Chapter 46: Hizashi: "Bold of you, Tenzo! Are you Colluding with the Mist?"
Hizashi Hyūga arrived at the main gates of the Hyūga compound wearing the tan duster of an Anbu Division Captain.
Technically, Anbu were supposed to be off-duty when not in uniform to protect their identities. However, the effectiveness of that rule was questionable at best. Everyone knew when a shinobi joined the Anbu because they suddenly stopped taking standard missions, appearing only briefly between rotations to handle low-stress delivery tasks—mostly just to see the scenery and decompress from the high-pressure black-ops work.
Furthermore, the Anbu were the Hokage's direct enforcement arm. Walking around in the uniform usually made people feel uneasy or pressured.
But Hizashi was different.
The whole village knew the Hokage had personally invited him. More importantly, he loved this uniform. He had never had many friends within the clan; most of the people he actually respected now were colleagues he had met in the Anbu barracks.
Hizashi looked at the clan crest embedded in the gates and smirked. Usually, seeing that mark made the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead feel cold and heavy. But today, the weight of the Anbu cloak radiated a warmth that pushed the chill away.
"Hizashi-san! It's been a while!"
"You look sharp! That duster... it's different from the ones the grunts wear, isn't it?" The Branch House guard at the gate greeted him, his eyes practically glowing with awe.
The guard's name was Iroha Hyūga.
Although the Main House had strictly forbidden any "gossip" regarding Hizashi's new position, you couldn't stop the wind from blowing. The story of how the White Fang had personally escorted Hizashi home and stared down the Clan Head had spread through the Branch House like a forbidden novel.
For a thousand years, a Branch member standing up to the Sōke was a fantasy. Actually doing it? That was legendary.
"Lord Hiruzen has seen fit to keep me busy," Hizashi said, his lips curling into a satisfied grin. He stopped to chat with his kinsmen. "How has the clan been? I haven't been back much—the village needs my attention."
"I've made some good friends in the Anbu. I suppose I've been neglecting my old brothers back home."
Hizashi was intentionally flaunting his status. He wanted every Branch member to see that he was being treated with respect by the Hokage. If he succeeded, it would prove that there was a path to freedom through service to the Leaf.
"It's fine, Hizashi-san! We're just glad to see you're doing well out there!"
Iroha scanned their surroundings before lowering his voice. "The Main House has been talking about you non-stop. They say this is a breach of a century of protocol. They're even grumbling about the Hokage..."
Hizashi's eyes narrowed into slits. "Grumbling? What are they saying?"
The air around Hizashi suddenly turned predatory. His voice remained flat, but the aura radiating from his Captain's duster suggested he was a second away from drawing his blade.
Iroha swallowed hard and whispered, "Nothing too crazy. Just complaining that the Hokage is interfering in clan business without consulting the Elders. They're... venting their frustrations."
Hizashi let out a cold snort.
If they were uttering curses or threats, he wouldn't just report it to the Hokage—he'd take it straight to Commander Danzo. The Hokage was a man of great mercy and might overlook a few bitter words, but Danzo? Danzo lived for an excuse to "discipline" a clan.
"Hizashi-san... will there be more openings?" another guard, a teenager named Tokuma, asked.
Tokuma's eyes were wide and full of hope. "Is the Anbu still recruiting? I heard about the new Patrol Net too. If I can't get into the Anbu, maybe I could join the patrols?"
Iroha blinked. The kid is bold! But he immediately followed up. "I want in too, Hizashi-san!"
Hizashi smirked. The plan was working. Iroha and Tokuma were some of the most talented members of the Branch House. The more talent he pulled away from the clan and into the Hokage's service, the weaker the Main House's grip became.
"I've noted your interest," Hizashi said softly.
"Tell the other brothers: if there's a problem, they come to me. If I'm not around, they find Lord Sakumo. And if it's truly an emergency... they can go directly to the Hokage Rock."
"We are Hyūga, yes. But we are Leaf Shinobi first. The Hokage's Will of Fire is simple: every ninja who wants to serve the village will be treated with fairness."
Hizashi leaned in closer. "You probably haven't heard... but remember that guy Might Dai? The one everyone used to laugh at?"
"The 'Eternal Genin'?"
"He's my colleague now," Hizashi whispered. "The Hokage discovered he was a master of a legendary secret art. He's already been promoted to Special Jonin and serves as our Chief Physical Instructor. If the Hokage can turn a 'failure' into an elite officer, imagine what he can do for a Hyūga."
Iroha and Tokuma stared, their jaws hitting the floor. Might Dai? A Jonin?
The image of Hiruzen Sarutobi as a "Miracle Worker" grew ten feet taller in their minds.
Hizashi watched their reactions, satisfied. The seeds were planted.
As he walked deeper into the compound, he spotted Takashi Hyūga—the arrogant Sōke member from his previous visit—giving orders to a servant.
Their eyes met.
Takashi's sneer froze mid-face. He had been ordered by the Clan Head to bring Hizashi in for a meeting the moment he arrived. He had planned to be "authoritative," to remind Hizashi who was boss.
But seeing the Captain's duster, Takashi's body betrayed him. A fawning, shaky smile broke out on his face. "H-Hizashi! Long time no see!"
He had completely "forgotten" that he was the first person to call Hizashi a slave a week ago.
"Takashi. Still hanging around the gardens, I see," Hizashi said, his voice dripping with condescension.
Takashi stiffened but didn't dare talk back. As a Sōke member with zero combat talent, his only power was his birthright. But that birthright meant nothing against a man who hunted S-rank criminals for the Hokage.
For the first time, Takashi wondered: If I could trade my Sōke status for the power and respect Hizashi has right now... would I? He tried to say no, but a voice in his head wasn't so sure.
"The Clan Head is waiting for you," Takashi mumbled, turning away.
Hizashi noted the interaction. Even the Main House isn't a monolith, he thought. There are cracks in the foundation everywhere.
The Clan Head's Reception Hall.
Hizashi sat across from his father, Tenzo Hyūga. A shogi board sat between them, untouched.
They sat in silence for a long time, neither willing to yield the first word. Finally, Tenzo sighed and looked up.
"We received a letter from the Kaguya Clan of the Mist."
Hizashi didn't blink. He leaned back, his eyes turning sharp and cold.
"A letter from the Hidden Mist? Interesting."
Hizashi leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous, official Anbu register. "Father... have you been maintaining private, illegal communication with a foreign hostile power?"
"Are you confessing to Treason? Should I be calling for an arrest squad?"
Tenzo, a man who prided himself on his "Kage-level" composure and mastery of balance, nearly choked on his tea.
I invite you for a talk, and you immediately try to frame me for a capital crime?!
"Hizashi! You're going to be the death of me!"
☆☆☆
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