By the time Qianyu arrived at the Hyūga clan compound under the cover of night, it was already too late.
The leader of the Cloud Village's envoy delegation was dead.
The one who had killed him was none other than the head of the Hyūga clan—
Hyūga Hiashi.
And in his arms, held tightly against his chest, was his trembling daughter, curled into a small, terrified ball…
Hyūga Hinata.
At this moment, she was only three years old.
"Clan Head… what should we do?"
"That bastard deserved to die, that much is certain—but he was still the leader of the Cloud Village's envoy. Now that he's died at the hands of the Hyūga clan, the Hokage's side will surely—"
How could Hiashi not understand?
But that scum had abducted his three-year-old daughter!
And their goal was obvious—
The Byakugan.
If Hinata had been taken to the Cloud Village, having her eyes gouged out would only have been the beginning. No one could imagine what kind of torment awaited her afterward…
What father could endure such a thing?!
Killing him—
Hiashi wished he could tear that man's corpse into pieces!
He gently patted Hinata's back, soothing her, while a resolute light flashed within his pale eyes.
"It's fine."
"I will report the truth of this matter to the Hokage in full."
"Even he—after understanding the circumstances—cannot possibly blame us."
The Hyūga clansmen behind him frowned, clearly hesitant.
"Homura, speak. What is it you want to say?"
Hyūga Homura sighed.
"Clan Head… do you truly believe the Hokage will uphold justice?"
"Judging from his attitude toward the Cloud Village, he's already willing to sacrifice enormous authority and利益 just to preserve the ceasefire…"
"How could he possibly offend the Cloud Village for the sake of the Hyūga clan?"
Hiashi was not unaware of this possibility.
And yet, in his heart, he still clung to a trace of hope in Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"The Hyūga clan has followed Konoha since its founding."
"For generations, we have devoted ourselves to the village, sacrificing everything for its protection."
"Would the Hokage truly sacrifice the entire Hyūga clan for the sake of a monster who kidnapped my daughter?"
"I refuse to believe that."
Homura wanted to say more—but in the end, could only sigh deeply.
Hiashi carried Hinata back into the clan residence, then issued firm orders.
"Assign guards to protect Hinata at all times."
"I will go to the Hokage's office immediately and report this matter."
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Watching silently from the shadows, Qianyu remained motionless.
Clearly, at this point, the Hyūga clan still believed—at least partially—in Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Qianyu had just received word that Hatake Kakashi had truthfully reported everything at the Hokage meeting, and that he himself had been "released."
So he calmly pushed open the doors of the ANBU prison and headed straight for the Hyūga compound.
He never believed Hiruzen would act impartially.
But the Cloud Village issue had occupied all of Hiruzen's attention.
Then Kakashi had forced his hand.
Then came backlash from the clans—and even betrayal from Danzō.
Hiruzen was isolated on all sides.
And finally—
Most importantly—
Hiruzen knew he couldn't imprison Qianyu at all.
He couldn't understand why Qianyu, who could leave at any moment, had chosen to remain in prison.
But since matters had come to this, Hiruzen didn't mind performing one last act of "righteous impartiality," releasing him as a gesture of goodwill.
At present, his strongest asset was still Uchiha Shisui.
If Shisui didn't act, no one else had any confidence they could suppress Qianyu.
This was nothing more than reluctant compromise.
Hokage Office
The assembled leaders stared at the corpse of the Cloud envoy leader on the floor, utterly shocked.
But after hearing Hiashi's explanation, every one of them burned with righteous indignation.
Nara Shikaku frowned deeply.
"To think the Cloud Village would resort to such despicable tactics."
"Publicly negotiating peace, while secretly plotting to steal our precious kekkei genkai—"
"And even targeting a three-year-old child!"
Akimichi Chōza slammed his fist down.
"This is beyond outrageous!"
"Clan Head Hiashi—you did the right thing!"
"If it were me, he'd have died far worse!"
Other clan heads voiced agreement.
However—
Uchiha Shisui's gaze drifted toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At this moment, the Hokage looked utterly hollow.
He had sacrificed so much—humiliating concessions, countless利益—just to secure the ceasefire.
And now, in an instant, it had become meaningless.
The leader of the Cloud Village's envoy had died in Konoha.
How could the Cloud Village possibly let this go?!
Damn the Hyūga clan!
Couldn't you have endured just a little longer?!
All for a pair of eyes—
Were you willing to plunge Konoha back into war?!
And worse—
This completely disrupted his plans to deal with the Uchiha clan.
Rage and panic churned within him.
But he couldn't reveal any of it.
So Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long pull from his pipe, exhaled slowly, and sighed.
"Hiashi…"
"I fully understand how you feel."
"If anyone's daughter were kidnapped, no one could remain calm."
"But…"
"Why did you have to kill him?"
"Would it not have been enough to subdue him?"
Hyūga Hiashi—and everyone else—was stunned.
The Hokage's stance—
Was he really…?
"Hokage-sama, I—"
Hiruzen cut him off.
"You needn't say more."
"I understand your emotions."
"But this is a critical moment for peace between Konoha and the Cloud Village."
"As a village leader—and the head of a founding clan—why couldn't you think more broadly?"
"Why couldn't you remain calm?"
"Why couldn't you endure… just a little more?"
Cold sweat poured down Hiashi's back.
Homura's fears had come true.
The other clan heads exchanged glances, stunned into silence.
But Hiruzen had already cornered himself.
With apparent sorrow, he continued:
"Because of this small matter, the Cloud envoy has been killed."
"The Cloud Village will never let this go."
"If war resumes, who will suffer?"
"Won't it be the village?"
"Won't it be the clans and shinobi of Konoha?"
"Peace and stability—those are what matter most."
Hiashi clenched his fists so tightly they trembled.
A small matter?
Then was his daughter's life a small matter too?!
If Qianyu killing Shinnosuke was a crime—
Then what about this?!
If possible, Hiashi wanted nothing more than to unleash the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms directly onto Hiruzen.
But he couldn't.
Behind him stood the entire Hyūga clan.
The others in the hall suppressed their humiliation and fury, silently awaiting judgment.
Hiruzen sighed.
"Very well."
"I will inform the Cloud Village of this incident and hear their demands."
"No matter how unreasonable—"
"We will comply, even at the cost of our interests…"
"Even at the cost of lives."
"All to preserve peace."
"Do you understand?"
Hyūga Hiashi felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.
His vision darkened.
Hiruzen's meaning was clear—
He was to die.
To be sacrificed.
For peace.
For the greater good.
Despite the fact that the Cloud Village had kidnapped his child.
Despite the fact that he had acted in legitimate self-defense.
Despite everything—
He was expected to die.
Is this truly the Hokage of Konoha…?
In that instant, the hall fell silent.
But beneath the silence—
Humiliation, rage, and resentment surged like a gathering storm.
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