Hyuga Clan Meeting

Konoha.

The major ninja clans were all basically too restless to sleep.

The Uchiha, who had always meekly endured in the past, had bared their sharp fangs today.

Though this had taken most people by surprise, it was also only natural.

After all, Danzo's people had come knocking at their door. The Uchiha could not possibly refrain from fighting back.

Moreover, judging by the fact that the spokesperson had been replaced by the hawkish Great Elder, Uchiha Shihu, there had likely been a subtle shift in power within the Uchiha Clan.

The incomparably forceful Uchiha Shihu was now in power!

And this confrontation between the Uchiha and Konoha would only be a beginning, not an end.

The major clans all held meetings to discuss the possible changes that might arise in Konoha going forward.

The Hyuga Clan was no exception.

In the conference room, Hiashi, the head of the Main Family, along with the Great Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder of the Main Family, all wore grave expressions.

A man around forty sat in the corner, looking utterly calm, as though none of this had anything to do with him.

Yet no one said anything to him, because he was the Fourth Elder of the Branch Family.

Several years ago, when Hinata had been kidnapped and the Hyuga Main Family had come under pressure from Konoha, they had ultimately used Hizashi's life as compensation.

Though Hiashi had escaped disaster, the emotions of the Hyuga Branch Family had been completely ignited.

The Branch Family had diligently served the Main Family like oxen and horses, yet their own head, Hizashi, had died for such a ridiculous reason.

The Hyuga Branch Family erupted in rebellion.

The more forcefully the Main Family suppressed them with the Caged Bird, the fiercer the backlash became.

The Branch Family collectively turned to nonviolent noncooperation, their hatred for the Main Family written all over their faces.

Only then did the Main Family panic, hurriedly having Hiashi keep Hizashi's son, Neji, by his side to teach him.

The Branch Family elevated someone to become an elder in an attempt to soothe their resentment, but it had achieved very little.

They had no choice but to acknowledge a fact: Hizashi's death had accelerated the decline of the already waning Hyuga Clan.

In this incident, Uchiha Shihu had openly mocked the Hyuga, and although they felt insulted—

The Uchiha had spoken the truth. The Hyuga Clan had already been betrayed by Konoha once before, and they knew Konoha's true face all too well.

Performing ordinary missions was no problem, but risking their lives for the Uchiha? Impossible.

Other than Hyuga Mitsunobu, the Branch Family elder, who sat spacing out and slacking off—

Hiashi and the other three elders all wore complicated expressions.

The Great Elder spoke first. "The Uchiha's counterattack this time has been extremely forceful."

"But the Third Hokage will probably not give up on Danzo."

"We need to consider our stance."

The Second Elder looked somewhat fierce. He was one of the rare members of the Main Family who had been to war.

He said in a gruff voice, "Strength is still what rules this world. The Uchiha now have three Mangekyō Sharingan; they are bound to fight Konoha."

"Everyone knows perfectly well how Sarutobi Hiruzen has treated us. We might as well replace the Hokage."

The Third Elder rebutted, "Although the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan are powerful, the Third Hokage still has two disciples, Jiraiya and Tsunade."

"And in terms of total ninja numbers, the Uchiha Clan may not necessarily dare to start a war."

The Second Elder snorted. "Kyuzo, what do you know? Judging from the Uchiha Clan's momentum in hunting down Root members this time—"

"Three Mangekyō Sharingan are enough to destroy a large portion of Konoha's active forces. As long as we..."

"Cough, cough."

The Great Elder coughed, interrupting the Second Elder.

"Kenpei, it is not yet time for that."

Hyuga Kenpei was rather dissatisfied, but he still stopped speaking, merely leaving behind one sentence.

"Anyway, I support the Uchiha Clan."

The Great Elder looked toward Hyuga Mitsunobu, who sat silently in the corner. "Mitsunobu, what are your thoughts?"

Mitsunobu's expression remained calm. "Our Branch Family will support any decision made by the Main Family."

Unwilling to give up, the Great Elder continued, "Mitsunobu, which side do you lean toward?"

Mitsunobu continued, "The clan head's decision is the direction in which our Branch Family advances."

The Great Elder fell silent for a moment and did not press any further.

Mitsunobu was like an automated response bot. Every time, he repeated the same few lines over and over, just phrased differently.

Hiashi first glanced at the Great Elder, then at Mitsunobu.

His heart was filled with mixed emotions. Back then, it had been the Great Elder who advocated yielding and forced Hizashi to commit suicide.

Later, they forcefully suppressed the Branch Family.

Now, the Branch Family did not argue, refute, or offer suggestions. They accepted everything without resistance; the clan's rise and fall had nothing to do with them.

Without the Hyuga Branch Family painstakingly maintaining it, the Hyuga Clan had now fallen into decline.

Only now did the Great Elder come to his senses, but it was too late for regret.

"Let's observe for now. It's still hard to say what the Uchiha will do next."

Hiashi also intended to observe first before making a decision.

Personally, he would not help Konoha. As for whether to side with the Uchiha, that would depend on the situation.

They then discussed some details, such as how to gather intelligence, before ending the meeting.

After everyone else had left, Hiashi let out a sigh as well.

Although the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was renowned alongside the Uchiha's, still...

The Mangekyō Sharingan.

And Susanoo, the legendary power of the gods.

Compared to those, their Byakugan was simply not worth mentioning.

The Hyuga Branch Family's courtyard stood right next to the Main Family's.

Yet the corridor between them was like the boundary between two worlds.

The Main Family and Branch Family barely interacted at all.

The Branch Family's decision to give up had made the Main Family realize something.

Without the Branch Family, they were nothing.

Though they remained as arrogant and haughty as ever, they also worried that there would be no more Branch Family members for them to use in the future.

They no longer dared to be overly harsh toward the Branch Family.

After the meeting, the Branch Family's elder, the Fourth Elder, returned to the courtyard that belonged to the Branch Family. Only then did his robotic expression show the slightest hint of emotion.

What did the Branch Family have the most of? Widows and orphans.

By the time of the Third Shinobi World War, every member of the Main Family had withdrawn into the clan compound, while only the Branch Family was sent out.

Naturally, only Branch Family members died.

Adult members of the Branch Family generally married early, ensuring that even if they died on the battlefield, descendants would remain.

These people had always been protected by Hizashi. They had never lacked money or supplies.

Hizashi had always held immense prestige within the Branch Family.

So after Hizashi died, the Branch Family erupted in a rebellion.

That rebellion ended with the execution of fifteen Branch Family members.

Although the Main Family successfully suppressed the Branch Family, they also shattered the last shred of hope the Branch Family had.

The Branch Family entered a state of nonviolent noncooperation.

At that point, the Main Family forcibly pushed out Mitsunobu, the most harmless among them, in an attempt to win over the Branch Family.

Unfortunately, they failed.

And they did not know that Mitsunobu, who appeared the most harmless, was actually the most calculating.

He happened to be the most extreme member of the Branch Family. His wish was for every last member of the Main Family to die!