The Hyuga Shall Stand Above, In The Heavens!

Land of Fire.

Konohagakure.

The familiar central square.

Here, the Nine-Tails once rampaged and killed, and Sarutobi almost took the blame for the Nine-Tails Incident.

But today, this place felt completely different from the heavy atmosphere before.

With the Land of Fire's Daimyo, Tsuchikage from Iwagakure Village, and Raikage from Kumogakure Village all declaring their willingness to form an alliance, the war triggered by the Nine-Tails Incident was truly coming to an end.

People were spreading the news, remembering their fallen comrades, and crying at the memorial park.

They were venting their emotions, enjoying the hard-won peace.

Even though just a few days ago, they were bitter enemies, today, at this very moment, they nodded and greeted each other, hiding their hatred and not letting it ruin this fragile peace.

Today was an incredibly important day for Konohagakure and the three great nations.

To show his sincerity, the Land of Fire's Daimyo personally hosted the celebration to mark the arrival of Kumogakure Village and Iwagakure Village's emissaries and the signing of the peace treaty.

"Why hasn't it started yet?"

The central square had been transformed into a venue suitable for the celebration, and the Land of Fire's Daimyo looked impatient, urging Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't really care for this kind of celebration held at night. He would rather spend the time with his wives and have some fun creating heirs.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't mentioned that there might be an opportunity to reprimand those who were disrespectful at the celebration, the Daimyo might not even have bothered to attend. 

This was the celebration of a defeated nation trying to please the victorious nations!

If the Hokage wasn't embarrassed to attend, the Daimyo still had some pride.

Besides, as the Daimyo, he should be dealing with his fellow Daimyo, not the Hokage. Attending such a celebration felt a little beneath him.

"It's coming soon. They should be arriving shortly."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and subtly glanced at Danzo across the room, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.

Seeing his old friend nod slightly, Sarutobi sighed in relief and spoke again:

"I never expected the Raikage and Tsuchikage to be so sincere. They actually went to personally invite the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. I thought that due to repeated clashes on the battlefield, there would be some lingering tension between the Tsuchikage and Raikage. It seems I was wrong, and I underestimated them."

Such nonsense.

Daimyo cast a disdainful glance at Sarutobi. To him, the whole idea of inviting them was just a show of pretension.

When it comes to national interests, personal grudges must be set aside.

The Daimyo didn't believe for a second that the Raikage and Tsuchikage were so magnanimous. Most likely, they had been warned by their respective Daimyos.

In the end, whether it was him or other Daimyos, they all saw the ninja villages as tools of war, as sharp blades in their hands.

It was up to them whether they sharpened that blade or not.

Speaking of it, Konohagakure's actions in recent years had been disappointing. It seemed a warning was in order.

After a moment of silence, the Daimyo was about to speak, but just then, the ground trembled. He instinctively ducked under the table.

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom!

Luckily, the shaking came quickly and ended just as fast. It wasn't long before Sarutobi helped the Daimyo back to his feet.

The shaking had stopped.

The room was filled with noise as everyone started discussing Konohagakure's recent situation. Over the past year, there had been strange earthquakes that ended almost as quickly as they started.

Only the powerful Jonin glanced toward the outskirts of Konohagakure.

That was the direction of the Hyuga clan!

Could it be that Hitoshi was once again researching new techniques with his clan?

This was absurd!

Today was the celebration of the three nations. How could they cause such a disturbance and disrupt the event?

And as a member of Konohagakure, it would have been one thing for Raikage to personally invite them if they hadn't shown up to the celebration, but using such a powerful jutsu to flaunt their strength and provoke the others?

What was Hyuga Hitoshi thinking?

It was a bit reckless!

Even though the Hyuga clan were heroes of Konohagakure, they shouldn't act so arrogantly.

They still remembered when Patriarch Hitoshi's new technique had blown up the Third Hokage's stone face. There were no outsiders in the village at that time, so the explosion didn't matter much. After all, they didn't like the Third Hokage's face either. But now, it was a time of peace talks. Everything should be focused on that, so why couldn't the Hyuga clan keep a low profile?

