Naruto: This Uchiha is too innocent.

The massive final battle at Kikyo Mountain lasted for three days. During those three days, Konoha, disregarding casualties, launched attack after attack on Kikyo Mountain like mad dogs, and finally succeeded in retaking it.

Blood stained the sky, tears soaked the earth, only victory brought tears of joy.

Uchiha Sora stood atop Mount Kikyo, stepping over the corpses of Sand Village ninjas, overlooking the surrounding mountains. Bluebirds and crows cried out pitifully, while the sobbing of Konoha ninjas echoed in his ears.

This desperate counterattack brought no joy to the people; only a heavy sorrow lingered in their hearts, refusing to dissipate.

As recorded in official history, the death of Might Guy and the Battle of Kikyo Mountain caused heavy losses to Konoha. Whether the Uchiha clan's advance preparations reduced the losses remains a mystery.

Uchiha Sora was unaware of the details, but he was certain that he had lost something irreplaceable and precious in this battle.

"Lord Hiashi, the casualties of the clan this time have been tallied."

Suddenly, a Hyuga ninja carrying a death list arrived not far from Uchiha Sora. He glanced at the man and their eyes met, then looked away at the same time.

Hiashi Hyuga thought to himself, "This must be the renowned Uchiha youth. He is indeed a handsome and talented man."

Uchiha Sora thought to himself, "Is this the Hyuga clan leader, Hyuga Hiashi? He certainly exudes a powerful aura."

Uchiha Sora had long heard of the head of the Hyuga clan, who had made the Hyuga clan the largest clan in Konoha under his leadership.

Suddenly, he saw the girl named Hyuga Ame behind Hyuga Hiashi. She had her head down, like a loyal guard.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, Hyuga Yu looked up and met Uchiha Sora's eyes, which seemed to be devoid of any emotion.

Uchiha Sora withdrew his gaze, thinking that this girl was much colder than when they first met. Was it because of Hyuga Hiashi?

It seems the rules of the Hyuga clan are even more suffocating than he imagined.

Soon, he saw Matt Kai again; the once inextinguishable flame in the young boy's eyes was now incredibly dim.

The war ended, and the overwhelming sorrow eventually caught up with Might Guy. Kakashi would have to solve the problem if he wanted Might Guy to rekindle his fighting spirit.

He slowly raised his palm, the sword case creaking because of his things. Looking at the calluses on his palm, Uchiha Sora was in a daze.

He is really young. If he relaxes for a period of time, the calluses on his palms will be replaced by new skin. Only consistent training can leave these calluses.

His eyes were lowered, his dark pupils so deep, like black holes. The next moment, those pure black eyes transformed into single-tomoe Sharingan, so... beautiful.

"Head of the Hyuga family." He suddenly spoke, his voice seemingly possessing a certain attraction that drew Hyuga Hiashi's gaze.

The patriarch, who had long held a high position, silently watched the young man, waiting for his next move.

"Head of the Hyuga clan, I would like to ask you, what is your view on the current power dynamics in Konoha?"

Currently, the internal power structure of Konoha is complex and intertwined, with the Daimyo, Hokage, Root, and clans engaged in open and covert struggles, and this situation is vaguely reaching a bottleneck.

The daimyo wants to control the entire country, the Hokage wants to control the village, Root wants to control the clan, and the clan... wants to go even further.

The mutual checks and balances among various forces have resulted in the current situation where something appears outwardly impressive but is inwardly rotten.

If the Third Shinobi World War hadn't suddenly broken out, the situation would have been even more serious.

The Hyuga clan certainly doesn't want their clan's power to be slowly eroded by the Hokage using a gradual, insidious approach.

Hiashi Hyuga stared at Sora Uchiha for a long time, then said, "Konoha is now thriving and has become the leader of the Five Great Villages. This is excellent."

"The head of the Five Great Villages, huh, not bad at all." Uchiha Sora chuckled. "But this title comes from the Hokage's Guard and the Anbu, not from the clan."

Hiashi Hyuga's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze towards Sora Uchiha changed completely. He knew that if these words were to get out, the Uchiha clan would likely suffer an undeserved disaster.

"As you know, most of the casualties in the Battle of Kikyo Mountain were members of various clans; the Anbu and Root suffered almost no losses," Uchiha Sora said softly. "Is this ultimately a good thing or a bad thing for Konoha?"

This is true. Ninety-nine percent of those who died in this battle were clan ninjas. Although it seemed like a devastating loss, it had almost no impact on the Hokage's forces.

This is one of the reasons why Kannabi Bridge was able to win later.

"Watch your words," Hiashi Hyuga said suddenly, his eyes lowered. "Let's discuss these matters after the Third Shinobi World War."

He said calmly, gave Uchiha Sora a deep look, and turned to leave.

Uchiha Sora watched his departing figure, a slight smile always playing on his lips. He knew that Hyuga Hiashi understood his meaning.

His subconscious thought was, if things continue like this, will the family still exist in the future? Will the Hyuga clan still be able to exist?

In the future, the Hyuga clan will certainly exist, and may even flourish. Of all the clans, only the Uchiha clan will end up with only three members.

But only he knows this future. Hyuga Hiashi doesn't know where the future is headed, and his words will plant a seed for Hyuga Hiashi.

This seed will one day take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree.

Uchiha Sora's only goal was to ensure that, in the event of a coup d'état by the Uchiha clan, the Hyuga clan would not become enemies with the Uchiha.

The Uchiha clan only had two paths ahead of them.

First, a coup d'état.

Second, to survive by cutting off the tail.

"All I want is for the Uchiha clan to be alright."

Uchiha Sora looked at the calluses on his palms and murmured to himself.

……

"Clan Chief Hiashi, that boy just now..." the Hyuga disciple asked hesitantly.

"Shut up." Hiashi Hyuga glanced at him, and the latter shuddered, not daring to ask any more questions.

"What are the losses of the Hyuga clan?" Hiashi Hyuga suddenly asked.

"The damage is extremely severe, arguably the most serious in twenty years."

Hiashi Hyuga fell silent, the words Sora Uchiha had just spoken echoing in his mind.

The leader of the five great villages relies on the Anbu and the Hokage, not... a clan.

This sentence echoed in his mind like a curse.

"Uchiha Sora... he's really something." He said softly, then suddenly turned to look at Hyuga Ame, who had been following him the whole time.

"Hyuga Ame, are you confident you can defeat that boy from before?"

Hinata Ame looked up, her eyes calm. "If he's only a one-tomoe jade, then yes."

Hiashi Hyuga glanced at her and said calmly, "I hope so."

He didn't have much of an impression of this girl who had been transferred from a branch family, only that she was exceptionally talented.

"A genius boy from the Uchiha clan, I've never seen him before. I never expected him to be so bold."