Hyūga Hiashi stared blankly at Hikaru, then at Hinata in his arms, before looking again at the Kumo leader who had completely collapsed to the ground.
His mind was in chaos.
He had not seen what happened in that instant at all.
All he saw was the Kumo leader raising his kunai, preparing to stab the unconscious Hinata in his arms.
And in that same moment, Hikaru's eyes suddenly flashed with blue light.
That flowing, radiant blue made even Hiashi's heart tremble.
For some reason, he felt those eyes were strangely familiar.
It was as if they had once been recorded in the oldest archives of the clan.
His memory was excellent. He remembered accidentally reading that record when he was young.
The reason it had left such a deep impression on him was because the record described a pair of flowing blue eyes that possessed the power to destroy the world.
Back then, his younger self had treated it as nothing more than an old tale.
But why had a pair of eyes so similar to that description truly appeared in this world?
"The child is fine, Lord Hiashi."
Hikaru had no idea what Hiashi was thinking. He walked over with Hinata in his arms.
"Oh… oh!"
Hiashi finally snapped back to his senses and hurriedly took Hinata from him, repeating over and over, "As long as she's fine. As long as she's fine."
That was what he said, but when his eyes shifted toward the Kumo leader lying dead on the ground, his expression turned terrifyingly dark.
He did not blame Hikaru for killing the man.
What he hated was that this man had actually plotted against the Hyūga Clan.
Even more fatal was the fact that, even after knowing about the plot, he could not change anything.
That was what made him feel truly powerless.
Just then, a burst of noise came from the distance.
In the silent village at night, that commotion sounded especially piercing.
Hiashi looked toward the source of the noise. His Byakugan had already activated, and his expression became even uglier.
"If I'm not mistaken, those should be the Kumo delegation members," Hikaru said with a smile after glancing into the distance.
"Yes." Hiashi nodded grimly.
He really felt his head aching now.
Because of that headache, he no longer had much interest in asking about the change in Hikaru's eyes.
Tonight's situation was truly terrible.
Hikaru had already explained everything so clearly earlier.
Hiashi could fully imagine how difficult their position was now.
Especially now that those Kumo ninja were heading this way. Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably receive the news soon as well.
No matter how one looked at it, there would be no peace tonight.
According to what Hikaru had said earlier, the Hyūga Clan and Konoha would not have a good outcome this time.
It was not that Hiashi blindly believed Hikaru's words.
Rather, Hikaru's words were clearly based on a complete analysis.
ANBU's work had always required caution and precision. If Hikaru said something like that, then he had probably taken into account both the sequence of events and Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality.
When Hiashi himself considered where this matter would go, he found that his conclusion was not much different from Hikaru's.
Konoha's current situation, Kumo's current situation, Hiruzen's present control over Konoha, and certain policies of his…
After combining all of these factors, Hiashi reached an answer that left him in despair.
"The Third Hokage will not choose war, will he?" Hiashi asked bitterly after a long silence.
Hikaru turned back with a smile and looked at him, then nodded gently.
"Most likely. After all, whether it was ANBU's reports or the so-called newspaper, both mentioned long ago that Kumo has been constantly training troops in the Land of Hot Water. But Konoha's response has not been very optimistic."
Konoha's response was more than just not optimistic.
Although Konoha had indeed made some moves, its troops had only been stationed on the border and had not entered the Land of Hot Water.
This already expressed Hiruzen's attitude.
He did not want any further conflict with Kumogakure.
If he was already this passive over mere confrontation, then one could imagine what would happen now that the leader of a delegation that had just signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha had suddenly died inside the village.
Under such circumstances, what would Hiruzen do?
Would he minimize the matter to protect the treaty, or would he stand against political interests to protect the Hyūga Clan?
Hiashi sighed helplessly.
He felt there was no need to think too deeply about it.
With Hiruzen's current personality, combined with Konoha's current situation, the Hyūga Clan would probably be forced to make a sacrifice.
"In truth, Lord Hiashi already has the answer, doesn't he?" Hikaru smiled at Hiashi.
This question was foolish, yet realistic.
Everyone had the desire to survive. Whether for his clan or for himself, Hiashi was unwilling to simply surrender to fate, even though he truly had little power to resist.
Besides, Hikaru knew that what he intended to do could be considered helping Hiashi in a certain sense.
As for how to help, and how far that help would go, it would depend on the Hyūga Clan's own performance.
Hikaru was not a philanthropist.
Everything he did had a purpose.
He had already weighed the advantages and disadvantages of helping the Hyūga Clan very clearly.
