"For Konoha, huh…"
To be honest, Namikaze Minato couldn't understand how Shimura Danzo could call an assassination attempt on the Hyuga Main Family an act "for Konoha." But since Danzo had at least agreed to lead Root to the front lines, Minato's heart relaxed a little.
Things hadn't spiraled into the worst possible outcome, and he wouldn't have to take the tremendous risk of purging Root completely. The situation, for now, was under control — and that was enough for Minato.
After being exposed for his role in the attempted assassination, Danzo had no face left to remain in the Hokage's office. He left with a dark scowl, his cane tapping sharply on the floor as he departed.
The two senior advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, also found themselves awkwardly standing there. Thankfully, Minato, ever the gracious Hokage, didn't reprimand them. He simply explained what had transpired, making them realize that Danzo had used their friendship and trust for his own ends.
Realizing this, the two elders finally had an excuse to retreat with their dignity somewhat intact — but their demeanor toward Minato changed completely. Their tone softened; their posture, deferential. Danzo's arrogance had frightened many, but Minato's calm willingness to kill him if necessary — his lethal resolve — had shaken them more.
Once Danzo left, only two men remained in the office: the current and former Hokage.
Compared to the others, Sarutobi Hiruzen's relationship with Minato was closer, almost paternal. He didn't want lingering resentment between them over how this affair had been handled, so he finally broke the silence.
"Actually…" he began, voice slow and heavy, "Danzo isn't entirely without merit. What he did wasn't meant to deliberately provoke conflict within the village."
He paused, studying Minato's calm expression. "Minato, you must understand — Hyuga Satoru isn't like you."
Minato blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean by that, Lord Third?"
He could tell Hiruzen had been holding something in for a while.
Hiruzen sighed. "The Hyuga are one of Konoha's great clans. But Satoru… he's different from every Main Family heir before him. He hasn't focused solely on Gentle Fist. He's been developing other jutsu — expanding the Byakugan's potential.
"His talent is… extraordinary. Anyone can see that. If he continues at this rate, he'll become one of the strongest shinobi in the entire world."
He weighed his next words carefully.
Minato tilted his head, still smiling faintly. "Isn't that a good thing? A village with someone like him has a bright future. I don't see the problem."
Hiruzen let out a quiet breath. "What if… one day Hyuga Satoru truly becomes one of Konoha's strongest shinobi? And what if the Hyuga Clan decides to support him as their candidate for Hokage?
"If he becomes Hokage — with the Hyuga standing behind him — who do you think the next Hokage will be? After the First Hokage passed, it was his brother who succeeded him. If not for the Senju Clan's dominance…" He trailed off.
"Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Minato? Do you want Konoha to become like Kumogakure — a village where the title of Raikage passes from father to son, locked within one clan?"
Even in private, Hiruzen spoke carefully. He didn't need to spell it out — Minato was smart enough to grasp the meaning.
At the mention of the Cloud Village, Minato recalled the towering man he had once fought on the battlefield — the current Raikage, son of the Third. A hereditary line of succession.
Minato finally understood.
He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Lord Third, your worries are unnecessary. If you ask me… becoming Hokage doesn't earn one's recognition. It's earning everyone's recognition that makes someone worthy to become Hokage.
"Maybe Hyuga Satoru does have the potential to be Hokage someday — but that doesn't mean the title will automatically become the Hyuga's inheritance."
To Minato, Hiruzen's concern seemed like paranoia — the kind that clung to the older generation.
This was the difference between them.
They had walked different paths to the Hokage's chair, and thus their understanding of what it meant to be Hokage was fundamentally different.
"Becoming Hokage doesn't make others recognize you. Only when everyone recognizes you can you become Hokage."
From Minato's mouth, the words carried weight — because that was how he had become Hokage.
But for Sarutobi Hiruzen, that concept was foreign. He hadn't risen through recognition alone; he had been chosen — named by his dying teacher, the Second Hokage, as successor. Before he became Hokage, he had never been accepted by everyone. Even afterward, much of the village still doubted him.
