Fists Are the Truth
The Hokage's Office.
Hyuga Hiashi's heart was taut, like a fully drawn bow. He stood in front of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's desk, his gaze fixed on Minato's young yet already quite dignified face, not missing a single subtle change in expression.
For the Hyuga Clan, known for its ancient traditions and closed-off nature, to lay their "family scandals" so openly before the highest authority in the village was almost unprecedented.
The sense of shame coiled around his heart like a cold snake, but even stronger was a profound sense of crisis.
That visitor from the moon who calls himself Yuto Otsutsuki has such blatant plundering intentions. If he or the forces behind him succeed, the Hyuga Clan will fall apart, and their proud Byakugan bloodline will become someone else's.
This is not only Hyuga blow to the Konoha —how can Konoha save face when a Ninja Clan is so easily destroyed by outsiders within its own village?
However, the Fourth Hokage's reaction was unexpected by Hiashi.
When Minato heard the surname "Otsutsuki," his expression wasn't one of complete unfamiliarity or solemnity, but rather a complex mix of emotions.
The initial surprise quickly subsided, followed by deep doubt, and finally, a strange sense of relief emerged. It was as if a long-standing puzzle had finally found an unexpected piece of the puzzle.
"Chief of the Hiashi."
The sound of the Minato broke the almost frozen atmosphere in the office. His knuckles unconsciously tapped lightly on the smooth desktop, making a soft tapping sound.
Are you sure the surname the other person mentioned is Otsutsuki? Did you hear me correctly, or is it some other surname with a similar pronunciation?
Minato confirmed again, his tone carrying an unusual caution, as if the three words "Otsutsuki" themselves contained a certain heavy weight.
Hiashi felt a chill run down his spine, keenly grasping the subtext in Minato's words.
The Hokage-sama —knows this surname? And seems to know quite a bit about it? He suppressed his churning thoughts, nodded solemnly, and stared directly at Minato with his pure white eyes. "Reporting to the Hokage-sama, it is absolutely true. He said it himself, the surname is Otsutsuki," coming from the moon, an envoy from the Hyuga Clan."
He paused for a moment, then tentatively added, "Judging from what the Hokage-sama said, could it be that the village—has some record of this surname?"
Minato did not answer immediately.
He leaned back in his wide chair, tilted his head slightly, and the sunlight seemed to penetrate the ceiling of the Hokage's Office, casting its light onto the distant and mysterious sky, onto the bright moon hanging in the heavens.
A subtle, enigmatic smile curved his lips, as if mocking himself, or perhaps as if he had discovered some absurd coincidence.
"Heh, that's quite a coincidence." Minato's voice, tinged with amusement, echoed in the quiet office. "I not only know, but I know—probably more than you think."
He withdrew his gaze and refocused on Hiashi, his deep blue eyes now as unfathomable as an abyss. "I never imagined that there would be people living on the distant moon, and even more so, people with intricate connections to us— the Otsutsuki. Interesting, truly incredibly interesting."
Hyuga Hiashi's heart skipped a beat.
As expected! The Konoha High Command possesses a secret that no one else knows! This perfectly matches his recent observations, all of which suggest that the village is facing some kind of extraordinary and immense pressure.
Now it seems that this pressure may very well originate from "Otsutsuki"!
"The veracity of their claims is indeed difficult for our clan to fully ascertain at present," Hiashi cautiously replied, while probing again, "It is a pity that our family records are so ancient and many have been lost, making it difficult to trace our ancestral origins. I wonder if there are any more detailed records in the village that we could refer to?"
He threw the question back to Minato, both to seek information and to confirm the extent of Konoha's involvement in the matter.
Minato Namikaze looked at Hiashi's inquiring and serious Byakugan and remained silent for a moment. Only the faint sounds of village noise and their steady breathing could be heard from outside the window in the office.
An invisible pressure permeated the air.
Finally, Minato seemed to have made up his mind. He sat up straight, crossed his hands on the table, and his expression became unusually serious.
"Chief of the Hiashi."
Minato's tone was low and solemn, "The information involved in this matter is top secret in Konoha, known to fewer than two people. According to protocol, it should never be revealed to you at this time and in this place."
