It's believed that such a method is unlikely to come from the Third Hokage.
That old man is not so insidious and ruthless.
"Whose tactics it is doesn't matter. What matters now is how to settle this matter."
Mabui rubbed her aching temples.
She hadn't expected Konoha to retaliate in this way.
"What else can we do but reveal the truth?"
The Fourth Raikage said this.
The claim that Hidden Cloud initiated the attack and killed a Konoha Jonin named Mizuno was utterly baseless.
In fact, it was Mizuno, the Konoha Ninja, who recklessly charged into the Hidden Cloud camp with three Chunin, killing dozens of Hidden Cloud Village Ninjas before they could react.
Among them, two Hidden Cloud Jonin sacrificed their lives.
It was only the enraged Hidden Cloud Ninjas' loss of composure that resulted in accidental manslaughter.
"The effect is minimal. Consider our previous approach against the Hyuga Clan... the war of opinion is crucial. Even if we reveal the truth later, more people will just think we're covering our own mistakes, creating a bad impression. Previously, many villagers in the village petitioned, asking those Hidden Cloud Ninjas responsible for the unwarranted killing of Konoha Ninjas to publicly apologize to Konoha, striving to avoid war, and urged Lord Raikage to write a letter of apology for his failure to control them."
"..."
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage almost spat blood.
Yet because of this, he managed to calm down, despite the gloomy expression on his face.
Seeing the Fourth Raikage calm down, Mabui finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, are we just going to let Konoha have their way? Can't we exploit the Hyuga Clan?"
The Fourth Raikage asked, frowning.
"Of course, but Konoha could also demand that we hand over the Hidden Cloud Ninjas who killed Konoha Jonin Mizuno in exchange for the Hyuga Clan handing over someone."
Konoha would certainly do this, Mabui was sure.
The lenience of the Third Hokage is also limited.
She didn't think it was beneficial for Hidden Cloud to let the situation drag on endlessly with verbal disputes.
In the end, Hidden Cloud would gain nothing.
At present, Hidden Cloud couldn't exert pressure on Konoha.
The original truth of the matter wasn't the main focus; what mattered was that Konoha and Hidden Cloud were now evenly matched.
Hidden Cloud holds leverage with the Hyuga Clan, while Konoha holds the fact that Hidden Cloud Ninjas killed a Konoha Jonin as leverage. If both sides attack the other's weak points, they will both end up suffering.
"Immediately convene a Jonin meeting. Regardless of the outcome, we must come up with a reasonable plan."
The Fourth Raikage waved his hand and sighed helplessly.
"Yes."
Mabui nodded, carrying a stack of documents as she left the Raikage Office.
◎
"So, I don't have to give Hidden Cloud an explanation now?"
In the Hyuga Clan's territory, in the meeting room, Hizashi's expression was slightly surprised.
The Main Clan Elder in front of him nodded seriously and said to him, "That's right, Hokage-sama has made another decision. You have survived, Hizashi."
The news of Jonin Mizuno being killed by Hidden Cloud Ninjas had already spread internally in Konoha, with many people indignant, and the calls for war growing louder.
Under these circumstances, even the Hokage couldn't suppress such voices, but could only gradually guide the situation.
Thanks to the dominance of the pro-war faction's voices, the Hyuga Clan didn't have to give an explanation to Hidden Cloud, and Hizashi naturally didn't have to be his brother, Hyuga Hiashi's, substitute to ease the conflicts between Konoha and Hidden Cloud.
After hearing the Main Clan Elder's words, Hizashi was uncertain about how he felt.
Whether it was joy, relief, or both.
If he could survive, he didn't want to die.
He still had his family and his son Neji to educate, and plenty of life ahead of him.
But sometimes, like when the Main Family runs into trouble, the Branch Family cannot avoid the responsibility of protecting the Main Family.
So, whether it was voluntary or forced, his death was a means to avoid war and protect the Main Family.
But ultimately, the Hyuga is only a part of Konoha.
As his brother Hiashi's substitute, there was indeed the silent pressure from the village's high-ups.
After all, when the village leaders came to the Hyuga Clan, they were only there to seek out the Main Family. The Branch Family Ninjas could only make suggestions but couldn't make decisions.
In terms of persona, the Branch Family was also 'slaves' restricted by the Main Family, whose ideas were fundamentally disregarded by the Clan and village leaders.
Branch Family Ninjas were not considered as complete 'people.'
Therefore, while relieved to be alive, Hizashi also felt a deep melancholy in his heart.
He somewhat understood those who, seeking freedom, followed Hyuga Ayane and defected from the clan and village.
They wanted to be complete 'people,' not just tools without their own thoughts and personal freedom.
"Do you feel lucky?"
The Main Clan Elder asked with a smile.
He also didn't wish to use this method to quell Hidden Cloud's anger.
After all, Hizashi also bore the Hyuga name as a ninja.
The Hyuga Clan, since its founding, had never encountered such a humiliating circumstance of needing to sacrifice the lives of its people to quell conflict.
But now it was already an era of one country and one village.
No matter how glorious a Ninja Clan, it still had to follow the village's rules.
The Hyuga retaining some of its ancient traditions was already quite an accomplishment.