Hiashi would not die. That was beyond doubt.
Then the one who would die would still likely be the unlucky Hyūga Hizashi.
To be honest, Hizashi's death would be useful to some extent, because it would further stir the emotions of Konoha's people.
At that point, if Hikaru stepped forward and proposed solving the matter through war, while having the newspapers promote the concept of "hatred," Konoha would surely boil over.
However, if that happened, the Hyūga Clan's choice of side would not be so thorough or firm.
After all, Hiashi was not stupid.
He would definitely see that Hikaru was using Hizashi's death as a springboard, especially when Hikaru did not actually need this incident to pave the way.
Of course, not being thorough or firm did not mean Hiashi would turn toward Hiruzen.
They were smart people.
They would only help the victor.
"If they come to me ahead of time and put forward some ideas, then things will be different."
Hikaru thought silently, then nodded to Hiashi and left.
The stage had been roughly built.
Next, it depended on everyone's performance.
"This damn bunch!"
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen slammed his fist down on the table.
His expression was ashen.
He had known these Kumo ninja definitely had impure motives, but peace had been right in front of him, and he truly could not abandon it lightly.
What enraged him beyond measure was that his tolerance, his patience, and the choices he had made for the sake of peace were worth so little in the eyes of others.
Nara Shikaku stood nearby, looking at Hiruzen's appearance, and could not help sighing softly.
Because of the matter involving Yamanaka Inoichi, he had no small amount of resentment toward the Third Hokage.
However, it was also clear that this was no longer a matter of one person or one clan.
This concerned all of Konoha.
Shikaku had already guessed most of Kumogakure's intentions.
He knew Kumo was likely trying to force Konoha into war.
No matter how one looked at it, this was not a good sign.
Once Konoha and Kumo fought, Konoha, which was disadvantaged in high-end combat power, would find it very difficult to resist and deal with them.
While Shikaku also felt a headache coming on, Hiruzen had already suppressed his anger.
His gaze swept across everyone present before he suddenly asked in confusion, "Where is Senju Hikaru? And why has the Hyūga clan head not come either?"
"Minister Hikaru is commanding ANBU to investigate spies inside the village."
Shikaku spoke helplessly.
Aside from Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, his position was the highest in the office.
"Minister Hikaru said tonight's incident is far from simple, and Kumo's goal is also not simple. He is preparing for things that may happen in the future."
"As for Clan Head Hiashi, he needs to calm the emotions inside his clan. And those Kumo delegation ninja…"
At this point, Shikaku could barely continue.
Because the Kumo delegation ninja had directly ignored all obstruction and charged into the Hyūga Clan compound.
This action not only slapped the Hyūga Clan hard in the face, but also slapped Konoha in the face.
One could fully imagine how arrogant those Kumo ninja were right now.
And one could also fully imagine how furious Hiashi must feel.
However, Shikaku remained alert.
Hiashi not coming might mean he was waiting for Hiruzen to reveal his stance.
Although Shikaku was not sure when Hiashi had become so sharp, the fact that the Kumo delegation leader died in his home would likely bring endless trouble to his clan, and even to him personally.
The most likely result would probably be paying a life for a life.
And since that man had deliberately died inside the Hyūga Clan, could this be understood as using the Hyūga Clan as a stepping stone to pressure Konoha?
Paying a life for a life.
But who had killed him, and who had to pay with their life?
That would be defined by Kumo.
Hiashi refusing to meet Hiruzen was probably because he was waiting for Hiruzen to make a choice.
And Hiruzen's choice might affect not only the Hyūga Clan, but all of Konoha.
"Why have so many things like this happened recently? This is truly terrible."
Shikaku sighed helplessly inwardly.
He was not afraid of such matters, but schemes and plots had to be judged according to one's own strength.
In the past, Konoha—even just before the Nine-Tails incident—would have given Shikaku enough confidence to easily handle such matters.
But the current situation was different.
At the end of the day, ninja looked at strength.
Schemes were only auxiliary tools used to achieve an objective.
Now Konoha was weak and unable to deter Kumogakure.
That was why Konoha had to show weakness at every turn when facing such problems.
"Forget it. If they haven't come, they haven't come. Tell me how we should handle this."
Hiruzen rubbed his brow and spoke tiredly.
"Everyone present is intelligent. I believe you all understand what Konoha is about to face, and how we should deal with the current situation."
"I think our priority now should be stabilizing the situation as quickly as possible."
Faced with the question Hiruzen threw out, Shikaku glanced at everyone present and realized he was the only one who could answer.
