Chapter 41: Movers And Shakers of the Village

It was…an interesting experience stepping into the Hyūga Clan compound for the first time. Especially after already have lived both in the general village and later living within a clan. Keitaro hadn't realized just how much something as simply as the living arrangements of the people of the village could have differed.

Within the village there were of course areas that were reserved for the common folk and while it wasn't all roses and sunshine, it was more than adequate for most people to live comfortably.

Of course there were also places that could only be described as the slums of Konoha. It was inevitable really as no matter how wealthy and prosperous Konoha was as a village, there were always going to be those who couldn't make it.

These slum areas were usually filled with civilians who may have been crippled and unable to work, shinobi who had been dishonorably discharge and unable to find work, or simply those who had fallen onto hard times due to dept.

Crime was rampant in such areas and though it was possible for the village to purge itself of such things, why would they do such a thing?

The slums were obviously going to be the perfect place for the black market to develop itself and while regular people might view the black market as something that needed to be cleanse, as long as it brough more pros than cons, then the black market would be considered an asset to be nurtured.

Of course there were areas of the village that would never come into contact with such shady things at least on the surface. These areas and neighborhoods that could be considered 'high end' or even 'gated' to a certain extent and in these areas of the village, only individuals of a higher social and economic caliber were able to afford housing cost of living in such areas of the village.

Especially since the high prices of housing in those area were mainly because of the proximity to important structures and facilities of the village.

This proximity also meant that a shinobi presence would always be there since shinobi would be passing through the area in some capacity.

The constant foot traffic of shinobi also meant that the crime rate in those areas was at a minimal.

Afterall, it wouldn't be wise for a prospective thief to try stealing something, only for a random shinobi who happened to be passing by to take it upon themselves to take you down. As such, most of the criminal activities within the village occurred in the slums and the more secluded areas of the village.

Of course it wasn't lost on Keitaro the irony of a village filled with shinobi all throughout its streets, still having relatively high crime rates even outside of the slum areas of the village.

If anything it was that much harder to catch those who decided to become criminals in the village given that the village itself literally gave free shinobi training to any child from the age of 5 who managed to get into the academy, and given that you only needed to give back 5 years of service to the village by working as a shinobi before you could 'retire', there were quite a few genin level combatants in the village who simply gave up on becoming more competent shinobi and simply decided to live 'normal lives'.

It only took someone falling into hard times one to many times for them to decide to put their past shinobi training to good use once more, which never ended well for the truly powerless civilians.

Yet even these supposedly safe, gated communities within the village were still nothing compared to the living areas of the various clans within the village.

Not only were they able to have a sense of unity and uniformity in the building structures throughout the compound that added touch of class to the overall feel of the area, but they had their own dedicated security details in the form of clan raised shinobi that patrolled the clans compounds at regular intervals, and were even allowed to use deadly force if they deemed it to be necessary.

With that in mind Keitaro had assumed that there really wasn't anything to be excited about when it came to visiting the Hyūga Clan. Afterall, he lived in a clan as well and there shouldn't be too much of a difference right?

But after actually arriving, he had had to reevaluate his thought process quite a bit.

From the moment they passed through the entrance of the Hyūga, it was if they had been transported to a different world all together. The wooden structures were made from high quality lumber, the detailed wood grain on full display thanks to the way that they had been treated and maintain over the years.

The dark stain of the wood had no sign of sun damage and in actual fact, seemed to gleam in dim morning light. Maybe because there was a celebration today, there were paper lanterns and other decorative pieces strung up from the roofs of the various buildings that only added to the grandeur of the sight before them.

You could practically feel the prestige and pride of the Hyuga weighing you down as more and more of the small and normally unimportant details seemed to jump out and grab ones attention.

Like the fact that the bushes had been filled with small glass ornaments that made them twinkly as if they were filled with fire flies, or how the wind chimes the where hung from various positions around the clan seemed to chime together in harmony, melding their melodies into a harmonious sound that calmed the mind of those that listened.

Maybe the sight of the immaculately maintain hedges and shrubs, that had been shaped to resemble many different things. Some were shaped to resemble animals, others spelt out words and phrases. There was even one that shared an uncanny resemblance to the third Hokage himself.

