"You——"
The Branch Family elder showed an angry expression.
"Your branch is currently untrustworthy, this is considered for the continuation of the clan. The family will also remember their merits."
The Main Family elder sat there calmly, issuing this statement.
Faced with the pointless quarrel between the elders of the Main and Branch Families, Hiashi sat in the main seat, accustomed to such matters.
In the past few months, there have been at least eighty to a hundred such disputes.
However, even the usually composed Main Family elders have become so irritable and flustered, it's the first time Hiashi has seen this.
In his previous impression, the temper of the Main Family elders was not so impatient.
It seems the serious issues faced by the clan have started to unsettle them.
"You may enter."
Hiashi spoke, his calm voice silencing the boring arguments in the conference room.
The door of the conference room opened, and a young man with a similar appearance to Hiashi entered, nodding slightly to the elders, finally looking straight ahead at Hiashi.
"Hyuga Hizashi requests permission to join the battle."
Kneeling on one knee, Hizashi spoke steadily in the center of the conference room without fear of war.
This is but a consideration for the future of the clan, or perhaps it's to protect something. In any case, these are things worth sacrificing one's life to defend, for Hizashi.
"Hizashi, you..."
The Branch Family elder stared at Hizashi, thinking he shouldn't appear at this moment.
"I'm sorry, elder. I cannot idly watch the clan fall into conflict over such trivial matters. Since I bear this name and am a member of Konoha's ninja, war is our destiny."
"But..."
"It's okay." Hiashi's calm voice sounded, standing up from the main seat, looking at the hesitant Branch Family elder: "I will go to the battlefield with Hizashi."
"What!?"
Hiashi's statement not only shocked the elders of the Branch Family but also the Main Family elders.
Only Hizashi was unsurprised, as Hiashi's decision was within his expectations.
"Lord Hiashi, this cannot be! How can you personally take such risks?"
"But with the clan in this state, are there enough personnel to arrange on the battlefield?"
Hiashi questioned the Main Family elders in this manner.
"This..."
"All of you elders are of advanced age; you may enjoy your twilight years here. Leave the fighting to us younger ones. After all, I am a Konoha Jonin."
Hiashi said this.
The Main Family elders averted their gaze and began coughing.
"Yes, yes, since Lord Hiashi says so, we old bones should remain in the rear, stabilizing the clan's internal affairs. We will also arrange guards properly for Lord Hiashi."
Fighting?
For the Main Family elders, that was something from a long time ago.
Was it twenty years ago or thirty years ago?
Although not to the extent they are afraid to kill, their skills and mindset for battle have become quite rusty.
◎
"Is the Hyuga Clan Leader also going to personally head to the battlefield? How troublesome."
On the plains near Hokage Rock, Danzo gathered six squads of Root, totaling twenty-four people.
The Root assembled here has drawn nearly half of its combat personnel.
Learning that the Hyuga Clan Leader, Hyuga Hiashi, is also heading to the battlefield, Danzo bit his finger, feeling the situation thorny.
His original intention was to let the Hyuga Clan send out trustworthy Branch Family ninjas for battlefield support, rather than personnel from the Main Family.
As for how to make the Branch Family ninjas trustworthy, Danzo thought, there are many methods; it's entirely unnecessary to send Main Family members to the battlefield.
After all, Hyuga and Uchiha are different, having always diligently completed their work, even he, the Root Leader, cannot nitpick on this aspect.
"Ryuma."
"Lord Danzo."
A Root member stood out.
"Your squad is responsible for contact with Hyuga members, ensuring Hyuga Hiashi's 'safety' is protected."
"Yes."
Ryuma, the Root ninja, understood.
The so-called 'protection' is done when able, and if faced with uncertain danger, even destroying the Byakugan is preferable to allowing it to fall into enemy hands.
Ryuma, along with his squad of three, vanished from their location, joining with Hyuga Clan members to head towards the frontlines in the Land of Grass.
"The rest, come with me."
Danzo led the remaining twenty Root members, jumping off Hokage Rock, swiftly heading toward the forest outside Konoha.
"It's indeed a long-awaited battlefield life..."
Danzo murmured to himself, perhaps foreseeing the imminent bloody chaos, his blood began to boil.
In the great forest outside Konoha.
"Lord Danzo!"
A man with thick eyebrows chased from behind, triggering vigilance among many Root ninjas.
This ninja was Might Duy.
A Konoha Genin who performed excellently during the night of the defection event.
Though he knows neither Illusion nor Ninja Techniques, relying on Taijutsu, he can still stand alone.
Due to a lack of leadership skills and being proficient only in Taijutsu, he has yet to be promoted to Chunin.
But even as a Genin, no one can question his strength.
"Don't attack; he is one of us."
Danzo's words had an effect, and the Root ninjas withdrew to the side.
"Sorry, I seem to be a bit late."
Duy scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
"No matter, I intended to wait for you a while here anyway. Do you know of the task for this battlefield deployment?"