The next day, the celebration in Konoha Village continued, but those with keen senses had already caught a whiff of something unusual.
Because the peace treaty, which was supposed to be signed quickly, had been delayed for some reason, and subsequently, rumors began to circulate.
It was said that the Hidden Cloud Village's motive for coming to Konoha Village to sign the treaty was impure, and there were fears that some untoward events might occur between Kumogakure and Konoha Village.
However, the rumors were quickly debunked; that very evening, Konoha Village and Kumogakure publicly signed the peace treaty.
The villagers of Konoha Village were high-spirited, and every household was filled with joy.
At this moment, only within the Hyuga Clan was the atmosphere depressingly terrible.
Hyuga Hiashi bowed deeply before a sobbing woman, his face full of guilt.
This woman was none other than Neji's mother, and also Hyuga Hiashi's sister-in-law.
Just before the treaty was signed, his brother had chosen to sacrifice himself to protect the Byakugan of the main branch, dying in his stead.
"This grudge, I, Hyuga Hiashi, will definitely demand justice for from the Hidden Cloud Village!" Hyuga Hiashi straightened up and turned to leave.
Upon returning, Hyuga Hiashi summoned a group of clansmen and issued a series of orders.
Among these orders, some were directed at the Hidden Cloud Village, while others were aimed at the higher-ups of Konoha Village.
This time, the Third Hokage had agreed to the terms of the Hidden Cloud Village, which in fact meant he had indirectly abandoned the Hyuga Clan. From then on, the Hyuga Clan would no longer support the Third Hokage and would remain neutral in Konoha Village.
Furthermore, to express his dissatisfaction, Hyuga Hiashi specifically had some Hyuga clansmen who had originally joined the Third Hokage's direct Anbu resign from their posts.
Regarding Hyuga Hiashi's dissatisfaction, the Third Hokage felt guilty in his heart, so naturally, he would not blame him.
After this, the protective force around the Third Hokage was greatly weakened.
The Hyuga Clan was, after all, a prestigious family in Konoha Village second only to the Uchiha, possessing the Byakugan, one of the three great dōjutsu, with extremely strong insight. With the loss of the Byakugan's protection by his side, his future outings would become unstable.
After the celebrations, within the Uchiha Clan, the clan leader Uchiha Fugaku was chatting with his wife, Uchiha Mikoto.
Uchiha Fugaku said in a deep voice: "The Third Hokage's decision is truly disappointing!"
"His attitude toward foreign affairs is far too weak! This time, in order to appease the Hidden Cloud Village, he actually abandoned the Hyuga Clan, who had always supported him. I think he is truly unworthy of being the Hokage!"
Uchiha Mikoto listened to her husband's complaints and sighed slightly: "After experiencing the Nine-Tailed incident, the Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed themselves, the new Jinchuriki is still unable to go to the battlefield, and not long ago, even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, defected. The current Konoha Village is no longer the powerful Konoha Village it once was."
Hearing his wife's words, Uchiha Fugaku also sighed: "Although Konoha Village has suffered heavy losses, as long as we have the full support of our Uchiha Clan, no other force would dare to easily start a war!"
"Ultimately, it is still because the higher-ups of Konoha Village are wary and distrustful of our Uchiha Clan!"
"If the Third Hokage could abandon the Hyuga Clan this time, then what will become of the future of our Uchiha Clan, which is already mistrusted?"
"Instead of this, we might as well..."
Uchiha Mikoto was slightly startled: "Fugaku, are you planning to...?"
"This matter needs to be discussed at length. Let's first observe the attitude of the higher-ups, and we still need to accumulate strength." Uchiha Fugaku nodded gently: "Shisui still needs a year or two of tempering, and by then he will surely grow into a powerhouse surpassing me. And there is also Itachi..."
"Fugaku, no matter what, I will support you. It's just, please don't let the children suffer. I know you have high expectations for Itachi, but I hope you can spare Sasuke and give him a happy childhood..." Mikoto sighed.
Uchiha Fugaku nodded gently.
...
The Third Hokage stood in his study, frowning as he looked at the scroll of seals before him.
He said to an Anbu wearing a mask beside him: "Kakashi, let your ninja dogs out. The scroll of seals has been tampered with. I need you to help me find the person who touched the scroll of seals."
Kakashi, who was serving in the Anbu, nodded, bit his finger, and performed the Summoning Technique.
With a puff, a pug named Pakkun appeared before them.
"Yo, Kakashi~!" Pakkun greeted, and then said to the Third Hokage: "The Third Hokage is here too!"
"Yes, I need to trouble you to identify who tampered with the scroll of seals." The Third Hokage smiled kindly.
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Pakkun agreed confidently, then put his nose to the scroll of seals and sniffed.
After sniffing for a long while, Pakkun said awkwardly: "The Third Hokage, the opponent's anti-tracking awareness is very strong. The scent has been tampered with, and I cannot distinguish it either."
"Sigh! Alright, thank you for your hard work." The Third Hokage sighed in disappointment upon hearing this.
After sending Pakkun away, Kakashi said: "Hokage-sama, I think the opponent came for a certain technique in the scroll of seals, but I think no matter who it is, even if they obtained the information on the Forbidden Technique inside, it is impossible to complete the cultivation in a short time."
"Moreover, since the opponent came for the technique, sooner or later, they will be exposed, and at that time, we will naturally be able to find them." Kakashi comforted him.
"I know, but the leakage of a Forbidden Technique is too great a threat to the current Konoha Village. Furthermore, if the Forbidden Technique is truly taken by the most suspicious Hidden Cloud Village, I fear that once they research that technique, they might very well launch a war against Konoha Village!" The Third Hokage's face showed deep worry, and his figure seemed to have suddenly aged.
Kakashi pondered: "Hokage-sama, I don't think things are that simple. The person coveting the scroll of seals may not necessarily be from the Hidden Cloud Village."
"Oh? Kakashi, tell me your thoughts." The Third Hokage was slightly stunned.
"The opponent's action this time happened just as Konoha Village and the Hidden Cloud Village were signing the peace treaty, and it also happened right when the incident of Hinata being kidnapped occurred, which led to negligence in the protection of your home. After the surrounding security forces were knocked out, there was a full two or three hours before anyone discovered it. If I were from the Hidden Cloud Village, I would definitely choose to steal the scroll of seals directly and leave Konoha Village."
"But the opponent did not do so, so I think it is unlikely that the opponent's identity is from the Hidden Cloud Village." Kakashi analyzed.
The Third Hokage had already thought of the key point by now. He suddenly thought of Orochimaru, who had defected not long ago, and guessed: "You mean someone in the village is coveting the Forbidden Technique on the scroll of seals? And because they still have to live in Konoha Village, they don't want to attract Konoha Village's investigation? Just like when Orochimaru stole a look at the Forbidden Technique back then?"
"Yes. After all, once the scroll of seals is lost, you will definitely send people to launch a massive search. But in the current situation, even if you wanted to search, there would be absolutely no clues to start from."
"As expected of Kakashi, your mind is even more brilliant than mine as the Hokage!" The Third Hokage praised without reservation.
"Hokage-sama is too kind." Kakashi shook his head: "By comparison, this person's mind is even more terrifying!"