Hinata Kajin went missing.
The two accompanying branch family guards also disappeared.
To the Hyuga clan, this was absolutely not something that could be dismissed lightly.
This incident finally aroused the suspicion of the elders of the Hyuga Main Family.
But unfortunately, no matter how they investigated, searching for surviving witnesses on the cruise ship that day, they only got one answer—
Three suspected Hyuga clan ninjas, traveling on a cruise ship from the Land of Rainbows to a port in the Land of Fire, were attacked by water-style ninjas en route.
Their whereabouts are currently unknown, with no news whatsoever.
It's unknown whether they are dead or alive.
This is the worst part.
The deaths of the two branch family guards were not particularly important; just like Hinata Shingo before, even if they went missing, the enemy couldn't obtain the Byakugan.
There is only one way to deactivate the Caged Bird seal—that is, death.
But after death, the Caged Bird seal destroys the branch family ninja's brain nerves and eyes, preventing the enemy from getting anything useful.
Their disappearance would at most cause regret, not lead to the belief that the situation was irreversible.
However, the disappearance of a main family ninja was no small matter.
Hinata Kajin was a member of the main family, and the sealing jutsu placed in his brain nerves was not as extremely secure as the Caged Bird, meaning it could be broken.
Once the Hyuga's Byakugan falls into enemy hands, it would be bad news for both the Hyuga and the entire Konoha.
The Byakugan's role on a strategic level is simply too significant.
This matter was also brought to the attention of the Konoha higher-ups.
Within a few days, they had already held more than ten consecutive meetings to deal with this issue.
Hinata Kajin disappeared on the high seas between the Land of Rainbows and the Land of Fire; before his disappearance, according to many witnesses, they had fought against water-style ninjas.
"This incident might be a conspiracy by Kirigakure; we must be vigilant."
Danzo, as the leader of the Root and the embodiment of Konoha's darkness, naturally interpreted others with his greatest malice.
Because if he put himself in their shoes, if he were a high-ranking official of Kirigakure and fortunately stumbled upon traces of a Hyuga main family ninja in the neighboring Land of Rainbows, he would naturally do everything possible to capture this main family ninja and get his hands on the precious kekkei genkai for research.
"Witnesses on the cruise ship stated that the water-style ninjas were not wearing Kirigakure uniforms. Although their identity cannot be confirmed, it is most likely that they were Kirigakure ninjas in disguise."
This ninja village, largely isolated from the various countries on the continent, represents the military power of the Land of Water, one of the Five Great Nations.
Their strength should never be underestimated.
Since the First Great Ninja War, when Kirigakure fought against Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, Kirigakure had been recuperating all these years; just like Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning, they made no moves during the previous Second Great Ninja War.
They had been secretly accumulating strength and cultivating excellent ninjas.
And like the other ninja villages, they held animosity towards Konoha.
"As early as when the elders of the Hyuga Main Family approached me, I had already dispatched the Anbu to negotiate with Kirigakure's higher-ups."
Hiruzen spoke at this moment.
"How does Kirigakure plan to explain?"
"They claim to be completely unaware of it and confirm that no Kirigakure ninjas were on a mission in the sea between the Land of Rainbows and the Land of Fire at that time. They expressed their condolences regarding this matter."
"That's just crocodile tears. They targeted a Hyuga Main Family ninja; next time, they will threaten the Land of Fire and Konoha. Hiruzen, give Kirigakure a taste of their own medicine."
Danzo said with conviction.
"In the last Great Ninja War, Konoha suffered significant casualties, so it's not advisable to launch a large-scale offensive now."
Although Konoha's strength was rapidly recovering within a few years, thanks to the funding provided by the daimyo of the Land of Fire, and with a continuous emergence of young talents, Konoha's current strength could be said to even surpass that of the Second Great Ninja War period.
However, Kirigakure's power remained unknown; since the First Great Ninja War, Kirigakure had not appeared on the stage of the Great Ninja Wars, but this did not mean that the village's strength would be weak.
"Hiruzen is right; we have no conclusive evidence, and everything can only be based on speculation. Even morally, we are not in the right, and this could easily ignite a war."
Konoha has always valued its reputation, and it is precisely because of this good reputation and the outstanding quality of its ninjas that many big merchants are willing to establish cooperative relationships with Konoha and hire Konoha's ninjas to complete missions.
If they were to clash with Kirigakure over such groundless reasons, they might instead be counter-accused by Kirigakure.
"We can think of reasons later. You all understand the importance of the Byakugan without me having to say it; we cannot let the Byakugan fall into enemy hands. Otherwise, in the near future, the enemy will use the Byakugan against us; we must prevent this from happening."
Danzo was resolute, thinking for the future of the village.
"I'll consider it further."
Hiruzen frowned; Danzo's argument also had merit, and such a thing was very likely to happen.
In past wars, the Hyuga's Byakugan had caused endless headaches for other ninja villages.
If the enemy used the same method against them, they would be the ones with the headache.
However, suddenly making an enemy of Kirigakure... Konoha might eventually find itself in an awkward, isolated situation.
