Could Hiruzen see this brewing conflict? Of course he could, or else he wouldn't be worthy of being the Third Hokage; he would be a fool.
But Hiruzen was in a tight spot, much like the Second Raikage back in the day. Though he saw the threat of Kinkaku and Ginkaku and wanted to get rid of them, the situation at the time made it impossible.
That's why he later sent them to lead the vanguard, where a large number of the militant faction died in battle. This laid a good foundation for the Third Raikage to clean up Kumogakure, or rather, if he hadn't been killed in the plot involving Hibari, Kinkaku, and Ginkaku, he would have likely been able to control the situation upon his return.
Hiruzen's situation was also difficult. To put it another way, he had "no one to use." In this era, aside from Hashirama and Madara being 'immortals,' everyone else was still 'mortal,' and there weren't so many overpowered characters running around.
With a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and his extensive experience in ninjutsu and combat, Uchiha Eizumi was already a very powerful shinobi. While Hiruzen could probably handle him and teach him a lesson, the problem was that Hiruzen was the Third Hokage. If he were to handle this himself, it wouldn't bring him honor; it would bring him shame, and he would also shame the Hokage Residence.
That's why Hiruzen said he couldn't personally go and attack them.
He couldn't use the older generation of masters either. After all, the Second Hokage, Tobirama, had already retired. Since his own son was Hokage, his father, Sarutobi Sasuke, naturally couldn't work under him, so he had also retired. If something were to happen, Hiruzen would have to say 'my dad...' which would be even more embarrassing than handling it himself.
On another note, there were very few people under Hiruzen's command who could firmly suppress Eizumi. Hitenn and Kagami were among his strongest forces, but even so, Hitenn couldn't subdue the entire Uchiha clan. Furthermore, Kagami was one of their "own people," which made it awkward.
Even if he won, the Uchiha clan wouldn't be discouraged. Instead, they would turn the tables and say that the Hokage Residence had no one to use and had to rely on recruiting masters from the Uchiha clan.
And as for Sakumo, who was playing with the sword nearby, it was even more out of the question. His strength was immense, but he couldn't control himself once he started fighting. His destructive power was too great.
The goal was to subdue the Uchiha clan, not to cut off their heads. If Sakumo had to limit his power, he might not even be able to defeat Eizumi.
Therefore, before Hibari came back, while Hiruzen had masters on hand, they were all more or less unsuitable. As for Danzo... he might have the strength and ability, but he was a bit too "shady" for the public eye. He had already begun transitioning to working from the shadows, so he couldn't be relied upon.
That was the situation before, but it was different now. Hibari was back. Were they really going to let the Uchiha clan get away with this?
So, after hearing Hiruzen's bitter and helpless words, Hibari's eyebrow twitched. He said, "You don't need to do it yourself, Hokage-sama. I'll go knock on their door tomorrow and beat up all their 'masters.' It'll teach them that the world doesn't belong to them alone. They need to put their eyes where they belong and stop looking down on people. It's not that the Hokage Residence has no one to use; we just wanted to reason with them before!"
Upon hearing Hibari's words, Hiruzen smiled in satisfaction. "I was waiting for you to say that. You've been on vacation for three months. I can't be paying you for nothing. As the leader of the Hokage's direct enforcement agency, you have a duty and a responsibility to help me with my problems. Very well, I'll leave this matter to you, Commander Hibari!"
"Just you watch, Third Hokage. I'll handle this completely, I guarantee it," Hibari said with great confidence.
At this point, Hibari and Hiruzen seemed to remember something at the same time and both looked awkwardly at Kagami.
Kagami had a black look on his face. As a member of the Uchiha clan, it was incredibly awkward for him to sit here and listen to others talk about going to his family's doorstep and beating them up tomorrow.
But he also knew that what Hibari said made a lot of sense. He could choose to run away and work for Hibari, but the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage Residence wouldn't just disappear because he was gone.
Just as Hibari said, if this wasn't handled properly, it could develop into an irreversible situation, which was something he truly didn't want to see.
So, Kagami could only smile helplessly and say, "Third Hokage, could you give me a short-term mission for tomorrow? Just for a couple of days."
Hiruzen understood what Kagami meant. Kagami wanted to find an excuse to get away for a couple of days so he wouldn't have to witness the spectacle and could return after Hibari had settled things.
So Hiruzen smiled. "Funny you should ask. Two dogs from the Inuzuka clan went missing. If you're interested, you could help them find them..."
"I'm interested. Very interested..." Kagami said with a smile.
With that, the matter was settled. Tomorrow, Hibari would, in his capacity as the Hokage's direct subordinate and commander of the Anbu, perform a 'teaching' mission and have a good 'chat' with the Uchiha clan about living together in harmony.
There might have been other ways to solve this problem, but Hibari was on vacation and would be very busy soon. He didn't have the time or energy to get into a battle of wits with the Uchiha clan in Konohagakure.
If something could be solved with a fist, then there was no need to talk. The Uchiha clan prided themselves on their strength, right? Then this time, he would beat them into submission until they had nothing to say!
It might seem a bit 'brash,' but it was indeed the simplest and most effective method.
Konohagakure had long since deviated from its original history because of Hibari. Hashirama and Tobirama were still alive, and there was no telling what kind of butterfly effect this would cause.
