Konoha's Situation

Konoha, the Ninja World's foremost village, had been making headlines across the Ninja World lately. While people outside the village treated it as a joke, inside, the atmosphere was so tense that everyone was on edge.

There were half as many people on the streets as before. The once-bustling shopping district was now deserted, and most of the shops were closed. Even the few that remained open had hardly any customers. The occasional passerby kept their head down and shoulders hunched, hurrying along as if afraid someone might be watching them.

There were three times as many Anbu patrols as usual, moving through the village in one squad after another. Their animal masks could be seen everywhere. But no one felt reassured. If anything, people were even more nervous—the more Anbu there were, the worse things must be.

The most conspicuous change was the Hyuga Clan.

The Hyuga Clan Compound had always been relatively secluded, but at least Hyuga Branch Family ninja used to come and go, taking missions, shopping, and visiting one another just like ordinary people.

Now? The gates to the Hyuga Clan Compound were shut tight. There wasn't even a guard at the entrance. From outside, the place seemed as quiet as a tomb. No one came out.

The ninja whispered among themselves.

"What's the Hyuga Clan up to? Did the whole clan go into seclusion?"

"I heard they were scared. The Uchiha Clan Massacre just happened, and now someone's exposed the secret of the Caged Bird. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

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

"That's not our problem. Lord Hokage will handle it."

"Handle it how? Force the Hyuga Clan? What if they get pushed too far and the whole clan decides to blow themselves up? Could Konoha survive that?"

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

The people talking immediately fell silent.

The Hyuga weren't the only ones on edge. Every other clan was worried, too. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans were still operating as usual on the surface, but they were holding frequent internal meetings. Their members had noticeably fewer missions, and more of them were being kept in their clan compounds to train. The Inuzuka Clan's Ninja Dogs barked less than before, and the Aburame Clan's insects had grown quieter as well.

No one knew which clan would be next after the Hyuga—

The Uzumaki were gone, the Senju were gone, and the Uchiha were gone. The Hyuga were barely hanging on, too. If things kept going this way, would they be next?

No one dared say it aloud, but everyone was thinking it.

Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, a pipe in his mouth and a stack of paperwork piled as high as a small mountain in front of him.

After the Uchiha Clan Massacre, problems had piled up one after another. Spy activity from other villages had increased noticeably, and reports from the borders kept coming in about "suspicious individuals." Konoha's departments were desperately short-staffed, especially reconnaissance. Since the Hyuga Clan had withdrawn, their reconnaissance capabilities had taken a serious hit. The villagers' fear needed to be soothed, and rumors were spreading everywhere...

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples and sighed. He hadn't slept well in three days. Just then, the office door was shoved open.

Shimura Danzō strode in, his right eye covered with a bandage, his hands hanging at his sides, his expression dark enough to make rain. The Root members tried to follow him in, but he raised a hand to stop them.

"Hiruzen."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at him, then lowered his head and continued reading the paperwork.

"Danzō, could you at least knock before coming in?"

"I don't have time for that." Danzō walked up to the desk and braced both hands on it. "I need you to issue an order."

"What order?"

"Order the Hyuga Clan to return to normal." Danzō's voice brooked no argument. "The Main Family doesn't have to go out, but the Branch Family must resume taking missions like before. Konoha's departments are desperately short-staffed, especially reconnaissance. Without the Byakugan, those missions are impossible. The Hyuga are holed up in their compound, and Konoha's entire defense system is in trouble."

Sarutobi Hiruzen set down the document in his hands and looked up at Danzō, his voice a little hoarse. "Do you think the Hyuga will listen?"

"They'll have to." Danzō replied, "It's an order from the Hokage. If they disobey, they're traitors to the village."

"Traitors?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth and tapped it against the ashtray. "Danzō, do you think the Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't enough? Are you trying to push the Hyuga into rebelling, too?"

"I'm doing this for Konoha's safety." Danzō narrowed his lone eye.

"For Konoha's safety?" Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him for several seconds. "Do you really believe that?"

Shimura Danzō didn't answer. Sarutobi Hiruzen knew him too well. "For Konoha's safety" was just an excuse. Danzō had spent the past few days trying to get personnel from the other clans for Root, hoping to replenish its ranks, but he'd come away empty-handed.

The clans had all given roughly the same reason: now that the Hyuga Clan wasn't working, Konoha's departments were short-staffed, so their members had been assigned to fill the gaps. They had no one to spare for Root.

In other words: We don't have enough people for ourselves, so why should we give you any?

If Danzō wanted more people, he first needed the Hyuga to get back to work and fill the staffing gaps. Then he could transfer people from other departments. But if the Hyuga didn't come out, those departments would always be short-staffed, and Danzō would never get the people he wanted.

That was why he was so eager to force the Hyuga back to normal.

"Hiruzen, think about it." Danzō changed his tone and spoke earnestly. "The Caged Bird Seal is on the Hyuga Branch Family. Their lives and deaths are in our hands, so they wouldn't dare rebel. If you issue an order, they won't dare disobey. Once the Branch Family goes back to work, the other departments will have enough people, and Konoha can get back to normal. Isn't that a win-win?"

