"Looks like the matter's already been settled."
In the quiet, dark park, Ayane listened to the report from the Hyuga Branch Family Ninja and lightly tapped her chin.
"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be wrapped up this easily."
The Branch Family Ninja also let out a sigh of emotion.
What had originally given the entire Hyuga Clan a massive headache had been handled in just a few moves. From this alone, he'd seen that Ayane had far more than just brute strength going for her.
Hidden Cloud had already sent word: as long as Konoha didn't pursue the case of their Jonin Mizuno being murdered, Hidden Cloud in turn wouldn't pursue the incident of the Hyuga Clan Leader killing the Leader of their diplomatic mission. You could say the two sides' faults would cancel each other out.
That much was only natural. With the way public opinion around Jonin Mizuno's death had been steered, Konoha held the moral high ground, and the situation was unfavorable to Hidden Cloud.
On top of that, the Daimyo of both countries likewise had no wish to continue the war.
After years of conflict, both countries' economies had suffered injuries to varying degrees.
Hidden Cloud had just taken advantage of Konoha's internal discord to put pressure on the Hyuga Clan.
Now that Root had thoroughly muddied the waters, Hidden Cloud naturally had no way to profit from it.
But conversely, Root being liquidated by the Third Hokage afterward was also inevitable.
As the dark side of Konoha, it was only to be expected that Root would use such methods. But no matter how you looked at it, they had indirectly helped the Hyuga Clan.
There was probably some high-level political maneuvering involved in all this.
"As long as you know how to ride the tide, if Hidden Cloud uses dirty tricks, you just hit back with tricks just as dirty."
Ayane had never taken this matter to heart.
Stuff like this, he'd seen way too much of in the Land of Demons.
And this just happened to be the field Root excelled at most. The things the Hyuga Clan and Konoha's conservatives weren't suited to do were best handled by Root stepping forward.
As long as you could get Root to move, pay the right price, and let Root tank the pressure up front, the Hyuga Clan's face could be preserved.
"But in that case, the Branch Family's drawn the suspicion of the Hokage and the Main Family. Doesn't look like the days ahead will be very comfortable…"
The Branch Family Ninja frowned in distress.
"And why should that matter? As long as you people behave and don't let them get any proof on you, it's fine."
Ayane let out a short, derisive laugh.
Ever since she left, the Branch Family had been under the suspicion of the Main Family and the Hokage. This had only strengthened that impression.
As the saying goes, once you've got too many lice, you stop itching. No matter how much they suspected the Branch Family, to the current Hyuga Branch Family it was nothing more than a superficial nuisance.
"Even so… Lady Ayane, did you really team up with Danzo?"
The Branch Family Ninja was very concerned about this point.
On the surface, Root had resolved this matter in an almost offhand way.
But Root would inevitably come under pressure and checks from the Third Hokage from here on out.
For Root, which had finally shown some momentum after much effort, to take a blow at this timing was absolutely not the style of that Root Leader, Danzo.
If there hadn't been someone from the Hyuga Clan contacting Danzo and promising him some benefit he couldn't refuse, Danzo would never have been so self-sacrificing.
Getting involved in high-level power struggles had always been explicitly forbidden in the Hyuga Clan.
Neither the Main Family nor the Branch Family was allowed to participate in the maneuvering among the top brass.
As long as the Hyuga Clan still held the Byakugan Kekkeigenkai, Konoha would never be able to do without them, and the Hyuga Clan's position would not be diminished.
Amid roaring undercurrents, maintaining that delicate balance had always been the Hyuga Clan's customary strategy.
But that "always" seemed to have been broken at this very moment.
"Who knows. You just need to keep waiting in Konoha for the right moment. You don't need to do anything extra. When the time comes, you'll naturally understand everything."
Ayane maintained her air of mystery.
"I see."
He still felt there were many things in all this that defied explanation, but as a mere contact, the Branch Family Ninja naturally didn't dare hope to know everything.
The more you knew, the greater your risk of exposure.
But one thing was certain: within the Hyuga Clan, someone had definitely been covertly in touch with Danzo and promised him some kind of irresistible benefit. Only then had Danzo's Root started moving at this timing to block Hidden Cloud's sanctions against the Hyuga.
Whether that someone was from the Branch Family or the Main Family was anyone's guess.
"Then I'll take my leave."
The Branch Family Ninja was about to depart.
"One more thing," Ayane's voice sounded from behind him. "Keep an eye on Hyuga Hizashi. He's received orders from the Main Family and is secretly screening Branch Family personnel. Tell our people over there to hold their positions and not to do anything unnecessary."
"Understood."
The Branch Family Ninja's heart tightened.
The Branch Family had no idea that Hyuga Hizashi had struck such a deal with the Main Family. They'd thought that after what had just happened, they could win Hyuga Hizashi over and make him part of their fighting strength.
Now it seemed that had all just been their own wishful thinking.
Watching the Branch Family Ninja leave, Ayane slowly turned her head and looked at a tree not far away, the surroundings shrouded in darkness.
"You can come out."
As Ayane's words fell, a figure stepped out from behind the tree.
She was wearing a white doctor's coat, a pair of glasses hanging at her chest. Her eyes looked extremely sharp, carrying a glint of intelligence.
Asami Shinsui.
"Long time no see, Lady Ayane."
She gave Ayane a slight bow.
"Coming to see me at a time like this, what's the matter?"
Ayane asked.
He hadn't notified Asami Shinsui before coming to Konoha.