Chapter 321: Elder
Hiashi Hyuga took the appointment letter and, followed by five or six Branch Family members, went to the Hokage Building to request an audience with the Konoha Inspector.
He wasn't made to wait long before being called into the office alone.
After half an hour of unknown discussion, Hiashi returned to the Hyuga clan grounds.
However, as soon as he entered the meeting hall, the scene before him made his blood boil with rage.
His own brother, Hizashi Hyuga, was kneeling expressionlessly in the center of the hall.
A group of Main Family members sat in their seats drinking tea and chatting, as if they were spectators at a show.
No one paid any attention to Hizashi, treating him like an object.
With just one glance, Hiashi knew Hizashi had been kneeling here for a long time. The moment he left, the Main Family members must have eagerly summoned his brother.
This was clearly an act of venting anger. The sudden change made these Main Family members anxious to confirm whether the Branch Family was still under their control.
"Hiashi, how did it go? Did you change it back?"
"What did the Inspector say?"
Hiashi controlled his emotions, pretending not to see the kneeling man, and put on a troubled expression. "That person said there was no mistake. The position of Elder... is indeed for Hizashi Hyuga."
The Main Family members were incredulous.
"How is that possible?! A mere Branch member!"
"Unacceptable! This is impossible!"
Hiashi paused, then added, "That person said the Main/Branch distinction is the Hyuga's internal affair, and he doesn't care. He chose Hizashi based on ability and military merit. He said no one in the Main Family has any merit and cannot convince the masses. If the Hyuga clan is unwilling to accept, he can give the position to another clan."
As one of the most talented young men in the Branch Family, Hizashi indeed had considerable military achievements. Shortly after graduating from the Academy, he was active on the battlefield during the Second Great Ninja War.
These achievements might not rank high in the entirety of Konoha, but within the Hyuga clan, which mainly performed reconnaissance missions, they were indeed substantial—especially compared to the Main Family.
Many Main Family members, despite their age, had almost blank mission resumes.
The reason Dana gave was both reasonable and absurd, causing the Main Family members in the hall to explode.
"How can he count like that? Wasn't Hizashi's merit achieved under the Main Family's leadership? If we hadn't given the order, would he have even gone to the battlefield?"
"Are these Cloud people all muscle-brained warmongers? Our Hyuga clan has the distinction of Main and Branch; how can status be determined solely by military merit?! Ridiculous!"
"The Hyuga clan has its own rules. This will ruin hundreds of years of tradition! Unacceptable! Unacceptable!"
Hiashi watched coldly from the sidelines. Kneeling on the floor, Hizashi remained expressionless, as if everything had nothing to do with him, waiting only for the Main Family's orders.
Seeing that they had argued enough, Hiashi dropped another bombshell.
"When I left, I saw the Clan Heads of the Aburame and Inuzuka clans waiting outside the office. I wonder if they received some news."
Sure enough, the faces of the Main Family members turned even uglier.
"Small clans like Inuzuka and Aburame? Dreaming!"
"Maybe it's something else... We can't jump to conclusions yet."
The meeting hall seemed to be in heated discussion, but in reality, they were just venting. This wasn't something they could decide, so what was there to discuss?
The Konoha Inspector made it very clear: the Hyuga's only choice was to accept or refuse.
Looking at Hizashi, who had been kneeling silently in the center from start to finish, the Main Family members felt somewhat comforted. Hizashi's behavior once again confirmed their authority and status.
Finally, Hiashi said, "As the Clan Head, I feel this Elder position is significant for the Hyuga clan. We have never held a high position in the village. If we hesitate, I fear other clans will quickly fill the vacancy."
The Main Family members grew thoughtful.
Hiashi continued:
"Hizashi is loyal to the Main Family, and he is born of the same mother as me. I believe that as a Branch member, he knows his duty and identity, and he can dedicate himself to the future of the Hyuga clan. Am I right, Hizashi Hyuga?"
Hizashi kept his eyes downcast and replied in a deep voice, "I obey the arrangements of Hiashi-sama and the lords."
The next day, many people learned that the Hyuga clan was about to produce a Konoha Elder, and it was a Branch Family member.
This news caused huge waves outside. Many ninja clans found it hard to believe, and some even bluntly said the Konoha Inspector must have lost his mind.
Everyone in Konoha knew that the Hyuga Branch Family were pitiful creatures without freedom, unable even to control their own lives and deaths. To give an Elder position to a Branch member, and a young one at that...
Within the Hyuga clan, the situation was even more complex. The Main Family members didn't know whether to be happy or angry. They couldn't show it in front of outsiders, pretending everything was part of the Main Family's plan.
But once back inside the clan grounds, they would intensify their control over Hizashi to regain a sense of security, ordering him to do trivial tasks, even serving tea and water.
Some Branch members initially felt a glimmer of hope upon hearing the news. But seeing Hizashi, despite being about to become an Elder, still following the Main Family members submissively without complaint, their hope died down again.
Overnight, a new building rose opposite the Hokage Building. It was three times the height of the Hokage Building and looked very modern and square.
Under the curious gazes of many Konoha residents, a sign was hung up.
"Inspectorate."
Everyone understood its purpose.
Dana's office also moved from the Hokage Building to the Inspectorate opposite. The Cloud deployed more personnel via Heavenly Transfer.
These people weren't here for reconstruction but for managing Konoha. Even if Dana left in the future, these people would be stationed here long-term. The Inspectorate was their office.
Inside the Inspectorate, the inauguration ceremony for the two Elders was taking place.
Under the complex gazes of representatives from numerous ninja clans and civilian ninja, two exceptionally young Elders formally received the documents and seals representing their authority from Inspector Yotsuki Dana.
Many people from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans came to witness this moment, dressed formally with their clan crests embroidered on their clothes.
The position of Elder meant assisting the Kage's work, but the situation varied by village and depended on the Elder's personal ability and status.
Powerful ones, like Genji of Kirigakure—a founding elder still active today—held high positions and enjoyed status and power equal to the Mizukage.
Yotsuki Dana himself counted as one, currently the number two figure in half the ninja world.
Weak ones, like Ishikawa of Iwagakure, spent their lives as standard tools behind Onoki.
This required the Uchiha and Hyuga clans to fight for influence. They would become the catfish stirring up Konoha's power circle, which was exactly what Dana wanted to see.
The Uchiha clan was eager to make a big splash, while the Hyuga clan was a bit hesitant. The Main Family members didn't know if they should fully support Hizashi in seizing power within Konoha.
But soon, they wouldn't have time to worry about that.
Dana looked with interest at the stiff-faced Hyuga Main Family members, thinking that subduing the Hyuga clan had taken quite a bit of effort. He hoped the final result would be worth the ticket price.
Excluding Hiashi, there were seven Main Family members in the Hyuga clan.
If he wanted to solve it simply, killing these seven people would be enough.
But doing so would destabilize the hearts of Konoha's ninja clans.
So, they had to solve it from the inside.
At least, make it look like an internal solution.
Once he subdued the two major clans, Uchiha and Hyuga, there shouldn't be any chaos here after he left Konoha.