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Just as the Hyūga Clan was about to leave Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi, leading a squad of Anbu, finally intercepted them.
“Hiashi, what is the meaning of this?!” Hiruzen demanded, his face contorted with anger as he noticed the scratches on their forehead protectors.
“Isn’t it obvious? From this day forward, the Hyūga Clan severs all ties with Konoha.” Hiashi replied calmly, though he was already bracing for a fight.
“Why?” Hiruzen asked, pained.
Konoha’s second most prominent clan, defecting just like that? Why?
“The Third Hokage was ready to sacrifice my life, and you ask me why?” Hiashi looked at Hiruzen with open mockery.
“Hiashi, you misunderstand. Konoha never intended to sacrifice you—”
Hiruzen began, but his words rang hollow. He truly hadn’t intended to sacrifice Hiashi himself; the Hyūga Clan would never agree to that.
His plan had been to have the Hyūga offer up someone else important to appease Kumogakure.
“Not sacrifice me, but sacrifice one of my clansmen? Kumogakure was the aggressor, yet the Hyūga Clan must pay the price? Why?” Hiashi’s voice was glacial.
His sharp questions left Hiruzen speechless.
——
“Hiashi Hyūga is finally showing some backbone.”
Shin watched the unfolding scene from a distance.
This was exactly what he wanted to see. Hinata wasn’t with him; he had sent her to the Land of Whirlpools, entrusting her to Mikoto and the other—so he could watch the drama unfold.
If Shin’s only goal had been the Hyūga defection, he could have teleported the entire clan away easily.
But Shin wanted more.
He wanted to see the sparks fly when the defecting Hyūga clashed with Konoha. In this play, Konoha and the Hyūga were the main actors, and Shin was the eager audience.
Shin watched calmly, curious to see how Hiruzen would handle this.
But regardless of Hiruzen’s response—a fight was inevitable.
The Hyūga had crossed the point of no return, and Hiruzen couldn’t possibly let them leave.
“Hiashi, everything is for the village! You understand the horrors of war. Do you truly wish to start another? If Konoha goes to war with Kumo, countless ninja will die!” Hiruzen pleaded earnestly.
Sacrificing one Hyūga for peace seemed like a reasonable trade to him. He had expected the Hyūga to be dissatisfied but never anticipated such an extreme act as defection.
But things had changed, largely due to Shin’s influence.
Without Shin, even if Hiashi had wanted to defect, he wouldn’t have had the means. Leaving with the entire clan, including the women, children, and elderly, would have been impossible.
They would have been a burden, slowing them down. Shin had removed that burden, freeing them to act.
Hiruzen, unaware of Shin’s involvement, would likely have a stroke if he knew the truth.
“Third Hokage, stop talking about ‘for the village.’ Konoha and the Hyūga Clan have nothing to do with each other anymore.” Hiashi stated resolutely.
Even the Senju Clan—Konoha’s co-founders—were gone.
Would the Hyūga suffer the same fate if they remained? This fear was another reason for Hiashi’s firm decision to leave.
“Hiashi, if you insist on defecting, then I have no choice but to stop you.” Hiruzen sighed deeply, realizing further words were useless. Hiashi was determined.
“We only wish to leave Konoha peacefully. We have no desire to be enemies with Konoha. But don’t force our hand.”
Hiashi activated his Byakugan and took a Gentle Fist stance. Behind him, the other Hyūga ninja did the same, their white eyes gleaming, ready for battle.
“<Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!>”
Hiruzen formed hand seals and unleashed a torrent of intense flames towards the Hyūga Clan.
“<Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!>”
Hiashi and Hizashi Hyūga combined their attacks, barely managing to block Hiruzen’s Ninjutsu.
The moment Hiruzen attacked, the Anbu agents moved as well, launching their assault on the Hyūga ninja.
“Attack! Show them the strength of the Hyūga Clan!”
The Hyūga ninja fought back fiercely.
The Gentle Fist style proved effective, its ability to block chakra points disabling many Anbu. A ninja unable to use chakra was effectively crippled.
However, the Hyūga lacked ranged attacks.
While the Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm offered some range, not everyone knew the technique.
Hiruzen hadn’t brought many Anbu, and they struggled to contain the Hyūga.
Seeing this, Hiruzen dispatched an Anbu agent to summon reinforcements from Konoha.
“Hyūga Clan, break through!” Hiashi yelled.
His goal wasn’t to fight, but to escape Konoha.
Retaliation could wait. He knew they couldn’t defeat Konoha’s entire force. Konoha had tens of thousands of ninja.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Hiruzen blocked Hiashi and Hizashi, his face grim.
He couldn’t let the Hyūga defect, even if it meant wiping them out.
This was about Konoha’s authority and stability.
If the Hyūga defected successfully, what would the other clans think? Would the ostracized Uchiha Clan be tempted to follow suit?
This couldn’t be allowed to happen. He had to nip this in the bud.
“Big Brother, take the clan and go! I’ll hold them back!” Hizashi said firmly. He felt he owed his life to his brother; dying here wouldn’t be regrettable.
“It’s useless.” Hiashi refused.
Hizashi wasn’t strong enough. Alone, he wouldn’t last long against Hiruzen, let alone the Anbu. Even together, they were barely holding Hiruzen back.
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