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“Clan Head, will Shin Uzumaki truly help? Are you absolutely sure about this?”
After the Hyūga elders departed, Hizashi Hyūga remained, asking his brother Hiashi with a complicated mix of emotions.
“Hizashi, just call me ‘Big Brother’.”
Since Hiashi became Clan Head, Hizashi had dutifully addressed him by title, adhering to Hyūga tradition.
“Alright… Big Brother.”
“You probably think this decision to defect from Konoha is crazy, don’t you? Honestly, I think it’s crazy too.”
Hiashi’s usually stoic face showed a rare hint of helplessness.
“But Hizashi, we have no choice. Staying here means being treated as pawns—expendable pawns.”
While Shin’s taunting had played a role in his decision, it was only a small part.
The root cause was Hiashi’s own simmering resentment. Hiruzen Sarutobi had sold him out without even consulting him.
Sacrificing their own allies for the sake of peace… this village was no longer the Konoha the Hyūga Clan was sworn to protect.
Hiashi’s heart had grown cold.
Hizashi remained silent. He knew if his brother hadn’t made this drastic decision, he would have been the one sacrificed in Hiashi’s place.
Honestly, Hizashi felt unwilling to die for his brother. They were twins, yet their fates were so vastly different.
But now, seeing his brother choose clan-wide defection, Hizashi felt a surge of emotion. He believed Hiashi was doing this, at least in part, to save him.
And he wasn’t entirely wrong. Hiashi couldn’t bear to see his own brother sacrifice himself, especially not for him.
“Hizashi, go make the preparations. I need to speak with Shin Uzumaki.”
Hiashi decided to talk to Shin again, hoping Shin could help them with a crucial first step.
——
Hiashi found Shin by the pond, with little Hinata beside him, looking flustered.
Seeing Hiashi approach, Hinata grew even more anxious, clutching Shin’s hand. “What do we do, Shin-nii?”
“Relax, Hinata. It’s just a few dead fish. Hiashi won’t mind,” Shin said, patting her head reassuringly.
Hearing this, Hiashi immediately looked into the pond. Several fish floated belly-up, clearly dead.
Hiashi loved his fish. Normally, he would have been furious. But right now, he couldn’t care less about the fish.
“Shin, I need your help,” Hiashi said directly.
“Speak. Helping you isn’t a problem, since I already promised.”
Shin was waiting for Hiashi to make his move. Helping him was no issue, as long as Hiashi didn’t back out now.
“I need you to get the women, children, and elderly of the Hyūga Clan out of Konoha. Can you do that?”
Hiashi understood the consequences of defection. Konoha would never allow it. A battle was inevitable. He needed to ensure the safety of the non-combatants first.
“No problem. That’s simple for me. Gather them.” Shin nodded to Hiashi.
Relieved, Hiashi immediately went to make arrangements. He didn’t care how Shin would do it, only that he could.
“Shin-nii, is Father okay?” Hinata asked, tugging at Shin’s clothes.
“Hinata, little kids shouldn’t worry about adult matters.”
“Oh.” Hinata nodded, though she didn’t fully understand.
——
Hiashi acted swiftly. Soon, he gathered the clan’s women, children, and elderly—over a hundred people—and brought them to Shin.
Shin directly transported them all into the Kamui dimension. It was spacious enough. They had brought food and water, enough to last for a month, though they wouldn’t be staying that long.
Hiashi, initially worried, entered the Kamui dimension himself to check. Seeing everyone settled, he finally felt at ease.
“Take care of Hinata,” Hiashi said solemnly to Shin.
“What’s with the final words? Relax, I won’t abandon you. If you run into trouble, I’ll definitely help.”
For Hinata’s sake, Shin would save them. Besides, he was the one who instigated this defection in the first place.
Hiashi said nothing more and left the courtyard, heading towards the Hyūga training grounds.
——
The training ground was large, and all the Hyūga Clan shinobi were gathered there.
They already knew Hiashi’s decision; Hizashi had informed them. They were defecting from Konoha.
As members of the branch family, they had no choice but to follow the main family’s decision, even if it led to ruin.
“Your parents and children have been moved to a safe place. You have nothing to worry about. Now, We are leaving Konoha.”
Hiashi took out his forehead protector and scratched a line across it with a kunai.
The other Hyūga ninja hesitated for a moment, then followed suit, marking their headbands with the symbol of a missing-nin.
“Let’s go.”
Hiashi didn’t waste words.
The clan members knew the reason for their defection. Though reluctant to leave Konoha, they supported their Clan Head.
They had been wronged. It wasn’t their fault—yet the Hyūga Clan was forced to bear the consequences. Their pride couldn’t accept it.
Stepping out of the Hyūga compound gates signified their complete defection. There was no turning back.
Hiashi didn’t know what the future held, but he refused to stay in Konoha and suffer further humiliation.
———
The Hyūga Clan’s large-scale movement naturally alerted the Anbu, who had been keeping a close eye on them recently.
An Anbu agent immediately reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen, who was handling village affairs, rushed out of the Hokage office upon receiving the news.
He knew his handling of the situation had angered the Hyūga Clan and had planned to appease them later.
But hearing the Anbu report that the entire Hyūga Clan had turned into missing-nin shocked him.
Abandoning all other matters, Hiruzen personally went to intercept the Hyūga, ordering the Anbu to mobilize as well. They had to stop the Hyūga Clan at all costs.
Hiruzen hadn’t expected Hiashi Hyūga to react so drastically.
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