A thousand-year-old shinobi clan had its rituals.
The board and the lacquered box laid out in front of Tenzo Hyuga looked casual at first glance, like they'd been set down without thought.
But nothing here was ever without thought.
Put together, they created a neat little pressure on the mind, the kind of quiet suggestion that whispered: Konoha and the shinobi world are a game of pieces, and the clan head carries the weight of the whole board.
It was one of Tenzo's favorite tricks.
He'd meant to use the mood to make his son understand how hard his position was, to take the initiative before a word was even spoken…
Except Hizashi didn't play along at all.
No subtle hints. No silent riddles.
He'd simply reached over and slapped a giant, iron "traitor" label right onto Tenzo's forehead.
Hizashi adjusted the collar of his trench coat. The cuffs shifted with a soft flutter of cloth.
His father's usual setup wasn't useless, sure.
But Hizashi's words, paired with that Anbu coat…
Carried a hell of a lot more bite than some chessboard and box ever could.
For a split second, Tenzo genuinely wondered if, if he really had done something like that, his own son might actually drag him straight to Anbu and let Interrogation spin him like a top until he puked the truth.
Hizashi's gotten sharper, Tenzo thought, oddly impressed even as his patience frayed. He knows how to borrow momentum now.
And he'd been promoted too, apparently.
That meant Anbu life was treating him well.
Tenzo forced his expression back into place and spoke low and stern. "What are you saying, Hizashi?"
"The Hyuga Clan is one of Konoha's pillars. As clan head, how could I do something as filthy as colluding with foreign enemies?"
"The Hyuga and the Kaguya Clan are blood relatives going back a thousand years, the way the Senju and the Uzumaki were. Occasional letters between relatives… Hokage-sama knows about that."
"We have never leaked village secrets. Keeping contact with the Kaguya Clan lets us infer Hidden Mist Village movements through their letters. It's brought Konoha an advantage in intelligence before."
"And I called you here because Hokage-sama said that if anything came up, I could communicate with you first, since you're in Anbu."
Tenzo delivered it like it was all clean, upright, and aboveboard.
Hizashi's expression didn't change. He only nodded once.
Because it was true. There was precedent.
Back before the First Shinobi World War, the previous Hyuga clan head had judged Kirigakure's intent to fight from a Kaguya letter and reported it to Tobirama Senju, giving Konoha time to brace.
But almost thirty years had passed since then.
To Hizashi, the Hyuga-Kaguya contact now felt less like "intelligence work" and more like a statement of independence, a quiet reminder that even the Hokage had no right to interfere with Hyuga private ties before war actually broke out.
And if Tenzo's explanation was so righteous, why hadn't he reported it regularly?
"So the moment I joined Anbu," Hizashi asked, voice faintly amused, "you suddenly started getting useful information from the Kaguya Clan?"
"Since Hiruzen Sarutobi took the seat, was this the first time?"
He looked up from the page. "Are you worried about the village, or are you worried about what I might see?"
"That's because there wasn't anything worth reporting before," Tenzo said without even blinking. "I didn't want to bother the Third."
A thick skin was basic equipment for a clan head.
Hizashi read the letter again, and his brow tightened on its own.
According to the Kaguya Clan, the Third Mizukage had recently used the worsening state of the shinobi world as justification to introduce a policy being called the "Blood Mist Village."
The aim was to sharpen Kirigakure's combat strength.
The general message was simple: emphasize real combat, push Kekkei Genkai clans to prove themselves through strength, and sift the best from the best to find Kirigakure's future.
There could be heavy casualties, but if it prepared them for war, it would be "worth it."
Anyone with eyes could see it and at least suspect it.
Even if you didn't call it outright…
It looked a lot like an excuse to spark internal slaughter.
What made it worse was the Kaguya Clan's reaction.
They were excited.
They saw it as the Third Mizukage supporting them.
The Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai was Shikotsumyaku, the ability to manipulate their own bones for attack and defense, with frightening recovery from external injuries.
Their temperament ran proud, violent, and cruel. They worshipped strength and loved a fight.
And the purpose of the letter had Hizashi making a face he couldn't quite control.
Because the Kaguya Clan's request was… hard to describe without swearing.
To give his policy more legitimacy, the Third Mizukage had publicly displayed diplomatic exchanges between Kumo and Konoha, as well as letters from other hidden villages supporting Konoha and condemning Kumo.
