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Uchiha Fugaku walked in front, his face expressionless, but a fire burned in his heart.
Money, power, and one more thing.
The Daimyo Manor was recruiting a new concubine.
If he could send an Uchiha woman to bear a child with the Sharingan, Fugaku suddenly realized the Hokage position he had clung to in the past had become insignificant.
Hyuga Hiashi followed not far behind, his face gloomy.
He also thought of the Daimyo taking a concubine.
This was a more difficult problem for the Hyuga than the Twelve Guardian Ninja. The Byakugan could not be leaked.
But to refuse the Daimyo was to openly defy him.
Hiashi felt he was at a dead end no matter which way he turned.
Nara Shikaku leisurely followed behind.
He glanced at Fugaku's back, then at Hiashi.
Genius cultivation, the Twelve Guardian Ninja, these were all out in the open.
What was truly deadly was what could not be seen.
For example, taking a concubine.
The Uchiha saw a shortcut.
The Hyuga saw an abyss.
"Things are about to change."
Shikaku muttered to himself in a low voice.
Without turning his head, he gently waved to the people behind him.
"Inoichi, Choza, come to my house for a drink."
"Okay."
Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza responded in deep voices without hesitation.
Three figures detached from the crowd, tacitly walking toward the Nara compound.
In the Nara courtyard, deer grazed on green grass in the backyard, unaware of the turmoil outside.
On the stone table, warmed sake emitted a rich aroma.
Choza grabbed a cup and downed it in one gulp, placing it heavily on the table with a thud.
His voice was hoarse, his tone stifled.
"What kind of situation is this. The Daimyo wants to reach into our minds."
"Not just our minds." Inoichi gently swirled his cup, his eyes sharp. "I can feel the village's morale already wavering."
Shikaku leaned against the veranda pillar, watching the deer, and spoke slowly.
"Because this is not a conspiracy, it is an open scheme."
"Money, giving civilian shinobi without background a chance to rise, they will only be grateful to the Daimyo."
"Power, the glory of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, can drive any clan that wants to prove itself mad."
"Look at Fugaku just now. He could not wait to package and offer the entire Uchiha."
Choza and Inoichi fell silent.
"Then, what about taking a concubine."
Inoichi's voice was a bit dry.
A child with the Daimyo's bloodline would immediately elevate that clan above the Hokage.
"This is the cruelest part."
Shikaku sighed, helpless. "The Uchiha see a ladder to heaven, the Hyuga see an abyss. And us..."
"We cannot do anything."
Choza said, "What if we refuse."
"Refuse. With what. Do we dare refuse."
"Even if our three clans are tied together, can we stop the fanaticism of all Konoha. If it goes wrong, we will be isolated."
Choza's fists clenched, joints cracking. "So we just watch."
"What else." Shikaku shot back. "Choza, go to the Hokage Building now and tell Minato our Ino–Shika–Chō clans firmly oppose the Daimyo's decision."
"Then tomorrow, the Uchiha will receive double cultivation funds, and our three clans' children might even have their Academy subsidies cut."
"This is an open scheme. The Daimyo puts fragrant bait before everyone. If you do not eat it, you starve."
"If you eat it, you listen to him."
A long silence fell over the courtyard.
Finally, Shikaku broke it.
"Do not participate, do not oppose, do not take a stance."
"We just need to watch."
At the same time.
Uchiha territory, Naka Shrine.
Fugaku sat in the main seat, with dozens of clan members below. The atmosphere was solemn.
"The situation is as it is."
His voice was steady, though excitement lurked beneath.
"The Daimyo is willing to bypass the Hokage and directly support the geniuses of our great clans. This is an unprecedented opportunity."
An old man with white hair and beard frowned. "Clan Head, the Daimyo's move clearly aims to divide Konoha."
"Divide."
Fugaku sneered. "Elder, when has Konoha ever been united. When Danzō suppressed us, why did he not think of unity."