If that weren't the case, he would never have been pressured by politics and casualties into abdicating early. Hiruzen was younger than Onoki of the Stone, yet Onoki still sat securely as Tsuchikage. Did anyone really believe Hiruzen had wanted to step down?
No — he'd been forced to.
Different paths. Different beliefs about power and leadership.
Seeing that Minato's mind was set, Hiruzen could only sigh and shake his head. He couldn't push further; such suspicions — of one's own comrades — could never be spoken too plainly. Some thoughts weighed nothing when kept inside, but once spoken, they could crush mountains.
If the Hyuga ever learned that the Third Hokage distrusted them, they would regard him with the same wariness they reserved for Danzo.
"Lord Third," Minato said politely but firmly, "you must be tired. Please, go and rest. Danzo will be heading to the front soon — perhaps you should see to his preparations."
It was a courteous dismissal, but a dismissal nonetheless. Hiruzen caught the hint. Knowing that he and Minato's philosophies were miles apart, he sighed again and took his leave.
When the office finally fell silent, Minato rubbed his chin, thoughtful. After a long moment, he smiled faintly to himself and murmured:
"Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder.
"Right now, nearly every Hyuga with a Byakugan is fighting at the front lines, leaving only the old and the young behind.
"And yet… the Sarutobi Clan…"
He didn't finish — but the answer was already clear in his heart.
Without dwelling further, he quickly signed Root's deployment orders, glanced at the fading light outside his window, and decided to go home early to spend the evening with his wife and son. In times of chaos, moments of peace with Kushina and Naruto were all the more precious.
Looking at the Hyuga, at Satoru — still just a child — Minato couldn't help a pang of guilt. The Hyuga had sacrificed so much for the village, and instead of protecting them, Konoha had forced them to bear even more.
Yes, they had secured a moment's respite — but only because Danzo had brought disaster upon himself.
…
The news of Danzo leading Root to the front spread quietly through Konoha's upper echelons. Only a few knew the full truth.
Yamanaka Haiichi, head of the Analysis Division, shared what he knew with the Nara and Akimichi. Using recent troop movements and intelligence reports, Nara Shikaku pieced together the puzzle, deducing that the Hyuga had leveraged Danzo's crime to force Root's deployment.
He couldn't help a grudging respect.
Even with both Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Shinsuke absent, the Hyuga still had enough influence to make Danzo bow his head. That level of power was… formidable.
Combined with the rumors that young Hyuga Satoru had nearly killed Danzo in single combat, Shikaku realized the boy was no longer just a prodigy — he was already a force to be reckoned with.
Danzo, for all his notoriety, had never been known for personal strength; his reputation came from fear, manipulation, and the shadows. By contrast, Satoru's power was tangible, undeniable.
And that alone was enough to shift the balance within Konoha.
…
Minato, true to his word, fulfilled his promise swiftly.
Three days later, Hyuga Shinsuke — stationed on the Cloud front — received official orders to withdraw with his clan's forces. Though confused, he dared not disobey the Hokage's command. He led his troops home at once.
Only upon returning to the village did he learn the full story at the homecoming banquet, as Hyuga Hizashi explained everything that had happened.
When Shinsuke heard that Satoru had willingly compromised with the Hokage in order to bring the Hyuga back from the Cloud front, he was deeply moved — and furious.
He was an old-fashioned man, one who would gladly sacrifice himself and every branch-family member to protect the Main Family. To him, the assassination attempt on the heir was an unforgivable insult.
In his view, Satoru shouldn't have compromised at all. Forget the war, forget the casualties — Danzo should have been eliminated outright.
And yet, even in his anger, Shinsuke couldn't help feeling pride — pride that the heir of the Main Family, young as he was, had chosen to value the lives of his clansmen above his own vengeance.
The other Hyuga who returned from the battlefield felt only relief — grateful simply to have escaped the endless bloodshed.
For now, at least, the storm had passed.
But far away, where thunderheads gathered over the Cloud border, a messenger with a lightning-bolt crest unfurled a fresh dispatch: "The Byakugan are leaving the line."
The gloved hand that held the parchment tightened — and an order, written in stark black ink, set the next move in motion.
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