Four hundred years ago, if it weren't for historical records, no one would have known about this—the secret history of the Hyūga clan. Not only were outsiders oblivious to it, but even within the Hyūga clan itself, very few were aware of the details.
Hyūga Hizashi knew about it because, from the moment he was born, he was designated as the heir to the Hyūga main family. One day, he was destined to inherit the position of clan head. As the future leader of the Hyūga, it was necessary for him to understand the history of his clan. Many of the most significant events in Hyūga history had been personally recounted to him by his father.
Hyūga Reita also knew about it because he was one of the rare individuals permitted to access the forbidden archives of the clan. He could freely browse any ancient scrolls stored there. However, he had never paid much attention to the records of the war against the Meiji clan—it was just history. He had read about it, but to him, such events were common in history.
Yet, who would have thought?
The long-lost treasure of the Meiji clan had actually been found!
Inside the secret chamber, Hyūga Reita started flipping through ancient texts again. He searched for records of the specific techniques that had been lost and how the Meiji clan had managed to steal the secret scrolls. The documentation was incredibly detailed because, at the time, it had been a shocking scandal.
Hyūga Hizashi and Hyūga Hiashi waited for quite some time before Hyūga Reita suddenly appeared, as if out of thin air, holding several ancient scrolls.
"Uncle, was I right?" Hyūga Hizashi asked eagerly. "Although I haven't personally seen the records, my father once told me that the Meiji clan stole our techniques. They even tried to use those secret scrolls to negotiate with us, but the deal never went through. My father said that those lost techniques were hidden within the Meiji treasure. Some of them were lost forever because the elders who mastered them died in battle, and the secret scrolls were stolen..."
"You're absolutely right!" Hyūga Reita nodded gravely. Then he quickly asked, "Have you sent people there yet? Where exactly is the treasure?"
Hyūga Reita had full confidence in Hyūga Hizashi's efficiency. Even though Hizashi was still a teenager, he was mature beyond his years and extremely capable. Since the treasure had been discovered, he expected Hizashi to have already deployed a team to retrieve it. After all, as the heir to the main branch, Hizashi had the authority to mobilize any resource within the Hyūga clan.
At least, that was what Hyūga Reita assumed—but the situation was not so simple.
"Uncle, the treasure has already been dug up!" Hyūga Hizashi's expression was sour. "And it has already been transported back to Konoha."
"What?" Hyūga Reita was stunned. His face darkened as a realization struck him. "Was it the Uchiha clan? Did they find it?"
The Uchiha clan was the sworn rival of the Hyūga. If they were the ones who had unearthed the treasure, reclaiming the lost Hyūga techniques would become an almost impossible task. Even if they sought help from the Hokage, the Uchiha could simply destroy the scrolls out of spite. The Hokage would have no grounds to punish them since they had no obligation to return something they had found.
"No," Hyūga Hizashi shook his head.
Hyūga Reita exhaled in relief. "As long as it's not the Uchiha, it doesn't matter. If another clan found it, we can negotiate. We don't care about the gold or silver—only our lost techniques. They wouldn't refuse us, and they wouldn't dare to."
Reita was confident in this statement.
"It wasn't another clan either..." Hyūga Hizashi's expression turned complicated.
"Then who?"
"It was Haruto Saito!"
"...Haruto Saito?"
"Yes! That Haruto Saito! The same one we sent assassins after! The one the Hokage now wants to take as his personal disciple!"
Hyūga Reita's face twisted in shock.
Haruto Saito was even more troublesome than the Uchiha!
The Hokage did not show favoritism toward the Uchiha. In fact, most of Konoha's upper echelon were wary of the Uchiha, which allowed the Hyūga to take actions against them, both in the open and in secret. But Haruto Saito... he was different. He was an outsider, yet the Hokage wanted him as a personal disciple. That meant he had already gained absolute trust from the Hokage!
At this moment, the Hyūga clan couldn't afford to make a move against Haruto Saito. Nobody in Konoha would dare.
But that wasn't even the biggest problem.
The real issue was—Haruto Saito had a personal vendetta against the Hyūga!
"Damn it! How did he find the Meiji treasure?" Hyūga Reita gritted his teeth.
"Apparently..." Hyūga Hizashi hesitated. "It was some kind of special ability he has... something about 'divining' the location. He has a unique sensory ability that lets him determine where treasures are hidden..."
Hyūga Reita's expression darkened further.
"Uncle, is my father still in seclusion? Should we inform him about this?" Hizashi asked cautiously.
Hyūga Reita remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "This retreat is crucial for your father. Let's handle this ourselves first… If the lost scrolls have truly fallen into Haruto Saito's hands, we must retrieve them—no matter what!"
A massive procession occupied the entire street. Anyone in their way had to step aside. This was the Konoha Defense Corps' vanguard unit, still carrying out their mission—delivering the treasure to the location designated by Haruto Saito. No one was allowed to interfere unless they had a valid reason.
"What's inside those crates?"
"Probably gold and silver!"
"Look at that guy carrying those scrolls—they must be ancient artifacts!"
"There's so much of it! This really is a treasure trove!"
"Is that really the Meiji treasure?"
The streets buzzed with discussion.
On the rooftops, numerous shinobi watched the procession with interest. Among them were Jiraiya and Orochimaru, walking side by side with Tsunade. Orochimaru remained as cold and indifferent as ever, while Jiraiya kept pestering Tsunade with questions.
"Haruto Saito-sama, can I go home now?" asked Minato Namikaze, walking beside him.
Haruto had carried him all the way back, only putting him down upon entering Konoha. The kid hadn't had enough rest and looked exhausted.
"Go ahead. Just remember not to talk about this," Haruto replied, glancing at Minato.
Minato nodded and quickly disappeared into a nearby alley.
The procession continued, moving from the market district to Konoha's eastern sector, eventually arriving at Tsunade's mansion.
Haruto gave orders for the vanguard unit to unload everything into the courtyard. Large crates filled with treasure soon covered the entire area. After opening a few chests, Haruto pointed at one.
"This silver here, about ten million ryō—take it."
"Aken, that small chest is yours—should be around five hundred thousand ryō."
"And Tsunade-sama, those big crates of silver over there—they're all yours. Definitely over ten million ryō."
Haruto paid everyone immediately.
The vanguard unit and Inuzuka Ken had no complaints. The only one glaring at him was Tsunade.
She knew exactly what Haruto was doing—he was making sure she got paid in front of everyone so she wouldn't try to extort him later.
Suddenly—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Five figures appeared a few meters away, followed by over twenty more masked shinobi.
The first five figures included Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Akimichi Torifu—the five highest-ranking officials in Konoha!
"This is the Meiji treasure?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, surveying the courtyard full of chests.
"Yes, Hokage-sama! This is the Meiji treasure! I discovered it! I hired people to dig it up! I paid for its transport!" Haruto declared, pointing at himself. "It's mine! MINE!"
Haruto felt the need to make it clear.
Who knew if the Hokage would try to "confiscate" it?