His gaze settled on Hyuga Hiashi, who seemed to be in agony.
His behavior was completely at odds with everyone else's.
He still wore that same hesitant expression, as though he were worried about something.
Shinichi Hyuga wanted to keep pressing Hiashi, to make him see the dark side of Konoha.
It seemed that Hiashi was dealing with Konoha's darkness right now.
When Shinichi had withdrawn his Byakugan, the Anbu and Root operatives had been carrying out their operation against the Hyuga Clan. They had even tried to turn Hiashi against them.
He wanted to see what Hiashi would choose.
"Hiashi, has Konoha been up to anything lately?" Shinichi asked, his gaze passing over Hiashi's face.
Hiashi's eyes flickered uncertainly. After a long silence, he raised his hand.
"Clan head, a lot has happened in Konoha recently.
"There's a rumor that the Hyuga Clan's reluctance to take on missions has caused Konoha great losses.
"Several clan heads came to me demanding an explanation. Everything they said made it clear how unhappy they were with the Hyuga Clan.
"But I'm no longer the clan head.
"The Third even sent someone to hint that he would help me become clan head again.
"What worries me is that more and more civilians are starting to think poorly of the Hyuga Clan, too."
The more Hiashi spoke, the angrier he became. By the end, his expression had turned calm.
Some people had always been in the habit of asking him about the Hyuga Clan's affairs. Lately, those inquiries had turned into interrogations.
It made him deeply uncomfortable.
He was now able to think about these matters from the perspective of one of Shinichi's subordinates.
The Hyuga shinobi around them erupted into an uproar at his words.
"Damn it, Konoha's the one stopping us from taking missions, and now they're turning around and blaming us!"
"Are those people blind?"
"Hiashi, stay away from them from now on!"
"..."
Indignant voices rang out from the Hyuga shinobi around them.
The accusations were so obviously baseless, yet some people still believed them.
Their words were aimed entirely at Konoha's leadership, and they thought better of Hiashi.
They had accepted him again and now stood on the same side.
Shinichi remained calm. He raised a hand and pressed it down, and everyone turned to look at him.
"We warned you long ago. The people coming after us now have ulterior motives.
"It's the same old trick: they're using the tactics they used against Hatake Sakumo on us.
"Now it's your turn to act!
"Before long, someone will come to make trouble at the Hyuga Clan's gate. Don't go easy on them."
As he spoke, he looked at Hiashi, his gaze pressing down on him.
Those words finally made everything click for them.
They remembered why this all felt so familiar.
It was just like when Hatake Sakumo had been hounded until his reputation was ruined!
Something that had never happened had been spread until it grew more and more outrageous.
In the end, Hatake Sakumo, the man hailed as the White Fang of Konoha, had taken his own life to atone!
They wouldn't be so "stupid."
"Clan head, we can't just stay on the defensive. We have to fight back." Hizashi raised his hand, indignant.
Konoha had left him deeply disappointed.
"Everyone, remember the predicament we're facing. Some people don't deserve forgiveness. If they've done it once, they'll do it again." Shinichi's gaze swept over the group. "Do you remember how Hatake Sakumo died? Don't let history repeat itself!"
They sank into their memories.
Back when Sakumo died, they had all watched from the sidelines, never imagining that things would end so terribly.
Now they faced the same dilemma he had.
What would they choose?
"Remember, if anyone targets our families, show no mercy!
"Hizashi, form a guard unit. If anyone tries to seize the Byakugan, whether they're civilians or shinobi, kill them on the spot under the charge of coveting the Byakugan!"
His gaze settled on Hizashi as he spoke, each word deliberate.
The murderous edge in his voice stirred everyone present.
They weren't sentimental fools like Hatake Sakumo.
Sacrifice themselves for Konoha?
What a joke!
"Yes!"
Hizashi nodded crisply, feeling even more convinced of Shinichi's leadership.
"I'll join, too!" Hiashi's eyes flickered, then turned resolute.
Seeing Hiashi's reaction, Shinichi nodded to himself.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Hiashi needed to change. He could no longer remain that indecisive pawn, planted in the Hyuga Clan and controlled by the Third.
The other Hyuga shinobi were eager to volunteer, too.
"You all have other assignments." Shinichi tapped the table lightly, stopping them.
"Konoha needs to face its own darkness! The truth about certain things that happened in the past needs to come to light!"
These people might not be strong fighters, but they had influence.
Shinichi would have them fight where they were strongest.
He would give them a taste of their own medicine.
He would smash the image of the Third that had been carefully built up over all these years!
Three scrolls appeared in his hands, and he began passing them around the room.
[The Uchiha Clan Massacre: A Plan Four Generations in the Making!]
[Hatake Sakumo: The Hero Who Died Amid Rumors, and the Man Who Started the Third Ninja World War!]
[The Senju Clan: The Truth Behind Its Downfall!]
The meeting room fell silent once again. Everyone was engrossed by the information Shinichi had revealed.
A chill spread through them. Even if none of the information could be verified, the Third, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and their clans would never rise again.
Considering the state of Konoha, these people had indeed been abusing their power.
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