The next morning, after breakfast, Hyūga Hiashi immediately sent for Hyūga Hizashi.
"Brother, you look a bit pale," Hizashi said with concern.
Had Hiashi overindulged last night?
"Something happened last night."
Hiashi quickly recounted the events, and Hizashi's face shifted through several shades.
"I will reorganize the guards and patrols at once. We must prevent anything like that from happening again," Hizashi said gravely.
Hiashi nodded slightly. "Help me invite the three elders. They need to be informed."
"With their temperaments, this will not end easily."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Though I dislike letting it go, reason tells me we should drop it here," Hiashi said in a low voice.
He had been genuinely rattled. If Kageyama Kokugetsu had stayed silent and struck without warning, the couple might not have survived.
The three elders had not felt that fear firsthand. They were prouder, more rigid, forceful, and domineering. They would not swallow the insult.
Yet perhaps that was not entirely a bad thing.
If those old men succeeded and reclaimed the Byakugan, no blame would fall on him. If something happened to even one of them, the restraints on his power as clan head would be much reduced. If all three met mishap, there would be no one left to hobble him. With new elders appointed, he was confident he could keep them in hand.
"You are right. If this blows up, Konoha's leadership will not take it lightly."
"Go."
Hizashi left to summon the elders and to reset the defenses.
Before long the three elders arrived at the clan head's residence. The grand elder was the very one who in the anime had proposed exchanging one peach for another's life.
"Hiashi, what is so urgent that you called us together?" the grand elder asked, eyes keen as he knelt.
"It is like this."
Hiashi again ran through the previous night.
The second and third elders, in the middle of tea, coughed in unison. Their faces flushed, veins stood out on their foreheads, and fury burned.
"Insolent brat who knows nothing of heaven and earth."
"Even Konoha's top brass, the Fire Country's nobility, and the great clan heads speak politely to us."
"A mere jōnin, an ANBU captain, dares threaten the Hyūga."
The Hyūga truly did not think much of ordinary jōnin. Even Yūhi Kurenai and Might Guy had tasted setbacks before Hiashi.
"So he excels at stealth and assassination. We fear such the least. Post more guards, keep watch in shifts day and night."
"We must retrieve the Byakugan and give this fool a lesson he will never forget."
The three elders surged with indignation, voices overlapping until Hiashi could barely cut in.
At last he found an opening.
"I think we should end it here. Better to untie a knot than tighten it. He has Konoha's high command at his back."
The second elder snorted, face hard as iron. "So what if he does. Anyone who offends the Hyūga's dignity cannot be let off lightly."
The third elder laughed coldly. "Only the weak need backing. The Hyūga are our own backing. Even if it comes to light, we can pay a price to settle it. Konoha's leaders are not about to wipe us out. If they wish that, we can leave Konoha and return to the Fire Country's fold."
The grand elder said mildly, "Hiashi, you are too soft. Reflect on that."
Old fool throwing his weight around.
Fine. If they wanted to crash head-on, let them. If they succeeded, he would lose a little prestige, but he was still young and would win it back.
"I lack the virtue and ability. The elders will handle this. I will not interfere. Talk at your leisure."
Hiashi rose and left, closing the door.
The three exchanged looks, opened their Byakugan to sweep the room, then resumed.
"What is your plan, Grand Elder?" the second elder asked.
"Borrow another's blade," the grand elder said, voice cold.
"Our own clan's shinobi are hard to employ here. Other clans will mostly avoid involvement. You mean to hire bounty-nin."
"Yes." The grand elder's eyes were half-lidded as he nodded.
"A good plan. The Hyūga are not short on money. We can hire any bounty-nin we please. But must we go all the way."
"I do not fear exposure. The heavier the hand, the higher the cost to smooth things over," the second elder said calmly.
"It was a figure of speech. For the Byakugan he took back from Kirigakure, we can spare his life. Just cripple him so he can never be a shinobi again. Let him live as an ordinary man," the grand elder said lightly.
A fate worse than death for a jōnin.
No wonder he was the grand elder. Thick skin and a hard heart.
The other two marveled inwardly but did not plead mercy. For a man greedy for the Byakugan who offended Hyūga dignity, punishment had to be heavy. They could not beat the Five Great Villages, but they could surely handle one jōnin.
"The target is ANBU. His missions are highly classified. He also stole a Byakugan. Tracking him will be hard," the third elder frowned.
The Hyūga had no one inside ANBU to trace his movements.
"Shall we approach clans who have members in ANBU," the second elder probed.
"No. Too great a risk of leaks. Those clans are closer to Konoha's leadership."
Other clans stood a tier below the two great houses, not only in strength but in privilege. Hyūga and Uchiha did not need the academy to become genin. Their clans could educate them, then send them straight to the chūnin exams.
Neji only went to the academy after Hiashi abandoned him to that path. He returned to the clan to work like an ox after shining at the exams. Itachi went to curry favor with Konoha's top brass. Sasuke had to go because the Uchiha had been wiped out.
"The better way is through his subordinates. Use connections and money to dig up their identities. Pick one easier to watch."
The second and third elders' eyes lit up. "Good plan."
"If you both agree, set people on it. Let us choose candidates."
While they refined the plan, Hiashi did not sit idle. He called Hizashi back and gave him instructions.
Ten minutes later, at the Kageyama home, Hizashi rang the bell at the gate.
Kageyama Kokugetsu opened up, brought him inside, and served tea.
Though relations were strained, basic courtesies still applied. He came from a land that prized etiquette. Until the masks were torn off, there was no need to start banging away.
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