Inside the reception hall of the Hyuga Main House mansion, the Hyuga Clan Leader sat in the honored seat with a face darkened by obvious displeasure, watching the uninvited guest seated calmly at the left guest position. His heart burned with frustration.
His legitimate son, Hiashi Hyuga, also sat nearby, expressionless as a porcelain doll.
Though serving as the head of the prestigious Hyuga clan and leader among ninja clans, the Hyuga Clan Leader didn't need to worry about the village plotting against him like the Uchiha did, nor did he spend days devising preemptive strikes. But that didn't mean he wanted to share space with the feared hyaena of a leader.
And unlike the Hokage and two advisors—who at least tried to keep up appearances—Shimura Danzo had absolutely no moral boundaries. There was no telling what schemes he might hatch to ensnare the Hyuga Clan.
The problem was, the Hyuga Clan Leader couldn't refuse Danzo's unexpected visit either since he arrived bearing the Hokage's handwritten order.
Tap, tap—footsteps echoed outside the reception hall, sending a jolt through the Hyuga Clan Leader's chest.
"Knock, knock!"
Someone softly knocked on the sliding doors from outside.
"Enter!"
The Hyuga Clan Leader responded gravely.
The sliding door eased open. Soushu Hyuga stepped past Ibo Hyuga, who had guided him here, kicked off his sandals with both feet, then marched straight into the hall, bowing respectfully toward the Clan Leader seated above.
"Clan Leader, I have come as ordered."
"Sit down."
To the Hyuga Clan Leader's surprise, he wasn't sure why Soushu Hyuga had suddenly become somewhat polite—at least showing the rare courtesy of removing his shoes and offering proper greetings. This small gesture unexpectedly improved the Clan Leader's mood.
Soushu bowed again before striding confidently to the right-side seat and sitting cross-leggedly.
Throughout the entire process, he completely ignored Danzo Shimura, who was watching him with an inscrutable expression from across the room.
What delighted the Hyuga Clan Leader most was exactly that attitude.
Drawing a clear line between friend and foe—showing favor and disdain so plainly—it was perfect!
Truly a proud and formidable player on the board—just the kind worth keeping around!
The Main House's sense of superiority was undeniable—especially when he looked at Soushu Hyuga. The unmistakable shine of the Caged Bird (Tenketsu) Curse Seal on his forehead marked him clearly as a member of the Branch House. To the Main House, which held the key to the cage, those from the Branch House were nothing more than helpless pieces they could control forever.
Of course, not all playthings were equal—Soushu was among the more entertaining and useful ones, so a little defiance could be overlooked.
"Today I summoned you because the village has a mission requiring cooperation from our clan."
The Hyuga Clan Leader spoke slowly.
"I am currently on post-battle leave."
Soushu replied formally and rigidly.
"You call yourself a Konoha ninja and you're slacking off like this—don't you have any shame?!"
Before the Hyuga Clan Leader could respond, Danzo Shimura abruptly lashed out from across the room.
Both Soushu and the Clan Leader were momentarily taken aback. *Who the hell does he think he is?!*
"Who the heck is this guy anyway—with a face that looks like it's been preserved in formaldehyde? At his age, how can someone be so utterly shameless? Does anyone in his family even know about this?!"
Hyuga Soushu pointed at Danzo Shimura and asked indignantly, "Since when has an uninvited guest like you appeared in the Hyuga Clan?"
"Cough... cough..."
Hiashi Hyuga couldn't quite contain himself and ended up covering his mouth to suppress a couple of coughs.
He had no choice but to cough — otherwise he might actually burst out laughing, which would be far worse.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
The Hyuga Clan Leader paused momentarily before continuing, "This is a senior ninja from our village; he used to be a student of the late Hokage, Tobirama-sama."
Truth be told, he'd always thought Soushu was a fine man otherwise, save for that sharp tongue of his. But apparently, making him provoke others worked rather well too!
"Mr. Torifu Akimichi!"
Soushu immediately struck his right palm with his fist, appearing as if he suddenly understood everything.
"Danzo Shimura," the clan leader said expressionlessly.
From the uncontrollable twitching muscles on his face though, it was obvious that he was struggling to maintain composure himself.
