Chapter 65
When he closed his eyes, he wondered what he saw. What was hidden deep inside him that made him who he was? And what was that? A coward? A fool? No, he was a father and a brother. And most importantly, a shinobi who served Konohagakure.
His hands, which had the power to protect what was dear to him, were only used to kill. But now he knew who he was and what was right. And he knew what must be done.
"It is time, Hiashi." He looked at his brother; he was the same as him in every aspect, only born later and branded as lesser.
His eyes, which should have seen through everything, were blind to what was in front of him. What was a clan but a family? He couldn't allow it to go any further than it already had. This was his choice.
Hiashi recalled his last meeting with the Hokage. Even with the warnings, he chose not to interfere with them. The Hokage could have taken Hiashi's words literally and used them against his clan, but he didn't.
Rather, he chose to trust Hiashi to make the right choice. All this time, everyone was confused about the Third's trust in Fugaku and Uchiha. But now, Hiashi understood. The Third trusted and believed in everyone in the village. It was them who chose to betray that trust.
The Third could and would stop any of their actions the moment he wished to. Even if the plan was convoluted and despicable in Hiashi's eyes, he still believed the Third would interfere before it got out of hand. But instead, he let Hiashi decide what path he wanted to take.
"Look after Hinata and Neji," Hiashi said to his wife before turning to his brother, who nodded. Together, the two of them left.
"This will change everything," Hizashi said as they walked through the yard.
"For better or worse, change is what we need. I choose to live believing in the future. It is time I start acting like the head of the family, as I should be." Hiashi looked at the night sky. Tomorrow at the Chunin Exams, a war would start if he stopped now. "I am sorry for not being able to protect you, brother."
"Don't be. Your actions now matter far more than anything you could be sorry for. Thank you for trusting me and making this decision, brother."
Tomorrow, the branch family would be free from the main family. Tomorrow, the Hyuga clan, as it once was, would cease to exist. He either let the elders do as they wished or he would have to destroy them once and for all. And change everything, for better or worse.
There was no doubt in Hiashi's mind that this action would lead to the destruction of their clan. Without the branch family, they wouldn't be half as powerful, and he didn't expect them to be grateful or forgive the sins the main family had committed.
"Hiashi-sama, the others are inside," a shinobi dressed as a maid reported.
As a child, Hiashi hadn't found anything strange about it. But now, looking at the degradation that the main family forced the branch family into made him sick. Still, he should be thankful for the elders of the clan.
If they hadn't chosen such actions to undermine the village for their own benefit, Hiashi might never have been forced to confront them like this. He might have continued to live by their values, only trying to mitigate their actions to the minimum. But not today.
"Block the Hyuga residence from others. Inform everyone on duty not to let anyone inside and not to interfere, no matter what you hear coming from the meeting hall. It is an order of the Hyuga Clan Head; nobody has any authority or power to overrule this order. Unless I say so, or you see my dead body, you will not listen to anyone else."
"Hiashi-sama?"
"Go," Hizashi said. "You heard the Clan Head's order."
The girl walked away, confused but determined to follow the orders. With one last glance at the dark sky, Hiashi turned to his brother, who nodded in assurance. Hiashi did the same before opening the doors and walking inside.
The meeting hall was spacious and could easily accommodate a hundred members of the clan. But now, there were only twelve of them. The elders of the clan, once the most capable and strongest members, the ones who would carry out this order if they weren't stopped.
"Hiashi-sama." It wasn't him they turned to look at, but at his brother, who locked the doors behind them. "I didn't expect you to involve your brother."
"This is important, Hiashi-sama," another one added. "But if you can trust a member of a branch family, I will allow it. We have no time to waste. Our future depends on tomorrow."
"Does everyone agree to the plan?" Hiashi asked. "Speak now. Your words will be listened to, and no consequences shall befall you. I know that every single one of you was selected because you agreed to it and are capable of carrying out the orders, but if you have any doubts, leave now."
Nobody left. This was the core of the clan. The eldest and strongest members. Those who prided themselves on being of the main family and thought they knew better than anyone else. They thought they had the right to make this decision for the rest of them.
"Everything was determined, Hiashi." It was painful to look at his father, a man both Hiashi and Hizashi were proud of and afraid of. "Tomorrow, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki will die at the hands of shinobi from Suna. It will be the Hyuga clan who makes the first move. We shall kill every single Suna and Kumo shinobi in the process and start the war."
With Konoha killing their shinobi, both the Raikage and the Kazekage would not let the Third go. In the chaos, nobody would know what was right and what was not. Even if he survived the attack of two kage's it would be the end of him as a Hokage.
Hiashi still couldn't believe that Suna was ready to make such a great sacrifice just to pit Kumo against Konoha. And he wanted to know how they had such confidence that the Hyuga clan would agree to the plan to propose it so fearlessly.
"None of this will happen," Hiashi replied, as it didn't matter, as he would make his stance known. "Tomorrow, Suna will be on their own. The Hyuga clan doesn't know of the plan. They know nothing, and they will do nothing."