His sharp gaze met Hiashi. "But since the Hyuga Clan is already deeply embroiled in this, at the center of the vortex, for the overall safety of the village and the survival of the Hyuga Clan, it is necessary for you to know some of the core truth. However—"
Minato's voice suddenly turned stern, "Remember! What you hear here today is only to be known by you and your Great Elder Hyuga Zongyan! It must never be divulged!"
I believe that with your combined prestige in Hyuga, suppressing any potential dissent within the clan without further information leaks should not be difficult!
This almost warning-like instruction made Hyuga Hiashi instantly understand the weight of the information that followed. He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "Hokage-sama, please rest assured! Great Elder Hyuga Zongyan and I will certainly keep our mouths shut and fully cooperate with the village!"
"Very good." Minato nodded slightly, then raised his voice, "Someone come here!"
The office door slid open silently, and an Anbu Ninja wearing an animal mask appeared in the doorway like a shadow, kneeling on one knee. "Hokage-sama!"
"Immediately summon the Lord Third and Jonin Taichi Matsushita to the Hokage's Office! There is an urgent matter to discuss! Go now!" Minato's order was concise and forceful.
"Yes!" The Anbu Ninja acknowledged the order and vanished instantly.
As the office door closed again, silence returned to the room. Minato said nothing more, simply picking up a document and glancing at it, but clearly not actually reading it.
Hyuga Hiashi stood silently, his mind churning with thoughts. The Otsutsuki, the moon, the Main Family and the Branch Family, and the even more terrifying "Celestial Being" mentioned by the Hokage —the chaotic clues intertwined and collided, making even this usually composed clan leader feel suffocated.
Minato was also pondering. What was the purpose of the Otsutsuki branch on the moon? Was it merely for the Hyuga? Or did they have other plans? Konoha's development plans, the threat from Akatsuki, and this sudden lunar variable—a myriad of issues, like an increasingly dense web.
Time passed slowly in an oppressive silence. About twenty minutes later, the office door was pushed open again, and the Third Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage Sarutobi, dressed in casual clothes and smoking a pipe, walked in.
A hint of bewilderment at being summoned so suddenly crossed his aged face. But when he saw Minato and Hyuga Hiashi in the room, that bewilderment instantly turned to surprise. What kind of important matter required the presence of a retired Hokage like himself, and also the Hyuga clan head?
"Minato, Hiashi, what happened?" the Third Hokage asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping across the two men's faces and catching their unusual solemnity.
"Teacher, the situation is a bit complicated. Please sit down for a moment, and we will explain everything Taiichi arrives." Minato stood up to gesture.
The Third Kazekage Hokage nodded, walked to the sofa and sat down, wisps of smoke rising from his pipe. He didn't ask any more questions, but the seriousness in his eyes was in sync with Minato and Hiashi's.
About ten minutes later, the office door was pushed open rather hastily.
Taiichi appeared at the doorway, a hint of apology on his face. He scratched his head and said, "Ah! I'm really sorry. I was just conducting a crucial training experiment, and I had to recall all my Shadow Clone, so I didn't receive the notification in time."
His breathing was steady, but the lingering smell of sweat and a trace of Chakra fluctuations that had not yet completely subsided indicated that he had indeed just emerged from intense training.
Following closely behind him was the Anbu Ninja who had gone to deliver the order.
He exuded an almost palpable sense of oppression. Although the mask covered his face, the frustration and sense of dereliction of duty he felt after searching for someone for half an hour and almost turning the village upside down was almost overflowing.
He knelt on one knee before Minato and reported, "Hokage-sama, Taichi Matsushita Jonin been brought here."
His voice was flat, but after he finished speaking, as he got up to leave, his gaze lingered on Taiichi for a very brief moment, carrying an undisguised silent accusation of "You just wait," before he quickly disappeared out the door.
Taiichi curled his lip at the retreating figure of the Anbu, muttering in a voice only he could hear, "Tch, Kakashi, don't think I won't recognize you just because you used the Transformation Technique. You'll be sorry when you get off work."
