"Help me?" Hiashi was slightly surprised, falling into thought for a moment.
Diarmuid did not immediately follow up. Instead, he focused on his noodles, slurping them with a lack of etiquette that somehow made the ramen seem exceptionally delicious.
As the head of a prestigious clan, Hiashi didn't mind Diarmuid's lack of manners. After a moment of reflection, he picked up a few strands of noodles and said, "I've been thinking, but I don't feel like I've encountered any particular difficulties lately."
He was eating well, sleeping well, and his daughter was well-behaved. Though Hiashi was slightly dissatisfied with her gentle temperament, it wasn't a major issue, certainly not something that required Diarmuid's intervention.
Looking at the Hyuga clan as a whole, they were thriving within Konohagakure; there were no significant crises on the horizon.
While Hiashi himself did not hold any specific high-ranking authority in Konoha, serving as a "perfectly ordinary" member of the Jonin Standby Station rather than a Jonin Commander or a Commander of the Anbu, he felt somewhat "marginalized."
However, he understood that this was the inevitable treatment a prominent clan received in Konoha.
A mid-sized clan like the Nara had little to worry about. But the Hyuga clan's strength was formidable enough to warrant caution. This caution wasn't born of malice or suspicion, but was a fundamental village mechanism.
Even the Senju clan, which was once at the peak of prosperity, had largely receded from the spotlight. This had much to do with that very mechanism; one could even say the Senju themselves initiated and led by example in this regard.
They could not allow Konoha to become the village of a single family or surname.
Look at Hiruzen. He served as Hokage for many years, but after his passing, the Sarutobi clan's influence in the village quickly contracted. It was a tacit understanding, not a written rule, but one that every disciplined person knew how to follow.
Hiashi was undoubtedly a man who followed the rules. Even if he wasn't a department head or a power player with official titles, as long as he was the Head of the Hyuga Clan, who in Konoha would dare deny him respect?
Furthermore, Hyuga shinobi were spread throughout various departments – the Anbu, the Intelligence Division, and the Mobile Units. After all, the utility of the Byakugan was undeniable.
Before the "clash of gods" level of combat, the Byakugan remained a precious and practical Kekkei Genkai.
Thus, in his early years as clan head, Hiashi had considered seeking greater power. But as he grew familiar with the rules, he came to accept that they were for the good of both the village and the clan.
He adapted.
This was one reason why the Hyuga clan remained prosperous while the Uchiha clan... well, had they shared this mindset, things might not have turned out as they did.
Hypothetically, if the Uchiha had renounced their independent control of the Police Force, and if Fugaku had joined the Jonin Standby Station to be a "figurehead" alongside Hiashi, if the Uchiha shinobi had integrated into various departments instead of being rooted solely in the Police Force, perhaps the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha could have been resolved peacefully.
However, that was clearly impossible.
There was no mutual trust between Konoha and the Uchiha. Consequently, the Uchiha would never relinquish the power they held to seek a new alternative. If they gave up their authority and the Hokage's side turned around and struck them down, they would have no recourse.
In short, whether regarding his personal life or the Hyuga clan's standing, Hiashi saw no "difficulty."
He was curious: what did Diarmuid want to help him with?
At the same time, he didn't suspect Diarmuid of having a hidden agenda behind this offer. The reason was simple: Hiashi considered Diarmuid a very good friend.
They didn't meet often, but they corresponded occasionally and sent greetings during holidays. Honestly, it seemed a bit mundane. Yet, it was precisely this lack of intensity that made their friendship special. It was entirely untainted by ulterior motives.
Diarmuid had initially intended to use the Hyuga name to slip into Konoha, and that one time was indeed purposeful. But over the following years, their friendship had remained pure.
Hiashi needed nothing from Diarmuid, and Diarmuid sought no profit from the Hyuga. In this state, their bond appeared plain but was actually incredibly stable, as both men lacked such genuine connections elsewhere.
It was a friendship between gentlemen.
Diarmuid lifted his bowl, drank a few gulps of broth, and exhaled with satisfaction. "Delicious..."
Hiashi watched him with a slight smile, remaining silent.
After Diarmuid finished his appreciation, he took a napkin from the table, wiped his mouth, and spoke. "It's about Kumogakure. I've obtained intelligence that their envoy has come to Konoha on a secret mission: they intend to steal the Hyuga's Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan."
In the original timeline, Kumogakure did exactly that. They attempted to kidnap Hinata, but the operative was caught red-handed and killed by a single strike from an enraged Hiashi.
Immediately, Kumogakure launched a plan of diplomatic extortion, or rather, they had come prepared for it. Not only did they deny the kidnapping attempt, but they also framed the Hyuga for "murdering" their envoy and disrupting the peace. They demanded the body of the "culprit" from the Hyuga clan be sent back to the village to be handed over to the Raikage.
