After a fierce quarrel, Danzo Shimura finally slammed the door and stormed out.
The tragedy that occurred in the Uchiha clan last night—and the fact that most of the Uchiha either died or defected—needed someone to take the blame.
Most of it naturally fell on the S-rank missing-nin Itachi Uchiha.
The rest?
That landed squarely on Danzo's shoulders.
After all, Itachi had been operating under his supervision, and Danzo wasn't exactly subtle about his lifelong hobby of targeting the Uchiha.
Danzo tried to argue, of course. He always did. But with Root having lost a significant portion of its combat power, he no longer had the leverage to openly challenge the Hokage's decision.
For now, he could only retreat back into the shadows.
Lie dormant.
Wait for the next chance to replace the "light."
Still, looking at the absolute mess the village had become, maybe not taking over was actually in his best interest. No responsibility. No risk of being forced to step down. No political suicide.
For once, cowardice and self-preservation aligned beautifully.
After Danzo left, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, didn't get a single moment of peace.
Next on the schedule: dealing with the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre.
Besides sealing off the Uchiha compound, he also needed to visit the only remaining Uchiha still in the village.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Visiting Sasuke was far more solemn than visiting Kakashi.
According to the medical-nin report, Sasuke may have witnessed Itachi murdering their parents with his own eyes. Since waking up, his mental state had been unstable, and he was unconsciously activating his two-tomoe Sharingan.
The Sharingan is said to reflect the soul.
Even a brief glance into those red eyes could make someone's spine crawl.
Hiruzen ignored the oppressive gaze and walked up to Sasuke.
In a gentle tone, he asked what had happened last night.
Gradually, soothed by the Hokage's calm demeanor, Sasuke steadied himself.
But when Itachi was mentioned, his teeth clenched so hard it looked like they might crack.
"Don't worry, Hokage-sama," Sasuke said coldly. "I'll train harder than anyone. I'll gain enough strength to kill that man… and avenge my parents and my clan."
Hiruzen sighed quietly.
Then he left the Uchiha compound.
Despite what had happened with Naruto, he still chose not to reveal the truth to Sasuke.
The truth about Itachi was far too cruel.
And keeping it hidden was part of Itachi's final request.
Hatred, especially the kind born from seeing your parents killed, was powerful fuel.
It would drive Sasuke to grow stronger—quickly.
Whether that was mercy or manipulation… was another question.
After Hiruzen left, Sasuke was alone.
The once-proud Uchiha compound now felt like a tomb.
With nothing else to cling to, Sasuke began training like a madman.
In the past, he lacked a reason to push himself to the brink.
Now?
Itachi's merciless eyes gave him all the motivation he needed.
In his heart, he had already formed a plan.
He would find Naruto.
And make Naruto drag him through hellish training.
If he had to crawl through fire to gain power, so be it.
A few days later, in the Hyuga Clan compound.
Unlike the Uchiha, the Hyuga estate was calm.
Almost disturbingly calm.
The Hyuga shinobi still held important positions in village teams. The branch family still bowed their heads under the Caged Bird Seal. Tradition remained intact. Change moved at the speed of an elderly turtle.
After taking a sip of hot tea brought by a servant, Hiashi Hyuga began reading reports from the branch family.
In the past few days, two major incidents had shaken the village.
First: an explosion resembling a Tailed Beast Bomb outside the village.
Second: the Uchiha clan had practically vanished overnight.
The first incident made Hiashi frown.
The second… he had long anticipated.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the village leadership had dragged on for decades. Eventually, something had to snap.
Now it had.
The fall of the Uchiha was, objectively speaking, beneficial to the Hyuga.
But it was also a warning.
If the higher-ups could eliminate the Uchiha—a clan famous for their strength—then no one was untouchable.
Still, the Hyuga had always remained politically neutral and obedient. There was no reason for the higher-ups to target them.
Most shinobi feared the Uchiha's power.
But they feared a leadership that eliminated clans at will even more.
As long as the Hyuga maintained stability, their prosperity would likely continue for decades.
As for the next generation?
That depended on today's match.
At the training ground, Hiashi took a seat and observed quietly.
Before him stood his daughter, Hinata Hyuga, and his nephew, Neji Hyuga—son of his late younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga.
Neji was widely considered the greatest genius of this generation.
This match would determine Hinata's future training path.
Would she remain in the Academy?
Or receive elite, clan-focused instruction?
Neji and Hinata noticed Hiashi's arrival and bowed respectfully.
He nodded in return.
After forming the Seal of Opposition, the two began.
Small figures darted across the training field.
With the Byakugan activated, each strike was precise and ruthless. Against an ordinary person, either of them could easily cause fatal damage.
Since both used Gentle Fist, the contest boiled down to speed and strength.
Neji had the edge in speed.
Hinata, surprisingly, held an advantage in raw power.
For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.
As they exchanged blows, Neji's brows slowly furrowed.
As her regular training partner, he felt Hinata's progress more clearly than anyone.
Two years ago, he could defeat her effortlessly.
Now, they were evenly matched.
That frustrated him deeply.
But he wasn't jealous.
Hinata trained just as hard as he did. She earned that strength.
What truly angered him was the Caged Bird Seal.
And the unfairness behind it.
If not for that seal, his father would not have been sacrificed during the Kumogakure incident years ago.
The one who should have died… was supposed to be Hiashi.
As Neji's thoughts drifted, Hinata seized the opening.
With a decisive strike, she knocked him to the ground.
Neji didn't resist.
He admitted defeat calmly.
He was a year older. A draw would already be shameful—losing outright was worse.
Besides, he knew about the wager between Hinata and Hiashi.
And for once, he wanted his uncle to lose.
After winning, Hinata hurried to Hiashi's side, breathing heavily and sweating.
"Father! I won!" she said excitedly. "You promised—can I bring Naruto home to play now?"
Hiashi glanced at his daughter and sighed internally.
Then he nodded.
He didn't have the heart to tell her that Naruto hadn't appeared on the streets for several days.
And that wasn't a good sign.
Either the jinchūriki position had changed—
Or Naruto was being taken away for special training by ANBU… or possibly Root.
Neither possibility was good.
And if Hinata found out suddenly, it might crush the fragile confidence she had just begun to build.
Still…
Truth couldn't be hidden forever.
Sooner or later, Hinata would start at the Academy.
And sooner or later—
She would learn that Naruto Uzumaki was no longer there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 70+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.