Even the Faintest Glimmer

Hyuga Hiashi instinctively activated his Byakugan.

In his field of vision, the chakra within Hyuga Qinglan was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind. It had already dwindled to its lowest point.

"Qinglan?! What happened to you?"

Hyuga Hiashi rushed forward and caught the boy by the shoulders, his heart in turmoil.

He had never imagined Qinglan's condition would be this dire.

He had assumed Qinglan had returned from the hospital so quickly because his young body was recovering well, but now it seemed...

The boy had been clinging to his last breath, forcing himself to make it back!

"Cough, cough..."

Hyuga Qinglan's voice was hoarse and weak, tinged with surprise. "Lord Hiashi...? Why did you come in person...?"

"Don't speak yet!"

Hyuga Hiashi's feelings were incredibly complicated.

All the probing questions he had prepared along the way seemed so despicable and ridiculous in the face of this pool of blood.

"If you were so badly injured, why insist on leaving the hospital? Don't you care about your life?"

His voice even held a trace of worry and reproach that he himself hadn't noticed.

At that moment, several Branch Family guards who had been waiting nearby heard the commotion and rushed in, alarmed.

"Cough, cough... Clan head, I just thought... there were still many details about last night that I hadn't reported to you... That attacker..."

Hyuga Qinglan spoke haltingly, his tone utterly sincere.

Hyuga Hiashi's heart gave a violent jolt, and boundless guilt washed over him like a tide.

After coming so close to death, the first thing Qinglan did upon waking was disregard his broken body and return to the clan to report the enemy's movements to him, the clan head.

What loyalty!

"Don't say another word. You don't have to tell me anything!"

Hyuga Hiashi clasped Qinglan's hand, his voice low. "I've already learned what happened last night from the other guards. Qinglan, you did well... You've already done more than enough for the clan."

He abruptly turned and roared at the Branch Family guards standing there dumbfounded. "What are you waiting for? Take him back to the hospital! Get the best medical ninja in the village! Quickly!"

"Yes, clan head!"

The guards snapped out of it and hurriedly carried the barely conscious Hyuga Qinglan toward Konoha Hospital.

The noisy courtyard fell silent once more.

Hyuga Hiashi stood alone in the empty room, staring at his bloodstained hands. For a long time, he said nothing.

At that moment, the Main Branch's interests, Danzo's threat, and Ao's appearance all seemed distant.

"Qinglan..."

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath, his voice unbearably forlorn in the evening breeze.

"I... I'm the one who wronged you."

The Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen held an extinguished pipe between his lips. Battle reports piled high on his desk, each one carrying the stench of smoke and death.

"The front line keeps losing ground... Is Cloud Village making another move?"

His gaze lingered on the urgent report from Jiraiya, and his spirits sank to rock bottom.

The situation on the Iwagakure front was extremely strange.

Konoha had poured in a large amount of supplies, yet the defenses hadn't stabilized. Instead, they were being pushed back on all sides.

Intelligence leaks were happening with alarming frequency. Every time a mission squad set out, it seemed the Iwa ninja already had them caught in a trap.

If Namikaze Minato hadn't repeatedly turned the tide on the front lines with the Flying Thunder God, Konoha's supply corps would likely have been wiped out by now.

"Intelligence is being stolen... Is there a spy on the front line, or..."

He left the sentence unfinished.

The rest was too heavy to say aloud, too heavy even for the Hokage to voice lightly.

If the source of the leaks wasn't on the front line, but within Konoha...

Then that meant one of the people he trusted was a traitor.

Sarutobi Hiruzen tiredly rubbed his brow and looked toward Sunagakure on the map.

Sunagakure had remained inactive until now, and its unusual silence unsettled him more than an open declaration of war would have.

If Sunagakure joined forces with Iwagakure and launched a surprise attack now, tearing through Konoha's defenses from the west...

Then Konoha would face the greatest threat of destruction since its founding.

"Teacher..."

Orochimaru, standing silently in the shadows nearby, spoke softly.

He stepped forward and traced the battle report with his slender fingers. Then he flicked out his long tongue and licked his lips with a hint of excitement.

"Though that old man Ōnoki somehow got his hands on the front-line intelligence and gave that fool Jiraiya plenty of trouble..."

"Ultimately, the Land of Earth lacks the resources to last. Compared to the Land of Fire, they can't afford a prolonged war."

Orochimaru chuckled coldly. "Even if they've gathered some mercenaries and ninja from small countries and joined them with their own forces to try to march on the village, it'll be futile."

"After all, the ninja left to guard the village aren't pushovers..."

"The Feudal Lord has already pledged his full support. Konoha will ultimately win, but..."

He paused, his eyes passing over Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged face.

"It will take time, and it will come at a cost."

"And in the end, the village's young ninja will pay that cost."

"I believe you want to preserve the village's strength as quickly as possible, don't you, Teacher?"

"After all, that 'Ao' who appeared out of nowhere is still a potential threat."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing. Smoke curled around him, obscuring his expression as he waited for Orochimaru to offer a solution.

"Since Salamander Hanzo has already agreed to an alliance, perhaps we should invite another ally."

"Cloud Village is greedy and unreliable, while Kirigakure has its hands full... Only Sunagakure, which stirred up this conflict and then suddenly fell quiet, is suited to turn the tide."

Orochimaru stared intently at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "If you personally take charge of the front line, your title as Professor of Ninjutsu will be enough to suppress Ōnoki's momentum. As for the rest..."

"Leave it to me, your student. I'll take care of it for you."

A trace of yearning lurked in Orochimaru's eyes.

Of course, he knew that in his teacher's heart, Namikaze Minato, bright as the sun, was the best candidate for the Fourth Hokage.

But he still wanted to try.

He wanted to see how much favoritism and warmth his teacher still held for the student who had accompanied him for decades...

Even the faintest glimmer.

"..."

The air remained frozen for a long time.

So long that the clouds outside covered the moon, and the light in the office grew dimmer.

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued staring at the map, as if calculating the gains and losses of each defensive line, but never once looked up at Orochimaru.

"Then go."

Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke, his tone perfectly calm.

"First, get in touch with Sunagakure's border guards and see what they're thinking. If the Kazekage is interested in peace talks, then we'll consider our next move."

He was entirely focused on how to dispatch Minato as reinforcement.

He hadn't noticed that the last trace of hope in Orochimaru's eyes...

Was fading with every word.

"I understand... Teacher."