"Go take care of the pirates that have been showing up?"
The Third Hokage looked at the request submitted by the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.
It wasn't just them—Kakashi had also sent in a request.
As for Guy? He didn't need to. Since Kakashi's request was approved, Guy would just play dumb and tag along when the time came.
"Why?"
The Third Hokage didn't understand.
The ninja they had already sent out were more than capable of handling some pirates.
"Hokage-sama, this year's Chunin Exams showed us the strength of ninja from other villages… and also made us realize our own shortcomings.
I believe our three clans need to go out and Guyn more experience, improving our teamwork along the way."
"More importantly, if our three clans act together, we can deal with the pirates faster and make sure nothing disrupts the Chunin Exams."
Shikaku's explanation made sense.
The Third Hokage had no reason to refuse.
"And… what about you, Kakashi?"
He turned to look at Kakashi.
It wasn't just him—Shikaku was also curious.
Ever since Kakashi returned, he had changed.
Shikaku had noticed it right away.
Someone like Kakashi was impossible to ignore. His talent was too great.
On top of that, the legacies of those before him—whether it was the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, or his father, Hatake Sakumo—made Kakashi a figure Konohagakure couldn't overlook.
Besides, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had a good relationship with Minato.
Back when Minato was still around, Shikaku had helped him with many things.
This also included handling matters between different clans. It was precisely because of Nara Shikaku that, back when Minato was still around, the Uchiha clan never attempted a coup.
Now, Kakashi's change hadn't escaped Shikaku's sharp eyes either.
"I think this pirate invasion is likely connected to the Land of Waves. The captain of the Blade-less Pirates is strong, and regular ninjas might not be able to deal with him, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi's expression remained calm, but the Third Hokage had already noticed the sword on his back.
Thinking about how much Kakashi had changed since returning, and considering the intel on Zabuza, it was obvious—Kakashi had suffered a setback against him.
And not just any setback—he had been completely outmatched in swordsmanship.
The son of the famous White Fang of Konoha, getting overpowered by an enemy using a blade. No wonder Kakashi had decided to carry his old weapon again.
Of course, when it came to Kakashi's father, the Third Hokage wouldn't bring it up. That was one of Konoha's more shameful stories.
"Alright, but if you're going alone… be careful."
The Third let out a deep sigh.
Pirates? He had no idea what kind of power that Shanks guy had, but in just a few months, pirates had started appearing all over the ninja world. It was hard to understand.
"Understood."
After getting the Third's approval, Kakashi left immediately. The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans also left the Hokage's office. Their next task was to send out their clans' core members.
The next day, almost all the ninjas from the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had left Konoha.
Core members? They were all core members.
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans always worked together. Each team had three members, and at least one of them was usually a Chunin. If a Chunin left, what about their two teammates? Naturally, they had to follow.
That was the strange thing about the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. But at the same time, it was also part of Shikaku's strategy.
And to everyone in Konoha, this wasn't unusual at all. That was just how the Ino-Shika-Cho clans operated. If you tried to split them up, they wouldn't be able to work as well with other clans or ninjas.
But because of this, the other clans started to feel like something was off.
What exactly was wrong? No one could say for sure.
It just felt… off.
Inuzuka Clan grounds.
Inuzuka Tsume looked at the gathered elders.
"So none of you know what's really going on?"
He frowned. The Inuzuka Clan wasn't a major clan, but it wasn't small either. Yet, with all these people together, was there really no one smart enough to figure it out?
"Tsume, thinking too much at a time like this won't do us any good. If something feels off, we just follow whatever the Ino-Shika-Cho clans are doing."
"Yeah, exactly. That Shikaku guy is the one who thinks things through. If he's already done the thinking, why should we bother?"
"We should just go out and deal with the pirates too."
For these old-timers, there was no need to overthink.
Any clan that had survived in Konoha had already been tested by history.
When you weren't sure what was wrong, experience was the safest guide.
From the Warring States era to now, they had built up plenty of experience. Especially after Konoha was founded—at least ten ninja clans had disappeared completely.
