Who Will Take the Blame?

Who Will Take the Blame?

Senju...

At the mention of that name, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help thinking of his former disciple.

Tsunade.

With her strength, driving back Kumogakure's forces would not have been difficult.

However, after Dan and Nawaki died, Tsunade developed a severe fear of blood and left the village.

"Hiashi." Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment. Only after the nurse left did he ask Hiashi for the details.

"Yes." Hiashi responded, then recounted everything he had encountered during the pursuit in full detail.

In particular, the extent of the damage to the Border Forest greatly shocked both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.

"You didn't notice anyone suspicious?" Danzo could not help asking.

Could Tsunade really have been the one who saved Hinata?

"No." Hiashi shook his head. For the Hyuga Clan, who possessed the Byakugan, even a moonless night would not affect their vision.

If there had been anyone suspicious, they could not possibly have slipped past him.

"Mm." Danzo nodded. Hinata was not seriously hurt anyway. Once she woke up, perhaps the truth would come to light.

Compared to the person who had saved Hinata, the current situation was equally troublesome.

Kumogakure and Konoha had only just managed to forge an alliance, yet something like this had happened.

If it was not handled properly, it might spark another conflict.

And the village could no longer bear the burden of a major war.

The Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze was dead. Naruto, the Jinchuriki, not only could not control the Nine-Tails' power—he did not even know he was a Jinchuriki.

The Uchiha Clan was also a serious problem.

What the village needed now was stability.

"Hiashi, I hope the Hyuga Clan will take responsibility for today's conflict." Danzo raised his head and looked directly at Hyuga Hiashi, his voice low.

"Danzo, what do you mean by that?" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately showed his displeasure.

"It means nothing. Kumogakure's leader kidnapped the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, only to be discovered by the clan head while fleeing and killed during their clash. As for what happened at the border, no one knows," Danzo explained.

According to Hiashi's account, the shinobi who had kidnapped Hinata were already dead.

Only this explanation could separate the village from the incident.

The Hyuga Clan had mistakenly injured Kumogakure shinobi without the Konoha leadership knowing the situation.

It had nothing to do with the village.

"Danzo, how can you do this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally saw through Danzo's scheme. This would make the Hyuga Clan into a barrier between Kumogakure and Konoha.

"I understand." As the clan head, Hiashi naturally understood the reasoning behind it. He took a deep breath and directly agreed to Danzo's proposal.

"Hiashi." Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, hoping Danzo and Hiashi would not be so rash about this.

But Danzo did not care. After settling the matter, he rose directly from his seat. "Sarutobi, Hinata needs rest. There is nothing more for us to do here."

"Danzo!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi called out in dissatisfaction, but he could only watch as Danzo disappeared through the doorway. Then he sighed helplessly. "Hiashi, there will be other ways. Take good care of Hinata."

"I will, Lord Hokage."

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi also shook his head and left the hospital room.

However, Danzo had not gone far. He stood at the corner of the hospital corridor, as though deliberately waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked deeply displeased. "How could you make the Hyuga Clan bear all of this?"

"Isn't that why you asked me to come?" Danzo's tone held no emotion. "Both of us know very well that the alliance with Kumogakure is of great importance, even if their purpose in doing this was to obtain the Byakugan."

"We cannot expose this matter either. The Uchiha Clan is highly unstable, and we have lost Minato Namikaze as well as our Jinchuriki."

At the mention of the Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately darkened.

"Homura and Koharu will support me as well," Danzo said firmly.

Since they had come for the Byakugan this time, they could simply have Hizashi disguise himself as Hiashi, hand him over, and seal away the secret of the Byakugan.

The Hyuga Branch House existed to protect the Main House.

And the Hyuga Clan's sacrifices were for the village.

Everything...

Was for the village.

"No, Danzo. This time, I will think of another way. Whether it is the Hyuga Clan or the Uchiha Clan, there will be other solutions."

Sigh...

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help sighing inwardly. The reason he had called Danzo over today was originally to have him take responsibility for today's conflict.

He had not expected the man to throw the problem directly onto the Hyuga Clan.

"If you are worried, I will handle this matter." Danzo's attitude became even more forceful.

In fact, regarding the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi had said more than once that he would find a way.

Yet in the end, he had still come up with nothing.

"Let's discuss this another time, Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi ended the topic there.

In truth, another matter was equally important.

That was finding out exactly who had saved Hinata.

Personally, Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped it was Tsunade Senju.

Though he had resumed the position of Hokage after Minato Namikaze's death, his body was growing increasingly frail with age.

He needed a successor.

However, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were preparing to leave the hospital, Hiashi, who had been keeping watch over Hinata, suddenly hurried after them.

"Third Hokage, Hinata has woken up," Hyuga Hiashi said.

"She's awake?"

"Who exactly saved her?" Without a second thought, Danzo asked. Compared to Hinata, he cared more about who had saved her.

"It was someone who called himself Senju..." Hiashi drew in a sharp breath. Both his eyes and his voice were filled with disbelief. "A black-haired boy..."

"A boy?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo looked at one another, both stunned.

It was not Tsunade!

It was a boy!

Could it be Senju Xu?

The name immediately surfaced in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, but he quickly shook his head, vehemently rejecting the idea.

Whenever he had time, he had visited the Senju Clan's compound several times.

That child, Senju Xu, could be said to possess not the slightest talent for becoming a shinobi. He had not even managed to get into the Ninja Academy.

Could he have saved Hinata and destroyed the Border Forest?

Was that possible?

Meanwhile, Xu Fan had already returned to the Senju Clan's compound. He was preparing to get some proper rest before going to the Ninja Academy tomorrow to check in.

"Come to think of it, the Third Hokage should know I was the one who saved Hinata, right?"

Xu Fan roughly calculated the time and felt that Hinata should have awakened by now.

The Senju name, combined with the fact that he was a boy.

There was no reason for Hiruzen Sarutobi not to come and probe him.

But this was only one part of Xu Fan's plan.