Across from them, Danzo's face remained dark, yet he still swallowed this sarcastic greeting with gritted teeth.
What could he do? The old monkey had set this trap for him, and only by relying on the strength of the Hyuga Clan could he hope to get out of it.
"Never heard of him,"
Soushu shook his head, indicating he didn't recognize the name.
"Mr. Shimura happens to be one of the highest-ranking officials in the village, although due to certain power issues, he has long remained hidden and thus unknown to most people,"
The clan leader continued solemnly while speaking absurdities.
These mismatched words — high-ranking official, power issues, remaining hidden, and unknown — together subtly revealed Danzo's current awkward position.
"Is that so? Then he must be a senior ninja who willingly sacrifices himself, devoting all his energy and effort to Konoha!"
Promptly, Soushu resumed his act of pretending to suddenly comprehend everything.
In reality, however, both the Hyuga Clan Leader and Danzo Shimura knew that after last night's raid incident, Soushu actually had some understanding of [Root].
Still, there were times when one simply needed to play their part. Plus, the clan leader rarely got the chance to throw a few sarcastic barbs just to annoy Danzo — someone he thoroughly disliked — so he certainly wouldn't care about how clumsy Soushu's performance appeared right now.
"May I ask why the clan leader summoned me here today then?"
After venting somewhat, Soushu asked humbly again.
"The village plans to send an envoy to visit the Daimyo. Our clan needs to dispatch ninja to serve as members of the delegation."
Coughing slightly as he covered his mouth, the clan leader continued slowly, "Therefore, there was a reason for calling you back."
At these words, Soushu's face fell instantly, staring fixedly at Danzo seated opposite.
And Danzo, already nursing a growing fury, was in no mood to show any retreat at this moment either. He fixed Soushu with a cold stare — in his eyes, a reckless Tokubetsu Jonin — refusing to blink.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned icy cold. Unfazed, the clan leader poured himself another cup of tea, savoring this rooster-fight scene unfolding between them with great interest.
Actually, this initial anger of his wasn't without cause either.
Danzo wasn't the only one manipulated by the old monkey at the Hokage Tower — the Hyuga Clan Leader had also been made the spokesperson at the ninja clan meeting.
After both the Ninja Clan meeting and Jonin Unit meeting plots had failed, the Hokage Tower was actively seeking new ways to break the stalemate while suppressing dissenting voices.
The most direct way to pacify the Jonin Unit and the disgruntled Ninja Clans was simple — throw money at them!
Use money to placate the Jonin Assembly that was upset over the increased commission on mission rewards, use cash to "convince" reluctant clans to send warriors to fight.
While money isn't the be-all and end-all for ninjas, without it, nothing gets done at all!
The logic was straightforward — if you won't even open your purse now, who's going to take your verbal promises of postwar power seriously?
So publicly speaking, the Hokage planned to send an envoy to the Fire Daimyo's court to discuss next stage military operations, using this opportunity to request increased military funding.
Besides Danzo Shimura, personally appointed by Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi as chief envoy and fire shadow's special representative, the wily old monkey had also insisted the Hyuga Clan send capable personnel along specifically to handle communication with the imperial nobles, hoping to jointly persuade the Daimyo to increase Konoha's budget.
This sort of thing, regardless of feasibility, undoubtedly consumed the Hyuga Clan's social capital — or 'guanxi' — relationships painstakingly built over years. Even if some nobles helped out of politeness, they certainly wouldn't give their all, and relations would likely turn cold after such a huge financial matter — these situations always drained personal connections!
And the Hyuga's influence and noble friendships were precious assets that couldn't simply be used for free — was the village really trying to get something for free from the Hyuga?
That was exactly why the Hyuga Clan Leader felt cheated — the clan had more than enough money, yet still no real recognition in return!
"May I humbly inquire, Lord Hyuga, besides our clan's ninja and village administrative shinobi, who else will accompany the Kyoto delegation?"
Hyuga Soushu asked humbly.
"The Policing Department will dispatch a special squad as security detail."
The Hyuga Clan Leader quickly picked up his teacup, using the drinking motion to hide his facial expression.
He was afraid he would burst out laughing — after all, who could blame him?
Hyuga Soushu became even more puzzled.
Wasn't this practically sending Danzo to his death!
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