Morning mist still clung to the air outside Konoha's main gate.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the front of the formation, Hokage robes draped neatly over his frame, the brim of his hat casting a narrow shadow across his eyes.
At his sides were Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.
Behind them stood the clan heads: Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, Inuzuka. Each in formal posture. Each watched.
The street before the gate was already packed.
Even with the Military Police maintaining order, villagers continued to press forward. Shoulders brushed. Voices layered over one another. Excitement climbed.
"Clan Head."
A blur appeared behind Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Yashiro dropped to one knee, dressed in standard black underlayers and a flak vest marked with the insignia of the Konoha Military Police.
"All preparations are complete."
Fugaku acknowledged him with a brief nod.
"Maintain order. No errors. Any mistake reflects on the clan."
Yashiro vanished again.
Fugaku turned his gaze forward, eyes lingering on Sarutobi's back longer than necessary.
Kumo's submission dressed as diplomacy, he thought. This will only raise the Third's standing further.
Whether that was good or bad remained unclear.
The Military Police had been founded by Senju Tobirama. On paper, it was authority. In practice, it had slowly been hollowed out.
ANBU. Root.
Functions overlapped. Chains of command blurred.
And unlike ANBU, the Uchiha enforced order visibly. Firmly. Publicly.
The villagers resented that.
Each dispute, each intervention, pushed the clan further toward isolation.
Fugaku felt the pressure building again. The same old unease.
He found himself remembering the Fourth Hokage. A civilian-born leader the clan had respected without reservation.
Then death.
And Sarutobi's return.
With no successor named.
Poorly handled, Fugaku decided. Very poorly.
"Still no sign of the Hyūga?" Sarutobi asked without turning.
Nara Shikaku stepped forward, already aware of the answer.
"…A reminder was sent half an hour ago."
Before he could say more, ANBU moved in close to Sarutobi's ear.
Shikaku caught only fragments.
Three years old… Hyūga main family… birthday.
He exhaled quietly.
That was a mistake.
Sarutobi's eyes dimmed for a fraction of a second.
Not anger. Disappointment.
The Hyūga could have sent an elder. A placeholder. A signal of respect.
Instead, they chose absence.
To them, the heir's ceremony outweighed diplomacy.
Sarutobi detested that kind of thinking.
Clan before village.
Uchiha. Hyūga. Always the same fault.
"The Hyūga are unavailable due to internal matters," Sarutobi said evenly. "Fill the position. Prepare to receive the Kumogakure delegation."
Koharu frowned. Homura exchanged a glance with her.
Danzō's lips twitched. The sound was barely audible, but Sarutobi heard it.
He said nothing.
This success belonged to Danzō, however distasteful that was.
The irritation settled elsewhere.
"Coming! They're coming!"
A child perched in a tree shouted, and the crowd surged.
Beyond the gate, Kumo shinobi entered under escort.
Three at the front. Dark skin. Broad frames. Headbands marked with cloud insignia.
The contrast with Konoha was stark.
From rooftops, baskets tipped.
Flower petals drifted down.
Cheering erupted.
Within the crowd, Hyūga Shinya watched in silence.
Formations. Reactions. Timing.
A flawless performance, he assessed.
A village celebrating restraint as victory.
Appeasement as wisdom.
Their smiles were genuine.
Which made it worse.
"There won't be peace from this," Shinya thought calmly. "Only delay."
The shinobi world was already too crowded with walls.
Adding one more would not prevent collapse.
It would only ensure that when it fell, it fell harder.
If chaos was inevitable, then it should be controlled.
Let it begin sooner.