Better Off Dead by Kirigakure Shinobi

The Hokage Building was brightly lit.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sat on the sofa in the Hokage's office. Neither spoke, as if they had fallen asleep. But the moment the office door was quietly pushed open, their eyes widened, staring intently at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who walked in.

"Hiruzen, did something happen?" Utatane Koharu asked.

They had known each other for decades. While ordinary people might not have been able to discern any emotion from Sarutobi Hiruzen's aging face, they could tell he was dispirited and in low spirits.

"The operation failed!" Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, tiredly reaching up to scratch his head.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance.

Mitokado Homura turned his gaze to Namikaze Minato, who had entered with Sarutobi Hiruzen, and asked, "Minato, what exactly happened? And where is Danzo? Where did he go?"

"Minato, you explain it! Let me catch my breath. Being old is quite tiring." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat down in his chair, picked up his pipe, and began stuffing it with tobacco, clearly intending to relax with a smoke.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Minato agreed, then turned to the two Hokage advisors. After a brief two-second pause, he began, "Hyuga Daichi acted recklessly and rashly, giving Hyuga Ritsu an opportunity to rally the Branch House members. Hyuga Ritsu seized the chance and killed Hyuga Daichi first, then subsequently killed Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho, father and son..."

"You didn't stop them?" Mitokado Homura frowned and interjected.

"I intervened."

"Then why couldn't you stop it?" Mitokado Homura was astonished.

He knew just how terrifying the reputation of the Yellow Flash was. Sarutobi had privately lamented that Minato's abilities had surpassed his own—of course, in Mitokado Homura's opinion, Sarutobi was referring to the Third Hokage in his old age and declining state, not the invincible war hero he once was!

In short, since Namikaze Minato had intervened, there was no reason for him to fail.

Minato gave a wry smile. Advisor Mitokado had too much confidence in him. He said helplessly, "Hyuga Ritsu is not weak. The Hyuga Clan's first prodigy is not just for show. Both of my attempts were unsuccessful. He managed to kill Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho, father and son..."

After speaking, he glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, unsure whether he should mention the Shikotsumyaku.

"To think he made you, Minato, fail twice. It seems we underestimated this Hyuga Ritsu... And then? After Hyuga Ritsu killed those useless members of the Main House, what happened next? Was Hyuga Hiashi also killed?" Mitokado Homura didn't delve into the specifics of how Hyuga Ritsu made Minato fail, continuing to inquire about the subsequent events.

"Hyuga Hiashi is alive. At least, he was alive when we left. After killing Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho, father and son, he immediately stopped. At the same time, Jonin and Special Jonin from the Hyuga Clan also gathered. They converged around Hyuga Ritsu. It was evident that the Hyuga shinobi were quite supportive of Hyuga Ritsu."

"And then..."

"And then Danzo and Hyuga Ritsu argued." Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had begun puffing on his pipe, picked up the conversation. "Danzo was provoked and nearly had a complete falling out with Hyuga Ritsu. I intervened and stopped him, causing Danzo to leave in a huff."

"So, why did you stop Danzo, Hiruzen? Killing the ringleader was our agreed-upon plan," Utatane Koharu asked.

"But the prerequisite for killing the ringleader was that none of us believed Hyuga Ritsu could truly gain the support of the Hyuga Clan. Killing him wouldn't cause too much upheaval within the clan. However, as Minato just said, the Jonin and Special Jonin of the Hyuga Clan are quite fond of Hyuga Ritsu. Under these circumstances, continuing to kill Hyuga Ritsu would be equivalent to starting a war with the Hyuga Clan, something I absolutely cannot allow to happen!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stated decisively, exhaling puffs of greyish-white smoke.

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both frowned. Maintaining the stability of the Hyuga Clan was indeed extremely important. Unlike the Uchiha Clan, which was as unstable as a volcano, the Hyuga Clan was a crucial cornerstone for the village's prosperity. Moreover, the overall strength of the Hyuga Clan had long surpassed that of the Uchiha Clan. The gap in clan members and Jonin numbers was considerable. It was just that the Hyuga Clan had rarely produced top-tier experts, being overshadowed by the Uchiha Clan, which had top-tier experts in almost every generation.

Speaking of which, if one were to truly scrutinize it, it was the Main House-Branch House system that limited the Hyuga Clan. The Main House had few members, and they were mostly pampered and indulged. The Branch House members were not only bound by the Caged Bird Seal, but even the Gentle Fist techniques they learned were a "Thirty-Two Palms" version, a watered-down version. Under such circumstances, if anyone could emerge as a top-tier expert, they would absolutely be a monster of the highest caliber! To be precise, such a monster had already emerged. Hyuga Ritsu was that monster. The ability to block Namikaze Minato's attacks twice while killing Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho, father and son, and forcing him to retreat, meant he had already entered the ranks of top-tier experts.

In conclusion, the village could not afford the cost of war with the Hyuga Clan at this moment. Even if the village had the strength to annihilate the Hyuga Clan, what would happen afterward? The village would be severely weakened, how could it deal with the persistently troublesome Kirigakure shinobi to the east? How could it defend against the Kumo Ninja to the northeast, who were still unyielding and stirring restlessly?

"Once this precedent of insubordination is set, who knows how many ambitious individuals will follow suit in the future," Mitokado Homura sighed deeply.

"It's a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. The Hyuga Clan absolutely cannot be allowed to fall into chaos."

"Then how will this be explained to the outside world? Such a major incident has occurred within the Hyuga Clan; there must be an explanation!"

"We'll say that the Hyuga Clan's Main House was tyrannical and cruel, harming its own kin. The village couldn't stand by and watch, so it assisted the Hyuga Clan's Branch House members in overthrowing the Main House's rule... We'll embellish it a bit and announce it to the outside world like that!" Sarutobi Hiruzen fully accepted the explanation Hyuga Ritsu had previously provided.

After speaking, he looked at Minato again, his tone very kind. "Minato, you've worked hard today! Go back and get some rest now!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Minato agreed immediately, without a word of humility, and left using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

About five to six seconds later, Hurried footsteps echoed from outside, and the office door was violently pushed open. Shimura Danzō strode in and immediately shouted, "Hiruzen, Hyuga Ritsu, this inherently evil brat, cannot be kept! He's a root of disaster, we must find a way to eliminate him!"

"I know."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and said gently, "But this cannot be done openly. His death must be justifiable and reasonable, with no connection to the village whatsoever. He mentioned he was going to the eastern front to reclaim the Byakugan taken by the Kirigakure Shinobi, so it would be best if he died at the hands of the Kirigakure Shinobi!"

After hearing this, Shimura Danzō turned and walked back out the door, only leaving behind the words, "I'll handle it!"

On the sofa, The furrowed brows of the two advisors relaxed. Hiruzen and Danzō were still so in sync, and so reassuring.