Birds and Wild Dogs

A person's convictions were hard to change. Shin did not argue with him about that, merely saying calmly, "Lord Hizashi, Konoha will win this war."

Hizashi looked at Shin with disappointment in his eyes. He felt that Shin's understanding was far too shallow. The situation was so obvious, yet he still blindly believed in the village.

Even Iroha, Tokuma, and Tetsu had gone to the front lines. Konoha had no future left.

Hizashi replied blandly, "Is that so?"

"Lord Hizashi, you don't believe it?"

"Do you know how many times Iwagakure's current military strength exceeds Konoha's?"

Shin countered, "What if you include Sunagakure?"

Hizashi's gaze shifted slightly. "Sunagakure will not help Konoha. Lord Orochimaru cannot persuade them."

Quite a few people in the village knew that Orochimaru had gone to the Land of Wind to seek allies, but most were not optimistic about it. Ever since the Third Kazekage's disappearance, Sunagakure had been mired in internal strife. How could they have the time to concern themselves with another village's affairs?

But Shin continued, "Then add Kumogakure, Amegakure, and Grass Village as well!"

Hizashi froze. "What did you say?"

Shin said, "Lord Orochimaru did not go out to win over Sunagakure alone. He also approached Kumogakure, Amegakure, and Grass Village. If they all join this war, can they turn Konoha's defeat into victory?"

Hizashi's brow furrowed tightly as he demanded, "Why would they? Why would those villages help us?"

Shin replied, "Given the current situation, any one village alone might be unwilling to provoke Iwagakure. But as long as each believes that the other three have agreed to attack Iwagakure, that will be enough. Lord Orochimaru is very good at this sort of thing."

Hizashi questioned, "Do you take the people of those other villages for fools?"

Shin slowly shook his head. "They may be able to guess it, but among those four, no one wants to see Iwagakure become the sole dominant power. Instead, they would hope the others believe they themselves are willing to act. Lord Orochimaru is the link connecting them."

Hizashi stood there in silence, frowning, as though questioning whether Shin's words were true.

This was far too presumptuous. How could the leaders and Kage of those villages so easily wade into this mess?

Seeing this, Shin offered another piece of news. "Lord Hizashi, don't you know? The Fourth Kazekage has already taken office. It is Magnet Release Rasa, who became famous long ago. The Fourth Raikage has also taken office. He is the son of the Third Raikage."

Hizashi truly did not know. After those two villages withdrew from this war, they had closed themselves off. In the information-starved ninja world, outsiders had no easy way of learning what was happening within.

Only Shin, who knew the original story, was aware of this.

Hizashi's eyes flickered for a long while before he finally looked at Shin and asked, "What if none of them act, and we lose in the end?"

Shin said, "There is no what if!"

In the darkness, he stared directly at Hizashi. The green mark on his forehead remained strikingly conspicuous.

"I am merely giving you a choice, Lord Hizashi. Leave or stay."

Leave, taking only a handful of people with him to pursue his dream of becoming the Main Branch.

If Konoha truly won this war, then they would be Rogue Ninja. Not only Rogue Ninja of Konoha, but disgraces in the eyes of their own clan.

His father would do it. He definitely would! He would absolutely announce to the outside world that Shin had defected of his own accord!

A man who cared only for the clan and had no familial affection, who had cruelly designated him as Branch Family from childhood and branded him with these shackles, was now begging him to shoulder the burden of continuing the clan while casually abandoning his elder brother.

But if Konoha ultimately lost, they could survive.

They could find some place, conceal their identities, continue the clan, then find a way to rebuild Konoha. With just the few of them... with only him and three women.

The vision was beautiful. When his father had told him these things, he had painted a wonderful picture of the future.

And Shin had lost his head when he was on the verge of touching freedom.

One stud and three breeding tools.

They wanted to rebuild Konoha with just them?

Even reviving the Hyuga Clan was an exceedingly remote prospect. Their special eyes could easily make them targets for some force in this chaotic ninja world. He would be killed, and Ayari and the others would likewise become breeding tools. The Byakugan would then fall into outsiders' hands.

Could Taikei not have foreseen such an outcome? It was simply that there was no other way.

The Hyuga Clan's fate had always been bound to Konoha. How could they so easily break away now?

Or they could remain in this cage and continue living as birds in a cage.

If Konoha won, everything would remain as it had been.

If Konoha lost, he would perish alongside it.

Those of the Hyuga Branch Family could only be released and gain freedom at the moment of death.

Dying for the village was an idea drilled into Hizashi from childhood. He did not feel much resistance toward it.

Though it was the end, he would still gain freedom, would he not?

Hizashi said nothing more to question or refute Shin. He understood the importance of this information. After thinking for a long time, he looked at Shin before a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

What about this child...

His eyes were as black as ink, making it impossible to see what lay within.

Did he have ambitions too? Obsessions?

Hizashi suddenly asked Shin, "Jinyuu's death..."

On the day they discovered Jinyu Hyuga's murder, he had seen traces of a snake crawling through Jinyuu's room. After investigating, they also found that Shin had been with Orochimaru's student, Anko Mitarashi, the day before.

Many things seemed to make sense now. Orochimaru stood behind this child.

At the time, he had only suspected it. He had no conclusive evidence.

Moreover, he had deliberately not exposed the matter. It was something the Main Branch should worry about. He would rather see his elder brother fly into a rage over it.

Shin replied evenly, "Hasn't the murderer of Senior Jinyuu still not been found? I am deeply saddened and enraged by it."

Hizashi already understood perfectly well. Given the relationship Shin was now displaying with Orochimaru, Hizashi certainly did not believe that Jinyuu's death had nothing to do with him.

Hizashi did not know what Orochimaru wanted those Byakugan for, nor was he interested.

What he cared about was that Shin had handed over all of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan Stock to Orochimaru in order to avoid having his eyes replaced.

Hizashi looked at the ray of light filtering through the gap in the curtains. In the dim hospital room, it was somewhat glaring.

Everything that needed to be said had been said. Shin directly took his leave.

Just as Shin was about to depart, Hizashi called out to him again.

"Shin."

"Do you also want freedom?"

Shin answered calmly, "I want to be a bird. To have food enough to fill my stomach, trees where I can rest, a sky where I can fly freely, and companions who understand my heart."

Then he asked in return, "What do you want to be, Lord Hizashi? A wild dog?"

The room fell deathly silent, without a sound.