Outside the Hyuga Clan's compound.
Hiashi stood half a step behind the Hyuga Clan's Great Elder, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hidden patterns on his sleeve.
Watching the Great Elder tremble like a leaf in a storm, the gloom in his eyes deepened. His heart felt like it held a scale, weighing the fishiness of the situation.
He knew it definitely wasn't the Great Elder who saved Hinata. There were many oddities about last night's event.
He and this Main Family's Great Elder had never seen eye to eye. Right now, he couldn't be bothered to say half an extra word.
If he probed too deeply and this huge blame stuck to him, it would be bad. So he couldn't ask, at least not now.
Hizashi shrank behind the crowd, his spine tense as a fully drawn bow.
His back was covered in cold sweat. He was even afraid swallowing saliva would alert someone. If this pot brushed against him even slightly, he'd lose his life.
Extremely far away, Uchiha Makoto sat with his legs crossed, swinging leisurely.
Watching Mabui's retreating back, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
'This person doesn't look old, but her tongue is quite sharp, almost catching up to me.'
The blame was practically welded onto the Hyuga Clan's Main Family. And judging by the Hyuga Clan's Great Elder's attitude, this matter might blow up spectacularly, especially since he didn't have an identical twin brother.
Thinking of this, he stretched lazily. With the Hyuga Clan taking the front line, the Uchiha could temporarily breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally, he didn't have to worry about slipping away for a while and returning to find his home gone. He didn't want to be a commander without an army.
…
On the road from the Hyuga Clan's compound to the Hokage Tower, Mabui led the Kumogakure's envoys at a rapid pace.
The morning light slid down her hair. Her skin was like obsidian tempered by sunlight, the corners of her eyes sharp with a wild edge. Standing there, she was like a long sword wrapped in silk… beautiful yet sharp.
The moment she stepped into the Hokage's Office, Mabui didn't bother with pleasantries. She went straight to the point with Hiruzen.
"I have already reported this matter to Raikage-sama!"
The ice shards in her tone seemed capable of freezing the air: "Raikage-sama said if Konoha doesn't provide an explanation by noon today, Kumogakure's Shinobi will immediately enter the Land of Fire."
Hearing this, Hiruzen frowned, took a drag from his pipe. Smoke seeped from his wrinkles, blurring his expression.
"Please remain calm. Konoha will give Kumogakure an explanation regarding this matter," Hiruzen's voice was like wood soaked in warm water, betraying no emotion.
Mabui sneered, not giving Sandaime Hokage any respect at all. She turned and left directly. The current Kumogakure didn't fear Konoha in the slightest.
Her clothes brushed past the corner of the desk, the stirred wind carrying away half the ash, "Regarding Raikage-sama's temperament, Hokage-sama, you should know well. Please respond quickly regarding war or peace."
By the time the last word landed, her figure had already disappeared behind the door.
The sound of her heeled shoes tapped out an urgent rhythm, like a countdown.
The sunlight outside was golden, casting checkered shadows on the floor, but it couldn't disperse the thick smoke and gravity filling the room.
Hiruzen tapped his pipe, ashes falling rustling onto the sandalwood desktop: "Summon the Hyuga Clan's Clan Head."
The Anbu, like a drop of ink dissolving in water, disappeared into the shadows without a sound.
A moment later, when Hiashi quickly entered the Hokage's Office, sunlight was cutting diagonally over his shoulder, casting a patch of darkness on the floor.
He stood three steps away from the Hokage's desk, his back as straight as bamboo bent by snow… seemingly rigid, but actually filled with helplessness inside.
"What exactly is going on with this matter?" Hiruzen's gaze emerged from the smoke, completely different from his usual gentleness, carrying a sharp, scrutinizing edge.
Hearing this, Hiashi's face turned as green as a tile tempered with ice: "Hokage-sama, I am not clear about the specifics of this matter either."
"Not clear?" Hiruzen knocked his pipe against the desk edge, sparks flying and dying. "Would Kumogakure block the Hyuga Clan's gate for no reason?"
Hiashi pressed his lips together, his jawline taut as a string.
His fingertips subconsciously clenched into fists under his sleeves, knuckles white. He knew the Great Elder was definitely hiding something, but he couldn't say it, at least not from his own mouth.
Hiruzen, looking at the silent Hiashi, instantly understood clearly.
'This Hiashi definitely knew something but was keeping it to himself.'
'The Kumogakure's leader was most likely really with the Hyuga Clan, and it was probably the doing of those Main Family's elders, not much related to Hiashi himself.'
Thinking of this, Hiruzen waved his hand somewhat irritably. "Fine, you may go back first."
Hiashi bowed, turned, his steps heavier than when he arrived, as if carrying an invisible boulder.
The Hokage's Office fell quiet again, only the occasional sizzle of the pipe burning.
Not long after, the Hokage's Office door was pushed open forcefully. The documents on the desk rustled in the gust.
Danzo, wrapped in his black cloak, stepped in. His single eye gleamed in the shadow, but he didn't speak.
Following closely were Konoha's two other Hokage Advisors, Koharu and Homura. They had already learned about the matter on their way.