Sometimes, a good person doing a bad thing makes them the target of everyone's criticism, while a bad person doing a good thing is praised.

The world was sick in that way.

They had forgotten the Hyuga clan's role on the battlefield, forgotten how many more people would have died if it weren't for them, and how the war wouldn't have ended so quickly without their strength.

All they saw was Hyuga Hitoshi's arrogance and rudeness after the emissary team arrived.

"This situation is under control."

With the earthquake over, Danzo and Sarutobi exchanged a glance and smiled. They had some idea of the Raikage and Tsuchikage's plans.

Having their eyes on Konohagakure's Sharingan, they were bound to try and get what they wanted. But given Hyuga Hitoshi's temperament, it was impossible for him to let anything happen to his clan under his watch.

In other words, a conflict was inevitable!

With the noise so loud now, it seemed like Hyuga Hitoshi had probably killed the person in a fit of anger!

This is a good thing!

In an instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen became alert.

He looked at the villagers gathered below for the celebration, their expressions confused, and the heads of various ninja clans frowning. He clenched his fists, as if holding tight to the weapon called morality!

He had once used this weapon to eliminate the famous Konohagakure White Fang, but it nearly backfired on him because the weapon was too sharp. After regaining his position, he almost lost hold of it entirely, only for Uchiha Fugaku to pick it up and turn it against him.

If it hadn't been for Raikage suddenly declaring war, he wouldn't have known how to resolve that situation!

But this time, he was determined to hold tightly to this weapon, the one known as moral blackmail!

He stared into the distance at the approaching groups, noting the starkly different expressions of Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hitoshi. Sarutobi's expression grew colder.

Now, he was full of confidence.

The Hyuga and Uchiha clans were indeed powerful, and Hyuga Hitoshi had even claimed he could personally lead the fight. 

But in the end, their strength rested on one thing.

They had Konohagakure behind them. They could never break free from that label and go independent!

Leave? Or not join?

Ha, the fate of the Uzumaki clan and Uzushiogakure was a clear example.

During the Warring States period, the Hyuga clan agreed to join Konohagakure under Senju's invitation, seeking protection and stability.

It was the same now.

Sarutobi believed that no matter how loudly the Hyuga clan acted or how arrogantly the Uchiha clan behaved, they could never escape Konohagakure. Once they lost the protection of Konohagakure, they would suffer the same fate as the Uzumaki clan, attacked by everyone and quickly wiped out.

He and Danzo had coldly watched the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, even secretly encouraging it, just to show Konohagakure's ninja clans what happened to those without the protection of a great nation.

Furthermore, even if the earlier incident hadn't happened, Uchiha Madara's influence couldn't take the Uchiha clan out of Konohagakure, and now, with the current Uchiha clan, it was even more impossible.

So Sarutobi believed that with the weapon of morality in hand, plus the support of the Daimyo, and the understanding that the other side didn't want to lose their Konohagakure identity, he could give a subtle warning.

This move was secured!

When Hyuga Hitoshi and Uchiha Fugaku, along with their clan elders, arrived and saw Tsuchikage and Raikage nodding, Sarutobi realized the opportunity to strike had come.

The miracle he had been waiting for seemed to have appeared!

Sarutobi believed that after this suppression, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans would quiet down, and his position as Hokage would have much more room to grow without interference from these two clans!

"Ahem."

He calmed his emotions and stood up, walking toward Tsuchikage and Raikage. Though he knew what was happening, he still had to follow the proper procedure.

As the two groups approached, the faces of the surrounding ninjas and villagers began to change.

It was simple.

Tsuchikage waved his hand, and the guards slowly brought in a stretcher. As everyone turned to look, they saw several charred bodies on it. Even from a distance, the smell of the bodies made people gag.

The flames of Amaterasu wouldn't extinguish until the target was completely burned away.

