Tap… tap…
Outside the main residence of the Hyūga clan head, a dark figure landed silently on the roof.
Hearing the sound of restless tossing and turning inside, the figure raised a hand, forming seals to cast a genjutsu. Illusory white feathers drifted into the room.
The initially heavy breathing gradually became peaceful. The dark figure dropped into the room as silently as a raccoon dog, seeing a girl sleeping soundly under the covers.
Wasting no time, he tucked her under his arm, flipped out of the residence, and began to flee.
But before he could get far, at the front courtyard gate, a figure emerged from within.
"..."
Hyūga Hiashi stared at the masked intruder before him, his gaze then falling to Hyūga Hinata tucked under the man's arm. His normally stern expression darkened instantly. Rage at having his sanctuary violated surged within him.
Without hesitation, Hiashi activated his Byakugan. Veins bulged around his eyes as he charged forward, palm raised.
The first palm strike was evaded, but to Hiashi's eyes, the movement was incredibly clumsy.
Thud!
The second palm strike, imbued with chakra and swung with full force, predictably landed on the man's abdomen. Hiashi felt the blow shatter the chakra network without hindrance.
The man spat a mouthful of blood, his entire body collapsing forward onto his knees. Hiashi smoothly caught Hinata, letting the intruder fall face-first to the ground.
"So weak."
Much of his anger dissipated. Calmer now, Hiashi instinctively frowned, suddenly realizing this intruder was surprisingly weak, almost as if he had come to die.
With this level of strength, how dare he infiltrate the Hyūga compound to kidnap the main family's eldest daughter? Was it some overconfident bounty hunter tempted by the reward?
But the moment this doubt arose, he suddenly felt a cool, stinging sensation on his forehead. A warm liquid traced a path from his brow.
Instinctively, Hiashi reached up to touch his forehead. His fingers found a "line" running across his brow. He caught a familiar yet unfamiliar, sweet scent… and the warm, sticky feel on his fingertips…
"Is this… blood?"
Hiashi stared in shock at the corpse on the ground. Having spent years in Konoha with near-zero practical combat experience, he finally noticed the kunai in the corpse's hand.
'How is this possible?
When was I wounded?
This overreaching fool couldn't even withstand two of my palm strikes.'
With this thought, a profound, nameless unease welled up within him. Hiashi's brow furrowed deeply.
He tore off a piece of cloth and hastily bandaged the wound on his forehead. Only then did he bend down and pull off the corpse's mask.
The face was that of a man who had died with eyes wide open, yet his expression was eerily calm—so calm it gave the corpse an uncanny quality. The eyes seemed to be staring directly at Hiashi.
"..."
Noticing the Kumogakure forehead protector on the corpse, Hiashi froze momentarily.
Then, as if realizing something, a cold sweat instantly broke out all over his body.
He felt as if doused in ice water, a chill spreading from his scalp down to his feet, crawling up his spine into the marrow of his brain.
'Damn it! A Kumogakure shinobi?!'
Drip… drip…
Autumn weather was fickle.
Yesterday, Konoha had clear skies. Today, it was shrouded in dark, gloomy clouds. A pattering, icy rain began to fall.
Yesterday, Konoha was filled with joy and celebration for the peace they had finally secured. In a certain sense, they had even received Kumogakure's "submission"—an unprecedented achievement.
But today, Konoha was as gloomy as the abruptly changed weather. The once-bright sunlight could no longer pierce the thick cloud cover.
The entire village seethed with dark undercurrents. Rumors of all kinds spread among the villagers. Everyone felt endangered, even panicked.
Because in just one day, the news that the Kumogakure delegation had died in Konoha had spread.
Two Kumo shinobi were directly blown up in their guest quarters. The sole surviving Kumo shinobi, after shouting that Konoha had betrayed the alliance, fled, only to end up dead at the hands of the Hyūga clan head.
Anyone could see the situation for what it was now.
No matter who heard this "rumor," the same four words would inevitably spring to mind.
"Elimination of witnesses."
An aged voice, unable to suppress its trembling, softly uttered these four words within the Hyūga clan's meeting hall.
The dim meeting hall was lit only by two standing candles burning quietly. The flickering candlelight cast shadows on Hyūga Hiashi's bowed face. The white bandage on his forehead still showed signs of seeping blood.
He wasn't the only one whose shadow was projected. On the walls on either side, the silhouettes of eight figures swayed in a row. Hiashi, along with six other main family decision-makers, knelt facing each other.
As for the last person…
"Sigh."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated at the head position in the center, took a puff from his pipe. The exhaled smoke slowly sank, casting a faint, wispy shadow on the ground in the candlelight.
"We have already received the formal inquiry from the Land of Lightning," he stated calmly. "The Land of Lightning believes Konoha harbors no sincerity for the alliance whatsoever, having not only unilaterally torn up the agreement but even attacked the Kumogakure emissaries. They deem it utterly despicable and intolerable."
"Now, they have issued an ultimatum, demanding Konoha provide an explanation. Otherwise, they will formally declare war on the Land of Fire."
Hearing this, Hiashi's eyes darkened slightly. "Lord Third, what explanation do they demand?"
"They demand the body of the murderer, 'Hyūga Hiashi.'"
Hiruzen relayed the words, enunciating every syllable without deviation. He added, "Kumogakure has already mobilized shinobi at the border of the Land of Hot Water. It appears they are prepared to attack the Land of Fire at any moment."
Hearing the Land of Lightning explicitly naming "Hyūga Hiashi" as the murderer, the elderly faces of the six Hyūga elders were sharply divided into light and shadow by the flickering candles, appearing grim and somewhat ghastly.
This matter was no longer just between Kumogakure and Konoha. It was a diplomatic incident between the two great nations, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. Yet, from start to finish, the entire affair exuded an eerie sensation.
Where did the explosive tags in the Kumogakure delegation's guest quarters come from?
Why did the surviving Kumo shinobi flee to the Hyūga compound, and even attempt to kidnap the main family's eldest daughter, Hyūga Hinata?
Why, as a Jōnin, did he offer no resistance, dying inexplicably at the hands of the clan head, Hyūga Hiashi?
And why is the Land of Lightning's targeting so precise, specifically demanding Hyūga Hiashi's body?
"This is Kumogakure's scheme. Their goal is the Byakugan."
The speaker was Hyūga Higoi, a main family elder, second in status within the clan only to Hiashi.
His voice was hoarse and low, yet his aged face remained calm.
"I also believe it's a scheme. But it's no longer important."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then slowly shook his head, stating bluntly, "If no one has the desire to understand the truth, then even if you sow the truth on the streets, it will not sprout."