So the ones that remained had learned how to handle both internal issues in Konoha and the problems that came with war.
Well, except for the Uchiha Clan from a few years ago.
The Uchiha were different. They were always on the front lines in battle, and every time Konoha needed to crack down on someone, they were at the center of it. If they weren't so strong, they probably would've been wiped out long ago.
But in the end, they still got wiped out.
Now, their old district was overgrown with weeds.
Back when the Uchiha were still around, everyone feared them.
Now that they were gone, everyone feared they might be the next Uchiha.
Right now, this is the situation in Konohagakure.
As for the so-called Uchiha coup? The other ninja clans didn't really care. In fact, they thought it made perfect sense.
The Uchiha clan was one of the founding clans of Konohagakure. The First and Second Hokage were both from the Senju clan. Fine. The Third Hokage was also a close ally of the Senju. Fine. Then the Fourth Hokage was Namikaze Minato. That guy, at least, we Uchiha could respect. He was truly strong.
But then, after the Fourth Hokage died, shouldn't it have been our turn?
Instead, the Third Hokage took back the position.
Tell me, who could accept that? The Uchiha fought for Konohagakure for so many years, and we still weren't allowed to have a Hokage of our own? Anyone in our position would be furious.
And was it really a coup? If you actually look at history, what the Uchiha did was completely justified.
But in the end, the Uchiha clan was wiped out. Gone.
Not long after the Fourth Hokage died, the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out inside Konohagakure itself.
To the other ninja clans in the village, these past ten years were the darkest times in Konohagakure's history—just as brutal and terrifying as the Bloody Mist era in Kirigakure.
So when they heard that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had started moving, the Inuzuka clan didn't even bother thinking anymore. They just trusted their instincts and followed their survival instincts.
And their instincts told them one thing—run. Just follow Ino-Shika-Cho and get out of here first.
"But how do we leave now? We have no excuse to just leave the village."
Inuzuka Claw had a serious expression. Now that Ino-Shika-Cho had left, they really had no reason to go, either.
"We can contact the Aburame clan. They're responsible for communicating with the Daimyo. They might have something that can help us."
One of the elders spoke. The Aburame clan had people assigned to protect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and they were also in charge of intelligence between the Daimyo and Konohagakure.
Before long, several elders from the Aburame clan arrived.
The Aburame clan had also noticed that something was wrong. They were actually preparing to leave too, but the Inuzuka clan caught them before they could go.
"We do have a commission from the Daimyo. As long as we write a request on it, we can leave the village at any time."
The Aburame elders had no other choice. Normally, this commission didn't mean much. It wasn't really useful for ninjas under normal circumstances.
But now, it was. They could just write a fake mission on it.
And since the commission itself was real, anything written on it would automatically be considered an official mission.
As for the payment? You think all the money the Land of Fire's Daimyo gives to Konohagakure every year is just for nothing?
"What should we write on it?"
The Inuzuka elders stared at the Aburame clan, making them feel immense pressure.
"The mission will say that the Aburame and Inuzuka clans are being sent to eliminate pirates in the Land of Fire. At the same time, both clans will send ninjas to the capital to ensure the Daimyo's safety.
To prevent what happened in the Land of Water from happening here, the mission will order the Inuzuka and Aburame clans to set out immediately. Until all pirates in the Land of Fire are taken care of, they must ensure the Daimyo's protection."
One of the Aburame elders spoke.
"That should be good enough, right?"
Hearing this, the Inuzuka clan members finally breathed a sigh of relief. With this, their main forces could safely leave the village.
The next day, the Chunin Exams were still ongoing. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage and Danzo received the "commission" from the Land of Fire's Daimyo.
"These pirates are such a headache."
"Well, there's nothing we can do. Pirates aren't really a threat to us, but after what happened in the Land of Water, the Daimyo's concerns make sense."
The Third Hokage sighed after reading the commission. The other elders had no solutions either.
