Hyuga clan head, Hyuga Hiashi… No, perhaps one should say… Hyuga Hizashi.
Nowadays, Hizashi was impersonating his older brother, Hiashi, and he felt deeply uneasy about his current situation. He had spent most of this time sequestered in a room, alone, meticulously mimicking Hiashi's habits and mannerisms.
Fortunately, Hiashi's personality was naturally strict and rigid, and his usual attitude towards family and clansmen wasn't exactly warm. Consequently, Hizashi's behavior hadn't aroused any suspicion. People simply assumed he didn't want others to witness his grief. This gave Hizashi the time he needed to thoroughly master his new identity.
By now, Hizashi could imitate Hiashi with about eighty percent accuracy. Even if he made a mistake, he could find a suitable excuse: 'Don't ask. If you ask, it's because I'm grief-stricken and guilt-ridden over my "younger brother's" death. My state of mind and temperament have changed.'
No one would blame or suspect a grieving older brother who had just lost his twin.
Despite this, Hizashi still felt some apprehension. Not for his own sake, but for Hyuga Kumokawa and… that man.
Three days had passed since the escort team left Konoha, and there was still no word. The atmosphere within the village and the Hyuga clan had shifted palpably. He hoped both that the man's plan would succeed and that Hyuga Kumokawa would return safely.
So, upon receiving the summons for the Jonin meeting, he immediately set out.
But when he pushed the door open, he wasn't among the first to arrive. Shimura Danzo, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, along with the heads of the Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and other major and minor clans were all present. Clearly, they were impatient to learn the outcome of the Kumo envoy incident.
In the past, during Jonin meetings, Hizashi would always stand respectfully behind Hiashi. This was his first time attending such a high-level conference in the role of Clan Head. Hizashi felt a mix of nervousness and excitement.
That was, until the conference room door was pushed open, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure appeared. Hizashi, along with the others, stood up out of respect.
But when he saw the figure following closely behind Hiruzen, Hizashi's mouth fell open, frozen in shock.
"Kumokawa? How…"
It wasn't just Hizashi. Many others present also showed looks of confusion and astonishment upon seeing Hyuga Kumokawa alive and present.
Danzo, however, had already heard from Aburame Fūma about Kumokawa's performance and strength. He had also learned from Utatane the words Kumokawa had spoken in the hospital room.
"If they want war… we'll give them war!"
It was too satisfying, too impressive! If possible, Danzo wished he had been the one to throw those words in Hiruzen's face, rather than muttering his usual weak threats like, "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
With this thought, Danzo couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he looked at Hyuga Kumokawa. Noticing Kumokawa's gaze also turning towards him, a stiff smile actually appeared on Danzo's cold, hard face.
"???"
Homura Mitokado, standing nearby, noticed this and felt a wave of horror wash over him. It was as if he had seen a ghost.
Danzo… smiling? And smiling so benevolently?! What in the world was going on?
In response to Danzo's smile of goodwill, Hyuga Kumokawa merely returned a polite smile before sweeping his gaze across the room.
The core of Konoha was practically all gathered in this conference room. If a spy could infiltrate this setting and carry out a suicide bombing, Konoha would be completely buried in its grave along with the collapsing building.
After confirming that the ratio of ninjas without clan crests to those with crests in the room was close to one-to-two, Kumokawa inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
'As expected. Just as I thought.This way… there's no problem.'
This time, he would not only push Konoha headlong into war but also secure a higher political status for himself. Just thinking about what he was about to do next made his body tremble slightly.
It was too interesting, too thrilling, too delightful. This feeling of fooling everyone…
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked past the crowd. Their gazes focused on him. And on the youth following closely behind him.
Creak.
Watching Hyuga Kumokawa pull out a chair for Hiruzen, and Hiruzen sitting down without the slightest surprise, Nara Shikaku's gaze instantly turned profound. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the dumbfounded "Hyuga Hiashi" beside him.
Noticing the shock on the man's face, Shikaku instantly understood that the Hyuga clan head was completely in the dark. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
'Trouble. This meeting isn't going to go smoothly.'
"Please, sit. I appreciate you all coming here so late." Hiruzen placed his hat on the table before him, nodding slightly to the crowd, his tone gentle. "Aside from those on missions, everyone should be here, correct?"
