Konoha.
Hyuga clan compound.
Shimura Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi sat calmly in the seats of honor, sipping hot tea. Behind each of them stood three Anbu ninjas wearing masks.
Below them, Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi sat upright, their posture restrained. Hiashi spoke softly, asking, "May I ask what business brings Danzo-sama and Hiruzen-sama to the Hyuga clan today?"
Danzo replied indifferently, "To counter the Hidden Cloud Village, the village's overall strength must be reinforced. I plan to draw manpower from every ninja clan."
"The Hyuga clan is Konoha's foremost noble family. You should be the ones to lead by example."
Hiashi and Hizashi exchanged glances, anger welling up in both their hearts.
Hiashi said in a deep voice, "Danzo-sama, haven't we already sent dozens of clan members into the Anbu?"
Danzo snorted coldly. "The people you sent were nothing but talentless genin. They can barely even maintain the Byakugan's observation ability. A bunch of useless trash."
Danzo's merciless words made Hiashi and Hizashi's expressions turn ugly.
The Hyuga clan, one of Konoha's great noble houses, had never been insulted so openly before.
Danzo ignored their reactions and continued, "Provide another one hundred clan members to be absorbed into the Anbu. At the very least, they must all be at chūnin level."
At Danzo's demand, both Hiashi and Hizashi fell silent.
Since Konoha's founding, the Hokage had continuously suppressed the major ninja clans within the village.
Even for a traditional powerhouse like the Hyuga clan, producing a hundred chūnin-level members at once would be crippling.
Everyone knew that under Danzo's rule, once a clansman entered the Anbu, they would vanish without a trace, severed completely from their family.
Seeing their silence, Danzo sneered. "And I've heard that your Hyuga clan has produced a genius. His name is Neji, isn't it?"
Hiashi and Hizashi's pupils shrank sharply.
"Danzo-sama, what do you mean by that?"
"Geniuses should serve the village. I want you to hand over Hyuga Neji as well."
Hiashi forced a smile and chose his words carefully. "Danzo-sama, we can provide one hundred clan members to join the Anbu. But Neji is the future head of our branch family. We cannot agree to that."
Bang!
Danzo slammed his teacup onto the table, his voice turning icy. "I'm not negotiating with you. This is an order!"
"Do you intend to defy the village and become rogue ninjas?"
The label of 'rogue ninja' crashed down on them, leaving Hiashi and Hizashi momentarily stunned.
Their fists clenched tightly, faces flushed red with suppressed rage.
Danzo's arrogance was overwhelming—he didn't regard them at all.
"What, dissatisfied?" Danzo said coldly.
"If you refuse to obey my orders, you'd do well to remember the fate of certain other ninja clans."
Hearing the threat, Hiashi and Hizashi felt their teeth grind together.
They truly wanted nothing more than to unleash a set of Eight Trigrams Palm strikes and shatter every bone in the man before them.
Unfortunately, they didn't dare.
The power held by Danzo and Hiruzen was no longer something a single clan could oppose.
Not even the Hyuga clan.
As the atmosphere grew heavy, Hiruzen smiled and spoke gently. "Hiashi, Hizashi—you're both children I watched grow up. I know you care deeply for the village."
"We're not singling you out. It's not just the Hyuga clan—every ninja clan in the village must contribute personnel according to their size to expand the Anbu."
"Some clans have even handed over their young clan heirs."
After a long silence, Hizashi finally spoke slowly, "I understand. We will meet your demands. We will hand over Neji, along with one hundred chūnin-level clan members."
Hiruzen had already made it clear—they weren't forcing the Hyuga to surrender members of the main family, which was already a significant concession.
If they continued to resist, this matter would not end peacefully today.
"Good. Worthy successors of the Will of Fire," Hiruzen said with a smile. "I'll give you one month to prepare."
"Then we'll take our leave."
Having received the answer they wanted, Danzo and Hiruzen rose with satisfied smiles and departed.
After they were gone, Hiashi spoke in a low voice, "Hizashi, how could you agree to their demands and send Neji into the Anbu?"
He had already been consumed by guilt over Hizashi and Neji being branded with the Cage Bird Seal. Now he was sending Neji straight into Danzo's hands…
Hiashi felt he no longer had the face to meet his younger brother.
Hizashi looked at the teacup Danzo had left behind on the table, lowering his gaze bitterly. "What choice did we have if we refused?"
"Those two have wiped out several ninja clans with ruthless force. In their eyes, even the Hyuga clan is nothing more than a slightly sturdier ant."
"One plays the villain, the other the savior. They've completely got us cornered."
"If we didn't agree, the Hyuga clan would likely face total annihilation."
Unwilling to accept it, Hiashi said, "Danzo and Hiruzen's greed has no limits. Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?"
"The number one noble clan of Konoha—are we really reduced to surviving by selling off our own people?"
Hizashi gave a miserable smile. "It's all fate. I only feel sorry for Neji. I just hope he won't resent me as his father…"
Hiashi stroked his chin, a ruthless glint flashing across his face.
He activated his Byakugan and observed the surroundings for a while before speaking heavily. "Hizashi—we rebel."
Hizashi was startled. "Brother, watch your words!"
"Hmph!" Hiashi sneered and said slowly, "I've finally realized it. In the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura, we ninja clans are just a backyard to be pillaged at will. In the future, they might even demand we hand over ninjas from the main house."
"Rather than becoming dogs kept on a leash, we might as well tear a bloody chunk out of them."
Hizashi asked in confusion, "Brother, what do you plan to do? With our strength, we're no match for Danzo and the others."
If the Hyuga clan confronted the village head-on, it would be nothing more than an egg striking a stone.
Hiashi smiled faintly. "Have you forgotten the Uchiha clan, who once stood alongside us?"
"I'll write a letter. You'll send someone to secretly deliver it to the Hidden Cloud Village."
After hearing Hiashi's idea, Hizashi said with concern, "Using one tiger to devour another?"
"I'm afraid we'll just escape the wolf's den and enter the tiger's jaws."
Hiashi's gaze was resolute as he waved his hand. "So what? No matter how bad it gets, it won't be worse than this."