Chapter 1022 Barrier

Utane Koharu and Mitomon En looked at each other and left reluctantly. Hiruzen sat alone in the room, frowning, his thoughts becoming more complicated in the smoke.

At this time, the Anbu ninja came to report: "Hokage-sama, the Hyuga clan seems to have also sensed a strange atmosphere and has strengthened vigilance within the family." Hiruzen's heart tightened after hearing this. He knew very well that if it was not handled properly, it would easily cause conflicts within the village.

Hiruzen decided to go to the Hyuga family in person. When he arrived at the Hyuga mansion, the head of the Hyuga family greeted him respectfully. Hiruzen stated his purpose and emphasized that he was only exploring the power of the ninja village and had no ill intentions. Although the head of the Hyuga family looked doubtful, he expressed his trust in the Hokage.

However, at this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside. It turned out that some radical Konoha villagers heard that they were going to study the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, and came to make trouble. Hiruzen hurried out to appease everyone, and publicly promised that he would not harm the interests of the Hyuga clan. The villagers gradually dispersed, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief, and the Hyuga clan leader showed a grateful expression to Hiruzen, and the matter was temporarily settled. When Hiruzen was about to have another in-depth conversation with the Hyuga clan leader, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared. "Hokage-sama, there is something unusual going on over there with the Uchiha clan, and they seem to be quite concerned about what happened today." Hiruzen's face changed. The Uchiha clan was sensitive and suspicious. He hurriedly said goodbye to the Hyuga clan leader and rushed to the Uchiha residence.

When they got there, they found that the Uchiha clan seemed calm but were actually nervous. The Uchiha clan leader stepped forward and said, "Hokage-sama, is the Hyuga incident going to be a prelude to the Uchiha incident?" Hiruzen quickly explained that it was just a simple exploration of the Byakugan and had nothing to do with the Uchiha clan. But the Uchiha clan leader sneered, "Hokage-sama, we Uchiha have already endured too much suspicion. I hope this matter will not involve us anymore." Hiruzen had no choice but to make repeated assurances.

After leaving the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen was exhausted. He realized that the delicate balance between the major families in the village was now on thin ice. He returned to the Hokage's office, looked out the window at Konoha Village, and secretly made up his mind to find a proper way to resolve the potential crisis, which would not only enhance the village's strength but also maintain the stability and harmony of the families, otherwise Konoha would face huge risks. Hiruzen pondered for a long time and decided to convene a secret meeting of the most respected people in the village. At the meeting, Hiruzen proposed to establish a ninjutsu research institution jointly managed by all families. This institution aims to fairly and impartially tap the potential of ninjutsu of each clan, including the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan and the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

When this proposal was made, some people supported it while others were concerned. Those who supported it believed that it would help promote communication and cooperation between families, while those who were concerned were afraid that confidential information would be leaked. Hiruzen patiently explained the rules and safeguards.

The Hyuga and Uchiha tribes were hesitant at first, but after seeing the Hokage's sincerity, they gradually became interested. After all, if they could really coexist peacefully and improve their strength, it would be beneficial to the development of the family.

After many discussions, they finally reached a consensus. Each family selected representatives to join the organization, share resources and supervise each other. Hiruzen looked at the people working together with a gratified smile on his face. He knew that the crisis of Konoha Village was temporarily resolved, and as long as everyone was united, Konoha would surely move towards a stronger future. A few days later, the Ninja Research Institute was officially established and started operating. Ninjas from each family carefully entered it with their own secret materials.

However, trouble soon came again. Some data in the institution disappeared inexplicably, and suspicion was instantly directed at each other. The Uchiha clan suspected that the Hyuga clan did it on purpose and wanted to monopolize the research results; the Hyuga clan accused the Uchiha clan of crying thief. The tense atmosphere once again filled the entire Konoha Village.

Hiruzen was extremely anxious when he found out about this. He personally investigated and found out that a defector ninja had sneaked into the organization and secretly stole the information to sell to other countries. Hiruzen quickly organized the Anbu to capture the defector and recover some of the information.

In order to repair the relationship between the families, Hiruzen publicly dealt with the rebellious ninjas and established a stricter security system. He also personally organized the families to hold a grand Konoha Village Unity Celebration. At the celebration, everyone put aside their prejudices and drank happily. Children were laughing and playing around, as if foreshadowing Konoha's hopeful future. Hiruzen stood on a high place, looking at the scene of harmonious coexistence, his heart was full of emotion, and Konoha Village finally embarked on the road of harmonious development. A few months later, the Ninjutsu Research Institute made a major breakthrough. Inspired by the Byakugan ability of the Hyuga clan, a new type of reconnaissance ninjutsu was developed. The Uchiha clan's Sharingan research also progressed smoothly, and a method to restrain the backlash of illusions was found. This greatly increased the overall strength of Konoha Village, and the surrounding villages did not dare to provoke easily.

However, new hidden dangers quietly breed. As the research results become more and more, the jealousy of other powers towards Konoha turns into conspiracy. They secretly support a mysterious force to infiltrate Konoha, with the goal of destroying the research institute and provoking the relationship between the families.

This force disguised itself as ordinary merchants and travelers, and quietly spread rumors in Konoha, saying that the research results were distributed unfairly and some families got more benefits. For a time, some weak-willed ninjas began to waver.

Hiruzen soon noticed something was wrong. On the one hand, he arranged for the Anbu to investigate suspicious persons, and on the other hand, he convened a village meeting to make all the research results public and show the evidence of fair distribution. At the same time, he announced that Konoha was about to start a new round of external defense plan, which required everyone to unite. The villagers were encouraged and responded one after another. Finally, with everyone's concerted efforts, the mysterious force was successfully uncovered, and Konoha Village continued to move towards prosperity and stability.

But Hiruzen did not relax his vigilance. He knew that Konoha was a big place and there would be many challenges in the future. Therefore, he increased the training of young ninjas. Many young ninjas actively participated in the training, and Naruto, Sasuke and others were the best among them.

One day, news came from the border that a powerful foreign enemy was gathering troops. Hiruzen immediately organized a meeting to discuss countermeasures. This time, the families did not hesitate and expressed their willingness to do their best to protect Konoha.

The battle begins, and the Konoha ninjas bravely move forward. The Sharingan and Byakugan shine on the battlefield, and the newly developed ninjutsu also comes in handy. The younger generation of ninjas perform bravely, Naruto inspires morale with his unique ninjutsu, and Sasuke breaks through the enemy's defenses with fierce attacks.

With the efforts of all Konoha people, the enemy was defeated step by step. Konoha Village once again demonstrated its strong cohesion and fighting power. After this battle, Konoha became famous. Countries all sought cooperation instead of confrontation.

Hiruzen was very pleased to see the vibrant Konoha Village. He knew that as long as the people of Konoha always maintained a united spirit, no matter how great the difficulties were, they could be overcome, and Konoha would always stand at the top of the ninja world.