So, once a problem like this arose, Hibari didn't dare to let it continue. He couldn't risk the village splitting up; that would be a huge loss.
Besides, if the situation spiraled out of control and his grandfather, Tobirama, got angry, he might only scold Hiruzen for his incompetence as Third Hokage, but he might also go as far as to exterminate the Uchiha clan, and that would leave Hibari completely stunned.
He hadn't even experienced the power of the Sharingan yet; he couldn't let it disappear just like that!
Hibari had rushed back, and he hadn't even gone home yet. He just sat here for a bit and chatted for a while. After all, he wasn't leaving tomorrow; they still had a few days together.
So the friends' gathering soon ended. Considering Hibari was 'kicking down their door' tomorrow, Sakumo didn't take the Ame no Murakumo home to keep for a couple of days. He returned it to Hibari, saying that if he still had time after he finished his business, he could borrow it for a few more days to study.
Bidding farewell to Hiruzen, Kagami, Hitenn, and Sakumo, Hibari quickly made his way toward the Senju clan compound.
After being away for so long, he was a little homesick. He just wanted to have a meal with his grandfather, that little girl Tsunade, and Mito.
As soon as Hibari stepped into the Senju clan compound, a small servant girl who was sweeping nearby saw him. She rubbed her eyes, then her face lit up with surprise. "Young Master Hibari, you're back?"
"What do you mean, 'young master?' I'm a full-fledged man now! Hahahaha, I'm back," Hibari said with a laugh.
The servant girl also smiled. "Young Master Hibari will always be 'Young Master Hibari' in our eyes."
With that, the servant girl put down her broom and said, "I'll go tell everyone the good news."
Before Hibari could say anything, the servant girl was gone in a flash, which left Hibari laughing and crying at the same time. He was just coming home. It wasn't a big deal. Did she have to announce it like that?
But he didn't say anything more. He just smiled and walked toward his courtyard, thinking of putting his things down and changing his clothes.
After all, he couldn't just walk around the house with a sword and armor on. People might think something big had happened.
He had only walked a few steps and entered a small garden when he saw Tobirama lying in a rocking chair, holding a book. He was basking in the sun and gently rocking the chair, looking quite content.
Tobirama seemed to have heard something and looked back. He saw Hibari's dusty figure and was stunned for a moment before something clicked in his mind.
Hibari also laughed and greeted him. "Yo~ if it isn't our Second Hokage-sama! It looks like retirement is treating you well. I'm so jealous..."
"Hmph, no respect," Tobirama first snorted and scolded Hibari, but a smile soon appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He really missed this kid when he wasn't around. When he was Hokage, he was too busy to think about it. But now that he was retired and had a lot of free time, he would often wonder what this kid was doing outside and if he was eating well... Was he really getting old?
"Heh heh, Ojiisan, aren't you writing your autobiography anymore?" Hibari asked with a chuckle.
Tobirama closed his book. "My writing isn't good, and there's not much to write about, so I'm done."
Before Hibari could say anything more, Tobirama looked him up and down. "Why are you suddenly back? Did that kid Hiruzen finally lose his patience and call you back?"
As soon as Hibari heard this, he immediately understood. It was just as he had suspected; his grandfather was completely aware of everything happening in the village. This was his way of testing or seeing how Hiruzen would handle the situation.
Hibari laughed. "Just as I thought. I knew you couldn't possibly be unaware of what was going on outside. But you've got some nerve. The Uchiha clan is starting to get out of hand, and you didn't even want to go out and say a word?"
"Say what? He's the Third Hokage now. I'm just a retired old man. If he can't even handle this, will he expect me to come out and 'say a word' every time something else happens? Who is the current Hokage, really?" Tobirama said with a smile.
Hibari nodded and didn't argue. He just said, "Then I'll handle it my own way. After all, I don't have a lot of time to waste with the Uchiha clan..."
"That doesn't surprise me. I figured if things got out of hand, Hiruzen would call you back to fix the situation... After all, he's more than capable in other areas, but for a situation like this, he can only rely on you. No one else is a good fit," Tobirama said.
"It seems you've already figured out what I'm going to do, so I won't hide anything. I'm going to get a good night's sleep tonight, and tomorrow, I'm going to pay the Uchiha clan a visit. That old man, Eizumi, needs to remember not to pretend he's so great and act all high and mighty around the Hokage Residence. Do they really think we have no one? If it gets serious, dealing with him would be like child's play!" Hibari said with a confident and domineering tone.
He said it as if the Uchiha clan's compound was a place for thugs and he could just walk in and take them all on.
Tobirama had never had a good impression of the Uchiha clan, so he didn't object to what Hibari said. In fact, he even felt that it was time to put those guys in their place. Did they really think the Senju clan had no one left? That they could just run rampant in Konohagakure?
"It's good that you're confident. But I have to warn you, Eizumi may not be well-known, but he is very powerful. Don't underestimate him... and don't underestimate the Sharingan," Tobirama said softly.
"Hahahaha, don't worry, Ojiisan. The Uchiha clan was able to rival my Senju clan for so many years, so of course, I won't underestimate them. But I also need to show them why our Senju clan has always suppressed them, so they know which family is the true strongest in the world!" Hibari said with a confident and arrogant grin. His tone was just as domineering as ever.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are 50+ advance chapters available for you to read!