Cloud

On the street, Shuichi, dressed in a kimono, was strolling around with a group of friends. It was a rare occasion for them to get together and relax, as they usually had their own tasks to attend to.

The Cloud Village Envoy were received by their own people, and they strolled and played among the throngs of people. Along the way, they encountered many ninja clans moving in groups, which showed that this celebration was very grand.

"Strange, I don't seem to see anyone from the Hyuga Clan?" Kakashi asked, somewhat puzzled.

The group had explored all the bustling streets, and most of the villagers should have gathered here. Byakugan's distinctive features should make him easy to spot, but after so much time, they hadn't found a single one, which was quite unusual.

Shuichi explained, "Akiha told me that their clan is holding a special celebration, supposedly for the third birthday of the Main Family's eldest son, and there seem to be some special activities involved..."

He didn't mention the Caged Bird issue. Why make everyone uncomfortable with such a heavy topic on such a happy day? The Hyuga Clan hasn't wanted to change anything for so many years, so why would an outsider bother with something?

After changing the subject, Shuichi suggested having a hot pot party at his house that night. After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they could soak in the hot springs, chat while gazing at the stars—wouldn't that be wonderful?

Thinking of the scene he described, many of his companions were tempted, so they all went out of their way to find all sorts of ingredients, planning to have a big feast that night.

"It's a pity that Hong didn't come, otherwise she could have enjoyed the precious medicinal bath all to herself. And, as the master, it would be only natural for me to soak in it too!" Shuichi felt a little regretful; missing the gentle massage of the Purple Aurora would definitely be a lifelong regret.

Yūhi Kurenai attended the celebration with her family, and Anko has been spending more time with her lately, so Shuichi is surrounded by men and is about to enjoy some perks without even realizing it.

He had prepared a lot of nourishing medicinal herbs, as the hot spring would be of great benefit to treating the ninja's hidden injuries.

Of course, if these friends knew they were just substitutes for the failed romantic bath plan, they'd probably beat Shuichi death for prioritizing romance over friendship...

Early in the morning, in the Luxury Villa, five people were sprawled out on the large sofa, fast asleep. Shuichi very kind, stayed behind to keep them company.

Shisui, Kakashi, Mokui, Might Guy, and Shuichi himself—they are all true orphans with no living relatives. Their bonds are probably mostly formed within this house...

"Brush!"

A faint sound of footsteps approached. Shuichi was the first to open his eyes. Sensing the hurried footsteps of the person outside, he knew that the leader of the Kumogakure delegation had probably been "killed" again.

"Lord Shuichi, the Lord Hokage has summoned you urgently!" a member of the Anbu shouted as he jumped onto his balcony.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

As he had expected, an unknown masked ninja sneaked into the Hyuga Clan last night. Because of the festival, everyone's vigilance was inevitably lowered, and it was best not to activate the Byakugan in the village unless absolutely necessary. So this person successfully kidnapped Hinata Hyuga, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Hinata Main Family.

Hyuga Hiashi arrived in time and killed the man, but after removing his mask, he discovered that the infiltrator was the leader of the Kumogakure.

The remaining Cloud Ninja were "furious," believing that Konoha was bullying them and had no sincerity in negotiating. After more than a week of back and forth, the Land of Land of Lightning accused Konoha of breaching the contract and made many unreasonable demands, including compensation.

However, the other side seemed to know that the Land of Fire would not agree. After arguing for a long time, they finally revealed their true intentions and demanded that Konoha hand over the body of the murderer, Hyuga Hiashi. This seemingly reasonable demand completely exposed the true purpose of the Kumogakure: they wanted to obtain the Byakugan.

The Jonin Conference Room, as the signing of the established Alliance Contract had been marred by a major unexpected event. Few ninja from the village had been on missions recently, making this the largest gathering of Jonin since the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

"Is this the Butterfly Effect? Has things gotten out of hand?" Shuichi stood at the front of the group, thinking to himself.

To his right was the former squad leader, Nara Shikaku, and to his left were three Hyuga clan members. Hiashi and Hizashi stood behind their father; they were key figures in this incident.

Behind them was a large, dark mass of Jonin. Now that the Sannin were no longer in the village, Shuichi was like a pillar of Konoha.

Even though Nara Shikaku nominally a higher status than him, he was quite sensible and simply stood next to him, politely giving up the seat of honor.

This is the result of his numerous heroic feats: killing the One-Tail, suppressing the Nine-Tails, and easily defeating renowned masters from other villages...

Everyone suddenly realized that if the Third Hokage didn't act, and a real fight broke out with Kumogakure, his role would be crucial, so his opinions carried considerable weight in this meeting.

Shuichi was assessing the differences between this situation and the original story. Now, Konoha's strength definitely overwhelms Kumogakure. At least Orochimaru's side definitely doesn't know the details. In fact, most of Konoha's ninjas believe that he, like Jiraiya, will definitely return to the village once the war starts.

It's no exaggeration to say that the number of Jonin the village at this time was more than double that at the same point in the original story. Presumably, this is why the Third Hokage and other Konoha High Command didn't speak to the Hyuga Clan privately, but instead convened everyone to discuss the matter.

Everything is related to one's own strength. In the original story, Konoha, which had suffered heavy losses, was at a disadvantage and had no choice but to sacrifice one person in a somewhat humiliating way.

What Cloud is doing now is seen by everyone as a subordinate provoking the leader. The Third Hokage, with his keen insight, saw through this situation and decisively convened Jonin Meeting. Since Konoha can choose whatever it wants, the opinion of the majority will prevail.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you all know the reason for this meeting." Seeing that everyone was present, the Third Hokage immediately spoke, "The alliance and peace talks with Kumogakure may just be a facade. Their true target is the Kekkei Genkai Byakugan. Therefore, I'd like to hear your opinions on how the village should respond."

"Lord Hokage, the Kumogakure is demanding the return of Hiashi's body. They have indeed conducted a detailed investigation into the Byakugan." The Hyuga clan elder beside Shuichi responded first, "After internal discussions within our clan, if sacrificing one person can avert war, then we agree to let Hizashi, who bears a similar appearance, serve as a substitute."

"In this way, we can both avoid losing Byakugan and dispel the pretext of war from the Land of Lightning."

Shuichi squinted and glanced at his side. Hyuga Hiashi had his head down, looking rather unwell, while Hizashi Hyuga remained calm, seemingly unaware that his life or death was about to be decided in the midst of everyone's discussion.

Below, some Jonin different thoughts after hearing this. Although Konoha's power Cloud's, once the war started again, more people would inevitably die.

At this point, sacrificing just one person to silence the Land of Lightning seems like a good option?