However, when Neji saw Hiashi Hyuga appear at Fugaku Uchiha's doorstep, Neji knew that this dreamlike period was about to end.
However, after returning to the Hyuga clan with the head of the family, Hiashi Hyuga suddenly called out to Neji.
"Neji, come with me," Hiashi Hyuga said.
Although Neji was full of confusion, he followed Hiashi Hyuga.
The two arrived at Hiashi Hyuga's quiet room.
After they sat down facing each other, Hiashi Hyuga got straight to the point: "Neji, the Fifth Hokage intends to take you as his student, so the clan will release you from the Caged Bird Seclusion."
As soon as Hiashi Hyuga finished speaking, Neji froze on the spot. He hadn't expected the surprise to come so suddenly. During his stay at Sasuke's house, Sasuke would occasionally mention his teacher to him.
In his words, the Fifth Hokage, Touhuan Uchiha, was a powerful and intelligent person, and now, this person was actually offering to take him as his student.
More importantly, the clan was actually offering to release him from the Caged Bird Seal, something he loathed terribly.
"Why me?" Neji asked, puzzled. The Hokage taking on a disciple was something that shouldn't be happening to a branch family member like him.
"The Hokage values your talent," Hyuga Hiashi said. "Before releasing you from the Caged Bird Seal, there are some things I need to tell you."
Hiashi then took out a will from his robes and handed it to Neji: "This is your father's will. I originally planned to give it to you when you were older."
"Father's will?" Neji took the will from Hiashi, opened it, and began to read.
After a long while, Neji put down the will, speechless. He had initially thought his father was forced into the Caged Bird Seal, becoming the scapegoat for the clan head.
But he hadn't expected there to be more to his father's death than he had imagined.
"Alright, take off your headscarf. I'll release you from the Caged Bird Seal.
As for what you want to do afterward, that's up to you," said Hiashi Hyuga. "
Also, although the Hokage will teach you other ninjutsu in the future, don't abandon the Gentle Fist style of the clan."
"Yes." Neji, his eyes bloodshot, nodded and removed his headscarf.
A few days later, Touhuan Uchiha brought Sasuke to the Hyuga clan. The Hyuga clan, known for its rigid etiquette, naturally didn't treat apprenticeships as simply as Sasuke's. The Hyuga clan made thorough preparations, and the entire ceremony took a whole morning.
"Teacher." Neji bowed respectfully to Uchiha Touhuan. This was the first time he had ever met Uchiha Touhuan.
Uchiha Touhuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities, Neji. What are your goals for the future?"
"Goals?" Neji was taken aback.
His greatest goal had always been to, as a member of the branch family, surpass his peers from the main family to prove himself and seek justice for his father.
But now, having learned the truth about his father's death, and with the caged bird he once hated no longer there, he truly didn't know how to answer Uchiha Touhuan's question.
"Hehe, no need to rush to answer," Uchiha Touhuan chuckled.
"You're only eight years old. You have plenty of time to think this through. If you have any questions about training in the future, you can come to me anytime.
But true instruction will begin after you've figured out what you want to do in the future."
"I understand," Neji nodded.
Another month passed in this manner. During this month, under Yamato's intensive construction, a palace of comparable scale to the former palace of the Land of Fire rose from the ground in the northeast of the village.
However, due to Uchiha Touhuan's deliberate arrangement, even the most important and tallest main hall used for court assemblies was three inches shorter than the Hokage Building.
After news of the official relocation of the capital to Konoha spread throughout the Land of Fire, many merchants flocked to Konoha, and nobles from the Land of Fire also arrived one after another to establish businesses, leading to a significant boom in the village.
The arrival of these nobles and wealthy merchants naturally brought about considerable changes to the village.
The biggest change, however, was the dramatic rise in the reputation of the police force.
As is well known, spoiled by the previous Hokage, the unruly people of Konoha Village were far more arrogant than the average person in the Land of Fire.
Although the best among them had already been imprisoned in the police force, awaiting Kakashi's return to the Three Pure Ones Training Corps for a dual physical and mental re-education after he finished dealing with matters in the Land of Fire, most of the rest were no better.
So, initially, when the nobles and wealthy merchants entered Konoha, these unruly people didn't take them seriously.
After all, they weren't afraid of even ninjas, so why would they be afraid of these outsiders?
