Hyūga Hireta.
A member of the Hyūga clan?
Hearing this name, Yami paused for a moment, combing through his memories. He was certain he had never heard of such a person before.
Danzō chuckled coldly. "This old man isn't much younger than me or Hiruzen. He's been retired for many years, so of course you wouldn't know him.
"But there's one thing you should know."
"The head of the Hyūga clan who was once captured by Kirigakure…"
"It was him?" Yami suddenly realized and blurted out.
"Yes. That's Hyūga Hireta, the disgrace of the Hyūga clan." Danzō's tone was full of mockery and contempt as he spoke about the coward who had been captured and ransomed.
"This time, there's a high chance he was targeting Hyūga Hizashi. You just happened to gain an unexpected bonus."
"Let's go."
Yami turned around at once, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. He wanted to see where this old man had gotten the nerve.
Targeting Hizashi? Fine, that was an internal clan matter and none of his business.
But knowing that Yami was on Hizashi's team and still pulling tricks, this was blatant disrespect.
Danzō followed Yami out of the Hokage building. More than a dozen Root shinobi emerged from the shadows.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly shouted to the air:
"Shinnosuke, take two squads of Anbu and follow Danzō. Make sure things don't escalate!"
"Yes!"
Hyūga Clan Compound.
The Hyūga clan, blessed with the Byakugan, was one of the most heavily guarded places in all of Konoha.
When Root and Anbu shinobi surrounded the compound together, they were quickly noticed by the patrolling Hyūga members.
The branch members could hardly believe their eyes.
What was going on? So many Anbu (they couldn't even distinguish between Anbu and Root) surrounding the clan... Had the Hyūga committed some kind of crime?
Shocked and confused, one of the branch members rushed to inform the clan head.
At that moment, Hyūga Hiashi was drinking tea with several clan elders. When he saw someone rush into the tea room in a panic, his brows furrowed and he was about to scold them, but then he heard the urgent report:
"Clan Head! Something's wrong!"
"Dozens of Anbu have surrounded the Hyūga compound!"
Hiashi became angrier. "Nonsense! If Anbu were going to surround someone, it would be the Uchiha clan. What would they want with us?"
"It's true, Clan Head!" The branch member was on the verge of tears. "See for yourself!"
Seeing his sincerity, Hiashi's heart wavered. He activated his Byakugan, and after scanning outside, he stood up in alarm.
Anbu...
Root...
And... Shimura Danzō!
Better to provoke the Third Hokage than Danzō.
That was the unspoken rule agreed upon by all 783 clan heads in Konoha.
Everyone knew Hiruzen wasn't just some kindly old man spouting about the Will of Fire all day. As Hokage, his actions were restrained by laws and systems. As long as you were careful and didn't mess up, you'd be fine.
But Danzō was different.
Root operated like a wild horse without reins. They held real power and had little oversight. Their actions were ruthless and unbound.
This type of person, one who didn't follow the rules was the most dangerous of all.
But looking at the situation now, both Root and Anbu had shown up, and Danzō himself had come.
Did the Hyūga clan really violate something?
Wasn't this the direction of the Uchiha compound? Are you sure you're not mistaken?
Seeing Danzō and Yami approaching the gates, Hiashi suppressed his growing panic and immediately ordered, "Quick, come with me to greet them!"
Several elders activated their Byakugan and nodded in agreement, following Hiashi. Together, they intercepted Danzō and Yami at the entrance.
At the same time, more and more Hyūga members noticed the commotion and quickly gathered. In a short time, dozens of people had assembled. It made Yami feel like they were under siege.
"Elder Danzō, why didn't you inform us beforehand?" Hiashi tried his best to remain humble as he greeted them.
"This isn't a social visit. Clan Head Hiashi, you're being too polite."
Danzō coughed lightly, feigning the voice of a frail old man, though his words were chilling.
"From this moment forward, no member of the Hyūga clan is allowed to leave the compound."
Uproar!
The Hyūga clan members erupted in shock.
"Is the village turning against the Hyūga?"
"What's happening? Why are there so many Anbu?"
