Chapter 118: Chapter 118
"Have the invitations been sent?"
"Don't worry, they have been sent and clearly marked as 'a conversation among clan leaders'."
Walking on the main street, Shisui nodded seriously to Kaito. He would never be careless about such a matter.
Visiting the Hyuga clan leader again didn't bother Shisui, as he saw everyone in the village as the same, without much distinction.
Though from a family perspective, meeting with the Hyuga clan leader again might not seem ideal.
This could be seen from the elders, either from Sō or from Takechi, they genuinely did not want Kaito to meet with the Hyugas anymore.
Similarly, they harbored doubts about Kaito's plan.
Their relationship with the Hyugas was already poor, how would their clan members feel when the Hyugas came in?
Moreover, how could they ensure that the Hyugas would allow their clan members to join the Police Force?
They worried that Kaito would be flatly rejected over this matter. The face lost wouldn't just be Kaito's, it would be the entire Uchiha's!
However, Kaito's prestige was simply too great, built up through his strength and step-by-step execution of his plans.
Even if they really doubted Kaito's plans and ideas, they could only provide advice, not flatly deny Kaito.
Fortunately, Kaito was a reasonable person.
This time, without debating the pros and cons, the five of them voted.
The result was that Shisui supported Kaito unequivocally. Fugaku, after some hesitation, also chose to support Kaito. There was no need to go on further.
"Actually, there's nothing to hesitate about. Kaito's thinking has always been correct."
Walking along, Shisui thought to himself.
After going through so much, Shisui was completely determined to stand behind Kaito.
Whether it was Kaito's initial judgment of the family situation, his chosen approach, or his current reforms within the clan and the Police Force.
Everything was proving one thing - Kaito's choices were correct!
Look at the Police Force, once the object of extreme dislike. After its reform, the reputation in Konoha has slightly changed.
And this was just the beginning. If they could keep going, one could only imagine how pleasing the outcome would be!
With so many excellent examples in front of him, Shisui didn't need to think too much about his choice.
He knew that as long as he followed Kaito's steps forward, he would definitely see the ideal Konoha of his dreams!
Kaito had no idea about the thoughts emerging in Shisui's mind. He was pondering how to deal with Hyuga Hiashi.
Though he believed there was a possibility of cooperation with Hyuga Hiashi after adequate analysis, Kaito couldn't help but wonder - what if this guy doesn't agree?
After much thought, Kaito decided that if Hiashi didn't agree, then he simply didn't agree.
After all, he had already expressed his good intentions; if the other party didn't catch on, he couldn't do anything about it.
"I've done everything I can, the rest is up to you."
Thinking this, Kaito and Shisui soon arrived at a tea house.
The tea house was a property of the Hyuga clan. In fact, all the major families in Konoha had their own assets, how else could such large clans survive?
Take the Nara family for example, they were skilled at raising deer, and deer antler was a major ingredient in soldier pills, while venison was a fine food ingredient.
The venison was naturally sold to the Akimichi clan, who owned many barbecue restaurants in Konoha.
The Uchiha's assets in Konoha were also quite substantial. Despite having shrunk for various reasons, many of the inns and hot springs in Konoha belonged to them.
In addition, before the establishment of the ninja village, the Uchiha and the Senju clan were at odds for a millennium. To acquire enough weapons, they naturally needed to control many mines.
Although these mines were handed over to the village after the establishment of Konoha, the Uchiha could still receive a hefty dividend every year.
Understanding this, Kaito sometimes wondered just how miserly Sarutobi Hiruzen could be?
In the original story, Sasuke was living not too poorly after the extermination of his clan, but it was far from well-off.
Not to mention he saw none of the scrolls and books collected by the Uchiha clan, it seemed like he didn't get any of the wealth either.
Let alone anything else, he didn't even see Sasuke using any training equipment. It seemed that aside from having enough food and clothing, he shouldn't expect anything else.
And he could only achieve even this much, largely because Uchiha Itachi, the fool, was still alive then, right?
"Otherwise, he'd probably end up much like Naruto. Can this be considered an example of 'united brothers', though they're separated by countless degrees?"
While grumbling about Sarutobi Hiruzen's stinginess, Kaito and Shisui had already entered the tea house.
The entire tea house had been cleared at this time, making it seem particularly desolate. It was obvious that this was done to accommodate them.
