Konoha: Start from untying the caged bird

Page 160

I would do it willingly.

He turned his head and bowed slightly to Hyuga Yuzuru, who was sitting on the sofa.

"My vacation starts today, right..."

After Hyuga Yuzuru nodded, he turned and left.

The now towering figure, now identical to Yuzuru Hyuga, vanished with a soft thud from the wooden door.

Hyuga Yuzuru looked out the window.

The shadow will bear the burden.

The shadow comes to bear the burden.

Deep down, he repeated those eight words with a touch of self-mockery.

On the desk, the character for "fire" on the straw hat shone brightly in the moonlight.

This was the first time Hyuga Yuzuru had so clearly felt the weight of the Hokage pressing down on his shoulders.

Yes.

Having already made this decision, why should I care about whether I will be betrayed?

Why bother wondering if other people's feelings for me are genuine?

He had hesitated repeatedly about whether to take matters into his own hands and resolve the internal problems of the Uchiha clan first, but in the end, he still delayed until now.

Ultimately, from the perspective of the Hokage and the village, his decision was undoubtedly the right one.

But he was unhappy.

But the reason why he became Hokage, the reason why he sits in this office, and everything he does is just to make himself feel better, right?

It's good to change this village.

Changing the world is fine...

Reflecting on this now, it's clear to me that I frequently hesitated and wavered when making decisions in this matter...

The third generation is actually myself!?

Hinata Yuzuru also chuckled to himself.

He stood up, picked up the straw hat, examined it quietly for a moment, then put the hat on his head, and his gaze suddenly became sharp.

Starting today...

Let the shadow bear the responsibility!

The shadow comes to bear the burden!

From the shadows... everything will change!

Chapter 125 A Major Upheaval, He Was Too Gentle (11,000 words)

The situation regarding the Uchiha clan was just as Hyuga Yuzuru had imagined.

It did not cause much of a stir in Konoha Village.

Some villagers who lived far from the Uchiha clan's territory were completely unaware that the Uchiha clan had caused a disturbance the previous night, and many even mistook the few scattered noises for their own imagination.

The villagers who lived nearby quickly received an explanation from Konoha.

Although the fleeting glimpse of Shisui Uchiha's green Susanoo was unforgettable, it seems that apart from the Uchiha clan members appearing to have become much more restrained lately, no one in their daily lives has noticed anything different.

This clandestine internal strife resulted in the deaths of many members of the Uchiha clan, yet the Uchiha clan couldn't even hold a proper funeral. They could only cooperate with Hyuga Yuzuru's overt countermeasures, swallowing their bitter and tragic consequences in silence.

Within the Uchiha clan, anyone with a brain knows that the Hokage gave them a lot of face in this matter.

You should know that what the Uchiha clan wants to do is to rebel against their superiors and try to pull Hyuga Yuzuru off the position of Hokage!

Instead of punishing the Uchiha clan, the Hokage covered up their affairs, simply defining them as internal strife and leaving it to the Uchiha clan to resolve themselves.

Whether they are the remnants, or the disheartened radicals who are now completely swept into the dustbin of history.

Or they are conservatives who knowingly withhold information.

Even though his feelings for the Hokage and Konoha had become somewhat complicated at this moment, he still had to accept his kindness no matter what.

But they also knew very well that the Hokage did this because of Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha.

While Shisui certainly showed a "biased stance" that both pained and disgusted the radicals, in the end, the victors are the ones who are condemned. As the radicals in the Uchiha clan gradually become history and the staunch diehards are eliminated, they can only helplessly accept that the Uchiha clan is now dominated by the conservatives.

Under the resolute guidance of Uchiha En, who was controlled by Kotoamatsukami, Uchiha Shisui became the leader of the conservative faction within the Uchiha clan, and the matter of succeeding as the clan head was put on the agenda.

To be precise, the conservatives of today, under Shisui's leadership, have transformed into royalists. They are staunch supporters of the Fifth Hokage, Hyuga Yuzuru, and firmly believe in his Will of Fire. They have not only absorbed the original conservatives but also some neutral Uchiha members.

Even if they might disagree in their hearts, the Uchiha people wouldn't dare to say anything openly, but that was enough.

After Shisui's 'internal change' succeeded, he inherited the 'legacy' of the radicals within the Uchiha clan, becoming a backbone of the new generation of Uchiha and controlling the clan's discourse and ideology.

The banner is incomplete and the text appears to be a jumbled collection of characters and symbols. A direct translation isn't meaningful without further context or clarification.

The consequence, naturally, was being marginalized within the family.

But compared to Shisui, it was Itachi Uchiha who bore the brunt of the hatred of the vast majority of the Uchiha people.

Sometimes, what people need is not so-called justice or evil, right or wrong, but simply someone they hate.

