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Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: You Are Innocent—You Shouldn’t Die!  

"Konohagakure must give us, Kumogakure, an answer!" 

"Hand over the murderer by noon today!" 

"Or prepare to face the wrath of the Hidden Cloud!" 

"Hokage-sama, do you wish to start another war?!" 

Faced with the aggressive Kumo envoys, Sarutobi Hiruzen forced a smile, bowing meekly, his tone submissive. 

After finally managing to send the relentless envoys away, he reconvened the village's leaders. 

Immediately, Hiruzen turned the blame toward Hyūga Hiashi. 

"Hiashi… You understand, don't you?" 

"For the village… For peace… For the greater good!" 

"You must be the one to sacrifice yourself…" 

"I know this is unfair. I know it's an unbearable decision. But as Hokage… I have no choice!" 

"Call me weak, call me incompetent—but everything I do is for the sake of the village!" 

Hiashi's face turned deathly pale. 

He never imagined that the Hyūga clan—loyal for generations, shedding endless blood to protect the village—would be repaid like this. 

"Hokage-sama… Are you truly asking me to die for this?" 

"If it were for the village, if it were on the battlefield, I would gladly give my life without hesitation!" 

"But to die for the sake of those vile, scheming bastards?!" 

"I… I cannot accept this!" 

Hiruzen's expression darkened. 

"Then you would rather provoke a war with Kumogakure?" 

"If war breaks out, will the Hyūga clan not fight? Will they not die?" 

"Will the shinobi and civilians of this village not suffer unimaginable pain?" 

Hiashi's face flushed red. "That's—That's different!" 

"The Hyūga would rather die in battle than throw our lives away for those scum!" 

 

"Enough!" 

Hiruzen's rare outburst silenced the room. 

But just as quickly, he reverted to his usual gentle, sorrowful demeanor—even feigning desperation. 

"Hiashi… I'm begging you, as your Hokage…" 

"Let me bear the sins and the curses of history…" 

"For the village… I'm on my knees, pleading with you…" 

He even pretended to kneel—only for Hiashi to hurriedly stop him. 

"Hokage-sama, you…" 

There was no escape. He was being forced to his death. 

"…I understand." 

Hiashi's spirit shattered. He had no choice but to accept. 

Death. 

A worthless, humiliating death. 

But he was powerless to refuse. 

"I will give Kumogakure their answer." 

With those words, Hiashi left, his soul already hollow. 

Hiruzen watched him go, sighing mournfully… 

"Hiashi… You are a hero, sacrificing yourself for the village." 

"Just as the Fourth Hokage once did." 

Hiashi didn't respond. He walked away like a corpse, lifeless. 

The others exchanged glances, silent, heads bowed as they departed. 

Not a single one bid farewell to the Hokage. 

Hiruzen knew exactly what they were thinking—their resentment, their fury, their shame. 

Yet he only smiled coldly inside. 

So what if they curse me? 

History is written by the victors. 

 

Hiashi couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to his wife and daughter. 

How could he face them? 

How could he face his clan? 

But… 

The thought of them made his clenched fists loosen. 

If my death saves them all… 

Then so be it. 

Yet his wife, his clansmen—they saw his expression and immediately understood. They rushed to him, breaking into sobs. 

Even little three-year-old Hinata, sensing something terrible, wept silently, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

Hiashi gently stroked his wife's hair, then knelt, wiping Hinata's tears away. 

"I'm leaving now…" 

He forced a smile, biting back his anguish. 

The wails of grief grew louder. 

But then— 

A figure appeared at the entrance of the Hyūga estate. 

"Brother… You won't die for nothing." 

It was Hiashi's twin brother—Hyūga Hizashi. 

"Hizashi?! What are you—?!" 

Hiashi paled, realizing his intent. 

Hizashi smiled faintly. 

"I've come to die in your place." 

The room erupted in shock. 

"What?!" 

"Don't be absurd! This has nothing to do with you!" 

"As a branch house member, isn't it my fate to die for the main house?" 

Hizashi chuckled bitterly—then shook his head. 

"No. I'm not dying for that." 

"I'm dying to protect my brother." 

"Hizashi, you—!" 

"Brother, you're the clan head. If you die, the Hyūga will fall. Main house, branch house—none will be spared. Neji… will suffer too." 

At the mention of his son, Hizashi's eyes darkened with sorrow. 

"Brother, we're twins. Even our own clansmen can't tell us apart." 

"So my death is the only solution. The best solution." 

Logically, Hiashi knew he was right. 

Emotionally, he couldn't accept it. 

The Hyūga's main-branch system was rotten, but they were still brothers—raised together, bonded by blood. 

"Hizashi, I…" 

"No need to speak. I've already said my goodbyes to Neji. My decision is final." 

"This is… the last thing I can do for you and the Hyūga." 

"All I ask is that you watch over Neji… in my stead." 

With that, Hizashi turned to leave. 

"HIZASHI!" 

Hiashi lunged after him— 

 

Noon approached. 

At the designated spot—Konoha's Hokage Tower plaza—the Kumo envoys stood waiting, thirteen strong, for Hyūga Hiashi's surrender. 

Hiruzen and the village elders stood solemnly by. 

Finally, "Hiashi" arrived. 

Every Konoha shinobi felt a pang of shame and grief—mourning not just him, but their own powerlessness. 

Yet none dared intervene. 

Hiruzen bowed his head, as if unable to bear the sight. 

"Hiashi" even managed a faint smile. 

"I'm here, envoys of Kumo. The one responsible stands before you!" 

"My life for the one I took!" 

"May my death bring peace between our villages!" 

He raised a kunai—plunging it toward his own heart! 

(The Caged Bird Seal on branch members' foreheads would activate upon death, destroying their Byakugan and brain, preventing theft.) 

The Konoha shinobi watched, hearts burning with humiliation and rage. 

Hidden in the distance, the real Hiashi clamped a hand over his mouth— 

"Hizashi…" 

In that moment, hatred and despair consumed him. 

The Kumo envoys, meanwhile, smirked in triumph. 

Tension crackled in the air—war itself seemed to loom. 

Then— 

SNAP! 

A blur of movement—too fast to see! 

A hand like steel clamped around Hizashi's wrist, stopping the blade. 

"You are innocent. You shouldn't die." 

"The ones who deserve death…" 

"Are them." 

The figure's crimson Sharingan eyes locked onto the Kumo envoys—freezing them in terror. 

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