After the two entered, Koharu adjusted the collar of her kimono. Just as she was about to speak, Homura tugged her sleeve.
Hiruzen's pipe crackled in his fingers, a long column of ash accumulated. His expression was very heavy.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, their graying eyebrows furrowed. They subconsciously looked at Danzo, as if signaling him to speak first.
Danzo seemed not to notice their looks. He gazed out the window at the Hokage Rock, as if studying the cracks in the stone.
His fingertips slowly rubbed his cane, round and round, just wouldn't open his mouth to speak, completely different from his usual self.
The abacus in his mind was clicking louder than anyone's. If Kumogakure were targeting an individual or a small clan in Konoha, Danzo would definitely volunteer to fight.
He hadn't agreed to the ceasefire agreement in the first place. In his view, it was a worthless piece of paper, not even comfortable enough to wipe his backside with.
But now Kumogakure was targeting the Hyuga Clan, which had been even more jumpy than the Uchiha lately. So he chose silence, as he happen to want to use this opportunity to properly discipline the Hyuga Clan.
Luckily it wasn't the Uchiha that Kumogakure was targeting, otherwise he, Danzo, would have long taken Root to help out.
The smell of smoke permeated the office, like an impenetrable thick fog.
After pondering for a long time, Hiruzen finally raised his hand and knocked his pipe on the desk. Ashes fell rustling, piling into a small mound on the table.
Hiruzen's knuckles, gripping the pipe, were white. He had initially thought of going to the Hyuga Clan's compound himself to have a good talk with those Main Family's elders about their handling attitude.
But thinking of the increasingly jumpy Hyuga Clan lately, just closing their doors and playing by themselves wasn't enough.
They actually 'kidnapped' the Kumogakure's leader who came to sign the ceasefire agreement for no reason? It's simply even more excessive than Danzo.
'Did they think Konoha didn't have enough troubles already? Want to start a war between Konoha and Kumogakure?'
'These Main Family's elders apparently thought their wings had hardened, wanting to stir up trouble. They needed to be severely disciplined, their wings broken, to prevent future mischief.'
But clearly, this wasn't something suitable for Hiruzen to do.
With this in mind, Hiruzen looked at Danzo. As decades-long dear friends, their tacit understanding needed no words.
The moment their eyes met, Danzo spoke, his voice like sandpaper rubbing against wood: "I will go to the Hyuga Clan's compound first to understand the specific situation."
Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction. He took a deep drag from his pipe, white smoke seeping from between his teeth: "As quickly as possible. The Kumogakure's Shinobi amassed in the Land of Hot Water could enter the Land of Fire at any time."
Hearing this, Danzo's cane tapped out crisp sounds on the floor in succession.
"Have all Konoha's Shinobi at the border to move towards the Land of Hot Water," Hiruzen ordered the Anbu outside. The Anbu's presence flashed outside the door and immediately left.
"Koharu, Homura, prepare the supplies quickly. We cannot be caught off guard by Kumogakure."
As Koharu and Homura acknowledged, Danzo had already stepped out of the Hokage Tower.
Danzo glanced up at the suddenly overcast sky. The clouds hung low, like a waterlogged rag.
He lifted his chin towards the shadows in the corner, his black cloak sweeping the ground: "Assemble all Root members 'on the roster'."
A muffled response came from the shadows. In moments, all Root's members 'on duty' had gathered. They stepped on the ground soundlessly, only their breath condensing into white mist in the cold air.
Arriving in front of the Hyuga Clan's compound's gate, Danzo planted his cane on the frozen muddy ground.
"Seal off the entire Hyuga Clan's compound," He pointed at five Root members, "You five, come with me."
The five responded and stepped forward. The rest instantly dispersed, surrounding the entire Hyuga Clan so tightly not even water could leak through.
The momentous display made it seem like they were about to massacre the Hyuga Clan.
The other clans in Konoha, upon hearing this news, all frowned, their expressions appearing extremely displeased.
As Danzo, leaning on his cane, stepped over the Hyuga Clan's compound's threshold.
It was only against the Hyuga Clan that he dared enter with just a few people.
If it were the Uchiha? Even bringing the entire Root in, he would feel uneasy.
After all, those inherently evil Uchiha, the stronger they were, the more abnormal their minds. If he said one wrong word, they might directly draw their swords.
Mabui, staying in the shadows, watched this scene. Her chocolate-like skin looked extremely sexy in the shadows. Seeing the Hokage Advisor leading Shinobi to surround the entire Hyuga Clan, she suddenly smiled, the curve of her lips like a knife dipped in sugar.
'As expected of Konoha.' The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she sneered inwardly, "Still busy with internal strife at a time like this."
'The task assigned by Raikage-sama seemed easy to accomplish.'
Extremely far away, Shisui and Itachi stood side by side.
Seeing the scene before them, the looks in their eyes were both complex.
This blame was one Shisui had personally delivered into the Hyuga Clan's compound last night. They never expected the matter to blow up this big.
Shisui felt increasingly impressed by Makoto. Meanwhile, Itachi watched the scene thoughtfully.