- The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

**Chapter 15: The Young Lady's Great Dream** "Grandpa Hokage!" Hinata called out sweetly, knowing that in life, sometimes you have to bow your head in deference. The Third Hokage's face was filled with a kindly smile. He always maintained a gentle and amiable attitude towards children. Hinata had mixed feelings about the Third Hokage. From the village's perspective, he was undoubtedly a qualified Hokage. Though he appeared moderate, his political finesse was exceptional. Even Danzo Shimura, the master schemer, couldn't best him his entire life. However, from the family's perspective, some of the Third Hokage's actions were quite intriguing. To suppress the power of the ninja clans, Konoha first established the Ninja Academy. The Third even took Orochimaru and Jiraiya as disciples, aiming to make a civilian ninja the Fourth Hokage. Currently, Konoha has more than thirty thousand registered ninjas, but fewer than ten thousand of them hail from clans; the rest are civilian ninjas. For prominent ninja Clans like the Hyuga, they now have only about a thousand ninjas. The Uchiha Clan, at its prime, was stronger than the Hyuga. To wipe out over a thousand ninjas, including those with Sharingan, in one night — who knows how many ninjas Konoha had to mobilize to achieve that? Danzo's Root alone couldn't have managed it. Perhaps ANBU ninjas disguised as Root members participated in the Uchiha massacre. Moreover, Konoha must have suffered significant losses. After the Uchiha were exterminated, although the Third Hokage continued to placate the ninja clans, who would dare oppose him now? The fate of the Uchiha was a stark reminder. After living in the world of Naruto for eight years, Hinata had gained some insight into the political landscape. While the Hokage's faction has always supported civilian ninjas, haven't the ninja clans also regarded them as mere cannon fodder? Looking across all of Konoha, the strong are almost always from the ninja clans. The number of strong civilian ninjas is quite limited. And yet, the power in Konoha is largely concentrated in the hands of the Hokage, the Konoha elders, and the ninja families. Civilian ninjas risk their lives on missions for Konoha, but all they earn is a modest mission bonus. Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyuga stays home doing nothing and still earns significant profits for the Hyuga Clan. How extensive are the assets of the Hyuga family? Hinata was aware of only a fraction, yet it was already astonishing. This wealth is the accumulation of a thousand years. When the founding of Konoha was still fresh, countless benefits were promised to the Hyuga to secure their allegiance. This is a class conflict. As long as interests are unequally distributed, such conflicts will never be resolved. The Hokage's duty is to maintain the balance within. As long as this balance remains undisturbed, no one will dare lay a finger on the Hyuga Clan. Over the past year, Hiashi Hyuga had already begun training Hinata, not only in strength but also in managing the family. The Third Hokage sat down cheerfully beside Hinata and refrained from taking her snacks. He was merely jesting, after all. How could the esteemed Hokage really snatch a child's candy? Hinata was quite familiar with the Third Hokage—not because she had read the original Naruto manga but because he often gave speeches at the Ninja Academy, indoctrinating the students. Looking at the Third Hokage with an expression of reverence, Hinata curiously asked, "Grandpa Hokage, I heard you're the strongest Hokage in history. Is that true?" Though Hinata seemed obedient, she was, in reality, sharing a bit of humor. The Third Hokage, filled with pride, chuckled and said, "That's just what others say. The First Hokage was the strongest. Have you heard of his legends, little Hinata?" He spoke modestly, yet why was his face filled with pride and satisfaction? So shameless! The First Hokage had been deceased for many years, and most in the ninja world had forgotten his formidable power. To many of the younger generation of ninjas, perhaps the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha were strong, but they believed they were only on par with, or slightly stronger than, a Hokage. The Third actually delighted in the title of "strongest Hokage." Hinata blinked, her face innocent, and she looked at the Third with admiration. "Grandpa Hokage, you're incredible; you can't judge someone by their appearance!" The Third Hokage, stroking his beard with a smile, took great pride in being admired by children. Hmm? Wait! What does she mean by 'can't judge someone by their appearance'? The Third felt that Hinata was subtly mocking him. Whether 'can't judge someone by their appearance' is a compliment or an insult is now uncertain. Originally, the phrase was meant to describe someone's strength but subtly criticized their looks... The Third Hokage gazed over the scenery of Konoha; the peaceful and prosperous village was his greatest pride, his lifelong dream. "Little Hinata, why do you always like to sit here and eat snacks?" Swallowing a dumpling, Hinata replied earnestly, "Because the view here is excellent!" The Third nodded contentedly. A love for Konoha's scenery implied a love for Konoha itself! The indoctrination at the Ninja Academy was quite effective. Even though the ninja clans were powerful, they were ultimately Konoha's clans. Throughout the entire ninja world, while numerous secret ninja clans exist, true bloodline clans have become rare. Even the occasional bloodline ninja is few and far between. Yet, the Hyuga Clan, as a bloodline family, with one of the ancient three great dojutsu, the Byakugan, has remained steadfast. It must be said that the successive heads of the Hyuga Clan were very wise. The Third Hokage smiled and asked, "Does little Hinata have a dream?" Since it was the Hokage asking, Hinata thought carefully. Save the ninja world? Protect Konoha? Change the world? Too dangerous and too exhausting! Leave those burdens to the child of destiny! Hinata intended to be honest, as she couldn't be sure whether the astute Third Hokage could detect lies. Truthfulness was the safest route. After pondering for a while, Hinata shyly said, "Lots of money, little work, close to home; high position, considerable power, few responsibilities; sleep until naturally awake, counting money till my hands cramp." Hinata still had some sense of dignity and didn't explicitly say that her dream was to laze around. This playful rhyme perfectly encapsulated the position of the head of the Hyuga Clan, wasn't it? Consider Hiashi Hyuga: he spent most of his time home, missions were handled by the branch families, managing the Hyuga's inherited businesses, and most of his time was leisurely spent. The Third Hokage: "..." In truth, the Third Hokage felt quite secure about Hinata. Hinata seemed like someone without much ambition, showing no particular desire for the position of Hokage. Despite her Hyuga lineage, her appetite rivaled that of the Akimichi Clan, and her temperament was akin to the Nara Clan's. Nicely put, she lived unperturbed by the world; not so nicely, she lacked ambitions and lived aimlessly. From the Hokage's perspective, the Third favored this type of person, especially since Hinata was the Hyuga Clan's heiress. He initially worried about potential issues arising from Hinata's private interactions with Naruto, but after observing her for over a year, the Third felt much relieved. The Third Hokage sighed, "It's a quite nice dream, but for many, it's a dream they can only yearn for!"