The next day, news that the Hyuga Clan's delegation to the Land of Fire's capital had gone missing and their fate was unknown, became the top headline in the Konoha Daily, instantly igniting public opinion within Konoha.
The description of the entire incident was extremely clear: from the Hyuga delegation's departure to their disappearance, then to the large patches of blood and battle traces on the main road thirty kilometers outside Konoha, and the complete disappearance of all bodies—along with their eyes—all were meticulously recorded in the newspaper.
Since the founding of Konoha, this was the most severe loss the Hyuga Clan had ever suffered, without exception.
All Konoha villagers knew very well that the Byakugan was the Hyuga Clan's forbidden treasure, and also the most crucial part of their clan's bloodline inheritance.
During the Third Great Ninja War, for the sake of a lost Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan even allied with the Uchiha Clan to open a front in the direction of the Land of Water, not hesitating to incur nearly a thousand casualties throughout the entire war.
This shows how much importance they placed on their own bloodline inheritance.
Almost the moment they saw this report, all Konoha villagers knew that things had escalated significantly.
This was the disappearance of three Main Family members, at least six Byakugan.
Who was responsible for this incident?
Internal strife? Or external threat?
Furthermore, what kind of trouble would the Hyuga Clan stir up this time?
Everyone was waiting.
However, unlike the heated public opinion, the entire Konoha upper echelon, whether the Hokage, the Shinobi Clans, or even the Hyuga Clan itself, did not immediately issue any statement regarding the incident, remaining eerily quiet.
In stark contrast was the Hokage Office.
Since the incident occurred, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not closed his eyes for an entire day and night.
According to rumors from the Hokage Building staff, roars of reprimand could be heard from the Hokage Office from time to time.
This was the first time since he took office.
This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly enraged.
Three Hyuga Main Family members, on the main road thirty kilometers outside Konoha, their fate unknown.
These three phrases combined were enough to create a massive crisis of governance.
How were the Anbu and Root's intelligence operations being conducted?
Had the Konoha border troops not discovered even a single clue?
Had the Land of Fire border patrol found any clues of invasion from other countries?
With this incident, who would the Shinobi Clans point their fingers at?
Who was the most likely culprit?
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had governed Konoha Village for decades, a military rebellion like that of the Uchiha Clan posed no threat whatsoever.
What truly threatened his rule was always internal distrust and a massive blow to his personal prestige.
Because of this, he had to quickly and immediately find all those lost Main Family members—primarily their Byakugan.
At the very least, he had to give an explanation to the Hyuga, or rather, to the Shinobi Clans, to prove that he was not behind this incident.
To this end, high-level meetings in the Hokage Office had been held one after another, and everyone gathered in the office; anyone with even the slightest suspicion was summoned before him for personal questioning.
Even Jiraiya was called back by successive dispatches, rushing back to the Village ahead of schedule, traveling day and night.
"Shisui-kun, you should understand how serious the current situation is."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were bloodshot, and his aging face showed an utterly undisguised fatigue, yet his eyes still stared at the young man before him like a tiger or wolf: "Can you be sure?"
"That night, did your Konoha Military Police Force not discover any clues of anyone leaving abnormally?"
"Yes, Third Hokage."
Uchiha Shisui's expression was calm and equally serious: "All personnel on duty that night gave completely consistent testimonies; we indeed did not find any clues of personnel movement within the Village."
"You know, such a large-scale Hyuga delegation mission... our Konoha Military Police Force also took it very seriously."
He did not mention that after the last proposal, many Ninja Clan members had been infiltrated into the Konoha Military Police Force.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi could understand his meaning.
The current Konoha Military Police Force was no longer a secret department controlled by a single family.
He himself had also placed many personnel of civilian origin within the Konoha Military Police Force.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to quietly observe him, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Uchiha Shisui met his gaze without any qualms, showing no sign of guilt.
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed: "I understand, you may go back now."
"Yes, Third Hokage."
Before leaving, Uchiha Shisui paused: "Third Hokage, you should also get some good rest."
"Mm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and nodded.
Facing such a grave situation, he no longer had the luxury of pretending to be a benevolent old man.
Only after the footsteps outside the door faded did Hiruzen Sarutobi reopen his eyes and look in the direction Uchiha Shisui had left.
'Are Shisui's words true or false?'
Uchiha Shisui was the last person he had interrogated.
However, there were still no clues.
He rubbed his temples, a headache brewing.
The Hyuga Clan's incident was not just a problem for their clan.
What would follow would inevitably be political influence, economic resistance, and personnel withdrawals from all Shinobi Clans... His authority as the Sandaime would be severely impacted by this incident, and even more radically, some might call for his resignation and the immediate selection of the Fifth Hokage.
How could Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been Hokage for most of his life, allow himself to end his political career in Konoha with such a heavy stain?
For him, social death was a far more terrifying option than physical death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would never allow such a thing to happen.
Currently, in addition to his efforts in the case investigation, he was also actively deploying personnel and constantly contacting various Shinobi Clans.
Originally, he had wanted Danzo to delay his contact with the Hyuga side, waiting for the Hyuga Clan to completely yield, but now he could not afford to be so careful.
