After nearly half a day of discussion, the outcome was far from satisfactory. Everyone could only return home for the time being amid the Third Hokage's weary voice. Ming Jing seemed to vanish all at once; even Kakashi had not noticed whether he had left.
Hyuga Hiashi walked out of the meeting room with a grim expression. He had intended to return to the clan compound and discuss matters properly with his younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, but before he could even leave the Hokage Building, someone called out to him. Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly but still turned to look at the person who had stopped him. Then he froze. The brat was standing in such a conspicuous place—why had he not noticed anyone there just now?
"Good afternoon, Clan Head Hyuga." Ming Jing walked over and cupped his hands in a refined greeting.
"Akira Kurama of the Kurama Clan? Thank you for speaking up for us just now." Hyuga Hiashi looked Ming Jing over, his tone far from friendly.
"It was only proper. I believe that in the years to come, the Hyuga Clan and the Kurama Clan will continue to get along amicably." Ming Jing smiled reservedly, perfectly displaying the bearing of a gentleman. Hyuga Hiashi said nothing, but the disdain on his face made it clear that he did not agree.
"Clan Head Hyuga must understand the situation in the meeting today. This junior presumptuously offers a reminder: if you remain calm at the appropriate time, perhaps you will see who the true mastermind is." Ming Jing's tone was gentle, and it did not sound too harsh to Hyuga Hiashi. But that did not mean his future father-in-law had taken the words to heart.
Ming Jing did not mind. He nodded toward Tsukishiro Yuexi and Qing Yan in the distance. Once the two had come over, he greeted Hyuga Hiashi before turning and leaving.
As Hyuga Hiashi raised his foot again to leave the Hokage hall, he suddenly discovered that he and the Hyuga Clan members behind him were already outside the hall! Coming back to his senses, Hyuga Hiashi fixed a sharp gaze on the Kurama Clan carriage that had already gone far away.
"Clan Head?" One of the Hyuga Clan members behind him called out, utterly confused.
"It's nothing. Let's go!" Hyuga Hiashi said coldly, then led his people away as well.
Inside the carriage, Tsukishiro Yuexi used the reflection in a small mirror to watch the Hyuga Clan members leave. She then knocked lightly on the carriage door and said softly, "Young Master, the Hyuga Clan members have left."
"Mm, then... Illusion Technique: Secret Message Release!" Ming Jing nodded and dispelled the illusion he had cast in the Hokage hall earlier. The old man had probably feared that Ming Jing would get himself killed playing around, so he had specifically limited him to choosing only four illusion techniques to practice each year. Having arrived in the Naruto World three years ago, Ming Jing had successfully learned twelve illusion techniques. Well, only learned them, that was all.
Secret Message (Silk Method): An A-rank illusion technique. A segment of imagery is recorded in advance and stored somewhere, after which the scene is arranged. When the appropriate person appears and triggers the illusion, they see the image left behind earlier.
After returning to the Hyuga Clan compound, Hyuga Hiashi immediately sent for Hizashi Hyuga. The two brothers sat together and discussed what to do next. After hearing Hyuga Hiashi out, Hizashi Hyuga pondered for a while before asking uncertainly, "Brother, why do I feel that something is off?"
"What do you mean?" Hyuga Hiashi was anxious as well and failed to understand his brother's meaning for a moment.
Hizashi Hyuga lightly tapped the table with his fingers. "The Raikage's letter and the Third Hokage's attitude... If everyone stands united, naturally nothing will happen. But if someone is stirring things up from within..."
Hearing his younger brother's words, Hyuga Hiashi carefully thought back. He suddenly recalled the reminder from the Kurama Clan brat after he had left: "The true mastermind..."
Two days later, Ming Jing came to the Hokage hall once more. Only forty-eight hours had passed, yet Hyuga Hiashi was clearly no longer as composed as before. He had become agitated.
"Yo, morning!" Kakashi was still the first to greet Ming Jing that day. Ming Jing looked at Kakashi in surprise, his gaze seeming to ask, You actually weren't late?
