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Chapter 62 - Taking the Blame

At the rendezvous point, Samui and her teammates waited for Dodai to arrive so they could flee together, but they decided to check the Hyuga compound. At Dodai's speed, he should have reached them already. His absence meant failure.

Hurrying along the route, they found Dodai's corpse. Nearby stood the Third Hokage, Hyuga clansmen, and the Uchiha they had seen yesterday. The Cloud ninja blanched. Panic rose. The blonde Samui steadied herself first and demanded, "Who killed Dodai? Third Hokage, we came to Konoha in good faith for peace talks, and now our envoy leader is dead. Hand over the killer to Cloud for judgment."

Hiashi Hyuga bristled. "What do you mean? He infiltrated the Hyuga compound and abducted my daughter. Cloud owes us an explanation."

Samui's gaze was cold. "Nonsense. Dodai was out for a stroll. When did he enter your Hyuga grounds? Is this your compound? Stop slandering him." She turned to the Hokage. "Third Hokage, hand over the killer. Otherwise the talks cannot continue."

Admitting guilt was impossible now.

The Third Hokage felt a headache coming on and weighed his options. Ryōsuke spoke up. "Taking a midnight stroll in black night-ops gear. Your Cloud ninja have interesting hobbies."

Samui did not flinch. "Night gear is just Dodai's personal taste. He never entered the Hyuga compound, and he certainly did not abduct the Hyuga heiress. Konoha must give us an explanation. Do not mistake Cloud for easy prey. I will report this to the Fourth Raikage. Forget the peace agreement."

Ryōsuke snorted. The woman had curves and no sense. Her shameless denial was impressive. Hiashi saw no point arguing. She was clearly twisting facts. The Third would not believe her either.

The Hokage, however, was deeply worried. A misstep here could restart the war. Konoha could not afford and did not want that. "Calm yourselves," he said helplessly. "We will confer and give Cloud an answer."

Samui felt a flicker of satisfaction but kept her face flat. "We want your answer tomorrow. Do not jeopardize peace between our villages." The Third seemed desperate for peace; pressure might yield a favorable result. She led her team away with Dodai's body.

Hiashi's face darkened. "Third Hokage, what is the meaning of this? What answer will you give them?"

"Of course not compensation with a life," the Hokage said wearily. "Let us discuss this back at the Hyuga compound."

Hiashi had to agree. He glanced at Ryōsuke. "Please come as well. You witnessed everything."

"No problem," Ryōsuke said. He wanted to see how far the Third would bend.

The Third had already recognized Ryōsuke, the Uchiha who had opposed him more than once. He had not wanted the man involved in the deliberations, but he could not dismiss him now.

In the Hyuga audience hall, Ryōsuke sat quietly in a corner, watching the Hyuga and the Hokage confer. Among the clan stood a man who resembled Hiashi but slimmer. That had to be Hizashi Hyuga. Faces were grim. The matter was thorny. A bad premonition nagged at Hiashi. Would killing the Cloud envoy truly bring trouble upon the Hyuga, as Ryōsuke had hinted? He waited for the Hokage's stance.

The Third sighed inwardly. Cloud was at fault, but the war had to end. Too many had died. The village had grown weaker. He would have to soothe the Hyuga and prioritize the greater good.

"Clan Head Hiashi," he began slowly, "you know how many years the war with Cloud has dragged on. Many of our ninja have fallen, including members of your clan. Do you believe this war should continue?"

"It should not," Hiashi answered. The Hyuga had fought Cloud and suffered losses. But what was the Hokage implying—that the Hyuga must give Cloud some accounting?

"Since Cloud demands the killer," the Third continued, "we should satisfy them so the talks can proceed and the peace agreement be signed. Then the village can stabilize."

Fury surged in Hiashi. If the speaker were not the Hokage, he would have thrown him out. "Are you saying I should be handed over to buy the village peace?"

An uproar broke out among the Hyuga.

"Lord Third, is this a joke?"

"How can we surrender our clan head to those despicable Cloud shinobi?"

Handing over the head would be a disgrace. Worse, it would fulfill Cloud's scheme to seize the Byakugan.

The Third coughed. "I do not mean surrendering the clan head. I mean finding a culprit to take the blame."

Hiashi's face remained hard. The proposal was unacceptable.

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