Hyūga Tenzō was in a terrible mood.
The worst possible outcome had come to pass…
If Hizashi's skill at slapping labels on people could be rated a one, then this middle-aged bandaged man standing before him started at least at ten!
In Konoha, one of the things the major shinobi clans had feared most over the years was this: walking through a small grove, minding their own business—only for Shimura Danzō to suddenly appear behind them and say something about how the village needed geniuses…
"Hyūga and Kirigakure have maintained private communications for as long as thirty years…"
Danzō spoke expressionlessly: "What have you discussed with the Kaguya clan all these years? The Kaguya clan has actually come to believe that the Hyūga can influence the Hokage's decisions…"
"Did you obtain the village's approval?"
"What is the Hyūga's motive?"
"What are you trying to imply with this letter?"
"What does the Hyūga intend to overturn?"
"What does the Hyūga intend to destroy?"
"Who stands behind the Hyūga?"
"Who instructed you?"
One cold question after another spilled from Danzō's mouth.
Tenzō's face gradually turned livid.
Damn it—the darkness of the shinobi world, the Root of Konoha truly lived up to its reputation.
But he was not someone to be trifled with either.
The Hyūga clan head would never acknowledge such labels being forcibly slapped onto him!
Yet Danzō swept his hand outward, his voice steadily rising: "The Hyūga's motive is collusion with foreign powers—placing bets on both sides!"
"On the surface, it looks like a voluntary report. In truth, it is an extremely vicious act of insinuation—attempting to liken the Hokage to the Mizukage, and to liken the establishment of patrol units to recreating Kirigakure's Bloody Mist!"
"This is destroying the Will of Fire!"
"This is digging up Konoha's roots!"
Danzō then turned to Hiruzen and said: "In my view, standing behind the Hyūga is the Third Mizukage, orchestrating a self-inflicted wound scheme against the village!"
"By leveraging the authority of the Hokage and the village, they recklessly amass capital—while signaling to the outside world that the Hyūga are the true decision-makers of Konoha, the so-called 'Shadow Hokage'…"
Off to the side, Hizashi was left completely dumbfounded.
When you think about it… it even sounded a bit plausible.
The flicker of anger that had just risen in Tenzō's heart was utterly crushed beneath one enormous, logically coherent accusation after another.
With his hands and feet ice-cold, he even felt a trace of admiration for Shimura Danzō.
Although the Hyūga and Konoha were incomparable in scale, both sides occupied positions of near absolute authority at the top…
Tenzō himself had once used similar methods to suppress the branch family.
But compared to Danzō's expansive reasoning and his tendency to escalate every point to the highest possible charge, it was nowhere close…
"You have nothing to say now? Exposed, and thinking of countermeasures?"
Danzō's tone grew ever colder. "You Hyūga claim to be a great clan—then what notable figure has ever come from your ancestors?"
"Did you produce an Uchiha Madara who could go toe-to-toe with the First Hokage?"
"Or did you produce an Uchiha Izuna who could contend with Tobirama-sensei?"
"Even the Uchiha wouldn't dare do this—so how dare you Hyūga!" Danzō suddenly slammed the table, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he had activated the Byakugan.
Those few lines struck Tenzō right in the sore spot.
The Byakugan and the Sharingan, the Uchiha and the Hyūga, had always been spoken of together as Konoha's two great dōjutsu clans.
But anyone with eyes could tell: what, exactly, were they "spoken of together" for?
Put bluntly, it was a bit like riding on borrowed fame…
And that was exactly what Danzō was getting at as well.
Compared to the Uchiha, the village had already been patient enough with the Hyūga—yet you still wanted to push your luck further?
"Danzō-sama, the Hyūga clan absolutely has no such intention!"
"Look—Hizashi is doing very well in ANBU, isn't he?" Tenzō took a deep breath. In this situation, the branch family member who had joined ANBU instead became a lifeline.
