In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen summoned a group of jōnin, led by Nara Shikaku.
The two elders and Danzō also arrived.
Hiruzen slowly set down his pipe with a smile on his face. "This time, Kumo has sent envoys simply to sign a truce agreement."
"After the war with Kumo ends, the remaining will no longer be a threat."
"Konoha… is finally about to welcome true peace."
As soon as these words were spoken, the jōnin in the room smiled as well.
Among the five great nations, only Kumo and Kiri had not yet signed a truce agreement with Konoha. But Kirigakure had shut its borders and rarely made contact with outsiders, so it hardly mattered.
Only Kumo remained aggressive and warmongering, a persistent thorn in the side of the great nations.
Puff.
Hiruzen's tone shifted. "But even now, we must not let our guard down."
Everyone tensed.
"Kumo may be using the peace talks as a cover to spy on our village, or perhaps the delegation itself is merely a front for some covert operation."
"Therefore, security in the village must be significantly heightened during this period."
Hiruzen turned to look at Uchiha Fugaku.
"Yes, Third Hokage." Fugaku quickly nodded. "The Uchiha will not slack off."
"Very good."
Hiruzen nodded. "Shikaku, you'll be in charge of arranging lodging for the delegation and ensuring there's adequate surveillance nearby."
"Yes."
The Third Hokage issued all his instructions in an orderly manner before dismissing the meeting.
A few days later...
A group of ten Kumo envoys arrived in Konoha. To show respect, the Third Hokage brought the entire high-level leadership to greet them in front of the Hokage building.
Surprisingly, the Kumo delegation leader was humble, lacking the usual rudeness associated with Kumo shinobi.
The initial phase of the negotiations went smoothly. Though Kumo raised a few demands—including control over small countries in the buffer zones—they were all within reason.
In fact, if they had only vaguely proposed a ceasefire with no real terms, Hiruzen would have been more suspicious.
For now, he felt somewhat at ease and even began to anticipate lasting peace.
Late that night.
Under Anbu surveillance, a hotel had been designated as the residence for the Kumo delegation. No other guests were allowed.
Two figures blended into the night and left the tavern without alerting the Anbu. At the end of the street, they split and went in different directions.
One infiltrated the Hyūga compound and attempted to kidnap the eldest daughter, Hinata. He was killed by Hyūga Hiashi.
The other targeted the Shimura estate.
Confirming the location from intel, the Kumo shinobi was just about to scale the wall when a cold female voice rang out beside him.
"Kumo rat. Who gave you the nerve to cause trouble at the Shimura residence?"
The Kumo shinobi was startled. Before he could turn around, a searing blaze pierced through his chest. In the midst of unbearable burning pain, he was reduced to a charred corpse.
The door to the estate creaked open, and Yami stepped out, yawning.
"They actually sent someone after me. Looks like Kumo's appetite is bigger than expected."
"Let's go, Pakura. Bring some people and find the old man. I want to see if he'll hand me over."
The Third Hokage was awakened by Anbu.
He was a light sleeper and only took a moment to fully awaken after the knock.
When he opened the door, he saw Yami and Hyūga Hiashi standing outside chatting casually, and he was momentarily confused.
Thud!
A charred corpse was thrown at his feet.
"Old man, this is one of Kumo's messengers. The one in the Hyūga clan head's hand is their leader."
"What?!" Hiruzen snapped fully to attention.
Ten minutes later.
Hiruzen stared at the two corpses in front of him with a headache.
"Hiashi, Yami is still young and impulsive. How could you... sigh, this one is the leader of the Kumo delegation."
Hiashi clenched his fists. "Hokage, I didn't kill him. That man was already suffering from a terminal illness. I merely severed a few of his tendons. He could not withstand the internal injuries and died en route."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
Terminal illness?
That meant... he came here intending to die.
Soon, Anbu summoned the two elders and Danzō as well.
A minor issue could be downplayed, but this wasn't small. It would determine Konoha's stance toward Kumo going forward. This was a serious matter.