"Cough, cough... One should still be punctual on an occasion like this." Kakashi understood Ming Jing's look. He coughed awkwardly and offered a solemn explanation.
"Senior Kakashi is right." Ming Jing revealed an understanding smile. Kakashi inwardly cringed, feeling that perhaps it would be better not to be understood!
Once again entering last with Kakashi, Ming Jing sat down and unexpectedly found that Fugaku Uchiha had arrived early today. He silently glanced at Danzo. So there will be a result today!
Once the Third Hokage had taken his seat, Danzo impatiently produced a document and addressed the crowd. "This is a letter the Fourth Raikage wrote to the Third Hokage yesterday. I believe everyone present should take a look." With that, Danzo handed the document to a chunin behind him.
The chunin accepted the document helplessly and looked blankly at the Third Hokage.
"Hand it out for everyone to see," the Third Hokage said after a moment of silence, his pipe hanging from his mouth.
Seeing the Third Hokage compromise so quickly, Ming Jing could not help sighing inwardly. As a leader, the Third Hokage was gradually losing his drive to advance. That was a very frightening thing.
The document was distributed among the crowd. Seeing the Fourth Raikage's exceptionally arrogant wording, Gekko Hayato angrily slammed the table and shouted, "Damn it! The Fourth Raikage has gone too far! Does he think Konoha is made of clay?! Cough, cough, cough..."
"Clan Head Gekko may have misunderstood. The Fourth Raikage is not targeting Konoha, but merely one particular clan!" Danzo stepped forward at just the right moment. With one casual sentence, he removed Konoha from this incident. Gekko Hayato realized something as well, closed his eyes, and said no more.
"Hmph. If that is the case, then my Hyuga Clan will accept it!" Hyuga Hiashi placed the document on the table and spoke coldly. The two Hyuga Clan elders behind him were so anxious they nearly stomped their feet, yet there was nothing they could do in such a setting.
"As long as the Hyuga Clan remains in Konoha, it should obey the village's orders!" Mito Gate Sei slowly spoke. This middle-aged man was the head of the Mito Clan and Mitokado Homura's son.
"Oh? Then what does the village mean? That I should tie up my own hands and go to the Land of Lightning?!" Hyuga Hiashi laughed in fury, his tone filled with suppressed rage.
"Clan Head Hyuga, surely you exaggerate. If the Hyuga Clan hands over the culprit, this matter will naturally be resolved!" Another unknown clan head said with a smile. He was quite pleased to see these prestigious clans suffer misfortune.
"What does Clan Head Uchiha think?" Seeing that the situation was about right, Danzo deployed his final killing move.
Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Danzo and replied in the same cold voice, "Hand over the murderer and put an end to this pointless conflict."
Ming Jing looked back and forth between Danzo and Fugaku Uchiha. He recalled the events from the anime. A few years after Uchiha Itachi graduated from the Ninja Academy, he had joined the Anbu. Yet the Anbu answered directly to the Hokage—how could they possibly allow a member of the Uchiha Clan to join? Now the truth was clear. Fugaku Uchiha had used a single sentence to make a deal with Danzo, sending Uchiha Itachi into the Anbu. The question was, why would the Third Hokage agree to such a deal?
In a sense, that single sentence had nearly doomed the entire Hyuga Main Family. Fortunately, the Hyuga Clan had produced a righteous and enlightened member—Hizashi Hyuga!
So calling Hizashi Hyuga the savior of the Hyuga Clan would not be an exaggeration!
"Good! Good! Good!" Hyuga Hiashi activated his Byakugan and said "good" three times, each heavier than the last! Fugaku Uchiha opened his Sharingan as well. The blood-red eyes and pure-white eyes clashed in the meeting room, sparking terrifying tension.
"You two, this is the Hokage Building..." The Third Hokage's weary voice rang out, finally dispersing the oppressive atmosphere.
"Third Hokage, I have important matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first!" Hyuga Hiashi nodded to the Third Hokage, turned, and left the meeting room.
"Ah..." The Third Hokage sighed. He was somewhat saddened, but he did not regret it. For the sake of peace, it was fine to suffer a little loss.
Before you continue