No Time to Lose
After today's training, Chi Yu escorted Hyūga Neji to the Hyūga Residence's gate. Then, walking home with Whirlpool Cangna at his side, he heard the same piece of news every villager seemed to be talking about.
The Hidden Cloud Village was sending a delegation to Konoha to discuss an alliance.
The news had spread through the streets like wildfire. Chi Yu suspected it had been deliberately made public—Hiruzen Sarutobi would hardly miss a chance to rally the village after all the recent turmoil. An alliance with the Cloud would be a visible, morale-boosting achievement.
Chi Yu only let out a small sigh.
"Dad, why did you sigh?" Cangna asked, puzzled.
"Nothing." Chi Yu shook his head. "Let's go home."
They returned in silence.
---
The next dawn, Neji was waiting in the forest as usual. After Chi Yu and Cangna arrived, Chi Yu told Cangna to train alone and led Neji to sit beneath an old tree.
Neji watched him expectantly. "Teacher, what is it you wanted to say?"
Chi Yu fixed his gaze on the boy. "You must have tried to persuade your father, haven't you? Have you noticed any change in him at all?"
Neji's face tightened with the familiar melancholy. "No. Every time I speak with Father—Hizashi—he remains unyielding. I don't understand his insistence."
Chi Yu sighed. "I've been thinking how to make him understand, too. But your father is stubborn. There is only one person who can change his mind."
Neji's brow rose. "Me?"
Chi Yu inclined his head. "Yes. You forced him to reconsider once before. If anyone can do it again, it's you."
Neji's shoulders slumped. "I've tried, but I can't get through to him."
"Then you must find a way—quickly." Chi Yu's voice turned grave. "This is urgent."
Neji frowned, confused. "Urgent? Is Father in danger? There's no war now, and as head of the branch family he isn't required to leave the village. Are you saying the main family will act against him?"
Chi Yu's expression was hard to read. He shook his head, then nodded, which only added to Neji's bewilderment.
In Chi Yu's mind there was no one else who could make Hizashi change course. If Hizashi refused to alter his course, Chi Yu believed the elder's days could be numbered. Chi Yu did not relish the thought of Hizashi's life cut short by blind principle; he needed Neji to understand the immediacy of the threat and to act.
"Have you heard the rumors?" Chi Yu asked, lowering his voice. "That Kumo's delegation isn't here for mere trade or supplies."
Neji listened. "I heard about the alliance talks, yes. You think their purpose is something else?"
Chi Yu nodded. "Think about it: what strategic prize would make the Cloud take a risk and approach Konoha directly? What could a village covet so much that it would court an alliance openly rather than act by subterfuge?"
Neji considered. "Land? Supplies? Trade?"
"None of those are scarce enough to justify the risk," Chi Yu said. "Not for Kumo. There's a precedent—rumors of past conflicts and of the Cloud taking people with unusual chakra when opportunity allowed. In other words: bloodline limits. A Kekkei Genkai is worth a great many things in the political climate between villages."
Neji's eyes narrowed. "You mean the Byakugan."
Chi Yu met his gaze evenly. "I think it's a strong possibility. The Hyūga's division into main and branch families is common knowledge. If Kumo's true target is the Byakugan, they will come for main-family members. That would put the branch family—those who protect the main house—at grave risk. As head of the branch family, your father would be directly in harm's way."
Neji's small face went rigid with the weight of the implication. "If what you say is true, then my father will be a target as long as he holds to his current position."
"Yes." Chi Yu's tone left no room for comfort. "Whether the Cloud's intent is absolutely confirmed or merely suspected, the risk exists. For that reason you—who once made your father waver—must find a way to change his mind again, and do so quickly. Do you understand the urgency?"
Neji swallowed. "I understand."
Chi Yu's eyes were cold but steady. "Good. Then start thinking not only about words, but about action. You must show him, not merely tell him."
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