He hoped Hokage-sama would forgive him for not informing him of any of it. But he couldn't allow his clan to be involved. He knew how quickly other clans and shinobi would turn their backs on them if they discovered their involvement—if they knew most of the main family had agreed to it. None of them could be trusted anymore.
"What is this, Hiashi-sama?" one of the elders questioned. "Are you going to kill us? You've gone crazy."
"Have I?" Hiashi replied. "Do not worry, none of you will die. I will simply disable your chakra networks and make sure you can never use your chakra again. You will be nothing but civilians from today onward, and you will be treated as such."
"Hiashi, stand down," his father said. "You can't hope to walk out of this."
"I do not intend to," Hiashi said, taking his stance. "Nothing will happen tonight. Only you all will retire and live out the rest of your lives as civilians."
This was his stand. And the end of their foolish actions. He only wished that the Hokage would support his brother in distancing the branch family from the main family and give them enough to rebuild to their true potential.
Standing with his brother between the elders of the clan and the exit of the meeting hall, their eyes locked as they assessed everything around them. There was nobody outside, and there was nobody to interfere. This was his will, and he would not let it be trampled by anyone.
...
The wind blew the sand around Orochimaru as he traversed the desert. It wasn't long before he reached his destination and looked up at the people he was to meet. He stood alone before the Fourth Kazekage and a dozen of his most trusted shinobi.
There were more hidden; Orochimaru was certain of it. But for now, his eyes were fixed on the one calling the shots. Orochimaru had long wished to see the renowned Gold Dust. He wondered if it was possible to replicate it.
"You sure you want to do this?" Orochimaru asked. "There is no way back from this. And you know very well that it won't be easy to achieve what you want. And for what? To show that your village is stronger? To show that you are stronger?"
"Do not question me," was the Fourth Kazekage's answer. "Since you came, it means you agree to my demands."
Orochimaru looked at the night sky and felt the cold sand beneath his feet. It never surprised him how many enemies the Third Hokage had. And they weren't even created by hatred, but by necessity. As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi stood, Konoha was the strongest of the five villages.
As long as he lived, none of the other villages could freely breathe or move as they wished. Even other countries could not ignore the influence one name carried. And to think—it was the name of an old man who should have long retired.
"I came here to see you," Orochimaru said. "To see a fool of a man who dares to challenge Konoha. But I only see a desperate man who doesn't know anything."
"Yes, I am a desperate man, maybe even foolish. But I was left with no other choice. If I don't do anything, my village will suffer a slow death. And I won't allow it."
"I wonder if that's true," Orochimaru smiled. "I wonder if you aren't just trying to kill the Third Hokage because your pride is wounded. How does it feel for your own lord to choose a foreign village's services rather than yours? Hehehe, it must be painful. So painful that you would even resort to contacting me."
Pillars of sand shot out from beneath Orochimaru's feet. A warning. Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips. It was a generous offer. It would help him immensely in creating his own village. With their acknowledgment and support, he could move up quickly.
"If not join forces, why did you come?"
"To stop you, of course." Too bad—Orochimaru couldn't let the Third Hokage die. "There is also something I wanted to ask too. Do you think your plan would have worked to begin with? Do you think the Third didn't already know of your actions, or at least suspect them? You are underestimating him too much. He has probably already prepared for you and for the future of your pathetic village."
"I thought you hated and betrayed Konoha."
"I do, and I did. And the one who gets to kill him will be me," Orochimaru replied with a smile.
A squad hidden deep within the sand burst out at Orochimaru as he finished speaking. Orochimaru couldn't even move as his feet suddenly sank into the sand. It seemed the Fourth Kazekage wasn't foolish enough to trust him and had prepared the battlefield.
Too slow. Orochimaru's upper body shot forward unnaturally, stretching in inhuman ways as he caught one shinobi with his teeth, while his hands stretched out, wrapping around another before throwing him into the last two, knocking them out of the way.
"I don't understand you," the Kazekage said as he looked at Orochimaru's inhuman body. "You will die if you face me today. Why are you doing this? Why go so far for a man you already betrayed?"
"Hehehe," Orochimaru's laughter only grew louder as blood ran down his lips. "For him? No. You are misunderstanding something. He doesn't need my help. So, even if I cared about him, there would be no reason for me to stop you. I only want one thing: your blood."
Orochimaru was greedy. He couldn't pass up the chance to get the Gold Dust ability when Rasa was outside the walls of his village. He gave himself up to him, so how could Orochimaru not devour him?
All he needed was just a bit of his blood and to see how he used his jutsu. He wanted to know if he could replicate it. If he could make a world where bloodlines meant nothing, where anyone could learn any technique they desired, as long as they had the will. If he could create a world where secrets meant nothing.
All of this was to make his own legacy. A legacy where one's birth and blood didn't determine their talents and limits. Where one was free of the restrictions set by those in power to control them. He would show them how much they limited their abilities—these gifts that only they were born with. He would show them a new world of possibilities.
A.N. Sorry for not updating last week. Had a bit too much work and was too bad at managing time, sorry about that. Will try to do better next time.
As always. Thanks for reading and supporting me. If you want more 7 more chapters of this story and 42 chapters in total with all my current stories, please consider supporting me on pa treon ironworlf852. Thanks in advance.