The Third Hokage had arrived menacingly with a dozen Anbu, but now they retreated in disgrace—like a pack of dogs with their tails between their legs.
Whether it was Hiashi, the nearly-deposed clan patriarch, or the ordinary Hyuga shinobi, no one cared to hear the Hokage's feeble excuses.
Before long, Hiruzen and the Anbu had vanished from sight. Soon after, the corpses of the Great Elder and his son Yemen were removed.
There was no pity for those two traitors—they had betrayed their entire clan.
"Now, what do the two remaining elders have to say for themselves?" Naraku asked, turning his cold gaze toward them.
"Do you choose the Bird in a Cage, or death?"
"Today's incident had nothing to do with us!" the second elder said bitterly.
"The Great Elder never told us he was planning to hand over members of the clan to Root!" the third added, both visibly shaken.
Indeed, the Great Elder had kept that part of the deal from them. Even if Yemen had succeeded in becoming clan head, it wouldn't have benefited them directly.
"Still, the fact remains—you colluded with outsiders to overthrow the patriarch," Hiashi said, face grim.
"Even if you didn't know the details of the deal, if Yemen had become patriarch, he would eventually have compromised with the Hokage on other matters!"
That much was undeniable. With the Third Hokage's support, some form of price would inevitably be paid.
The two elders fell silent, unable to refute it.
"We'll... take the Bird in a Cage," they finally said, lacking the courage to face death.
Shortly after—
"Aaaaahhhhh!"
The two former elders, no longer worthy of the title, screamed in agony as the cursed seals were engraved on their foreheads. The Bird in a Cage had claimed them.
For the first time, they felt the pain they had inflicted for years on branch members. And their fate would likely be even worse. The very same branch members—whom they once berated and abused—were now watching them with cold eyes.
They saw those indifferent, vengeful stares. And in that moment, the two disgraced elders realized the depth of their shame.
Elsewhere, among the Uchiha...
"To think the Hokage tried to change the Hyuga leadership so he could better control them. I didn't expect Sarutobi to stoop so low," Fugaku said darkly.
Had the plan worked, Yemen would've sent clan members into Root.
And after that? Would the Third Hokage try the same thing with the Uchiha?
Not a single member of the Hyuga or Uchiha clans had ever joined Root.
"The Third Hokage wants to defeat us by turning our people against each other," Itachi said, his words oddly mature for his age.
"He may very well try to divide the Uchiha Clan too."
"What do you mean? How would he do that?" Shisui asked.
"He could win over part of the Uchiha, and use them to split the clan, to spark internal conflict," Itachi said plainly.
Naraku's expression turned unreadable.
Wasn't that exactly what you did in the original timeline? he thought silently.
Now, the Hokage was doing it through political manipulation—supporting elders who would cooperate, and nominating them for leadership.
"There might be other strategies too..." Itachi mused.
"Like using the Hokage's title as a banner, and rallying people in the name of the village," Naraku added with a small, knowing smile.
That was exactly how the Hokage dealt with Itachi and Shisui in the original timeline. But after yesterday's disaster, many in the village were losing faith in Hiruzen.
If someone tried to assassinate the Hokage now, few would step in to help.
Just like during Orochimaru's invasion in the original timeline—no one rushed to save Hiruzen, apart from one Anbu who died by a sealing jutsu.
And if today's events spread... even more people might quietly wish for the Hokage's demise.
At the Nara Clan Compound
"What did you say?" Shikaku, usually composed, looked utterly shocked.
"You mean the Third Hokage supported the elder's son in becoming Hyuga patriarch? And as part of the deal, Hyuga members would be sent to Anbu and Root?" he asked the messenger.
"That's what my friend in the Hyuga clan told me. It all happened earlier today," the Nara shinobi confirmed, confident.
"Hokage? Hiruzen? He would never do that!" Shikaku's calm cracked, fury rising in his voice.
If the Hokage repeated this scheme with the Nara clan—removing him as patriarch and replacing him with a more compliant puppet—how many Nara shinobi would be swallowed by Anbu and Root?
Could it be...? Shikaku began piecing together recent events.
Naraku had disappeared twice. What if that wasn't coincidence? What if Hiruzen wanted Naraku dead for being "disobedient"?
If Shikaku hadn't played along, would he have been eliminated too?
"Hyuga... damn it," he muttered coldly, dark thoughts swirling.
At the Sarutobi Residence
"They dare rebel against the Hokage!" Hiruzen fumed, remembering how he had been driven out of the Hyuga compound in shame.
He hadn't dared to stop anywhere on the way home. Covered in dirt, stone bruises, and branches—he looked more like a vagabond than a Kage. What would people think if they saw him like that?
"The Hyuga, the Uchiha, all of them—none of them respect the Hokage anymore!" he spat.
Mitokado Homura silently nodded. A Kage had been banished from a clan meeting—unheard of.
"These people place their clan above the village!" Koharu added angrily.
Their well-planned scheme had completely collapsed.
"So the Hyuga's Bird in a Cage seal failed?" Danzo asked, frowning.
It was strange. The seal had never failed before.
"It didn't work on Naraku," Hiruzen said, still brooding. "Perhaps his Byakugan evolved in some way. He's able to use techniques that even advanced Byakugan users can't."
"Byakugan..." Danzo muttered to himself, eyes narrowing with interest.