Chapter 28 — Better to Die at the Hands of the Mist
The Hokage Tower glowed brightly against the rainy night.
Inside the office, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sat quietly on the sofa.
Neither spoke. Their eyes were closed, their breathing steady—almost like they were sleeping.
But the moment the office door opened with the softest creak—
Their eyes snapped open simultaneously, sharp as blades, fixing on the figure who entered:
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
---
"Hiruzen, something went wrong?"
Koharu asked immediately.
Decades of camaraderie had made them capable of reading Hiruzen's mood from the slightest twitch of his wrinkled face—
and right now, he was not in high spirits.
"The operation failed."
Hiruzen exhaled deeply, running a hand through his thinning hair. The weariness in his movements made his age painfully obvious.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a concerned look.
Homura turned toward Minato, who entered behind Hiruzen.
"Minato, tell us what happened.
And where is Danzō?"
Hiruzen waved a hand tiredly.
"Minato, explain.
Let me breathe.
This old body gets tired."
He lowered himself into his chair, pulled out his pipe, and began packing tobacco with slow, practiced motions.
---
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Minato nodded, then looked to the two elderly advisors.
After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, he began:
"Hyūga Daichi acted without authorization.
He attacked impulsively—
and gave Hyūga Ritsu the perfect opening to unite the Branch House's loyalty."
"Ritsu seized the moment and killed Daichi instantly.
After that, he struck down Hyūga Hishō and Hyūga Taisho as well…"
---
"And none of you stopped him?"
Homura shot up from his seat in disbelief.
The reputation of the Yellow Flash was known across the entire ninja world—
he personally knew Minato's terrifying speed and skill.
Even Hiruzen, in private, had admitted that Minato's abilities surpassed his own.
Of course, Homura firmly believed Hiruzen meant:
the older, slower, past-his-prime Third Hokage—
not the unstoppable war hero of his youth.
Still—
with Minato there, how could Ritsu possibly succeed in killing three people?
---
Minato offered a strained smile.
"Councilor Homura, you give me too much credit."
He sighed.
"Hyūga Ritsu isn't weak.
His reputation as the greatest Branch House prodigy isn't an exaggeration.
I struck twice… and failed both times."
His eyes hesitated for a moment—
wondering whether he should mention the Shikotsumyaku.
But he swallowed the thought.
---
"To think even you failed twice…"
Homura murmured.
"We underestimated that boy."
"And then what?
After killing those fools from the Main House, what happened?
Did he kill Hyūga Hiashi as well?"
Minato shook his head.
"Hiashi is alive.
At least, he was when we left.
After Ritsu killed Hishō and Taisho, he stopped immediately."
"By then, the Hyūga clan's jonin and special jonin had all arrived—
and every one of them rallied behind Ritsu.
You could clearly see it:
the entire clan supports him."
---
Hiruzen tapped his pipe, taking over the explanation:
"Afterward… Danzō and Ritsu started arguing."
He took a long breath of smoke.
"Danzō lost his temper—
nearly provoked a full break with Ritsu right then and there."
"I stepped in and stopped him.
Danzō stormed out in anger."
---
Koharu frowned.
"Then why stop him, Hiruzen?
We all agreed—'the mastermind must die.'"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"That was under the assumption that Ritsu didn't have the clan's support—
that killing him would stabilize the Hyūga."
He tapped ash into the tray.
"But now?
Minato just said it—
the Hyūga jonin and special jonin all stand behind him."
He looked the two advisors in the eyes.
"If we continue trying to eliminate Hyūga Ritsu,
we won't be stopping a rebellion—
we will start one."
"And a war between Konoha and the Hyūga Clan…
is something I will never allow."
Hiruzen spoke with absolute finality, blowing out a thin stream of gray smoke.
Hearing this, both Homura and Koharu frowned.
They understood well—the stability of the Hyūga clan was crucial to Konoha.
Unlike the always-volatile Uchiha, a clan ready to erupt like a volcano at any moment, the Hyūga had always been one of the village's strongest pillars.
More importantly—
the Hyūga clan's overall strength had long eclipsed the Uchiha.
Their population was larger.
Their number of jōnin far surpassed the Uchiha.
But they had always lacked top-tier prodigies.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha produced monsters almost every generation—too dazzling to ignore.
And all of this…
was the result of the Hyūga's own cage:
the Caged Bird Seal and the Main Branch/Side Branch system.
Main House members were few, pampered, and politically sheltered.
Side Branch members were shackled by the Caged Bird Seal—
even their Gentle Fist was restricted to a crippled "Thirty-Two Palms" version.
Under such constraints, how could true elite shinobi emerge?
Yet—
one had emerged.
Hyūga Ritsu.
A monster born from a broken system.
He blocked Minato twice, killed two Main House jōnin in an instant, and stood unfazed before the Hokage himself.
That level of strength put him at the doorway of the village's highest echelon.
Given such talent, attempting to eliminate Ritsu by force would be foolish.
Even if Konoha could annihilate the Hyūga…
Afterward?
Konoha would be crippled—
unable to handle the Mist on the east,
unable to deter the restless Cloud to the northeast.
---
"Once this precedent of rebellion is set, other ambitious fools will copy it…"
Homura sighed heavily.
"Between two harms, we choose the lesser.
The Hyūga must not fall into chaos."
Koharu tapped her fingers on the armrest.
"But then what will we announce publicly?
Such a major upheaval requires a proper explanation."
Sarutobi closed his eyes briefly.
"We follow Ritsu's suggestion."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"We declare that the Hyūga Main House had grown tyrannical and cruel—
and the village simply assisted the Branch House in overthrowing their oppression.
Polish the wording, and announce it."
Both advisors nodded.
It was a clean story, one Konoha's civilians—and other clans—would easily accept.
---
Sarutobi's gaze softened as he turned to Minato.
"Minato, you've worked hard today.
Go home and rest."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Minato didn't protest.
He vanished in a flicker of Flying Thunder God.
---
Five or six seconds later—
Rapid footsteps approached.
The door was thrown open violently.
Danzō stormed in.
His eyes were cold and vicious.
"Hiruzen!
Hyūga Ritsu—this evil little snake—cannot be allowed to live!
He is a disaster waiting to happen.
We must eliminate him!"
Sarutobi did not argue.
"I know."
He nodded slowly, voice gentle yet chilling.
"But we cannot kill him openly.
His death must appear justified—
and must not be traced back to the village."
He exhaled a thin smoke ring.
"And since he insists on going to the eastern front to reclaim the stolen Byakugan…
then it is best…
if he dies in the Mist's hands."
Danzō showed no surprise—only grim satisfaction.
"I'll handle it."
He turned on his heel and walked out without another word.
---
On the sofa, Homura and Koharu finally relaxed, their expressions softening.
These two old men—Sarutobi and Danzō—were still perfectly in sync.
Still as reliable as ever.
---