With an insider's help, the Cloud Village envoy leader slipped past Konoha's heavy defenses as if strolling through an empty field. He stole little Hinata from the Hyuga compound, only to be met head-on by Hyuga Hiashi.
One Gentle Fist strike was all it took to end him.
When the masks of the four accompanying attackers were torn away, Hiashi's blood ran cold, his scalp prickling. He wasn't a fool. The envoy leader should have been at the hotel under watch. For him to appear inside the Hyuga residence, dead at Hiashi's hand, could only mean one thing, this had been a trap.
And indeed, it was a net woven by three factions. Hiashi had no chance to resist, no time to cover his tracks, not even an opportunity to dispose of the body.
Because 'clues' had already led the Cloud delegation, escorted by Root shinobi disguised as Anbu, straight to the Hyuga compound.
The Hyuga elders, bowing under the pressure, allowed them inside. Before long, the delegation discovered the envoy leader's corpse.
Their rage was immediate. They demanded Konoha hand over the culprit responsible for killing their leader and piled on one impossible demand after another. If Konoha refused, they threatened war.
Such a storm couldn't be ignored. That night, Konoha's high council gathered.
It was called a council of war but in truth, it was theater. The Konoha F4 already shared a silent understanding. Discussion was brief. The conclusion was foregone; all responsibility would be placed on the Hyuga.
More precisely, on Hiashi himself.
Back in the Hyuga compound, elders argued long into the night, voices rising and falling, unable to agree on any path forward.
The next day, Sarutobi Hiruzen personally arrived. His words dripped with gentleness, yet each carried the same blade-edged refrain; Konoha cannot afford war. Konoha must recover. The Hyuga must resolve this quickly.
With pressure bearing down from three sides, his clan, the village, and the foreign threat, Hiashi finally broke. He apologized to Hiruzen, offering submissive, veiled words of concession, pledging to follow the Hokage's lead.
But verbal submission wasn't enough.
Not for Hiruzen. Not for Danzo.
Their aim was clear; the Hyuga had to be cut down to size, reduced until they were no stronger than the Aburame, Inuzuka, or the Ino–Shika–Cho trios. A clan that would bow to orders, even Danzo's, without hesitation.
As Hiashi teetered on despair, a Main Family elder stepped forward with a grim solution; Hizashi, Hiashi's twin, would die in his brother's place.
It was the only path that could end the crisis without war, without leaking the Byakugan.
Like in the original story, Hizashi accepted without hesitation. He declared his willingness to die for his brother and to make the point, he struck Hiashi unconscious himself.
That act silenced every doubting voice. Both the opposition within the Hyuga and the Hokage's advisors could say no more.
If they pressed further after such a sacrifice, it would expose their malice beyond denial.
And with Hizashi gone, Hiashi would be left weakened, a limb cut away, while the rift between Main and Branch families deepened, an acceptable outcome for Konoha's rulers.
So Hiruzen nodded. The plan was tacitly approved.
With the matter "resolved," the Hokage departed.
But as soon as he left, another visitor arrived, Uchiha Gen, in his capacity as Uchiha Clan Leader.
Though young, Gen was already a name known across the shinobi world, wielder of the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, and a commander whose deeds had cemented him as Konoha's rising star.
None in the Hyuga dared take him lightly.
"As the saying goes," one elder thought bitterly, when the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king. But while the Uchiha remain, we can never be more than second.
So the Hyuga high council greeted him in full force.
"Oh? Why don't I see Clan Leader Hiashi and Head Hizashi?" Gen asked lightly, hands clasped behind his back, his smile almost teasing. "Could it be I'm not welcome here?"
"Head of the Konoha Military Police Force, Lord Gen, you jest," the Hyuga Grand Elder replied with practiced courtesy. "They are… indisposed, and could not come greet you."
When one addressed Gen, it was his title as Police Chief that carried the most weight. Compared to clan head, this was the post that mattered most within Konoha's power structure.
"Is that so?" Gen's eyes narrowed slightly, though his tone stayed warm. "Then take me to them at once. I came today to speak with both Clan Leader Hiashi and Head Hizashi directly."
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. Refusing wasn't an option. They dispatched a runner at once to summon both brothers. Hiashi was to be notified, and Hizashi told to halt his preparations for death—for now.
When Gen entered the reception hall, Hiashi was there, clad in a dark green robe, flanked by his wife and daughter.
His wife, Hyuga Fumie, wore a pristine white kimono. Her beauty was serene, her bearing gentle yet dignified. At her side stood three-year-old Hinata, dressed in a black training uniform, her tiny face delicate and adorable, her eyes wide with shyness.
Hiashi bowed slightly. "Head of the Konoha Military Police Force, Lord Gen, forgive me for failing to greet you personally."
"No need, no need," Gen said cheerfully, waving it off. "It's understandable."
"Thank you for your understanding." Hiashi gestured toward his family. "Allow me to introduce them. This is my wife, Fumie. And this—my eldest daughter, Hinata."
"Head of the Police Force, Lord Gen." Fumie bowed gracefully, her smile faint but warm.
"Madam," Gen returned the bow, his gaze steady and proper.
Hinata peeked up timidly, voice soft as a whisper. "Uncle Gen… hello."
Gen chuckled and crouched slightly, smiling. "Don't call me uncle. By seniority, I'm actually a generation below your father. And look at me, I'm far too young to be anyone's uncle. Call me Gen-nii instead."
He gently ruffled her soft hair. The little girl's cheeks pinkened, but when she glanced at her father and saw him nod, she whispered again, "Gen-nii."
"Good girl." Gen's smile widened. "Ah, I came in such a hurry I didn't prepare a proper gift… so this will have to do."
He clapped his hands. A puff of white smoke appeared, and from it he drew a slim black scroll patterned with crimson flames.
Hinata blinked up at him, hesitating, then turned her gaze to her father.
Hiashi asked carefully, "Head of the Police Force, Lord Gen… this scroll?"
"Nothing precious," Gen said lightly. "Just some of my own insights into taijutsu. Your Gentle Fist is famous across the world and stands on its own. Still, perhaps it will offer a reference or two."
Hiashi inclined his head. "You are too modest. The Uchiha style taijutsu also has great renown. Hinata, accept it."
Hinata's lips curled into the tiniest smile. She took the scroll with both hands, bowed deeply, and whispered, "Thank you, Gen-nii."
It was at that moment that Hizashi arrived. With pleasantries exchanged and the elders quietly withdrawing, the hall was left to Hiashi, Hizashi, and Uchiha Gen…