Hyūga Clan Head, Hyūga Hiashi...
No. Right now, it should be said that he was Hyūga Hizashi.
The current Hyūga Hizashi was playing the role of Hyūga Hiashi, and he felt deeply uneasy about his situation.
For days he had kept himself locked away in his room, alone, meticulously imitating Hiashi's strict habits and mannerisms.
Fortunately, Hiashi had always been rigid and aloof by nature, showing little warmth to his family or clansmen. No one suspected anything; they simply assumed he was hiding his grief from prying eyes.
That isolation had given Hizashi all the time he needed to master his new identity.
By now he could imitate Hiashi at least eighty percent convincingly. Any small slip could be brushed aside with a ready excuse.
If anyone asked, the answer was always the same: the grief and guilt over losing his "younger brother" had changed him. No one would question or blame a man mourning his own sibling.
Even so, Hyūga Hizashi still felt a knot of anxiety—not for himself, but for Hyūga Kumokawa and that lord.
The escort team had left Konoha three days ago, yet no word had come back. The atmosphere in both the village and the Hyūga Clan had grown tense and heavy.
He hoped the lord's plan was proceeding smoothly. At the same time, he hoped Kumokawa would return safely.
The moment he learned a jōnin meeting had been called, he set out at once.
But when he pushed open the door, he realized he was far from the first to arrive. Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the clan heads of the Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and every other major and minor shinobi clan were already seated. They were clearly impatient to hear the outcome of the Kumogakure envoy incident.
In the past Hizashi had always stood respectfully behind Hiashi during these meetings. This was the first time he attended as clan head himself. A mix of nerves and quiet excitement stirred inside him.
Then the conference room door opened and Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped in. Hizashi rose with everyone else.
The instant he saw the figure walking behind the Third Hokage, Hyūga Hizashi froze, mouth slightly open.
"Kumokawa…? How is he…?"
It wasn't only Hizashi. Confusion and surprise flickered across many faces in the room at the sight of Hyūga Kumokawa.
Shimura Danzō had already heard the details of Kumokawa's performance and strength from Aburame Ryūma, and from Utatane Koharu he had learned exactly what the boy had said in the hospital room.
"They want war? Then we'll give them war!"
It was bold, it was satisfying. If only those words had come from his own mouth to Hiruzen instead of the weak "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
Thinking of it, Danzō narrowed his eyes as he studied Hyūga Kumokawa. When the boy's gaze met his, a stiff, unfamiliar smile actually crept onto Danzō's usually cold face.
"???"
Mitokado Homura caught the exchange and his old face twisted in shock, as if he had seen a ghost.
Danzō… smiling?
And smiling so warmly?
What in the world was happening?
Facing Danzō's unexpected show of goodwill, Hyūga Kumokawa returned only a polite smile before letting his eyes sweep across the entire room.
Konoha's true core was gathered here. If a spy slipped in and triggered a suicide attack, the village would be buried beneath the collapsing building.
After confirming that the ratio of shinobi without clan symbols to those bearing them was roughly one to two, Hyūga Kumokawa let out a silent breath of relief.
Exactly as expected.
No problems.
This time he would not only drive Konoha straight into war—he would also claim a higher place for himself in the political order.
Just thinking about what came next sent a faint tremor of excitement through his body.
So interesting. So thrilling. So satisfying.
This feeling of fooling them all…
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked past the assembled leaders, every eye locked on him—and on the steady young figure following at his heels.
Creak.
When they saw Hyūga Kumokawa pull out a chair for the Third Hokage and the Hokage sit down without the slightest surprise, Nara Shikaku's gaze turned thoughtful. He glanced sideways at the stunned "Hyūga Hiashi" beside him.
Noticing the man's open shock, Shikaku understood at once that the Hyūga Clan Head had been left completely in the dark. A headache began to form behind his eyes.
This meeting was going to be troublesome.
"Please, everyone, be seated," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, setting his hat on the table and offering a small, courteous nod. "I apologize for calling you here so late and troubling you all. Aside from those currently on missions outside the village, I believe we are all present?"
