The Sleepless Night of the Hyūga Leader
The night Sora launched his letter was, for the Hyūga compound, a mix of tension and protocolary calm. Hiashi Hyūga, the clan leader and guardian of the Main Branch, could not sleep.
The visit of the ninja envoy from Kumogakure, under the pretense of a "Peace Treaty," was a transparent farce. Konoha had recently lost the Fourth Hokage and was in a position of weakness. Kumo was known for its aggression. The peace summit was, for Hiashi, a distraction maneuver to expand their domain.
He sat in his study, mentally reviewing the compound's defenses and the guard shifts of the Branch Family. His small daughter, Hinata, would turn three in a few days. The celebration was a public act forced by protocol, and Hiashi hated the vulnerability it implied.
"If they try something... who in the Village truly has the power to stop them? The Third is old. Danzo is a vulture. And the Uchiha... are in their own snake pit," Hiashi thought, rubbing his forehead.
It was then that the soft click of the stone wrapped in paper against the window glass snapped him out of his abstraction. The noise was almost imperceptible, silenced with the precision of a trained shinobi, but Hiashi, with his heightened hearing and senses aided by the Byakugan, noticed it.
Without making a sound, Hiashi opened the window and looked down. There was no one. The chakra flow of the Hyūga sentries was regular and constant. He picked up the stone and unwrapped the rice paper.
The calligraphy, ancient and elaborate, and the pseudonym "Chronos" immediately captured his attention. He read the message twice.
*To Hiashi Hyūga, Guardian of the Byakugan.
I am Chronos. A friend from the future and a witness of time.
Your blessing, your daughter Hinata, will turn three in one week. On the day of the celebration, keep your Eyes Wide Open. Not every visitor comes in peace. There are Unfriendly Visitors seeking to claim what they consider theirs.
Peace is a lie. Protecting the Eyes is the priority with this ignorant Konoha.
Act wisely, Hiashi. Time is everything.
Sincerely, Chronos (Time).*
Fear was not an emotion Hiashi permitted, but he felt a pure chill of alarm. It wasn't the content; he already suspected Kumo. It was the precision and the nature of the warning. Who knew the exact date of Hinata's birthday and the presence of Kumo's chief ninja, and why did they dare to use terms like "friend from the future"?
The fact that the letter came anonymously, furtively tossed into the heart of the compound, told Hiashi that the author was either an extremely dangerous enemy or an ally who deeply distrusted Konoha's system.
The Secret Summons: The Leader's Father
Hiashi made an immediate decision: he would not inform the Hokage.
If the threat was confirmed and Kumo's envoy was the attacker, Konoha would have to handle a diplomatic crisis. If Hiashi raised the alert now and nothing happened, he would only earn ridicule and the Council's distrust. Furthermore, if the "friend from the future" was indeed an inside spy, reporting the letter would expose them.
Hiashi only trusted one person for this kind of matter: his father, Hyūga Akimitsu, the Clan's elderly patriarch, whose judgment was the wisdom of generations.
Hours later, before dawn, Akimitsu was summoned to Hiashi's study. Akimitsu was an old man, with long gray hair, and white eyes that radiated experience and authority.
"Father. Forgive the hour, but I have received this," Hiashi said, handing him the letter.
Akimitsu read the scroll silently, his brows furrowing with each word.
"'Chronos'... 'Friend from the future'... A crude attempt at genjutsu to create paranoia, or a truth so fantastic that no one would believe it," Akimitsu muttered, finishing the reading.
"I already suspected Kumo's emissary, Father. This letter only confirms my uneasiness. But what concerns me is the exact mention of Hinata's birthday. That information is private to the clan. Who is this 'Chronos'?"
Akimitsu returned the letter, with a grave look. "The identity is secondary. The primary thing is the truth it contains. The attack will happen, Hiashi. The Hyūga are the target. Kumo has coveted the Byakugan since the Second World War. Peace is just a layer of ice over a boiling lake."
"And why didn't this 'Chronos' alert the Hokage or Danzō?"
"Because he doesn't trust them. And neither should you. If Danzō or Hiruzen know you were alerted, and the attack is thwarted, they could use the incident to justify even greater supervision over our Kekkei Genkai. By keeping it secret, if we thwart the attack, we can manage the diplomatic consequences in our favor. We can demand greater security guarantees, or even... greater autonomy for the Branch Family."
Consequence Analysis and Defense Strategy
Hiashi nodded, his father's logic resonating with his own fears.
"If Kumo's ninja envoy kidnaps Hinata, the consequences are unimaginable. The Byakugan of the Main Branch in enemy hands. A war. And to avoid war, Konoha would be forced to negotiate, or worse, sacrifice someone from the Branch Family to protect the secret."
Akimitsu nodded slowly. "The tragic farce. The Main Branch Incident. A sacrifice to maintain peace and protect the secret of the Byakugan."
"We will prevent it. If the letter is true, the attacker will expect a normal level of security, appropriate for a three-year-old's celebration, amid a peace summit. He will attack us at the moment of greatest vulnerability."
Akimitsu stood up, his voice growing stronger. "Hiashi, you must ignore the routine. You have seven days until the birthday. What you do must appear normal in the eyes of Konoha, but it must be an impregnable fortress for the 'Visitors'."
Hiashi's Strategy, influenced by Chronos and Akimitsu:
Absolute Silence: No one outside the innermost circle of the Main Branch is informed. The Hokage will only be informed after the attack is thwarted.
Double Security: The visible security will be the Village standard. The real, lethal security will be deployed by the Hyūga of the Branch Family. They will be placed in key defensive positions, under the excuse of being "honor guards" for the birthday.
The Bait: Kumo's envoy will expect to steal Hinata from her room. Hiashi will order Hinata's room to be turned into the central trap.
"During the celebration, Hinata will be in the main house, surrounded by undercover guardians. And on the night of the attack, my room will be secured, and Hinata's room will be the focal point of the ambush," declared Hiashi, his white eyes shining with resolve. "If this 'Chronos' is an enemy, let him come. If he is an ally, we will be grateful for the time he gave us."
Akimitsu nodded, his face stern. "Act, Hiashi. Time is everything. And do not forget: you have an external spy warning you. Do not underestimate the intelligence that managed to infiltrate this compound."
Hiashi stored the letter in a secret compartment. The unofficial countdown had begun, a silent race against Kumogakure's deception.
UNOFFICIAL COUNTDOWN: HINATA'S BIRTHDAY6 Days.