Nara Shikaku's proposal shook Hyūga Hiashi deeply, but he also understood that this was a choice he had to make.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi came to the Hyūga residence himself, then not only would Konoha lose face, the Hyūga Clan would suffer an unimaginable loss.
Since that was the case, Hiashi could only choose a side.
He had to stand beside someone who could truly protect Konoha, or at least defend the justice of his clan.
Senju Hikaru was one such choice.
After all, he was the Fourth Hokage's representative left behind in the village.
Hikaru had also proven his judgment and ability. At such a young age, he had taken control of the entire ANBU, and before the enemy even acted, he had seen through everything.
Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose carefully maintained image had already collapsed, someone with that kind of power and influence was far more reliable.
"So the two of you came all the way here to see me?"
Hikaru looked at Nara Shikaku and Hyūga Hiashi, who had come to meet him at ANBU headquarters, and could not help asking with amusement.
Strictly speaking, Hiashi coming here did not surprise him much.
Hikaru had already given Hiashi enough hints.
And with everything he had done inside the village, he did not believe this clan head was unaware that he and Hiruzen Sarutobi were not on the same side.
Since Hiashi knew that, and since Hikaru had already hinted enough, it was not strange for him to make this choice in the end.
What surprised Hikaru more was Nara Shikaku.
He had almost no personal contact with Shikaku. They had only met during a few meetings, and even then, they were little more than nodding acquaintances.
It was true that the Ino-Shika-Chō clans had now fully leaned toward the Fourth Hokage and Hikaru's side.
But their survival methods dictated that they would not actively draw close to Hikaru.
They would only do work for the Fourth Hokage.
So Shikaku showing up now was rather strange.
Even though Hikaru was surprised, he still maintained the attitude he had always kept.
He looked at the two with a smile and said softly, "Actually, coming to me about this matter will not be of much use. After all, Lord Hokage has already made his decision. We can only accept it, can't we?"
"No, Minister Hikaru," Shikaku said, shaking his head directly. "If there is anyone in Konoha who can stop the Third Hokage now, it is probably only you."
"You flatter me, Minister Shikaku." Hikaru immediately shook his head as well. "I am only a minister. How could I possibly influence Lord Hokage's thoughts?"
Hikaru seemed determined not to say anything so easily, and this left Shikaku feeling somewhat helpless.
Hiashi's expression also did not look good.
Hikaru's attitude was too strange.
But he still restrained himself and stayed calm. With Shikaku here, he did not need to speak too much. The head of the Administration Department could handle many matters.
What he probably had not expected was that Hikaru was acting like this precisely because Shikaku was here.
Shikaku looked at Hikaru and, for a moment, did not know what to do. But he was Nara Shikaku. Very quickly, he seemed to realize something.
Looking at Hikaru's calm gaze fixed on him, Shikaku understood that the young minister's current attitude was entirely because he was here.
According to Hiashi, Hikaru had revealed certain things to him in advance, but had not revealed them to anyone else. That meant Hikaru's true target was Hiashi.
Or rather, his gaze was fixed on the Hyūga Clan.
Following that line of thought, Shikaku suddenly felt cold sweat threatening to break out.
Hikaru was an ambitious person. Otherwise, someone like him could not have become ANBU Minister at such a young age.
A person acting under the Fourth Hokage's name, yet possessing extraordinary ambition, and now targeting the Hyūga Clan…
On top of that, he had previously helped the Uchiha Clan, allowing them to begin pulling away from their state of estrangement from Konoha.
And the Uchiha Clan itself now seemed far from peaceful. Their internal power struggle appeared to have entered a heated stage.
If Shikaku was not mistaken, all of this had probably been pushed forward by Hikaru from behind the scenes.
"He controls ANBU. During the last blow against the Third Hokage, he also obtained portions of the Medical Department and Root's authority. Minister Hikaru's power within ANBU has grown even greater.
"Because of that last operation, we also unknowingly stood on his side.
"Even if we are technically supporting the Fourth Hokage, in essence, we are supporting him.
"And on the Uchiha side, he seems to have already gained control of the Police Force and has begun competing for even more authority within the clan. With his methods, that will not be a problem.
"And now, he has begun making contact with the Hyūga Clan. In fact, even without me, Hiashi would probably have come to him.
"And he also controls something as terrifying as the newspaper. Taken together…"
After connecting all the information he knew, Shikaku arrived at a conclusion that made him shudder.
Hikaru's goal was the Hokage seat.
