"Alright, it was just a minor disagreement. No need to make it so serious."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, letting the matter drop, then turned his serious gaze back to the others in the room. "Returning to the main topic, what are your thoughts on my earlier proposal?"
Thoughts?
Hyūga Higoi was seething with anger, yet didn't dare to utter a single sound.
There was a glaring example standing right over there. What thoughts could they possibly have? What thoughts dare they have?
But war isn't child's play. War means people die.
If they sent their clan's shinobi, the ones who would die would be their relatives, friends, brothers, sisters, and loved ones...
Thus, a perfect silence descended upon the meeting room. People could practically hear their own breathing, even the frantic thumping of their own hearts.
It lasted until the a Jōnin present spoke up, declaring their willingness to obey the Third Hokage's order.
"This matter is also the fault of our Hyūga clan."
Finally, Hyūga Hizashi spoke, his voice low and grave. "I, on behalf of the Hyūga clan members, am willing to follow the Third Hokage's command."
Beside him, Hyūga Higoi opened his mouth, but in the end, no words came out.
This meant the authority to mobilize the clan's shinobi was now entirely in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands.
"Excellent!" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, his tone approving. "The Hyūga clan truly lives up to its reputation as one of Konoha's great clans, always mindful of the village's safety!"
At the phrase "Konoha's great clans," Uchiha Fugaku's face twitched.
Now, no matter how low his political acumen was, he could hear the pointed reference to the Uchiha clan. He had no choice but to agree, just like the Hyūga.
Within the crowd, Nara Shikaku sighed inwardly. Alongside Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza beside him, he spoke simultaneously, deferentially. "The Ino-Shika-Chō trio is the same."
With both the Hyūga and the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance on board, even if the other shinobi clans were unwilling in their hearts, they could only pretend to agree wholeheartedly. It even devolved into a competition to see who could pledge their loyalty most fervently.
"..."
Watching this scene of fawning that followed their initial disdain, Hyūga Kumokawa felt exceptionally calm, even somewhat amused.
Was he himself some kind of loyal Konoha hound?
No. Of course not.
People are unfortunate because they are placed in this wretched world, troubled by its misery, until even their own words and actions cannot help but become wretched.
The reason Hyūga Kumokawa agreed to be Sarutobi Hiruzen's sacrificial lamb wasn't due to any belief in self-sacrifice for Konoha. It was because, in his view, the shinobi clans today were no longer the all-powerful entities they were during Konoha's founding.
This was also why Hyūga Kumokawa admired Tobirama Senju more than Hashirama Senju.
Tobirama Senju's wisdom and talent lay not only in his ability to develop jutsu but, more importantly, in his political acumen and strategic vision, which surpassed even his brother's.
Whether it was establishing the Ninja Academy and the Chūnin Exams to cultivate talent from the common populace, taking the lead in openly teaching the jutsu he developed—leaving other clans whose techniques were 'borrowed' with no grounds for complaint—or creating the Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force to massively centralize the Hokage's power.
Even guiding the Senju clan to abandon the honor and surname of "Senju" and intermarry with commoners... This move could be said to have fundamentally improved the average aptitude of civilian-born shinobi from the ground up, truly transforming them into fertilizer and nutrients sinking into the soil to nourish the great tree that is Konoha.
Tobirama Senju genuinely transcended clan prejudice and led by example. His reforms and ideology influenced the entire Senju clan and, by extension, present-day Konoha. This was far different from Uchiha Itachi's seemingly far-sighted yet ultimately arrogant and extreme methods.
In truth, even without Uchiha Itachi's so-called "justice above family," the Uchiha clan lacked the power to overthrow the Hokage's faction. The shinobi clans had already been half-crippled by Tobirama Senju's policies. Unless the Uchiha united all the clans to strike together...
So, would the Uchiha clan unite with the others? Could they?
The answer is: they wouldn't, and they couldn't.
Because the Uchiha clan couldn't stoop to ask, and because the other clans weren't fools.
If the Uchiha clan were the type to humble themselves and play the political game, they wouldn't have been backed step by step into a corner where rebellion seemed their only option.
Even if Uchiha Fugaku could swallow his pride and plead with the other clans...
Most likely, the other clan heads would smile and agree readily to his face, only to report to Sarutobi Hiruzen the moment he left, terrified that another clan might beat them to it in proving their loyalty by exposing a "co-conspirator."
Because the shinobi clans were never a monolithic bloc. There were "pro-Hokage factions" among them too.
Hyūga Kumokawa even suspected that Tobirama Senju chose Sarutobi Hiruzen over Shimura Danzō to succeed him, not just for some odd reason like Hiruzen volunteering first to stay behind and sacrifice himself to protect his comrades.
It was because the Sarutobi clan was close with the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans. Only with Sarutobi Hiruzen in power could Konoha's major clans be effectively divided. Sarutobi Hiruzen's identity simply made him the more suitable candidate for the seat.
Shimura Danzō, to this day, probably still thinks he lost the Hokage position because he hesitated for a moment and was a step too slow.
Hah. All one can say is, losing to Sarutobi Hiruzen... he really had it coming.