But just because it doesn't go out, doesn't mean it can't be sealed.

As soon as Fugaku realized that one of his dojutsu abilities was Amaterasu, he specifically researched sealing techniques related to it. However, his goal wasn't to completely suppress it, but to make use of it in battle, like releasing the black flames from the seal for a surprise attack.

The Fire Sealing Technique was one of those methods.

After all, continuing to burn the bodies of Tsuchikage's subordinates in front of him would be rude, so the black flames were sealed into a scroll for now.

When Oonoki had his subordinates carry the bodies to the arena, the atmosphere in the central square began to tense.

Several bodies, some of which even had Iwagakure Village's ninja headbands.

Tsuchikage's dark expression, combined with the sweat on Fugaku's forehead and the worried faces of the elders from the Uchiha clan behind him.

Something's wrong!

The atmosphere grew solemn.

Countless people started imagining dramatic scenarios and occasionally glanced at the people in the arena.

But that wasn't all.

When Raikage, his face twisted with anger, had his subordinates bring in several mangled bodies on stretchers, placing Kumogakure Village ninja headbands on them and setting them in the center of the square, someone finally couldn't hold it in and vomited.

Konohagakure's villagers and ninjas, who had suffered so much, were practically immune to seeing dead bodies by now. But seeing this, up close, made it unbearable for those with weaker nerves.

"Hitoshi really doesn't hold back."

Fugaku couldn't help but shiver when he glanced at the scene. Even he felt uncomfortable witnessing it.

"Patriarch, you should think about how you'll handle the emissaries and the Hokage later," one of the conservative elders behind him said, his face filled with concern.

"Handle them? Shouldn't Tsuchikage be the one explaining this to us? This was their problem in the first place. We were just defending ourselves!" 

Elder Reika, from the more radical faction, said discontentedly.

Before coming here, he'd already understood the situation and could only say that Uchiha Itachi had done well. Anyone who covets the Uchiha clan's bloodline now has a path to death!

"Only you'd think like that."

The conservative elder muttered under his breath. Despite not liking Reika's tone, he had to make sure Reika understood the seriousness of the situation.

"Right now, even a dog from Konohagakure would see there's a problem here. But the dead are from Iwagakure Village. If they use this as a threat to start a war, do you think Daimyo and the Hokage will protect the Uchiha?"

That was definitely a problem.

Elder Reika's expression changed. He furrowed his brow and finally saw the gravity of the situation.

And this was exactly why the Uchiha clan elders had come. They had to keep a close watch on their Patriarch and make sure he didn't make any wrong decisions.

This was the Uchiha clan's traditional virtue, just like when Uchiha Madara tried to take them away. It was the elders who stood up to oppose him.

At this moment, the Uchiha clan's lack of unified control over its leadership was painfully obvious.

However, in contrast to the situation with the Uchiha...

Behind Raikage, Hyuga Hitoshi, accompanied by a team of guards, walked leisurely toward the square. The elders of his clan had long sent Patriarch Hitoshi to retire on the moon, ensuring his safety but also allowing him to occasionally visit the ninja world. Today, however, they had to stay put.

Unlike Fugaku, who had been forced to come to the square under threat, Hyuga Hitoshi ignored Raikage's attempts to speak out after the killings, ordering Raikage to quickly clean up the bodies before bringing his team directly to the square.

Now that most of Konohagakure's people had gathered here, he could carefully observe everyone's expressions. This was the answer everyone had prepared for him. The crucial moment had arrived.

"Tsuchikage, Raikage, what do you mean by this?"

Sarutobi, ready and accompanied by Danzo, jogged down from the top VIP seats. He was shocked when he saw the body nearby and asked:

"Hokage, do you still have the nerve to ask what I mean?"

Tsuchikage sneered, pointing to the charred body on the stretcher.

"I came to Konohagakure with sincerity, hoping for peace talks, but how did Konohagakure treat me? Is this the attitude of the Third Hokage?!"

