Lord Jiraiya, Big Trouble! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Has Defected!

Night had fallen.

Hidden Leaf Village was wrapped in silence. The clamor and bustle of the day seemed to have settled, leaving only a scattering of streetlights at the corners, casting dim yellow halos that traced the mute outlines of the buildings.

The lights in most homes had already gone out. Only parts of the night market were still lit, and the whole of the Hidden Leaf seemed like a giant beast asleep in the darkness.

Hyuga Hiashi walked with slightly unsteady steps along the flagstone road back to the compound.

The night wind blew cool against his faintly warm cheeks, dispelling a little of the alcohol.

He had indeed drunk quite a bit tonight. His gathering with his old friend Yamanaka Inoichi had looked like casual talk over a game, but every word had carried hidden barbs. Every exchanged cup had been a test of each other's bottom line and intentions.

That old fox Inoichi spoke cautiously. Even when he complained, he left no openings, but Hiashi could sense the worry and wavering hidden beneath the other man's gentle facade.

The three Ino-Shika-Cho clans were bound together. If he wanted to shift their stance, the key truly lay with Nara Shikaku.

The Nara clan's wisdom was reflected not only in strategy, but even more in its judgment of the situation and its extreme cool-headedness toward clan interests.

Thinking of this, the faint restlessness that had risen in Hiashi's heart because of the alcohol gradually cooled, replaced by a heavy weight of contemplation.

The road ahead was long, and the variables were many.

"Lord Hiashi." At the gate to the compound, two Hyuga Branch House ninja on duty bowed respectfully.

They wore the traditional white training clothes of the Hyuga clan, their Byakugan faintly gleaming in the night.

Hiashi waved