After following a servant to a room on the second floor, the servant respectfully left. In the room, Hyuga Hiashi was alone, looking out the window while sipping tea.
"Uchiha clan leader Kaito, deputy clan leader Shisui, nice to see you."
Upon seeing Kaito and Shisui enter, Hyuga Hiashi stood up politely and spoke. His attitude lacked the indifference Kaito remembered.
"Please sit. If there's anything lacking in my hospitality, please let me know."
"Clan leader Hiashi, your words are too serious. This place is very good." Although Kaito felt a little strange, he and Shisui both nodded in response.
Hyuga Hiashi's attitude was rather subtle at the moment. At least compared to the last time they met, his attitude had improved significantly.
The last time they had met within the Hyuga clan, Hiashi's demeanor was neither cold nor warm, the standard bearing and manners of a head of a large family.
Back then, Kaito hadn't cared much, thinking that the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hyuga was as it was. Paying them a visit was more of a secondary task.
After all, he had already visited all the other clans he needed to, and as one of the most powerful families in Konoha, it was only polite to pay them a visit.
However, Hiashi's current behavior was somewhat surprising to Kaito. This wasn't quite the demeanor one would expect from the head of the Hyuga clan when interacting with the head of the Uchiha clan.
"Clan Leader Kaito, you seem a bit surprised?" Hiashi casually poured himself a cup of tea, then did the same for Kaito and Shisui.
Kaito silently lifted his teacup, his gaze fixated on Hiashi. After taking a gentle sip, he nodded, "Indeed, I am surprised." Kaito confessed, "Because you, Clan Leader Hiashi, are somewhat different from what I had expected."
"We interact differently based on the people we meet, the feelings we harbor, and the situation at hand, don't we?"
Hiashi chuckled, and for a moment, seemed gentler.
"Last time we met, it was at my humble abode, and I was acting as the head of the Hyuga clan, with all the clan elders around me. I naturally had to maintain a certain demeanor."
"And what about now?" Kaito couldn't help but laugh at Hiashi's words, "Should I address you as Mr. Hiashi?"
Hiashi nodded in agreement, confirming Kaito's assumption, his behavior revealing his intentions.
Clearly, he needed to maintain his family's dignity and stance within the clan, but now he was more inclined to deal with Kaito as 'Hiashi' alone.
Yet, this made Kaito feel that some matters may now be harder to discuss.
Upon reflection, discussing some issues purely as 'Hiashi' may have its advantages.
If he were to refuse, it wouldn't feel as though a clan leader had turned him down, and perhaps that might save a bit of face?
Though it had the ring of wishful thinking, weren't all ninjas and ninja clans concerned with maintaining face?
"I believe I understand your intentions, Mr. Hiashi." Having figured this out, Kaito quickly laughed, "In that case, please refrain from addressing me as Clan Leader."
"Of course, Mr. Kaito."
Hiashi nodded, his expression then turned somewhat serious.
"Speaking of which, I must express my gratitude to you, Mr. Kaito, for everything you've done.
Last time, due to my clan status and the elders' matters, I couldn't express it, but I've always harbored a sense of gratitude.
Without you, I don't know when or how I could have avenged my younger brother.
Although the resentment still persists, nonetheless, thank you, Mr. Kaito."
At this point, Hiashi bowed slightly to Kaito, who at that moment wore an extremely strange expression on his face.
Well, this was something. It seemed that Hiashi wanted to express his gratitude, but as a clan leader, he couldn't do so in such a direct manner. Thus, he came up with this 'personal identity' approach.
Meanwhile, Shisui felt a bit dizzy from all the conversation. He was being spun around by the two men's words.
One moment it was 'clan leader', the next it was 'sir', then something about the separate identity of 'Hiashi'.
However, he wasn't a fool. Although he didn't deal with these matters often, he finally realized what was going on when Hiashi expressed his gratitude.
This made him fall into a brief silence. He had heard about Hiashi's situation. During his time in the Anbu, he learned about some of the things Kumogakure had done in the past.
Back then, Konoha was threatened by Kumogakure. Their Hokage, for the sake of the village's safety, didn't hesitate to sacrifice the innocent Hiazhi to them.
And with that sacrifice, a child lost his father, and a brother lost his sibling.
At the time, he didn't think there was anything wrong with this action, as it was done to protect Konoha. But now, looking back, the situation seemed a bit more complicated.
He pondered. Was there really no other choice back then?
//
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