"This incident has become extremely serious. Whether inside the village or outside it, it will not take long before everyone learns that the envoy who had just signed a ceasefire agreement died in Konoha."
"This is not good for Konoha. Calming this matter is very important. In addition, we must immediately issue a statement explaining clearly that this man's death has nothing to do with us."
"As for the last matter…"
At this point, Shikaku gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"As for the last matter, we also need to prepare for war. Because none of us knows what conditions the Fourth Raikage will present."
Shikaku stopped there.
He deliberately did not mention the Hyūga Clan.
He wanted to see Hiruzen's thinking and intentions.
Compared to a clan, the village was indeed more important.
But the original purpose of establishing the village had been to protect children and protect every clan, so that everyone could have a place to live in peace.
In Konoha's history, there had almost never been a case of actively abandoning someone and then compromising for the sake of temporary peace.
Naturally, Shikaku would not make such a suggestion.
He was not even willing to say it.
"Then what if they do not intend to start a war, but instead use war as a threat and demand that we hand over the culprit?"
However, to Shikaku's disappointment, Hiruzen suddenly raised his head and stared at him, asking this question almost word by word.
The meaning of this question was already very clear.
Hiruzen did not want war either.
From Konoha's standpoint, his decision seemed correct.
But constantly yielding and sacrificing one's own people was not the way to obtain true peace.
Shikaku closed his eyes slightly.
But soon, he opened them again and calmly shook his head.
"I cannot answer that question, Lord Hokage. Because we do not even know who killed that man. And this is not something you need to ask me."
At this point, Shikaku rarely raised his head and looked directly at Hiruzen.
"This is a decision you must make yourself, Lord Hokage. I am merely a member of the Administration Department, and also a member of Konoha."
"So whatever decision you make, Lord Hokage, I will properly follow it."
"Because you are the Hokage."
The meeting ended.
Shikaku slowly left the Hokage Building with everyone else.
To be honest, the result of tonight's meeting was terrible.
They had not made any effective measure at all.
Beyond that, Hiruzen's attitude was deeply disappointing.
Extremely disappointing.
Standing in the Hokage's position, exchanging the smallest price for the greatest benefit to the village might seem acceptable no matter how one looked at it.
But the village itself was formed by great clans leading smaller clans, along with countless civilian ninja gathering together.
That meant the village's operation had to protect everyone's interests.
Suddenly, Shikaku thought of a question.
Why was it that after the Third Hokage took office, the clans seemed to become more divided?
Why were they no longer as united and friendly as they had been during the First Hokage's era?
Back then, everyone proudly called themselves Konoha ninja.
Back then, everyone could fight for the village…
"Wait. Konoha ninja?"
As Shikaku walked, he suddenly stopped.
He had never looked at this issue from the Hokage's perspective before.
Today, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
He had read documents and heard stories from his father's generation about what Konoha had been like back then.
Compared to today's Konoha, the difference was far too great.
He remembered that when the Third Hokage first rose to power, he had very little support. It was nothing like later, when Konoha became almost his one-man court.
Shikaku was unwilling to think too deeply about how many struggles had happened during that process.
He was more willing to think about the result.
As he thought, cold sweat suddenly formed on his body.
Because he realized his guess was correct.
"During the First Hokage's era, everyone had one unified identity: Konoha ninja."
"But now, the clan ninja place the concept of 'Konoha ninja' behind their clans."
Shikaku narrowed his eyes slightly.
Take the Uchiha Clan, for example.
When facing enemies, they would only say they came from the Uchiha.
Not only the Uchiha. In fact, all clans were more or less the same.
Although saying "Uchiha" also made it clear that they came from Konoha, such words subtly and gradually replaced the concept of "Konoha ninja" with "clan ninja."
This imperceptible process blurred the concept of "Konoha ninja" more and more.
It also made them attach more importance to their clans.
"Clan ninja. Konoha ninja…"
Shikaku closed his eyes.
It felt as if he had completely understood.
A single clan ninja would remember old grudges.
But unified Konoha ninja could put aside hatred and face the enemy together.
Now, he seemed to understand why the First Hokage had created the ninja rank system when he established the village.
If clans were seen as individual blocks piled inside Konoha, then the ninja rank system directly broke those blocks apart.
It mixed them all together.
Whether civilian or clan-born, everyone became part of one unified identity: Konoha ninja.
The only difference was ninja rank.
This was a horizontal method of dividing and integrating Konoha.
"But now, everything has returned to the starting point…"
Shikaku understood all of this, and aside from helplessness, he could only sigh.
