A Group of Uchiha Are About to Arrive on the Battlefield!

"Drip, drip, drip..."

The continuous fine rain showed no signs of stopping; instead, it grew more intense. Dark clouds churned in the night sky, with muffled thunder occasionally flashing.

"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!"

The long-neglected road had accumulated puddles of varying sizes. A foot stepped through one, splashing mud and water.

Neji chased after the figure, who ran breathlessly in the downpour. Despite his best efforts to catch up, he still couldn't close the distance to the unhurried silhouette.

"Father! Father! Wait for me! Where are you going?"

Rainwater soaked the bandage on his forehead, blurring his vision. As the tall figure began to blend into the ceaseless rain, he finally stopped and turned around.

He couldn't make out the blurred face through the clear, translucent Byakugan. Neji only heard a familiar voice carried through the rain.

"Go back, Neji."

Neji, gasping for breath, stared blankly as the figure turned away again. This time, he didn't stop.

"Father!"

Watching the disappearing back, Neji suddenly burst into tears.

He didn't know why he was crying.

Perhaps it was the scene that afternoon of his father screaming in agony, clutching his head; perhaps it was the moment his once beautiful dream was utterly shattered; perhaps it was...

This rainy night, the farewell of that receding figure.

Hyuga Compound.

The lights were bright in a room within the inner quarters, but Hyuga Hiashi's heart was shrouded in dark mist.

At this moment.

An envoy from the Land of Lightning was waiting outside.

They demanded that Konohagakure hand over the corpse of Hyuga Hiashi, the ninja leader who had harmed their country's people, or Kumogakure would declare war on Konohagakure in the near future.

Their attitude was firm and arrogant; they would accept no other condition.

The Third Hokage stood silently to the side, smoking. A group of ninja surrounded them. Everyone knew what the final outcome would be. They gritted their teeth, their expressions filled with shame, but their yearning for peace and aversion to war kept them silent.

The entire room was filled with oppressive emotion.

At this moment, a stifled sigh escaped Hyuga Hiashi's chest, and he wore an expression of relief.

He proposed to sacrifice himself to secure peace.

The Third Hokage continued to smoke with a heavy expression. The room was terrifyingly quiet. No one agreed, and no one stepped forward to object.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Hizashi Hyuga had arrived.

The moment the door closed, the previously quiet room suddenly became noisy. Were they arguing about something?

The sounds of their quarrel drifted faintly.

The ninjas from the Land of Lightning wore mocking expressions. They looked at the door, waiting for the time it would open again.

The outcome was already decided; they only needed to wait patiently.

And then, at this very moment, a ninja turned his head in surprise. His gaze shifted in another direction, where a large amount of powerful and volatile chakra was approaching...

Meanwhile, the argument within the room was nearing its end.

"No! I don't agree!"

Hyuga Hiashi's emotions were more agitated than ever before. He loudly berated the elder beside him, "What do you people think the Hyuga Clan is?"

The elder's face was stern, letting Hiashi vent his anger. At this point, it wasn't something he alone could change.

This was already the best possible outcome.

"Where is the usually stern Lord Hiashi?"

A faint, mocking voice came from Hizashi. His expression at this moment was nothing like that of someone about to face death.

"This is no child's play!"

Hiashi turned and roared at his brother. He looked like a helpless person who had lost all composure.

He wanted support, but now even his own brother wasn't on his side.

At this moment, as the head of the Hyuga main family, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness and fear for the first time.

He was reminded once again of Ryuu Uchiha's mocking words from the past: "As the main family, though you may not bear the cursed seal, aren't you still like a bird in a cage? Bound by the clan, entangled by various rules, you think you're making all the decisions, but you're already being pushed along a predetermined path without realizing it. How pathetic!"

This time, he finally understood those words, and at the same time, he deeply felt the helplessness of being a decision-maker constrained by countless responsibilities.

But! No means no!

Just as Hiashi was about to cast everything aside and act selfishly, a fist violently struck him to the ground.

"My foolish brother."

When a person is about to die, they let go of all restraints!

Gone was Hizashi's usual timidity.

He rubbed his right hand, his Byakugan staring down at the disheveled Hiashi with a hint of schadenfreude on his face.

"I've been unhappy with you for a long time."

He said this, facing Hiashi's surprised gaze, ignoring even the Third Hokage standing close by.

"You know what? I envy Ryuu Uchiha the most! Even though we're from prominent clans, Fugaku Uchiha always looks out for him, even making way for him to become clan head. Sometimes I wonder, what if I wasn't born into the Hyuga clan, but the Uchiha instead..."

The Third Hokage smoked his pipe, glancing at the Hyuga elder beside him whose face had turned as black as a pot's bottom, wisely staying silent.

"But on second thought, the Hyuga clan isn't so bad. I also have a brother who loves me. Even if you don't say it, I know you always provoke Fugaku Uchiha when you fight the Uchiha brothers because his punches are the strongest, and Ryuu, though sharp-tongued, always knows when to stop..."

Hizashi spoke as he walked towards the door, "I still hate the main family, even now! But I don't hate you, my brother. I'm not here to protect the main family this time, but to protect my own brother! For me, this is the first time I've had the freedom to choose."

He turned his head, meeting Hiashi's eyes with a smile, "You know, I've met Ryuu's child. He's as awful as Ryuu, but he gets along very well with Itachi."

Hyuga Hiashi struggled to lift his head, trying to get up, but then heard Hizashi's voice slowly drift from the doorway.

"The Uchiha brothers' legacy has continued. What about the Hyuga?"

Hizashi reached for the wooden door, but at that moment, it was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

"This is bad!"

Tokuma Hyuga rushed in, not even taking the time to observe the situation inside before reporting loudly.

"A lot of people from the Uchiha clan are at the clan grounds entrance shouting insults. The clan members can't stop them, and they're already confronting ninjas from the Land of Lightning!"

"The Uchiha?" The Third Hokage, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, asking with a hint of inquiry, "Did they say why they're here?"

Tokuma's surprised gaze swept over the clan head lying on the ground, but there was no time to consider it. He answered directly, "They're questioning the ninjas from the Land of Lightning."

"Questioning?"

"They're saying that since it's someone's birthday, why did the ninjas from the Land of Lightning only kidnap Hinata and not Sasuke? Are they looking down on the Uchiha clan's Sharingan?"

Tokuma's voice grew softer, and the room fell into a dead silence.

After a long pause, the Third Hokage's helpless voice finally broke the silence, dryly.

"Uchiha Qing Xuan... is he here?"