The Clan Heads Were Deeply Confused

Without a doubt, clan ninjas are an important part of Konoha Ninja; in fact, they are a very important part.

However, this public trial in Konoha was very sudden. It happened so unexpectedly that the ninja clans had never been informed beforehand and had never anticipated it. They were caught completely off guard.

Therefore, from the heads of ninja clans to ordinary ninjas, everyone was very curious and puzzled about the public trial being held today.

Especially the clan leaders and elders of these ninja families, who are all politically astute, felt something was wrong as soon as they heard the words "public trial," and sensed that something big was about to happen.

So today, all of these people arrived without prior arrangement, and they mingled among the ordinary, vast crowd, looking at the judge's bench with puzzled and serious expressions.

Among these people were Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan, and Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyūga Clan.

The two dignified ninja clan leaders, accompanied by their respective families, mingled unremarkable among the crowd, quietly awaiting this public trial, and their reactions were quite different.

For example, Uchiha Fugaku was in a situation where he had a family to support at that time.

Uchiha Fugaku's wife Mikoto Uchiha, was standing beside him. Not only was his wife by his side, but his eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, Uchiha Fugaku his youngest son Sasuke Uchiha, were also there. The whole family of four was with him.

Although his family was present, Uchiha Fugaku didn't seem particularly happy. He maintained a cold, stiff expression, lost in thought.

So, what was Uchiha Fugaku really thinking?

I wasn't thinking about anything else but the public trial that was about to begin.

A public trial? Who is Konoha going to publicly try? Who is organizing this trial? If it's the Third Hokage, why was there no prior warning? Why is it so sudden?

Have the Uchiha Clan been ostracized so severely? Konoha made such a big move without informing them at all beforehand; are they being treated like outsiders?

But... judging from the expressions of the other ninja clan leaders, they all seemed caught off guard and didn't know what this public trial was all about.

So, it means I'm not the only Uchiha Clan being kept in the dark? What about the other clans? And what's going on in Konoha?

Filled with doubt, Uchiha Fugaku calmly observed the heads of the other ninja clans mingling in the crowd, one by one.

The clan leaders reacted much like themselves, completely bewildered and puzzled, not understanding what was going on or why this public trial had come so suddenly.

Uchiha Fugaku trusted his judgment. He believed that the clan leaders' reactions were their true feelings; they wouldn't be acting at this moment, nor would they be performing with such perfect coordination and uniformity.

However, while all these clan leaders seemed completely bewildered, there was one exception: Hyuga Hiashi, the clan leader of the Hyūga Clan.

While thinking this, Uchiha Fugaku Hyuga Hiashi, paying close attention to his situation.

Hyuga Hiashi was also mixed in with his family at this time. His entourage... well, why use "entourage"? But there doesn't seem to be a better word to describe it, so I'll just use "entourage".

His entourage was almost identical to that of Uchiha Fugaku. Hyuga Hiashi was accompanied by his wife, his eldest daughter Hinata Hyuga, and his very youngest daughter Hanabi Hyuga —the entire family of four.

The only difference between him and Uchiha Fugaku is that Uchiha Fugaku had two sons, while he had two daughters.

Oh, and there's one more little thing worth mentioning: Hyuga Hiashi's younger brother Hizashi Hyuga, was also not far from Hyuga Hiashi.

Furthermore, Hizashi Hyuga also brought his family. He was accompanied by his wife and son, Neji Hyuga Hizashi Hyuga.

In short, almost everyone with a name came.

In this situation, amidst the bustling crowd, Hyuga Hiashi looked at the hastily erected trial platform, feeling both puzzled and somewhat worried.

He didn't understand why Konoha was suddenly holding a public trial, nor did he know who would be tried, but he had a vague feeling that the cause of this matter... seemed to involve him.

Don't forget, not long ago, he, the head Hyuga clan the Hyuga clan, became quite infamous in Konoha. He was the so-called murderer of the Kumogakure delegation of ninjas. At the time, this matter caused quite a stir, and the entire population of Konoha knew about it.

The situation was so dire at the time that public opinion within Konoha was in uproar. Faced with the helpless Konoha High Command and the very assertive Kumogakure delegation, Hyuga Hiashi was somewhat desperate and didn't know how to deal with the situation.

Suddenly, things took a turn for the better!

It seems that describing it as "a glimmer of hope after a long period of uncertainty" isn't quite accurate; in short, the situation suddenly changed.

That was the day, the day the Konoha High Command and the Kumogakure delegation were to hold their final negotiations.

The details of the negotiations are unclear, but after they ended, the usually domineering and arrogant delegation from Kumogakure actually slunk away with their tails between their legs and left Konoha.

This is both shocking and puzzling.

What exactly happened during the negotiations? Why did these ninja from the Kumogakure delegation just run away like that? Didn't they demand that Konoha hand over the murderer? Why did they just disappear without a trace?

At the time, Hyuga Hiashi very puzzled, and besides being confused, he was also secretly delighted.

The Kumogakure delegation left just like that. Does that mean the matter is over? Does it mean I won't be handed over as a murderer anymore? Am I safe?

What happened next seems to be like this.

It was as if the stop button had been pressed suddenly, and no one mentioned it anymore. It was as if the ninja from the Kumogakure delegation had died in vain, as if the whole thing had ended abruptly, as if nothing had ever happened.

At the time, this situation left Hyuga Hiashi of doubts, but he was also somewhat uneasy, fearing that things might come back to this.

So, filled with doubt and unease, Hyuga Hiashi secretly went to see the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, to ask him what had happened and whether his troubles had been resolved.

At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared extremely tired, as if he had aged several years. Faced with Hyuga Hiashi's question, Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to answer and ultimately could not provide a definite answer.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi also made it clear that this matter was over. The matter of the Kumogakure delegation was resolved, you are no longer the murderer, and you do not need to bear any responsibility.

Although many questions remain, now that the matter has been resolved, everything is fine, Hyuga Hiashi is naturally happy that he wasn't involved.

Moreover, Hyuga Hiashi could clearly see that Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was off. Knowing full well that curiosity killed the cat, he didn't ask any more questions and left after getting this so-called answer.

Of course, not asking at the time didn't mean that Hyuga Hiashi wasn't curious; he just suppressed that curiosity.

Now, Konoha has suddenly held this public trial, which has rekindled Hyuga Hiashi's curiosity and doubts. He can't help but wonder if this trial is related to the matter that involved him last time, since the two events happened so close together.

With these questions in mind, Hyuga Hiashi remained discreetly among the crowd.

Just when almost everyone had arrived, and just when the surrounding Anbu Ninja had mostly maintained order, the public trial was finally about to begin.

Finally, the people who were supposed to sit in the rows of seats on the judge's bench arrived.

The first to appear, and one that everyone expected, was the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. The old man, looking exhausted, walked onto the judgment platform in front of countless people and sat in the very center of the row of seats.

Then came Yun Yan, the young man, who followed closely behind Hiruzen Sarutobi. His expression was calm and indifferent, as if he didn't care about anything. Even when faced with the curious and puzzled gazes of so many ordinary people below, Yun Yan didn't care at all.

The seat he sat in was also very interesting; it was right next to Hiruzen Sarutobi's most important seat, which could be said to be second only to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

Besides the two of them, there were two other people sitting up there: Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

However, the two old men looked uneasy, even fearful and distressed. Sitting on the two seats at the very edge, with so many people watching them, they were restless and unable to eat or sleep, as if they were the ones being judged.