Outside the Hyuga compound, in another sector of the village, another squad of shinobi had intercepted a group of masked ANBU. But unlike the Hokage's direct ANBU, these newcomers spoke and acted with far greater arrogance.
"We're from Root. We have orders to investigate inside. No one is allowed to stop us!"
Though dressed the same as other ANBU, the three masked shinobi now blocked by four Hyuga clan members radiated open impatience. They declared their identity bluntly, clearly expecting their status alone to grant them passage.
Unfortunately for them, the Hyuga had no intention of letting them through.
"My apologies," one of the Hyuga replied coolly, "but the Main Family has ordered us to stop anyone from approaching the compound."
"Regardless of whether you're ANBU or not, none may come closer."
By this point, the Root operatives weren't the only ones who'd been stopped. Several other shinobi—who had rushed over earlier—were also being held back at the perimeter. When the bystanders realized the new arrivals were from Root, all eyes turned toward them with wary curiosity.
The news of an intruder being slain inside the Hyuga compound had already spread, thanks to the clan's own people. But in every era, there was never a shortage of those eager to gawk at chaos. Even shinobi—those supposedly aloof beings with "extraordinary powers"—were hardly immune to curiosity.
"So you Hyuga intend to defy Lord Danzo's command?!"
The Root agents' tone grew hostile, tossing out the accusation like a weapon. Around them, the crowd of Konoha nin perked up—smelling drama.
"We're only carrying out the orders of our Main Family," the Hyuga spokesman replied smoothly, refusing to take the bait.
But before his words had even faded, the three Root operatives suddenly drew their blades and lunged—charging the Hyuga compound from three different directions.
"Any shinobi who approaches our grounds," one of the Hyuga shouted coldly, "will be considered an enemy of the Hyuga Clan!"
The Branch House elites moved immediately. Their expressions hardened as they split up—one part warning the onlookers to stay back, the other intercepting the Root agents head-on.
The clash erupted in an instant.
Sounds of battle filled the air. The noise quickly drew more shinobi from nearby districts—some genuinely concerned for Konoha's safety, others coming purely to spectate, and of course, a few foreign spies hoping to take advantage of the confusion.
Whatever their motives, all of them moved in the same direction—toward the fight.
"What's going on?"
Kakashi and several ANBU under the Hokage's command arrived soon after, drawn by the commotion. Seeing the scuffle spilling across the street and the gathering crowd, Kakashi turned to a comrade.
"Root picked a fight with the Hyuga," the man explained dryly.
"Heh… now this should be good."
Though all wore the same masks, ANBU from different chains of command rarely saw eye to eye. Upon realizing that it was Root clashing with the Hyuga, none of the Hokage's men showed any sign of helping. In fact, some even looked entertained.
The ANBU who'd spoken to Kakashi couldn't quite hide the glee in his tone.
Kakashi followed his gaze toward the center of the fight. Under the relentless assault of the Hyuga, the three Root operatives were already falling behind. One of them, struck in several key tenketsu, was fighting one-handed and barely holding his ground.
Four against three. Though the Hyuga had numbers on their side, their opponents were from Root—a group famed for being "nothing but elites." Yet the reality unfolding before everyone's eyes told a different story: even Root's hardened operatives were struggling miserably against the Hyuga's Byakugan and Gentle Fist.
Within just five or six minutes, the battle was over. All three Root shinobi had been subdued.
The Hyuga didn't bother binding them with ropes—their chakra pathways had already been sealed by Gentle Fist strikes, leaving them completely immobilized.
The captured Root members were tossed aside at the base of the wall, watched over by the Branch House shinobi—discarded like stray dogs.
Root's agents were elite, yes. But those guarding the compound tonight were also no less formidable—personally selected by Hiashi to serve as Satoru's core support within the Branch House.
People often mocked the limits of the Byakugan bloodline, but such criticism only made sense when comparing them to cheats like jinchuriki or those with Mangekyo Sharingan. Against ordinary shinobi, the Hyuga's "starting point" was often higher than what most could ever reach in a lifetime.
Even Root—hardened by brutal training—couldn't match them without superior secret techniques.
And this incident wasn't isolated.
For some reason, Root's operatives seemed unusually active tonight. As if under shared orders, five separate Root squads—fifteen shinobi in total—had all tried to "inspect" the Hyuga compound.
Every single one had been stopped cold outside the walls.
At the center of the estate, Hyuga Shin—the elder patriarch—sat receiving reports from various clansmen. As more messages came in describing Root's repeated attempts to break in, his wrinkled face furrowed deeply.
A strange unease gnawed at him.
Why would Root try to force entry? Were they looking for something? Or… trying to prove something?
Prove that the Hyuga's defenses were weak?
Or prove that Root—under Danzo's authority—could act first and ask later?
A haze of doubt clouded Shin's mind. As he pondered, Satoru's calm voice came from behind him.
"Granduncle, there's no need to overthink it."
"The Kirigakure intruder earlier tonight was most likely sent by that 'Advisor Danzo.'"
"Think about it—the man showed up wearing a Mist forehead protector in plain sight. Isn't that a little too stupid?"
"Danzo-sama was trying to show us the strength of Root."
"Only… his little 'demonstration' didn't go quite as planned."
Though Satoru had remained by the dojo entrance the whole time, nothing that happened beyond the walls escaped his perception. And since none of the Branch House messengers had bothered to hide their words from him, he already knew all the details.
But Hyuga Shin wasn't like Satoru. He could never bring himself to view Danzo—student of the Second Hokage—as an enemy. In his eyes, Danzo was still part of Konoha's leadership, a man of the village. How could someone like that ever act against his own?
Satoru, however, saw the man with no such illusions.
He judged Danzo with the harshest possible suspicion—and this time, his instincts were dangerously close to the truth.
"Danzo?!"
"That's impossible!"
Hyuga Shin shook his head, clearly unwilling to believe it. After all, what reason could Danzo possibly have to target the Hyuga?
But he had never considered the deeper truth—that to a shinobi village, and especially to those in power consumed by the pursuit of control, any clan too strong was itself a threat.
The Senju… the Uchiha… the Hyuga…
All the same in the eyes of those who ruled from the shadows.
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