Wolong Fengchu, Noble Families Divided (1)

In the quiet night, the screams of Kumogakure Delegation, the leader of the Kawashima Kamiya delegation, were very abrupt, attracting the Hyuga Branch Family ninjas who were responsible for guarding him.

"Lord Hiashi!"

When they saw Hyuga Hiashi holding the unconscious Hinata, with a ninja dressed in black lying in front of them, everyone immediately realized that someone had sneaked into the backyard under their protection and kidnapped Hinata. If the clan leader hadn't discovered it, their crime would have been much greater.

Everyone knelt down on one knee.

At that moment, a commotion arose not far away, followed by several beams of light. Three members of the Kumogakure Delegation rushed over with flashlights, followed by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.

Three Kumogakure Ninja approached Kawashima Kamiya, checked his breathing and pulse, and immediately cried out in alarm.

"Lord Kamiya!?"

"Lord Kamiya is dead! Who did it!?"

"You Hyūga ninjas actually killed our Kumogakure's Lord Kamiya!"

"It's a wonder that Raikage-sama sent us here to strengthen our alliance. Is this how Konoha treats its allies?"

Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils Danzo slightly, while Danzo's expression shifted, and the two couldn't help but exchange a glance.

"This might be a misunderstanding. Please calm down," Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice, his brows furrowed.

"Misunderstanding?! Lord Kamiya is already dead, how can it be a misunderstanding? His heart was shattered by Gentle Fist!" the Kumogakure ninja shouted angrily.

"It was clearly Kawashima Kamiya who tried to kidnap Hinata, which is why he was killed by the Clan Head. It was your Kumogakure people who were dishonest!" The Jōnin of the Hyuga Branch Family immediately retorted, "The banquet is over. How do you explain why Kawashima Kamiya was at the back door of the clan leader's residence?!"

"Nonsense!"

"Lord Kamiya is drunk and can't even stand properly. How could he possibly have the ability to kidnap members of the Hyūga!?"

"Lord Kamiya was just looking for a place to relieve himself, never expecting to be murdered by you!"

"If Lord Kamiya hadn't been drunk, your Hyūga Gentle Fist wouldn't have been able to harm him in the slightest!"

Three Kumogakure Ninja began to confront the Hyūga clan members head-on, showing no fear of the group of Konoha Ninja surrounding them.

"What did you say?!"

"How dare you underestimate the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan!"

The Hyūga ninjas were also enraged by the arrogant attitude of the three Kumogakure members.

"Enough, be quiet!" Hyuga Hiashi suddenly spoke up, looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō who remained silent.

The other members of the Branch Family family all fell silent, only glaring angrily at the Kumogakure ninjas.

"Konoha must give us a satisfactory explanation for this matter! Otherwise, our Raikage-sama will definitely take revenge on Konoha at all costs!" The Kumogakure ninja's attitude was extremely firm.

"This..." Sarutobi Hiruzen had a headache. Although it seemed that the Kumogakure was deliberately causing trouble, the ninja who led the team this time, Kawashima Kamiya, was also Elite Jonin of the Kumogakure Kawashima Kamiya. He was killed instantly by Hiashi. If it wasn't because the other party was drunk and his strength was greatly reduced, it wouldn't make sense. In order to get the Byakugan, the Kumogakure was willing to go to such lengths.

This matter could be a big or small issue; if not handled properly, it could become a diplomatic problem, or even lead to war.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen in a dilemma, an Anbu Ninja wearing Animal Mask appeared in the arena, knelt on one knee, and said:

"The Lord Third Hokage, Danzo, and Fourth Hokage Hokage's wife, Luming, were attacked on their way home with Naruto and Karin. Luming was seriously injured and fell into a coma. Naruto and Karin were rescued by Kakashi and Uchiha Issei. One of the two Kumogakure Jonin kidnapped them was killed by Kakashi, and the other was driven insane by Uchiha Issei's Genjutsu."

"What?! Luming is injured! What about Naruto and Karin?" Sarutobi Hiruzen in surprise.

Uzumaki Ashina, along with Naruto and Karin, are not only the Fourth Hokage's relatives, but more importantly, they are candidates to be the Vessel for the ' False Nine-Tails Jinchuriki '. This is a matter of great importance, and no unexpected situations can be allowed to occur.

The fact that the Kumogakure ninjas dared to attack them has crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's bottom line.

"Lord Luming has been taken to the hospital for treatment. Naruto and Karin were only briefly unconscious and were not injured," the Anbu Ninja added.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression softened slightly. Naruto's talent was exceptional, making him the best candidate for Jinchuriki. The fact that he was alright eased Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind a little.