Taiichi walked into the office, his gaze sweeping over the three people present, lingering a moment longer on Hyuga Hiashi, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.
The spying gaze from the Hyuga Clan Compound a few days ago instantly became clear in his mind.
"It seems the Hyuga Clan's troubles are coming sooner and bigger than I imagined—" He understood in his heart, but his face returned to calm as he walked to stand next to the Third Kazekage.
"Alright, everyone who's supposed to be here is here." Minato sat up straight again, the relaxed expression on his face completely gone, replaced by the seriousness and solemnity befitting Hokage.
"Hiashi, please explain the current situation of the Hyuga Clan to the Third Kazekage Hokage and Taiichi in detail again."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Hyuga Hiashi another deep breath and explained everything that had happened since Yuto Otsutsuki appeared.
As Hiashi continued his narration, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, grew increasingly solemn.
Upon hearing the surname "Otsutsuki," his hand gripping his pipe tightened suddenly, the muscles on his aged face twitched involuntarily, and a deep tension and apprehension flashed across his eyes!
Almost subconsciously, he thought of the Urashiki Otsutsuki who appeared in Rōran. Could the one on the moon be a member of Urashiki's clan? Had they arrived ahead of time? This thought sent a chill down his spine.
However, as Hiashi continued his narration, the Third Kazekage's tense nerves began to Matsushita slightly.
It turns out he wasn't a pure "Celestial Being" like Urashiki, but rather—an ancient branch of the Hyuga Clan? Although they share the same name "Otsutsuki," their nature seems completely different.
The Third Kazekage Hokage exhaled a long puff of smoke, but his tightly furrowed brows did not completely relax. Regardless of whether they shared the same origin, the arrogance, greed, and sinister intentions of this lunar branch in splitting the Hyuga were equally enormous threats that could not be ignored!
Taiichi listened quietly the whole time, his face showing little surprise, only a knowing "I knew it" expression.
When he heard "Moon Otsutsuki," everything became clear to him. The source of the spying gaze he had heard a few days ago finally matched up.
However, this messenger was too arrogant and too foolish.
Taiichi pondered the current strength of the Otsutsuki on the moon: Had the Giant Tenseigan been completed? Had any of the individuals Tenseigan?
If not—then what bargaining chips do they have left in front of Konoha, besides their so-called "Pure Byakugan" and some secret techniques they might possess?
A barely perceptible chill crept into the corner of his mouth.
After Hiashi finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the office. The Third Kazekage Hokage puffed on his pipe, his eyes sharp through the swirling smoke. Minato looked at Hiashi and said, "Hiashi, based on your situation and the village's responsibility to protect it, I can now reveal some of the village's top-secret information to you."
This is related to the "Otsutsuki" you encountered, but it doesn't refer to the lunar branch; rather, it refers to something far more terrifying.
Minato's voice became unusually low as he selectively shared with Hyuga Hiashi the core information the village possessed regarding the "Celestial Being." This included the fact that these "Celestial Being" were also called "Otsutsuki," but they were not native to the Ninja World; rather, they were pure extraterrestrial life forms from a distant star system. Furthermore, Taiichi had already engaged in a fierce battle with one of the Otsutsuki members named "Urashiki" in the Land of Wind, Rōran, during a mission, and ultimately annihilated him!
The level of power displayed by "the Celestial Being killed by Taiichi" far surpasses that of ordinary Kage Level, even touching the limits of our understanding.
Minato's gaze fell on Taiichi, carrying both affirmation and a heavy sense of responsibility.
"It is precisely because of this understanding of the threat posed by these extraterrestrial 'Otsutsuki' that the village's recent reforms and consolidation of power have been accelerated. The strength of our opponent forces us to become stronger, otherwise—we will not be able to survive the storms to come."
Hyuga Hiashi listened to Minato's account, his pure white pupils widened slightly in shock.
The Celestial Being —also called Otsutsuki!
Extraterrestrial life!
Power far exceeding Kage Level!
Taiichi has already killed one!
These pieces of information struck him like a thunderbolt, exploding in his mind. He finally understood the various unusual actions taken by the Village Higher-Ups recently, and he understood the source of the deep worry in the Fourth Hokage's eyes.
