Celebration of the Alliance Signing, Hyuga's Absence, A Birthday

December 27th, the 51st year of Konoha.

This was the day Konoha and the Cloud Ninja Village were to sign their alliance treaty.

The long-awaited peace had finally arrived. As the year drew to a close, this was undoubtedly heartening news and a sign of good fortune for the coming year.

Many villagers spontaneously gathered along the streets early in the morning, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the envoys.

10:00 AM.

The moment the Cloud Ninja envoys stepped into Konoha, the entire area erupted in thunderous, enthusiastic cheers—cheers for the envoys, for Konoha, and for peace itself.

Shikaku Nara, the commander of the Konoha Jonin squad, stepped forward to greet them, extending his hand.

"I am Shikaku Nara. Welcome to Konoha." He then glanced at the nearby crowd. "As you can see, this is a day Konoha has been looking forward to for a long time."

The lead Cloud Ninja envoy shook Shikaku's hand and nodded. "This is also the hope of our Cloud Ninja Village. After today, I hope we can look out for one another in the future."

The words and the handshake drew another round of cheers from the gathered crowd!

Many "villagers" even "spontaneously" presented flowers to the envoys, fully demonstrating Konoha's hospitality.

"The Third Hokage, the advisors, and the officials from the Land of Fire are already waiting for your arrival at the signing venue. Please, follow me."

"Very well!"

After the exchange of pleasantries, they led the Cloud Ninja envoys toward the venue, with the villagers following behind, hoping to witness the signing of the treaty.

The contents of the alliance treaty had long been negotiated by the high-ranking officials of both nations. Naturally, the formal signing would not be a simple matter of meeting in an office and scribbling a signature.

To that end, Konoha had specially prepared a grand and solemn venue.

It was not only attended by numerous Konoha ninja clans, shinobi, and officials from the Land of Fire, but even the common citizens were allowed to witness this historic moment, adding their cheers to the signing and bringing a sense of joy to the upcoming New Year.

"I never imagined that even four years after the Third Shinobi World War ended, we would only now be seeing total peace."

Inside the Soul Space, Minato Namikaze could not help but sigh with emotion.

The Third Shinobi World War had been won by Konoha under his leadership, yet the Cloud and Mist villages had never been truly reconciled.

To put it bluntly, they refused to acknowledge their defeat and were unwilling to pay war reparations.

However, since they could not afford large-scale battles, they could only flex their muscles through minor skirmishes, fighting for leverage in negotiations and slowly eroding Konoha's bottom line.

Especially after Konoha suffered the Nine-Tails attack, the borders had been on the verge of reigniting.

Now, three years later, it was clear that their original intentions had been achieved.

The signing of this alliance treaty also meant they would not be viewed as the defeated party.

But why is Sasuke showing me this?

Setting aside his thoughts, Minato looked at the scene before him, feeling that something was amiss.

It had become a conditioned reflex.

Every time Sasuke prepared a side show for him, it always signaled that something bad was about to happen.

"Sasuke, you aren't planning to sabotage the signing of the treaty, are you?"

"Am I that kind of person?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "How could I possibly let my Konoha be dragged back into the quagmire of war?"

My Konoha...

Has he stopped hiding his ambition?

Although he thought this, Minato felt a momentary sense of relief.

As for why it was only momentary?

It was that same issue—the conditioned reflex...

The venue for the treaty signing was set up in the arena used for the Chunin Exams, which resembled a stadium.

The Third Hokage and his three advisors were already seated in the center of the venue, with flags bearing the Konoha emblem standing behind them.

The empty seats to their side were prepared for the Cloud Ninja envoys, with flags bearing the Cloud Ninja emblem standing behind them as well.

The front of the left side of the dais was filled with officials from the Land of Fire, while the right side was occupied by the heads of Konoha's various departments and ninja clans, with the members of their respective groups seated behind them.

However, there was a noticeable gap, which looked particularly glaring in the venue.

Since this was a public occasion, Danzo suppressed his displeasure and looked away, asking in a flat, low voice, "Which clan is supposed to be in those empty seats?"

The other two advisors glanced over discreetly, while the Third Hokage maintained a smile and said softly, "It just so happens that today is the day the Hyuga clan confirms their Main House. Hiashi already informed me in advance."

So it's the Hyuga...

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane understood, while Danzo sneered inwardly.

If they had informed him in advance, why prepare the seats at all?

And in such a conspicuous spot, no less...

Inside the Soul Space.

Sasuke chuckled. "A nice touch, isn't it?"

It had been stated in advance, yet a spot was deliberately left empty... Was the goal to isolate the Hyuga?

After a brief analysis, Minato Namikaze remarked, "The Hyuga brought this upon themselves."

In such a situation, if he were the Hokage, he would have ordered the Hyuga to attend to demonstrate Konoha's magnanimity.

But as it stood, it merely made the Third Hokage appear petty.

In his mind, this hardly seemed like a big deal.

After all, he had seen plenty of the Third Hokage's shady maneuvers; this one, by comparison, was hardly worth mentioning.

"Fine." Sasuke shrugged, gestured toward the screen to indicate they should keep watching, and then said, "I won't keep you company any longer."

With that, his figure vanished.

Seeing this, Minato's eyes flickered, wondering if the Third Hokage's subsequent punishment of the Hyuga was so unexpected that it triggered a series of consequences.

Elsewhere.

The Hyuga Clan.

Today was the third birthday of the Hyuga Main House descendants, which also marked the formal confirmation of their status within the Main House.

On the way to the Ancestral Hall, Hiashi and Hizashi crossed paths.

"Lord Hiashi."

"Hm, Hizashi."

After exchanging greetings, Hizashi looked at the two little girls timidly clutching their father's hands, and he sighed inwardly.

I'm sure my brother is suffering as well.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he looked down at Hinata and said, "Hinata is already three years old. Congratulations."

Not understanding the implications, Hinata shyly hid behind Hiashi. She then froze when she didn't hear any congratulations for Hanabi.

Why only congratulate her?

Subconsciously, she turned her head to look at Hanabi.

Though she felt puzzled, her personality prevented her from voicing her question.

Hanabi, who also didn't understand the meaning behind it, felt a bit dissatisfied.

Today was clearly her third birthday too!

Why only congratulate her sister?

Though she thought this, her relatively mature mind and the value she placed on their sisterly bond made her worry that speaking up would embarrass Hinata. Thus, she didn't express her dissatisfaction, only puffing out her cheeks in a sullen mood.

Hinata, who had been keeping an eye on Hanabi, naturally noticed this. She couldn't help but feel worried, her lips trembling as she wanted to speak, but in front of such a crowd, she couldn't muster the courage.

Neji, standing opposite them, thought the two young ladies were exceptionally adorable, whether it was the timid Hinata or the cheek-puffing Hanabi.

Suddenly realizing something, he instinctively tugged on his father's hand. "Father, I remember you saying that Lord Hiashi's two daughters are twins, just like you and him? Why didn't you congratulate the other young lady on her birthday?"

His intention was merely to kindly remind his father after seeing Hanabi's dissatisfaction and Hinata's worry, but as soon as the words left his lips, the entire scene fell into a deathly silence, and his father's grip on his hand tightened abruptly...

He vaguely realized that he had said the wrong thing.