Konoha's Situation

Konoha, the premier ninja village in the shinobi world, has been the center of attention lately. Unlike the outsiders who watch the spectacle with amusement, the atmosphere within the village is currently one of extreme tension, where every rustle of grass or movement of trees is perceived as an enemy soldier.

The streets are more than half empty. The once-bustling commercial district is now desolate; most shops have shuttered, and the few that remain open see hardly a soul. The occasional passerby keeps their head down, shoulders hunched, and footsteps hurried, as if terrified of being targeted by someone.

Anbu patrols have tripled in frequency, moving through the village in team after team. Their animal-masked figures are visible everywhere, yet no one feels secure. On the contrary, the anxiety has only deepened—the more Anbu there are, the more severe the situation must be.

The most conspicuous change lies with the Hyuga Clan.

Previously, although the Hyuga compound was relatively closed off, one could at least see Branch Family ninjas coming and going—executing missions, running errands, or visiting others—no different from ordinary people.

But now? The gates of the Hyuga compound are bolted shut, and there isn't even a guard at the entrance. From the outside, it is as silent as a tomb; not a single person emerges.

Ninjas whisper among themselves in private.

"What are the Hyuga trying to do? Locking down the entire clan?"

"I heard they were terrified. Just after the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, someone made the secret of the Caged Bird public. Who wouldn't be scared?"

"But they can't stay inside forever, can they? Who's going to handle Konoha's reconnaissance missions? The Byakugan is the backbone of our scouting efforts."

"That's not for us to worry about. Lord Hokage will handle it."

"Handle it? How? By pressuring the Hyuga? If they're pushed too far and the Hyuga decide to commit mass suicide, can Konoha handle the fallout?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! If the Anbu hear you, do you want to lose your head?"

The gossiping ninjas immediately fell silent.

It is not just the Hyuga; every other ninja clan is gripped by a sense of impending crisis. Although the Ino-Shika-Cho trio appears to be operating normally on the surface, they are holding frequent internal meetings. The mission load for their clansmen has significantly decreased, and more people are being kept within their compounds for training. The ninja hounds of the Inuzuka Clan bark less than before, and the Aburame Clan has kept their insects much more contained.

No one knows who will be the next to suffer after the Hyuga—

The Uzumaki are gone, the Senju are gone, and the Uchiha are gone. The Hyuga are now half-dead. At this rate, will it be their turn next?

No one dares to say it, but everyone is thinking it.

Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen sits behind his desk, pipe in mouth, with official documents piled as high as a small mountain before him.

Since the annihilation of the Uchiha, various problems have followed one after another: espionage activities from other ninja villages have clearly increased, and border reports frequently bring news of "suspicious individuals" appearing. Within Konoha, every department is severely understaffed, especially the reconnaissance division; with the Hyuga Clan having retreated into their shell, scouting capabilities have taken a massive hit. The panic among the villagers needs to be quelled, and all sorts of rumors are flying everywhere...

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubs his temples and sighs; he hasn't slept well in three days. Just then, the office door is shoved open violently.

Shimura Danzō strides in, his right eye covered by bandages, his hands hanging at his sides, his expression so gloomy it could drip water. When his Root members attempt to follow him in, he raises a hand to stop them.

"Hiruzen."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looks up, glances at him, then lowers his head to continue reading the documents.

"Danzō, can you knock before entering?"

"I don't have the luxury of time for that." Danzō walks to the desk and presses his hands onto the surface. "I need you to issue an order."

"What order?"

"Force the Hyuga Clan to return to their previous state." Danzō's voice brooks no argument. "The Main Family can stay inside, but the Branch Family must go out and execute missions as they did before. Konoha's departments are severely understaffed, especially for reconnaissance; we cannot function without the Byakugan. With the Hyuga hiding in their compound, the entire defense system of Konoha is compromised."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sets down the document in his hand, looks up at Danzō, and asks in a hoarse voice, "Do you think the Hyuga will listen?"

"They will listen whether they want to or not." Danzō says, "This is an order from the Hokage. If they dare to defy it, it is treason."

