"Hmph!" Shimura Danzō snorted coldly.
"That's because Hiruzen is too weak!"
"If I had become Hokage back then, none of this nonsense would have happened!"
"Without my ROOT, with Hiruzen's temperament, Konoha would be even worse off than it is now!"
"Shut up!" Sarutobi Hiruzen roared, his face flushed.
And then he was muted.
That only made Hiruzen even angrier.
Ōnoki: "Damn Konoha's darkness. You're disgusting—people would love to tear you apart—but I have to admit, your existence did increase Konoha's threat level."
Terumī Mei: "Overall, though, the harm outweighs the benefits."
Fourth Raikage: "Agreed."
Rasa: Danzō is correct.
Rasa: For the sake of the village, one must use any means necessary.
Senju Tobirama: "Which is why all of you are so poor you can't even feed yourselves."
Rasa: ...
Chiyo: "Damn Konoha's Second Hokage! Damn Tsunade!"
If not for Tsunade, Sunagakure would never have declined during the Second Great War.
Tsunade: "Tch. Old hag, that's war. Did you really think your poison was invincible?"
Tsunade: "You poison people, and we're not allowed to resist? Not allowed to detox? Not allowed to kill you?"
Tsunade: "Only your people are people? We're not?!"
Senju Tobirama: "Little Tsuna! So you were in the chatroom after all—why didn't you reply to Grandpa earlier?"
Senju Hashirama: "As expected of my granddaughter! Hahaha~"
The chatroom once again descended into chaos.
[The next day.]
[Early in the morning, little Naruto was woken by the sounds of laughter on the streets.]
After a quick wash—
Knock knock knock—
A knock sounded at the door.
Opening it, Naruto saw Ino and Sakura already there.
Both were bundled up tightly, their exposed cheeks red from the cold.
"Naruto~!" Ino reached out and touched his face.
The icy sensation made Naruto instinctively shrink his neck.
He laughed and let them inside.
Before long, Shikamaru and Chōji arrived as well.
It was a lively day.
Little Naruto went out with the four of them.
Not long after, he noticed a man with a headband tied around his head.
His forehead protector was completely different from Konoha's.
Seeing this man—
Hyūga Hiashi let out a quiet sigh.
This person's appearance marked the turning point of the Hyūga clan's fate—the beginning of their decline.
In truth, the Hyūga main family was extremely small.
You could even say it consisted of only Hiashi and his daughters, along with a handful of elderly elders.
Nearly the entire Hyūga clan belonged to the branch family.
The Caged Bird Seal appeared to firmly bind the branch family.
Yet in reality, it protected the Hyūga as a whole.
Externally, it prevented deaths caused by outsiders coveting the Byakugan.
Internally, aside from the small main-family line, the branch family outwardly appeared unified.
The Hyūga were indeed a strictly hierarchical clan.
And it was precisely because of the Caged Bird Seal that they had preserved their strength and survived intact for so long.
But it was also because of the Caged Bird Seal—
combined with the Third Hokage's incompetence—
that everything changed the moment Hiashi's brother, Hyūga Hizashi, became a scapegoat.
Within the clan, they were suppressed by the main family.
Within the village, they were suppressed by those in power.
They could already see their future—
one that might mirror the Uchiha's.
Coupled with years of constant war,
every clan was suffering from a generational gap.
Let alone civilian shinobi.
The Sarutobi clan had once been a major clan as well—
but it had never been this massive.
Only after the Uchiha massacre did the Sarutobi clan's inadvertently revealed strength awaken the other clans.
But by then—
it was already too late.
[Aside from that one shinobi, there were no other unusual findings.]
Under Ino's lead, Naruto tasted many snacks he had never eaten before.
Although there were still glares and attempts to drive him away,
when Ino stepped in, most vendors were willing to do business.
[Night fell.]
After a full day of playing, the children were exhausted.
Before parting, Ino touched the back of Naruto's neck with her icy hand.
—A sharp chill shot through him—
Anyone who's experienced it knows that feeling.
"My dad said that for the next few days, Shikamaru, Chōji, and I will start learning the basics of our clan's secret techniques."
"Shikamaru said it's chakra refinement… and some other things I forgot. I'll teach you once I learn them~"
"Don't bury yourself in studying all the time. You need to relax once in a while too!"
Seeing Ino suddenly drop her playful smile and turn serious,
Naruto also put on a serious expression and nodded.
Satisfied, Ino said, "Then—see you in a few days~"
"Oh, and don't cut your hair. I think long hair suits you."
"I think so too," Naruto replied with a smile, waving goodbye to the four.
[Night.]
[Inside the Konoha Guesthouse.]
The Kumogakure envoy stood by the window, looking at the brightly lit streets.
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
"For the sake of the village."
—Whoosh—
In the instant the words left his mouth, the envoy vanished.
Not long after he left, an ANBU shinobi emerged from behind a distant tree.
"I'll report to Hokage-sama first."
—Whoosh—
Following Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders, he did not stop the envoy immediately, but went to report first.
Soon after—Hokage Office.
"Toward the Hyūga compound?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"Go take a look."
What exactly was Kumogakure trying to pull?
Unable to figure it out, Hiruzen decided to see for himself.
Meanwhile—
[At the Hyūga compound, Hyūga Hinata lay fast asleep.]
A pitch-black figure appeared beside her.
"Hmph."
"With defenses like this, this is Konoha's so-called Hyūga?"
The intruder was none other than the Kumogakure envoy.
He narrowed his eyes.
"No curse mark. A main-family member. A transplantable Byakugan."
Without hesitation, he picked up the small Hinata and fled.
But just as he was about to leave the compound—
a figure had already been waiting.
Today was the day Neji would receive the Caged Bird Seal.
Combined with Konoha's celebration, security had indeed loosened.
No one expected someone to exploit that opening.
Naturally, Hiashi was also confused—
who would dare infiltrate the Hyūga compound?
(Because of the Byakugan's special nature, its use within the village was long restricted under normal circumstances.)
When Hiashi saw the intruder's appearance, veins bulged on his forehead.
The blood vessels around his eyes swelled as his Byakugan activated involuntarily.
They were trying to abduct his daughter.
It was obvious—they were after the Byakugan.
Because the man wore a black mask, Hiashi did not recognize him immediately.
—Bang—
To Hiashi's surprise, the intruder did not change direction or flee when he saw him.
Instead, he charged straight toward him.
Hiashi struck without hesitation.
Yet what shocked him even more—
was that with a single blow, the despicable thief was sent flying.
Hiashi was certain he had only used a chakra-point strike, not lethal force.
But the man flew back, blood seeping from beneath the black mask—
his neck twisted, and he died instantly.
Hiashi stepped forward and pulled off the mask.
He froze.
"This is… the envoy sent by Kumogakure to sign the alliance agreement?!"
Suddenly, Hiashi sensed something and turned sharply.
"Third… Hokage-sama."
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