Reactions from All Sides

In the Hokage office, Hiruzen Sarutobi held a piece of intelligence in his hand. As he read it, his brow furrowed.

"The Land of Rivers? I never expected Kakashi and Itachi to suffer such a significant setback this time."

Only after seeing the report sent by Kakashi did Hiruzen realize that the enemy was extremely troublesome, and he hesitated over whether to dispatch reinforcements once again.

Hiruzen set down the report in his hand and pulled out another. This one recorded the two identities Hyuuga Nen had used in the Land of Sea and the Land of Tea, provided by Kakuzu.

The intelligence also noted that Kakuzu had already sold this information to the underground Bounty Exchange. In other words, information regarding Hyuuga Nen was already known to ninja villages outside of Konoha.

After finishing the report, Hiruzen's aged complexion seemed to grow even more pronounced. He let out a long sigh and began to smoke his pipe.

Just as Hiruzen was puffing on his pipe, looking troubled, the sound of a cane tapping against the floor echoed outside the office.

Tap, tap.

Danzo Shimura opened the office door and walked in, holding a report of his own.

Danzo silently handed the intelligence to Hiruzen and then watched him quietly.

Hiruzen opened the report; it was urgent information sent by spies stationed in other countries. Aside from Konoha, the other four great nations had already begun organizing personnel, preparing to hunt down Hyuuga Nen.

Looking at this information, Hiruzen simply smoked his pipe in silence, seemingly still contemplating his next move.

"Hiruzen, in the face of this situation, what do you intend to do?" Danzo asked, his hands leaning on his cane.

"According to the report, the other great nations do not yet know the whereabouts of this Hyuga clansman, so they can only rely on deductions."

"Furthermore, due to time and distance, they will likely choose to search in nearby countries. The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth will probably start from the Land of Rivers, while the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning will likely begin their search from the island nations near them."

As Hiruzen spoke slowly, he handed the report from Kakashi and his team to Danzo.

"In that case, there is a high probability that this Hyuga clansman will head to the Land of Rivers." After reading the report, Danzo looked at Hiruzen and asked.

Hiruzen nodded. "If the judgment of Kakashi and his team is correct, the destination of this Hyuga clansman should indeed be the Land of Rivers."

"If that is the case, Kakashi and his team will very likely run into people from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. Hiruzen, let my Root move out. I guarantee I can bring him back!"

Regarding Danzo's request, Hiruzen pondered for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

Because the situation had already spiraled out of control, and according to the information from Kakashi, this Hyuga clansman possessed immense strength, Hiruzen had no choice but to agree to Danzo's demand.

Before Hiruzen could speak, Danzo added, "In addition to Root, I also intend to take members of the Hyuga Clan."

"The Hyuga Branch House? How can you guarantee that those you take will be loyal?" Hiruzen posed this question to Danzo.

"I will have Root ninja supervise them. They will only serve a tracking role in this operation; I will not let them interfere with the final capture."

"Fine, do as you say." Hiruzen nodded and added, "Considering you might encounter people from the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, I intend to pull one person each from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to provide support. Let them join your team."

Danzo seemed not to have expected Hiruzen to make such a request. He paused before continuing, "No problem, let the Ino-Shika-Cho members join as well."

"If there is nothing else, I will begin mobilizing personnel now," Danzo asked Hiruzen one last time.

"No problem, Danzo. I leave this matter to you," Hiruzen said finally.

After Danzo left the Hokage's office, Hiruzen stood up from his seat, walked to the window, and looked up at the faces carved into the Hokage Rock in the distance, lost in thought.

After a long while, Hiruzen snapped back to reality and said, "Tell the head of the Hyuga Clan... never mind, I will go there myself." With that, Hiruzen left the office.

When Hiruzen arrived at the Hyuga Clan compound, Hiashi Hyuga was already waiting at the gate.

"Lord Hokage, you have arrived. Please, follow me," Hiashi said.

Hiruzen nodded and followed Hiashi to his room. Several members of the Main House were already waiting inside; upon seeing Hiruzen, they hurriedly greeted him.

Hiruzen was in no mood for pleasantries. After sitting down, he asked directly, "Hiashi, how is the investigation into the task I gave you coming along?"

At this, a hint of nervousness appeared on Hiashi's face, and he hurriedly stood up.

"Lord Hokage, because this matter was previously being investigated secretly by our Main House, our manpower was truly limited, and we have not uncovered anything useful. Please, give me more time."

"Have you learned of the intelligence coming from the black market yet?" Ignoring Hiashi's explanation, Hiruzen posed his own question.

"Reporting to Lord Hokage, we are already aware of the black market intelligence and are currently discussing countermeasures."

"We cannot keep this information confidential, so how does the Hyuga Branch House view this news?" Hiruzen continued to press Hiashi.

"This..."

Hearing this question, a very complex expression appeared on Hiashi's face—worry, fear, and a trace of anger.

Seeing Hiashi's expression, Hiruzen roughly understood what he was thinking.

He continued, "Since the information can no longer be kept secret, you should stop the secret investigations and conduct a comprehensive sweep within the clan instead."

"I understand, Lord Hokage. The Hyuga Clan will certainly provide a satisfactory answer. Please rest assured, Lord Hokage."

After saying this, Hiashi bowed his head deeply.

After exiting the Hyuga compound, Hiruzen walked a few steps, then turned his head to look back at the clan grounds, whispering to himself:

"The Hyuga Branch House."

Hiruzen was, of course, clear in his heart that the Hyuga Branch House was, in a sense, merely slaves to the Main House. This stood in direct opposition to the Will of Fire that Hiruzen often preached.

When the First Hokage proposed the Will of Fire, he hoped that there would be no barriers between clans in Konoha, and no disparity between clan ninja and ordinary ninja. Everyone in Konoha was to contribute to the village equally, protecting every person within it.

However, the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird system was a blatant slap in the face to the Will of Fire. The Hyuga Branch House was a place where the Will of Fire could not reach.

But considering the immense strategic value of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan to Konoha, Hiruzen had no choice but to tolerate what the Main House did to the Branch House.

Without the Caged Bird, Konoha could not guarantee that it would enjoy the exclusive benefits of the Byakugan, which was something Hiruzen could not accept.

Based on various reasons, the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird system had persisted this way, never changing since the founding of Konoha. Hiruzen had also chosen to act as if he didn't see it, hoping that what the eye didn't see, the heart wouldn't grieve over.

Resuming his stride, Hiruzen thought of the intelligence Kakashi had handed him. "Sealing jutsu, is it?" Hiruzen whispered softly.