Danzō had already heard the situation from Anbu on the way. The moment he arrived, he said coldly, "Hiruzen, we'll make Kumo pay the price."
Hiruzen frowned. "They were attacking Yami. I summoned you to discuss how to respond to Kumo's move—not to start a war."
Danzō sneered. "Still clinging to that naïve dream? Even a fool can see Kumo didn't come for peace. They were trying to provoke a war!"
"Kumo chose war, not us!"
"Konoha can no longer afford the suffering another war would bring," Hiruzen said seriously. "That is the worst-case scenario. We must do everything possible to prevent it."
"This is the duty a Hokage bears for the village."
Danzō was about to retort, but Homura stepped forward to mediate.
"Alright, Hiruzen, Danzō, this is not the time to argue. We need to stand together."
He looked at Hiruzen. "We should wait and see how the Kumo delegation reacts tomorrow before making any moves."
"You're right." Hiruzen sighed. "Send the bodies to the Intelligence Division. See if there's any evidence that can help our side."
The next day, Konoha's top brass were all gathered in the Hokage building, waiting.
Sure enough, before long, the Kumo envoy stormed in, full of anger.
"Hokage-dono, we came to Konoha with sincere intentions for peace, but you murdered our leader. Is this how you treat Kumo? Are you rejecting negotiations?"
"I should be the one asking that."
Hiruzen held a cigarette stub in his mouth and stared coldly at the Kumo envoy. "Why did your men sneak into the Hyūga compound and the Shimura estate last night? If you truly wanted peace, why resort to such dirty tricks?"
"I can pretend this never happened and proceed with the agreement we discussed, but don't push your luck."
"What do you mean 'sneak into the Hyūga clan'? Hokage-dono, that's slander!"
The Kumo envoy replied shamelessly, "Hand over the murderer who killed our messenger, or Lord Raikage will come take him himself—with an army!"
After that, he turned and walked out of the office arrogantly, completely ignoring Hiruzen's livid expression.
Whoosh!
As the door opened, and just as the arrogant smile remained on the envoy's face, a flash of sword light cut across his neck.
The Kumo envoy grabbed at his throat, but couldn't stop the blood pouring out. He collapsed backward, lifeless.
Hiruzen was stunned by the sudden turn of events. He stood frozen for a long moment before looking in disbelief at the boy who had just walked in.
"Yami! What are you doing?!"
"That was a Kumo envoy!"
"I killed one yesterday, what difference does another make?" Yami replied, unfazed by Hiruzen's anger. "What now, Old Man? Are you really going to hand me and the Hyūga clan head over?"
The Third Hokage stayed silent, a flicker of hesitation appearing on his face, which Danzō caught immediately.
"Old monkey, you're actually considering it?"
"Have you lost your mind? This is clearly a trap by Kumo! If they can carve out a piece of Konoha with a stunt like this, there will be envoys showing up every other day! Are you planning to offer up all our shinobi as apologies?"
Frankly speaking, Danzō had always been a hardliner in Konoha, both internally and externally.
Otherwise, how do you think he lost his right eye?
He always thought Hiruzen had grown soft, but this... this was beyond soft.
He had no spine left.
"Enough!" Hiruzen shouted. "I haven't made a final decision yet. What are you two rambling about!"
"Danzō! I am the Hokage! Your duty is to follow the Hokage's orders!"
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
Danzō stared at him for two seconds, then turned and walked away.
"Yami, let's go."
"If Hiruzen really dares to sacrifice you, betray the village and go find Asuma."
"Offering up the Hokage's own son might be enough to appease Kumo's rage."
"Old man, that's the smartest idea you've had in years."
The exchange between grandfather and grandson reached Hiruzen's ears, and his expression shifted several times.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances and sighed deeply.
The former ninja hero had truly grown old.
...
Soon, word of the Kumo envoy's death spread throughout the village, but the details of what happened were kept under wraps.
