Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 189 The Situation on the Continent, Three Families Divided

While Aburame Shisei was enjoying the worship of primitive people and being regarded as a god, the scene in the interior of the Ninja Continent was quite different.

Konoha Village, Nara clan.

Nara Shikaku knelt in the council hall, facing three clan elders, Nara Shikaku, and two other uncles and elders.

"Shikaku, what did you just say? Say it again."

"I'm saying, the Hokage lineage is no longer worth following."

The three elders exchanged glances, their faces showing solemn expressions.

"Do you know what you're saying?" an elder said. "Our Ino-Shika-Cho clan has been bound to the Hokage lineage since the time of the First Hokage, for over forty years now. If you say it's not worth following, you're severing a forty-year bond."

"It is precisely because of these forty years of ties that I say this. Since the establishment of the Elders' Council, the power of our three families has gradually been divided. We are the ones who risk our lives, yet we have not received the rights we deserve."

An elder said, "It's only natural that there's no compensation if the mission fails."

"This is not an ordinary mission failure," Nara Shikaku said. "This failure is caused by inaccurate information. The information about the evil cult is completely inaccurate. They are not an ordinary church at all. They are involved with a real god."

Furthermore, there are those unforeseen and unforeseen events, including the mistakes made by Strategist Shiraki and Lord Jiraiya; we can't blame them all on us. And that's not all I'm talking about.”

That's right. Because of the failure of this mission, the Elder Council not only blocked Minato Namikaze's promotion to Jonin, but also the young masters of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were not spared.

One cannot gain real power until one becomes a Jonin.

In addition, during this period, many elders from the Ino-Shika-Cho clans have retired from their Jonin positions, and the vacancies have been filled by people from other clans.

Of the three family elders, one was a member of the elders' council. After a long silence, he said, "I will talk to Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado in a few days."

"It's no use," Shikaku said. "After Jiraiya-sama passed away, the Hokage lineage's strength has greatly diminished. Now even the Hyuga and Uchiha clans dare to openly voice their opposition."

"The Council of Elders was a mistake in itself, and redefining the boundaries of ninja clans was the biggest mistake of all. The power of each ninja clan has now reached the highest point in Konoha's history."

"But these are not the real reasons. The real reason is that the Hokage lineage is no longer viable."

Nara Shikaku bluntly stated, "The Third Hokage is old and his energy is waning; Jiraiya-sama has passed away, Minato Namikaze is injured, and Tsunade-sama is uninterested in politics. The current Hokage lineage no longer has enough power to protect us."

"The Ino-Shika-Cho trio are all in the same boat, sharing both prosperity and ruin. If they continue to be tied to the Hokage lineage, they will only sink with him. It's better to make plans sooner rather than later."

Nara Shikaku's words were cruel and realistic. In the past, he wouldn't have changed his stance, but after what happened a few months ago, his heart ultimately leaned towards his family.

Nara Shikazuki said, "What you say makes sense. But severing a forty-year bond is no small matter. We need to discuss it with the Akimichi and Yamanaka families."

"I've already been to the Akimichi clan," Nara Shikaku said. "They've long wanted to break away from the Hokage lineage. The Akimichi clan suffered the most heavy losses in that mission years ago. But the Hokage lineage only sent people to offer condolences; they didn't provide any real compensation. They've long been disheartened. And now, they should have already taken action."

The three elders were startled, but being intelligent, they quickly realized what was going on: "Was this your idea?"

"I'm just offering a suggestion."

A day later, the Akimichi clan took the lead, openly announcing that they were severing all ties with the Hokage lineage and the Sarutobi lineage, including ending all business dealings and handing over all power positions.

As the vanguard, they naturally suffered heavy losses. Within the core of power, almost only one Jonin remained; and among the registered Chunin and Genin, fewer than forty remained.

If it weren't for the unique nature of their clan's secret techniques, they would probably have been kicked out of the ninja clan long ago.

Although the price was high, this painful sacrifice finally freed them from the Sarutobi clan and the Hokage lineage.

With the support of many clan members and elders, Akimichi Choza became the new clan leader. As for whether he had the title of Jonin, no one cared anymore.

Less than two hours after this incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately convened an emergency meeting and personally promoted Choza Akimichi to Jonin.

But some things, once they're too late, are too late, and there's no point in doing anything about it.

That very night, the Nara and Yamanaka clans severed their ties with the Sarutobi clan, and all cooperative relationships with them were terminated.

The Nara clan also paid a large sum of money in compensation for medicines, because they were the breaching party in a long-term contract.

Of the three clans, the Mountain Clan suffered the fewest losses, and thanks to the uniqueness of their secret techniques, they were not even stripped of their interrogation authority.

Overnight, Konoha underwent a complete upheaval.

Hiruzen Sarutobi aged instantly, remaining silent in his office all night, smoking all night long.

He recalled the days decades ago when his father, Sarutobi Sasuke, and the ancestors of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans founded Konoha together.

Back then, they were all spirited young men, vowing to build a peaceful village.

Forty years have passed, and all the ancestors have passed away, leaving only him alive. And now, even the Ino-Shika-Cho family is about to leave.

He felt a deep, bone-deep weariness.

Just then, two elders pushed open the door and entered: "Hiruzen, I've heard that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio..."

"Yes." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "The three families have terminated some of their cooperation and resigned from some important positions."

"Ugh, those three families, Ino-Shika-Cho, are really something, letting these young people rise to power. I told you they weren't cut out for it, look at them, they don't even care about the old times!" Koharu Utatane grumbled, "Hiruzen..."

"That's enough, I need to calm down."

"Alright then." The two elders said no more, exchanged a glance, and left the room.

Just then, an ANBU member slipped into the room and reported, "Reporting to the Hokage, there's news from the Land of Rain. This year, the country has had a bumper crop, and Hanzo the Salamander is preparing to open elementary schools in various cities, seemingly to conduct nationwide physical examinations and search for children who can become ninjas."

"What?" Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes in surprise. "They're actually conducting nationwide testing and recruitment? Hanzo the Salamander, what audacity!"

"Lord Hokage, do we need to...?"

"No, hold back." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand.

The operative disappeared from the room again.

Then, gazing out the window, he murmured to himself, "Jiraiya, everything changed after you left."