The result: Hiashi's younger brother, Hizashi, committed suicide to protect his brother.
On the surface, the incident was absurd. Konoha, as the leader and "big brother" of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, being bullied like this by Kumogakure was ridiculous. The Hyuga were a top-tier noble clan of Konoha, yet a mere envoy from Kumo could drive Hiashi to the brink... and ultimately cause the death of his brother.
It was beyond logic.
If it hadn't been such a specific, sensitive period, this extortion would never have succeeded. No matter how "soft" Hiruzen was, he wouldn't have agreed to such terms. Had his mind been a bit darker, he could have easily arranged for those envoys to be "unluckily killed by bandits" on their way back to Kumo.
But as fate would have it, Kumo's maneuver hit Konoha exactly where it hurt.
During this timeframe, the Uchiha clan was on the verge of inciting a civil war. This was absolutely not a time when Konoha could afford a foreign war. Hiruzen likely guessed that Kumogakure was bluffing.
But could he afford to gamble on it?
No.
Ultimately, he could only wrong the Hyuga clan and "arrange" for Neji's father to die.
One could say the Hyuga clan suffered a completely undeserved disaster, and Konoha was left with a grievance it couldn't voice. Once the Kumogakure matter was resolved, the village leadership likely saw the massive vulnerability created by their internal issues. If Kumo could pull this today, would another village try to take a bite out of Konoha tomorrow?
This made Hiruzen even more desperate to resolve the "Uchiha problem," which naturally accelerated the course of events.
Those in Konoha who understood the "humiliating disaster" the Hyuga endured realized the village was in deep trouble. If even the Hyuga had to suffer such an injustice, what about next time?
Could they say the Hokage was wrong?
Hiruzen's approach was indeed weak, but it was practically "correct" under the circumstances. They would have done the same. But what if it were their own family next? Their own brothers being forced to die?
Thus, this became the final straw that broke the camel's back regarding the Uchiha clan massacre.
After the Hyuga incident, the neutral parties and the "peace faction" that had been hesitating to support Hiruzen quickly leaned toward a "violent solution" for the Uchiha clan. To preserve Konoha's safety and stability, the Uchiha were erased.
For years afterward, everyone maintained a tacit silence regarding the massacre. Because, in a way, they were all accomplices.
The moment Diarmuid finished speaking, Hiashi's expression shifted violently. The smile vanished, and the veins at his temples throbbed as if the Byakugan was about to activate.
"...How dare they?!" Hiashi roared in fury.
Clans with Kekkei Genkai were extremely sensitive to this. Since ancient times, many had coveted their eyes, a fact they found loathsome. To think that after death, one's eyes would be plucked out and kept as an enemy's trophy, who could stand it?
"The people of Kumogakure have always had a different way of thinking than normal people, haven't they?" Diarmuid said.
Hiashi did not doubt Diarmuid was lying; there would be no point. Would Diarmuid really travel all this way just to sow discord?
"Coincidentally, from what I know, Konoha is at a very critical turning point... so you must be on guard against this. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire. I came to Konoha this time partly to warn you about this," Diarmuid said with a small smile.
By now, Hiashi's emotions had stabilized. He couldn't direct his anger at Diarmuid. He nodded. "Thank you. You traveled a long way to tell me this; I will be prepared. However, you said 'partly,' which means you have other business in Konoha... and at this point in time, the only thing that could attract you is likely... the Uchiha?"
Diarmuid looked at Hiashi with slight surprise. "Has the conflict reached a point where it's 'common knowledge' now?"
The fact that the Uchiha were recognized as Konoha's "critical point" by default was very wrong. It meant the storm was already here.
"What do you think? These are issues left over from decades ago. People might not discuss it openly, but in private, there is always speculation. My Hyuga clan must move with the times," Hiashi said with a sigh, his expression reflecting a touch of sorrow.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the Hokage's lineage was about to explode. One side had to fall. Of course, at this stage, most people only defined it as "falling." Even Hiashi couldn't imagine that the Uchiha would be brutally "exterminated."
When he spoke of the Uchiha now, even if he didn't necessarily sympathize with them, as the head of another top-tier noble clan, he couldn't help but feel a sense of "the fox mourning the death of the hare."
"Hahaha, now that you know my intentions, don't you need to report this to your Hokage?" Diarmuid laughed loudly.
Hiashi waved it off. "The formal answer is that you are my good friend and you came to help me, so I won't betray you. The real answer is: if even I can guess what's going on, do I really need to tell the Third Hokage?"
"Your honesty is heartbreaking... next time just use the formal reason, it makes me feel better," Diarmuid joked.
"But then we wouldn't be good friends," Hiashi smiled.
Diarmuid looked at him and smiled back. "Alright. You're right."