Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly.
He truly hadn't expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to react so quickly.
"All right, I understand." Hiashi forced a smile. "Hizashi, there's no need to be so distant with me."
Clearly—
His affection for his younger brother was sincere.
But unfortunately…
Because of the Caged Bird, the two brothers could never return to what they once were.
Hizashi only bowed.
"Clan head, etiquette must not be abandoned."
Hiashi felt a headache coming on. Facing his brother, he really didn't know what to say.
Just then, Hiruzen and his entourage arrived. Hiashi swallowed his words and went forward.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Mm. I've heard about the matter." Hiruzen's face was calm. "Tell me in detail—how great is the Hyuga's loss?"
His mood was foul.
The Uchiha had already put him in a bad temper these past few days.
So many had awakened their Sharingan, and now even a new Mangekyo had appeared.
The damned Uchiha!
His carefully drafted plans to deal with them now needed to be rewritten entirely.
He had already lost several days to this rewrite, and before it was even finished—
The Hyuga had an incident.
Damn it all.
Hiruzen hated nothing more than these great clans.
It had taken him years of maneuvering to finally grind down the Senju. Now, with his anti-Uchiha plans only half underway, fresh trouble appeared.
But there was no helping it.
The Hyuga had suffered too great a loss. And the Byakugan was a strategic resource.
So no matter how unwilling, he had to come.
"This… is terrible." Hiashi's tone was grave.
"Nine Hyuga of the main house were killed, along with seven from the branch house. Nine Byakugan were stolen.
Never in the history of our clan has there been a loss of this scale.
I apologize for troubling you, Hokage-sama.
But this matter is too serious—the Hyuga must get to the bottom of it.
If we can't uncover how it was done, then this first theft won't be the last. There may be a second, a third—even countless more.
So I beg your forgiveness, Lord Hokage!"
—Hiss!
At Hiashi's words, Hiruzen and the elders were stunned.
Good heavens.
Nine Byakugan were stolen—that was no small affair.
If another village obtained them, it would be disastrous for Konoha.
No wonder.
Before coming, Hiruzen had already heard reports from the Anbu—that the Hyuga had gone nearly mad, combing the entire village.
Now, he understood.
Anyone would go mad after losing nine Byakugan.
"This must be investigated thoroughly, Hiruzen," Homura said gravely. "We must catch the culprit and learn how he infiltrated."
"Yes," Koharu added quickly. "Otherwise every clan in the village will feel unsafe."
Hiruzen thought for a long moment.
At last, he drew a deep breath and spoke.
"So that is how it is.
I hadn't imagined someone could infiltrate Konoha and steal nine Byakugan.
You're right—this must be investigated.
I will have the Anbu cooperate with the Hyuga, and provide necessary support.
By the way, Hiashi—have you uncovered any leads?"
Hiashi exhaled in relief.
The Hokage's willingness to assign Anbu was indeed good news for the clan.
But as for leads…
After a long silence, he shook his head.
"None at all.
Too many in the shinobi world covet the Byakugan. It could be anyone."
Hiruzen fell silent.
That was the worst part.
With no leads, the investigation would almost certainly end in failure.
But—so be it.
Do what could be done, and leave the rest to fate.
Shaking his head helplessly, Hiruzen took his leave.
Yes.
The theft of Byakugan was serious—but not as serious as it seemed.
Compared with the battlefronts against Hidden Stone Village, Hidden Blood Mist Village, and Hidden Cloud Village, the Hyuga's plight was trivial.
In truth, in Hiruzen's heart, it wasn't even as important as dealing with the Uchiha.
He had too much on his plate to waste time on such matters.
Agreeing to let Anbu assist was already generous enough.
…
Time passed slowly.
As Hiruzen expected, a week later the theft was still the talk of Konoha.
But despite the Hyuga and the Anbu's efforts, not a single clue had been found.
And with the war ongoing, nearly all of Konoha's resources were devoted to the frontlines.
So in the end—
The case was dropped.
Konoha returned to calm.
Meanwhile, far away—
In the Land of Grass, beneath the Kannabi Bridge—
A vast underground cavern.
An aged man with flowing white hair sat there.
Though his body was decayed and frail, his aura radiated dominance.
Tubes ran from his body into the enormous statue behind him.
Yes.
This was Uchiha Madara. Behind him loomed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
At that moment, a lump of mud welled up from the ground and shaped itself into a humanoid form.
White Zetsu.
"Madara-sama, good news!
I found another Uchiha in Konoha. He's far stronger than Obito—he's already awakened Mangekyo.
Truly worthy of being your clansman! Do you want to make contact?
Oh, and since I brought you good news, Madara-sama, may I watch you poop?"
Madara opened his eyes.
A chilling gleam flashed, and a cruel smile spread across his face.
"Oh? A Mangekyo, is it?" he scoffed.
"I hadn't thought such a rotten village, such a decayed clan, could still produce one.
Show me the file."
White Zetsu hurriedly handed over the report.
Madara skimmed it at lightning speed, then fell into deep thought.
At last, he spoke softly.
"A Uchiha who resembles Nara, hmm.
They say he doesn't seem like an Uchiha?
Nonsense.
Who decreed that an Uchiha cannot think?
Still… he reminds me of Izuna.
But it doesn't matter. Once my plan is complete, I will see Izuna again regardless.
There's no need to approach this Uchiha Kai.
He's too clever—we couldn't fool him anyway.
Stick with Obito. Proceed according to plan!"
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