And all of this was before you even had a chance to look at the members of the Hyuga clan themselves, who's appearance seemed to complete the picturesque scene with their ethereal beauty.

It was a well known fact that the Hyuga where all considered beautiful, regardless of whether they were male of female. With their flawless skin, long dark flowing hair, and delicately framed features, they had been dumbed as the most beautiful clan within the village, and the way that they carried themselves, with elegance and poise only reinforced that idea even further.

The only thing that marred their otherwise otherworldly appearances was also the thing that the clan was most recognized and well known for.

Their otherworldly yet deeply unnerving white eyes.

Still, even their distinctive eyes couldn't truly take away from their elegance, only serving to enhance their otherworldly charm and mystery.

Keitaro took his time looking around as him and the small precision of people from the Inuzuka clan made their way into the compound. It didn't take long for them to reach the true celebration venue, which was already filled with people who where chatting with each other.

Not surprisingly there were representatives from all of the major clans of the village, easily recognizable thanks to the many clan symbols that they all wore, along with their many respective distinct physical traits.

The large rotund bodies of the Akimichi, the distinctive spiky black hair and lazy demeanor of the Nara Clan, and the black beady glasses and large overcoats that covered the entire bodies of the Aburami were but a few of the groups that Keitaro recognized immediately.

Surprisingly there wasn't a Uchiha in sight, and given how important they were deemed to be in the village it was strange not to see any of them mucking about. That of course rose the question of whether they had been invited but decided not to show up, or if they weren't invited to begin with.

Depending on which scenario was the reality, the situation of the Uchiha in the village and the views of the others clans towards them could be seen.

The entrance of the Inuzuka clan members was met with a few people coming over to greet them and chat as they mingled around the crowd. Keitaro kept to his brother side as the adults started to separate from the group, and since they had no idea of what to do, they stuck close to Tsume and her family.

A poor decision in retrospect since Tsume, as the current head of the Inuzuka clan, would inevitably have to greet and interact with the other heads of the respective clans of the village. As such Keitaro and Kentaro ended up joining her as she introduced the various people to them and vis versa.

It was a much more manageable experience than what Keitaro had originally though it would have been, as no one seemed to be too interested in either him or his brother. The way his father had described these functions had made Keitaro assume that they would have to be careful of everything they did, when in reality it seemed like everyone was simply enjoying their time at the function. Instead of a political warzone, it seemed more attuned to an opportunity for the different groups of people who made up the bulk of the decision makers and major players of the village hidden in the leaves to interact.

A misconception that he had had that was quickly rectified by mingling with the crowd, was the idea that the clans of the village where made up exclusively on of shinobi focused clans.

While a great majority of them where indeed shinobi or better yet, known for utilizing certain techniques and specializing in producing certain types of shinobi, there where several clans who instead were known for the crafts that they produced instead of their combat potential and strengths.

There where several clans present who specialized in black smithing for example, who where responsible for the creation ,repair and maintenance of the many tools used through the village. From plows, hoes, and forks used by farmers, to the hinges, handles and locks used throughout the building of the homes and stores of the village.

They also had a monopoly on the production of most of the ninja tools used by most of the clans within the village. Though lacking in individual strength, all of the major clans had good relations with them and given that to piss them off meant being cut off from dedicated channels for specialized shinobi tools, they held their own level of power and sway over the various clans.

There where also clans that where known for their heritage of Fuin-jutsu masters. Fui-jutsu as a discipline was something that took a lot of time and research to get involved in, and while all the various clans had varying levels of experience with it, clans that specialized in it where responsible for the production of tools such as storage scrolls, exploding tags, and other such things that where in a shinobi's tool box.

There where a few people who were responsible for the production of silks and fabrics, a field that one wouldn't really associate with shinobi life, but they were also responsible for producing a lot of the outer and inner wear of the villages shinobi gear.

These clans may be considered lacking when it came to their individual strengths and combat potential, but their economic power made them giants in their own right, deserving of respect and their own level of prestige.