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"Lord Hokage, the Hyuga clan members are almost downstairs."
The ANBU member had a youthful voice, sounding like he was still going through puberty. He wasn't very tall either, and although he was wearing a mask, outsiders could still tell that this ANBU ninja wasn't very old.
Before Minato could even speak after receiving this information, a cold snort suddenly came from the sofa.
"Humph!"
"The Hyuga clan is becoming more and more unruly!"
"The matter hasn't even been properly handled yet, and you're already thinking about taking credit!"
"If all the ninjas in Konoha were like them, how would we be able to manage the other ninjas!"
"Minato, Hiruzen, the root of the problem is that you two have been too lenient with them!"
Before Minato, who was sitting behind his desk, could speak, Mitokado Homura, who was sitting between Danzo and Koharu Utatane, snorted coldly and then spoke angrily.
Yesterday, Danzo, upon learning that the Hyuga clan wanted to borrow the Scroll of Seals, tried to stop them, but was evaded by Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, he did not give up and the next day brought his two other advisors to confront them.
The three advisors opposed the idea of lending out the Book of Seals.
On the surface, the advisors were worried that the forbidden techniques in the Book of Seals might be leaked, causing trouble for the village's safety.
However, the real purpose was to prevent the relationship between the Third and Fourth Hokage and the Hyuga family from progressing further.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi has been Hokage for many years, Konoha is still not his sole domain. Factional struggles within the village have always existed. Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, these advisors, although all of whom were Hiruzen's comrades from the same period, actually share Hiruzen's power.
The current Hokage is Minato Namikaze. He has no foundation and has not been Hokage for very long. With his gentle personality, he is even more helpless in resolving the factional issues in the village.
Simply having the title of Hokage isn't enough to command the ninja clans in the village.
Minato only truly understood this after becoming Hokage, and because of this, he also wanted to win over some powerful clans to strengthen his influence.
In this respect, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato were actually on the same side.
Compared to his old comrades like Danzo, Minato, Hiruzen's grand-disciple, was undoubtedly a closer and more easily controlled ally!
From the day Hiruzen and Minato went to the Hyuga clan, the political struggle in Konoha Village had already begun!
Mitomon Yan's tone was cold, and his words drew sidelong glances from the others in the office.
Minato's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but due to their seniority, he didn't know what to say to smooth things over, so he could only cast a glance at Hiruzen.
Let alone a Hokage like Minato, who was born at that age, even the future Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, would still be hampered by the advisors because of her status as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama. This already shows the limiting effect of the advisors' power on the Hokage's power.
"It wouldn't be accurate to call it taking credit!"
"After all, the Hyuga clan went to great lengths to select eight elite ninjas to protect Kushina during childbirth."
"We're all on the same side, just helping each other out."
"Is there anything you don't trust about the Hyuga clan?"
Minato couldn't speak freely, but Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't need to hold back much in front of his old comrade. In the end, Hiruzen suddenly asked a pointed question.
"..."
Are you worried about the Hyuga clan?
Even Mitokado Homura, as an advisor, wouldn't dare say such a thing. Although he was an advisor to Konoha, compared to a behemoth like the Hyuga clan, he was merely a ninja with some experience.
It's fine to complain in private, but to openly oppose something is a big problem.
“Hiruzen, you clearly know that En doesn’t mean that.”
"The Book of Sealing is, after all, a ninjutsu scroll that records many forbidden techniques. If something goes wrong, it will bring huge trouble to the village."
"Or... can you guarantee that there won't be any problems with the Hyuga clan borrowing the Book of Seals? Or, Fourth Hokage, can you guarantee that?"
Danzo glanced at the silent Mitokado Homura, muttered "useless" in his heart, and then took over the conversation.
When it came to guarantees, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately fell silent.
While such things are unlikely to happen unexpectedly, once a guarantee is actually made, unexpected events can absolutely occur...
Danzo's roots were always outside his control; and his other old comrades were no pushovers either.
These guys also pinned the blame for Konoha's heavy losses in the Third Shinobi World War on themselves, forcing him to resign.
Otherwise, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have needed to pass on the Hokage position so early. Look at Onoki of Iwagakure; he's older than him, yet he's comfortably sitting in the Tsuchikage position!
Hizen is only 57 years old now. In modern society, he is far from retirement age and is at the prime of his life to strive for success!
"Danzo, no matter what you say, I have already agreed to Hiashi's request to let the Hyuga clan borrow the Scroll of Seals."
"Minato also agreed to this."
"As Hokage, we cannot break our promises."
Although he refused to vouch for it, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still pushing things forward. It was a matter of face for the "Hokage-sama," and he couldn't back down.
"Humph!"
"We have no intention of letting you go back on your word!"