"Treason?" Sarutobi Hiruzen takes the pipe from his mouth and taps it against the ashtray. "Danzō, do you think the Uchiha massacre wasn't enough, and now you want to drive the Hyuga to revolt as well?"

"I am doing this for the safety of Konoha." Danzō's single eye narrows.

"For the safety of Konoha?" Sarutobi Hiruzen stares at him for a few seconds. "Is that truly what you think?"

Shimura Danzō does not answer. Sarutobi Hiruzen knows him too well! All this talk of "the safety of Konoha" is nothing but an excuse. Danzō has been trying to poach people from other ninja clans to replenish the Root, only to be met with a cold shoulder.

The reasons given by those clans are all the same: with the Hyuga Clan not working, Konoha's departments are short-handed, and their clansmen have already been drafted to fill those gaps; there is no spare manpower to support the Root.

The implication is clear: we don't even have enough people for ourselves, so why should we give them to you?

If Danzō wants people, he must first get the Hyuga to come out and work, filling the manpower gap. Only then can he pull personnel from other departments. As long as the Hyuga stay inside, other departments will always be short-staffed, and Danzō will never get his recruits.

That is why he is so desperate to force the Hyuga back to normalcy.

"Hiruzen, think about it." Danzō changes his tone, speaking with earnest gravity. "The Hyuga Branch Family members have the Caged Bird seal; their lives are in our hands. They wouldn't dare revolt. If you issue the order, they won't dare to disobey. Once the Branch Family is out working, the other departments will have enough staff, and Konoha's operations will return to normal. Isn't that a win-win?"

"A win-win?" Sarutobi Hiruzen shakes his head and puts the pipe back in his mouth. "Danzō, have you considered that we still haven't found the person who leaked the Caged Bird seal? The fact that they could expose the seal shows they understand the Hyuga far better than we do. What if they've done something to the Branch Family, and we push the Hyuga too far? What will happen then?"

Shimura Danzō lowers his head and says nothing. He secretly wishes the Hyuga would do exactly that; then he would have a reason to force Sarutobi Hiruzen to step down, allowing him to become the Fifth Hokage.

"Think back to the night the Uchiha were wiped out." Sarutobi Hiruzen stands up and walks to the window, looking at the lake on the edge of Konoha. "The Uchiha Clan detonated countless explosive tags, turning their entire compound and the Police Force headquarters into a deep crater. If the Hyuga pull a stunt like that, can you handle it?"

"The Hyuga are not the Uchiha." Shimura Danzō is silent for a moment before speaking. "The Hyuga don't have the Sharingan, and they don't have that many lunatics."

"But the Hyuga have the Byakugan." Sarutobi Hiruzen turns around, squinting at Shimura Danzō. "And the Hyuga have hundreds of Branch Family members. If they all rebel at once, can your Root stop them?"

Although the Hyuga Branch Family is controlled by the Caged Bird, the secret of the seal has already been exposed. No one knows if the person who leaked the secret has discovered a way to break it. If the Branch Family members have found a way to break the seal, the consequences of Konoha pressuring them further would be unimaginable.

Danzō curls his lip but says nothing. He knows Sarutobi Hiruzen is telling the truth, but he isn't afraid in the slightest. If something truly goes wrong, it will be Sarutobi Hiruzen's Anbu on the front lines; he only needs to emerge to take control of the situation once the dust settles.

"So, we cannot rush the Hyuga matter." Sarutobi Hiruzen notices Shimura Danzō's indifferent expression and feels a headache coming on. He walks back behind his desk and sits down. "Until we find a way to resolve the Caged Bird issue, we cannot easily ignite this powder keg."

"Then what about Konoha's reconnaissance missions?" Danzō asks, unwilling to give up. "Without the Byakugan, who will be responsible if something happens at the borders?"

"The Anbu will step in to cover it for now." Sarutobi Hiruzen says decisively. "If we are short-handed, we recruit new people; if that's not enough, we have students graduate from the Academy early. The Byakugan is not omnipotent. Konoha will not collapse just because we lack it."

Danzō's expression was hideous.

"Furthermore," Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Shimura Danzō and warned, "Do not go looking for trouble with the Hyuga or any other ninja clans recently. Especially the Hyuga; you are forbidden from harassing them."

