[Konoha Village]
The major ninja clans were basically in a state of sleeplessness.
The previously submissive Uchiha had shown sharp fangs that night.
Although this was beyond most people's expectations, it was also within reason.
After all, Danzo's people had already come knocking; it was impossible for the Uchiha not to resist.
Moreover, judging by the replacement of their spokesperson with the hawkish Great Elder Uchiha Kairen, there seemed to be subtle shifts of power within the Uchiha clan.
It was now the overwhelmingly powerful Uchiha Kairen who held power.
And this standoff between the Uchiha and Konoha would only be the beginning, not the end.
All the major clans were holding meetings, discussing the possible future changes in Konoha Village.
The Hyuga clan was no exception.
———
Inside the meeting room, the Main Family Clan Head Hiashi, the Main Family Great Elder, Elder Sarumito, and the Third Elder all had serious expressions.
In the corner sat a man around forty years old, his expression calm, as if none of this concerned him.
But no one said anything to him, because this man was the Branch Family Elder, the Fourth Elder.
Years ago, after Hinata was kidnapped, the Main Family of the Hyuga clan was pressured by Konoha, ultimately sacrificing Hizashi's life as compensation.
Though Hiashi escaped that disaster, the emotions of the Branch Family were completely ignited.
The Branch Family had worked diligently like oxen and horses for the Main Family, yet their head Hizashi died for such a ridiculous reason.
The Branch Family erupted in revolt.
The Main Family suppressed them forcefully using the Caged Bird Seal, but this only caused the backlash to become even more intense.
The entire Branch Family adopted a stance of non-violent non-cooperation, and their disgust toward the Main Family was written all over their faces.
Only then did the Main Family panic, hastily asking Hiashi to keep Hizashi's son, Neji, by his side and teach him.
The Branch Family recommended someone to become an elder, trying to appease their emotions, but it had little effect.
He had to face a truth: Hizashi's death caused the already declining Hyuga clan to deteriorate even faster.
In this incident, Uchiha Kairen directly mocked the Hyuga, and though the Hyuga felt insulted, what the Uchiha said was true; the Hyuga had been screwed by Konoha once before, and they knew Konoha's true face clearly.
Doing normal missions was fine, but risking their lives against the Uchiha? That was impossible.
Aside from the Branch Family Elder Hyuga Koshin spacing out and doing nothing, Hiashi and the other three elders all had complicated expressions.
The Great Elder was the first to speak, "This counterattack by the Uchiha was extremely forceful."
"But the Third Hokage likely won't abandon Danzo."
"We need to consider our position."
Elder Sarumito, who looked rather fierce and was one of the rare Main Family members to have been on the battlefield, said in a rough voice, "In this world, power still reigns supreme. The Uchiha now have three Mangekyo Sharingan users; they are bound to clash with Konoha."
"Everyone knows how Hiruzen treated us. We might as well change Hokage."
The Third Elder refuted, "Although the Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan is strong, the Third Hokage still has Jiraiya and Tsunade, his two disciples."
"And in terms of total ninja numbers, the Uchiha might not dare to start a war."
Elder Sarumito snorted, "Mikari, what do you know? Judging from the Uchiha's momentum in hunting down Root members this time—"
"With three Mangekyo Sharingan, they could destroy a large portion of Konoha's active forces. As long as we…"
"Ahem!"
The Great Elder coughed, cutting off Elder Sarumito's speech, "Sarumito, now is not the time for that."
Elder Sarumito Hyuga Sarumito was quite dissatisfied, but he still stopped speaking, only leaving one sentence, "I support the Uchiha clan anyway."
The Great Elder looked at Hyuga Koshin, who sat silently in the corner, "Koshin, what are your thoughts?"
Koshin replied calmly, "Our Branch Family supports any decision made by the Main Family."
The Great Elder pressed on,."Koshin, which side do you lean toward?"
Koshin continued, "The clan leader's decision is the direction in which our Branch Family will advance."
The Great Elder fell silent for a moment and didn't pursue the matter further.
Koshin was like an auto-reply machine; he always repeated the same lines over and over, changing the soup but not the medicine.
Hiashi first glanced at the Great Elder, then at Koshin.
His heart was filled with mixed emotions. Back then, it was the Great Elder who advocated for compromise and forced Hizashi to commit suicide.
Later, he forcefully suppressed the Branch Family.
Now the Branch Family did not argue, did not refute, made no suggestions, endured everything without resistance, and considered the rise or fall of the clan to be unrelated to them.
Without the Branch Family's dedicated support, the Hyuga clan had already declined significantly.
Only now did the Great Elder suddenly realize his mistake, but it was too late for regrets.
"Let's observe first and see what the Uchiha do next," Hiashi also wanted to observe before making a decision.
As for his personal choice, he would not help Konoha. Whether or not to side with the Uchiha depended on the situation.
They then discussed some details, such as how to gather intelligence, and then ended the meeting.
After the others left, Hiashi sighed.
Although the Hyuga's Byakugan was as famous as the Uchiha's—
The Mangekyo Sharingan…
And the legendary divine power Susanoo.
In comparison, their Byakugan was almost not worth mentioning.
———
The courtyard of the Hyuga Branch Family was adjacent to that of the Main Family.
But the corridor between them felt like a boundary between two worlds.
The Main and Branch Families basically had no interaction.
Because of the Branch Family's slack attitude, the Main Family had become well aware, without the Branch Family, they were nothing.
Although they still acted arrogantly, they were also worried about having no one available from the Branch Family in the future.
Now they didn't dare to be too harsh toward the Branch Family.
The Branch Family Elder, the Fourth Elder, returned to the Branch courtyard after the meeting. His expressionless, machine-like face finally showed a hint of emotion.
What was most abundant in the Branch Family? Orphans and widows.
Because during the Third Great Ninja War, the Main Family had shrunk back into the clan compound, and it was all up to the Branch Family.
Naturally, only the Branch Family died.
Hyuga Branch members usually married early to ensure that after dying on the battlefield, there would be offspring to survive.
These people had always been under Hizashi's protection. Whether it was money or supplies, they never lacked anything.
Hizashi held extremely high prestige within the Branch Family.
So after Hizashi died, the Branch Family erupted in revolt.
But that rebellion ended with the execution of ten Branch members.
Though the Main Family successfully suppressed the Branch Family, they also shattered the last bit of hope the Branch Family had.
The Branch Family entered a state of non-violent non-cooperation.
At that time, the Main Family forcefully pulled out the most harmless-looking Koshin, trying to win over the Branch Family.
Unfortunately, they failed.
And they didn't know that the seemingly harmless Koshin actually had the deepest thoughts.
He just happened to be the most extreme member of the Branch Family. His wish was, for all Main Family children to DIE OFF COMPLETELY.
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