The commanding presence of Oonoki, a long-time leader, exploded, and his sharp gaze at Hokage immediately put immense pressure on Sarutobi.

Oonoki was so deeply immersed in his role that his acting was flawless, giving Sarutobi the feeling that he was ready to strike at any moment.

"I sent someone to invite Uchiha Fugaku to the celebration. That was out of respect for Uchiha and Konohagakure! To ease the hatred from the battlefield! But now? Members of the Uchiha clan have killed them!" 

"Is this your attitude towards peace talks?!"

His words were sharp and straight to the point, explaining the situation without any unnecessary details. His angry voice echoed throughout the square.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. After a brief silence, the square erupted into an uproar.

At the same time, members of the Uchiha clan started to argue back.

"You're talking nonsense! It was your Iwagakure who had bad intentions, trying to kidnap our Patriarch's son!"

"This is all a lie!"

"Iwagakure was fully prepared. They never wanted peace!"

Unfortunately, their attempts to explain the truth were completely drowned out by the noise around them. In the midst of the peace talks celebration falling apart, no one cared about the Uchiha's plight. They only knew that if the situation wasn't handled carefully, the hard-won peace might fall apart.

"My meaning is the same," Sarutobi said, but it was clearly just the beginning.

Raikage, with a loud voice, pushed his wheelchair to the front and pointed to the bloody remains on the ground, his face showing anger.

"Kumogakure Village ninjas died in Hyuga territory, and their bodies were desecrated like this. Konohagakure must give me an explanation!"

This caused an even bigger uproar!

This bombshell of a statement hit the crowd like a heavy blow.

Hyuga killed the Kumogakure ninja who came to invite them to the celebration?

What happened to Konohagakure's double-eyed leaders today?

Why did the Patriarchs' tempers suddenly flare up so much?!

The general thought was: if you had a problem with the invitation, you could just not attend the celebration. Why kill someone?

But that was just the opinion of most people. There were enough sharp minds in Konohagakure who already noticed something wasn't right when Raikage spoke.

This was a well-planned and organized trap targeting Konohagakure's Sharingan!

"This is too much! Even a dog can tell something is wrong!"

From afar, Asuma, who also came to the celebration, swung his fist in anger.

Next to him, Uchiha Shisui had already figured out the problem. Sweating with anxiety, he wished he could use Kotoamatsukami without cooldown to control everyone and continue the celebration smoothly.

But right now, he didn't even know who to control to solve the problem in one go.

"Indeed, I can see something's off too," Kakashi's ninja dog, Pakkun, nodded in agreement. Despite being a dog, Pakkun was quite clever.

"Since even a dog can tell, my dad should be able to figure it out," Asuma said, furrowing his brows, glancing worriedly at Itachi, who was silently following Fugaku.

"If Hokage-sama notices, he should retaliate forcefully, right?"

Shisui let out a sigh of relief. He was kind, but he was never kind to his enemies.

Unlike Sarutobi, Uchiha Shisui could always tell who was on his side. However, his mistake was in believing in the so-called Hokage and the higher-ups of Konohagakure.

After all, in his view, this obvious plot targeting the Hyuga and Uchiha clans could easily be ended if Hokage-sama took a strong stand, harshly rebuked Tsuchikage and Raikage, and even threatened war, forcing them to apologize to the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. Then everything would be over.

As for the subsequent war?

Heh!

Let's fight then!

The Uchiha never feared outsiders; it was others who feared the Uchiha!

Besides, Patriarch Hitoshi had already said that he was dissatisfied with the defeated party's status and was even willing to lead his people into battle.

Look.

This is the most normal reaction from someone who has seen through the situation!

But in this world, the reality is that normal people are often influenced by abnormal ones and end up thinking that the abnormal ones are actually the normal ones.

These abnormal people, in turn, believe that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, who have killed, are the ones with the problem. It's the classic victim-blaming theory. They expect the Hyuga and Uchiha clans to quickly apologize to the victorious country and try to meet their demands to calm their anger and sign a peace treaty.

