Unreasonable Demands, Great Elder, Sarutobi and Shimura Disappointed

"The Root ninjas went missing in your Hyuga territory. You Hyuga cannot shirk this responsibility, so you had better hand them over~" Danzō could no longer hold back and began his assault directly. In his heart, he was determined to get his hands on that secret technique to restore his youth...~

Just thinking about it made his heart burn with fervor.

"Root ninjas?! What Root ninjas? Danzō, what on earth are you talking about?!" Hyuga Hoze looked confused.

Hyuga Hoze continued, "What do Root ninjas have to do with us Hyuga? Aren't they your subordinates, Danzō? It's hardly appropriate for you to come asking us for people who went missing..."

Danzō: "Root ninjas went missing near your Hyuga estate. You must take responsibility~"

Hyuga Hoze put on an exaggerated expression: "If people go missing, you should ask the Police Force to investigate. Oh, wait, the Uchiha are gone... and the Police Force is gone too...~"

"Then you should go ask the Hokage. He is... cough cough... he is your close friend; he will surely help you..."

Danzō said with a sinister tone: "Someone saw them enter your Hyuga estate and they never came out. How do you explain that..."

"What? Root came to the Hyuga? When did this happen? Do you know about this, Hiashi? Did you receive them?" Hyuga Hoze acted bewildered, then turned to look at Hyuga Hiashi to ask.

"No, no, I don't know anything about this. None of the clansmen reported such a thing... Lord Danzō, are you perhaps misremembering..." Hiashi played along with the Great Elder, looking at Danzō with a blank expression.

"Someone saw it," Danzō insisted.

Hyuga Hoze's main strategy was simply to deny everything: "Who saw it? Bring them here to confront us. Did you bring that person with you? Let me take a look..."

Danzō: "To protect the witness, I cannot bring him out. Regardless, are you Hyuga going to admit it or not..."

This was clearly an attempt to frame them, though even if it were true, it certainly didn't sound like it.

Danzō felt bitter inside.

He never expected these thick-browed, big-eyed Hyuga fellows to flat-out deny it. Whoever says the Hyuga are arrogant and that honest men don't lie, I'll kill them.

Nonsense, this was a decision he made on the fly.

Where would he find a witness?

He was just saying it off the cuff. Where could he find someone now? Even if he did, it would just be one of his own men, which would have absolutely no persuasive power.

"Danzō, you..."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes in pain. Damn it, Danzō, you pig-teammate! You idiot! Can't you think before you speak? Is your mouth rented? Can't you wait for me to finish speaking first?

(Qingwu: Hahaha~ This is killing me! Danzō, are you a clown sent by a monkey? A monkey... hahaha...)

Hyuga Hoze rolled his eyes: "How can we admit to something that never happened?"

Danzō: "I said, someone saw it."

"Then make him come out."

"To protect the witness, I fear your Hyuga might retaliate."

"So it's just empty words from your mouth, then... Oh my, how impressive... If the witness doesn't come out, then he doesn't exist~"

"I am a Konoha Elder; would I lie?"

"That's hard to say. I'm not sure about others, but I can't trust you, Shimura Danzō. You even call yourself the Root; isn't the 'Darkness of the Ninja World' just pitch black?!"

"I..."

"And now that you mention it, you said they went missing near our Hyuga. What were your Root ninjas doing near our estate in the first place?!"

"Do you have spies in our Hyuga reporting to you that we are planning to betray the village?!"

"What?! Are you monitoring us? Or is it that wiping out the Uchiha isn't enough to satisfy you... and now you want to wipe out my Hyuga...~"

"Why don't you try it? You don't have teeth sharp enough to bite the Hyuga." After saying this, Hyuga Hoze tore open his clothes to reveal his bulging muscles, with a green dragon on the left and a white tiger on the right, and an old ox on his waist.

This was Danzō's usual tactic—slapping a big label on someone—but he didn't expect Hyuga Hoze to use it on him first.

Danzō: ... (Those were my lines.)

(In the shadows, Qingwu watched this scene, laughing until his stomach hurt. It was too interesting, just like watching a comedy sketch during the Spring Festival.)