"A win-win?" Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and put his pipe back in his mouth. "Danzō, have you considered that we still haven't found the person who exposed the Caged Bird Seal? The fact that they were able to reveal the seal means they know far more about the Hyuga than we do. What if they've done something to the Hyuga Branch Family? What will happen if we push the Hyuga too far?"

Shimura Danzō lowered his head and said nothing. He hoped the Hyuga Clan would do exactly that. Then he'd have a reason to force Sarutobi Hiruzen out and become the Fifth Hokage.

"Think about the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre." Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and walked to the window, looking toward the lake beside Konoha. "The Uchiha Clan detonated countless Explosive Tags, blasting their entire compound and the Police Force headquarters into craters. Could you handle it if the Hyuga did the same?"

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

"But the Hyuga have the Byakugan." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around and narrowed his eyes at Shimura Danzō. "And they have hundreds of Branch Family members. If they all rebelled, could the few people in Root stop them?"

Although the Hyuga Branch Family were controlled by the Caged Bird, the secret of the seal had already been exposed. No one knew whether the person who revealed it had figured out a way to break it. If the Hyuga Branch Family had found a way to do so, the consequences of Konoha pressuring them would be unthinkable.

Danzō curled his lip and said nothing. He knew Sarutobi Hiruzen was telling the truth, but he wasn't afraid in the least. If anything went wrong, Sarutobi Hiruzen's Anbu would be the first into the fray. Danzō would only need to step in and take charge when things were nearly over.

"So we can't rush the Hyuga matter." Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed Shimura Danzō's indifference and felt a headache coming on. He returned to his desk and sat down. "Until we find a way to resolve the Caged Bird problem, we can't casually set off this powder keg."

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

The Anbu will cover for them first," Sarutobi Hiruzen said firmly. "If we don't have enough people, we'll recruit. If we still don't have enough, we'll graduate students from the Academy early. The Byakugan isn't everything. Konoha won't collapse without it."

Danzō looked furious.

"And one more thing." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Shimura Danzō and warned him, "Don't go looking for trouble with the Hyuga or the other clans. Especially the Hyuga. You are not to harass them."

"Are you trying to restrict me?"

"I'm trying to protect you." Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone turned calm again, but every word carried unquestionable authority. "Danzō, you've done too many things you shouldn't have. The Uchiha matter is still fresh, and people outside the village are watching us. If you cause more trouble now, even I won't be able to protect you."

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

"Then you should be even more careful." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "From now on, Root is not to act on its own without my orders. And you are not to harass any of the clans. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Don't blame me if I remove you as Hokage Assistant and Root Leader to keep Konoha stable."

"You!!!" Danzō's lone eye flew open. He wasn't worried about Root; its members were all controlled by his Sealing Jutsu. But losing his position as Hokage Assistant would make things much harder for him going forward.

"Danzō, you know me." Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Don't push me."

Danzō stared at him for a long time, his chest heaving as if he were holding something back. In the end, he only snorted.

"One more thing." Seeing that Shimura Danzō had understood his meaning, Sarutobi Hiruzen changed the subject. "Give me a list of the Root jonin who are skilled in Sealing Jutsu. I may need them at any time."

"What do you need people skilled in Sealing Jutsu for?"

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

Danzō's expression darkened further. He turned and strode toward the door. When he reached it, he stopped and spoke without looking back. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."

"Danzō, I'm the Hokage."

The door slammed against its frame with a loud bang that could be heard throughout the floor.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, looking at the door Danzō had slammed shut. He remained silent for a long time, then picked up his pipe and took another puff. Smoke slowly drifted through the office.

"Regret..." he murmured. "I'm the Hokage. I don't need to regret anything."

Outside, Danzō strode down the hallway, his expression so grim he looked ready to devour someone. Several Anbu saw him and immediately stepped aside, not daring to block his way. After going downstairs and leaving the Hokage Building, he was met by Root members.

"Lord Danzō, what did Lord Hokage say?"

Danzō didn't answer. He only said grimly, "Back to the base."

The Root members exchanged glances, but didn't dare ask anything else. They followed Danzō away.

The news spread quickly, almost as if Sarutobi Hiruzen had deliberately sent people to spread it. In less than half a day, every clan knew: Danzō had been put in his place in the Hokage's office. Sarutobi Hiruzen had shut him down, and had nearly stripped him of his positions as Hokage Assistant and Root Leader.

At the Nara Clan Compound, Nara Shikaku sat beneath the veranda, drinking tea. After hearing his subordinate's report, he didn't share the man's expression of relief. Instead, his face grew even more worried.

"Shikaku, do you think Lord Hokage will really remove Shimura Danzō?" Yamanaka Inoichi had heard the report, too, and asked. He was at Nara Shikaku's home that day, officially to bring his wife to visit her friend.

"He won't." Nara Shikaku shook his head. "The two of them are in this together. Neither can do without the other. But Hiruzen can still give Danzō a warning and keep him in line for a few days. Besides... it's too obvious."