"Order the Medical Corps to do everything they can to treat Luming," Sarutobi Hiruzen then ordered. Uzumaki Ashina's Chakra was extremely special; as long as the injured person was not fatally wounded, they could quickly heal their injuries by biting her body and absorbing her blood and Chakra.

However, this method would deplete Uzumaki Ashina's life force, so only a handful of people knew about it. Sarutobi Hiruzen only learned about it from Minato Namikaze.

As long as Uzumaki Ashina can awaken, she can recover from her injuries by biting herself, but of course, the loss of her life force will be the same.

"I think the Kumogakure Village members should give me an explanation." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head and looked at the remaining three members of the Kumogakure Delegation with a stern face.

Back then, it was the ninjas from Kumogakure who kidnapped Kushina, but he made things worse by letting Kushina know what he had done, causing Kushina to drift away from Konoha. Otherwise, Shiraha and Kushina wouldn't have left Konoha later, leaving an indelible stain on his record during his reign.

Now that the Kumogakure has already targeted the Hyuga Hyūga, they even dared to attack Naruto and his friends.

The three members of the Kumogakure felt a chill run down their spines as they sensed the powerful aura emanating from Sarutobi Hiruzen. Although the old man before them was no longer the formidable Shinobi World Ninja Hero he once was, he still possessed some of the strength he once had. Facing the Third Hokage, one of the Five Kage of the Era, they still felt considerable pressure.

However, three Jonin had already sacrificed Jōnin in this mission, and the remaining three had long since become indifferent to life and death, so on the surface they showed no intention of backing down.

"That's utter nonsense!"

"We're in Konoha. Even if we capture someone, do you think we can successfully leave Konoha with them?"

"This is a conspiracy by your Konoha! You deliberately killed our Kumogakure ninjas!"

The Third Hokage was terrifying, but after all, their leader was the Third Raikage, A, the strongest man among the Five Kage of the Era, and the one who stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World.

If Yagami Shiraha and Kushina Uzumaki were still in Konoha, perhaps Kumogakure would have had a different option.

"Hmph!" Danzo coldly, his eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in them. He glanced at the three people from Kumogakure and said in a deep voice, "We need to discuss this matter before we can reach a conclusion."

With that, Danzo looked at the Anbu Ninja beside him and ordered, "Take the three envoys from Kumogakure to rest, and have Kakashi and Uchiha Issei."

"Yes!" The Anbu Ninja bowed respectfully and then approached the three Kumogakure Ninja.

Seeing this, the three Kumogakure Ninja knew they couldn't push him too far, so they carried Kawashima Kamiya's body and followed the Anbu Ninja away.

After the people from Kumogakure left, Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Hiashi, let's go inside and talk."

"Yes, Lord Third Hokage." Hyuga Hiashi nodded, handed Hinata to a servant, and then ordered the Branch Family ninjas present, "Disperse."

Hyuga Hiashi, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Shimura Danzō arrived at a room in the backyard of the mansion. Soon after, several elders from the Hyuga clan Main Family of the Hyuga clan arrived upon hearing the news.

"What exactly happened with Hiashi?"

The elderly men looked to be in their sixties or seventies, and were of the same generation as the previous clan leader. Their foreheads, which had no Cursed Seal marks, showed their noble status as members of the Main Family.

"Elder, yes." Hyuga Hiashi gave a brief explanation.

"Third Hokage, Danzo, this is clearly a scheme deliberately set up by the Kumogakure ninjas to obtain the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. Can't you see that?" The Main Family Elder questioned in a deep voice, "Don't you understand how serious the consequences would be if the Third Raikage obtained the Byakugan?"

"There are indeed many suspicious points in this matter, but it is true that an Elite Jonin Kumogakure of Kumogakure died. If they insist on this, it will be difficult to handle."

Danzo spoke slowly, then gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a wink.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated slightly. As a former teammate, he instantly understood Danzo's meaning: he intended to use this incident to give the Hyuga clan a warning.

This also aligns with Sarutobi Hiruzen's own interests. After all, the Hyuga clan gaining too much influence and has had frequent contact with the Uchiha Clan recently. Although he says that Uchiha Issei and Hyuga Hideto are just personal friends and cannot represent the Uchiha and Hyūga, both of them are among the strongest in their respective clans, so how could he not be wary of them?

"This is difficult?! The people of Kumogakure have kidnapped the eldest daughter of our Hyuga Main Family! Haven't they considered the consequences? This is a provocation against Hyūga and Konoha!" the Main Family Elder said angrily.