"Cough, cough, cough~ Elder Hoze, Elder Hoze, don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive..." Sarutobi Hiruzen used a Body Flicker technique to block Hyuga Hoze, hurriedly trying to persuade him with kind words.

"Danzō is naturally anxious because his subordinates went missing. He might have been misled; no one is saying the Hyuga did it..."

"And Elder Hoze, you are mistaken about one thing: the Uchiha were wiped out by that traitor Itachi Uchiha; it has nothing to do with us."

"As for wiping out the Hyuga, where would such a thing come from? We in Konoha are a loving family; how could we do such a cruel thing? You are overthinking it..."

His words were truly comprehensive. He didn't admit to any responsibility, sounding righteous and dignified. Sarutobi Hiruzen's level of skill was truly profound.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage, for speaking up for justice. It is still you, Lord Hokage, who sees things clearly, unlike some people... Hmph~"

"My Hyuga are absolutely law-abiding people; we would never do anything harmful, underhanded, or... sneaky..."

Hyuga Hoze took the opportunity to step down and flatter Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also replied: "Elder Hoze is also vigorous in his old age. We are all doing this for Konoha; please forgive Danzō." For the sake of the secret technique, he decisively sold out his teammate.

"Fine, for the sake of the Hokage, I won't hold it against him. But Lord Advisor, you shouldn't speak nonsense. If word got out that I was plotting against my comrades, how would my Hyuga ever hold their heads high?" Hyuga Hoze took the win and stopped while he was ahead.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "I knew Elder Hoze was a man of great wisdom."

"Haha~ Lord Hokage, you flatter me."

Danzō looked as if he had just swallowed excrement.

Hyuga Hoze, Sarutobi Hiruzen, you two bastards.

Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga watched the scene with wide-eyed shock, finding it absolutely thrilling; they didn't dare make a sound.

No wonder we aren't the ones in charge.

This is the gap between us.

The brothers exchanged a glance, having truly broadened their horizons today.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others knew they wouldn't get any more answers today; after all, the Hyuga clan's stance was resolute, and they did not want to escalate the situation further.

After all, this concerned the stability and reputation of Konoha, and attempting to seize the secrets of a ninja clan was a taboo in itself.

Thus, they could only seek a better opportunity in the future to see if there were other ways to extract more information from the Hyuga clan.

They had lost all face today; they had originally thought they could easily manipulate the Hyuga clan, only to be countered and left utterly humiliated.

Not only that, but there was also no word on the missing Root ninja, which left them feeling incredibly awkward and helpless.

However, it was not without gains; at the very least, they now knew that Hyuga Hoze had regained his youth, which was an important clue for them.

"It is getting late, and Danzo and I still have much official business to attend to. Clan Leader Hiashi, Great Elder Hoze, we shall take our leave." Sarutobi Hiruzen took the initiative to excuse himself to save some face.

"Lord Hokage, stay for a meal before you go. I have already told the kitchen to prepare one, and it will be ready soon..." Hyuga Hiashi played along politely... though he did not seem very sincere.

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke righteously: "There is no need. There are no small matters when it comes to the villagers."

"Every minute delayed is a minute of livelihood lost for the villagers. Let us save the meal for another time. Danzo, let us go..."

Danzo: "Hmph!"

Subsequently, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo left the Hyuga compound with ashen faces, their hearts filled with anger and resentment, yet they were helpless to do anything about it.

"Bastards!"

Once outside, Danzo said angrily: "Hiruzen, are we just going to leave like this?! These damned Hyuga are just brushing us off. Should we bring men to..."

"Danzo, watch your tongue!!!" The Third Hokage, Sarutobi, immediately cut Danzo off. They were still very close to the Hyuga compound, and the Hyuga were famous for their keen eyesight; it would be disastrous if someone there could read lips.

"Follow me, we will discuss this once we return."

They then returned to the Hokage Building together, preparing to deliberate on their next move.

"Someone, go and invite the two advisors."

At the same time, they also sent men to notify the other two Hokage assistants, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, asking them to join the meeting to discuss this matter together.