"You…how are you here, Hiashi Hyuga!"
Hiashi didn't speak and merely glanced at the dead ninja in his arms before looking at his children.
Seeing the scratches on Satoru's clothes and Hinata's injured ankle, his anger spiked.
Without wasting time, veins bulged around his eyes as he activated Byakugan and rushed toward the remaining enemy.
Satoru watched as Hiashi pushed the enemy into the corner with each strike and relaxed.
"We're safe now," he settled Hinata.
But she paid him no mind and watched Hiashi intensely. This was her first time seeing the strength of her father. The ninja who drove them to the corner was completely helpless.
The fight ended in just one minute. With a final ferocious palm strike, the Kumo Jonin collapsed dead.
Hiashi didn't deactivate the Byakugan and looked around to see if there were any more lurking enemies. Only after he confirmed the area was clear, did his eyes return to normal and he made his way to his children.
"Are you hurt?"
"Dad!" Hinata rushed forward and embraced Hiashi, startling him. When was the last time his daughter hugged him like this? He froze, not knowing how to react for a second.
"Just hug her back, will you?" Satoru clicked his tongue when he saw him looking clueless.
'I swear, the fathers in this world are too rigid. Can't you express your care a little bit?' Satoru thought, speechless.
Hiashi and Fugaku were the same type of people. They hid their feelings and only showed care when their kids achieved something.
What kind of father took a four-year-old to war?
Satoru understood that mindset was due to the two wars they had been through which shaped their personalities.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Satoru looked at Hiashi, who still had a stern expression, despite the worry in his voice.
"I'm fine. Thanks for saving us." he looked curious. "How did you find us."
"I was lucky." Hiashi admitted. "Fortunately, you beat those kids and their parents came to complain, otherwise, I wouldn't look for you."
Satoru blinked. He didn't expect that there was such happy coincidence. Should he beat up every bully he meets?
"Hinata told me that you protected her and managed to kill a Chunin." Haishi looked at him with a satisfied smile. "You did a good job."
But the smile on his face quickly shifted to a frown. "But aren't these Shinobi part of the Kumo envoys to Konoha? Why would they attack you?"
"They were after the Byakugan." Satoru motioned to Hinata, causing Hiashi to have cold eyes.
He didn't doubt Satoru's words since he already clashed with the enemy and might have heard some information.
Still, to think these envoys visited Konoha to discuss peace while in secret dared to try and snatch the Byakugan. If he hadn't arrived in time, they probably would have succeeded. Just the thought of his children being stripped of their eyes and killed brought him a chill.
"You did a great job." Hiashi emphasized this time after knowing the consequences, but all he received was a complicated look from Satoru.
"You don't know what you have done?" Satoru couldn't help sighing.
He knew that he failed to change history. Killing those envoys wasn't the end of the situation, but only the start of a worse situation between Konoha and Kumo.
Him killing a Chunin could still be manageable, but Hiashi killing the remaining envoys made the situation irreversible.
The moment the first Jonin died, Satoru knew that he was too late, that was why he didn't stop the second kill.
"A storm will start over Konoha soon."
****
A week later, the situation between Konoha and Kumo escalated just as Satoru expected.
Kumo denied that their own people tried to kidnap the Hyuga princess and accused Konoha of having no intention of peace between the two villages.
Kumo even threatened Konoha with war if they refused to hand over the culprit of killing the envoys.
****
The Hokage building.
Hiruzen sat in his office, pipe in his mouth. He looked at the mountain of paperwork waiting for him, but he had no interest in touching it.
He massaged his temples. The dark circles under his eyes had deepened. The past week was nothing but meetings, reports, and arguments.
Kumogakure's envoy stood in this very room three days ago and claimed their men were murdered without cause. They demanded the body of the killer as compensation. If not, they would consider it an act of war.
'War.' Hiruzen exhaled smoke slowly.
He had already read the ANBU report and even saw exactly what happened through the dead envoy's memories, using the Yamanaka secret technique.
The envoys were the ones to start the attack. And Hiashi acted to protect his children. No father would hesitate. No clan head would tolerate such an attempt. From Konoha's standpoint, he was justified.
But from a political standpoint, it was a disaster.
Kumo wanted what they could not obtain through the last war.
If he handed Hiashi over, the Hyuga clan would never forgive him. The village would fracture from within.
This situation Hiruzen didn't want to see. Especially during this period when the Uchiha clan's loyalty was still questionable.
He couldn't afford to fall out with Hyuga as that would weaken Konoha further.
But if he refused, Kumo would mobilize its Shinobi.
The Third Great War and the Kyubi attack five years ago had left Konoha in shambles. The village was still rebuilding, and casualties had not yet been replaced.
Another war would bleed them dry.
"If only Minato was still alive." Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly.
Danzo had already voiced his opinion. Sacrifice one to preserve many and maintain balance at all costs.
"It's not that easy."
If the culprit was just an ordinary Shinobi, Hiruzen wouldn't have hesitated this much. Just give them a little speech about the will of fire and send them away.
But the problem was that the culprit this time was the leader of a prestige clan. Someone he couldn't afford to fall out with yet due to the Uchiha clan threat.
Hiruzen opened his eyes and stared at the portraits of the previous Hokage carved into the mountain. Hashirama built the village through strength. Tobirama protected it through rational decisions.
Now the burden was his.
"This is the will of fire," he muttered quietly.
Protect the village and the next generation.
Even if it meant being hated and viewed as the worst Hokage.
As long as Konoha still remains intact, he'll be satisfied.