"It's for Konoha..."
Truthfully, Minato Namikaze could not understand how Danzō's attempted assassination of the Hyūga Main Family—an act that risked stirring internal strife within Konoha—could be "for Konoha." However, seeing Danzō agree to take Root and go to the front line ultimately allowed Minato's mind to relax somewhat.
The situation, in the end, had not escalated to the worst-case scenario, and Minato would not have to risk a massive fallout by eliminating the Root of the problem. That the matter was, to a certain extent, brought under control was the most satisfying outcome for Minato.
With the attempted assassination of the Hyūga Main Family exposed right in front of him, Danzō had no face to continue lingering in the Hokage's office. He left the office in a hurry, his face cold.
The two advisors who had accompanied him, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, were also left in an awkward position. Fortunately, Minato was, in the end, a truly benevolent Hokage. He did not reprimand the two of them, but merely informed them of the entire sequence of events that had transpired, making them realize that their long-standing camaraderie with Danzō had been exploited.
The Third Hokage's Counsel
Having realized this, Homura and Koharu had a way out, but their demeanor and tone of voice towards Minato underwent a drastic, 180-degree change. It appeared that Minato's display of killing intent and resolve toward Danzō had profoundly shaken the two of them.
After the advisors swiftly followed Danzō out, only Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office. Unlike the other three, Hiruzen had a closer relationship with Minato. Still, Hiruzen did not want Minato to hold a grudge or create a rift with him due to his past actions. After the others left, he explained to Minato:
"Actually... Danzō still has some redeeming qualities." "His actions were not deliberately intended to provoke internal conflict within Konoha." "Minato, Shinichi Hyuga is not quite like you."
After a moment of hesitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt it necessary to lecture Minato.
"Third Hokage, what are you trying to say?" Minato could sense that Hiruzen seemed to have a lot bottled up. He adjusted his emotions, flashed a slight smile, and asked.
"The Hyūga clan is one of the village's Great Clans. Shinichi Hyuga is different from all previous Hyūga Main Family members. He hasn't focused solely on the Gentle Fist but is using the Byakugan to develop other ninjutsu." "His talent, as everyone can see, means that if he matures, he is bound to become one of the top combat forces in the Shinobi World."
At this point, Hiruzen paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
Hearing this, Minato still didn't understand what the Third Hokage was getting at. Instead, he simply shrugged and said, somewhat nonchalantly:
"Isn't that a good thing?" "Konoha has a promising successor. I think it's excellent."
Hearing Minato's words, the Third Hokage sighed lightly and continued, "What if... Shinichi Hyuga truly becomes one of the strongest people in Konoha in the future?"
"What if the Hyūga clan wishes to push him to become Hokage?" "If he truly becomes the Hokage, and with the Hyūga clan as his backing, who do you think the next generation's Hokage will be?" "After the First Hokage died, the successor was none other than his brother, Lord Tobirama." "If it weren't for the Senju clan..." "In short... can you understand what I'm trying to say?" "Do you want the position of Hokage to become an inheritance within a specific clan, like in the Cloud Village?"
A Clash of Ideologies
Even in this private conversation with Minato, Hiruzen remained vague, not spelling things out too clearly, but he believed that Minato's intellect would allow him to understand what he wanted to say.
Hearing the Third Hokage mention the Cloud Village, Minato's mind instantly recalled the tower-like young man he had fought on the battlefield years ago. The current Raikage inherited the name 'A.' Was that young man the son of the Third Raikage?
Hmm... Clan inheritance, is it...
Minato instantly grasped what Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to convey. Hearing this, he finally shook his head with a smile:
"Third Hokage, your worries are unnecessary." "If I had to say..." "It's not that becoming Hokage grants everyone's approval, but that one must gain everyone's approval before they can become Hokage." "Perhaps Shinichi Hyuga has the qualifications to become Hokage, but that doesn't mean the position will be inherited generation after generation by the Hyūga clan."
Minato only felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi's anxieties and rhetoric were somewhat laughable, and he couldn't empathize with the Third Hokage at all.
This difference stemmed from their distinct paths to becoming Hokage, leading to varying understandings of the position.
["It's not that becoming Hokage grants everyone's approval, but that one must gain everyone's approval before they can become Hokage."]
These words were entirely reasonable coming from Minato Namikaze, as this was the path he took.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand Minato's words because the reason he, the Third Hokage, became Hokage was due to the Second Hokage's direct designation during a critical wartime decision to stay behind! Before becoming Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had never experienced the so-called "gaining everyone's approval."
Even after becoming Hokage, he failed to achieve this, or else he wouldn't have been forced to retire early due to pressure from war casualties. Hiruzen was younger than Ōnoki of the Stone Village. Ōnoki was doing just fine as the Tsuchikage; did Hiruzen truly want to abdicate just like that?! No, it was due to pressure.
Their differing paths to becoming Hokage led to a stark contrast in their thoughts regarding the position.
