"What pure eyes."
When Hyuga Hiashi first saw the young man in front of him, this thought flashed through his mind.
After exchanging names with Mr. Aizen, it took a few moments for him to recall who Mr. Aizen was, and he politely said:
"Aizen Sōsuke, I've heard much about you."
"In recent years, there has only been one person capable of developing a completely new Bloodline Limit from scratch."
"Truly, the younger generation is formidable."
"I dare not claim such praise in front of Hiashi-sama."
"Please come in."
Compared to his unrestrained interactions with peers like Kakashi Hatake, Aizen adopted a distinctly different demeanor in front of Hyuga Hiashi.
"Thank you."
Hyuga Hiashi stepped into the ward and saw Kakashi Hatake already sitting up in bed.
Konoha Village's social hierarchy is structured by three different paths: title, strength, and Shinobi Clans status.
Therefore, even with Kakashi's Jonin status, he couldn't interact as an equal with the Hyuga Clan's leader. He even hid his "Make-Out Paradise" book, speaking with a slightly respectful tone:
"Hiashi-sama."
"No need for formalities, Hatake-kun."
Hyuga Hiashi's tone was steady, exuding the warm and gentle attitude expected of an elder. He placed the flower basket on the bedside table and greeted:
"In the days since that incident, the aftermath has been complex and official duties busy. I only now have the opportunity to visit everyone. I hope Hatake-kun doesn't mind."
For someone of his status to come and speak privately with Kakashi, it would obviously seem a bit rash.
Therefore, today Hyuga Hiashi wasn't just visiting Kakashi alone, but also a group of Ninja still receiving treatment at Konoha Hospital.
Most of them were severely injured in the Blood Moon Incident and were still recovering, primarily Ninja from various Shinobi Clans.
Among these individuals, if he were to deliberately bypass Kakashi due to his connection to the Hokage faction, it would appear unnatural.
Thus, their meeting had a plausible excuse.
With Kakashi Hatake's emotional intelligence, he understood the underlying meaning of Hyuga Hiashi's words with just one sentence.
His previously somewhat bewildered expression quickly settled, realizing that the Hyuga Clan leader hoped he would act as a messenger to Hokage-sama. His tone gradually became more formal:
"Thank you for your trouble, Hiashi-sama."
"I'm sure Third Hokage will understand Hiashi-sama's intentions."
Listening to Kakashi's response, Hyuga Hiashi nodded in satisfaction: "With young Ninja like Hatake-kun, who have inherited the Will of Fire, Konoha will not be disturbed by rebels like Uchiha Fugaku."
"I heard that in that battle, Hatake-kun engaged with the rebel leader Fugaku's forces and sustained serious injuries? Is your recovery going smoothly?"
"Thank you for your concern, Hiashi-sama. I should be discharged in three to five days," Kakashi Hatake replied formally, while inwardly pondering what message this esteemed person wished him to convey.
"Then I am relieved."
Hyuga Hiashi said, then suddenly sighed: "Before the incident, there were many secret reports and rumors of Uchiha's secret meetings. Public opinion in the village was tumultuous, and the Uchiha Clan was in a state of panic, with constant mutual suspicion."
"If Third Hokage had strengthened ties with the Uchiha Clan at that time, perhaps the rebel leader could have been captured and killed beforehand, nipping the disaster in the bud."
"After all, within a Ninja Clan, only a few individuals can make crucial decisions."
"Thinking about it now, it's truly a pity."
Halfway through these words, Kakashi's mind began to race, recalling recent events.
He then quickly realized.
The Hyuga Clan leader in front of him, while not mentioning Hyuga at all, was in fact bringing up Hyuga in every word.
On the night of the Blood Moon Incident, although he was quickly defeated by Uchiha Fugaku, as an Anbu squad leader, he still knew what happened afterward.
Third Hokage personally came to the front of the allied Shinobi Clans, only then pushing them towards the battlefield.
After the incident, the Hokage Building quickly consolidated its power and leniently dealt with the remaining Uchiha Clan members.
In recent days, rumors began to circulate in the streets about the Hyuga Clan's various enterprises, praising their wealth.
As for the last sentence, it was even clearer.
Isn't the Hyuga Clan run by just a few main family members?
Connecting these key pieces of information, he realized what Hyuga Hiashi was saying.
This was a signal of submission, delivered through him, to Third Hokage.
Or rather, was it a hope for direct contact?
Kakashi Hatake's mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged:
"That is not something we subordinates can decide."
"Such heartfelt words from Hiashi-sama, if there was an opportunity to present them directly to Hokage-sama, surely it would be more effective?"
"Hatake-kun is right, I spoke too much," Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly, looking at him with satisfaction.
He truly was the direct disciple of the Fourth Hokage-sama back then; his mind was indeed agile.