It was then that an elder from the Inuzuka clan stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama, shouldn't this be handled by the Aburame clan? Why are we, the Inuzuka clan, being sent out?"
"Yeah, Hokage-sama, this really doesn't seem like something our Inuzuka clan should be doing."
Hearing their complaints, the Third Hokage felt a headache coming on.
Danzo frowned as well. Wasn't it just assigning them to protect the Daimyo? It wasn't even that big of a deal.
"The Aburame clan is mainly skilled in scouting. When it comes to direct combat, we still have to rely on the Inuzuka clan."
"Besides, this pirate invasion is likely connected to what happened in the Land of Water. If the Blade-less Pirates show up in the Land of Fire, I'm afraid the Aburame clan alone won't be enough to keep the Daimyo safe."
The Third Hokage explained. He also felt that the Daimyo was overreacting, but there was nothing he could do. The Daimyo was just an ordinary person, and it was normal for him to be worried.
And what Kakashi said earlier wasn't wrong either. The Blade-less Pirates were in the Land of Waves, and invading the Land of Fire would be even easier than invading the Land of Water.
Who knew what those pirates would do next?
"That makes sense. If a strong enemy appears, the Inuzuka clan will have to protect the Daimyo at all costs."
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu spoke up in agreement.
Faced with the pressure from Konoha's higher-ups, the elder of the Inuzuka clan left in anger.
Seeing this, the Aburame clan couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
As expected of the Inuzuka clan. Your whole family really is a bunch of dogs, huh? Is this how you want to play it?
Yesterday, you were begging us to take you along, and today, you've got the higher-ups pleading with you to join us.
"Sigh, Tsume, you and Shibi will handle this."
The Third Hokage had no choice but to shift his gaze to the heads of the Aburame and Inuzuka clans.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
This time, Aburame Shibi and Inuzuka Tsume didn't hesitate and accepted the order right away.
Seeing how cooperative the two young clan leaders were, Konoha's elders finally felt a little relieved.
Meanwhile, Inuzuka Claw and Aburame Shibi remained silent as they started making arrangements.
By the time the Hyuga clan realized what was happening, almost all the major clans in Konoha were already gone.
That was when the Hyuga clan sensed extreme danger.
With the Uchiha clan wiped out, anyone could be the next Uchiha.
The Hyuga clan had always been cautious, but no matter how careful they were, the reality was clear—now that the Uchiha were gone, the Hyuga clan had become the biggest ninja clan in Konoha.
"Clan leader…"
Inside the Hyuga clan's compound, both the main and branch family elders had gathered.
Everyone was waiting for Hyuga Hiashi to give them an answer. It was clear now—the Hyuga clan was in danger.
"Clan leader, if we don't act soon, we're done for."
"The Uchiha clan was wiped out. Are we next?"
"All the other clans have left Konoha. That's a sign. They don't want to get involved in whatever's coming next. Whether we survive or not is now up to us."
The situation was obvious.
Every other clan had left. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like they had all received some kind of signal from Konoha's leadership.
But the Hyuga clan?
They got nothing.
Or rather, they had everything.
The Hyuga clan was simply too big. Compared to the other clans, their numbers were overwhelming.
A clan like this, existing in Konoha—especially after the Uchiha were wiped out—was bound to make the higher-ups suspicious.
"Clan leader, if we don't act now, we need to start a coup! It's our only way out!"
"Hiashi, we can't wait any longer!"
An elder stood up and roared.
"Enough."
Hyuga Hiashi stood up, facing everyone. The weight of their gazes pressed down on him. As the head of the clan, he carried the life and death of his entire family on his shoulders. Any decision he made at this moment could cost countless lives.
"Tonight, send people to break Konoha's barrier. Have others disguise themselves as Kumogakure ninjas and take as many of our clan's children as possible."
"Kirigakure has kidnapped members of the Hyuga clan more than once. As for the rest, stay inside the compound. No one is allowed to leave."
After speaking, Hiashi slumped down, drained of energy.
Konoha… how did it come to this?
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