Turning a major incident into a minor one only works if the matter remains contained. But what if the Hyuga clan had already blown it up until the entire village knew?
If the Hyuga had simply handed Darby over to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have undoubtedly returned him to the Cloud delegation in secret to preserve the peace. But what if that path was no longer an option?
"The two hawkish advisors certainly wouldn't agree to a secret hand-over once the news is out. The Third Hokage will be caught in a dilemma—he can't just give Darby back, but he can't execute him either. It'll be a total stalemate."
"Exactly," Yuki said with absolute certainty. "A stalemate is enough. The longer it lasts, the better. Every second that hostage remains in our hands is a second the Cloud grows more frantic. Eventually, they'll be the ones forced to make a concession."
He spoke as if the Konoha high command and the Cloud envoys were nothing more than pieces on a game board.
He's right, Hiashi realized. As long as that ninja is in our hands, the Cloud delegation's anxiety will only skyrocket. As a clan leader, Hiashi knew how terrifying it was to leave a live operative in enemy hands. He could practically taste the Cloud's desperation.
"If they want to resolve that anxiety quickly while the Third Hokage's hands are tied, the Cloud has two options," Yuki continued. "One: execute the hostage in front of us to silence him. Two: assassinate him. Either way, that man isn't walking out of Konoha alive."
Hiashi followed the logic instantly. The probability of the Cloud claiming Darby was a traitor and executing him themselves was high—it would wrap up the loose ends immediately.
I see... a brilliant move of 'killing with a borrowed knife.'
A faint smile finally touched Hiashi's face. He stood up and said, "It's late. Get some rest."
He didn't explicitly tell Yuki he was moving forward with the plan, but Yuki knew his father better than that. At this critical junction of the peace talks, the Hyuga's move was essentially dragging the leaders of two major powers over a bed of hot coals. It was going to be incredibly uncomfortable for them.
Even so, Hiashi wasn't worried about ruining the negotiations. Both Konoha and the Cloud were too exhausted to continue the war; the treaty would happen. The Cloud's kidnapping attempt was just a "smash and grab" effort to get one last benefit before the ink dried.
Get one last benefit... Hmph!
Thinking of this, Hiashi stepped out of his son's room. Looking at the starlit sky, he felt the fires of his youth rekindle.
"The benefits of the Hyuga are not for the likes of you to harvest. Just wait and see tomorrow, you bastards."
Hiashi had a temper too. He wasn't as volatile as the Uchiha—he wasn't about to stage a coup—but he was more than happy to give Konoha and the Cloud a sharp rap on the knuckles to remind them that the Hyuga were not to be trifled with.
Heh, looks like Dad's on board.
Hearing Hiashi's brisk footsteps fading away, Yuki knew his father was off to arrange the morning's "activities." Tomorrow was going to be a show, and the star would be the Cloud Jōnin currently rotting in their cellar.
"Ugh... I'm beat. Time for sleep. The rest is out of my hands."
Having organized his thoughts, Yuki finally lay down for a peaceful sleep. It was his first day in this world.
How interesting... this world. The thrill of being thrust into such a high-stakes event right at the start made him so excited he almost suffered from insomnia despite his young age.
Thus, under the coordination of two generations of Hyuga, the next morning dawned with the entire village buzzing about a certain "interesting incident."
"Hey, Boss, you hear? The Hyuga caught some Cloud rogue trying to sneak in with the envoys last night."
"Who hasn't heard? It's all anyone's talking about. Right when the Cloud is here for peace talks, too. What are these rogues thinking? Absolute nonsense."
At the famous Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi the chef chatted with his customers while prepping noodles. Thanks to the Hyuga clan's organized and disciplined rumors, the news had spread like wildfire.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood by the window with his pipe, gazing out at the streets like a simple old man. At sixty, he wasn't as frail as he would later become; he still possessed the vigor and aura of a man in his prime—the sturdy trunk supporting the great tree of Konoha.
Slam!
The door was thrown open. Two grumpy-looking elders—Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado—walked in. They were Hiruzen's former teammates and current high-level advisors.
"Hiruzen! What is the meaning of this?!" Homura's tone was sharp. "The Hyuga catching a rogue? If it was any other village it wouldn't matter, but it's a Cloud rogue. What is Hiashi doing, stirring up trouble during the negotiations?"
"I haven't quite figured it out myself," Hiruzen puffed his pipe and nodded toward the street. "But Hiashi is already here. Why don't you hear it from him?"
"And that is the situation. I request the assistance of the Interrogation Force to extract information from this rogue."
Moments later, Hiashi sat on the sofa in the Hokage's office, facing the Third and the two advisors. He ignored their annoyed expressions and recounted the "complete" events of the previous night before making his demand.
A Cloud "rogue" infiltrates the Hyuga to kidnap the heir, gets caught, and the Hyuga want to interrogate him. On paper, it was standard. But...
"Hiashi... tell me," Hiruzen said, his tone suggestive as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "That man you caught... is he really a rogue?"
Hiruzen hadn't survived decades of war and leadership by being a naive old man. He knew the "rogue" was almost certainly an official member of the Cloud delegation sent to steal the Byakugan.
"He is a 'rogue,' and he must be a 'rogue,'" Hiashi replied firmly, meeting the Hokage's piercing gaze. "Because only a 'rogue' would be foolish enough to cause trouble during peace talks. I believe the Cloud delegation will find themselves in complete agreement with this conclusion."