Just as he felt that the signals between them had been fully conveyed and was about to get up and leave, he heard Aizen Sōsuke, who had been standing by the side, suddenly speak:
"Actually, Third Hokage wasn't entirely unprepared. Didn't Shisui-kun, with the support of Root and Anbu, play a quite excellent role?"
"Moreover, if there really were no contingency plans, I doubt even Hokage-sama would easily adopt an overly aggressive stance."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hyuga Hiashi and Kakashi Hatake suddenly turned their heads, both looking at him with a somewhat subtle gaze.
"What's wrong?"
As if noticing something amiss, Aizen looked at them with a feigned look of confusion.
Kakashi Hatake shook his head slightly.
Sure enough, Sōusuke still had the standard researcher's mindset; he completely missed the point.
He thought this to himself, but out of friendship, he still mentioned to Hyuga Hiashi:
"Hiashi-sama, Sōusuke isn't very familiar with the internal details; he's a researcher."
"No matter, that is indeed the truth."
Hyuga Hiashi politely smiled at the two of them, not taking this small interlude to heart.
After chatting for a few more moments, he quickly turned and left.
However, he didn't notice.
The calm gaze from behind him.
Aizen Sōsuke picked up another apple from the new flower basket and casually peeled it with a kunai.
Whether it was Hyuga Hiashi or Hiruzen Sarutobi.
People of their status are merely products of the extension of power of certain groups.
Instead of actively setting traps for them, it's better to gently nudge them to discover some inadvertently appearing doubts on their own.
Power makes people suspect everything.
"You, next time, be careful what you say in front of such important people."
Kakashi, lying on the bed, also took an orange from the flower basket and slowly peeled it, his tone carrying a clear hint of disdain.
This guy, he didn't understand at all.
"Is that so."
"I'll try my best in the future."
Aizen Sōsuke still smiled warmly, maintaining his cheerful and bright demeanor, which made Kakashi shake his head.
Sōusuke... I'll have to keep an eye out for him in the future...
Walking out of the ward, Hyuga Hiashi's mood was noticeably more relaxed than when he first arrived.
The Hyuga Clan could not follow the Uchiha's old path.
Not only must they continue to send signals to the Hokage faction, but their close ties with the Shinobi Clans must also not be severed.
Only by possessing true strength that could make the Hokage Building wary could both sides maintain relative peace.
Compared to the muddle-headed Uchiha Fugaku, a rational and clear-headed person like Hyuga Hiashi could barely be considered a qualified clan leader.
The sun was shining brightly outside the corridor, and birds were singing among the flowers in the courtyard.
However, the steps of the person walking under the eaves gradually slowed down unconsciously.
Hyuga Hiashi's brows furrowed little by little; he felt as if he had overlooked something.
The lesson of the Uchiha Clan?
"Shisui-kun's role in the incident..."
"Support from Root and Anbu."
"The Hokage Building's contingency plan?"
His steps under the eaves became slower and slower, and he suddenly murmured the young man's unintentional words.
In this incident, were the biggest beneficiaries the various Shinobi Clans? Was it the Hokage?
No, it wasn't.
The biggest beneficiaries of this incident were the Uchiha doves, who had always supported the Hokage faction throughout history but had never held the position of Uchiha Clan leader.
But within the Hyuga Clan, did a force corresponding to the Uchiha doves truly exist?
Information about the various branch families flashed through Hyuga Hiashi's mind, but his brows furrowed even deeper.
His mind seemed to be subconsciously overlooking something.
Until one moment, a thought suddenly flashed.
Branch families?
This absurd thought only appeared in his mind for a moment, making him want to instinctively deny it.
After all, they held the Caged Bird Seal.
However, this line of thought only appeared for an instant, and then the idea deepened uncontrollably.
At this moment, he thought of the deep-seated hatred in Neji's eyes, the accumulated resentment of numerous branch families towards the main family, Hyuga Shinma's excessive execution of the main family's orders during the Blood Moon Incident as the new head of the branch family, and even further back, the scene when Third Hokage pressured the Hyuga Clan to hand over Hizashi, and the immediate release that followed... Whether it was the underlying conflict between the main and branch families, or the clash of interests between Hyuga and Konoha, everything became intertwined in his mind, making his pure white eyes appear somewhat dim at this moment.
Hyuga Hiashi's steps gradually stopped.
He looked at the sunlight spilling into the Konoha Hospital courtyard and slowly shook his head.
Unlikely.
The Hyuga Clan had sufficient confidence in the Caged Bird Seal, which was rooted deep in the soul.
He thought this with certainty, then once again picked up his pace, heading towards the street.
However, Hyuga Hiashi didn't realize.
The seed of doubt had already been planted.