"There's more?"
Hiashi Hyuga Byakugan veins pulsating like worms on his temples, sensed another chakra signature fleeing outside the compound wall.
"You won't escape!" He leaped into the air, spinning gracefully.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
An invisible shockwave blasted through the air. It sliced cleanly through the shoulder of the fleeing White Zetsu.
SPLAT.
A white arm fell to the ground, twitching.
But the Zetsu itself didn't stop.
It scuttled away into the shadows like a cockroach.
Hiashi didn't pursue.
He landed back in his garden, surrounded by the carnage of seven dead "intruders." He knelt down to examine a corpse.
"Are these creatures even human?"
When he'd activated his Byakugan earlier, Hiashi had noticed their chakra networks were... wrong.
Now, up close, it was confirmed.
Their skin felt like rubber, no blood, no internal organs.
Just white, fibrous plant matter.
"Father..." Hanabi whimpered, clutching her chest. "What should we do? They... they didn't seem hostile at first. They just wanted to die."
She felt guilty.
She felt like she had murdered a bunch of depressed vegetable-men!
"It's fine, Hanabi," Hiashi said firmly, standing up. "Whether these are humans or some twisted puppet technique, they're wearing Amegakure forehead protectors."
"People from a minor village wouldn't dare escalate this. They attacked the Hyuga Clan. We are the victims here."
"Clan Head!"
A maid, Hyuga Natsu, hurried into the blood-splattered garden, bowing low. "ANBU are here for you. They say it's the Hokage's orders, he told you to meet him immediately."
"Hmm?" Hiashi frowned.
He didn't connect the dots.
It had been less than ten minutes since the slaughter. How did the Hokage know already?
And how dare they?
A minor village coveting the Byakugan? It was the Kumo incident all over again.
But this time, Hiashi had made sure, because he checked the forehead protectors.
He had the moral high ground!
"Lord Hiashi," a masked ANBU appeared on the wall. "Please bring Miss Hanabi along. Also, I need to collect the intruders' remains as evidence."
The ANBU pulled out a sealing scroll and began sweeping up the white goo.
"What?" Hiashi blinked.
Why bring Hanabi? Why take the bodies?
Filled with confusion and righteous indignation, Hiashi marched his daughter to the Hokage's office.
...
Hokage's Office.
As soon as he saw the occupants of the room, half his confusion vanished.
Replaced by pure, unadulterated fury.
Sitting comfortably on the guest sofa was Makoto.
"It's you!" Hiashi hissed.
This was the creep who stared at Hanabi yesterday and asked ominous questions about kidnapping!
Clearly, he sent these plant-men to finish the job!
"Hiashi," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, putting down his pipe. "This representative from Amegakure claims his village's ninjas were brutally massacred by your clan. In cold blood."
"I've called you here to confront each other. But before that..."
Hiruzen turned his gaze to Makoto.
His plan was simple: Let Hiashi crush this minor village representative with facts and logic, show the Hyuga clan that the Hokage has their back, and earn some loyalty points.
"Please go ahead, Hokage-sama," Makoto spread his hands innocently.
"The visitor list for Amegakure only records two people," Hiruzen said, unrolling a scroll. "You, and the other one. So if other Amegakure ninjas appear in Konoha... may I consider that an illegal invasion?"
Gotcha.
Hiashi relaxed immediately as he patted Hanabi's shoulder.
'See? Daddy wins.'
"Who said there were only two of us?" Makoto asked, looking confused.
He pointed a finger at the one-armed White Zetsu standing next to him (the one Hiashi maimed but didn't kill).
"That's White."
Then he pointed at himself.
"I'm Black."
Finally, he pointed at Konan.
"She's actually the Amegakure Village Leader."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him.
Hiashi Hyuga stared at him.
Even the ANBU in the corner twitched.
"Please don't joke, sir..." Hiruzen's mouth twitched. "Those are clearly code names. The list requires full names."
"Why no family names?" Hiashi demanded. "Are you taking us for fools?"
WHOOSH.
Makoto vanished.
In a blur of speed that made the ANBU jump, he reappeared sitting on the edge of the Hokage's desk.
He grabbed the list, tossed it aside, and pointed at the names.
"Aside from you noble clans constantly obsessing over family honor, isn't it normal for commoners to have no family names?"
"Look at the Sunagakure list," Makoto tapped the paper. "Temari. Kankuro. Gaara. Do you see a family name? No. Are you arresting them for invasion?"
"Uh..." Hiruzen paused.
'That... is actually a good point.'
Hiashi was momentarily tongue-tied.
"He's really called White?" Hiruzen asked, recovering from the shock of Makoto's speed.
He looked at the plant-man.
"What?" Makoto scoffed. "Isn't he white enough to be called 'White'?"
"Well, that's true—wait!" Hiruzen slammed the table. "He's called White. What about the others who attacked the Hyuga clan? The seven dead ones? Are they also called White?"
Checkmate.
Hiashi's eyes lit up.
Got him!
"Correct," Makoto nodded frankly.
"I..."
"What?" Makoto interrupted. "The Raikage is called A. His brother is called B. These guys are quintuplets. They look identical. They are poor war orphans and their parents weren't creative. What's wrong with them all being called White?"
"..."
Hiruzen opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
'Technically... it's possible.'
"Wait, Third Hokage!" Hiashi shouted, realizing he was losing the debate. "Please look at the bodies! Their anatomy is wrong! They aren't human! It must be a puppet technique!"
SMACK!!
Makoto slammed his hand on the desk, startling everyone.
He stood up, radiating righteous anger!
"How outrageous, Clan Leader Hyuga!"
"I could understand you killing them in self-defense. But denying their humanity? Calling them things? Isn't that going too far?!"
Makoto placed a hand over his heart, looking pained.
"They were my beloved friends! My sworn brothers! We grew up together in the rain!"
"If having a different physical structure makes you 'not human,' then what about my village?" Makoto asked, his voice trembling with emotion.
"We have people with five hearts! People with gills! People who turn into paper! Are they monsters too? Or maybe they just practiced secret techniques?!"
"That makes sense," Hiruzen muttered, nodding.
As the Professor of Ninjutsu, he knew weird bodies were common.
Orochimaru himself turned into snakes.
It was plausible.
"They... they should be human," a small voice piped up.
Everyone turned.
Hanabi Hyuga was looking at the floor with tears in her eyes.
"Hanabi, you..." Hiashi gaped at his daughter.
'Whose side are you on?!'
"I'm sorry, Father," Hanabi sniffled. "But they really felt human. The things they said before dying... about love... about marriage... about cool summer nights... those were real emotions!"
"See?" Makoto spread his hands, looking vindicated. "Children don't lie. And even if she could lie, why would she lie for me?"
Hiashi Hyuga clutched his chest.
He felt like he was going to have a heart attack!
Because they were reciting poetry while he killed them! That's why!
------
give all your power stone for 3 chapters a day!!!!