This man was clearly using the opportunity created by the Fourth Hokage's inability to manage Konoha. He was constantly using Minato's name to build his own foundation and pave his path toward becoming Hokage.
Think about it carefully.
If Hikaru handled this matter perfectly, then people like Shikaku would remain beside the Fourth Hokage because of him.
The Hyūga Clan, because of this incident, would have no choice but to choose a side. In other words, they would abandon the Third Hokage and lean toward the Fourth.
Together with the support of the Uchiha faction, under Hikaru's series of operations, the Fourth Hokage would have gained the support of the overwhelming majority of Konoha.
And under circumstances where the Fourth Hokage could not return, while the Third Hokage had now lost a huge amount of public support, a new Hokage selection would inevitably begin.
As a member of the Senju Clan and ANBU Minister, Hikaru absolutely had the qualifications to participate.
Hikaru had always acted under the Fourth Hokage's name. In everyone's eyes, he and the Fourth Hokage were one body.
Then their support would naturally fall upon him in the end.
"How long has this man been laying this out? How terrifying is he?"
Shikaku was filled with emotion.
Every time he felt he had already overestimated Hikaru, he would be stunned to discover that he had still underestimated the young man.
What kind of environment could cultivate such a youth?
Methods, mentality, strength—this boy had all of them at the very top.
He did not feel like a young man at all. He felt like a true old fox.
An old fox used to battlefields, political storms, schemes, and deception. One who could use every available resource to reach his goal.
Thinking this, Shikaku's gaze became even deeper.
He stared seriously at Hikaru for a long while before slowly speaking.
"Minister Hikaru is being modest," Shikaku said meaningfully. "After all, Minister Hikaru now represents the Fourth Hokage. Of course, not only the Fourth Hokage."
"Oh?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow. He could sense the hidden meaning in Shikaku's words. "What does Minister Shikaku mean by that?"
"The meaning is simple. Minister Hikaru is also a member of the Senju Clan, after all."
Shikaku became even more certain that his thoughts were correct, and he smiled.
"In fact, Clan Head Hiashi came here because I invited him. I did so because I discovered something more important and more interesting.
"Perhaps we can have more contact with each other. Perhaps we can cooperate more as well."
With Shikaku speaking to this point, Hikaru would truly have had a problem if he still failed to understand.
He had expected that someone might eventually see through his actions.
But to be seen through this clearly before he had fully expressed his thoughts, and for Shikaku to even bring his target directly before him, Hikaru could only sigh inwardly.
As expected of Nara Shikaku.
In truth, Hikaru had misunderstood.
He thought Shikaku had noticed everything long ago and had therefore brought Hiashi here.
But in reality, Shikaku had only just figured it out.
And his original reason for bringing Hiashi here was simply to completely choose a side.
Of course, Shikaku was not going to say that.
Hikaru's current attitude had already confirmed that his analysis was correct.
Only Hiashi seemed somewhat lost. He did not fully understand what the two were talking about.
Or perhaps his mind was simply not on it.
Right now, all he could think about was his clan and the situation with Kumogakure.
"Gentlemen, now is not the time to speak in riddles or discuss irrelevant matters."
Looking at the silent Hikaru and Shikaku, who had also stopped speaking, Hiashi could not help opening his mouth.
"Minister Hikaru, the reason Minister Shikaku and I came here this time is also to show an attitude. A very firm attitude.
"I believe you understand what I mean. Konoha is now in crisis. Likewise, the Hyūga Clan is…"
At this point, Hiashi paused slightly before continuing firmly.
"Likewise, the Hyūga Clan is also in crisis. Therefore, I hope to receive help.
"I hope to receive your help. I hope to receive the Fourth Hokage's help. For that, we are willing to stand completely on your side.
"We will firmly stand with the Hokage and with you, Minister, to face everything together."
After Hiashi finished speaking, his pale eyes stared fixedly at Hikaru.
Although his words sounded imposing, at their core, he had already softened his stance. It was only the pride of the Hyūga Clan that allowed him to maintain a certain dignity.
Perhaps this was a common flaw of great clans.
They valued face far too much.
Sometimes, Hikaru felt fortunate that he had been reborn into an incomplete, broken Senju Clan.
Even if the clan wanted to be proud, it no longer had the strength to support that pride.
Otherwise, Hikaru's early method of decisively lowering his head, constantly accumulating strength, and only erupting after gaining enough power would have been enough to bring shame to the entire clan.
After all, back then, he had once acted as a triple-sided spy, constantly moving between the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and the Senju Clan.
Hikaru did not like that method either.
But the situation was stronger than the individual.