Within the oppressive Uchiha clan, Itachi Uchiha, a 'cold-blooded monster' who had indeed committed a colossal mistake, became the 'scapegoat' in the eyes of the vast majority.

Although no one dares to openly say that Itachi Uchiha's actions were wrong, as it was absolutely right to sacrifice his own family for the greater good of Konoha, and no one dares to criticize Itachi Uchiha for this matter in the face of righteousness, it does not prevent them from privately regarding him as a heartless and ungrateful 'Hokage lackey'.

As for the vacation that Hyuga Yuzuru gave Itachi, Itachi really listened to his words. He took Sasuke, who was now taciturn and just like him when he was a child, and his increasingly thin and restless mother, and after simply handling his father's funeral, he went on a 'trip vacation'.

Whether the trip was meaningful or not remains to be seen, but it did allow him to avoid the limelight for a while. When he returned a month later, the bad atmosphere within the clan had been completely eradicated by Shisui and the Uchiha elder, Uchiha En.

But in fact, Itachi Uchiha didn't care about any of this—after returning from his vacation, he made a decision and moved away from the Uchiha clan's territory.

He left his mother and Sasuke in the clan's territory.

Mikoto Uchiha and Sasuke's status meant that they could receive care from Shisui and others, as well as sympathy and concern from the 'remnants' who reminisced about them. Even though they no longer held the title of clan head, they were able to enjoy even more care and attention than before.

Mikoto Uchiha did not refuse.

Now, the only meaning in her life is to take care of Sasuke and Itachi.

The latter seems completely unnecessary.

But the former seems to require a great deal.

Although he didn't become enemies with Itachi Uchiha like in the original story, and didn't suffer such a great blow, Sasuke undoubtedly fell into a very confused period.

He didn't understand why his father insisted on usurping the Hokage position, nor did he understand why his brother would turn against his own people because of the Hokage.

The concepts of village, family, kinship, and faith...

These complex and profound understandings of life, which are difficult for ordinary people to grasp, require time and life experience for Sasuke to make his own judgments. But right now, he clearly cannot judge right from wrong.

Therefore, on the one hand, he felt that his brother was utterly wicked, but on the other hand, he believed that his father had done wrong and that his brother was doing the right thing—this clash of two viewpoints is something that a child would find very difficult to understand on his own.

Although Mikoto Uchiha was heartbroken, she also realized what she had to do after this incident.

Even though she couldn't understand deep down why a mere Yuzuru Hyuga, a mere Will of Fire, could make her son so unfamiliar.

But looking at reality, the only thing she could do was to help Sasuke understand Itachi's actions, and ideally, to help him understand things she couldn't, just like Shisui and Itachi did.

This is the cruel reality of changing times.

The Uchiha people of the past cannot board the new ship of Konoha.

Otherwise, they will be left behind by the fast-moving ships, or they will be smashed to pieces. Only those who can adapt to the changing times can survive this wave and even rise to the top.

The Uchiha clan incident became the starting point, and the turbulent waves in the ninja world were thus fully unleashed.

After this incident, the atmosphere in Konoha strangely improved.

As the various clans learned about the events surrounding the Uchiha clan through their own means, some intelligent individuals became fully aware of the changes taking place in Konoha and vaguely sensed some anomalies that they could not yet comprehend.

An invisible wave of thought is gradually spreading from Konoha.

With the official publication of The Will of Fire, and thanks to the commercial strategies laid out by Hyuga Yuzuru, it spread widely throughout the Land of Fire. Suddenly, a major event that everyone had to take seriously occurred.

Within the Land of Fire, a horrific mutiny occurred in a small town. The militia, after murdering the local mayor, marched en masse with their families to Konoha. Hundreds of them traveled without stopping, carrying extremely complete evidence, detailing the numerous atrocities committed by the mayor in the town, and explaining that they had no choice but to rebel.

They longed for and firmly believed that Konoha, with its Will of Fire, would give them a just punishment. The militia leaders who personally killed the tyrannical mayor, after explaining the situation, committed suicide outside the village to atone for their crimes and to prove their innocence and determination. Only a few hundred innocent townspeople were left behind, weeping day and night, hoping to be taken in by Konoha.

The Land of Fire issued twelve urgent decrees demanding that Konoha eliminate the traitors and quell the rebellion.

However, with Hyuga Yuzuru's tacit approval, Konoha Village directly accepted this group of 'refugees' and brought them into the village. They also officially issued a document in response to the Daimyo's government in the Land of Fire, stating that the case was the will of the people, the mayor was immoral, and the townspeople were forced to do it. They should be punished for murder, not for treason.

The murderer has already committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

However, considering the facts, he should be pardoned and exempted from criminal liability. Furthermore, his righteous act should be encouraged and he should be rewarded.

Konoha is willing to share the nation's burdens and take responsibility for the resettlement of these refugees.

