"Hanabi, you're too naive! Don't be deceived by a stranger's false tears!"
Hiashi Hyuga was sweating bullets.
The situation was spiraling out of control, and he felt like he was drowning in a sea of guilt-tripping!
He turned to Makoto while pointing a trembling finger at him.
"No matter what you say, you can't explain why those Rain ninja appeared at our compound! It's a restricted area!"
"And moreover!" Hiashi shouted, desperate to find a flaw. "The day before, you came to the compound, watched Hanabi training, and said 'why is no one here?' When I caught you, you asked a strange question and then bolted! That was clearly casing the joint!"
"There was such a thing?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, puffing on his pipe.
He looked at Makoto with suspicion.
"Oh," Makoto said calmly. "Then Clan Head Hiashi, could you repeat to your Hokage what I asked that day? Be specific."
The calmer Makoto appeared, the more Hiashi felt a pit opening in his stomach.
Hearing the challenge, Hiashi racked his brains.
He replayed the conversation in his head, trying to find the malice.
But he couldn't.
Meeting the Third's gaze, he had no choice but to comply.
"He asked me yesterday what I would do if we encountered someone born with the Byakugan but living outside the clan," Hiashi recited stiffly.
"I said... we would bring that person back to the Hyuga Branch House. To protect the bloodline."
"Is there a problem with that?" Hiruzen looked at Makoto.
"Is that child still alive?" Makoto asked softly, ignoring the Hokage.
Instead of answering directly, he looked "sorrowfully" at the one-armed White Zetsu beside him.
The Zetsu nodded solemnly.
Then, with a sickening squelch, the Zetsu used its remaining hand to slice open its own abdomen.
It reached inside the gooey cavity and pulled out... A small, baby-sized White Zetsu.
And in its eye sockets were two pale, unmistakable Byakugan.
"This... this is?!" Both Hiruzen and Hiashi gasped, leaning forward.
"Correct," Makoto said, his voice thick with emotion.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, one of my friends developed feelings for a Hyuga man. A tragic romance on the battlefield."
"Due to the chaos of war and the unique 'plant-based' secret technique they practiced, the child couldn't develop normally in a womb. It had to be stored inside them—inside the collective body of the White Zetsu—taking turns to absorb nutrients."
"Because of this, their bodies became extremely fragile."
Makoto wiped a non-existent tear from his eye.
"I asked Clan Head Hyuga that question yesterday to learn how he would treat this child."
"After returning, I told them the truth."
"I told them: 'I don't want my child to be branded with the Caged Bird slave seal by that ruthless clan the moment they're born.'"
"But they were idealists!" Makoto shouted, slamming his fist into his palm. "They believed family bonds were stronger than politics! So, without consulting me, they went to see you today. To introduce the child to its grandfather!"
"And the result..."
Makoto gestured to the scroll containing the "corpses."
"You slaughtered them all."
"..."
Hiashi Hyuga stood frozen in place.
Hanabi's mouth fell open as tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over her cheeks.
"Waaah—I didn't mean to!"
Hanabi cried out, running toward the Zetsu holding the baby. She reached out to touch the infant but pulled back, afraid of hurting it.
"Clan Leader Hiashi," the one-armed Zetsu warned, clutching the baby protectively. "Don't think about destroying this child's eyes. Our technique causes our bodies to turn into plants after death. The Byakugan will wither soon. You won't get your trophy."
Then the Zetsu looked down at the weeping girl.
"And little sister... this isn't your fault. It was your father's palm strike that did the heavy damage..."
"No!" Hanabi shook her head violently. "If I hadn't instinctively attacked... if I had listened..."
She was drowning in self-blame.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply.
This was a diplomatic disaster!
"What do you want to do about this?" Hiruzen asked Makoto.
His question was an admission of defeat.
Konoha was in the wrong.
They had killed a delegation attempting family reunification.
"What should be done?" Makoto smiled faintly. "Your Hidden Leaf Village has precedents for handling such matters. You don't need to ask me, do you?"
"You?!"
