In a guest room in Konoha, Kimimaro and Haku were kneeling and waiting quietly.
After a while, the door was gently pushed open, Uya walked in, then casually closed the door and sat down to the side.
" Lord Uya, you're back."
"Um."
Uya nodded, picked up a cup of tea from the table, took a small sip, and then gave a thoughtful look, as if he was thinking about something.
Seeing this, neither Haku nor Kimimaro dared to disturb Uya, and sat quietly to the side.
Uya pondered for a moment before coming to his senses. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "Since we've already taken action, let's see it through. There's no reason to leave something half-done."
Kimimaro and Haku exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled. Clearly, Uya wasn't speaking to them, but rather to himself.
Sunlight shone on a square, casting rows of shadows on the ground.
The square seemed to be filled with the Yakumi and the crowd was subtly divided into three factions.
On one side were the ninjas from Kumogakure, all of whom had unfriendly expressions and were looking menacing.
On the other side were the Konoha Ninja led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, all of whom wore somber expressions.
The last group, standing to the side, consisted entirely of members of the Hyuga Clan, led by their Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi Hinata cowering weakly behind Hyuga Hiashi, somewhat frightened by the fierce aura emanating from both sides.
Hinata's appearance caused some of the elders of the Hyuga Clan to frown. She didn't have the demeanor of a legitimate daughter of the Main Family at all. How would she inherit the Hyuga Main Family in the future?
However, Hinata is still very young, only three years old. Perhaps things will get better as she grows up.
"Your Konoha must give us an explanation for this matter, no matter what!"
The leader of the Kumogakure Village ninja spoke sharply to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Under normal circumstances, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have already lashed out, but at this moment, he could only frown.
Glancing at Hyuga Hiashi beside him, Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "What explanation do you want?"
"Hand over the murderer!"
The leader of the Kumogakure Village sneered, glancing at Hyuga Hiashi beside him, and said, "Our leader died in Konoha, and you Konoha can't even hand over the murderer!"
"If that's the case, then we, the Kumogakure, are willing to fight Konoha again."
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the Kumogakure constantly talking about war, he couldn't help but frown. This matter was indeed proving difficult for him to handle.
Although Konoha is not afraid of Cloud Ninja if war breaks out, the cost would be too high at this time.
After experiencing the deaths of Minato Namikaze Orochimaru's defection, Konoha's strength has been greatly weakened, making it difficult for them to overwhelm Kumogakure; at best, they can only gain the upper hand.
If a war breaks out, it could very well become the Fourth Shinobi World War. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi estimated that the Kumogakure wouldn't dare to start a war, he still couldn't gamble on such a thing, because he couldn't afford to.
After all, the leader of the Kumogakure ninja died in Konoha. Regardless of his motives, the Kumogakure now denies everything and only acknowledges the fact that he died in Konoha.
Previously, Kumogakure had made a whole host of unreasonable demands, all of which were firmly rejected by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Therefore, it was impossible for Hiruzen Sarutobi to accept any harsh conditions he might impose on Konoha.
However, upon hearing that Kumogakure's demand had become handing over the murderer, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart stirred slightly.
The matter is quite clear: it was most likely that the leader of the Kumogakure ninjas tried to use the Byakugan, but was killed by the Hyuga Clan ninjas.
Since the problem lies with the Hyuga Clan, let's make Hyuga Clan hand over a 'culprit'. This will not only resolve the issue but also weaken the Hyuga Clan's strength—a win-win situation.
Thinking this, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Hyuga Hiashi and said in a deep voice, " Hiashi, things have come to this, your Hyuga Clan must give an explanation... You were the one who killed him, weren't you?"
After the Konoha ninja arrived, only Hyuga Hiashi, who was holding Hinata, was present. It's not hard to deduce that Hyuga Hiashi killed the Cloud Village Kumogakure leader to save his daughter.
Although the Kumogakure ninjas arrived quickly and retrieved the body of their Kumogakure, they were unable to examine the specific circumstances of his death. However, it appeared that his body had been completely shattered, somewhat resembling the effect of Gentle Fist.
This essentially confirms the matter completely.
"I didn't kill him."
Hyuga Hiashi addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi in a deep voice.
"Quibble!"
"It was clearly you who killed our leader!"
The Kumogakure Village ninjas roared angrily at Hyuga Hiashi. Hyuga Hiashi's expression was somber, while Hinata, standing beside him, was somewhat frightened. She hid behind Hyuga Hiashi Hyuga Hiashi, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, looking pitiful.
Hyuga Hiashi had no time to comfort Hinata. He coldly looked at the Kumogakure and said, "If I didn't kill her, then I didn't kill her. We, the Hyuga Clan, are not so afraid to admit our mistakes!"
"Then tell me, who killed him!"
"That's right, then point one out!"
The Kumogakure ninjas sneered. They had long anticipated this scene, and they were fully aware of the poor relationship between the Konoha leadership and the various clans.
The goal this time is to see Hiruzen Sarutobi force Hyuga to reveal the culprit. If Hyuga Hiashi wants to shirk responsibility, it depends on whether Hiruzen Sarutobi agrees. After all, this is an opportunity to weaken the Hyuga Clan.
" Hiashi! You and Hinata were the only people present at the time. You can't possibly say that Hinata killed someone!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked coldly at Hyuga Hiashi, his attitude becoming extremely firm.
The Kumogakure Village ninjas, along with Hiruzen Sarutobi, coldly stared at Hyuga Hiashi. In an instant, all their auras seemed to coalesce and press down on Hyuga Hiashi.
An ordinary person would have collapsed under such pressure, but Hyuga Hiashi was the head of the Hyuga Clan and had confidence in himself, so he remained unmoved.
"You killed our leader! Even if you're the head of the Hyuga Clan, you must pay with your life! You can't say this little girl killed our leader, can you?" The Cloud Ninja shouted at Hyuga Hiashi.
"I didn't kill him."
Hyuga Hiashi spoke again in a deep voice. He stood there, feeling a bit of a headache. Bringing up Uya at this moment was completely pointless. Not to mention whether the people present would believe him or not, even if they did, he might offend Uya, which would be a loss for him.
He didn't know what to do—whether to bring up Uya or continue to tough it out.
The Cloud Ninja stared coldly at Hyuga Hiashi, some of them even drawing their weapons and slowly taking steps forward, saying, "Not you? Then who killed him? You must give us an explanation! Whoever killed him must pay with their life!"
Facing the menacing Cloud Ninja, Hinata behind Hyuga Hiashi, gripped Hyuga Hiashi's clothes tightly with her little hands. Watching these Cloud Ninja relentlessly pursue her father, the three-year-old Hinata's face was filled with fear and trepidation, making her look incredibly pitiful.
Just then, silently, a hand gently rested on her little head, patting it as if to comfort her.
This hand did not belong to Hyuga Hiashi; it came from behind her.
Hinata paused for a moment, then turned around and saw a figure that had appeared behind her at some point.
The figure seemed to exude a natural and gentle aura, which, although she didn't recognize him, inexplicably calmed her down a little.
"Do not be afraid."
Uya smiled slightly at Hinata, then walked past her to the front, his gaze sweeping over all the Cloud Ninja.
Silence.
The moment Uya appeared, everyone's movements and expressions froze! (To be continued.)