At the Hyuga Residence, Diarmuid emerged from his room after washing up, holding a glass of milk.
As soon as he stepped out, he stretched, let out a long yawn, and looked up at the sun. "What a beautiful day."
"Are you awake?" Hiashi walked over from the side, a smile on his face.
"Yeah, last night was quite the ordeal," Diarmuid nodded with a grin.
Hiashi was remarkably relaxed. While Diarmuid was handling business the previous night, he had actually gone to sleep. He hadn't worried in the slightest, as if it weren't his own home being targeted by thieves. When he woke up this morning and saw Diarmuid was still sleeping, he felt at ease, checking in occasionally, and just now, he happened to catch Diarmuid getting up.
"In any case, thank you. Would you like something to eat?" Hiashi asked.
"No need, just a glass of milk. I'm not hungry," Diarmuid waved him off.
The two chatted as they walked toward a pavilion in the courtyard.
"Where are Hinata and Neji?" Diarmuid asked casually.
"Off to the Academy," Hiashi replied. After a slight pause, he added, "When I went out to drop them off this morning, I noticed the village has tightened its security. Entering and leaving Konoha now requires detailed registration and inspections. It seems the actions of Kumogakure last night truly rattled Lord Third's nerves."
Diarmuid blinked. He thought to himself: Kumogakure probably isn't much to him; it's Shisui's death that really hit Hiruzen's nerves, right?
After all, anyone capable of taking out Shisui possessed the strength to eliminate most of Konoha's leadership. However, it seemed Hiashi hadn't received news of Shisui's death yet.
Diarmuid smacked his lips. "Hiruzen is certainly a cautious one. But don't worry, every single one of those rats who broke into the Hyuga compound was dealt with."
"I wasn't worried to begin with, hahaha!" Hiashi laughed heartily.
They discussed related matters for a while before Diarmuid said, "I think you should start making some preparations lately."
"Preparations for what?" Hiashi asked.
"The Uchiha clan is definitely finished soon. If I were you, I'd prepare to 'buy up' the Uchiha's legacy at the first opportunity. As one of Konoha's top clans, the Uchiha may be unpopular, but they still hold significant assets, don't they?"
Hiashi smiled and shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary. The Hyuga estate is large enough. There's no need to kick the Uchiha while they're down; it wouldn't be good for our reputation. Besides, it's better to leave a way out for others for the sake of future meetings. There's no need to offend the Uchiha to the point of no return..."
Hearing this, Diarmuid gave Hiashi a cryptic smile. "Based on that, how far do you think Konoha will go against the Uchiha?"
"Hmm?" Hiashi frowned slightly. "If they're being harsh, they might execute some of the radicals and strip the Uchiha of their authority over the Military Police Force, perhaps banning the clan members from becoming ninjas for a few years. If they're being lenient, they might exile the radicals and take back some power. That should be about it, right?"
In fact, this was the view held by the vast majority of the clans regarding the friction between the village and the Uchiha. Aside from a very few people... No, even looking at the high-level secret meeting from last night, they hadn't truly decided how far to go.
However, Hiruzen and Danzō had already reached a tacit understanding.
"It might not be as light as you think," Diarmuid laughed.
"What do you mean?" Hiashi asked, his brow furrowed.
"You have to remember, the person who told me all this was Danzō. Don't tell me you don't know him? He's full of resentment toward the Uchiha. If he's the one taking action, do you think any of the plans he arranges would leave the Uchiha a way out?" Diarmuid spoke with a touch of malice.
Hiashi felt a jolt of alarm. Diarmuid's words made sense; why hadn't he thought of that? Actually, before Diarmuid arrived, he hadn't even known Danzō was a primary driver behind these events.
But soon, Hiashi hesitated. "But Lord Third..."
"Hiruzen is a good Hokage, that's true. But precisely because he is a good Hokage, he won't be foolish in matters like this. Spare the Uchiha? Heh. Decades later, or even just ten years from now, a terrible cycle would simply begin anew. Hatred has a way of sprouting. Most importantly, don't forget who authorized Danzō to do all this," Diarmuid sneered.
Hiashi swallowed hard, shock visible on his face. It was true. For a moment, he hadn't seen through it. For the past few years, Danzō had been kept under a tight leash by the Lord Third. Suddenly, regarding the Uchiha clan, he had been allowed to stand tall again.
To say there was no authorization from the Lord Third behind this... was impossible.
Thinking of the series of maneuvers behind the scenes, Hiashi grew more alarmed. He looked up at Diarmuid. "Are you saying the village intends to completely eliminate the Uchiha?"
Diarmuid curled his lip. "As long as Hiruzen isn't a fool, he won't pass up this opportunity. Wiping out the Uchiha will significantly reduce Konoha's military strength in the short term, but right now, the village needs stability, not war. For a long time to come, without the internal friction of the Uchiha, Konoha's development will accelerate. The pain is only temporary; you just have to endure it. I believe Hiruzen will endure it."
