"They stand on the moral high ground, waving the banner of righteousness, pointing fingers at everyone else."
"What happened to Naruto is only the tip of the iceberg."
Neji frowned, digesting Hiashi's words. "Then… what about the upcoming Jōnin vote?"
He worried it might once again become a stage for political maneuvering—perhaps even something detrimental to Naruto.
Hiashi shook his head calmly.
"It will be fine. Even if they attempt something, once Lady Tsunade fully awakens and resumes her duties as Hokage, any small schemes will be meaningless."
A faint, calculating confidence—befitting the head of a great clan—crossed his face.
"And through voting alone, they cannot win. The Hyūga Clan—and the other clans who understand the situation—know where they stand."
"The Third Hokage has already lost much of his former authority."
Neji took a slow breath. The fog before him seemed to thin.
As if affirming Hiashi's foresight, events quickly unfolded.
The next day, Konoha buzzed like oil splattering in a hot pan.
"Did you hear? Sasuke Uchiha left!"
"What? Why? Didn't he just save the village?"
"Why? Because of the higher-ups, that's why!"
"I heard the Third Hokage and the elders tried to reclaim control while Lady Tsunade is still unconscious! They can't tolerate someone as powerful as Sasuke—especially an Uchiha who doesn't obey them!"
"That's nonsense! Sasuke's a hero!"
"Hero? Wasn't the Uchiha Clan made up of heroes once? Founders of Konoha. Protectors. And look how that ended. Now it's Sasuke's turn. They forced him out because he's too strong—too hard to control!"
Rumors spread like wildfire.
The village had only just survived Pain's assault. Homes destroyed. Families shattered. Fear lingered in every heart.
Fear needed an anchor. Gratitude needed a symbol. Anger needed an outlet.
Sasuke—who had displayed overwhelming power in saving Konoha—had become, for many, a new pillar of protection.
Now that pillar had vanished.
And so panic and resentment turned toward those "high above," accused of scheming behind closed doors.
"They're doing the same thing they did to the Uchiha Clan!"
"They don't want us to live in peace! We just survived Pain and now they're fighting among themselves!"
"Bring Sasuke back! We need him to protect the village!"
"Stop persecuting heroes!"
No one knew who shouted the first slogan.
But the crowd grew—from whispers to raised voices, from discussion to protest. Before long, people surged toward the Hokage Tower.
Most were civilians. Genin. Shopkeepers.
They did not fully grasp political intricacies.
But they understood loss.
And their desire for protection—and their anger at perceived betrayal—were genuine.
Pressure mounted against the already strained provisional leadership.
The protests lasted two days.
On the third day, a new announcement spread swiftly across the village:
As the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, remained under treatment, daily affairs and reconstruction efforts would temporarily be overseen jointly by Jōnin Commander Shikaku Nara and elite Jōnin Kakashi Hatake, until Lady Tsunade resumed her post.
The notice made no explicit mention of the Third Hokage or the elders.
But the implication was unmistakable.
The old leadership structure centered around Hiruzen Sarutobi had been set aside.
Neji stood before the bulletin board, watching villagers disperse. The tone of their discussions now carried cautious relief.
He exhaled slowly.
"For now… it's resolved."
Hiashi's prediction had been accurate. Faced with public sentiment, even the elders had retreated.
Konoha had avoided further internal upheaval—at least on the surface.
But calm is often only the eye of the storm.
Reconstruction consumed the village.
Barrier repairs. Clearing rubble. Resettling refugees. Border patrols. Delayed mission requests piling up.
As one of the most promising young members of the Hyūga Clan, Neji was entrusted with heavy responsibilities. He barely had time to rest.
Until one day—
A shrill alarm shattered Konoha's fragile peace.
This was no drill.
It was the highest-level alert: external invasion or severe internal crisis.
Neji's expression changed instantly.
Something had happened.
He moved like a streak of white lightning, racing toward the source.
What he saw made his breath hitch.
The training ground—once relatively intact—was devastated.
Massive craters scarred the earth as if struck by meteors. The ground was blackened and smoking. Trees lay splintered. Kunai and broken weapons littered the field.
Worse still—
Blood stained the soil.
Several shinobi lay injured, groaning.
From their attire, most were ANBU—or Root operatives. A few appeared to be regular patrol shinobi.
The air reeked of blood and lingering chakra from a violent clash.
"What happened here?!" Neji demanded, grabbing a wounded ANBU by the shoulder.
The masked shinobi coughed up blood, eyes wide with shock.
"It was… Uzumaki Naruto… He attacked Lord Danzō…"
"What?!" Neji's voice cracked. "That's impossible!"
Another injured shinobi struggled to speak, his voice trembling.
"We all saw it… He appeared out of nowhere… too fast to track… went straight for Lord Danzō… They fought… and then… Naruto took him… and disappeared…"
"Many tried to stop him…" the first ANBU added weakly. "We couldn't… His eyes… were so cold… completely different…"
Neji released him and staggered back a step.
More shinobi were arriving. Medical teams rushed in. Amid the chaos, words like Naruto, attack, Danzō, defection rang repeatedly in his ears.
Why?
Why Danzō?
Why this method?
Naruto… what happened to you?
What did you see?
What drove you to abandon even your last restraint—to tear away from Konoha in such a decisive, self-destructive manner?
To choose a path from which there was no return?
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