Mitokado Homura rose and quietly reported the attendance. Hiruzen nodded, then went straight to the heart of the meeting.
"I'm sure you have all heard that, to provide Kumogakure with an explanation, the head of the Hyūga branch family—Hyūga Hizashi—voluntarily took the place of the main family head and sacrificed himself. His body was delivered to the Cloud ninjas by the escort team not long ago. However…"
His voice suddenly grew cold. "According to our intelligence, Kumogakure sent the Magnet Release user Troy along with dozens of ANBU operatives to rendezvous with the escort team. Once they received the body, the Cloud ninjas launched a surprise attack."
"Not only that—after Akimichi Dōtō and the others held their ground until border reinforcements arrived, nearly a hundred more Cloud ninjas who had been lying in ambush appeared. Their assault killed one jōnin, ten special jōnin, and countless chūnin."
"It was only because of those sacrifices that Akimichi Dōtō and the surviving members of the escort team were able to make it back. Otherwise the entire group would have been wiped out in Cloud territory, and the truth would have died with them!"
By now Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone burned with anger—half real, half carefully performed.
"What?!"
Expressions across the room twisted in disbelief. They could hardly trust their own ears.
Had those reckless fools from Kumogakure lost their minds?
Or had they discovered the body belonged to Hizashi instead of Hiashi?
Even so, openly tearing apart the fragile peace like this would cost them any moral ground they once held.
"How can they dare to break relations so brazenly without proper justification?"
"Without the support of the daimyō and the people of the Land of Lightning, has the Fourth Raikage gone mad?"
"Kumogakure has gone too far! This is simply intolerable!"
The once-silent conference room erupted like a crowded market.
Hyūga Kumokawa stood behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, watching the uproar with cool, steady eyes.
This was Hiruzen's lie—a necessary one.
People are both complicated and simple. When they accept one side of a story, they instinctively attack the other. When they condemn something, they unconsciously embrace its opposite.
Stances bring people together, yet no one ever believes they are the villains. In the shinobi world there are as many versions of justice as there are factions.
Hiruzen could not reveal the truth that both Cloud and Konoha shinobi had died at the hands of a "monster." No one would believe it. The only path forward was to lay every fault at Kumogakure's feet so Konoha could stand on the moral high ground.
It had to be said this way. Only this way could Kumogakure be cast as the villain and Konoha as the side of justice.
"Ahem."
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat. The room gradually quieted, every gaze turning toward him.
"I intend to gather our forces and declare war on Kumogakure," he said, pausing to scan their faces. "What do you all think?"
The moment the words left his mouth the conference room fell into an unnatural silence. The chandelier cast a warm white glow across the gleaming marble floor.
The earlier clamor vanished as though it had never existed. The once-noisy crowd went completely still; the only sounds were quickened breathing and racing heartbeats.
The clan heads in particular knew exactly what the Hokage was really asking for—manpower.
No one wanted to be the first to volunteer. They clearly planned to meet his request with stubborn silence.
Until a single voice cut through the quiet.
"Sandaime-sama, please allow me to join the forces!"
Hyūga Kumokawa stepped forward, voice firm. "I believe that once our heads are already in the tiger's jaws, no amount of reasoning can pull us back to safety!"
Many faces darkened at once.
Among them was Hyūga Hiugo, standing behind Hyūga Hizashi.
"Hyūga Kumokawa!" he snapped, eyes cold. "Know your place! This is a jōnin meeting. You have no right to speak!"
"Ahem."
Before Kumokawa could answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly, cutting the man off.
"I forgot to mention," the Third Hokage said, eyes narrowed in a faint smile, "I have already promoted Hyūga Kumokawa to jōnin. The official notice will be issued tomorrow. He now has every right to attend these meetings and speak his mind."
The announcement froze every shifting gaze in the room. All eyes turned to Hyūga Kumokawa as if seeing the so-called "failure" of the Hyūga Clan for the very first time.
***
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