' over the past few years. It was now difficult to even find a Senju clan shinobi in the village...
Thus, the Uchiha clan discussed and debated for a long time before finally deciding to make their move on the Hokage Residence. They believed the Uchiha clan couldn't remain confined to the "Konoha Military Police Force" and had to push for a higher center of power.
From the Uchiha clan's perspective, the entire Konohagakure was built through the collaboration of the Uchiha and Senju clans. They had a reason for allowing the Senju to hold the first two Hokage positions due to various circumstances, including Madara's defection, and the fact that the two Senju brothers were indeed powerful enough to earn their respect.
"Letting" the Senju clan have two Hokages was fine, but the third Hokage... while the Uchiha clan looked down on the Sarutobi clan, they did respect the father and son duo of Sarutobi Sasuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen, as they were genuinely strong.
Furthermore, the position of the Third Hokage was seen by the Uchiha as a 'transitional' one, and they accepted it.
But now, they had to think more long-term. Hiruzen couldn't be Hokage for a hundred years, right? After the Third Hokage would come the Fourth Hokage. And for the position of the Fourth Hokage... Heh, it wasn't that the Uchiha clan was looking down on anyone, but looking at the entire Konohagakure, who could possibly compete with them for that position?
So, the Uchiha clan's current goal was to gradually launch their campaign on the Hokage Residence, allowing their power to slowly seep into Konoha's center of authority. This way, when Hiruzen finally retired, they could more smoothly participate in the race for the Fourth Hokage.
If they could produce a Hokage from the Uchiha clan, maybe they wouldn't have to be suppressed by the Senju anymore.
It was a great idea, and it was certainly a sound plan. Given the current situation, it was true that no one in Konohagakure could compete with the Uchiha clan for the position of the Fourth Hokage.
The only person who could pose a real challenge was Senju Hibari, but even though he met all the criteria, he had a major flaw that made him unsuitable to be Hokage: he simply couldn't sit still.
The village itself had a hard time keeping him tied down, let alone the small office in the Hokage Residence. He would disappear for a few days at a time.
On top of that, it was also clear that the Senju clan was in the process of intentionally reducing their influence in the shinobi world. The Uchiha clan weren't fools; they understood that the Senju would likely not jump back into the race for Hokage.
Therefore, the Uchiha clan never considered Hibari a rival, which was why they felt there was no one in the village who could compete with them.
However, they made a fatal error: while Hiruzen might not have been Hokage for a hundred years, he stubbornly held the position until after the Third Great Ninja War. This spanned several decades, and the combined time of the First and Second Hokage was not as long as his alone.
In fact, if you counted the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Hokages, their combined time was still not as long as Hiruzen's. From this perspective alone, it made perfect sense that Hiruzen would later be called the 'Strongest Hokage.'
This completely stumped the Uchiha clan. That's not how it should be! The tradition of the Hokage was to serve for a few years and then retire when the time was right, right? The first two generations did just that. So why did Hiruzen sit on the throne and refuse to get off? What the hell was he doing?
Because Hiruzen held the position of the Third Hokage for so long, the Uchiha clan's advantage of having 'no rivals' was completely nullified by the passage of time.
During Hiruzen's tenure, a large number of powerful shinobi emerged in Konohagakure. Sakumo, who was with Hiruzen at the moment, would have been qualified and capable of competing for the Hokage position himself had he not met with such tragic circumstances.
Not to mention the emergence of the three legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—and the rise of the prodigy Namikaze Minato. The powerful emergence of these smaller clans and civilian shinobi caught the Uchiha clan completely off guard. They still saw themselves as an elite clan and looked down on other shinobi, which is why they ultimately failed to secure the Fourth Hokage position.
But behind all of this was another major factor: Shimura Danzo, the 'Root' hidden in the darkness.
This was another 'ruthless character' that the Uchiha clan had overlooked. The Uchiha clan's desire to secure the Fourth Hokage position was no secret; the Hokage Residence was well aware of it.
Danzo was a very ambitious man. You, the Uchiha clan, want to become Hokage? Did you ask Danzo first? I haven't even become Hokage myself yet, so how could I let you?
Furthermore, Danzo was heavily influenced by Tobirama's prejudice against the Uchiha clan and found them utterly distasteful. So, throughout the many years Hiruzen was Hokage, he used every trick in the book to secretly deal with the Uchiha clan, eventually going so far as to exterminate them.
The possibility that Danzo's shadow played a significant role in all the events leading up to the Uchiha clan's failed bid for the Fourth Hokage and their eventual radicalization is not out of the question.
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