Before the Daimyo of the Land of Fire could even respond, Konoha gave positive recognition and rewards, including financial subsidies and business loans to his offspring to help them set up businesses in Konoha or directly arrange for them to work in factories tightening screws.

Nowadays, tightening screws is a highly sought-after job in Konoha. As industrialization progresses, Konoha's production facilities have become increasingly diverse, with various assembly line factories requiring a large number of workers to operate smoothly.

Working in the factory, although it's tough and tiring, one person's salary is more than enough to support a family of three. If you're frugal, you can even support more children and elderly people.

All you need to do is undergo onboarding training and pass the exam to get a job. Plus, you get insurance and a pension that's unbelievable in the ninja world. It's practically the 'best workplace' that ordinary people in Konoha Village dream of.

Such actions enraged the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Upon hearing that he had seen the official document from Konoha, the Daimyo was so angry that he only read a few words before throwing the document out of the house, shouting "traitor to the country" more than a dozen times. That night, he even smashed several of his beloved antiques.

And this document was mysteriously leaked out.

It is unknown which exceptionally talented subordinate picked up the document that the daimyo had thrown away, memorized the entire text, copied it, and then lost control after it was circulated.

The full text of this text first circulated within the Land of Fire, and then, along with the Will of Fire, it was spread throughout the entire ninja world in a cross-border manner.

Among them, the official document written by Hyuga Yuzuru and sent to the Daimyo's residence was even made into a book by some people and named "Reply Letter". It became a bestseller overseas and was discussed by everyone, becoming a rare hot topic in the entire ninja world.

This book, titled "Reply," not only contains a verbatim copy of Hyuga Yuzuru's reply to the Daimyo, but also includes details of the events collected from an unknown source. It recounts how the people of that small town were first oppressed by the mayor, their families were destroyed, and they were forced to rebel, eventually seeking refuge in Konoha.

Like a novel, it unfolds with a beginning, development, climax, and ending with Konoha's reply, which includes the author's imagined idyllic life in Konoha.

It perfectly addresses the pain points of the vast majority of ordinary people in the current ninja world, making Konoha appear like a paradise on earth.

This is practically a custom-made fairy tale for ordinary people today.

This product is truly selling out fast.

Sales of "Make-Out Paradise" plummeted as a result, and Jiraiya, who was working hard to pay off Tsunade's debts, had to work overtime to write a new book, "Make-Out Tactics," which was serialized in seven volumes.

Let's leave aside Kakashi's ecstatic joy for now.

However, Yuzuru Hyuga, along with the newly established Konoha and the Will of Fire under his rule, became famous throughout the ninja world, stirring up a storm.

Even the Daimyo's mansion, which had once thrown Konoha's documents directly into firewood, had to suppress its anger and buy a copy of "The Reply" because of the widespread circulation of this document, so as to see what Hyuga Yuzuru had actually said.

"The famous man has long held a high position, but he may not know that after years of war, the people are already devastated."

In many remote towns, people live in misery and suffer unspeakable hardships. Mothers cannot support their sons, fathers cannot support their wives, and families are often torn apart.

The town mayor first promised the refugee three bushels of rice, enticing him to sell his ancestral property. Afterwards, he substituted rotten rice for the rice and refused to pay in cash, claiming that the price of rice was equal. This forced the refugee to sell his wife to support his son. This act was outrageous, but it was only a drop in the ocean of long-standing grievances in the town.

The townspeople wished they could drink its blood and eat its flesh alive, but the Kingdom of Fire turned a blind eye and refused to listen. All those who came to petition were blocked from entering the capital. This was not the fault of the townspeople, but the fault of Daming Prefecture.

Though I am but a shadow of a single village, I understand that its people are like water; water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. How could you not know this?

With just these opening lines, the magistrate was so enraged that he threw the document away.

However, compared to before when he was so angry after reading just one sentence that he couldn't continue reading, Daiming has improved.

He endured for a while, suppressing his temper, and picked up the book to read again. But gradually, the more he read, the worse his expression became. He resentfully repeated the 'wonderful sentences' to the courtiers below.

"'Pitiful body, clad only in thin clothes, yet heartbroken that charcoal is cheap, wishing for colder weather...'"

"Sow a single grain in spring, reap ten thousand in autumn. Though there is no idle land under heaven, farmers still starve..."

Does Hyuga Yuzuru really think I don't know what he's talking about?!

Inverted!

This is outrageous!!!

The daimyo cursed through gritted teeth—in Hyuga Yuzuru's words, not a single curse word was uttered directed at him, yet every word subtly implied that he did not understand the suffering of the common people and only cared about power and stability.

Finally, I'd like to offer a word of advice, saying that Hyuga Yuzuru hadn't officially assumed the Hokage position even after several years in office because he worried he wasn't doing enough, wasn't worthy of the position, and wasn't competent enough for the people. As a leader, one should be concerned about the world's troubles before enjoying its pleasures...

Bullshit!