Crack… Crack…
Outside the machiya townhouse of the Hyūga clan head, a black shadow landed soundlessly on the roof.
Hearing the sound of someone tossing and turning inside, the shadow formed hand seals and cast an illusion technique.
Illusory white feathers drifted down into the room.
The originally somewhat heavy breathing gradually became even and peaceful.
The shadow dropped into the room as quietly as a raccoon dog, seeing a girl sleeping peacefully under her covers.
Not wasting any time, he directly tucked her under his arm, flipped out, and leaped out of the residence.
But before he could get far, a figure walked out from the courtyard gate ahead.
"..."
Hyūga Hiashi looked at the thief concealing his features before him, then noticed Hyūga Hinata tucked under the other's arm.
His cold, stern expression darkened instantly, rage from having his bottom line crossed flaring up immediately.
You're seeking death!
Without hesitation, Hyūga Hiashi activated his Byakugan, veins bulging around his eye sockets, and charged at the black shadow, hand raised.
The first palm strike was dodged by the person before him, but in Hiashi's eyes, the movement was utterly clumsy.
Thump!
The second palm strike,swung with full force imbued with chakra, unsurprisingly hit the abdomen of the person before him.
Hiashi felt the strike shatter the chakra pathways without any hindrance.
The person spat out a mouthful of blood, their entire body kneeling forward.
Hyūga Hiashi took the opportunity to took hold of Hinata, allowing the thief to fall forward onto the ground.
"So weak."
The anger in his heart dissipated considerably.
Having calmed down, Hyūga Hiashi subconsciously frowned, suddenly realizing this thief was unexpectedly weak, almost as if he had come to die.
With this level of strength, he dared to infiltrate the Hyūga clan to kidnap the heiress of the main family? Was he some bounty hunter who overestimated his ability and was tempted by wealth?
But just as this doubt arose in his mind the next moment, he suddenly felt a cold, stinging sensation on his forehead.
A warm liquid trickled down past his brow.
Hyūga Hiashi subconsciously raised his hand to touch his forehead, actually feeling a "line" running across it.
He also smelled a familiar yet unfamiliar sweet scent, and felt the warm, sticky sensation on his fingers...
"Is this... blood?"
Hyūga Hiashi looked at the corpse on the ground with a stunned expression.
Having been in Konoha for so long with nearly no practical combat experience, he finally noticed the kunai in the corpse's hand.
How is this possible? When exactly did he manage to injure me? This fool couldn't even withstand two of my palm strikes.
With this thought, a profound sense of unease welled up inexplicably in his heart, and Hyūga Hiashi's brows gradually furrowed.
He casually tore off a piece of cloth to bandage the wound on his forehead, then bent down to pull off the face covering of the corpse.
The corpse died with eyes wide open in, yet the expression on its face seemed abnormally calm, so calm it gave the corpse an eerie feeling.
The eyes seemed to be staring at Hyūga Hiashi.
"..."
Noticing the Kumogakure forehead protector on the corpse's head, Hyūga Hiashi first froze involuntarily.
Then, as if realizing something, he instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
It felt like icy water had been poured over him from head to toe, a chill crawling up his spine into his brain.
Damn it! How could it be a Kumogakure shinobi?!
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Pitter-patter… Pitter-patter…
The weather in early autumn is changeable.
Yesterday, Konoha was under a clear sky; today, it was shrouded by dark, gloomy clouds, and a steady, cold drizzle fell. Yesterday, Konoha was filled with joy and celebration because they had finally welcomed peace.
Even in a certain sense, they had welcomed Kumogakure's "submission," which could be called unprecedented.
But today, Konoha was as gloomy as the suddenly changed weather. The originally bright sunlight couldn't penetrate the thick cloud layer.
The entire village was seething under the surface. Various rumors spread among the villagers, making everyone apprehensive and even panicked.
Because in just one day, the news that the envoy group sent by Kumogakure had died in Konoha had spread.
Two of the Kumogakure shinobi were directly blown up in their guest rooms.
The only surviving Kumogakure shinobi escaped after shouting that Konoha had betrayed the alliance, and ultimately ended up dead at the hands of the Hyūga clan head.
Anyone could see what was happening now.
Whoever heard this "rumor" would invariably have four words pop into their mind.
"Killing to silence witnesses."
In the reception hall of the Hyūga clan, an elderly voice that couldn't stop trembling softly uttered these four words.
The dimly lit hall had only two standing candles burning quietly. The flickering candlelight cast shadows on Hyūga Hiashi's lowered face. The white bandage on his forehead still showed seeping blood.
It wasn't just his shadow reflected in the room. On the walls on both sides, a row of eight figures' outlines flickered. Hiashi and six other main family decision-makers knelt sitting facing each other.
As for the last person...
"Huu."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, kneeling in the central head position, took a draw from his pipe.
The exhaled smoke gradually sank, casting a faint, ethereal shadow on the floor under the candlelight.
"We have already received the inquiry from the Land of Lightning," he said calmly. "The Land of Lightning believes Konoha has no sincerity whatsoever in forming an alliance, that we not only unilaterally tore up the agreement but also attacked the Kumogakure envoys, calling it utterly despicable and unbearable."
"Now, they have issued an ultimatum, demanding Konoha provide an explanation, otherwise they will formally declare war on the Land of Fire."
Hearing this, Hyūga Hiashi's eyes darkened slightly. "Lord Third, what explanation do they want?"
"Hand over the corpse of the culprit, 'Hyūga Hiashi'."
Sarutobi Hiruzen repeated word for word, without missing a beat, and added, "Kumogakure has already gathered shinobi at the border of the Land of Hot Water. It seems they are prepared to attack the Land of Fire at any time."
Hearing the Land of Lightning specifically name "Hyūga Hiashi" as the culprit, the elderly faces of the six Hyūga clan elders were starkly lit by the flickering candlelight, appearing ominously shadowed and somewhat frightening.
This matter was no longer just an issue between Kumogakure and Konohagakure.
It was a diplomatic incident between the two great nations, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire.
But the entire affair, from start to finish, felt permeated with a sense of strangeness.
Where did the explosive tags in the guest rooms where the Kumogakure envoy group stayed come from?
Why did the surviving Kumogakure shinobi run to the Hyūga clan, even attempting to kidnap and take away the main family's legitimate daughter, Hyūga Hinata?
Why did the other party, a jōnin, die so effortlessly and inexplicably at the hands of the clan head, Hyūga Hiashi, without putting up any resistance?
Why was the Land of Lightning's targeting so specific, explicitly demanding Hyūga Hiashi's corpse?
"This is a plot by Kumogakure. Their target is the Byakugan."
Hyūga Hideki, as a main family elder and the highest-ranking member of the clan after Hiashi, spoke up.
His voice was hoarse and low, but his aged face was calm.
"I also believe it's a plot, but that is no longer important."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, but then slowly shook his head, stating bluntly, "If no one has the will to understand the truth, then even if the truth is scattered on the streets, it will not take root."