The other Main Family Elder offered words of advice, but their general sentiment was that they would never compromise with the Kumogakure.

"The Lord Third Hokage, Danzo. Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Issei."

Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, footsteps came from the backyard and finally stopped under the porch. Anbu Ninja brought Kakashi and Issei.

"Come in."

Danzo said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" The Anbu Ninja opened the wooden door, and Kakashi and Issei walked in together.

"Lord Third Hokage, Danzo." Kakashi and Issei bowed slightly to the two.

"Lord Third Hokage, the envoy from Kumogakure has said that if Lord Hiashi is not handed over before dawn, they will set off. Kumogakure is prepared to wage war against Konoha."

The Anbu Ninja relayed the conditions of the three envoys from Kumogakure.

"This is outrageous! It's outrageous! They kidnapped our Main Family's young lady and now they want us to hand over Hiashi! This is absolutely impossible!" The Main Family Elder was furious, and the other Main Family members also showed murderous intent. Finally, they turned their gazes to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"It shouldn't escalate to the point of war. I believe the problem can be resolved through communication and negotiation."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly. After hesitating for a long time, he uttered a pointless remark.

Afterwards, the Anbu Ninja left to convey his message.

Danzo coldly, secretly amused. Such words were exactly the kind of excuse Hiruzen could give without even having to act.

This time, we need to give the Hyuga clan a good talking-to, and the Uchiha Clan as well.

Thinking of this, Danzo looked at Issei and Kakashi beside him and said, "You two recount the events of tonight in detail, without omitting any details."

"Yes." Kakashi nodded. "I chatted with Issei-kun for a bit when we left, and then we ran into two people from Kumogakure at the alley exit. They were wearing black coats and had black cloth covering their chests, and they looked very impressive."

After we shouted to stop them, they ran away and attacked us as we chased after them.

During the battle, I discovered that the person being held in the arms of the Kumogakure Ninja was the unconscious Naruto, so I struck and killed him.

On the other side, Issei-kun used Genjutsu to subdue the enemy and save Karin.

Later, we found Mrs. Luming, severely injured and unconscious, in the alley.

"Is that so?" Danzo turned to look at Issei. He wasn't quite aware of the fact that Kakashi and Uchiha Issei were getting close, and he had some doubts.

"Yes." Issei nodded and continued, "Actually, we don't need to worry. This matter itself is a conspiracy by Kumogakure. They probably want to manipulate the division of benefits in the alliance, so they planned this incident. If they succeed, they will naturally reap huge rewards."

Even if they fail, they can use this as leverage to try and force Konoha to make concessions.

As for declaring war on Konoha, I think it's unlikely they would do such a thing.

Issei finished speaking, the elders of the Hyuga Main Family also expressed their agreement, which was quite obvious.

"That's true."

"Issei is right."

Danzo's expression darkened slightly. He said, "I didn't ask for your opinion on this matter. What good is it if you think it's useless? Those brutes Kumogakure are capable of anything. What if they really start a war against Konoha? Can you take responsibility for that? Or do you think you can represent the Uchiha and Konoha now?!"

"..." Everyone in the room fell silent. Danzo's words had already made his stance clear, and the silence of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, also made his meaning obvious.

However, Issei didn't give Danzo any face at all, directly retorting, "Why should Konoha be afraid of Kumogakure?! Even if Konoha 'Kumogakure strength is no longer as overwhelmingly superior as it once was, we still have the upper hand. In a real fight, how could Kumogakure alone possibly defeat Konoha! We're afraid of war, but isn't Kumogakure afraid too? Even if I'm only representing myself, I'm willing to be the first to charge into battle! Rather than suffer a humiliating compromise and die under a conspiracy."

Issei's words caused a slight ripple in Kakashi's eyes, and his hands, which had been hanging down naturally, clenched tightly.

"If you're afraid of death, you're not Uchiha!" At that moment, a confident female voice came from outside the room.

Chiho, Shisui, and Fugaku walked in.

It was Chiho who was speaking.

Although she disliked Issei, Chiho needed someone to support her in order to become the clan leader because Shisui and Issei were close. So Chiho had been trying to win over Shisui recently, which also led to her getting involved with Issei.

Of course, the most crucial point is that this matter involves the Uchiha clan members, so even if it weren't for personal gain, she would still have to take action.

"Lord Third Hokage, Danzo." The three bowed slightly.

A short while later, the Anbu Ninja returned, bringing with them new conditions from the Kumogakure Ninja.

"Lord Third Hokage, the Kumogakure envoys have packed their bags and are ready to depart. They say we must either hand over Lord Hiashi or Kakashi and Issei —it's a choice!"