"They're restricting our freedom? Damn it, are they really going to make a move?"
"If you want to die, don't drag us with you. If you resist, it won't just be Anbu. The whole village will come down on us!"
Danzō's command caused unrest among the Hyūga. But under the fierce gazes of Root and Anbu, no one dared to act recklessly.
Hiashi's expression darkened completely.
Even if he feared Danzō, this was too much. He suppressed his anger and spoke in a deep voice:
"Elder Danzō, I don't recall offending you. To place our entire clan under house arrest without explanation... do you truly think the Hyūga are so easily bullied?"
"This isn't personal. It's official. The joint decision is to lock down the Hyuga compound."
Danzō didn't even lift his eyelids. His voice was flat, but the implication was heavy. "Hiashi, are you sure you want me to explain the reason here?"
He made no effort to lower his voice. Not only did all the Hyūga hear it clearly, but so did many shinobi who had gathered after noticing the disturbance.
This was the tacit understanding between Danzō and Hiruzen. When Danzō saw the Anbu tailing him, he understood Hiruzen's intent.
Use this opportunity to make an example of someone.
Hiashi's face changed slightly. Behind him, one of the elders, an old man with one eye trembled and instinctively stepped back.
Finally, Hiashi took a deep breath and moved aside. "Indeed. This is not a place to talk. Elder Danzō, please come inside."
"Hold on."
Yami raised a hand and pointed behind Hiashi. "Take down the one-eyed man back there."
Danzō's body trembled slightly, and his expression darkened.
He really wanted to throw this loudmouth grandson of his out.
Couldn't he explain it more clearly? The "one-eyed man"—wasn't that also indirectly calling him that?
With a wave of Danzō's hand, four Root shinobi dashed forward.
Hyūga Hireta, realizing he had been exposed, immediately turned and fled without hesitation.
Seeing Root charging in, the Hyūga members instinctively prepared to block them, but were halted by Hiashi's loud shout:
"Don't move!"
Damn it, Hiashi!
Hyūga Hireta cursed in his heart, drawing on all his chakra to escape.
But ever since he had been captured and lost an eye, his spirit had been broken. After years of living comfortably, his strength had only declined. How could he outrun four elite Root shinobi?
In just a few seconds, he was caught. Despite his resistance, he was easily restrained.
Hiashi looked at Hireta, who continued to struggle, then turned away and said nothing.
Fifteen minutes later, in the Hyūga clan's main conference hall.
All of the clan's elders were present. Hizashi had also been called.
Yami, Danzō, and Hiashi sat at the head table. The rest sat along the sides.
In the center, Hyūga Hireta knelt on the floor, head bowed in silence.
At that moment, Danzō distributed the evidence Root had uncovered, documents proving Hireta's collusion with information dealers and the sale of intel regarding Hizashi's team.
The evidence was conclusive. Hiashi's limbs turned cold, and he could barely breathe.
His Byakugan burned red.
He glared at Hireta, his expression filled with fury, as if he could kill him on the spot. "Elder Hireta, why did you do this?!"
The expressions of the other elders were equally grim.
Hireta's actions had pushed the entire Hyūga clan to the brink of disaster.
If this wasn't handled well, at best they would suffer major losses. At worst… they didn't even want to imagine it.
Konoha had always been suppressive toward powerful clans. The Hyūga usually kept a low profile, so tensions weren't obvious. But the Uchiha situation was plain to see.
They were nominally in charge of the police force, but in reality, their influence was minimal. They had few jōnin, no one in upper management, and were always kept away from power.
The Hyūga had avoided this by being loyal and compliant. Rumors had even started saying they were now Konoha's second-largest clan.
Even if those were exaggerations, they were at least treated with respect.
But Hireta had tried to harm Danzō's grandson. That wasn't just suicidal—it was dragging the entire clan down with him.
Under the furious stares, Hireta finally looked up. His face was ashen and hollow.
"I lost my mind. I just wanted to make some money from the intel."
"Elder Danzō, I'll take full responsibility and atone with my life."
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Yami propped his chin on one hand and looked at Hireta mockingly. "With the Hyūga clan's background, you're short on money? And even if you were, a one-time intel sale wouldn't help."