"Exactly, it's too obvious. They were both in the office, yet the news that came out was so neat and clear." Yamanaka Inoichi nodded in agreement, then brought up what Nara Shikaku hadn't said. "What about the Hyuga..."

"The Hyuga should be safe for the time being." Nara Shikaku took a sip of tea. "The Third is old and indecisive, but he isn't stupid. He knows he can't move against the Hyuga right now."

"At least that's some good news." Akimichi Choza ate potato chips. He had brought his child over to visit a playmate. "At least nothing will happen in the short term. Now we just have to see if anyone can find a way to resolve the Caged Bird problem. Until then, no one will dare touch the Hyuga."

"It'd be better to just abolish the Caged Bird." Yamanaka Inoichi took a chip from Akimichi Choza and popped it into his mouth, crunching as he chewed. "They're all members of the same clan, yet the Branch Family are treated like servants by the Main Family..."

"How are our clan members progressing?" Nara Shikaku saw that the discussion was drifting into dangerous territory and forcibly changed the subject.

Akimichi Choza understood what Nara Shikaku meant and followed his lead, talking about something else. "Pretty well. And since the departments are short-staffed right now, they've all been assigned to departments that suit them."

Yamanaka Inoichi also stopped concerning himself with other clans and began discussing his own clan's future. "Should we try to bring a few more small clans over to our side?"

"Not now." Nara Shikaku didn't entirely reject Yamanaka Inoichi's suggestion. "For now, we can only develop in secret. We can't let the Third turn his attention from the Hyuga to us."

Yamanaka Inoichi was silent for a moment, then nodded. "That's true. We can't let ourselves become the Third's target..."

The small clans were discussing how to find a way forward. Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the Hyuga Clan Compound remained tense.

The gates were shut tight, and all Hyuga Branch Family members who had been out on missions were called back. The Main Family had moved close to the home of the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, while the Branch Family had been gathered into several large compounds on the eastern side of the clan grounds.

Hyuga Hiashi sat in the living room with a scroll spread out in front of him. It was covered in intricate sealing patterns, and several Main Family elders sat around him, all looking grim.

"Clan head, have you heard the news from outside?" asked Hyuga Tendou, the head elder of the Main Family.

"I have." Hyuga Hiashi didn't look up. "Danzō hit a wall with the Hokage. He won't bother us for now."

"That's good..." The second elder breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's good about it?" Hyuga Hiashi looked up at him. "Danzō staying away doesn't mean no one else will come. Sarutobi Hiruzen has only stabilized the situation temporarily. Once he finds a way, he'll come after us all the same."

The second elder's expression changed again. "Then what do we do?"

"What do we do?" Hyuga Hiashi pushed the scroll in front of him. "Research. Find a new Caged Bird Seal."

"This..." The elders leaned closer to look at the sealing patterns on the scroll, but didn't know what to make of them. They hadn't seriously studied ninjutsu in a long time, let alone the far more complicated art of Sealing Jutsu.

"I redesigned the Caged Bird Seal based on the records we have in the clan." Seeing the elders sitting there with their mouths shut, Hyuga Hiashi sighed and said, "The old seal is no longer safe. Someone could exploit it at any time. We have to develop a new seal as soon as possible and replace the old one on the Branch Family."

"Can we do it?" The third elder didn't sound confident. "How could people like us possibly design a seal as powerful as the one our ancestors created?"

"We have to, whether we can or not." Hyuga Hiashi's voice was firm. "The Hyuga Clan can't sit around and wait for our fate to be decided. The Uchiha were wiped out, and we could be next. We have to be ready."

"Or would you rather give up your status as the Main Family, abolish the Caged Bird, and erase the distinction between the Main Family and the Branch Family?"

The living room fell silent for several seconds.

"Clan head, what if Konoha forces us before we've developed the new seal?" the head elder asked.

Hyuga Hiashi was silent for a moment, then said, "Then we stall. Every day we buy is another day we have. If we really can't hold out..."

He didn't finish, but everyone there understood what he meant. The Hyuga Clan was already standing at the edge of a cliff.

Ever since he received that report, he had recalled every member of the clan and forbidden anyone from going out. The Branch Family had complained at first, but as the situation outside grew more chaotic, they eventually fell silent.

He knew this couldn't last. A clan couldn't stay cooped up forever. But right now, he had no other choice.

"From now on..." Hyuga Hiashi looked at the Main Family elders, his tone leaving no room for argument. "All Main Family elders will stay here with me and work on the new seal. The Branch Family elders will stay with the Branch Family and reassure them. Tell them this is for their safety. Also, strengthen the guard around the clan grounds. Report anyone who comes near immediately."

"Yes." The elders acknowledged the order and got up, one after another, to return and pack their belongings.

Hyuga Hiashi stood by the window, looking at the old tree in the courtyard. Its leaves had begun to turn yellow. Autumn was coming.

"Uchiha Setsuna..." he murmured. "Watch from the Pure Land. We Hyuga won't end up like you."