"Hizashi is doing very well. He's a good lad…" Yet Danzō refused to let go, continuing to tear in. "But what does he have to do with the Hyūga!"
Tenzō was stunned.
That's my son—he has the Byakugan in his eyes—how the hell can he have nothing to do with them?
Tenzō, usually known for his composure, could not help but want to swear.
You can even sever ties like this?
"The village just recruited Hizashi into ANBU, and you couldn't wait to run over here. Isn't it just because you want to hold this letter and claim credit from the village—so you can block the branch family's further movement?"
"And you're even trying to drive a wedge between Hizashi and the village. Very good. You're very good…"
Seeing Tenzō's reaction, Danzō felt a surge of satisfaction.
This Hyūga clan head truly was unlucky—he had run straight into Danzō's gun barrel.
During this recent period, Danzō had indeed learned a great deal from Hiruzen… and he found it highly useful.
But his old trade of slapping labels on people—built up over so many years—had been helplessly set aside for far too long, and it had left him itching.
Danzō was about to speak again.
Tenzō's heart tightened, as if a giant python were coiling around his throat.
This Hokage Building was truly far more dangerous than the "Bloody Mist"…
Would he even be able to meet a good end today?
At that moment, Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke and gave a light cough.
Enough!
Danzō had already formed the sounds of his next words, yet he immediately shut his mouth and said nothing.
The decisiveness of it surprised even Hiruzen a little.
What did that mean…
Why was he being so compliant today?
"Everyone, sit down. Sit down and talk." The moment Hiruzen spoke, he set the tone, easing the atmosphere that had been stretched to its limit.
"Danzō, you went a bit too far."
"The Hyūga have shed blood for the village. Even if there have been some minor mistakes, they are still a pillar of Konoha. This is something that must be firmly remembered—you can't just label people as enemies at every turn."
In Tenzō's heart, it was as if a massive stone had finally fallen to the ground, and his whole body relaxed considerably.
The hat was still pressed down tight—but it was much smaller now…
The Hokage still spoke with reason!
It was just that the tactic was a bit crude…
The old routine of playing good cop and bad cop.
"Tenzō, are you thinking that Danzō and I are one playing the bad cop and the other the good?"
Tenzō gave an awkward, sheepish smile and shook his head.
Could the Hokage read minds too?
Hiruzen pulled a document from a drawer and placed it in front of him.
It was unmistakably the roster of the "Konoha Council."
Tenzō's heart jolted.
This list was clearly not something that had just been drafted.
Not only did he see his own name on it—he also saw that his name was listed ahead of Hizashi's!
The matter of the "Konoha Council" had long ceased to be a secret within the village…
Needless to say among the jōnin circles—even many genin were eagerly discussing who would be selected.
Tenzō had thought that Hizashi would be chosen.
If he were the Hokage, he would have done the same…
List Hizashi as a "Konoha Council" member, while excluding him, the clan head—instantly creating a situation where the "council member" and the "clan head" stood in opposition.
No matter how great the main family's pressure was, could it really outweigh Konoha itself?
The branch family Hyūga would surge toward Hizashi like a tide!
This was a nakedly vicious scheme—more ruthless even than the "Bloody Mist"…
Not just killing people, but destroying hearts.
Tenzō had worried about this for a long time as well: if the Hokage truly did this, what should he do?
But he had never imagined—that Sarutobi Hiruzen would also list him as one of the "Konoha Council" members!
"Tenzō, Konoha believes in the Will of Fire."
"Between the village and the shinobi clans, it has never been a matter of life and death, but of joining hands for mutual benefit…"
Hiruzen said slowly: "This is also Konoha's most fundamental difference from other hidden villages. I regard every shinobi as a friend, a brother, a family member—not as a tool or expendable material."
At this moment—a thought could not help but pass through Tenzō's mind.
So the Will of Fire was not merely a slogan…
It truly existed.
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