"This..."
Everyone present fell into silence. One of the main family elders couldn't help but sigh, "If Hiashi had captured that Kumogakure shinobi alive, the situation might be better."
"It wouldn't be." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, shattering his naive fantasy. "Based on previously gathered intelligence, the Fourth Raikage has a new secretary named Mabui. She is not only one of the few female jōnin but also calm, full of wisdom and talent."
"I suspect this plan originated from her. The Kumogakure envoy group had already made up their minds before coming: either successfully take Hyūga Hinata away, or die at the hands of a main family member. This is a blatant, open scheme."
This time, Konoha had truly been outmaneuvered.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't anticipated that Kumogakure, always known for its roughness and recklessness, would now also play dirty.
Just based on the words Yurui shouted before escaping, coupled with the fact that so many villagers witnessed it, and finally Yurui dying at the hands of Hyūga Hiashi, it was "like yellow mud falling into one's pants—it's not shit, but it looks like shit, and you can't wash it off."
Except for those present who knew all the details, no one would believe Konoha wasn't responsible.
Even Konoha villagers wouldn't believe it. This blame had been firmly placed on Konoha's shoulders.
Now, Konoha only had two choices.
Either staunchly protect Hyūga Hiashi and go to war with Kumogakure, or sacrifice Hyūga Hiashi and compromise with Kumogakure.
"..."
Hyūga Hiashi and the six main family elders all understood this. The six elders besides Hyūga Hiashi couldn't help but look grim.
The fact that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was handing the "choice" to them meant that the Hyūga clan actually had no real choice left.
War kills people. It kills many, many people.
The Land of Lightning had specifically named Hyūga Hiashi as the culprit. What grounds did they have to let the village risk war to protect him?
It was easy to imagine that once war broke out again, Konoha, now extremely weak, would be the primary target for other shinobi villages. Anyone could die in the war.
Human nature is selfish. No one is willing to die for the Hyūga clan.
"In that case."
After a long silence, Hyūga Hiashi finally spoke. His voice, trying its best to remain calm, was still somewhat hoarse: "If my life alone can save the village..."
"Wait."
Before Hyūga Hiashi could finish, Hyūga Hideki suddenly interrupted, shaking his head. "Hiashi, don't be so impulsive."
"The Hyūga's Byakugan doesn't just belong to the Hyūga clan. It is also extremely important to the village. It absolutely cannot fall into the hands of Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning."
As he said this, Hyūga Hideki glanced subtly at Sarutobi Hiruzen sitting in the head position.
Sarutobi Hiruzen merely remained silent.
Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with the Hyūga clan internally, and although he wanted to shift the responsibility onto them, he had to admit this statement wasn't wrong.
The Hyūga clan's Byakugan had played a significant strategic role in the first two Great Shinobi Wars.
If it were obtained by Kumogakure, which excels in researching ninjutsu, and they managed to decipher some secret from it, it would undoubtedly be a disastrous loss for Konoha.
Of course, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed with this sentiment, he couldn't possibly voice his opinion.
Now, the blame for potentially sparking a war was on the Hyūga clan.
If he took the initiative to spoke up and took the blame upon himself, then he would have to choose between abandoning a "comrade" or starting a war. Any deaths that resulted would then be on his head.
This was essentially a "trolley problem." Whichever choice he made, he would bear the weight of lives.
Even he didn't know how to choose, and was instead somewhat curious about what this old fox Hyūga Hideki was planning by saying this now.
"But, we can't let Konoha be plunged into the despair of war again for this reason either," Hyūga Hiashi frowned.
It wasn't necessarily that he cared so much about Konoha itself; he cared more about the Hyūga clan's future within Konoha.
Sacrifice one person, avoid war, save ten thousand.
This wasn't just a choice from the Konoha leadership; it was also pressure from the entire village's populace, and a choice the Hyūga clan couldn't refuse.
If Hyūga Hiashi truly chose to escape, he would undoubtedly become the target of public criticism in Konoha.
The Hyūga clan would find it extremely difficult to operate within the village.
Because, every single person who died in the war would be counted against them.
So, while it seemed like there were two choices, in reality, from beginning to end, there was only one.
"Of course, I know that."
Hyūga Hideki's face was shadowy and hard to read in the flickering candlelight, his tone cold. "That's precisely why the branch family exists, isn't it?"
"..."
Hyūga Hiashi slowly raised his head, looking at the main family elder before him, his expression was dumbfounded/stunned as he asked, "What?"
Hyūga Hideki paid no attention to his gaze, turning instead to look at the tightly shut door. "Come in."
Click.
A cold wind carrying rain blew in as the door opened, like someone unveiled an unwillingly acknowledged reality.
The candle flames before the several people flickered and dimmed, the swaying light scrambling their shadows on the wall.
"Hizashi?"
Hyūga Hiashi stared blankly at the person entering the room, then at the unfamiliar face following closely behind.
The former was naturally Hyūga Hizashi, his expression complex. But the latter was a young boy with red-rimmed eyes.
"Hyūga Kumokawa?"
Seeing the person following Hyūga Hizashi into the room, the calm expression on Hyūga Hideki's face finally changed.
He frowned and scolded, "Get out! Who told you to come in..."
"I asked him to come with me."
Before Hyūga Hideki could finish, Hyūga Hizashi interrupted, causing the old man's face to darken.
Hizashi would never have dared to interrupt him before.
Presumably, he felt he was about to die, so he had lost his sense of reverence.
Everyone present turned their gaze to Hizashi and the boy behind him.
Facing these heavy, scrutinizing looks, Hyūga Kumokawa raised his head without any hesitation or burden.
Hyūga Kumokawa's eyes were red-rimmed, clearly from crying. His pure white eyes were bloodshot as his gaze swept over those present.
"I am here to see Lord Hizashi off on his final journey."
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's surprised look, he gave him an apologetic glance, then looked at the other main family members and said coldly, "I trust the 'highly respected' main family head and elders wouldn't deny a dying man his final dignity, would they?"
The words "highly respected" were uttered with heavy emphasis, his tone clearly laced with pungent and sharp sarcasm.
It was almost like pointing at their noses and calling them shameless old fools.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't feel offended.
Having received an apologetic glance, he naturally knew Kumokawa wasn't scolding him. Instead, he was surprised by Kumokawa's audacity.
Is this child expressing indignation on Hizashi's behalf?
Has the resentment grown so strong that he no longer cares about the difference in status?
Sure enough, the faces of the six main family elders darkened.
Hyūga Hideki's eyes even gleamed with a cold light.
Hyūga Hizashi was one thing—overstepping was overstepping, but he was a dead man walking anyway.
But what do you, Hyūga Kumokawa, think you are, daring to be so disrespectful in front of me?