"Now there is a chance for our Uchiha to bypass the Hokage and communicate directly with the Land of Fire's highest authority. Why should we refuse."
His gaze swept the room, noticing hesitation.
He suddenly stood, arms spread, his voice full of temptation.
"Money. Power. All can make us stronger. But these are not the most important."
"The most important is, the Daimyo is taking a concubine."
"Clan members, think about it."
He emphasized each word, striking their hearts. "If an Uchiha woman can bear a child with the Sharingan for the Daimyo."
"What would that mean."
The air in the shrine ignited.
An elder crushed his teacup in excitement.
Another elder breathed heavily, staring at Fugaku.
Hokage.
Compared to a future monarch with the Daimyo's and Uchiha's blood, what was a village's Kage.
"By then, our Uchiha will surely become the true number one clan in the Land of Fire."
"I have decided."
Fugaku's voice echoed through the shrine. "Immediately select three outstanding women of the clan, shinobi or not, as long as they are beautiful, virtuous, and firm of mind. Send them to the Daimyo Manor as candidates."
"This matter is decided by me. No further discussion."
Hyuga territory.
The atmosphere was the exact opposite of the Uchiha.
Hiashi's face was ashen as he listened to several main family elders argue heatedly.
"Absolutely no daughter of the main family can go."
"The purity of the Byakugan is the foundation of the Hyuga. It must never be allowed to leak."
"But if we refuse, it is open defiance of the Daimyo."
"Then choose one from the branch family and send her."
"No." Hiashi slammed the table, his voice cold. "The branch family also has Hyuga blood. The Caged Bird cannot lock down the legacy of the bloodline. Once a child is born, the Hyuga will have no more secrets."
The secret room fell silent.
All eyes turned to Hiashi, the young clan head bearing immense pressure.
On one side was the clan's iron rule of a thousand years. On the other was the Daimyo's irresistible authority.
Either choice could lead to ruin.
He closed his eyes, veins rising on his forehead, the weight of the entire clan crushing him.
"Stall..."
After a long time, he squeezed out a word.
"As long as we can stall, we will..."
He opened his eyes. Only despair remained.
Hokage Building.
Minato stood by the window, overlooking Konoha.
The village seemed the same, people coming and going, peaceful.
But beneath the calm, undercurrents surged.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado sat behind him, faces pale, as if aging ten years in an instant.
"The Uchiha have already begun selecting women to send to the Daimyo Manor." Koharu's voice was dry.
"Smaller clans like Inuzuka and Aburame have also sent people to inquire about the allocation of genius cultivation funds and the selection criteria for the Guardian Ninja." Homura added, his tone weary.
"And the civilian shinobi..."
Koharu closed her eyes, unable to continue.
Without her saying it, Minato knew.
For shinobi without background who had struggled up, the Daimyo's decision was a godsend.
Their support for the Daimyo even surpassed their respect for the Hokage.
In just a few days.
Konoha, once united by the Will of Fire, had been clearly split in two.
One half were the beneficiaries and those eager to benefit, fanatically supporting the Daimyo.
The other half were them, remnants of the old era clinging to the village's autonomy.
"We lost."
Homura's voice was full of powerlessness.
Minato did not turn around, his golden hair dim in the setting sun.
His mind raced, dissecting every move of the Daimyo.
First, use money to buy the lower ranks, dividing civilians and clans.
Second, use power to tempt the upper ranks, worsening conflict between great clans and the Hokage.
Third, use intermarriage to bind the ninja clans, making them his blades.
Each step was open and aboveboard, each step targeted the weakest desires of the human heart.
Impeccable.
He frantically deduced all countermeasures, but every path led to the same end, civil war, division, Konoha's collapse.
Unless he bowed to the Daimyo.
He recalled the Third Hokage's words.
Do not speculate, do not resist.
Only consider how to gain the greatest benefit for the village under the Daimyo's rules.
But would such a Konoha still be Konoha.
(To be continued.)