Many things could not be solved just because one had courage and strength.
Besides, Hikaru did not have such overwhelming strength back then. His system had severely restricted his chakra, making it impossible for him to fully erupt.
Otherwise, he would not have been so grateful to Danzo.
If Danzo had not allowed Hikaru to obtain a piece of Hashirama Senju's flesh, Hikaru would not have risen so quickly.
That was why, when Danzo died, Hikaru had arranged things properly and given his death a commemorative meaning.
After all, his method of death had carried the true symbolism of Konoha.
Hikaru gently shook his head.
Clearly, he did not especially want to recall those unpleasant past events.
Surviving in the cracks was already a thing of the past.
After gaining enough strength and accumulating enough foundation, he now stood at the peak of Konoha's power.
Even though he had not yet obtained the Hokage position, he knew it was only a matter of time.
He no longer needed to act timidly before anyone.
There were even times in the past when he had no choice but to bow and humble himself.
That had been a matter of survival. It had left him no choice.
But now, his hands held the survival of others.
"I understand what both of you mean."
Hikaru nodded gently. He looked deeply at Shikaku before continuing.
"Although I did not attend the meeting, I assume the Raikage's letter of accountability has arrived, yes?"
"Yes, Minister," Shikaku immediately nodded. "The situation is very bad. I believe that while the letter was being delivered, Kumo was also continuing to pressure us."
"Indeed. A few hours ago, I received intelligence that Kumo's main force has already begun moving."
Hikaru smiled faintly before continuing, "They want Clan Head Hiashi handed over, correct?"
"Yes."
Shikaku glanced at Hiashi, then nodded.
"The Raikage's original wording was that the man died inside the Hyūga Clan, and according to the report he received, the one who took action was Clan Head Hiashi.
"He demands that we hand Clan Head Hiashi over. As for the Third Hokage…"
"It is not surprising. After all, in his eyes, Konoha is still very weak."
Hikaru lightly tapped the table, then sighed.
"The Third Hokage is old. His methods have become conservative.
"Konoha may be weak right now, but if we hand over Clan Head Hiashi this time, the blow to Konoha will be unimaginable.
"The shinobi world will believe Konoha has declined. This will affect our economy and culture tremendously.
"And if Clan Head Hiashi is handed over, the blow to our ninja morale will also be unimaginable.
"The village may no longer be able to unite. After all, the village exists to shelter everyone, not to sell everyone out in exchange for unstable peace."
By saying this, Hikaru had basically set the tone of the matter.
Shikaku could not help nodding inwardly, because Hikaru's analysis was indeed correct.
Of course, he also knew that his strong leaning toward Hikaru was largely due to the subtle influence of the newspapers.
But putting aside the matter of the newspapers, Shikaku felt he would still support Hikaru.
Because the original purpose of the village's establishment was to shelter everyone.
What Hiruzen was doing now was not merely turning back the wheel of history.
He was stepping on the accelerator while going downhill.
If he truly crashed without braking, then either he would be smashed to pieces, or the entire village would be smashed to pieces.
In reality, the final result would be Hiruzen being shattered.
The choices made by the various jōnin and clan heads during the Chūnin Exams ten years later would be the best proof of that.
Hiashi, standing beside Shikaku, also nodded.
He felt this most deeply.
After all, he was the one standing at the center of this vortex.
Hikaru's words struck directly into his heart.
He agreed with Hikaru completely.
Wasn't the meaning of the village's existence to protect everyone?
Although the establishment of villages had expanded war from hundreds of clan fighters to professional battles between tens of thousands of ninja, it had indeed lowered the casualty rates of each clan.
That was why the village protected everyone, and everyone was willing to fight for the village.
But now, Hiruzen wanted to skip even the battle and force someone to die.
Who could accept such a thing?
If Hikaru knew what Hiashi was thinking, perhaps he could provide one name.
Uchiha Itachi.
"All right. It seems tonight will be busy."
Hikaru tapped the table again and turned to Shikaku.
"Then I will trouble Minister Shikaku to gather the clan heads, jōnin, and others who share your thoughts."
"Gather them now?" Shikaku thought for a moment, then immediately nodded. "I understand. I will handle it as soon as possible."
"Not as soon as possible. Immediately. After all, we need to arrange certain things before the Third Hokage visits Clan Head Hiashi's home."
"I understand. I'll go now."
Tonight's Konoha was destined to be sleepless.
Following Hikaru's request, Shikaku gathered almost all clan heads, ministers, and jōnin who were likely to share the same thoughts into a meeting room at ANBU headquarters.