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head and looked out the window:
"Now, we can only see if Danzo can get any useful information."
...Meanwhile.
The Hyuga Clan was also in a state of panic; their tension was even greater than Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
Others might not understand, but how could they not know anything?
That was a total of thirty-six Ninja, three Main Family members, and among the escorts, eleven were Jonin-level powerhouses.
Under normal circumstances, even if the Raikage from the neighboring Village personally intervened to intercept them, this force would be able to protect the three Main Family members and allow them to escape successfully; at worst, there were still signal flares equipped to everyone that could transmit messages.
The entire route was a carefully selected main road, with a Village and Konoha outpost every five kilometers.
Let alone such a large troop, even ordinary merchants could ensure a safe journey.
But what was the situation now?
Gone!
And they had disappeared so completely that not even a single body was left, only bloodstains everywhere.
So many people vanished; if even a few captives were taken, in a few years, the Ninja World might even give birth to a new Hyuga Clan!
Moreover, what kind of force would be needed to silently wipe out such a large group of people?
Could it be that Hiruzen Sarutobi personally took action, leading the Anbu to blockade the entire surrounding area?
That's impossible, isn't it?
There were Ninja Clan members in the Anbu!
And where would Hiruzen Sarutobi get such a force?
As for support from the Shinobi Clans, for the Hyuga Clan facing a life-and-death crisis, it could only be described as negligible.
Indeed, Hiruzen Sarutobi might suffer significant political and economic impacts, and it was even possible for him to be forced to step down.
But the fragility of the Ninja Clan alliance was also exposed in the face of the Uchiha and Hyuga crises.
After numerous contacts, the answers the Hyuga received from various clans were very clear.
The Shinobi Clans were willing to provide the Hyuga with all assistance except for direct military intervention.
—Is this comparable to the crisis the Hyuga are currently facing?
All sorts of doubts and worries filled the hearts of the Hyuga high-ranking officials, weighing heavily on them.
Clearly.
Between Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Hyuga, it was like a scarecrow fighting a wolf, both sides afraid.
Because of this, when Danzo Shimura personally arrived at the Hyuga Compound, all Hyuga high-ranking officials who could still move were present.
"Danzo-sama!"
Hyuga Hiashi, at the forefront, had a solemn expression and a mournful tone: "Such a grave insult, unprecedented!"
"Those Branch Family members are fine, but the three Main Family members who were abducted..."
Looking at this grand lineup, Danzo Shimura's mood was heavy.
Normally, this would clearly be the best opportunity to push Hiruzen out of office and for him to become Hokage, but for some reason, Danzo felt no joy in his heart.
Those who went missing this time were all Hyuga clansmen, important reconnaissance forces of Konoha.
Their Byakugan could enable a Konoha unit to exert three to five times its strength, and they were also key to Konoha's strategy always gaining the upper hand in past major wars.
Now, the losses were so severe.
How could he not feel heartbroken?
He, Danzo Shimura, was after all a man who cared for Konoha.
Looking at Hyuga Hiashi's anxious appearance, Danzo Shimura's voice was steady:
"Please, Clan Head Hiashi, calm down for now."
"This old man has come precisely to ascertain the crucial details of this incident."
As the two of them spoke, several Main Family Elders around them exchanged glances, each seeing determination in the other's eyes.
Thus, before Hiashi could continue speaking, the Clan Head realized that he was already surrounded by a group of Main Family members.
Before he could understand what was happening, he saw the Main Family Elder step forward, his tone unprecedentedly solemn:
"Danzo-sama, I have an important matter to report."
"Hmm?!"
Looking at the Hyuga Main Family Elder who suddenly led the group forward, Danzo Shimura was momentarily stunned, and then saw Hyuga Hiashi also wearing a bewildered expression.
The next moment, the Main Family Elder spoke directly:
"Actually, Clan Head Hiashi has been hypnotized by genjutsu for many days!"
"According to our observations, it must be the Mangekyo genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan!"
"This matter is definitely related to Hiruzen Sarutobi; please, Danzo-sama, bring justice to our Hyuga Clan!"
"If our Hyuga Clan is fortunate enough to survive this calamity, all Hyuga, high and low, are willing to serve Danzo-sama as loyal servants!"
The Hyuga Main Family Elder said this without a hint of hesitation.
Who in all of Konoha didn't know about the messy affairs between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura?
Their largest clan taking such a clear stance was clearly a desperate move, solely to carve out a path for the Hyuga Clan.
As for whether Danzo Shimura would refuse, or even whether he would tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about this—such a laughable possibility, they didn't even consider it.
How could that be?
Sure enough.
As soon as the Main Family Elder spoke, let alone Danzo Shimura, even many high-ranking officials behind him who were unaware were astonished.
Hyuga Hiashi, even more so, widened his Byakugan, looking at this elder in disbelief.
I was under genjutsu?
When?
However, the scene the Hyuga elders had expected—Danzo Shimura waving his hand, deciding to fully protect the Hyuga Clan, and then turning to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi and contend for the Hokage position—did not occur.
He first froze, then immediately became furious, slamming the table and roaring:
"It's those inherently evil Uchiha again?!"