Homura Mitokado stood to report the number of attendees. Hiruzen nodded, getting straight to the point of the meeting.
"I imagine you are all already aware that to give Kumo an answer, the branch family head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hizashi, voluntarily replaced the main family head and sacrificed himself. His body was recently sent to Kumo by an escort team. However…"
He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold. "According to intelligence, Kumo dispatched the Magnet Release ninja Toroi and dozens of Anbu ninjas to complete the handover with the escort team. After receiving Hizashi's body, the Kumo ninjas suddenly attacked."
"Not only that, after Akimichi Chōza and the others held out until border reinforcements arrived, nearly a hundred more Kumo ninjas who were ambushing nearby suddenly appeared! This directly resulted in the deaths of one Jonin, ten Tokubetsu Jonin, and countless Chunin!"
"It was precisely because of their sacrifice that members of the escort team, like Chōza, managed to return safely! Otherwise, the entire escort team, and likely all of them, would have died at Kumo's hands, with the truth remaining unknown!"
By this point, Hiruzen's tone was furious—half genuine, half performance.
"What?!"
The expressions of everyone present instantly changed. They could hardly believe their ears.
Have the brainless brutes of Kumo gone mad?! Or did they discover the body was Hizashi, not Hiashi? But even so, they shouldn't have shed all pretense! Isn't that a move that loses the people's hearts?
"Without a just cause… how dare they tear up the treaty?"
"Without the support of the Land of Lightning's Daimyo and its people… has the Fourth Raikage gone mad?"
"Kumo is bullying us intolerably! They are truly pressing us at every step!"
What had been a solemn conference room now buzzed like a vegetable market.
Hyuga Kumokawa stood behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, watching this noisy, chaotic scene with cold eyes.
This was Hiruzen's lie, a lie born of necessity.
Humans were complex yet simple creatures. When people identify with a cause, they unconsciously criticize its opposite. Similarly, when they criticize a cause, they unconsciously align with its opposite.
Stance brought various people together. However, no one considered themselves the "evil side." In the ninja world, there were as many definitions of justice as there were stances.
Hiruzen couldn't possibly reveal the fact that the Kumo and Konoha ninjas had died at the hands of a "monster." No one would believe it. Now, the only way for Konoha to claim the moral high ground was to pin all the blame on Kumo.
This was the only way to say it. Only by spinning the narrative this way could Kumo be the evil aggressor, and Konoha the defender of justice.
"Ahem."
Hiruzen gave a light cough. The room gradually fell silent as they cast varying gazes upon him.
"I intend to assemble our forces and declare war on Kumogakure." He paused, his gaze sweeping across their faces, and said in a deep voice, "What do you all think?"
His words plunged the entire conference room into an eerie, deathly silence. The warm white light from the chandelier refracted off the marble floor.
The earlier clamor seemed never to have existed. The previously noisy crowd fell silent. Only rapid breathing and heartbeats could be heard.
Especially the clan heads present. They knew in their hearts as clearly as a mirror that this Hokage was once again asking for manpower. No one wanted to be the bird that sticks its head out. Clearly, they intended to confront Hiruzen with silence.
Until… a voice broke the stillness.
"Lord Third, please allow me to join the forces!"
Hyuga Kumokawa stepped forward, his voice deep and steady. "I believe… when a tiger's maw is already over our heads, reason alone cannot free us from its jaws!"
His words made the expressions of many present turn dark.
Among them was "Hyuga Hiashi" (Hizashi).
"Hyuga Kumokawa!" He stared gloomily at the youth, his voice cold. "Know your place! This is a Jonin meeting! You have no right to speak!"
"Ahem."
Before Kumokawa could respond, Hiruzen gave another light cough, interrupting Hiashi.
"I forgot to mention," he said, smiling with narrowed eyes. "Hyuga Kumokawa has already been promoted by me to Jonin. The appointment notice will be issued tomorrow. He now has the qualification to participate in the meeting and speak."
His words caused the shifting gazes of the crowd to instantly freeze. They cast their eyes upon Hyuga Kumokawa as if seeing this "trash" of the Hyuga clan for the first time.