Seeing that he couldn't get through to Minato, Hiruzen sighed, shook his head, and said no more. This kind of thinking was fundamentally about suspecting a comrade in the same village.
It was fine to discuss it privately, but it could never be brought to the surface. Some things are trivial when ignored, but become overwhelming when brought into the open.
If the Hyūga clan knew that the Third Hokage suspected them because of this... they would probably start to regard the Third Hokage with the same caution they held for Danzō.
"Third Hokage, you must be tired. Please go back and rest early." "Advisor Danzō is heading to the battlefield, and as his old comrade, you still need to help him check for any oversights." "I won't see you out."
Minato clearly did not want to continue talking with Hiruzen Sarutobi and was showing a definite intention of seeing him out. Hiruzen knew that their philosophies on this matter were completely different. He sighed and did not stay any longer.
It wasn't until Hiruzen Sarutobi had left that Minato stroked his chin, a look of contemplation on his face. After a long while, Minato shook his head with a smile and quietly mused:
"Action speaks louder than words. Right now, nearly the entire Hyūga clan of active Byakugan users has gone to the battlefield. Only the elderly and young remain in the clan compound." "However, the Sarutobi clan..."
Having already found the answer in his heart, Minato naturally didn't dwell on the issue any further. He quickly signed the deployment orders for Root and then glanced at the sky outside, deciding to leave work early to spend time with his wife and son.
It was during such chaotic times that Minato cherished the days he spent with Kushina and Naruto even more. He looked at the Hyūga situation and the equally young Shinichi Hyuga. Both were children, yet Shinichi Hyuga had fewer opportunities to spend time with Hiashi and Shin. Through this empathy, Minato felt an additional layer of guilt toward the Hyūga clan.
In the dispute with the Cloud Village, the fault lay squarely with the Cloud Village. It should have been a time when Konoha protected the Hyūga, but instead, the Hyūga were left to risk everything themselves. Although Shinichi's maneuver had bought some breathing room, that was a later development that Danzō had brought upon himself.
The Aftermath and Analysis
The news of Danzō Shimura leading Root to the front lines circulated only among Konoha's high command in a small sphere, and only a select few knew the truth behind it.
Inoichi Yamanaka shared the information he had with the Nara and Akimichi clans. Shikaku Nara, using his exceptional intelligence and a review of the recent front-line and village adjustments, analyzed and reconstructed the entire event.
He surmised that the Hyūga clan had used this incident as leverage to force a compromise from Danzō and Root. Even he couldn't help but secretly admire the Hyūga clan's maneuver.
At the same time, Shikaku updated his previous assessment of the Hyūga clan's strength. The power contained within the clan to force Shiro Danzō to submit, even without Hiashi and Shin Hyūga present, was considerable and quite unsettling.
Combined with the recent rumors that Shinichi Hyuga of the Hyūga Main Family, a mere Special Jōnin, had nearly killed Danzō, Hiashi officially entered the view of Konoha's high command. Previously, people acknowledged Shinichi's terrifying talent, but now, they realized that the young Shinichi already possessed considerable fighting capability, at least exceeding that of Danzō, who was a former Jōnin.
Shimura Danzō was the leader of Root, but he was never known in the Shinobi World for his powerful personal strength. Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was dubbed the "Strongest Hokage," Danzō's synonyms had always been sinister and ruthless tactics. The misperception of Danzō's strength consequently led to a degree of misjudgment regarding Hiashi's own power.
Minato Namikaze quickly made good on his promise to the Hyūga clan. Three days later, Hisao Hyūga at the front line received the message to lead the Hyūga clansmen back to the village.
A bewildered Shin Hyūga naturally could not defy the Hokage's official deployment order and hastily returned with his clansmen. It wasn't until he led them back to Konoha and heard the full truth of the matter from Hizashi Hyūga during the welcome home banquet that he realized what had happened.
Shin Hyūga was greatly moved to learn that Shinichi Hyuga had compromised to allow the clansmen to withdraw from the Cloud Village battlefield, but he was highly dissatisfied with Shinichi's decision to let Danzō off the hook and not pursue the matter.
Shin Hyūga was a rigid man; to protect the Main Family, he was determined to sacrifice himself and everyone in the Branch Family. A person with this personality would absolutely not let the news of Hiashi's attempted assassination pass without demanding retribution.
In his opinion, Shinichi Hyuga did not need to compromise or worry about the lives of those on the battlefield. The correct course of action was to concentrate their power and kill Danzō, who threatened the Hyūga Main Family.
Nevertheless, Shin Hyūga was very conflicted. His dissatisfaction with Shinichi's handling of the situation was one thing, but seeing that Shinichi truly had the lives of the clansmen at heart made him very happy that the Hyūga clan had such a successor. As for the other clansmen brought back from the battlefield, they were simply relieved that they wouldn't have to endure the cruel conflict.
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