Hyūga Shin's resolute stance plunged the entire conference room into silence. After a moment, the one who reacted most vehemently—not the Third Hokage or Danzō, but the most impatient of the group—was Homura Mitokado.
The councilor abruptly slammed the coffee table, rose in anger, pointed a finger at Satoru, and angrily demanded:
"Hyūga Shin! What is the meaning of your words?!"
"Do you intend to make the entire village pay for your Hyūga clan's recklessness?! The village has only just climbed out of the mire of war. For the sake of your clan, should the village plunge back into war?"
"You are utterly selfish!"
Homura's righteous cross-examination and scolding showed a complete lack of his usual respect for Satoru. By speaking this way in such a setting, Homura was practically tearing up the relationship with the Hyūga clan.
Homura's sudden outburst took everyone by surprise. Everyone present was a Konoha high-level figure, and even the young Hyūga Shinichi was destined to be one. They were all "respectable" people, and no matter the conflict, they should maintain appearances.
However, Homura, who seemed to view himself as an "Advisor" for too long, completely forgot his own standing and the standing of the person he was opposing.
"Selfish?!"
"Homura Mitokado, do you even realize who you are talking to?!"
"Since the founding of Konoha, the Hyūga have been a crucial part of this village."
"In the past fifty years, do you know how many of our Hyūga ninja have sacrificed their lives to protect this village?"
"In what capacity and from what position are you, Homura Mitokado, questioning me?! Questioning the Hyūga?"
"What, are you trembling now just because Kumogakure has threatened you?"
"If the Fourth Raikage dares to go to war with Konoha over his so-called 'envoy mission,' does Konoha lack the courage to go to war with Kumogakure to protect its comrades?!"
"Or perhaps, you believe that the value of the Hyūga to Konoha is less than the value of those Kumogakure envoys to their village?!"
"Or worse, do you think Konoha's strongest are all useless trash, incapable of defeating Kumogakure?"
Homura's words were harsh, and Shin was in no mood to be polite. Besides bringing up the Hyūga clan's "founding seniority" in Konoha, Shin also subtly lashed out at the Third Hokage and the councilors.
Seniority... It was completely useless when it didn't matter, but incredibly potent when it did.
In all of Konoha, besides the Senju and Uchiha, who had older seniority than the Hyūga?
As for contributions to the village? The importance of the Hyūga's Byakugan to the village over the years was self-evident—otherwise, why would Kumogakure pay such a high price just to steal it? Not only in the past, but even now, many Hyūga ninja are fighting on the front lines for the village. Even the current clan head was at the forefront. Who could dare question the Hyūga clan's self-interest?
Shin had made his point so emphatically that Homura was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. His own position as an Advisor was due to seniority and his status as a comrade of the Third and a disciple of the Second Hokage. When Satoru used the same argument against him, he held no advantage whatsoever.
"You... you are twisting the facts!"
"You, old man, are selfish and putting the interests of the Hyūga clan above the interests of the village!"
"To truly act for the good of the village, we must eliminate all possibilities that could lead to war!"
"If the deaths of a few clan members can resolve this matter, why not do it?!"
"Does dragging all of Konoha's ninja clans into a mutual destruction satisfy your desire?"
Although Homura was furious and speechless, he had political allies in this matter. Seeing her old comrade lose the argument, Koharu Utatane spoke up to support him.
At this point, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi, and Danzō had both fallen silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have some internal doubt, and he could clearly sense that Minato Namikaze was firm in his resolve this time and would not be easily manipulated. After a moment of thought, Hiruzen chose silence.
Danzō also perceived Shin's aggressive stance and was not foolish enough to tear off relations with them. Unlike Homura and Koharu, who had completely become "paper-pushers," Danzō, who commanded the Root organization, deeply understood the Hyūga clan's strength. With Hyuga Shin taking such a firm stance, they truly had no good counter-measures.
Could they forcefully kill Hyūga members to appease Kumogakure's wrath?
While it wasn't impossible, it required him to withstand the Hyūga clan's retaliation. Frankly, facing a bloodline limit clan of this magnitude, Danzō didn't feel that confident, and more importantly, the Fourth Hokage was backing them.
This was a perfect illustration of the influence of the clan system.
If the center of the current public storm wasn't the Hyūga but an ordinary civilian ninja or a minor clan ninja, even if dissenting voices emerged, the highest possibility was that the village's leadership would simply sell them out to quell the enemy's anger. Just like the "hero" of Sunagakure, Pakura, years ago. No matter how strong an individual's power was, once they were dead, they were dead, and no one would help them redress the past injustice.
But a powerful clan like the Hyūga was different. The Hyūga clan had a long lineage in the ninja world and possessed strong influence not only in Konoha but also among allied clans across the ninja world. If they pushed the Hyūga too far, the consequences were more than Danzō could bear. Danzō only dared to engage in small schemes against the Hyūga; confronting them head-on was a stupidity he would not commit.
"Koharu Utatane, I think you've lost your mind!"
"What do you mean by 'dragging all of Konoha's ninja clans into mutual destruction'?!"
"If the village cannot guarantee the survival of our Hyūga clan, if it cannot guarantee our safety, why should the Hyūga be rooted in Konoha?!"
"I'll make it clear today: for the Hyūga clan to hand over anyone is impossible!"
"If Kumogakure has the guts, they should come and take it themselves!"
Shin did not temper his anger when addressing Koharu either.
It wasn't until Shin finished this speech that Shinichi slowly raised his head, looked at his great-grandfather, and his eyes showed surprise. In his memory, the Hyūga clan wasn't this unyielding on this matter... How was Satoru so completely different from the Hyūga elder in his memory?
However... what Shin said was completely correct, and Shinichi agreed wholeheartedly.
It was understandable that Konoha feared war, but would Kumogakure eagerly desire it? These soft-spined people in Konoha only wanted to take the easy path and avoid all risks, but could peace in the ninja world be achieved by simply yielding? Did they think that if Hashirama Senju merely bowed his head, the ninja world would achieve peace? No, you first had to become Hashirama Senju...
"Ultimately, the side with the strength is the side with the right to speak."
"I believe our Hyūga clan should have the right to speak."
Shin stated his point directly. After speaking, he had no intention of continuing. He took Shinichi's hand and left the office, ignoring the outrage of Homura and Koharu behind him.
In the office, Minato leaned back in his chair, in a relaxed posture, completely unconcerned by Shin's departure.
After the Hyūga clan made their statement, this "encirclement" of the Hyūga clan could no longer proceed—unless the situation truly escalated to a physical conflict.
But Minato would never allow such a thing to happen!
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