Hearing Hiruzen say this, Danzo and the two advisors understood that he would try to gloss over this matter.
However, this was also a relatively appropriate way to handle it.
No evidence was found, and the identity of the perpetrators was unknown. What if this was a trap set by someone else to deliberately provoke a conflict between Konoha and Kirigakure? This possibility also had to be considered.
Compared to Danzo's suggestion, the two advisors leaned more towards Hiruzen's approach.
The village had mobilized such a vast amount of manpower for the Hyuga clan to search for the missing main family ninja, but due to the lack of evidence and the questionable identity of the enemy, if there was no crucial evidence, it could only end here.
Even the elders and the clan head of the Hyuga clan had nothing to say.
It wasn't that they didn't want to stand up for the Hyuga clan, but the prerequisite was to have sufficient evidence and to confirm the identity of the enemy who abducted Hinata Kajin before they could do so.
◎
"Has Lord Hokage given up?"
In the Hyuga clan's conference room, the current clan head and all the elders were gathered.
They clearly understood what Hinata Kajin's disappearance meant for the Hyuga clan.
The loss of the Byakugan was a very heavy blow.
"The Anbu found no information, and the results from our dispatched branch family members who investigated are the same; the enemy's identity is a mystery, and there is a lack of effective evidence, so it can only end here."
One elder said more rationally.
"Hinata Shingo also disappeared suddenly last time, and now Kajin, along with the two accompanying branch family members... It all feels a bit suspicious."
Another elder folded his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Are the two disappearance cases related?"
"They happened within a few days of each other; how can it not seem suspicious?"
"That's true, but since we can't even confirm the enemy's identity, it can only end here."
Although the elders deeply resented the enemy who had targeted the Hyuga clan, they couldn't find any clues about who committed these two acts, so they didn't know who to vent their anger on.
Such matters could not be blamed on the Hokage or other higher-ups.
"I heard that Elder Danzo wants to stand up for our Hyuga clan…"
Hiashi's father, the current head of the Hyuga clan, immediately frowned upon hearing an elder say this and asked:
"Who told you that?"
"That's what people outside are saying."
The elder said, lowering his head.
"In the future, have less to do with the Root, and moreover, let the higher-ups handle their own affairs. Our Hyuga clan doesn't need to get involved in such matters."
The Hyuga clan head scanned the elders, his tone grave.
That old man Danzo was actually spreading such rumors.
Was it for the next Hokage position?
The Third Hokage was almost fifty years old; it was indeed nearing the time to elect the next Hokage candidate.
It wasn't easy for the Hyuga clan to reach its current position; they didn't need to participate in any political struggles, only to remain detached from worldly affairs.
Because no matter which generation of Hokage, none would abandon the Hyuga clan's Byakugan.
As long as there were ninjas and a market for war, the Hyuga clan would be firmly protected by Konoha.
The prerequisite for this was not to get involved in any sensitive matters.
Especially the struggle for the Hokage position.
"If anyone participates in the power struggles among the higher-ups, don't blame me for being merciless. Don't fall into the bad habits of the Uchiha clan."
"Yes!"
Two or three elders lowered their heads guiltily, while the other elders responded loudly.
"Continue investigating Kajin's matter. No matter what, we must give an explanation to the clan members. Hiashi, I'm entrusting this matter to you. As before, I will not interfere; handle it according to your own ideas."
The Hyuga clan head looked at his eldest son, Hinata Hiashi, the future heir of the Hyuga clan, and said in a gentler tone.
Over the years, he had never interfered too much in his eldest son Hiashi's affairs; what he wanted was a competent Hyuga clan head, not a puppet in his hands.
He would eventually grow old, and the future of the Hyuga still depended on these young people.
Regardless, a competent clan head must have his own situational judgment, not just theoretical knowledge.
Seeing this, the elders also understood that the day for Hiashi to succeed as the Hyuga clan head was not far off.
"Yes, Father, I will handle this matter properly."
Hiashi nodded solemnly, also knowing that prolonging this matter would be somewhat detrimental to the family and had to be concluded quickly.
◎
After reading the intelligence passed on by Ayane, Shiraishi was currently researching Sage Mode.
"It seems they don't intend to pursue Hinata Kajin's disappearance anymore. That's good; it saves me a lot of effort."
Even if they were to pursue it, the time and manpower spent would be a considerably large number.
Moreover, no evidence was left at the scene at that time.
Those water-style ninjas also conveniently became the suspects of Konoha and the Hyuga, replacing Shiraishi.
Although curious about the identity of those water-style ninjas, Shiraishi had no intention of delving deeper.
There was no need to bother with such minor matters; all he wanted was to undo the Caged Bird seal, and their identities were of no use to Shiraishi.
Whether they were from Kirigakure or other ninja villages, there was no need to take them to heart.
Burning the intelligence over an alcohol lamp, Shiraishi began to concentrate on researching Sage Mode.
(PS: Next chapter will be premium. Let's have two free chapters today.
The third update will be released between 1 AM and 2 AM... Ganyu is so fun...)