Land of Fire – Konoha
The central square remained unchanged, yet the atmosphere had shifted.
Sarutobi Hiruzen struggled as his two sons were dragged away by the Uchiha Guard. At this moment, he no longer pondered their lineage—whether they were truly his or not was irrelevant. What mattered was the repeated humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Uchiha Bai Ye and his guards.
He scanned the crowd.
Whether it was the villagers or the shinobi of Konoha, their gazes had subtly changed.
Once, they had expressed dissatisfaction with him, even going so far as to impeach him. After the Third Shinobi War, he had been forced to relinquish his position, handing the title of Hokage to Namikaze Minato.
But when Minato fell during the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha had no choice but to recall Sarutobi from retirement. They had tolerated his leadership—until now.
Now, it was different.
This wasn't the first time the Uchiha Guard had publicly humiliated the Hokage.
Before, when they detained the Hokage's advisors, it could be dismissed as a minor offense. But now, in full view of the village, Uchiha Bai Ye had expelled the sons of the Third Hokage.
Tsunade, standing with the Guard, was another sign of change.
For the first time, people questioned whether Konoha truly needed Sarutobi Hiruzen as Hokage.
Bai Ye had shattered the illusion that only certain clans could hold power. The once-unthinkable idea of an Uchiha Hokage no longer seemed impossible.
Among the crowd, Hyuga Hiashi swallowed hard.
He had a choice to make.
Supporting Sarutobi Hiruzen was a sinking ship. If Konoha was changing, it was better to back the winning side.
And he wasn't alone.
If Bai Ye simply raised his hand, he could determine the village's next Hokage. If not him, then Tsunade. Either would be a better choice than Sarutobi.
The only question was: did Bai Ye or Tsunade even want the position?
For now, the situation remained fluid. This was only the beginning.
Sarutobi's expression darkened, the kind façade he had carefully maintained slipping away.
Danzo was imprisoned.
The Hokage's advisors had been disgraced, with rumors circulating about Mitokado Homura's infidelity.
His closest allies were either gone or powerless.
Meanwhile, the villagers recognized the Uchiha Guard as a legitimate force while dismissing his authority.
This wasn't how it was supposed to be.
He needed to turn the situation around—fast.
But how?
Sarutobi knew that if he openly opposed Bai Ye's judgment, he would be impeached immediately.
After all, he himself had proposed punishing Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Asuma to maintain order. If he reversed his stance now, it would be his final act as Hokage.
His eyes landed on the Fourth Raikage.
No.
That was a dead end.
Raikage was a prisoner of the Uchiha Guard. Eventually, this public trial would transition into negotiations with Kumogakure. Whatever price Raikage paid, Bai Ye would claim the victory.
There was no leverage there.
So what now?
As Sarutobi calculated his next move, Bai Ye remained unbothered, lounging in the high seat as if he owned the place.
In truth, he had done nothing but oversee a public trial.
If Bai Ye had any idea of the drama unfolding in Sarutobi's mind, he would have laughed.
He had never intended to challenge the Hokage's authority—he was simply doing his job.
If anything, he had been reluctant to hold the trial at all.
Had the prisoners not been so high-profile, he would have preferred to keep things low-key and avoid the extra work.
And as for becoming Hokage?
If Bai Ye ever wanted the position, he wouldn't hesitate.
He would eliminate Sarutobi Hiruzen, wipe out the Sarutobi clan, and remove anyone who dared to challenge him.
Then he could decide whether to take the title himself or install Tsunade as a figurehead.
"Lord Bai Ye, Raikage requested a private conversation with you."
A Guard member approached respectfully.
Bai Ye exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Not interested."
He knew exactly what Raikage wanted—to avoid public embarrassment.
As the leader of a great village, Raikage didn't want to be humiliated in front of an audience. He hoped to settle things quietly, likely by offering a deal.
Too bad.
Bai Ye had no interest in playing along.
He had enough work as it was.
With so many high-profile prisoners, the Guard needed time to process and secure them.
Danzo's cell had to be reinforced to prevent escape.
The forced labor teams needed supervision.
And someone had to escort Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Asuma to the border.
Bai Ye sighed.
He really needed more people.
Since when did the Uchiha Guard have to handle Konoha's infrastructure on top of law enforcement?
Just as he was about to relax, another messenger arrived.
"Captain, Hyuga Hiashi is here to see you."
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow.
Had he suddenly become popular?
When he first took command, the villagers had avoided him, and the other clans had ignored him.
Now, they were lining up to speak with him.
He looked at Hiashi, who approached with an air of respect.
"What's up, little brother?" Bai Ye asked. "Didn't you see me in my office? And look behind you—Sarutobi's glaring at you like you stole his wife."
Hiashi turned, catching the Hokage's twisted expression.
An odd thought crossed his mind.
Was this how a former ally looked at a traitor?
He dismissed the notion.
Standing under a collapsing structure was foolish. If the Uchiha Guard was the future, the Hyuga Clan needed to align with them.
"Don't worry about him," Hiashi said quickly.
Then, with a look of admiration, he spoke words that made Bai Ye pause.
"Bai Ye-kun, I take back what I said before. If you ever decide to rebel, bring the Hyuga Clan with you."
Bai Ye blinked.
Did this man just talk about rebellion in front of the Captain of the Guard?
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
"You and Uchiha Fugaku would have a lot to talk about," Bai Ye said dryly.
Not that he was planning anything—yet.
For now, his priority was stabilizing Konoha.
Rebellion? That could wait.
Hiashi seemed to sense his hesitation and changed the subject.
"Last time, I asked if you needed reconnaissance specialists. Have you given it any thought?"
Bai Ye nodded.
The Guard was understaffed, and it wouldn't do to recruit solely from the Uchiha. That would upset the clan's balance of power.
Besides, he had no patience for training arrogant newcomers.
"In that case, bring your people to the Guard later. We'll discuss the details then."
Hiashi smiled.
Abandoned by the Hokage, but gaining a stronger ally?
He had made the right choice.
Intermission over.
The final trial of the day was about to begin.
With a wave of Bai Ye's hand, the Fourth Raikage was brought forward.
Uchiha Satoshi stepped up, voice booming:
"Who stands before the court?"
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