What was it all for if not this? It was so that Neji Hyuga would not walk the same road he once did, so that Neji Hyuga could break free from the shackles of the Hyuga Clan and live according to his own will.
Just as he had once said to Hiashi Hyuga. For the Branch Family, right and wrong did not matter, nor did life and death.
What mattered most was being able to make one's own decisions. That alone was enough.
Hizashi Hyuga would never use the name of fatherly love to stop Neji Hyuga from doing what he wanted. Since Neji Hyuga wished to do it, then he would let him.
No matter whether the final result was good or bad, right or wrong, life or death. No matter what price had to be paid, he would choose to stand with Neji Hyuga and bear it together.
With that thought, Hizashi Hyuga lifted his head and swept his gaze across the elders, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes. If anyone tried to block Neji Hyuga, he would remember it.
"Hiashi Hyuga-sama."
The sudden voice interrupted Hizashi Hyuga's thoughts. Turning around, he saw a Main Family Ninja approach and speak in a low voice.
"Third Hokage has sent ANBU. He requests that you and the elders go to pay respects."
Hearing this, surprise appeared on Hizashi Hyuga's face, while Hizashi Hyuga and several elders frowned. In the past, honoring those who died in war had always been voluntary, so why send people to notify them directly this time?
Time passed into dusk.
New green leaves on the trees trembled lightly in the wind, yet they could not clear the heavy sorrow lingering in the air. The blood red sunset dyed the sky a harsh orange, but it failed to light the oppressive gloom hanging over the Memorial Stone.
All the Konoha Ninja, regardless of rank, stood solemnly in pure black mourning clothes, like a silent forest stretching through the twilight. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the very front. His graying hair quivered in the wind, deep lines carving his face, and the weight of years showed clearly, now layered with fresh exhaustion.
"Spirits, return…" "Carry on their will…"
The ceremonial officer recited the long pacifying rites in a low voice, the sound echoing across the open grounds with slow, steady rhythm. One name after another was read aloud, and one name after another was carved onto the Memorial Stone.
Quiet sobs gradually rose from the crowd, barely audible yet impossible to ignore. Grief showed itself in small, restrained movements.
Hizashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga stood among the crowd, still wondering what Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning. Their doubts lasted until they noticed the figure standing directly behind him in the front row.
Shock appeared on their faces almost at the same time.
"Ryuji Hyuga?"
Hizashi Hyuga frowned first, then his eyes widened as he saw his daughter. She was standing there, right behind the person he hated most.
Yes, his daughter.
She was not standing with him, her father, nor was she standing within the ranks of the Hyuga Clan. Instead, she stood behind Ryuji Hyuga.
Hizashi Hyuga's face twitched as his teeth ground together, producing a harsh sound. Damn it, Ryuji Hyuga, you damn bastard.
Why do humans value having children and passing on bloodlines?
One very important reason is that after death, there will still be someone who remembers them and treats that memory as the continuation of their life. A person's true death is not when the heart stops or the breath fades, nor when the body is buried and people wear black to a funeral. It is when the last person in the world who remembers you forgets you, and the world no longer has anything to do with you.
So when Konoha built the Memorial Stone back then, it was truly a wise choice. The memorial ceremony ended quickly, as such events usually did. Normally at this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi would step forward to give the closing words.
But this time, it caught everyone by surprise. Hiruzen Sarutobi walked onto the platform of the Memorial Stone, faced the crowd of Konoha, then suddenly stepped aside and gave up the center position. Under countless gazes, Ryuji Hyuga walked forward and stepped onto the platform.
The red glow of dusk filtered through the clouds and fell on him, outlining a figure that looked thin and fragile. His right arm, wrapped tightly in thick bandages, was fixed against his body and looked weak. Yet a blade still hung at his waist, and his eyes slowly swept across the crowd below.
An invisible pressure spread outward from him, and the murmurs among the people of Konoha quietly faded. In the end, only the sound of wind and breathing remained. Ryuji Hyuga finally spoke.
"Everyone, some of you know me, and some of you do not." His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to every ear. "You do not need to know my name. Like you, I am a Ninja of Konoha."
"Like you, I carried courage through the long night, stepped over the bodies of companions, crawled through thorns and fire, and stood here to light the flame that lets their lives continue." He paused briefly, his gaze steady. "Before standing here today, after Third Hokage found me, I tried to find words to describe war and death."
"But I realized that no words can weigh the burden of war and life, and no language can explain the effort and sacrifice we made just to survive." His tone remained calm, yet it carried deep weight. "War has taken far too much from us."
Though he said people did not need to know his name, everyone present knew exactly who he was. As a hero who had killed countless enemies on the battlefield and was forced to withdraw only because of severe injuries, he was more than qualified to stand there. No one dared to object, not even Hizashi Hyuga, who stood below with a dark expression and stayed silent.
"Everyone, this is war." Ryuji Hyuga rested his hand on the sword at his waist, stirring memories of the battlefield. Bloody scenes flashed through many minds, and breaths grew heavy across the crowd. Just as he was about to push their emotions further, an interruption came.
"Third Hokage! Urgent news!" A masked member of ANBU appeared in a flash of Shunshin beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, chest heaving as he knelt on one knee. He pulled a Scroll from his Ninja Tool pouch. His sudden arrival felt like a drop of water falling into hot oil, and a sense of dread seized everyone's hearts.
Ryuji Hyuga's eyes flickered slightly, while Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and did not take the Scroll. "Read it," he said calmly. No matter whether the news was good or bad, it could not be hidden in front of everyone. At this moment, he could only choose to trust Ryuji Hyuga.
"Yes," the ANBU member replied nervously as he opened the Scroll. Every word that followed burned into the hearts of those present. "Sunagakure deployed the One-Tail Jinchuriki and lured it to the border between our Land of Fire and Land of Rain. The seal broke, and the border garrison was completely wiped out."
"A large number of Ninja from Sunagakure are advancing through Land of Rain and invading our border in the Land of Fire." His voice trembled more with each sentence. "The defense line is in critical danger. We request immediate reinforcements."
When he finished, a short silence fell, followed by an explosion of shock and panic. Voices overlapped in chaos, filled with disbelief and fear. The heavy grief that Ryuji Hyuga had gathered was torn apart by the news, and fear grabbed every heart.
"Silence!" A voice cut through the noise, stopping the chaos at once. It was not loud, yet it forced the panic to halt. All eyes turned toward the figure on the Memorial Stone platform.
"Everyone, this is war. This is reality." Ryuji Hyuga raised his voice, sharp and clear. "Those hungry wolves watching us will not give us time to breathe or time to mourn."
"For decades, generation after generation, again and again." His voice rang out across the square. "In the first Ninja World War, our Second Hokage Tobirama Senju went to negotiate with sincerity, hoping to trade goodwill for peace. What did Kumogakure do?"
"The moment he set foot on their land, they revealed poisoned fangs and assassinated our Second Hokage with despicable methods." His expression was cold. "Before the wounds of that war healed, the Second Shinobi World War was ignited. And who was it this time?"