To be honest, this left Hiashi feeling a bit chilled.
Seeing Hiashi's expression, Diarmuid smiled again and offered some comfort. "What are you thinking about?"
Hiashi didn't hide his thoughts from Diarmuid. "I'm thinking... today it's the Uchiha. Will it be the Hyuga tomorrow?"
"Hahahaha! Calm down, that's impossible," Diarmuid roared with laughter.
Hiashi blinked. Diarmuid's words seemed to carry a strange weight, and his anxious mood began to settle. After some careful thought, he shook his head and smiled. "Indeed, I was being hasty. That really is impossible."
The village was moving against the Uchiha because of a grudge spanning decades. Furthermore, the Uchiha had always remained on the periphery of Konoha's core; they claimed to be Konoha shinobi, but in reality, they maintained their own separate system, posing a risk of secession.
The Hyuga were completely different from the Uchiha. Even if friction arose in the future, it could be resolved through better means. They didn't have decades of accumulated resentment with the village. Plus, the Uchiha's reputation in Konoha was quite poor, whereas the Hyuga's reputation was excellent. Dealing with the Uchiha and dealing with the Hyuga were two entirely different matters.
These were Hiashi's thoughts. He believed Diarmuid thought the same.
Diarmuid, however, felt that was only one side of the coin. The other side was... Your future son-in-law is almost certainly going to be Hokage. What are you worried about? Ridiculous.
While Diarmuid and Hiashi were chatting, a member of the Hyuga Branch House walked over and whispered something to Hiashi.
"Oh? He's already here?" Hiashi asked, surprised.
"Yes. The Lord Third is already at the gate," the ninja replied.
Hiashi stood up immediately and said to Diarmuid, "Lord Third is here. I assume he's come to see you. I'll go welcome him."
Diarmuid also stood up with a smile. "Since you say he's likely here for me, there's no need for me to put on airs. Shall we go together?"
"Very well," Hiashi nodded.
Soon, at the main gate of the Hyuga Residence, Hiashi and Diarmuid arrived side by side. From a distance, they saw the figure of Hiruzen. He was wearing his Hokage robes and hat, holding his large pipe, looking toward them with a smile as they approached.
"Lord Third, what brings you here?" Hiashi greeted him quickly.
"Heh, after such a major incident last night, I had to come see the person involved," Hiruzen chuckled. After a brief pause, he looked at Diarmuid, his eyes showing a touch of nostalgia. "You are still so young..."
"Mainly because I don't have much to worry about. Good mood leads to a good body, and a good body makes one look young, hahahaha!" Diarmuid laughed loudly. After laughing, he scanned Hiruzen's face and clicked his tongue. "On the other hand, Lord Third... you look quite unwell. Did you not sleep at all last night? You've got dark circles under your eyes. What are you so worried about? Did you think I couldn't handle a few petty thieves?"
Hiruzen's state was indeed poor. He was an elderly man who had pulled an all-nighter and hadn't had proper rest in a while. Hearing Diarmuid's words, he felt a bit more at ease. It seems the Shisui incident really wasn't him?
Still, he followed up with a seemingly casual probe: "Oh? You look like you slept quite well."
"Hahaha, is it that obvious?" Diarmuid touched his face, and Hiashi chimed in at the perfect moment: "He's incredibly carefree. Last night's events didn't affect him at all; he only just woke up."
Hiruzen felt even more relieved. So it really wasn't this guy?
In truth, Hiruzen hadn't been particularly suspicious of Diarmuid to begin with. As Shinnosuke had analyzed, Diarmuid was a prime suspect from a power standpoint, as he definitely had the strength to pull it off. But from the perspective of motive... the man seemed innocent. He had no grudge against Shisui, didn't even know him... and the Kotoamatsukami wasn't stolen.
Deciding not to dwell on it, Hiruzen said, "Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"
Hiashi smiled and signaled servants to prepare tea, then led the way inside with Hiruzen and Diarmuid.
"Lord Third, when I dropped the kids at school this morning, I saw the village was on alert. Is it because of last night? What did the Kumogakure envoys have to say?" Hiashi asked as they walked.
Hiruzen fell silent, glancing at Diarmuid before finally speaking. "The village began contracting its defenses in the middle of the night. However, it wasn't because of Kumogakure."
"Was it because of the Uchiha then?" Diarmuid followed up.
Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat. The Uchiha... Uchiha Shisui?
But Diarmuid seemed to be asking just casually. Hiruzen blinked, thinking he might be overthinking it. He looked straight ahead and said awkwardly, "It is related to the Uchiha. You might not know this yet, but Shisui was murdered last night."
"Shisui?" Diarmuid clicked his tongue, looking completely clueless.
Who isn't an actor here?
Hiashi looked confused at first, then his expression shifted to shock. "Shisui? Uchiha Shisui?"
"Yes," Hiruzen nodded, his gaze heavy.