Naruto Shadow Mage

"The Uchiha clan?!"

Choza's sudden exclamation startled Koshino.

However, at this moment, at Hizashi's banquet, too few people were paying attention to Koshino. Even Shikaku and Choza were silently watching the Uchiha clan members enter the residence, so Koshino's reaction went unnoticed.

Moreover, following that, Koshino's gaze fell on the entrance, where he saw a familiar figure!

"That guy…"

"Isn't that Fugaku Uchiha?"

Within the Uchiha clan, there weren't many people Koshino remembered, but Fugaku Uchiha was definitely one of them!

He was the head of the prestigious Uchiha clan!

The captain of Konoha's Police Force!

She was holding these two positions of great power, which was Fugaku Uchiha's title!

Staring in disbelief at Fugaku, noting his familiar face and authoritative demeanor, Koshino quickly confirmed that this was indeed Fugaku Uchiha.

But why would the head of the Uchiha clan come to Neji's one-month celebration?

Did the Uchiha clan members have nothing better to do than attend a branch family member's celebration?

Confused, Koshino looked towards Shikaku, but unfortunately, Shikaku's attention was not on Koshino.

Thus, Koshino watched as led by Fugaku Uchiha, several individuals with the flaming fan emblem on their backs entered the residence, carrying an aura as if they were here to cause trouble. Koshino couldn't help but click his tongue, thinking, "Are the Uchiha clan here to stir up trouble? Hizashi is in for a tough time!"

Sure enough, just as Koshino had this thought, Fugaku Uchiha approached Hizashi with an air of superiority and said, "Hizashi, your child's one-month celebration, and Hiashi didn't come personally? How disrespectful! You're all part of the Hyuga clan; why create such divisions? Are branch family members not human?"

"No matter, if Hiashi isn't coming, I am here!"

"Bring the child over so I can see if the Hyuga clan has buried another genius!"

"Hmmph!"

As Fugaku finished speaking, there were several cold snorts, but none dared to speak out loud.

Those who snorted were undoubtedly members of the Hyuga branch family.

Unfortunately, within the Hyuga clan, the branch family had no standing, and facing the head of the Uchiha clan made them even lower in status. They could only swallow their anger in silence.

However, what intrigued Koshino was that it wasn't just the Hyuga branch family members who were angry. Even Shikaku and Choza were glaring at Fugaku with disgust as if the affairs of the Hyuga clan were somehow their concern.

"Uncle Shikaku, are you alright?"

Hiding behind Shikaku, Koshino asked while observing Shikaku's expression, clearly intending to uncover the story behind Fugaku Uchiha's provocation.

But Shikaku, being the smart one, didn't speak. He wanted to avoid trouble and keep Koshino from being exposed.

However, Choza, who was more straightforward and had interacted with Koshino a lot, didn't hold back and explained to Koshino, "The Third Hokage formulated a plan to dismantle the Mist Village and assigned it to the Fourth Hokage, but the Uchiha clan didn't agree with it. So what if they're an elite clan? We all support the Third and Fourth Hokage. Does the Uchiha clan think they can openly challenge the Hokage?"

"Choza, shut up!"

Before Choza could finish explaining, Shikaku reprimanded him, and Choza quickly fell silent, not daring to say more.

Shikaku then looked at Koshino with a stern expression that Koshino had never seen before, prompting him to sit back obediently.

However, Shikaku couldn't have known that Koshino's mind was in turmoil!

"A plan to dismantle the Mist Village? Assigned to the Fourth Hokage? Could this be the plan involving Rin?"

"Madara Uchiha was scheming against Konoha, but wasn't the Third Hokage also scheming against the Mist Village? If Rin's infiltration plan succeeds, the Mist Village's defeat would be just a matter of months. With adequate preparations, no matter how ambitious the Raikage is, what could he do? A well-prepared Konoha is not something the Cloud Village can defeat!"

"Unfortunately, there's a flaw in the Third Hokage's plan, and that flaw is the supposedly 'deceased' Obito!"

Shocked by the complexity of the characters' schemes, Koshino realized he could no longer underestimate any of them, including Fugaku Uchiha, who seemed to be acting brashly in front of him!

Truly thinking from Konoha's perspective, Koshino understood that Konoha's victory in the Third Great Ninja War wasn't due to luck but strength!

Imagine!

If "Masked" Obito had not caused trouble by initiating the Nine-Tails attack, the Fourth Hokage would not have died, and he would have easily concluded the Third War. The Mist Village, just emerging from the "Bloody Mist" era, and the troublesome Cloud Village in the original series would have been mere pushovers for a strong Konoha!

However, the Fourth Hokage's death cast a shadow over Konoha.

Otherwise, how could Konoha have had to share the spoils of victory with the Cloud Village, making the title of the number one ninja village seem like a charity case?

Just as Koshino was lamenting the twists and turns of history, Fugaku, who hadn't seen Neji as he had hoped, began to stir up trouble!

"Hizashi, today I brought a few young members of my clan. Would you mind offering them some guidance?"

"Sano, Yuno, come forward and greet your senior Hizashi. Being guided by Hizashi, the top of the Hyuga clan, is a great honor for you!"

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

As Fugaku finished, two young Uchiha clan members stepped forward, cupping their hands and saying, "Senior Hizashi, please instruct us!"

"Hm?"

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he stared at the two young Uchiha members before him. Even Koshino couldn't help but think Fugaku Uchiha truly lived up to his role as the head of the Uchiha clan. His tactics were indeed clever!

By instructing the young members to provoke, he subtly sowed discord between Hizashi and the Hyuga clan's main family.

At that moment, even Koshino couldn't help but admire Fugaku Uchiha's political savvy, if not his parenting skills.

Fugaku's words left Hizashi in a difficult position.

Clan disputes often revolved around face and honor.

The Hyuga clan already had less influence than the Uchiha clan. If they backed down in this confrontation, how could they maintain their prestigious status?

How would other clans in Konoha view Hizashi?

How would they view the Hyuga clan if they retreated from the challenge?

Moreover, if Hizashi were to guide the young Uchiha members and win, it would be seen as bullying juniors. Any mistakes would give the Uchiha clan ammunition to stir up trouble, making the situation very tricky.

Koshino expected Hizashi, despite the difficult position, to step forward and teach the young Uchiha members a lesson, even at the cost of his pride, to uphold the Hyuga clan's honor. But after a moment's hesitation, Hizashi smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Since Brother Fugaku is interested in an 'exchange,' as a senior, I shouldn't bully the younger generation, should I?"

"Luckily, my nephew Minji is here. Let him guide Sano and Yuno."

Pausing, Hizashi smiled and said, "Minji, remember to be gentle. It's just a friendly match."

"Yes, Uncle Hizashi!"

As he spoke, a young boy about eight or nine years old stepped forward wearing the Hyuga clan's signature white robe and a green Caged Bird mark on his forehead.

But as Koshino expected the Uchiha clan to dominate the Hyuga clan in this clash, the boy named Minji took a stance that made even Shikaku and Choza gasp!

"Is that Minji? The hope of this generation of the Hyuga clan?"

"Koshino, watch closely. He might be your future rival!"