In that meeting room, Shikaku explained the current situation without hiding anything.
This immediately made everyone realize how serious the situation was.
Kumo's ambition was impossible to hide.
A year ago, they had already begun stationing troops in the Land of Hot Water.
Half a year ago, they had repeatedly clashed with Konoha ninja during missions.
Now that something like this had happened, it seemed almost natural.
Almost all clan ninja, including the clan heads and ministers, raised no objections.
Some had attended Hiruzen's meeting. Others had not, but agreed with Shikaku's explanation.
Even the jōnin born as civilians felt somewhat uncomfortable with Shikaku and Senju Hikaru holding a separate meeting away from the Third Hokage.
After all, Senju Hikaru represented the Fourth Hokage. In a subtle way, this meant they had been pulled into an internal power struggle.
But they also accepted Shikaku's words.
In the end, Hikaru's newspaper had prepared them too thoroughly.
Hikaru had spent a long time breaking information into pieces and placing them in various corners of the newspaper.
And as time passed, that preparation had gradually sunk deeply into people's hearts.
Coupled with the small-scale conflicts they had experienced with Kumo near the Land of Iron for almost half a year, many people had personally led teams through such missions. This deepened the dissatisfaction these ninja felt toward Kumo.
Besides, anyone capable of becoming a jōnin, clan head, or minister possessed fairly good political awareness, aside from people like Guy, who reacted a little slower.
After Shikaku's explanation, how could they not know that this matter truly could not be conceded?
Concession would create unimaginable trouble for Konoha.
It might even cause Konoha to collapse.
Putting aside how the Hyūga Clan would view it, everyone would wonder: if it happened once, what would happen next time?
And everyone knew what kind of negative impact concession would have across the shinobi world.
Although Konoha's war potential had been heavily depleted by the Third Shinobi World War and still had not recovered, once someone stepped on their face, once they chose to retreat like this, they would likely face endless retreats afterward.
Konoha truly could not retreat.
This time, the demand was for a person.
Next time, would it be land?
Even if the war became extremely brutal, and even if victory did not bring Konoha too much benefit, it was still necessary.
Even if there was benefit, it would probably only be internal to Konoha.
Externally, Konoha would still appear somewhat disadvantaged.
After all, Konoha had always been seen as the strongest village in the shinobi world. Was it not normal for the strongest village to win?
Compared with Kumo, which had initiated the war, the things Konoha could gain were pitifully few.
But if Konoha won, it would absolutely allow the village to enjoy at least another ten years, or even more, of peaceful stability.
If they used those peaceful years well, Konoha could fully recover to its peak.
Perhaps it could even reach an even higher peak.
As for losing?
Unconditional retreat was also losing.
Fighting to the end was also losing.
Although the second option seemed to bring greater losses, its positive effect was far better.
It was a legacy of spirit.
And such spirit was extremely important.
"And everyone, do not forget—we may not lose."
At the final moment, Hikaru stood and spoke to every ninja present.
"Perhaps many of you are pessimistic, but I want to tell you that there is no need to be so pessimistic.
"Konoha's foundation is not something ordinary people can imagine."
Although Hikaru's words carried the intent of encouragement, to the others, they still felt like a drop in the bucket.
Hikaru was strong.
But he needed time to keep growing.
Even so, his words gave everyone a trace of expectation.
Perhaps Hikaru truly knew something incredible.
For example, perhaps the Fourth Hokage might return.
"Damn it!"
Hiruzen slammed his fist onto the table.
He had never dreamed that his control over the village had weakened to this extent.
After the meeting ended, he had waited for a while to let the matter settle, then brought several Root ninja with him to the Hyūga Clan.
He knew this visit would not have a good result, but for the sake of peace, he had to do it.
In his view, sacrificing some people for Konoha's peace was perfectly normal.
He was unwilling to think too deeply about what problems this approach would bring.
It was not that he could not think of them, but rather that he firmly believed Konoha could not do otherwise right now.
However, when he arrived at the Hyūga Clan, he was stunned to find that Hiashi was not there at all.
He silently waited.
After waiting a long time without anyone returning, he realized the situation was probably wrong.
So he quickly had someone search for Shikaku, and the final result he received was that Shikaku had gathered many people and gone to ANBU.
Hiruzen understood exactly what this meant.
It meant betrayal.
This betrayal was not simply going against his wishes.
The Fourth Hokage's faction, and later Hikaru, had fought against him for so long that they had gone against him countless times.
This time, Konoha was facing external pressure.
As Hokage, he was commanding the situation.
