"Root went missing on your Hyuga territory. You can't escape responsibility, so hand them over." Danzo couldn't hold back any longer and went straight on the offensive. In his mind, he had to get his hands on that Secret Technique no matter what. Restoring his youth...
Just thinking about it set his heart ablaze.
"Root ninja?! What Root ninja? Danzo, what on earth are you talking about?!" Hyuga Hoze looked bewildered.
Hyuga Hoze said, "What do Root ninja have to do with us Hyuga? Aren't they your subordinates, Danzo? If your men disappeared, coming to us to demand them back isn't exactly appropriate..."
Danzo said, "Root ninja disappeared near your compound. You Hyuga have to take responsibility."
Hyuga Hoze put on an exaggerated expression. "If people have gone missing, ask the Police Force to investigate. Oh, right, I forgot—the Uchiha are gone... and so is the Police Force..."
"Then go to Lord Hokage. You and he are in the same... ahem! He's your good friend. I'm sure he'll help you..."
Danzo said sinisterly, "Someone saw them enter your compound, and they never came out. How do you explain that?"
"What? Root came to the Hyuga compound? When did that happen? Hiashi, did you know about this? Did you receive them?" Looking confused, Hyuga Hoze turned to Hyuga Hiashi and asked.
"No, no, I don't know anything about it either. None of our clansmen reported anything like that... Lord Danzo, could you be remembering incorrectly?" Hiashi played along with the Great Elder, then looked blankly at Danzo.
"Someone saw them," Danzo said.
Hyuga Hoze stuck to outright denial. "Who saw them? Bring him here to confront us. Did you bring that person along? Let me have a look..."
Danzo said, "To protect the witness, I cannot bring him forward. In any case, are you Hyuga going to admit it or not?"
He was clearly planning to pin the blame on them. Although it was actually true, the way he put it made it sound anything but.
Danzo was suffering inside.
He had never imagined that these supposedly upright Hyuga would deny everything to the bitter end. If anyone ever tells me again that the Hyuga are proud, honest people who never lie, I'll kill them.
Of course, he had made the decision on the spur of the moment.
Where was he supposed to get a witness?
He had only said it offhand. Where could he find someone now? Anyone he brought would be one of his own men, which wouldn't be convincing in the slightest.
"Danzo, you..."
Hearing that, Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes in anguish. Damn it, Danzo, you useless teammate! You idiot, can't you slow down and think before you speak? Are you renting your mouth by the minute? Can't you wait until I finish talking?
(Qingwu: Ahahaha! You're killing me! Danzo, did the monkey send you here to be a clown? The monkey... hahaha...)
Hyuga Hoze rolled his eyes. "How are we supposed to admit to something that never happened?"
Danzo said, "I told you, someone saw them."
"Then bring him out."
"I have to protect the witness from retaliation by you Hyuga."
"So you can just make whatever claims you like without a shred of proof? Ooh, aren't you impressive... If you won't produce a witness, then there isn't one."
"I am an Elder of Konoha. Would I lie?"
"That's hard to say. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't trust you, Shimura Danzō. You call yourself Root, the Darkness of the Ninja World. Doesn't that mean you're shady?!"
"I..."
"And if you hadn't brought it up, I would've forgotten. You just said they disappeared near our compound. What were your Root ninja doing here in the first place?!"
"Do you have informants among us Hyuga too, reporting that we're plotting to betray the village?!"
"What?! Were you spying on us? Or was wiping out the Uchiha not enough for you... and now you want to wipe out the Hyuga too?!"
"Go ahead and try. Your teeth aren't sharp enough to take a bite out of the Hyuga." With that, Hyuga Hoze tore open his clothes, revealing his bulging muscles, an azure dragon on the left, a white tiger on the right, and an old ox at his waist.
Throwing around grave accusations was Shimura Danzō's tactic. He hadn't expected Hyuga Hoze to beat him to it.
Danzo: ... (Those were all my lines.)
(Hidden nearby, Qingwu watched the scene and laughed until his stomach hurt. It was hilarious, just like watching a comedy sketch during the Spring Festival.)