He'd left them up for a long time, painting the picture of rising tension across the shinobi world to justify the "Blood Mist Village."
The Kaguya Clan had seen those public documents and apparently decided:
If they fought their way into becoming the Fourth Mizukage someday, then surely Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had influence across the shinobi world, could speak up in support of them.
Because the Kaguya Clan's reputation inside Kirigakure wasn't exactly good.
So now they hoped Tenzo would help them "prepare in advance," lay some groundwork early…
Hizashi's mouth twitched as he read.
Across the board, Tenzo saw it and could only sigh, helpless.
His own reaction had been about the same.
He didn't even know how to rate the Kaguya Clan.
They were self-aware enough to realize their reputation in their own village was terrible, which meant there was at least a little brain in there…
But they couldn't see that this was very likely the Third Mizukage's trap?
They were already daydreaming about becoming the Fourth Mizukage.
And because he'd seen the Third Mizukage's methods up close, Tenzo found himself feeling something he hadn't expected.
Relief.
Thank gods the Hokage was the Hokage.
Everything was a matter of comparison.
Sitting in the clan head's seat, Tenzo naturally resisted the Hokage reaching into Hyuga affairs.
But after Hizashi joined Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't been stingy with position. He'd given what needed to be given.
Sure, you could call it a wedge, a way to make the Hyuga Branch House lean toward the village and away from the clan's internal structure.
But at least it came with rules. At least it followed a logic you could argue with.
And the branch house were still Hyuga. No matter how ugly the conflict got, it was still family. Meat rotted in the same pot.
Kirigakure wasn't like that.
Over there, one wrong look and suddenly you were holding an unrestricted Mizukage election tournament.
Forget becoming the Fourth Mizukage. With the Kaguya Clan's brains, it was hard to say if they'd even have living members left in a few years.
Tenzo and Hizashi exchanged a look, and for a brief, ridiculous moment, they both felt genuine respect for Shikotsumyaku's sheer power.
To carry a thousand-year-old clan with intelligence like this… the only explanation was that they could fight.
Then Hizashi spoke, tone steady.
"Father. Anbu and the Patrol Unit both have a major shortage of Byakugan."
"Sakumo-sama left six slots reserved for the Hyuga."
He met Tenzo's eyes. "I've delivered the message. You can agree or refuse. Either way, it won't stop me from inviting the branch house brothers."
Tenzo narrowed his eyes.
He'd expected this day.
The Hokage's hand wasn't going to be satisfied with taking only one Hyuga from the Hyuga Branch House.
And Hizashi wasn't going to stop where he was. He would pull more of the branch house in, prove his value through results.
Tenzo looked down at the board for a heartbeat.
If it weren't for the mess in Kirigakure, if he lowered his stance after only a few months, it would be laughable.
But compared to the Third Mizukage…
The Hokage really did look reasonable.
Blocking was worse than guiding. Better to let it flow for now and see what happened.
If the Hokage pushes too far, Tenzo decided, then I'll demand an explanation when the time comes.
A moment later, he opened his eyes.
"We can't waste time. Whether it's Kirigakure, or the branch house joining village duties…"
"I want to speak to Hokage-sama personally."
He looked at Hizashi. "Can you go and notify him?"
Hizashi blinked, genuinely surprised.
He had to hand it to Tenzo. The ability to shift with the wind was almost admirable.
Tenzo didn't want Hizashi to take all the credit. He wanted to step over his son and speak to the Hokage directly, seeking a new layer of balance.
Tenzo's voice stayed calm. "What, are you afraid?"
"Hah." Hizashi laughed once, pure disdain.
A quarter hour later, Tenzo and Hizashi arrived at the Hokage Building.
The moment Tenzo stepped inside, his heart sank.
Why was Danzo Shimura here too?
In Tenzo's mind, this man wasn't that different from the Third Mizukage.
After forcing himself to hand over the Kaguya Clan's letter, Tenzo watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi lifted his pipe and smoked in silence, gaze distant, as if sinking into thought.
Beside him, Danzo let out a heavy, contemptuous snort.
His eyes narrowed like blades as he stared at Tenzo.
Hizashi's smile deepened, just a little.
He almost wanted to clap his father on the shoulder and return the exact words from earlier.
"What, afraid?"