Following Hyuga Shin out of the Hokage Tower, neither he nor Hyuga Satoru had any idea what discussions were still unfolding behind them in the Hokage's office.
Shin had already made the Hyuga Clan's stance clear before Konoha's leadership.
All that remained for them now was to prepare.
Whether the village decided to compromise with the Cloud or stand firm and fight, the Hyuga—being at the heart of the dispute—had to be ready for the worst-case scenario.
If things truly took a turn for the worst, the entire clan might be forced onto the battlefield.
"Grandfather… are you sure about what you said back there?"
"If the Fourth Hokage can't convince the rest of the high council, won't that just leave our Hyuga Clan isolated?"
As they walked the streets back toward the compound, Satoru could feel the subtle hostility in the air.
Several passing shinobi glanced at them with judgmental eyes, as if sizing up criminals instead of comrades.
The rumors spreading through the village were beginning to rot people's minds.
The Hyuga's situation was far more precarious than he had imagined.
Satoru turned to the elder beside him, studying him carefully.
This "grandfather" of his was nothing like the stereotypical Hyuga elders he'd once envisioned—so he wanted to know what the old man truly thought inside.
"Isolated?" Shin murmured.
"Maybe…"
After a pause, he looked down at Satoru, eyes deep and sharp.
"Satoru," he asked, "what do you think about all this?"
"Do you think I was right to take that stance?"
"If it were you—would you hand over those Branch Family shinobi to spare the village from the threat of war?"
"If sacrificing a few could save the many… would you do it?"
His gaze lingered on Satoru, seemingly casual, but his mind was focused—scrutinizing the boy's every reaction.
Satoru didn't hesitate.
"The branch members didn't do anything wrong," he said firmly. "They just did their duty."
"Why should we sacrifice them?"
"The Cloud-nin are just looking for an excuse to extort us. If we keep retreating, they'll only become bolder."
"For people like that, the only way to make them stop reaching out… is to cut off their hand."
"And besides…"
"Before I'm a shinobi of Konoha, I'm a Hyuga."
"If I can't even protect my own clan, then what right do I have to talk about protecting the village?"
His tone was calm, but the conviction behind it was unmistakable.
Hyuga Satoru had always known what he wanted.
He also knew who he wanted to protect.
He wasn't a saint—not like Uchiha Itachi, whose mind could rise above clan and family for some lofty "greater good."
In Satoru's world, the people worth protecting were his family, his friends, and his clan.
If he had the strength to spare, then yes—he'd fight for order, for justice.
But if he couldn't even protect those closest to him, then what meaning did those noble ideals have?
Without roots, "justice" was nothing but hypocrisy.
Shin's eyes softened slightly, though his words carried a teasing note.
"Heh… what a selfish answer."
"You know, I used to hope you might grow up to become Hokage someday."
"But now… with an outlook like that, you'll probably never be more than the next head of the Hyuga Clan."
Satoru's response wasn't "high-minded" enough—not the sort of self-sacrificing idealism expected of Konoha's leaders.
And yet, rather than disappointment, a faint smile crept across Hyuga Shin's face.
Because in truth, that was enough.
The Hyuga didn't need some noble fool willing to die for the village.
What they needed was a strong clan leader who would fight to protect and preserve his own people.
"Hokage, huh?" Satoru murmured, smiling faintly.
"To be honest, I'm not really interested. I just want to live well in this world."
In his mind, faces flickered—Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, Nagato…
Powerful men who had once sought to change the world, and who had all ended up devoured by it.
"Ha! Worthless brat," Shin scoffed lightly, though his tone was more amused than reproachful.
What the rest of Konoha's council discussed after the Hyuga left, no one outside that office would ever know.
But the next day, the village issued its official response to the Hidden Cloud.
In essence, it could be summed up in one line:
"If you want someone—come to Konoha and take them yourself."
To the outside world, this was nothing less than a declaration of defiance.
The entire shinobi world turned its eyes to the Hidden Cloud, waiting to see their reaction.
Even Uchiha Obito, who had been operating in secret, paused his infiltration of Kirigakure's hierarchy to watch events unfold.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Ever since the Nine-Tails incident, Obito had known he wasn't yet strong enough to take the Nine-Tails jinchuriki by force.
He needed powerful allies—pawns to move, opportunities to exploit.
And this escalating conflict between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud?
It was the perfect storm.
If Konoha were dragged back into war, it would open the door for him to weave his plans once more within the chaos of the village.
The whole world was waiting to see how the Fourth Raikage—renowned for his temper—would respond to Konoha's challenge.
He did not disappoint.
Shortly after the statement, Konoha's border intelligence division reported massive Cloud troop movements toward the Land of Fire's frontier—an unmistakable sign of impending war.
The Hidden Cloud's posture grew more aggressive by the hour.
And with that, the pressure on the Hyuga Clan mounted sharply.
Now, when Hyuga clan members walked the streets of Konoha, they could feel the disdain and resentment in people's eyes.
Many villagers muttered that the Hyuga's "selfishness" had dragged the entire village toward war.
That contempt began to seep into the clan's daily life.
January. The Minor Cold Season.
Both Konoha and the Cloud were massing forces near the border.
No open conflict had erupted yet, but the tension was palpable—a military buildup on both sides.
The Hyuga Clan, sensing the storm to come, grew busier by the day.
But not everyone felt the weight of it.
Little Hinata, still just a child, remained blissfully unaware.
That day, as usual, she went into town with her maid for a stroll.
At her age, it was impossible to stay cooped up indoors all the time.
The recent snow had piled thick on the ground.
While her maid was distracted buying groceries, Hinata's eyes lit up at the sight of a toy stall down the street.
She ran off toward it, her boots crunching softly in the snow.
But halfway there, a group of children—seven or eight years old—blocked her path.
A stocky little boy sneered and shoved her hard by the shoulder, knocking the tiny girl down into the snow.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, freak!"
"White-eyed monster!"
The boy's insult was echoed by the others around him.
Seeing no adults nearby to stop them, they began to circle Hinata, grinning cruelly.
"A white-eyed monster dares walk the streets?"
"If it weren't for you people, the village wouldn't be going to war!"
"Get out of here! Konoha doesn't need monsters like you!"
These children, parroting the hatred they'd heard at home, let their malice swell unchecked.
"Hey, say something!"
The stocky boy grabbed Hinata's scarf and yanked her up, his small fist raised as though to strike—
"Stop it!!!"
A clear, angry shout cut through the cold air.
The children turned—and saw a blond-haired boy sprinting toward them, snow scattering under his feet.
He barreled straight into the group, shoving them aside, then spread his arms wide to shield Hinata.
Still dazed, Hinata blinked up at the familiar face of her rescuer.
It was the son of her mother's closest friend—and one of her dearest playmates.
Namikaze Naruto.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/Nova5tudios