"Are you restricting me?"

"I am protecting you." Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone returned to a flat calm, yet every word carried an unquestionable weight. "Danzō, you have done too many things you shouldn't have. The Uchiha matter hasn't passed yet, and outsiders are still watching us. If you stir up any more trouble now, even I cannot protect you."

"I don't need your protection," Danzō said coldly.

"Then you need to restrain yourself even more," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "From this moment on, without my orders, the Root is forbidden from acting on its own. You are also forbidden from harassing any ninja clan. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Do not blame me for revoking your status as Hokage Assistant and leader of the Root for the sake of Konoha's stability."

"You!!!" Danzō's single eye widened sharply. He wasn't worried about the Root—those members were controlled by his sealing techniques—but losing his position as Hokage Assistant would make his future operations significantly more difficult.

"Danzō, you know me." Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag of his pipe and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Do not force my hand."

Danzō stared at him for a long time, his chest heaving violently as if suppressing something. In the end, he merely let out a huff.

"There is one more thing." Seeing that Shimura Danzō understood his intent, Sarutobi Hiruzen changed the subject. "Submit a list of the jonin in your Root who are proficient in sealing techniques. I will have use for them at any time."

"What do you need people skilled in sealing techniques for?"

"I have my own uses," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "You don't need to know."

Danzō's expression grew even uglier. He turned and strode toward the door. When he reached the threshold, he stopped and, without looking back, said, "Hiruzen, you will regret this."

"Danzō, I am the Hokage."

The door slammed against the frame with a thunderous "bang" that could be heard throughout the entire floor.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, watching the door that had been slammed shut, and remained silent for a long time. He picked up his pipe and took another puff, the smoke slowly dissipating throughout the office.

"Regret..." he muttered to himself. "I am the Hokage; I have no need for regret."

Outside the door, Danzō strode down the hallway, his expression so sinister it looked as if he might devour someone. Several Anbu saw him and instinctively stepped aside, not daring to block his path. After descending the stairs, Danzō exited the Hokage Building, and members of the Root immediately stepped forward to meet him.

"Lord Danzō, what did the Hokage say?"

Danzō did not answer, merely saying gloomily, "Return to the base."

The Root members exchanged glances, not daring to ask further, and followed behind Danzō.

The news spread quickly, as if Sarutobi Hiruzen had specifically sent people to disseminate it. Within half a day, every ninja clan knew: Danzō had hit a wall in the Hokage's office, had been rebuffed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, and had nearly been stripped of his status as Hokage Assistant and leader of the Root.

In the Nara compound, Nara Shikaku sat on the veranda drinking tea. After hearing his subordinate's report, he did not share the same expression as his subordinate; instead, his face was filled with worry.

"Shikaku, do you think the Hokage will really dismiss Shimura Danzō?" Yamanaka Inoichi also heard the intelligence and asked. He was at Nara Shikaku's home today, though the ostensible reason was to bring his wife to visit her best friend.

"He won't." Nara Shikaku shook his head. "The two of them are grasshoppers tied to the same rope; neither can survive without the other. But a little beating is acceptable to make Danzō behave for a few days. And... it was too obvious."

"Indeed, it was too obvious. Even though both were in the office, the news that leaked out was far too scripted." Yamanaka Inoichi nodded in agreement, then voiced what Nara Shikaku had left unsaid. "As for the Hyuga..."

"The Hyuga should be safe for the time being." Nara Shikaku sipped his tea. "Although the Third is old and indecisive, he isn't stupid. He knows he cannot move against the Hyuga right now."

"At least that's good news." Akimichi Choza was eating potato chips; he had brought his child over to see a playmate. "At least nothing will happen in the short term. Now it just depends on whether we can find a way to resolve the Caged Bird. Until then, no one dares to touch the Hyuga."

"It would be better to just completely abolish that Caged Bird." Yamanaka Inoichi grabbed a chip from Akimichi Choza and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with a crunch. "They are all people of the same clan's bloodline, yet the Branch Family are treated like servants before the Main Family..."

"How has the growth of our clansmen been during this period?" Seeing that the topic was becoming increasingly dangerous, Nara Shikaku forcibly changed the subject.

