Chapter 306: The Last Day Before the New Year

Life is like peeing in your crotch. Outsiders can only see a water stain, and only the person involved knows how it feels. Anyway, it’s not good anyway.

Only Hizashi Hizashi knew whether he had any resentment in his heart. Even the old man in front of him, who was proud of his insight, was not sure. But what did it matter? As long as the caged bird secret technique existed, Hizashi would be a caged bird, a caged bird controlled by the main family.

"Your talent and emotional intelligence are unparalleled. I have watched you grow up day by day from a toddler, and I know best what kind of grievances you have suffered. The outside world has undergone tremendous changes in recent years, but what does it have to do with the Hyuga clan? As great as the first generation and as cruel as the second generation, they eventually turned into a handful of yellow earth under the ravages of time. The current fourth generation is great. He is a leader who can truly bring about changes to the ninja world again. I believe this from the bottom of my heart."

The old man stood up tremblingly, put his right hand on the head of the younger generation who had shown great talent since childhood, and said: "But how many years can their glory last? As a member of the family, we should strive for thousands of years of glory. As long as we keep our white eyes, no matter what happens outside, we will have a good meal."

Hizashi's body trembled slightly, and the old man pretended not to know and continued, "The Hyuga clan has been glorious for more than a thousand years, and the so-called geniuses recorded in the family tree are countless. Over the past thousand years, Hizashi, do you dare to pat your chest and say that you are the best?"

"Don't dare."

"It's a good thing to be respectful. Respect heaven and earth, respect ancestors, and respect rules. You will be a qualified ninja wherever you go. Even if Hiashi is hopeless, he is still the patriarch of the family and a person blessed by God. As for you, just be a supporting role for the rest of your life. Don't think about what you shouldn't think about, and don't do what you shouldn't do. Do you understand?"

"Understand!"

Hearing this, the old man walked away slowly with his cane: "The sky is big and the earth is big, it is all left for free birds to roam. Birds in cages must abide by the law to survive. I don't want to see brothers turn against each other, even though I have seen it several times."

The room was silent. The young Hyuga ninja seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Finally, he stepped forward silently and helped his uncle up. He said nothing but it seemed as if he had said everything.

Hiashi endured it again and again, and with his strong emotional self-control ability, he smiled and said, "Go and call the tribe leader back. I feel a little unwell. I am probably exhausted in the New Rain Country. I want to take a rest."

"it is good."

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Shanzhong. I will come to visit you in person after the New Year."

The mountain ninja waved his hand and said calmly, "We are family, so we don't talk about other people's affairs. We have prepared wine and meat at home. You can come and have a drink and chat anytime."

............

What happened in the Hyuga clan was soon presented to Yeshan in the form of an official document, and it was delivered by Nara Shikaku himself. It was thought that the mountain ninja was dissatisfied with his friend's treatment and used his small privilege to be willful.

Ye Shan glanced at the document briefly, then looked up at Nara Shikaku who was kneeling in front of him. He neither got angry nor applauded. He seemed calm.

There was a story that Ye Shan read in a book of ancient anecdotes in his previous life. The story is very simple, telling about a bastard who was not favored by his family since he was a child, but through continuous efforts, he finally became a prime minister who was second only to the emperor and above ten thousand people one day. It happened that a trivial matter happened in the family, so he wrote a letter to the patriarch in person in his busy schedule, asking him how to deal with it. He thought it was a matter of easy handling, but the patriarch was very tough and wrote back directly: "Wait for you to deal with it as the patriarch, otherwise the prime minister will manage the heaven and earth, the nine provinces and ten thousand places, but he can't manage my little piece of land."

The prime minister, who was known for his calm style and his ability to remain calm even when faced with a catastrophe, was so angry after reading the letter that he was bedridden. In the end, he could only let the matter go and never asked about the family affairs again.

It's not that Yeshan doesn't want to manage it, nor is it that Yeshan doesn't have the energy to manage it. The Hokage seems to be in power, but in fact his power is extremely limited. To put it bluntly, the Konohagakure is a collection of ninja families of all sizes. The Hokage is the person in charge elected by the families. It is understandable that he manages military and national affairs at ordinary times, but if he wants to interfere in the internal affairs of the ninja clan, it will undoubtedly shake the foundation of the rule. This point is mentioned many times in the original work. In fact, it is very simple. Just look at the candidates for Hokage to get a glimpse. In the original work, after the death of the fourth generation Hokage, it was Sarutobi Hiruzen who was ordered to continue to hold power in times of crisis. After Sarutobi Hiruzen died, it was Tsunade, a lone family, who succeeded. After Tsunade stepped down, Kakashi, who was also a lone family, succeeded. After Kakashi stepped down, Uzumaki Naruto, a lone family, got what he wanted again. Except for the chaotic period of the first, second and third generations, when a strong family was needed to support the Hokage, all Hokage are children without a mother's family. The purpose is to prevent the story of one person's success bringing prosperity to the entire clan like the Sarutobi clan, and it is also the common demand of all clans.