Yet his subordinates collectively ignored him and did things on their own.
This was true betrayal.
In a sense, this was even a mutiny.
"Why? Why did things become like this?"
Hiruzen did not know.
But he knew the current situation had become troublesome.
Last time, although he had lost, he was still Hokage.
But now, these people did not even put him, the Hokage, in their eyes.
"Was I wrong?"
Hiruzen suddenly began to think about this question.
Unfortunately, no one answered him.
The next day, he keenly discovered that Konoha's machine had begun operating on its own.
Without passing through him, Shikaku had almost immediately drafted a diplomatic report with a slightly tougher tone.
Hiruzen still saw the report.
After reading it, he felt his blood pressure rise even higher.
Because the report fully explained the actions of the Kumo envoy in Konoha and directly included their speculation.
At the end, it did not forget to warn Kumogakure and tell them not to create meaningless incidents.
"This report is clearly adding fuel to the fire!"
As expected, almost a day later, Kumo issued a new statement and sent it to Konoha.
The wording of this statement was even more intense.
It fully adopted the position of a "victim" to describe the entire matter.
And this time, they once again emphasized that Konoha must hand over the culprit.
If Konoha refused, they would adopt the harshest possible retaliatory posture against the village.
The intent and purpose of this report were very clear.
Kumo clearly did not intend to keep waiting.
This was their final ultimatum to Konoha.
Either accept their threat and lose the people's trust, or stop wasting words and go directly to war.
Very excessive.
Very practical.
Since matters had developed to this point, there was nothing more to discuss.
The only thing Konoha could do was refuse to declare war directly while making its own preparations.
In the Land of Lightning, inside a massive plaza in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage stood alongside his younger brother, Killer B.
Their eyes were fixed on the more than eight thousand ninja gathered below.
These ninja would all follow him to Konoha.
That was right.
This time, he intended to personally lead the campaign.
Kumogakure seemed to have always had a tradition of the Raikage personally leading troops.
Aside from the First Shinobi World War, when the Raikage had died in a rebellion inside the village, the Third Raikage had personally moved against Iwagakure during the Third Shinobi World War, only to be discovered by Ōnoki and surrounded by sheer numbers for three days and three nights until he was exhausted to death.
As for the Fourth Raikage, he had personally taken part in many missions and battles.
During the Third Shinobi World War, he had also served as a main force against Konoha.
This time, against Konoha, he still intended to act personally.
Because his target was Konoha's ANBU Minister, Senju Hikaru.
He knew that man possessed Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Having once lost to Flying Thunder God, he was disappointed that he could not face the Fourth Hokage again.
But this man could be considered a decent substitute.
"I hope you can bring me some amusement. It would be even better if Hiruzen Sarutobi came as well."
The Fourth Raikage thought silently.
In his view, Hiruzen Sarutobi's danger level was not even as high as Konoha's Nightingale.
He slowly raised his head and swept his gaze across the eight-thousand-strong ninja force below.
A surge of heroic spirit filled his chest.
Eight thousand troops.
This number was not small, though it could not be called excessive either.
After all, the vast Land of Lightning still needed protection.
The massive Kumogakure also needed protection.
Eight thousand ninja was already an enormous force.
Besides, there were still two to three thousand ninja troops at the Land of Hot Water border.
Add to that the fact that he, the Raikage, was personally leading the army.
This time, Kumogakure was going all out against Konoha.
This would not only show their attitude.
It would also display their strength.
More importantly, it would show their stance.
They were furious.
The people they had sent for peace had died in Konoha without receiving an explanation.
Therefore, they would take the harshest retaliatory measures.
"Is everyone ready?"
Raikage A looked at the dense ranks of ninja below and suddenly roared loudly. With chakra carrying his voice, it clearly reached every Kumo ninja's ears.
"We will demand justice from Konoha!
"Peace is hard-won, yet they did not cherish it at all.
"We will show them the consequences of casually destroying peace.
"We will make arrogant Konoha understand exactly what Kumogakure's power is!"
"We are ready! We are ready! We are ready!"
The five thousand Kumo ninja below immediately shouted in response.
Their grand momentum and thunderous voices echoed across the plaza.
All the Kumo ninja seemed to feel their blood boiling.
Hatred began to spread through their minds.
Their desire for battle swelled continuously.
They needed battle.
They craved battle.
They would crush all of Konoha.
"Good."
Only after the voices finally stopped did the Fourth Raikage slowly nod.
Then he raised his right hand high.
"Move out.
"We will trample Konoha flat!"
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