Chapter 24: Sarutobi - This is Slapping My Face
The banquet was reaching its liveliest moment. Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen had just finished that meaningful conversation and were preparing to say more when—
Suddenly, an Anbu burst into the courtyard from outside, breathing labored—clearly urgent business.
"Lord Hokage!" The Anbu's voice carried barely concealed tension. "Emergency situation requiring immediate report!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed tightly. His instinct wanted to handle it quietly, but seeing everyone present—especially his chosen successor also looking over—he sighed inwardly.
"Speak directly."
"The Cloud Village delegation... their missing companion's corpse has been discovered at the Hyuga compound!"
The moment those words fell, Hyuga Hiashi's expression instantly turned ashen.
"Let's go! Go see!"
Tsunade didn't give them time to react, striding toward the exit with booming voice brooking no argument.
"I want to see what scheme those Lightning Country barbarians are plotting now!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt some regret but ultimately nodded. "Tsunade's right. Everyone, let's go together."
The group proceeded toward the Hyuga compound in force. Tsunade walked at the front, seemingly becoming the group's backbone. The Hokage instead followed behind, confirming details with the reporting Anbu.
Hyuga Kiyonari held Hinata's hand at the very back, feeling the force transmitted through her palm. He could almost directly touch Hinata's inner tension.
He squeezed slightly harder, then leaned close to her ear, whispering softly.
"Don't be nervous. I'm here."
"Mm."
Hyuga Hinata nodded, her cheeks flushed with rosy color.
Entering the Hyuga compound, they could see from far away a crowd gathered at Hyuga Hiashi's estate gates. Besides Hyuga clan members, several Cloud Village messengers were there too—surrounding a corpse with furious, menacing expressions.
"Lord Hokage!"
The Cloud delegation's leader, Nukarai, saw people arriving from outside the compound and immediately rushed forward, demanding explanation.
But when he saw the massive procession clearly, his steps paused. Then his muscle-filled brain felt a surge of joy. In his view, the more witnesses, the better it solidified the "fact" that their companion died from Gentle Fist.
His mind focused solely on establishing "evidence" to make Konoha unable to argue, forgetting... extortion didn't need evidence.
"Konoha must give us an explanation! We just signed the ceasefire agreement, and our companion is murdered! Right here at the Hyuga clan head's estate!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, stepping to the front. "Let me assess the situation first."
Everyone gathered around.
The corpse lay against the wall. From external appearance, no obvious injuries—no blade wounds, no blood.
An autopsy team shinobi stepped forward to report. "Deceased has multiple ruptured internal organs. Direct cause of death is cardiac arrest. Preliminary assessment: Gentle Fist struck the heart, causing it to stop. Further examination requires taking the body to the autopsy division for dissection."
"Absolutely not!" Nukarai immediately blocked it. "If you take the body away, won't Konoha just say whatever you want? How would we know if your examination results are real or fabricated?!"
The autopsy team shinobi, unaffected by him, continued reporting. "Based on rigor mortis, estimated time of death is approximately twenty to thirty minutes ago."
Tsunade looked at the corpse and suddenly asked, "What about possibility of poison?"
The moment those words fell, Nukarai reacted as if triggered, immediately shouting, "What more examination is needed?! To give you time to fabricate excuses?"
"The fact is our companion died at Hyuga Hiashi's estate! Your autopsy report is out—he was killed by Gentle Fist! Now the evidence is conclusive. The murderer is Hyuga Hiashi!"
Tsunade stepped forward beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, demanding, "Shouldn't you explain why a Cloud Village shinobi appeared at the Hyuga compound? At the clan head's estate specifically?"
Nukarai didn't argue with Tsunade, instead looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Lord Hokage, regardless of the process, the fact is our Cloud Village shinobi died in Konoha, killed by the Hyuga family's Gentle Fist!"
"Lord Raikage treats all village companions as brothers. Now Lord Raikage's brother is dead. If Konoha cannot provide a satisfactory explanation, I'm afraid... Lord Raikage will reconsider the peace treaty between our villages!"
With those words, everyone's expression changed.
This was threatening to restart war.
No fools had left Tsunade's banquet. Even the relatively young Uchiha Itachi could see these bandits' true goal was the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit—the Byakugan.
Someone died. Where, how—none of it mattered anymore.
Because the Cloud Village ignored all logic, insisting it was Hyuga Hiashi. Complete fabrication! Blatant extortion! Openly humiliating Konoha!
At this point, Hyuga Hiashi actually felt relieved. For him, at most it meant death. But Sarutobi Hiruzen had far more to consider.
His face turned alternating shades of blue and purple, veins bulging on his forehead—clearly suppressing tremendous fury with great effort.
As Konoha's longest-serving Hokage in history, he'd seen all manner of shameless tactics. But being so openly humiliated by the Cloud Village before so many Konoha leadership and clan heads like this—this was a first!
The Cloud Village's action was completely slapping his face!
Sarutobi Hiruzen's fists clenched with audible cracking. If not for his excellent composure, he'd probably have broken into curses long ago.
These bandits deliberately killed their own companion, faked the cause of death with Gentle Fist, then framed the Hyuga family to coerce Konoha into handing over the Byakugan. Moreover, the Cloud Village wasn't worried about Konoha exposing the truth. Their real leverage was "war."
Konoha had successively experienced the Third Shinobi World War, the Nine-Tails attack, the Fourth's death in battle... gravely weakened, unable to bear the cost of renewed war.
"Lord Hokage." Nukarai's voice rose again, carrying a trace of smugness. "Please make your decision. Hand over the murderer who killed my companion—Hyuga Hiashi—or... choose war?"
The atmosphere had frozen to its limit. Everyone awaited Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer.
Right now, all of Konoha's important clan heads stood here.
If he said to hand over Hyuga Hiashi, it might shut the Cloud Village's mouth. But the consequence would be all major clans living in fear. Worst possibility... Konoha fragmenting completely.
But if he didn't hand him over, would the Cloud Village really restart war?
With Konoha's current state, could it really bear it?
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