Hiashi snapped back to reality and his eyes bulged.
"So you know about the Cloud Village incident! You came prepared! This was premeditated blackmail!"
Years ago, the Cloud Village had tried to kidnap Hinata.
Hiashi killed the kidnapper.
The Cloud demanded "reparations" in the form of Hiashi's body but Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi, sacrificed himself instead.
"You're overthinking it, Clan Leader," Makoto scoffed.
"If we really wanted the Byakugan like the Cloud did, why would we bring the child here? We already had the eyes. Why walk into the lion's den?"
"If we had hidden the child forever, could you have tracked us down to brand that slave seal on its head?"
"..."
Hiashi was speechless.
He had been using his Byakugan this whole time.
The eyes were real and as Makoto said, they were slowly fading, turning into plant matter as the life force left them.
If this was a heist, it was the worst heist in history.
"So what exactly do you want?" Hiruzen interrupted, tapping his pipe impatiently. "Do you want Hiashi's body? A life for a life?"
"Our Amegakure is very peace-loving," Makoto said smoothly. "What would we do with a corpse? We aren't necrophiles."
"We just want labor. Have Clan Leader Hiashi come work for us for a few years. Community service."
"Oh, and if you're worried we might steal his eyes... Clan Leader Hiashi can simply brand himself with the Caged Bird seal before he comes. That way, we can't take anything."
Crack.
Hiashi clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Brand himself? The Head of the Main House becoming a Branch member? It was a humiliation worse than death!
"Father... let me go!" Hanabi suddenly stepped forward, her face tear-streaked but determined.
"Hanabi, you..." Hiashi looked at her, shocked.
"Father, I'm the cause of this incident," she said firmly. "I struck first. I must take responsibility. I will go to Amegakure."
"Everyone!"
Hiruzen slammed his hand on the desk, interrupting the impending family drama.
"This matter is of great importance. We cannot decide the fate of a clan head or heiress in five minutes."
"Allow us a few days to discuss it. We'll give you our official answer after the Chunin Exams conclude. How does that sound?"
Hiruzen was stalling for time.
He needed time to investigate Amegakure.
Was Hanzo still alive? Was this "Makoto" legit?
And he needed to placate Hiashi. If the Hyuga clan revolted right now, while Iwa and Kiri were in town, Konoha would crumble.
"No problem," Makoto shrugged. "We can wait. The rain teaches patience."
....
Outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
Makoto walked into the forest, carrying the scroll containing the "corpses."
The one-armed White Zetsu followed him.
"There's no one else here," Karin whispered, her sensory abilities scanning the perimeter. "No ANBU. No bugs."
"Release them," Makoto ordered.
"Yes."
The one-armed Zetsu unrolled the scroll.
POOF.
Seven mangled, plant-like corpses and one dead baby spilled onto the grass.
Makoto stepped forward.
"Crazy Diamond."
He pressed his hand on the first corpse.
VRRRRR.
The plant matter writhed.
In seconds, the "dead" White Zetsu gasped and sat up, rubbing its head.
"Ow... that Hyuga hits hard," it complained.
Makoto moved down the line, reviving them one by one.
Normally, Crazy Diamond couldn't revive the dead. If a human dies, their soul leaves.
Repairing the body just makes a fresh corpse.
But White Zetsu are different.
They don't have human souls.
They are biological constructs—mutated humans from the Divine Tree. As long as the biological machinery is repaired, they turn back on.
Adhering to the traditional virtue of "diligence and thrift," Makoto wasn't going to waste good labor.
He restored all seven actors.
Then he picked up the "baby."
It wasn't a baby.
It was a small Zetsu clone molded into a baby shape, with a pair of stolen Byakugan implanted in it.
He healed it too.
"Good job, everyone," Makoto nodded to his acting troupe. "You really sold the 'tragic romance' angle."
"Boss," the one-armed Zetsu asked as Makoto reattached his arm. "Do we get a bonus for this?"
"Your bonus is not being turned into crap," Makoto smiled. "Now get back to base."
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