"Ahem! Elder Hoze, Elder Hoze, please calm down. Calm down..." Sarutobi Hiruzen used the Body Flicker Technique to block Hyuga Hoze and hurriedly tried to soothe him.
"Danzo's subordinates have disappeared, so he's understandably anxious. Someone may have misled him. No one is saying the Hyuga did it..."
"But you were mistaken about one thing, Elder Hoze. The Uchiha were killed by that Missing-nin, Itachi Uchiha. It had nothing to do with us."
"As for wiping out the Hyuga, where did that come from? We in Konoha are one big, loving family. How could we do something so cruel? You're worrying too much..."
His speech covered every angle. He accepted none of the blame and spoke with perfect righteousness. Sarutobi Hiruzen was playing at a much higher level.
"Thank you for speaking up for what's right, Lord Hokage. You truly see things clearly, unlike certain people... hmph!"
"We Hyuga conduct ourselves honestly and would never do anything wicked or underhanded..."
Hyuga Hoze took the offered way out and flattered Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen returned the compliment. "You're as vigorous as ever, Elder Hoze. We're all working for Konoha's sake, so please forgive Danzo." For the sake of the Secret Technique, he readily sold out his teammate.
"Very well. For your sake, Lord Hokage, I won't hold it against him. Lord Assistant, some things shouldn't be said carelessly. If word got out that we harmed our comrades, how could we Hyuga ever show our faces?" Having gained the upper hand, Hyuga Hoze quit while he was ahead.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "I knew Elder Hoze would see the bigger picture."
"Haha! You flatter me, Lord Hokage."
Danzo looked as though he had swallowed a mouthful of shit.
Hyuga Hoze, Sarutobi Hiruzen, you two bastards.
Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga watched in stunned amazement, neither uttering a word.
No wonder we can't lead the clan.
So this is the gap between us.
The brothers exchanged a glance. They had learned something today.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo also knew they wouldn't get any answers today. The Hyuga Clan's stance was firm, and they didn't want to blow the matter out of proportion.
After all, this concerned Konoha's stability and reputation. Trying to obtain a ninja clan's secrets was itself taboo.
They could only seek a better opening later and see whether another opportunity would let them get more information from the Hyuga Clan.
They had utterly humiliated themselves today. They had thought they could easily bring the Hyuga Clan to heel, only for the other side to turn the tables and leave them disgraced.
Not only that, but they had gotten nowhere with the missing Root ninja either, leaving them deeply embarrassed and frustrated.
Still, it hadn't been entirely fruitless. At least they now knew that Hyuga Hoze had regained his youth, which was an important lead.
"It's getting late, and Danzo and I still have a great deal of official business to handle. Clan Head Hiashi, Great Elder Hoze, we'll take our leave." Sarutobi Hiruzen offered his farewell first to salvage his dignity.
"Lord Hokage, why not stay for a meal? I've already asked the kitchen to prepare it. It'll be ready soon..." Hyuga Hiashi politely urged them to stay, though he didn't seem particularly sincere.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said righteously, "No, thank you. Nothing concerning the villagers is a trivial matter."
"Every minute we delay costs the villagers a little more of their livelihood. We'll leave the meal for another time. Danzo, let's go..."
Danzo said, "Hmph!"
Then Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō left the Hyuga Clan with livid faces. Their hearts were filled with anger and resentment, but there was nothing they could do.
"Bastards!"
Once outside, Danzo said furiously, "Hiruzen, are we just leaving like this?! Those damned Hyuga brushed us off just like that. Should we bring some men..."
"Danzo, watch your words!" The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, immediately cut him off. They were still close to the Hyuga Clan Compound, and the Hyuga were famous for their keen eyesight. If any of them could read lips, they would be in trouble.
"Come with me. We'll talk once we're back."
They then returned together to the Hokage Building, ready to discuss their next move.
"Someone, go invite the two advisors."
Meanwhile, they also sent word to the other two Hokage assistants, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, asking them to attend the meeting and discuss the matter together.
Before you continue