"Lord Fugaku, we should have acted last night."
In front of the Konoha Military Police Force's headquarters, Shisui Uchiha hesitated for a long while before finally voicing what was on his mind.
The two of them had been deeply ostracized in the Hokage's office. Danzo's sharp tongue had never stopped slandering the Uchiha, even if some of what he said was true.
Fugaku gave a bitter smile. "Shisui, although I'm the captain of the Military Police Force, you have to understand that the clan head can't speak for every clan member."
"After the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the village's suspicion and ostracism have become more obvious. The Uchiha Clan Compound was moved from the very center of the village to its outskirts, right next to the Hyuga Clan Compound. Anyone can understand what that means."
As they walked away from the Hokage's office, the road grew increasingly desolate.
The bustling streets fell behind them, and the shops disappeared. Trees crowded the way. This was the edge of the Forest of Death—and the Uchiha Clan Compound as it stood now.
Shisui understood what Fugaku meant. He had wanted to act last night, but Uchiha Setsuna and the other hawks had stopped him.
After thinking it over, he still insisted, "Lord Fugaku, I know the clan members are unhappy, but we're still part of Konoha. If this continues, the conflict between the village and our clan will only grow sharper. I don't want our people to reach a point of no return."
He paused, then voiced the thought he truly held in his heart. "After all, the village is what matters most. We're only one part of it. Don't you agree, Lord Fugaku?"
"The Uchiha belong to Konoha, but Konoha doesn't belong to the Uchiha. Is that what you've always believed, Shisui?"
Fugaku's tone was hard to read. It was impossible to tell whether he was praising or mocking Shisui. He simply said, "You've always had a good grasp of the bigger picture."
He glanced at Shisui's resolute expression, then looked toward the remote Uchiha Clan Compound. Suddenly, he no longer felt like talking.
The Uchiha were full of mentally ill people, and those with the Mangekyo were the strangest of all. Their fixation could only be called insanity.
Once a Mangekyo wielder settled on a belief, it was nearly impossible to change their mind.
"The Uchiha... Sigh..."
The Mangekyo brought them success, and the Mangekyo brought them ruin.
Fugaku sighed and waved a hand helplessly. "If that's how you feel, then do your best to protect the village, Shisui."
"Tonight, things won't be peaceful for the Hyuga. Watch, listen, and learn. The world has never been just black and white. And choices have never been that simple."
After speaking, Fugaku walked into the Uchiha Clan Compound with the setting sun at his back.
The red Gunbai crest on his clothes shone like fire. He disappeared among the many Uchiha, like a drop of water merging into the sea.
Shisui's thoughts churned. He stood there for a long time before finally turning to leave, his stubborn voice fading into the wind.
"Lord Fugaku, I believe our clan can live in peace with the village."
"I'll find the right path, starting tonight by protecting the Hyuga."
The last light of the sun faded, and deep night blanketed the land.
Beneath the hazy moonlight, twisted shadows writhed.
Kazama Kaguya donned a black cloak and mask. As a "spectator," he followed Danzo, Aburame Ryoma, and another Root Organization member named "Tanuki," who carried a short sword on his back, through the gates of the Hyuga Clan Compound.
He looked forward to what was coming. He was ready.
Tonight, Darkness of Konoha, the Hokage's gloved hand and bloodstained executioner, Shimura Danzō, would take the stage and direct the show himself.
Lit by the flames along the road, Danzo carried out some unspoken instruction from Hiruzen Sarutobi. He sent away the many Hyuga clan members and made his way toward the clan head's residence, one step at a time.
Creak...
The sliding door opened, revealing the silent Main Family clan head, the Branch Family Head, and an elder of the Main Family.
Danzo's arrival meant the Third Hokage had made his decision.
Hizashi Hyuga and Hiashi Hyuga knelt in silence, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Their appearances were nine-tenths alike. Judging by their faces alone, it was almost impossible to tell them apart.
But their clothes made it easy to distinguish the Main Family from the Branch Family at a glance.
The Main Family had never made a habit of wearing Forehead Protectors. Hiashi Hyuga's smooth forehead was a symbol of his noble status.
By contrast, the white bandage and Forehead Protector wrapped around the Branch Family Head Hizashi Hyuga's head made him easy to identify.
The Caged Bird Seal.
The Branch Family's mark of shame. Not one of them would ever want it exposed.