[Host and Sarutobi Hiruzen establish a guilt bond. Reward: Special Talent "Professor of Ninjutsu"]
[Professor of Ninjutsu: When learning new ninjutsu, the Host's training speed increases by 100%, and the difficulty of fusing training attributes decreases.]
Guilt?
Yami, who had returned home, sneered when he saw the system prompt.
He believed in the system's judgment. Hiruzen did feel guilty in that moment, when he'd nearly handed Yami over to appease Kumo.
But...
What does guilt from a politician even mean?
Wasn't Hiruzen best at saying things like, "It's all for Konoha. You're a hero, child," while wearing a face full of regret?
But Yami wasn't like the Hyūga.
The Hyūga were a thousand-year noble clan. For a clan like that, the preservation of the bloodline came first. The head of the main family could be sacrificed. The branch family, even more so.
But what about him?
He was the Shimura clan's legacy.
If Hiruzen truly dared to hand him over, it wouldn't be Danzō who became a traitor.
He would see Hiruzen as the traitor—and never stop fighting.
The damage to Konoha then would be far worse than any war.
"I'm going to see Hizashi-sensei."
Looking at the girls around him, who were all visibly concerned, Yami smiled. "What's there to worry about? I just killed a piece of trash who broke into my house."
"Kurenai, Yugao, go get ready. We'll probably be heading to the battlefield soon."
"Got it." Yugao nodded seriously, murderous intent radiating from her. Kurenai no longer looked like the easygoing older sister she usually was—her face was solemn.
Soon, Yami arrived at the Hyūga compound.
Today, the atmosphere was heavy. Several branch family members stood vigil on the rooftops, their Byakugan activated and monitoring for intruders.
Yami wasn't stopped. He found Hiashi first, who was meeting with clan elders, then had him bring him to Hizashi's residence. Yami gestured for Hiashi to wait outside while he entered alone.
Hizashi, sitting at his desk writing on a scroll, thought it was Neji returning from his family training. He hurriedly hid the paper.
When he turned around and saw it was Yami, he was surprised. "Yami? Why are you here?"
"Hizashi-sensei, don't hide it." Yami didn't answer. He walked behind him and glanced at the scroll.
"A suicide note?"
Both brothers—inside and outside—were stunned.
Hizashi forced a calm smile. "What are you saying, Yami? I'm not sick. Why would I need a suicide note?"
"The main family elders have already contacted you and asked you to replace Hiashi, haven't they?"
Yami laid bare Hizashi's deepest secret. Hiashi nearly burst in from outside but held back. He needed to hear this.
"You knew?" Hizashi couldn't pretend any longer and gave a bitter smile.
"What else can I do?"
"My brother and I look almost identical. After death, the Caged Bird seal will disappear. Kumo won't notice in time."
"By the time they return, it'll be too late."
"But this isn't the elders' doing. I volunteered."
Hizashi looked at his reflection in the mirror, then removed his forehead protector to reveal the blue Caged Bird seal.
"I'm dying to protect my brother not the main family. This is my choice. The only time I've had a choice."
"You're lying to yourself."
Yami dismissed his reasoning. "Those elders won't see it that way. They'll use your death as a model of loyalty and obedience—then use it to brainwash every branch family member."
"Even Neji will think you died for the main family and give up resisting fate."
"The son of a Hokage becomes a Hokage. The Hokage's apprentice becomes a Hokage. The son of a scapegoat remains a scapegoat."
"Hizashi-sensei, are you really okay with that?"
"Do you want Neji to follow your path and become just another disposable sacrifice?"
Hizashi was stunned into silence.
Seeing that the time was right, Yami called out to the door. "Clan Head Hiashi, you can come in now."
"Even as the head of the family, are you really going to accept the future the Third Hokage planned for you?"
Bang!
The door was thrown open. Hiashi entered with determination.
"Hizashi! No one in the Hyūga clan will take responsibility for this!"
"Unless it's on the battlefield!"
(To be continued.)
***
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