"Father, what do you think of this kidnapping incident?"
As if sensing Hiashi's dissatisfaction and anger, Yuki knelt respectfully on the bed and posed this question to the head of the Hyuga clan with a serious expression.
Hiashi didn't even need to think about this kind of problem and directly stated, "Kumogakure's coveting of the 'Byakugan' isn't a matter of a day or two. During this Third Great Ninja War, they've attempted to capture the Byakugan countless times. Now that the war is about to end and they still haven't succeeded, they're probably getting anxious."
This wasn't inference or speculation, but an established fact. After all, everyone knew that what "Kumogakure" wanted most was the bloodline limit of the "Byakugan."
You must know that "Kumogakure" was recognized as the village with the strongest taijutsu among the Five Great Ninja Villages, with several generations of Raikage all being masters of physical techniques. The "Byakugan's" 360-degree field of vision was practically a bloodline limit tailor-made for them.
If the current "Kumogakure" was like a tiger, then gaining the "Byakugan" would truly make them "like a tiger with wings." The boost in strength wouldn't be just a minor improvement. Both Konoha and Kumogakure understood this very well.
"So, Father, if this operation by Kumogakure had succeeded, what would have happened?"
"This—"
Before Hiashi could gather his thoughts, Yuki asked an even more difficult question.
That's right, Darui's operation this time was undoubtedly a complete failure. But what if he had succeeded?
"If you had been captured, you would probably soon be turned into a corpse for research. If someone died, they would likely demand the handover of the murderer. Either way, some members of the clan would have to be sacrificed."
As he spoke these words, Hiashi couldn't help but clench his fists. He clearly knew this incident was far from as simple as it seemed on the surface and was very likely to lead to serious consequences.
"If either of those two situations occurred, how would Konoha handle it?"
"Handle it coldly, as if nothing happened."
"Why?"
"Because now is the period for negotiating the armistice agreement. As long as there are no actual casualties, the matter of one or two human lives is insignificant in the face of the overall situation—even if the dead are you and me, father and son."
Yes, what Hiashi said was correct. The "Third Great Ninja War," which had been fought for many years, was now coming to an end. As long as Kumogakure and Konoha signed a peace agreement, the war could almost be declared over. Therefore, Konoha attached great importance to these negotiations.
It wasn't that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was cruel and heartless, nor that Konoha's other higher-ups disregarded the Hyuga clan's feelings. In reality, these few lives from the Hyuga clan were simply insignificant compared to the tens of thousands of casualties on the battlefield.
So, no matter how much the Hyuga clan had to sacrifice, Konoha's higher-ups had to ensure the success of these negotiations. You could call them cold-blooded, but from a higher-up's perspective, there was nothing wrong with it.
I clearly understand that the overall situation is paramount, and I can't be overly concerned with these details. But why... why am I so upset inside?
"Father, your complexion doesn't look very good. Are you alright?"
Just as Hiashi was immersed in his foul mood, Yuki's voice brought him back to reality.
"Ahem, it's fine. But these matters are none of your concern. You just need to—"
"You're very annoyed, aren't you? Why don't you even dare to fight back when bullied by another village? You have to safely send back the enemies who invaded your home."
"You!"
Instantly, Hiashi's body trembled. He never expected such blunt words to come from his young son.
Yes, although from the Hyuga clan's standpoint, Hiashi wouldn't take any action; he could only escort Darui to Konoha's higher-ups for the time being and then watch them return the prisoner to Kumogakure.
Was he willing? Of course not. It was impossible to be willing. The enemy was riding roughshod over them, yet they couldn't fight back. They couldn't even get angry when their son was attacked. Only those who had experienced this kind of aggrieved feeling could understand.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
In desperation, Hiashi let out a deep sigh and spoke helplessly.
After all, the current predicament of the Hyuga clan couldn't be changed by Hiashi alone. Although he bore the name of one of Konoha's two great clans, in reality, everyone knew there was really only one clan in Konoha, and that clan was called "Senju."
The First Hokage and the Second Hokage both came from the Senju clan. The Third Hokage was the Second's disciple, and the Fourth Hokage was the Third's disciple. In other words, all of Konoha's leaders so far were "Senju" people.
After decades of development, almost all of Konoha's higher-ups were firmly controlled by the Senju faction. The so-called "two great clans," the Uchiha and the Hyuga, were nothing more than empty titles.
Where there are people, there is power, and where there is power, there is struggle. Although Hiashi had no desire to participate in these internal struggles, everyone had seen the result of having no power: not even being qualified to seek revenge for your own people.
"Father, our Hyuga Clan does not recklessly seek conflict, but we are not weak and cowardly either. It's impossible to just let others walk all over us. Otherwise, if you take one step back, you might find room to maneuver, but take ten steps back, and you'll never recover."
"So?"
"So that ninja from Kumogakure must die. He absolutely cannot be allowed to leave Konoha alive. This is a warning to both Konoha's and Kumogakure's higher-ups."
As he spoke these words, a faint trace of killing intent actually tinged Hyuga Yuki's originally pure eyes.
Darui couldn't die at the Hyuga residence, but that didn't mean Darui couldn't die at all. Now that Hiashi had come, Yuki wasn't afraid to voice his thoughts. After all, he didn't want to see Darui swagger out alongside the Kumogakure envoys.
"Tell me."
At this point, Hiashi was clearly intrigued. He knew his son occasionally had some strange ideas, but he never expected this kid to see things so deeply.
"Don't escort that guy to Konoha's higher-ups. Just release the news tomorrow morning that we've captured a traitor from Kumogakure who came to stir up trouble during the negotiations. Publicize it early in the morning; make sure everyone knows."
"With our Hyuga clan's intelligence network, this will be easy to do."
"After disseminating the information, go to Konoha's higher-ups and request that they use the personnel from the Interrogation Department to torture this traitor to extract information."
As he said this, a sinister expression appeared on Yuki's face.
The "Interrogation Department," officially known as the "Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force," was a department specializing in interrogating captured enemy ninja and some monitored targets who had escaped.
The key point was that since the Anbu handled most of the aforementioned tasks, this department was inextricably linked to the Anbu. Therefore, the information obtained from interrogations was usually not disclosed to other institutions or individuals but was directly handed over to the Hokage.
So, if such a request was made to the "Interrogation Department" at this critical juncture of negotiations with Kumogakure, how would the Third Hokage respond?
"The Third Hokage definitely won't allow the torture of someone from Kumogakure during this period, even if he's a traitor. So, he'll probably directly summon the envoys for a joint discussion."
"Exactly. Kumogakure must be very anxious right now because the operative they sent hasn't completed his mission and, more importantly, hasn't died. After all, as long as a ninja is alive, it's easy for a lot of information to be leaked."
"But as soon as Kumogakure opens their mouths, the Third Hokage will definitely order us to return the prisoner immediately."
"So, you have to do one more thing: declare in front of the Third Hokage and the two advisors that this traitor stole important confidential information from the Hyuga clan."
Huh? Upon hearing this, Hiashi's eyes lit up, as if he had realized the significance of doing so.
First of all, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, undoubtedly intended to downplay this matter, to make a big issue small and a small issue disappear. So, he definitely wouldn't give the Hyuga clan any leeway that might affect the peace agreement between Konoha and Kumogakure over such a minor matter.
But what if he was forced to handle it? For example, what if the entire village knew the Hyuga clan had caught a traitor, and this traitor had also stolen important information from the Hyuga clan?