Because of this Cursed Seal, the Branch Family were reduced to slaves of the Main Family. The slightest show of discontent could make the Main Family activate the seal and inflict pain on them.
In the original story, Neji had been punished by his own uncle, Hiashi Hyuga, more than a few times.
There wasn't the slightest trace of familial affection in those moments—only a master whipping a servant.
This unbearable pain and trampling of their dignity left every member of the Hyuga Branch Family suffering from severe depression and self-destructive tendencies.
As everyone knew, in Konoha, people with strange eyes were mentally ill.
The Red Eye clan were crazy, while the Byakugan clan were plagued by inferiority and depression.
Now, Kazama Kaguya was seeing the latter for himself.
His face hidden behind a mask and hood, his thin, twisted body concealed by the black cloak, he followed Danzo without a word, enjoying the drama known as "swapping the cat for the prince."
Thump... Thump... Thump...
Leaning on his cane, Danzo walked toward the two clan heads one step at a time. The wooden cane struck the floor, its sound unnaturally sharp in the oppressive room.
"Hiashi, the village needs peace. This is the Third Hokage's decision. Don't make this difficult for me."
Danzo's voice was cold and concise. He made no effort to cover for Hiruzen Sarutobi. If anything, he seemed eager to stir up the Hyuga clan's hatred for the Third Hokage.
Hiashi clenched his fists. After a moment of silence, he was about to speak when the Main Family elder cut him off.
"Lord Danzo, I know the village longs for peace, but Hiashi is the head of the Main Family. What did he do wrong by protecting our clan and killing the Cloud ninja? If we hand him over, how will the Hyuga clan ever hold its place in the village?"
The elder's voice was old but strong, filled with anguish. "Since the village was founded, the Hyuga clan has done its part and shed blood. Everyone has seen it. If the village can't even protect the head of the Main Family now, what will the other clans think?"
The Main Family elder was clearly an old hand.
On the surface, his speech highlighted the Hyuga clan's contributions and sacrifices. Beneath that, he was pointing a finger at the village leadership and cursing them.
He had almost outright accused Hiruzen Sarutobi of killing the donkey after it had turned the millstone, and of making himself impossible to follow.
But the elder had miscalculated.
That speech would undoubtedly have been effective if delivered to Hiruzen Sarutobi in person.
But the man who had come was Danzo.
The Ninja World's king of blame and Darkness of Konoha couldn't care less about his reputation.
He glanced at the elder, refusing to be led by the nose, and gave a sinister chuckle. "Heh. So the Hyuga clan is calling for war? Good, good. That suits my purposes perfectly. How about this? Tomorrow, I'll organize a pro-war speech for you. That way, Hiashi can be spared, and the Hyuga clan can build its reputation. What do you think, Elder?"
The elder was instantly at a loss for words.
Word had already spread through the village that the war was about to end. Civilians and low-ranking ninja alike were eagerly awaiting peace. If the Hyuga gave a pro-war speech, it would surely ignite public outrage at once, and they'd fare no better than the Uchiha.
"Th-this..." The elder stammered, his face turning pale. It took him a long time to get a few words out. "That... might not be appropriate."
"Then are you deliberately making things difficult for me?"
Danzo's expression darkened. He slammed his cane against the floor, intimidating everyone in the room.
After years of facing off against Hiruzen, Danzo's political schemes had become second nature. He had controlled the conversation from the very beginning.
The elder's brows twitched. He didn't dare respond. At last, he looked at the two clan heads and gritted his teeth. "Lord Danzo, Hiashi and Hizashi look almost exactly alike. Why not have Hizashi, the Branch Family Head, take Hiashi's place and appease the Cloud ninja?"
"You want to switch them?"
A glint flashed in Danzo's eyes as he raised the crucial question. "That might work, but the Branch Family has the Caged Bird Seal on its foreheads. If you want Hizashi to pass as Hiashi, you'll have to remove the seal first."
"Remove the seal?"
The elder stared in shock and blurted, "But there's never been a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal! The only way it disappears is if both eyes are gouged out, causing the seal to activate and destroy the Byakugan and the brain's nerves."
"No way to remove it?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "So you want to gouge out Hizashi's eyes first to erase all traces of the seal, then hand over his corpse in Hiashi's place?"
"Lord Danzo is wise."
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