Compared to this world-ending threat, the trouble caused by the Moon Otsutsuki branch seems to be—downgraded?
No, Hiashi immediately dismissed the idea. The lunar branch was also a threat, and it was very close. They were also called "Otsutsuki," and who knew if they had a deeper connection with those extraterrestrial monsters?
This has only made the situation more complicated and dangerous!
"I see... I see..." Hiashi murmured, his gaze towards Taiichi filled with complex emotions.
Next, the four engaged in an in-depth discussion about how to deal with Yuto Otsutsuki the moon and the threat behind him.
Hiashi concern, "The biggest problem right now is that we know nothing about the situation on the moon. How many people are there? What is their strength? Do they possess terrifying beings like those from Celestial Being? We don't even know—how to get to the moon!"
The lack of information rendered all countermeasures as castles in the air.
The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke, his brow furrowed. "This is indeed troublesome. The other side has the advantage of terrain and information, while we are on the defensive. Rushing to deal with this envoy could provoke a furious retaliation from the lunar forces."
The discussion reached a stalemate. How could they effectively resolve the current crisis and deter potential lunar threats without escalating tensions or exposing their own intelligence weaknesses?
Amicable negotiations? The other side has already displayed blatant malice.
Forcefully expelling them? The opponent's strength is unknown, and the consequences could be disastrous.
Just then, Taiichi, who had been listening silently, spoke up. His voice was calm, yet carried the confidence of someone who knew the bottom line. "Hokage-sama, Third Kazekage Hokage-sama, Hiashi Head Hiashi, I think—have we overcomplicated things?"
All three eyes immediately focused on him.
Taiichi met their gazes, his tone calm yet brimming with powerful confidence. "If we lack sufficient intelligence, then we'll obtain it from this intelligence source right in front of us."
Since the other party came with malicious intent to split the Hyuga and plot treachery, and has already taken action, then he is not an envoy, but a spy and sabotage agent planted by the enemy.
"When dealing with an enemy, a hostile guest who has already shown his fangs, is there any need for ninjas to hesitate about how to handle him?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Minato and the Third Kazekage, as if reminding them of their essential role as ninjas. "Too much hesitation will only hinder our actions. Just take him down! Whether we kill him, imprison him, or pry him open to extract information, wouldn't the initiative be back in our hands?"
As for the lunar forces behind him—we'll deal with whatever comes our way. Do you think Konoha is afraid of a clan that hides on the moon and needs to travel to the Ninja World to seek help from a distant branch separated for countless generations?
Taiichi's words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the fog of hesitation that shrouded the Hokage's Office. Minato and the Third Kazekage Hokage exchanged a glance, both seeing realization and a hint of self-mockery in each other's eyes.
Yes, they were intimidated by the name of "Otsutsuki," the unknown lunar forces, and the potential chain reaction of "extraterrestrial threats," and instead overlooked the most direct and effective solution: to let strength speak for itself and control the enemy in front of them!
In the world of ninjas, strength ultimately reigns supreme.
Minato's face broke into the first genuinely relaxed smile since the meeting began. He looked at Taiichi, his eyes filled with trust and appreciation. "Taiichi, you're right. We were distracted by the name 'Otsutsuki' and forgot the most fundamental principles."
He decisively ordered, "Then, do as you say! Hiashi, please lead the way. Taiichi, you take down that Yuto Otsutsuki! Make sure he's incapacitated, and at the same time, try to keep him alive if possible!"
The Third Kazekage tapped his pipe heavily in agreement. "Excellent! There's no need to be polite when dealing with such treacherous villains who intend to divide the village 'Chunin clans! Taiichi, go for it!"
Taiichi's lips curled into a confident smile, a smile that seemed to carry a calming power.
"Please rest assured Hokage-sama and Third Kazekage Hokage. I noticed this person a few days ago. He was brazenly spying on the village with his Byakugan. At the time, I thought it was some unruly Hyuga clan member. Now that I think about it, it must be him."
He cracked his wrists slightly, making a soft popping sound, and said in a relaxed tone that carried absolute confidence, "Take him down? A piece of cake."