"But... the Book of Sealing isn't something just anyone can borrow, is it?!"
"I heard Hiashi Hyuga did this for his son? A five-year-old brat wants to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?!"
"Hehe, in that case, it's not unreasonable for us to check whether that child has the aptitude to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique beforehand, is it?!"
"If they don't have that talent, what's the point of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique? Let them give up when faced with difficulties, that way you can't be considered breaking your promise, right?"
"Of course, if the other party really has the exceptional aptitude to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, then that's fine too. It's our duty to nurture outstanding juniors in Konoha, isn't it?"
Danzo and his men had clearly planned ahead before they arrived. When they saw Hiruzen trying to fob them off with the so-called "keeping one's word," they came up with other ideas.
Now that things have come to this point, if Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze continue to oppose it, it would mean completely breaking ties with the advisors and going their own way. If things escalate to that extent, it will not only be embarrassing for them, but it will also affect the harmony within the village.
Fighting without breaking apart is the most beneficial thing for Konoha's development. For this reason, Hiruzen was even able to tolerate Danzo's Root existence, which was neither obedient to orders nor proclamations.
The Third Shinobi World War is not over yet, and the Konoha leadership must not afford to break ties. Even Minato is not in a position to say much at this time.
Of course, the main reason was that both Hiruzen and Minato felt that Danzo's words made some sense.
Hiashi Hyuga's son wants to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, but this technique isn't something you can learn just by wanting to. If the other person doesn't have the aptitude, it might actually be a good thing if they give up.
"Danzo, how are academic qualifications assessed? Don't be unreasonable!"
However, Hiruzen would never say this approval aloud. Although he questioned Danzo in return, it was clear to everyone that he had given in.
"Hehehe..."
"How could I be being unreasonable?"
"My method, while not necessarily absolutely effective, is certainly one that can convince the Hyuga clan!"
"Look, isn't the man standing in front of the Fourth Hokage the perfect inspector?"
"Kakashi Hatake! Our Konoha's well-known genius ninja, but even he couldn't master the Flying Thunder God Technique, did he?"
"My method is simple: let that child... defeat Kakashi, and then I'll allow him to borrow the Book of Seals!"
"Of course, considering the age of Hiashi Hyuga's son, our promise to the Hyuga family remains valid!"
“When Hitachi’s ‘genius’ son is able to defeat Kakashi, he will be allowed to borrow it.”
"Otherwise... let's learn the Hyuga clan's traditional ninjutsu first and improve our skills!"
“Hiashi’s son is such a genius that he wants to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. If he can’t even match Kakashi’s talent, then giving him the Flying Thunder God Technique would just be a waste of his time.”
"Hiruzen, this is the opinion of our advisory group. You can relay it to the Hyuga clan in its entirety."
As Danzo spoke, the young ANBU member standing in front of Minato couldn't help but turn his head to look at Danzo, his handsome face under the mask filled with question marks.
What...what's going on? Does this involve me?
........................
Is defeating Kakashi all that's needed for Chapter 11?
Young Kakashi stood in front of Minato, tilting his head to look at Danzo on the sofa, his young face behind the cat mask filled with confusion.
"I think I've somehow gotten myself into some trouble..."
Kakashi sighed inwardly, letting out a soft sigh of helplessness.
Although he didn't know the details, he had learned some information from the conversation between Danzo and the Third Hokage.
The so-called "inspection mission" assigned to him by Danzo was probably a task that would offend the Hyuga clan.
Although he didn't need to worry about the Hyuga clan causing him trouble in the future, given his status as an Anbu member and a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, being inexplicably placed on the opposite side of one of Konoha's top bloodline clans would make anyone feel somewhat uncomfortable.
What's more, Danzo had tricked him a little back then, and now he was being used as a pawn again.
However, in this setting, no one cared what Kakashi was really thinking. Even Minato Namikaze was silently pondering Danzo's suggestion, his head bowed.
It must be said that although they knew the other party was intentionally trying to embarrass them and the third generation, their advice was still prudent.
No one knew better than him just how difficult it was to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the difficulty of this technique was not only limited to the learning difficulty, but the difficulty of using it was even more hellish.
Space-time ninjutsu requires exceptional reflexes and a high level of talent in the user's reflexes. If such talent and ability are lacking, the Flying Thunder God Technique will not only fail to be an aid to the user, but will instead cause them significant trouble.
The Flying Thunder God Technique is even more difficult to use than Kakashi's self-created ninjutsu, Chidori. However, even with Chidori, Kakashi only truly mastered it after inheriting Obito's Sharingan.
Even a genius like Kakashi couldn't master the Flying Thunder God Technique. And even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to use it as his trump card and killing move like Minato did!
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