"Why not just tell the truth?"
"Is someone else hiding behind you?"
Yami's eyes calmly shifted to Hiashi.
Though just a child, his gaze made Hiashi deeply uneasy.
He quickly defended himself. "Young Master Yami, I had no idea what Hireta was doing. I would never betray the village's interests."
"Words alone aren't enough," Danzō said coolly. "You're the clan head. You didn't know what one of your elders was doing?"
Hiashi opened his mouth but didn't respond.
He wanted to explain how powerless he was.
Being clan head meant nothing. Internally, he was little more than a figurehead. These old main family elders didn't respect him and acted on their own.
But he still didn't say it.
The truth was too shameful. It would mean admitting he wasn't a leader—just a mascot.
"Hyūga Hireta!"
Hizashi, burning with anger, lashed out. "Are you trying to destroy the clan?!"
Other elders joined in:
"Hireta, take responsibility for your actions. Don't drag others into this."
"Yeah! Why sell intel on Yami? Don't feed us excuses no one believes."
"Money? Just one of your antique teapots is worth hundreds of thousands of ryō. The clan never treated you poorly!"
Surrounded by accusations, Hireta's face twisted with inner conflict.
At that moment, Danzō struck again.
"If you won't talk, we'll just kill you. But in that case, your entire branch will suffer with you."
"No!"
Hireta screamed. "They know nothing. This is my doing!"
"If you don't speak, how can we be sure they weren't involved?" Danzō's smile was cruel. "Root doesn't need evidence—only targets."
"I'll talk, I'll talk…"
Hireta broke down completely, collapsing on the floor.
Then, he turned to Hizashi with hatred. "Elder Danzō, I never meant to hurt Yami. My target was Hizashi!"
Everyone turned to look at Hizashi in the corner.
Most rolled their eyes.
"…."
Hizashi, who had been confused the entire time, was now even more lost.
"Elder Hireta, why?"
"Shut up!"
Hireta shouted like a crazed beast. "Why was I the one captured?!"
"If it weren't for you, that useless coward who failed to save me, I wouldn't have lived in disgrace! Now you're even favored by the Third Hokage and made a jōnin-sensei?"
"Why?! Why!"
Hireta's decades of resentment exploded, shocking everyone.
"Elder Danzō, I only leaked the time of the supply transport to Iwagakure. I never said Hizashi would lead it."
"So... Hizashi's team may have been discovered early and failed their mission, but no one would've died."
"I only wanted revenge on Hizashi. I never meant to harm Yami."
"My life isn't worth saving. Please, let the others go."
Hireta kowtowed in desperation. He knew he wouldn't live, but he had to protect his branch.
"…Elder Hireta…" Hizashi finally understood the source of the hatred, his emotions complicated.
Back then, Hireta had been on the same team. He'd used his Byakugan to sneak deep behind enemy lines for more credit… and got caught.
But he'd blamed everything on Hizashi.
People always looked to blame others for their failures, never themselves.
"But you still targeted my grandson," Danzō said flatly. He had no interest in Hyūga clan politics.
"Yami, I'll leave it to you."
"Got it!"
Yami's figure blurred, and a gust of wind swept through the room. In an instant, a bloody slash appeared across Hireta's neck.
So fast!
Hiashi was stunned. He had barely caught a trace of movement.
Thud!
Hireta's body fell limp.
Danzō smiled, satisfied with Yami's decisiveness.
The other elders said nothing. None objected. In fact, they felt relieved.
At least things hadn't escalated. They weren't implicated.
"Also, prepare 100 million ryō in compensation," Yami added his final condition.
Though it pained him, Hiashi still agreed.
"That's all. I believe the Hyūga are loyal to Konoha. But I hope the clan head will keep his people in line."
With a warning, Danzō left with Yami. Hiashi personally escorted them to the gate.
As they passed an old courtyard, Yami suddenly felt someone watching him.
He instinctively looked over and spotted a small figure peeking from behind the door, staring at him curiously.
When their eyes met, the figure jumped and quickly shut the door.
(To be continued.)
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