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HGBW: Ch. 39
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 02:10:30 +0000 UTCA shadowy figure appeared out of thin air in the Third Hokage's office, moving like a ghost.
A fox mask, a ninja blade strapped to the back—clearly the attire of the ANBU.
"Hokage-sama, I have an urgent matter to report."
Beneath the fox mask was the face of Shinnosuke.
Although he was the eldest son of the Third Hokage, he still knelt on one knee before Hiruzen, maintaining the stance of a subordinate.
"What is it?"
Seeing that the visitor was Shinnosuke—and sensing the gravity in his tone—Hiruzen put down the intelligence scroll in his hands. Yet, a fleeting trace of regret flashed in his eyes.
If the Kage of other villages saw this intelligence, they would surely be shocked beyond belief—then immediately overjoyed.
Because the scroll contained a few simple but earth-shattering words:
"Sakumo committed suicide at home."
The White Fang, a ninja whose strength surpassed the Sannin, was dead.
And not just dead—he took his own life.
"The Hyūga clan… has changed."
Shinnosuke's words were shocking.
"What do you mean?"
At the mention of the Hyūga clan, Hiruzen immediately snapped out of his mixed emotions regarding Sakumo's death.
"The branch house prodigy, Tanaka, has broken the Caged Bird and shattered the divide between the main house and branch house."
"The main house's assassination attempt failed. Overnight, their entire house was wiped out—only the clan head's direct bloodline remains."
"In front of the Hyūga ancestral hall, with the entire clan as witnesses, Hiashi stepped down as clan head and passed the title to Hizashi. Additionally, Tanaka was named the heir."
Shinnosuke took a deep breath and delivered the shocking report, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"The Caged Bird has been broken?"
"Impossible!"
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. In his prime, his face carried an air of undeniable authority—yet at this moment, it was filled with astonishment.
The Caged Bird was something he had researched extensively in secret.
Not just him—Danzō had also been secretly investigating it.
After all, whoever controlled the Caged Bird controlled the entire Hyūga branch house.
Such an opportunity—what Kage could resist?
But until now, the Caged Bird had been unbreakable.
If Konoha couldn't break it, neither could any other village.
And now, someone was telling him that a boy had broken the seal?
If this weren't coming from his own son, Hiruzen might have smacked the messenger across the face on the spot.
"This matter is still under investigation. However, the information has been confirmed multiple times—it is true."
"Over a hundred branch house members who previously bore the Caged Bird have now been freed from it."
Even Shinnosuke found it hard to believe. But according to the investigation, the facts were undeniable.
If it weren't true, how could the branch house rise, the main house be wiped out, and the Hyūga clan lose their rigid family hierarchy?
Most importantly, after observing in secret, he found that although Hizashi was now the clan head, within the entire clan, Tanaka's authority and status surpassed everything.
"If I remember correctly, Tanaka is still a student at the Ninja Academy, isn't he?"
Hiruzen pulled out a list of students and quickly found Tanaka's name.
"He took the day off yesterday and didn't attend the Academy."
At this moment, a complicated expression flickered under Shinnosuke's mask.
"Do we know why he took a leave of absence?"
Hiruzen, while contemplating how the Hyūga clan's sudden shift would affect Konoha, casually asked.
"Yesterday morning, Hiashi branded him with the Caged Bird."
Shinnosuke's lips twitched slightly before dropping yet another bombshell.
"The Caged Bird was placed on him yesterday morning… when was the main house wiped out?"
Hiruzen's sharp mind caught the key detail.
"That same night."
Shinnosuke's words left Hiruzen utterly stunned.
No delay. No waiting. Immediate retribution.
So, taking just a single day off from the Ninja Academy, Tanaka managed to break the Caged Bird, wipe out the main house, and even secure the title of Young Clan Head?
At just eight years old, his genius was enough to unravel the Caged Bird.
At just eight years old, his ruthlessness was enough to annihilate the entire main house.
At just eight years old, his strength was enough to leave the Hyūga elders powerless.
At just eight years old, he had already mastered the art of wielding both fear and respect, taking control of the entire clan.
One thought after another flashed through Hiruzen's mind.
The more he learned about Tanaka, the more he felt an unsettling chill creeping up his spine.
Even compared to the Uchiha, who had been on the verge of rebellion ever since the Second Hokage's death, the entire clan together didn't weigh as much in his mind as this single child.
Even Sakumo didn't seem as terrifying as Tanaka.
Even the Sannin still didn't compare.
To Hiruzen, the only individuals in Konoha worth noting—those who could pose a true threat—were just a few.
Sakumo had immense strength but lacked resilience, and most importantly, had no clan backing him.
Fugaku had the support of Konoha's most powerful clan, yet he was indecisive, hesitant, and lacked both influence and cunning—unless he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Tsunade had abandoned the Senju name, and with her clan fading into history—along with the deaths of Nawaki and Mito—her focus had completely shifted to medical ninjutsu.
Jiraiya had no background, no political acumen, no faction of his own, and his carefree personality made him unfit for leadership.
Danzō? A simple-minded schemer—easy to manipulate.
The only real threat in his eyes was Orochimaru.
In terms of prestige, he was one of the Sannin.
In terms of influence, despite being from a civilian background, rumors had it that he was now aligning with Danzō.
In terms of connections, he had ties to both Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Most importantly, he had the resilience that Sakumo lacked, the ruthlessness that Fugaku lacked, the influence that Danzō lacked, and his strength had already reached Kage-level.
But when it came to Tanaka—Hiruzen saw in him something even beyond Orochimaru.
No—he was an Orochimaru Plus.
A superior background.
A superior talent.
A superior level of manipulation.
Even if he was only eight, ninjas were never measured by age, but by talent—not by seniority, but by strength.
---
Tanaka's name had fully entered the Third Hokage's radar.
No longer as just a rising talent, but as a force that could not be underestimated.
And he wasn't the only one.
Throughout Konoha, the same realization was dawning on others.
In the underground halls of Root, Danzō had received the news.
In the halls of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku was deep in thought.
Among Konoha's the Sannin, the name Tanaka was now on their lips.
Even within the circles of the Ino-Shika-Chō clan alliance and other ninja families, whispers of his actions had already begun.
It was no exaggeration to say that from today onward, the name Tanaka had fully entered the sights of Konoha's upper echelon and the great ninja clans, carrying undeniable weight.
If the Naruto world had trending searches, today's Konoha headlines would undoubtedly be:
"Shocking! An 8-year-old takes a day off, breaks the Caged Bird, wipes out the main house, and ascends as the Hyūga heir!"
