Chapter 200: Castles in the Air

The moon hung high, and Konoha fell into silence.

However, many people had no intention of sleeping.

The events that occurred today were too bizarre. Hiruzen Sarutobi had fallen from the pedestal.

The fall was so resounding and decisive that there was no chance of a comeback.

At the Hyuga clan's land.

Taking advantage of the night, a shadow guard was sent to visit the Hyuga clan leader.

After walking only a few steps, he was stopped by Hyuga ninjas.

"Who are you?"

A Hyuga ninja activated his Byakugan and eyed the shadow guard warily.

Sneaking around in the middle of the night, he didn't look like a good guy.

"I'm here on the orders of the Hokage. I need the Hyuga clan leader to come and discuss something."

The shadow guard remained calm, as this situation was within his expectations.

"The Hokage-sama?"

"Do you have anything to prove it?"

The Hyuga ninja frowned, considering the mess that just happened today.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sending someone to see the clan leader probably wasn't a good sign.

"This is a letter from the Hokage-sama. Take it to your clan leader, and he'll know its authenticity."

The shadow guard took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to the Hyuga ninja.

"Then wait here."

The Hyuga ninja took the letter, gave a signal to the clan members on either side, and turned away.

"Don't be tense. I'm just here to deliver a message."

The shadow guard spread his hands, indicating that he truly meant no harm.

Now that the Hokage-sama's reputation was in the gutter, his treatment had worsened significantly.

In the past, wouldn't he have been respectfully invited inside?

"That'd be best."

The two Hyuga ninjas didn't let down their guard and still stared intently at the shadow guard.

These are troubled times indeed.

The clan leader has given strict instructions, so they can't afford to be negligent.

The Hyuga ninja who went to deliver the message soon reached the clan leader's doorstep.

After getting permission, he followed the butler inside slowly. The rules of a large clan are even more pronounced in the Hyuga clan.

Upon reaching the hall, he saw the Hyuga clan leader sitting upright on the main seat.

"Clan leader, the Hokage-sama has invited you over."

"He says there's an important matter to discuss."

The Hyuga ninja stepped forward, holding the letter with both hands and bowing as he presented it.

The Hyuga clan leader opened the letter. There were only a few brief sentences inviting him.

As for what the matter was, not a single word was mentioned.

"Father, what could he want you for so late at night?"

"He's got a lot of dirt on him now. I think you'd better not go."

Before the clan leader could say a word, a young man spoke up first.

"Father, I think big brother is right."

Another young man quickly chimed in. The two looked almost identical.

"Hiashi, Hizashi."

"It's good that you have your own thoughts."

"However, I still have to go."

"After all, he's still the Hokage."

The clan leader got up from his seat and patted the heads of the twin brothers.

"Alright."

"Then we'll wait for you to come back."

Hiashi knew he couldn't interfere with his father's decision, so he pulled Hizashi aside.

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

The clan leader walked out of the door in the sight of the two brothers and disappeared into the moonlight with another clan member.

After assembling the shadow guards, Hyuga Nobunaga followed him towards the residence of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Throughout the journey, both of them remained silent, without any exchange.

Hyuga Nobunaga was also pondering what on earth Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to talk to him about.

Before they knew it, the two arrived at the door of Hiruzen Sarutobi's house.

The shadow guard stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Hokage-sama, Lord Nobunaga has arrived."

A moment later, the door opened.

"Nobunaga, you're here."

"Come inside and sit down."

Homura Mitokado greeted with a smile and motioned for Hyuga Nobunaga to enter.

"Thank you, Advisor Homura."

Hyuga Nobunaga entered the house full of doubts, with a bad premonition in his heart.

Homura Mitokado had never given him such a look before. It was like a fox paying a visit to a hen.

After entering the house, led by Homura Mitokado, they came to a quiet room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting cross - legged in front of a low table, with tea already prepared.

"Lord Hokage."

Hyuga Nobunaga greeted politely.

"Nobunaga, take a seat."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled warmly and motioned for Hyuga Nobunaga to sit opposite him.

After Hyuga Nobunaga sat down, Homura Mitokado also sat next to him.

"I called you here today. There's a really great thing, but I still need to hear your opinion."

Hiruzen Sarutobi personally poured a cup of tea for Hyuga Nobunaga. This really caught him off guard and made him feel flattered, and his premonition of misfortune became even stronger.

In the past, because the Hyuga clan was quite obedient and posed no threat to the Sarutobi clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude towards him was okay, but it was far from the point of personally pouring tea for him.

"I wonder what this really great thing is?"

Hyuga Nobunaga remained calm on the surface. He took a sip of tea and then slowly inquired.

"You should know what happened today. I definitely can't remain as the Hokage. But when it comes to recommending the next Hokage, my words still carry weight."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused at this point and looked up at Hyuga Nobunaga's expression.

If Hyuga Nobunaga couldn't understand what he meant, he wouldn't be qualified to be the clan leader of the Hyuga clan.

"Do you mean you want to recommend me as the Fourth Hokage?"

Hyuga Nobunaga pointed to himself, and finally his expression changed.

"Exactly. What do you think?"

The smile in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes grew even wider, like a devil coaxing patiently.

If the Hyuga clan were too powerful, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't even dare to have this idea. It was because he thought the Hyuga clan posed no threat to him that he dared to safely support Hyuga Nobunaga to the position of Hokage.

Then he could give the title of Hokage to Hyuga Nobunaga. Meanwhile, he would keep the real power in his own hands. Wouldn't he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, still be the de facto Hokage!

"Don't you have three disciples?"

Hyuga Nobunaga didn't get carried away. The position of Hokage was not easy to handle.

His premonition was indeed correct. This was not a really great thing; it was a huge pitfall.

Not to mention whether he was afraid of Kawaki and Tsunade, he didn't want to offend the Uchiha clan either.

If he took the position of Hokage, it would mean forming a deadly feud.

Hearing Hyuga Nobunaga mention his three disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face immediately turned ugly.

If it weren't for his so - called good disciples, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Noticing that Hiruzen Sarutobi looked off, Homura Mitokado quickly continued.

"Hey, Hiruzen and I have discussed it. In the whole Konoha, there's no one more suitable than you."

"In terms of seniority, you've served as the clan leader for over a decade."

"In terms of strength, how many in the village can match you?"

"In terms of popularity, you're the leader of the first big family in Konoha."

"What can Hiruzen's three disciples offer to compare with you?"

He was practically trying to praise Nobunaga to the skies. He almost blurted out, "If you don't become the Hokage, who else is qualified?"

If Nobunaga were a hotheaded young man, he might have been swayed by the flattery.

Now, Nobunaga clearly understood what Hiruzen Sarutobi was up to.

They wanted to prop him up as a puppet Hokage so that Hiruzen could still pull the strings behind the scenes and control Konoha.

What a clever scheme they had!

If he agreed, it would be nothing but an empty title of Hokage with no real power.

The drawbacks far outweighed the benefits. There was no way he'd agree to this.

"Nobunaga thinks he's not capable enough. You'd better choose someone else."

Once he'd figured it out, he didn't want to stay any longer. He was worried about causing any misunderstandings.

After saying that, he got up and left without hesitation.

The Hyuga clan wouldn't get involved in this mess.

Watching Nobunaga leave without looking back, the faces of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

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