"Lord Hokage, something's happened!"
Wearing his ANBU mask, Kakashi appeared inside the Hokage's residence, where Hiruzen Sarutobi was practicing calligraphy.
"What is it?" Hiruzen asked without looking up.
"We just received word—Hyūga Hizashi, the head of the branch family, has led dozens of branch members toward the Hyūga main estate. Their killing intent is palpable—it looks like a full-blown revolt!"
"What?" Hiruzen's hand froze mid-stroke. "Hizashi himself is leading them?"
As a man seasoned in politics, countless possibilities flashed through Hiruzen's mind in an instant.
"Lord Hokage, I recommend dispatching an ANBU division immediately. It's the only way to contain this before it spirals out of control!"
"Hm… Hizashi is a man of restraint. For him to lead a force personally… this could turn into a major conflict. Kakashi, I order you to—wait."
Hiruzen paused mid-sentence, a thought occurring to him. He withdrew the words he was about to say.
"Go find Danzō. Let him handle this matter."
Kakashi blinked. "Lord Hokage? That—"
"Go," Hiruzen said calmly. "I have my reasons."
With the mask covering his face, Kakashi's expression was unreadable—but hesitation flickered in his visible eye.
Just then, as if summoned by fate—or perhaps long familiarity—Shimura Danzō entered uninvited, his timing uncanny.
"Old friend," Danzō began, his tone sharp, "I assume you've already heard about the Hyūga affair. What's your plan?"
Hiruzen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gestured for Kakashi to leave.
"Kakashi, stand down. ANBU intervention won't be necessary."
Without a word, Kakashi turned and vanished in a flicker, not even sparing Danzō a glance.
"Tch," Danzō snorted. "Typical. So—you've already realized it too, haven't you? For the branch head himself to attack the main family estate… there's only one explanation. The Caged Bird seal has been broken!"
Hiruzen's expression darkened. That was precisely what he had feared—and why he hadn't let ANBU act.
"Do you have more intel, Danzō?"
"Heh." Danzō's single visible eye gleamed. "Just this afternoon, when the hospital shift ended, Hyūga Hiashi's steward abducted a certain Hyūga Rin—she's a surgeon at Konoha Hospital."
Hiruzen frowned. "And?"
"This Hyūga Rin has, for quite some time now, been frequenting a small tavern on the edge of the village after work—every day, rain or shine."
"A tavern?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about it?"
"The tavern itself, nothing," Danzō replied with a sly grin. "But the people inside it? That's another story. Around the same hour every day, Hizashi and several branch jōnin are there as well. And guess what—Hizashi left that very tavern today before marching straight to the Hyūga main estate. Now do you see?"
As Danzō turned to leave, Hiruzen called after him.
"Don't overdo it."
"I know," Danzō said with a cold chuckle, "but this is a rare chance to weaken the Hyūga. It would be a waste not to seize it."
Hiruzen didn't argue. Nor did he stop him. He simply lit his pipe, inhaled deeply, and returned to his calligraphy as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, as Danzō and Root moved toward the Hyūga compound, someone else returned to the village—Uchiha Rokuro.
With a flash of the Flying Thunder God, Uchiha Rokuro appeared in his room, slipped off his shoes and cloak, and headed toward the living area.
"I'm home… huh? Where is everyone? Out for dinner?"
He stepped into the kitchen and noticed a steamer still on the stove. Through the glass lid, buns were visibly puffed and steaming.
"They left with the stove still on? They'll burn the place down one day…"
Inspecting the buns, he saw they were nearly done. So he turned off the flame, plucked a few out, and prepared to eat.
Just as he took a bite, a faint noise reached his ears—from the basement.
Still chewing, Uchiha Rokuro walked downstairs, only to find the projector already running. On-screen, a crowd of white-eyed Hyūga were facing off.
"What's all this?"
Uchiha Ashikaga and Uchiha Izumi both turned toward him. Uchiha Rokuro raised the bun in his hand and grinned.
"Buns are ready. You want one?"
"Forget the buns!" Uchiha Izumi cried, running over. "Uncle Hizashi's in deep trouble! What do we do, Uchiha Rokuro?"
She rattled off the entire situation like a machine gun, then—without hesitation—snatched the bun from his hand and took a huge bite.
Uchiha Rokuro, unfazed, handed her the small dish of dipping sauce. She took it, dipped the rest of the bun, and continued eating while talking through a full mouth.
Meanwhile, Ashikaga quickly brought the rest of the buns from the kitchen and set them on a tray. The three of them sat together, watching the unfolding chaos through Konoha's sensory barrier feed—like a live broadcast of the Hyūga clan's greatest scandal.
At the Hyūga main estate, a courtyard the size of half a football field was packed with nearly two hundred people.
A third of them stood behind Hizashi—branch members. The other two-thirds were main family loyalists and their subordinates. The branch family was outnumbered, but their aura of defiance made them the side with the greater momentum.
"Hizashi! So it's true—you're behind this! Are you trying to turn the Hyūga against itself?!"
Hyūga Hiashi activated his Byakugan, instantly spotting what he feared most—his brother's Caged Bird seal was gone.
Not only his—every branch ninja behind Hizashi was now unmarked.
Hiashi's face stiffened. The situation was spiraling beyond his control.
"Turn the clan against itself? All we want is freedom! How does that become treachery in your mouth? According to you, we branch members were born to serve you main house tyrants? To live as your dogs?"
"Hizashi! Watch your tongue! The Caged Bird Seal is a sacred family law passed down for generations. Defying it is defying our ancestors themselves! You've committed a grave sin—you're no longer worthy of the Hyūga name!"
A main family elder shouted angrily, trying to wield the ancestors' name as a weapon. But instead of suppressing the branch, his words fanned the flames.
"Shut up, old man! What ancestral will? When the Caged Bird was first created, it was meant to protect Hyūga shinobi while they were outside the village—and lifted upon their return! You main family hypocrites twisted that protection into oppression! If anyone's defying our ancestors, it's you!"
The one shouting was Hyūga Taiki—the oldest surviving branch member, and the one who had suffered the longest under main house domination. His resentment ran the deepest.
Now that the tables had finally turned, there was no holding back. He jabbed a trembling finger at the elders' noses, cursing them openly.
Back at Uchiha Rokuro's home, the trio watched the scene unfold while munching on buns.
"Uchiha Rokuro," Ashikaga asked between bites, "do you think Uncle Hizashi can win this time?"
Uchiha Rokuro popped out the meat filling from his bun, eating it first. Just as he reached for another, Ashikaga shot him a glare—he quickly stuffed the bun skin into his mouth too.
"If it turns into an all-out brawl, the main family's lot of pampered weaklings won't stand a chance against Hizashi's side.
But… the main house might be rotten, yet when it comes to scheming—they've still got the upper hand."
END OF CHAPTER
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