The moonlight lingered long, circling the clear pond all night.
“Let’s go home.”
“Okay.” Hearing Neji’s voice, Hanabi’s anxious heart instantly calmed down. She ran and placed her hand in Neji’s palm.
“I thought you had gone back…” she said, sniffling.
It was already early morning. She wore thin clothes and was shivering from the cold.
“No, but do you want to see your sister Hinata? She just woke up.”
“No, I want to go home now…”
The home Hanabi referred to was not the eerie clan mansion they were in but Neji’s tiny house.
Neji stroked his chin, looking at Hanabi beside him.
Strange, could the Hell’s Abyss Jutsu significantly affect a child’s mind?
Or what had she experienced in the illusion?
Why else would she cling to me, a stranger?
He touched his face.
Could this child be a hardcore face-lover?
Remembering Hiashi’s earlier request to take Hanabi away, Neji nodded slightly. If he could easily handle the Konoha pursuit squad, taking her along during his defection wouldn’t be impossible.
After all, Hanabi had high-purity Byakugan, and being from the same clan, she was suitable for cultivation, whether as a henchman, a test subject, or a humanoid Byakugan reserve.
“Do you think I’m handsome?”
“Handsome!” Hanabi shouted.
The following day, Hanabi developed a high fever. Neji had his brother Neji take care of her while he performed his daily Root mission of monitoring the Uchiha.
A bird flew across the sky and landed lightly on the mountain’s edge, its orange claws stirring the dust below. It landed on the massive Hokage Rock.
Overlooking the entire Konoha Village from the Hokage Rock, the streets crisscrossed like a net, shops on both sides bustling with business leaves cutting the sunlight into fragments, and people strolling in the shade.
Lowering his gaze, a tall, cylindrical scarlet building stood at the foot of the mountain, like a large drum—that was the Hokage Tower, the pinnacle of power in Konoha, where countless Konoha ninjas aspired to be.
But even the Hokage couldn’t act alone often and would feel extremely troubled by situations beyond his control in the village.
Such as now, in the closed-door Hokage’s office.
No prominent clan leaders, ANBU recordings, or guards were at the door. Only the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, two senior advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, and the nominal Hokage advisor, but the head of Root, Danzo Shimura, the four top powers of Konoha, gathered.
This was a meeting to decide the ultimate fate of the Uchiha clan plotting rebellion.
Of course, due to the four often having differing opinions on this issue, similar meetings had been held at Danzo’s request more than ten times, but they have yet to reach a final consensus. Fortunately, the Uchiha clan’s movements became more apparent each time, and each meeting progressed more than the last.
“I think it’s time to make a decision,” Homura said calmly.
“What decision?” The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffed on his pipe, lifting his eyelids at the words. The decision to preemptively destroy the Uchiha had been delayed because he, the highest authority in Konoha, hadn’t agreed.
“Take the initiative and nip the Uchiha rebellion in the bud,” Koharu added quickly. “Takizawa Minoru is dead, that’s a signal. He must have discovered the Uchiha’s rebellion plan and was killed!”
“We don’t have direct evidence that Minoru was killed by the Uchiha… And I sent him to investigate the Tokuma case, how could he have stumbled upon the Uchiha’s plan? It doesn’t make sense.” The Third shook the ash from his pipe and shook his head.
“You’re too stubborn, Sarutobi. The autopsy report makes it clear. Do you need the corpse brought to you to admit it?” Danzo frowned.
On this issue, it was always three against one.
“Forging such things isn’t difficult,” the Third said flatly. “I suspect someone is deliberately creating conflict between us and the Uchiha.”
“Whether it’s true or not, we can use it to force the Uchiha to hand over the killer,” Homura suggested after some thought. “It’s just a probe. If they refuse, we can strike immediately.”
“You’re deliberately creating tension. Even if they weren’t planning to rebel, you’d push them to it.”
“If they weren’t planning to rebel from the start, how could they be pushed to it?” Homura retorted.
Smoke rose from his nostrils as the Third pondered for a moment, then shook his head:
“War will only lead to mutual destruction. This isn’t a decision to be made lightly. We need to wait and see.”
“Decisive action minimizes losses. Besides, we didn’t choose war; the Uchiha instigated it,” Koharu’s voice was cold.
“From Madara onwards, the Uchiha clan has never been at peace. It’s their clan’s inherent flaw. If it doesn’t erupt today, it will tomorrow. We might as well take this opportunity to eliminate this hidden threat to Konoha,” Homura said.
“They’ve made significant contributions in previous ninja wars,” the Third still wanted to give the Uchiha a chance.
“Wait and see… What are you waiting for?” Danzo asked bluntly, with no intention of persuasion.
“Wait for the outcome. I’ve ordered Itachi to try to stop the Uchiha’s internal rebellion. Even if he fails, we’ll be the first to know about the Uchiha’s decision to rebel and can respond appropriately,” the Third slowly explained.
“The informant?” Danzo turned a strange expression on his face. “He’s the reason you’re hesitating to eradicate the Uchiha?”
The clan leader’s eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, voluntarily informed them of the Uchiha’s rebellion.
“I have to say, Sarutobi, you’re really old.”
“You’re placing Konoha’s entire safety on one person. What if he’s pretending? Do you know what kind of outcome we’ll face?” Danzo asked.
“Pretending doesn’t affect our preparations. But if he succeeds, we can avoid mutual destruction.” The Third spoke earnestly.
“Mutual destruction? Are the Uchiha really that important and indispensable?” Koharu couldn’t help but interject.
“We have the Hyuga clan, the Sarutobi clan, the Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, so many clans. Must we take such a risk for the Uchiha?”
“You know there are many clans watching. If we act rashly against the Uchiha, won’t it make these clans suspicious?” Sarutobi shook his head. “Let’s wait a little longer.”
The discussion hit a deadlock again. The three and Sarutobi had significant differences. But there was no choice; Sarutobi was the ultimate decision-maker. Without his agreement, the situation remained stagnant.
Starting with Danzo leaving first, the four parted ways in displeasure. Sitting in the Hokage’s seat, the Third felt especially weary.
“Bring Itachi to see me.”
He called for ANBU.
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