"Very good."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze swept over the assembly, and the weight in his heart lightened considerably. "As long as we stand united, neither Kumogakure nor anyone else can defeat us."
Konoha had indeed grown weaker.
But that didn't mean its former defeated enemies had grown stronger.
And besides...
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Hyūga Kumokawa standing to the side, thought of the Uchiha clan's "Shisui of the Body Flicker," and of young Naruto, still a blank slate. A flicker of gratified relief passed through his cloudy eyes.
Konoha still had a future. The road ahead was bright.
Snap.
The meeting concluded swiftly, and people filed out one after another.
Sarutobi Hiruzen kept Hyūga Kumokawa back until the end. Unexpectedly, there was another person of similar age remaining.
Hatake Kakashi. Anbu member. Konoha Jōnin.
Kumokawa saw those dead-fish eyes and recognized the guy immediately.
"Let me introduce you. This is Hatake Kakashi," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile. "Now that I think of it, you two became Jōnin around the same age. Both hopes for Konoha's future."
After the light remark, his expression turned serious again. "Hyūga Kumokawa, I want you to join Hatake Kakashi's team. You will depart with the main force, then proceed to the Land of Hot Water to investigate this so-called 'Abyss.' It is preliminarily classified as an S-rank mission. What do you think?"
The Abyss? The Land of Hot Water? An S-rank mission?
Hatake Kakashi shot a thoughtful glance at Hyūga Kumokawa, wondering just what this "Abyss" was.
So, the escort mission's failure and casualties weren't just due to a Kumo ambush after all.
"I'm willing," Hyūga Kumokawa nodded without hesitation.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't brought it up, he would have suggested it himself. Getting to join Hatake Kakashi's team was an unexpected boon.
He knew perfectly well who was in Hatake Kakashi's group.
The current "Tenzō (Yamato)." The future Uchiha Itachi.
Even if it was just for Tenzō's Wood Release cells, Hyūga Kumokawa had to join Kakashi's team.
After giving a few more instructions, Sarutobi Hiruzen dismissed them both. He had plenty of his own matters to attend to now.
However, before they left, Sarutobi Hiruzen clapped Hyūga Kumokawa on the shoulder and leaned in with a smile. "Before you depart with the troops, remember to visit the Forbidden Technique Vault."
Hearing this, Hyūga Kumokawa's eyes glinted slightly. He understood this was both compensation and a deliberate temptation to win his loyalty.
The Forbidden Technique Vault... the Scroll of Seals... Now those were some truly good things.
Snap.
A short while later, Hyūga Kumokawa emerged from the meeting room to find Hyūga Higoi waiting outside the door.
The visible wound on Higoi's face was almost healed now, but the humiliation it represented was still carved into his heart.
"Hyūga Kumokawa."
Seeing Kumokawa exit, Hyūga Higoi's voice was cold and threatening. "Do you think just because the Third Hokage favors you, I can't do anything to you?"
Hyūga Kumokawa didn't answer. He didn't even glance at Higoi, brushing past him and ignoring the venomous stare.
If Hyūga Higoi had dared to activate the Caged Bird Cursed Seal the moment Kumokawa stepped out of the meeting room, perhaps Kumokawa would have been somewhat surprised and thought more highly of him.
Now?
It was nothing but the impotent snarling of an old dog.
Hyūga Higoi could only watch Kumokawa walk away. His entire body trembled, veins bulging on his forehead, yet he was powerless.
The moonlight from the window shone on his temples, which had already turned gray.
He truly didn't dare to act.
He truly was old.
....
Morning light streamed into the Raikage's office in Kumogakure. A violent crash shattered the morning's quiet.
BANG!!
The solid wood desk was smashed to pieces by a single dark, thick-fisted blow. Papers and documents scattered everywhere. The force of the punch even left a web of cracks on the floor.
"How dare Konoha?!"
The Fourth Raikage was wreathed in lightning, his hair standing on end. His face showed nothing but rage and shock.
Beside him, Mabui wore an equally grave expression, looking at the formal declaration of war from Konoha.
The Fourth Great Shinobi War had begun.
The news began to spread across the entire shinobi world, instantly causing upheaval. Powers both overt and covert were shocked and suspicious.
Many were astonished by Sarutobi Hiruzen's swift and decisive reaction. They immediately mobilized their own forces, sent people to investigate the Land of Hot Water, and contacted spies embedded in Konoha to understand the situation.
A hesitant, wavering Sarutobi Hiruzen and a decisive, resolute Sarutobi Hiruzen posed completely different levels of threat.
They wanted to know what exactly had happened between Konoha and Kumo to make Hiruzen commit so quickly, and to align the other clans with such speed.
Apart from Kumo and Konoha, the only ones privy to part of the reason were the Akatsuki organization, still lurking in Amegakure and not yet having seized power.
However...
"Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's character, faced with this situation, he should be hesitant and indecisive, worrying about gains and losses. Why was he so decisive this time?"
....
In the Land of Rain, amidst the perpetual dark downpour, a hoarse, surprised voice spoke, but it quickly turned calm.
"Nagato, it seems the plan has changed. You must act immediately."