"Then the Uchiha's defection was probably not the Uchiha's fault at all. Konoha was the one in the wrong first."
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"The Kaguya Clan has publicly declared it. This matter has already been confirmed."
"Konoha sold us out. Are we seriously supposed to keep risking our lives for Konoha?"
"I wonder what Clan Head-sama will do."
The Hyuga ninja all looked toward Konoha.
At that moment, one could say that the eyes of almost the entire shinobi world had fallen on Hyuga Yamatsubaki.
Everyone was waiting to see what kind of response he would make.
Sunagakure.
Rasa was not surprised at all when he received the news.
Sunagakure was not the only one that did not want to see Kirigakure and Konoha form an alliance.
The Kaguya Clan wanted the same thing.
That was precisely why Rasa had deliberately included the Kaguya Clan in the rumor he crafted.
He had done it to give the Kaguya a chance to cooperate.
And clearly—
the Kaguya Clan had seized that chance.
Kaguya Ta stood atop a high place, his eyes flickering.
"Hyuga… don't blame me. I have no other choice."
"Our Kaguya Clan's situation is already terrible enough. I never expected that damned Third Mizukage to know the Hydrification Technique. Our operation ended in complete failure."
"So many clansmen… sacrificed for nothing."
"And besides, Konoha truly hasn't treated your Hyuga Clan well. That Byakugan really might have been something Konoha sold to Kirigakure."
"The better Kirigakure's situation becomes, the worse ours becomes."
"My Kaguya Clan only wants to survive."
"The Hyuga… should understand, shouldn't they?"
"I just hope Sunagakure can utterly crush Kirigakure."
A fierce look flashed across Kaguya Ta's face, but it quickly faded into confusion.
He felt utterly lost about the future of the Kaguya Clan.
The shinobi world was vast—
but there was nowhere for the Kaguya Clan to go.
The Kaguya Clan and Kirigakure had already become mortal enemies. The moment Kirigakure caught its breath, it would certainly come after them.
Kaguya Ta understood the Third Mizukage's personality all too well.
As for joining another power, he had no such intention.
The Uchiha.
The Kaguya.
The Akayama.
Their examples were already right in front of him.
What ninja village was truly good?
Just then, a figure quickly ran over to Kaguya Ta.
"Clan Head-sama!"
"What is it?"
"There is an Uchiha outside asking to see you."
"An Uchiha?"
Kaguya Ta's eyes lit up slightly.
When he first heard that the Kaguya Clan had defected, he had thought about seeking the Uchiha Clan out and forming an alliance with them.
If the two joined hands, they would have greater strength.
Both were unfortunate brothers in suffering. If they could ally, they could help one another.
But the Uchiha had seemed to avoid them.
And now—
an Uchiha had come to them on his own.
"Take him to the reception room. I'll be there shortly."
"Yes, Clan Head-sama."
Not long after, Kaguya Ta saw the Uchiha who had come.
Just one man.
He wore the standard Uchiha uniform.
But there was no longer a Konoha forehead protector on his brow.
The moment Kaguya Ta entered, Uchiha Tekka's gaze shifted toward him.
"Uchiha Tekka greets Clan Head Kaguya."
Kaguya Ta nodded slightly.
"Sit."
"Thank you, senior."
Once both were seated, Kaguya Ta asked, "Uchiha Tekka, you came to see me. Is there something you want?"
"Senior, I came on Lord Yatsushiro's orders."
Tekka rose and said, "In today's shinobi world, the ninja villages have long strayed from their original purpose."
"They oppress ninja clans in every possible way."
"The Uchiha. The Kaguya. The Akayama."
"We are all victims."
"But we must admit that the ninja villages are now too powerful."
"Far too powerful for these persecuted clans to oppose on our own."
"Because of that, Lord Yatsushiro believes an alliance between the Uchiha and the Kaguya Clan would be a wise choice. I wonder whether senior has any such intention."
Kaguya Ta, of course, did not believe the reason Tekka had given.
He knew perfectly well why the Uchiha had only come now.
And it left him slightly displeased.
But before the larger picture, Kaguya Ta had no intention of exposing that displeasure.
Instead, he smiled at Uchiha Tekka.
"I could not ask for anything more."
"The ninja villages have already become rotten. They are all wicked things, concerned only with persecuting our clans."
"That is why all ninja clans across the world ought to unite."
The alliance between the Uchiha and the Kaguya Clan began quietly.
Uchiha Yatsushiro and Kaguya Ta met in person and formally confirmed the alliance between their two clans.
Afterward, Yatsushiro picked up a piece of intelligence concerning Konoha.
"Hmph."
He snorted coldly.
Back when the Uchiha had been targeted, Yatsushiro had hoped the Hyuga Clan would stand up.
Because the Hyuga, too, were one of the clans in Konoha that suffered unfair treatment.
But they had not.
Not only had they not stepped forward—
they had worked especially hard in hunting down the Uchiha rebels.
"And now this is your retribution."
"As a ninja clan, you wagged your tails at Hiruzen Sarutobi like beggars, without even a shred of Hyuga dignity."
"You were sold out? Good. You had it coming."
"It is your weakness that led you here."
"You're no different from Uchiha Yamakaku."
"So now let's see what you do."
"Kaguya Ta told me himself—your main-house member was sold out by Konoha."
Then a cruel look surfaced in Yatsushiro's eyes.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Konoha."
"You will suffer retribution."
"What you did to the Uchiha Clan, I will return to you tenfold—no, a hundredfold."
"I, Uchiha Yatsushiro, swear it."
Konoha.
Hokage Tower.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the Kaguya Clan's declaration, his hands shook with fury.
"Utter nonsense!"
"How dare the Kaguya Clan slander me like this?"
"Shameless!"
"Outrageous!"
"Someone!"
The moment Hiruzen barked the order, an ANBU shinobi rushed in.
"Hokage-sama."
"Investigate the Kaguya Clan's current situation."
"Yes."
Watching the ANBU shinobi leave, Hiruzen withdrew his gaze.
"The key still lies with Hyuga Yamatsubaki… whether he can control the Hyuga Clan."
"I do not want to see something like what happened with the Uchiha happen again."
"Whoever is spreading this rumor…"
"If I find out who it is…"
"They used such despicable methods just to destroy Konoha's alliance with Kirigakure."
But what Hiruzen did not know was that Rasa had not created the rumor merely to break the alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure.
More than that—
he had done it for points.
Rasa woke from his midday rest, opened his eyes, and looked toward the points section on the system panel.