Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first to leave.
And Jiraiya—the man Hiashi Hyuga had pinned his hopes on—only let out a soft sigh and walked away, offering Hiashi no promise or pledge.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado likewise departed the Hyuga compound without a single word.
Indeed.
Ever since Jiraiya became Hokage, Hiruzen and Danzo have worked in perfect lockstep, leaving the pair with nothing to do.
These days they're nothing but errand-runners!
Whatever Hiruzen and Danzo order, they obey.
That is their sole remaining value—only by listening to Hiruzen can they keep their clans safe and even siphon a few resources for them when the Village's assets are divided.
Otherwise… what else could they do?
Throw their lot with that fool Jiraiya?
Setting aside that the man has already been hollowed out by Hiruzen, even if they were willing to help Jiraiya, would he spare their clans a single resource?
Impossible!
Jiraiya is too naïve; he would stick strictly to the rules and never carve them a slice of the cake.
Apart from that, what option remains?
Defect to the Uchiha's New Konoha?
Hah!
That's no different from suicide, so better play it safe and keep following Hiruzen.
Other than no longer holding real power, nothing has really changed.
That is why the two voiced no opinion today; they no longer wield any authority—every shred of their power had been stripped by the retired Hiruzen and gathered into his own hands.
And so, for now…
The pair merely came to gauge the mood; once Hiruzen left, they naturally followed suit.
Hiashi Hyuga: "…"
His face was ashen; watching the receding backs, his heart sank straight to the bottom.
He was no fool!
Hiruzen's parting words had covertly spelled out the Village's position.
Even if the Cloud were the provocateurs, for the sake of the Village's peace talks Konoha could only swallow the insult—for now.
Once the Cloud named its price, the Village would haggle at most.
But in essence…
however exorbitant Hidden Cloud's demand, the Hyuga would foot the bill.
"Clan Head, the Village leadership can't be trusted!"
"Let's defect to the Uchiha outright; every other clan has already gone over."
"These last two years the Village has become less and less humane; sooner or later it'll be swallowed by New Konoha."
"…"
Voices rose among the Hyuga.
They were half-mad with laughter at the Village's move: the Cloud had committed the crime, yet the Hyuga were expected to stand by while their bloodline was snatched?
And now?
Though the Hyuga had done nothing wrong, the Village's conduct was more than they could bear.
This point diverged from the original tale!
In the original, with no New Konoha to flee to, the cornered Hyuga could allow Hizashi to die in his Elder brother's place.
With New Konoha in play, no one would choose that road.
For one thing…
the Hyuga had pride; the Cloud was at fault, yet a clansman must be sent to his death?
And the clan head at that, his corpse to be handed over to the Cloud?
What a joke!
For another…
they had to keep the clan stable; the divide between main and branch houses was already severe. If the branch head were sacrificed, would the remaining branch members lose all hope?
In the original, that risk didn't exist—without New Konoha, unless every branch member resolved to die together, the main house could control them.
Now, it wouldn't work.
New Konoha's policy was clear: every joiner was respected, and the Hyuga were welcome.
However…
once the Hyuga entered New Konoha, while the Bird in a Cage seal might not be removed, the main house's right to trigger the seal would be revoked; new Sealing Techniques would be developed so the main house could no longer command the branch.
Precisely for this reason, in the past two years the Hyuga had not defected.
But now?
If the Hyuga dared order the branch head to his death, enraged branch members might defect to New Konoha in organized waves.
They could pull it off!
Though Konoha was ringed by visible and hidden sentries, patrols, and barrier seals, every Hyuga possessed the Byakugan bloodline.
Even with the Bird in a Cage's one-degree blind spot, dodging the Village's surveillance was easy; once these branch members reached New Konoha, they would be under its protection.
New Konoha differed from Old Konoha—its leader was Uchiha Jin!
He would not back down.
Should the main house dare use the curse seal to kill branch members who had joined New Konoha, Uchiha Jin would seize the excuse to go to war—and judging by Old Konoha's current cowardice, if they dared not fight the Cloud, would they dare fight New Konoha?
"Enough, silence."
"Elders, to the council chamber; everyone else, disperse."
With that…
Hiashi handed his daughter to a attendant and led the way to the Hyuga council hall; main and branch Elders followed. The rest of the clan, though seething, finally trudged home.
Soon, in the council chamber…
Hiashi sat at the head, looked at the Elders below, and spoke first.
"Elders, this is our situation!"
"Now we must decide how the Hyuga will proceed."
"All of you have seen Old Konoha these past two years; in my view it will not last—New Konoha stands in plain sight, and anyone with a brain knows which to choose."
"Today Old Konoha holds only because of Hiruzen's iron fist."
"The Hyuga joined Konoha seeking shelter and a better life for our people."
"But now?"
"Old Konoha can no longer provide that; the Village leadership's veiled choice just proved it."
"They intend to yield and make the Hyuga pay the price!"
"New Konoha brings its own troubles."
"As we all know, Uchiha Jin's policy states that while the Bird in a Cage will not be forcibly removed, the main house is forbidden to use the curse seal to control the branch."
"So let us discuss."
"Shall the Hyuga Clan defect to New Konoha?"