After all, in their eyes, a peace treaty is more important than anything else. It's as if, once the paper is signed, everyone will obey it, and no matter what happens later, there will never be an invasion.

And these abnormal people believe that they are the ones who are normal.

What's even scarier is that Hokage-sama, whom Uchiha Shisui had placed his hopes on, had never shown any strength when dealing with external matters!

The outcome turned out to be the opposite of what Shisui had expected.

Thus…

"Patriarch Hitoshi, Patriarch Fugaku!"

With one hand waving to silence the noise around him, Sarutobi looked at the two Patriarchs with a stern and imposing expression.

"You've heard what Tsuchikage and Raikage said. Is there any truth to this? Do you have anything to add?"

Good news: He was being strong!

Bad news: But only internally.

"Hokage-sama, it was Itachi who killed the people, but there were reasons behind it."

Fugaku, with a forced expression and under the sharp gazes of the clan elders, spoke in a low voice, trying to explain.

"Enough, we just need to confirm that you were the ones who killed them!"

Sarutobi's face was filled with anger.

"Even if the messenger group was at fault, just arrest them. Uchiha, as a member of the guard team, isn't that how you usually handle civilians? Why did it have to end in death?"

This punch was meant to shift the atmosphere among the surrounding villagers, using the Uchiha guard team's usual arrogance to make the affected civilians empathize with him!

It seemed weak, but it was secretly dangerous. Only a genius in internal martial arts could use such a deadly move.

As an expert in internal martial arts, Sarutobi Hiruzen wielded it with ease.

One sentence, and he had changed the mood around him, nearly making Fugaku choke on his anger.

So, now the guard team's enforcement is linked to this? 

To be fair, the guard team's job was to manage the village and suppress criminals. Did they expect them to be kind to lawbreakers?

That would be ridiculous.

Although this department was hated, it was undeniably useful.

Sarutobi's words were unreasonable, and his punch had left Fugaku severely injured.

But after landing that blow, he wasn't satisfied. He turned to look at Hyuga Hitoshi.

"Patriarch Hitoshi, do you have anything to add?"

He once again tried to use the weapon of morality.

But unfortunately, Hyuga Hitoshi had no morals and couldn't be trapped by him. After hearing Sarutobi's words, he simply gave him the middle finger and sneered.

"Are you deaf or blind?" 

After a sweet remark, Patriarch Hitoshi cursed and took a step forward, looking down at the other person. 

"That's true, after all, the old village head is really getting old." 

"But even if you're suffering from dementia, don't tell me you don't understand what's going on. But honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were the Tsuchikage or Raikage, not the Hokage." 

His tone lacked all respect, and even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the other two village leaders were stunned. 

They never expected Hyuga Hitoshi to be so tough. He insulted his own Hokage and seemed like he wanted to rip off the dirty cover of this shady deal. 

Yes, if you think about it for a moment, it's easy to see that this was a conspiracy. 

But to keep the peace talks going, to maintain this false peace, smart people wouldn't expose it even if they saw through it. 

In their original script, the likely scenario was that under the Hokage's approval, new conditions would be added to the peace treaty, like handing over the killers from both clans. However, neither side wanted to get into a new battle. In the end, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans would be forced to hand over their Byakugan and Sharingan under pressure from the Daimyo, Hokage, and everyone else. 

This result might be humiliating for both clans, but it was the proper procedure—treating Kekkei Genkai as a bargaining chip in the talks. 

The loss would mostly be in dignity, but the good news was that the peace talks were successful, and Konohagakure would have peace. Was that so bad? 

They just wanted to keep both face and substance. 

But Hyuga Hitoshi didn't want that. How could he see the true face of the village without showing the bloody truth? How could he observe everyone's reactions and make the right judgment? 

So, let's look at the truth. 

Patriarch Hitoshi snapped his fingers lightly, and the new concept camera called [Dark Eye], developed by Orochimaru, emitted a ghostly light. It projected into the dark sky, creating a projection under the night's shadow. 

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