Akimichi Choza understood Nara Shikaku's intent and followed his lead, speaking of other matters: "The results are quite good. And since every department has been short-staffed during this time, they have all managed to transfer to suitable positions."

Yamanaka Inoichi also set aside his concern for outsiders and began discussing the future of his own clansmen: "Should we try to win over a few more small ninja clans?"

"Not now." Nara Shikaku did not entirely dismiss Yamanaka Inoichi's suggestion. "For now, we can only develop in the shadows; we cannot let the Third shift his gaze from the Hyuga to us."

Yamanaka Inoichi was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "True, we cannot let ourselves become the Third's target..."

While the small ninja clans were discussing their own way out, the atmosphere in the Hyuga compound remained tense.

The gates were tightly shut, and all Hyuga Branch Family members who had been out on missions were recalled. The Main Family members had all moved to live near the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, while the Branch Family members were concentrated in several large courtyards on the east side of the compound.

Hyuga Hiashi sat in the living room with a scroll spread out before him, covered in complex incantation patterns. Several Main Family elders sat around him, each of their expressions looking quite grim.

"Clan Head, have you heard the news from outside?" asked the Main Family Great Elder, Hyuga Tendou.

"I have heard it." Hyuga Hiashi did not look up. "Danzō hit a wall at the Hokage's office; he won't be coming to harass us for the time being."

"That is a relief..." the Second Elder sighed.

"Relief?" Hyuga Hiashi raised his head and glanced at him. "Danzō not coming doesn't mean others won't. Sarutobi Hiruzen has only stabilized the situation temporarily. Once he finds a way, he will come for us just the same."

The Second Elder's expression changed again. "Then what do we do?"

"What do we do?" Hyuga Hiashi pushed the scroll forward. "Research. Find a new Caged Bird curse seal."

"This..." The elders leaned in, looking at the incantation patterns on the scroll, all feeling somewhat at a loss. They hadn't seriously studied ninjutsu in a long time, let alone such tedious and complex sealing techniques.

"I have re-planned and designed this Caged Bird curse seal based on the clan's previous records." Seeing the elders sitting there with their mouths agape, Hyuga Hiashi sighed and said, "The original curse seal is no longer safe; it could be exploited by others at any time. We must research a new seal as quickly as possible to replace the old ones on the heads of the Branch Family."

"Is it possible?" the Third Elder asked, his face full of uncertainty. "With just the likes of us, how could we possibly design a curse seal as formidable as the one from our ancestors?"

"Whether it is possible or not, it must be done." Hyuga Hiashi's voice was firm. "The Hyuga clan cannot sit and wait for death. The Uchiha were wiped out; we might be next. We must be prepared."

"Or, would you prefer to abandon your Main Family status, abolish the Caged Bird, and let there be no distinction between the Main and Branch families of the Hyuga?"

The living room fell silent for a few seconds.

"Patriarch, what if Konoha pressures us before the new Cursed Seal is successfully developed?" the Great Elder asked.

Hyuga Hiashi remained silent for a moment, then said, "Then we stall. We drag it out one day at a time. If we truly cannot stall any longer..."

He did not continue, but everyone present understood his meaning; the Hyuga Clan was already standing on the edge of a cliff.

Ever since he received that intelligence report, he had recalled all clansmen and forbidden anyone from leaving. The members of the Branch Family had complained at first, but after seeing the situation outside grow increasingly chaotic, no one said anything anymore.

He knew this was not a long-term solution. A clan could not hide in its shell forever. But for now, he had no other choice.

"From this moment on," Hyuga Hiashi looked at the Main Family elders, his tone brooking no argument, "all Main Family elders will stay here and work with me to research the new Cursed Seal. As for the Branch Family, have the Branch elders pacify them and tell them this is for their own safety. Furthermore, strengthen the perimeter of the clan grounds; report anyone who approaches immediately."

"Understood." The elders acknowledged the order, rising one after another to return and pack their belongings.

Hyuga Hiashi stood before the window, watching the old tree in the courtyard. Its leaves were already beginning to turn yellow; autumn was coming.

"Uchiha Setsuna..." he murmured, "watch from the Pure Land. We Hyuga will not end up like you."