However, the noble lords wouldn't tolerate them.
A representative incident was when a street vendor's stall blocked a noble's carriage, and the vendor even offered the noble a friendly greeting. The noble was immediately met with the iron fist of his personal samurai.
This was only because the nobleman from the Land of Fire was a newcomer and out of respect for Uchiha Touhuan.
In the Land of Fire, his samurai would have immediately used this man as a test subject.
Finally, when the man was on the verge of death, it was the village's patrolling ninja who arrived in time to stop the fight and punish both sides.
Many similar incidents occurred, causing the villagers' hatred to gradually shift from the patrol to these visiting nobles.
While the patrol would use force, they only did so as a last resort after warnings failed, but these nobles' samurai would fight at the slightest provocation.
Uchiha Touhuan, however, was happy about this. These unruly villagers needed professionals to teach them a lesson; otherwise, how could he demonstrate his benevolence?
On the other hand, while the arrival of these nobles and wealthy merchants boosted the village's economy, it also led to a gradual increase in prices.
Uchiha Touhuan had anticipated this. As the new capital of the Land of Fire, Konoha was naturally experiencing higher prices after the influx of nobles and wealthy merchants.
However, what displeased Uchiha Touhuan was that these nobles and merchants, after making their fortunes, showed no thought of giving back to the village; they simply hoarded their money.
Only a few, like Gato, were sensible enough to know to invest in the village and repay the Hokage's kindness.
Uchiha Touhuan coldly observed all this, waiting until these people were fully established in the village before unleashing his tangible kunai to rub against the invisible hand of power.
But before that, Uchiha Touhuan had another matter to attend to.
That noon, Uchiha Touhuan received a report from the village guards that Tsunade had returned to the village.
Not long after, Tsunade arrived at the Hokage Building with her disciple Shizune, announced her arrival, and strode into Uchiha Touhuan's Hokage office.
After entering the Hokage's office, Tsunade first surveyed the changes in the office, which she hadn't set foot in for several years.
Upon seeing the sword rack and the Lightning Blade prominently displayed, Tsunade's eyes flickered. However, when she looked up and saw the four large characters "政清和人和" (meaning "Peaceful Government and Harmonious People") hanging on the sword rack, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Miss Tsunade, isn't it a bit impolite of you to barge into someone else's office like this?" Uchiha Touhuan said somewhat helplessly.
Only then did Tsunade turn to look at Uchiha Touhuan.
This wasn't their first meeting; during the Third Shinobi World War, after Uchiha Touhuan awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan, it was Tsunade who personally treated his injuries.
However, Tsunade hadn't expected that upon meeting him again, Uchiha Touhuan would be sitting in this office, wearing the Fifth Hokage's robes.
"Your office is quite nice, at least better than what the old man had back then." Tsunade strode into the office, pulled up a chair, and sat down at Uchiha Touhuan's desk.
"If Miss Tsunade likes it, your office can be decorated like this in the future." Uchiha Touhuan got up and went to the display shelf to get a tea set, then boiled water.
"You have such refined hobbies? I didn't know that." Tsunade said, crossing her legs. The last time the two met, ten-year-old Uchiha Touhuan was covered in blood.
When he was taken off the battlefield, he was unconscious, but he was still tightly clutching his Lightning Bolt.
For Tsunade, it was hard to imagine that the young killing god she had seen before was the same person as the gentle and refined Fifth Hokage before her.
"Miss Tsunade is too kind." Uchiha Touhuan chuckled and brewed a cup of tea for Tsunade.
Tsunade casually picked up her teacup and downed it in one gulp. Uchiha Touhuan then asked, "Lady Tsunade, have you seen the things I asked Jiraiya to bring you?
Are you preparing to return to the village to take up your post?"
"I've seen the things, but I don't plan to stay in the village for the time being," Tsunade said.
"I came back this time to see what kind of person could drive that old man and that lecherous old man Jiraiya to such a wretched state. Now it seems, their reputation is indeed well-deserved."
"Is that so? Can you tell me why?" Uchiha Touhuan didn't mind Tsunade's teasing. Tsunade was different from Jiraiya; she was the legitimate granddaughter of the First Hokage.
Coupled with her contributions to medical ninjutsu, it could be said that almost every ninja in the village had benefited from her kindness. Her prestige in the village was incredibly high.
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(End of Chapter)