So even if Hizashi was under house arrest by his family and suffered all kinds of injustice, Hayama, the Hokage, could not say a word or do anything to show concern for him.

Especially when it comes to the Hyuga clan, they are well-known in the ninja world for their complacency. Yeshan is confident that he can create a new Rain Country, but he would never dare to dream of changing a sparsely populated ninja clan.

So, after reading it, he just said: "The mountain ninja has worked hard, you go and send some wine and meat to comfort him."

As for the Hyuga clan's private investigation, Ye Shan did not comment, neither supporting nor opposing. There were thousands of ninjas under his command, and each of them had their own thoughts and selfishness, and he could not control them all. But one thing was that if something went wrong, then he, as the Hokage, would definitely not show mercy.

Time quickly came to night. Tomorrow is the most lively festival of the year. According to convention, the Ninja Village will rest for three days, and a grand closing ceremony will be held tonight.

The so-called "pen-closing ceremony" refers to sealing the official pen used to review official documents, suspending daily office services, and only maintaining the most basic operations. The rest of the ninjas can go home and spend a reunion year. To put it bluntly, it is a disguised Spring Festival party, where everyone gets together to eat and drink, receive some small benefits purchased in bulk, and then go back to their own homes to celebrate the New Year.

Ye Shan drank three glasses of wine at the closing ceremony, and said a few words, which were nothing more than thanking everyone for their hard work and keep up the good work next year, and then left the hall tactfully, leaving the joy to his subordinates. With him as the Hokage present, everyone would be restrained and not have a good time.

In the Hokage's office, the diligent and responsible Nara Shikaku had already prepared a table full of delicious food and wine, waiting for the Hokage to finish their chores and come over for dinner.

Ye Shan and his three deputies took their seats one by one. You will meet people based on your level. Since they are all Hokage, it is normal for them to eat together.

Nara Shikaku picked up a bottle of old wine from the table that was still buried underground at noon, and poured a glass for the four adults skillfully. He smiled and said, "I'll go downstairs and have a few drinks with the office people. I won't bother you anymore."

Ye Shan picked up the wine glass and shook it, sniffing the familiar aroma of wine: "Another year has passed. It's not easy for you to be the butler. Let the young people take care of the office. Go find a stool and sit down to eat and drink together."

This was the first time that Nara Shikaku heard the Hokage ask him to stay on this occasion. He nodded calmly and found a stool that was shorter than his head and sat near the door, but he only dared to sit halfway.

Ye Shan looked around at the people, a smile on his face, raised his glass and said, "For the first glass of wine, I want to thank everyone for their support and dedication over the past year. Drink it up!"

Soon, after three glasses of wine, a warm current rose from his abdomen. Ye Shan pulled the Hokage's feather woven garment that he wore outside and said, "Shikaku is thoughtful. He knows that I like to eat braised lamb, so he always serves me one portion every time I eat."

As he said that, he picked up a piece of mutton with skin and put it in Lu Jiu's bowl: "After dinner, go home and have a good rest. There are people watching over this office. There is a new baby at home, and it is not right to neglect your family all the time."

After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, several people were drunk to the point of flushed faces, but they did not get drunk. This is the advantage of good wine, it can make people drunk but not knock them down.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Uchiha Keiji smiled and said, "Hokage-sama, what are your plans tonight?"

Ye Shan frowned and thought for a while, and finally said: "Let's go to the orphanage and take a look. Don't alarm them. The two of us will go quietly."

"Fugaku, Minato, and Shikaku, you three should go home. You all have wives. Take a good rest these few days. With me and brother Keiji in the village, nothing serious will happen."

The few of them said goodbye, and if nothing unexpected happened, they would meet again in the new year. Yeshan and Uchiha Keiji walked on the snow one after the other, admiring the fireworks floating in the night sky and digesting their food.

"After the New Year, Brother Keiji's two sons reported to the New Rain Country. One was appointed as the new government envoy, and the other was appointed as the commander of the ninja garrison. One is a scholar and the other is a warrior. They complement each other very well."

Uchiha Keiji reminded: "Those two brats have only been the captains of the security department for a short time. It is not appropriate to let them take charge of local power."

Ye Shan shook his head and said as he walked, "There's nothing inappropriate. Young people have enough vigor and drive to deal with most problems in the world. What's more, they are your sons. They need to experience some life so that they can inherit the fruits of your lifelong struggle in the future."

Uchiha Keiji rarely agreed with Ye Shan's point of view and still refused, "My two sons grew up in a honey pot and have not killed many people. They are really not up to the task. I don't expect them to do anything. They are content to be a wealthy man with no worries about food and clothing under the wise leadership of the Hokage."

Ye Shan smiled. This was definitely not what Brother Keiji really thought. There was no parent in the world who didn't want their children to succeed. He didn't say much and walked in the village on the white snow, leaving two sets of footprints.