But soon, he thought of something else.
Because he felt that his own state was not quite right.
If Hiruzen's transformation of Konoha was so deep, why had he suddenly produced such thoughts?
Looking back at what Hiruzen had done during the period after replacing Minato Namikaze, although it could not be considered excellent, it could not be called too terrible either.
But…
"The newspaper!"
Suddenly, Shikaku thought of something.
He immediately rushed home, found all the newspapers, and spread them out.
He felt as though he had caught onto something.
These things had never been connected in his mind before.
But now, this seemed like the right opportunity.
He had clearly sensed that there seemed to be a pair of hands pushing everyone in one direction.
He had to understand what was going on.
After gathering all the newspapers and spending several days sorting through some of their content, Shikaku finally understood why.
From the beginning, these newspapers had been openly or quietly discussing various problems with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
However, when viewed at the time, even if there was some praise and criticism, the overall direction still seemed positive.
For example, one key point was his attachment to old bonds.
But was the current Hiruzen really attached to old bonds?
Did his earlier behavior of seemingly wanting to abandon the Hyūga Clan have anything to do with old bonds?
The Hyūga Clan had been in Konoha for so many years.
They had always been stable and dutiful, never jumping out or causing trouble.
Their existence had also made huge contributions to Konoha in various wars.
Did people like that not deserve Hiruzen's so-called attachment to old bonds?
By comparison, releasing Orochimaru and allowing Danzo to rise again showed more of his selfishness.
The old bonds he cared about were only for people deeply connected to himself.
At this moment, Shikaku could not help clenching his fists.
He seemed to feel the scent of conspiracy growing stronger.
"No wonder I was so disappointed. Hiruzen Sarutobi was lying. He deceived everyone."
"Today, he can abandon the Hyūga Clan. Then tomorrow, if necessary, can he also abandon us?"
After thinking this through, Shikaku's expression became ugly.
What made him look ugly was not only Hiruzen's choice, but also the fact that he had been influenced without realizing it.
And as he sorted through the newspapers more deeply, he increasingly felt that there was a pair of hands pushing Konoha, pushing everyone, in a direction completely opposite to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Because within the newspapers, he found hidden but not uncommon articles advocating the threat of Kumogakure and arguing that Konoha could not compromise.
Individually, these pieces did not seem problematic.
Because they were scattered among many different articles.
But once someone accepted those ideas over a long period of time, Hiruzen's weak stance toward the enemy would inevitably ignite public fury in Konoha.
"What a terrifying creation."
Shikaku swallowed as he held the newspaper in his hand.
If he had not noticed that his own state seemed off, he might never have discovered the newspaper's even more terrifying side.
Now he had discovered it.
He had also seen through many problems.
He felt it was truly necessary to meet certain people.
And just then, the Fourth Raikage's reply arrived in Konoha.
While Shikaku made his decision, Hiashi had also been suffering greatly during this period.
Senju Hikaru's words had made him deeply uneasy, and he felt this matter might really develop exactly as Hikaru had predicted.
But Hiashi was still waiting.
He was waiting to see what the final outcome would be.
After all, he remembered that Hiruzen Sarutobi had labeled himself as someone who cherished old bonds.
Waiting was painful.
Especially when the current situation was so complicated, and the Hyūga Clan had become the center of the vortex.
That made Hiashi suffer even more.
"Clan Head."
At that moment, a voice interrupted Hiashi's thoughts.
"Come in."
Hiashi sighed and allowed the person to enter.
"Clan Head, the Nara Clan head has arrived."
The person who entered was a member of the branch family.
He lowered his head and did not look at Hiashi at all before reporting the matter.
This attitude looked extremely respectful, but Hiashi knew the person before him was probably filled with resentment.
The Hyūga Clan's current situation was terrible.
Inside the clan, the conflict between the main family and branch family had accumulated for a long time.
Outside the clan, they had encountered such a major crisis.
One could say the Hyūga Clan was now truly swaying in the wind and rain.
However, Hiashi had no energy to consider these matters now.
He had more important things to deal with.
"Lord Shikaku?"
Hiashi nodded lightly.
"Let him in."
"Yes, Clan Head."
The branch-family member nodded, then quickly left the room.
Hiashi remained seated where he was.
He was thinking about why Shikaku had come to see him.
After thinking it through, he felt it was likely that news from Kumo had arrived.
About a week had quietly passed.
It was about time for Kumo's reply to arrive.
For some reason, Hiashi suddenly had the illusion that he was about to receive judgment.
This made him laugh helplessly.
