Hyuga Hiashi's Guilt

Hyuga Hiashi suddenly heard a thud.

He spun around and saw Hizashi Hyuga drive a kunai straight into his own heart.

Hiashi caught Hizashi as he collapsed, barely clinging to life.

He looked down at his dying younger brother.

Hiashi could no longer hold back his tears. They fell one after another.

"Why would you do this, Hizashi?" he asked, his voice choking with grief.

Blood spilled from Hizashi's mouth as he struggled to speak. "I told you. I was born to protect you."

"I told you I didn't hate you anymore, Brother."

"But after I'm gone, I'm leaving Neji in your care."

"Remember to tell Neji that I chose this myself."

Hiashi looked at his dying brother in his arms, tears continuing to fall.

He said nothing, simply listening to Hizashi's last words.

"You know, Brother, Neji once told me he wanted to destroy the Hyuga."

"I talked him out of it."

"And now I believe my son would never do such a thing."

"But my death might make him misunderstand."

"When the time comes, please explain to Neji that this was my choice."

With great difficulty, Hizashi took a scroll from his clothes.

Hizashi wrote his last words on the scroll.

He included things he had not had the chance to tell Neji.

When he had finished, Hizashi struggled to hand the scroll to Hiashi.

Overcome with grief, Hiashi accepted the scroll containing his brother's last words.

With his final breath, Hizashi said, "Please take care of my Neji, Brother!"

With those words, Hizashi breathed his last in Hiashi's arms.

Hiashi clutched his brother, tormented by grief and the bitter knowledge that he could not save him.

He was powerless.

The scene changed.

Hiashi brought Hizashi's body before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At the sight of Hizashi's body, Hiruzen lowered his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Hiashi," Hiruzen said, full of guilt. "Konoha has wronged you."

Hiashi gave no reply. He turned away coldly and walked out of the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen watched Hiashi leave the office.

Then he looked at Hizashi's body and said in anguish, "If only you were still here, my teachers."

"Jiraiya and Tsunade left the village. Orochimaru defected. Minato and Kushina died."

"And now these old bones of mine can barely hold on."

Tears slid down Hiruzen's face. His voice broke. "Lord First Hokage. Teacher Second Hokage."

"I wish I could be your student again."

At that moment, Hiruzen felt a humiliation unlike any he had known.

An enemy nation was provoking Konoha while the village's children were still growing up.

Konoha no longer had the strength to fight that nation. If war broke out,

there would be only one outcome: the three great Ninja villages would carve Konoha up between them.

Konoha would cease to exist.

In that moment, Hiruzen finally understood that Konoha had begun to decline under his leadership.

The scene changed again.

Back at the Clan Compound, Hiashi found Neji waiting for him at the entrance.

Neji glared at Hiashi with hatred. "Did you make my father die in your place?"

Hiashi answered coldly, "Yes."

"Just because we're the branch family and you stand above us in the main family," Neji demanded,

"you can decide whether members of the clan live or die?"

Hiashi was in agony.

He did not answer. He simply looked at Neji in silence.

Seeing the clan head unmoved, Neji said bitterly, "One day, I'll take your life with my own hands and avenge my father."

"Of course, you could choose to kill me here while I'm still weak."

Neji raised a finger toward Hiashi and roared, "Because once I'm strong enough, you'll be the first person I kill!"

"Then I'll wait and see," Hiashi said coldly.

Neji turned away without another word.

Hiashi stood alone outside his home for a long time in the stillness of the night.

At last, he said through his grief, "Hizashi, your son truly is remarkable. But I can't die yet."

"I'll raise Neji well. I'll wait for him to come and take my life."

"When that day comes, I'll apologize to you in person!"

"Hi-za-shi Hyuga!"

Hiashi tipped back his head in anguish and slowly closed his eyes.

His strength gave out, and he fell backward.

Konoha.

The Hokage's office.

Everyone there was seething with anger.

Minato Namikaze's face was murderous. "My future self sacrificed his life? Has an enemy nation pushed us that far?"

Minato muttered furiously, "Raikage A of Kumogakure, I'll put an end to you before I die."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious too. "Kumogakure again. Remember this, Kumogakure."

Fugaku Uchiha's face was also dark with anger.

Utatane Koharu turned her anger on Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, how could you make such a foolish decision?"

"Enough, Koharu!" Hiruzen snapped. "And Homura and Danzo—where were you when all that happened?"

"Don't think I don't understand. I'm the one who owes the Hyuga."

"If an enemy nation dares to provoke Konoha the way it did in that future video again,

"then I'll stake my name as the Third Hokage on it."

"I'll fight to the bitter end!"

For a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was once again the Ninja Hero he had been.

Of course Hiruzen had seen the bitter resentment in his future self's eyes.

He had seen the crushing helplessness there too.

And Danzo's Root had taken away more than half of Konoha's fighting strength.

Hiruzen had always felt that he owed his old friend.

He had kept looking for ways to make it up to him.

But what had it come to? When Konoha faced humiliation at an enemy nation's hands,

where were you, Shimura Danzō?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was too ashamed to face Hyuga Hiashi.

Even so, he decided that he owed Hiashi an apology for what his future self had done.

Hiruzen turned away dejectedly. "Minato, make sure they record all the intelligence. And be careful over the coming months."

"The future video said you and Kushina would die within a few years."

"Be especially wary of an ambush by enemy Ninja."

Minato nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Third Hokage. After seeing that humiliation in the future, I'll be ready at all times."

"I won't let anything happen to Kushina or our unborn child."

Suddenly, Hiruzen seemed to think of something. "Could it be that enemy Ninja attack Konoha on the day Kushina gives birth, and you die protecting the village?"

"Could that be it, Minato?"

Minato shook his head. "Third Hokage, the future hasn't happened yet. I can't be sure."

"But unless enemy Ninja catch me by surprise, I don't believe anyone can beat me."

"And the one time they could catch me off guard is the day my wife gives birth."

The more Minato thought about it, the angrier he became. "My child may have died that day too."

At the thought of his wife and child dying on the day she gave birth, Chakra erupted from Minato.

Everyone in the Hokage's office was thrown backward.

Even Hiruzen, who stood closest to Minato, stumbled several steps back.

He barely managed to stop himself.

"Calm down, Minato!" Hiruzen urged. "Please, calm down!"

But Minato could not calm down. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.

He pulled out a kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Hiruzen quickly seized his hand. "Calm down, Minato! You can't afford to lose control now, do you understand?"

"From what the future video showed, it will happen within the next few years."

"It may not happen on the day Kushina gives birth. That was only a guess."

"With your strength, I can't imagine who could kill both you and Kushina."

Hiruzen was truly panicking now, and his voice rose. "Minato, you need to calm down! You're the Fourth Hokage, and your wife and child are still alive!"