This feeling was truly terrible.
"Clan Head Hiashi."
Not long after, Shikaku arrived in the room under the guidance of a Hyūga clan member.
He nodded lightly to Hiashi.
"Clan Head Shikaku, long time no see."
Hiashi restrained his thoughts and forced a smile.
"Please sit. I'll have someone prepare tea."
"No need to be so polite, Clan Head Hiashi."
Shikaku sat down, shook his head, and continued.
"I think Clan Head Hiashi should know why I came."
Shikaku speaking so directly truly exceeded Hiashi's expectations.
But soon, Hiashi felt slightly relieved.
Because this direct attitude might mean they had received a good result.
If the result were truly terrible, Shikaku should have used a more tactful tone and attitude.
Thinking of this, Hiashi could not help smiling slightly.
"I can roughly guess. Has Kumo's response arrived?"
"Yes."
Shikaku looked at Hiashi's smile and immediately knew the man had misunderstood.
But he did not bother correcting him.
"They gave us two choices. Since Clan Head Hiashi has not attended the meetings, you naturally do not know…"
"Either hand over the culprit, or choose war?"
Before Shikaku could finish, Hiashi directly gave the answer.
"After all, Kumo lowered its posture so much, and now its sincerity has been destroyed by Konoha. Naturally, they would choose the most extreme method, correct?"
Hiashi's answer made Shikaku raise an eyebrow.
Because Hiashi was completely right.
He had even considered the posture Kumo had deliberately displayed.
Now Shikaku was even more certain that Hiashi had likely guessed these things and that was why he had not been willing to attend the meetings.
He was waiting for Hiruzen to reveal his stance.
"That is correct, Clan Head Hiashi."
Shikaku sighed.
"Clan Head Hiashi is impressive. Yes, those are exactly the choices."
"It is not that I am impressive. It is our ANBU Minister who is impressive. Everything I said was told to me by him."
Hiashi gave a bitter smile.
"Perhaps our ANBU Minister saw through them before Kumo even entered the village."
Senju Hikaru?
Hearing this name, Shikaku froze for a moment.
Then he nodded in understanding.
Although he had not expected that the ANBU Minister had personally been involved in this matter, he could not deny that the Minister was formidable.
Shikaku had never doubted the sharpness and insight of that young minister.
After all, anyone who could sit firmly in the ANBU Minister's seat at such a young age and become the Fourth Hokage's representative in Konoha was terrifying beyond imagination.
His strength was also extremely powerful.
Although Shikaku felt he probably could not deal with a jinchūriki or a terrifying existence like the Fourth Raikage, the fact that he could suppress the Nine-Tails alone was already unbelievable.
Senju Hikaru's future was truly impossible to measure.
"What a pity. If only there were more time, Konoha would not be so miserable."
Shikaku sighed inwardly.
He felt that if Hikaru were given more time to grow, then with his Wood Release and Flying Thunder God, he might truly be able to face the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki together.
But now, whether it was Shikaku or Konoha as a whole, no one believed he could handle those two.
"I understand."
Shikaku sighed, and his expression became extremely solemn.
"Then, Clan Head Hiashi, do you know the Third Hokage's decision?"
"Decision…"
When Hiashi heard this, he was about to blurt out his answer.
But when he noticed Shikaku's expression, he suddenly became less certain.
After a long while, he asked tentatively, "Is it… to hand over the culprit?"
"Yes."
Shikaku nodded and closed his eyes.
"The Third Hokage's choice is to hand over the culprit. And it must be the 'culprit' designated by the Raikage."
"How can he do that!"
At this moment, Hiashi suddenly stood up in fury.
"Does he not know those damn Kumo ninja took poison and even held Hinata hostage?"
"I am sorry."
Shikaku shook his head.
"I am afraid the Third Hokage will personally visit tonight."
"Impressive. Truly impressive."
Hiashi nearly spat the words through gritted teeth.
"So this is his old-bond sentiment? Impressive. Truly impressive."
Looking at the furious Hiashi, Shikaku could only sigh.
An indescribable sadness echoed in his heart.
Imagine it.
This time, it might be the Hyūga Clan.
Then who would it be next time?
Fortunately, he would not allow there to be a next time.
Konoha was weak.
Konoha was battered.
But Konoha could not destroy its own morale through such groveling compromise.
Thinking of this, Shikaku suddenly stood up.
He looked seriously at Hiashi and spoke.
"Actually, we still have another choice. Although time is tight, it is not impossible."
"What choice?"
"We go meet Senju Hikaru."
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