Chapter 28

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"

Three repeated curses echoed upstream of the Shinmeigawa(river).

At this moment, Danzo Shimura had lost all composure, his face flushed with extreme anger.

Before coming here, he had already planned how to deal with this mysterious person who could use Wood Release.

Interrogation, transplantation, and breeding.

Wood Release was the bloodline limit he desired most, even more than the Sharingan.

As the head of Root and a true leader of Konoha, Danzo Shimura understood the superhuman combat abilities of Hashirama Senju.

Now that Wood Release was in front of him, how could he not be excited?

To capture the user, he brought seven squads, all trained in the Uzumaki Clan's special sealing techniques.

Even against a tailed beast, Danzo was confident in their success.

However... this bastard didn't even give him a chance.

It had been a long time since anyone had stood him up like this.

Kazushi Hyuga instinctively clutched his chest.

All dead!

Everyone was dead!

The river was dyed red with blood.

Forty Hyuga clan ninjas lay scattered along the riverbank.

How would he explain this to the branch family?

Kazushi Hyuga's face turned pale. The Hyuga clan had never suffered such a great loss, and all of them were from the branch family.

Coming here in person had given the branch family a great deal of hope. He couldn't imagine their reaction when they learned of the failed rescue.

Forty individuals, representing forty families, connected by blood, would affect at least one-tenth of the Hyuga clan.

Moreover, the clan's long-standing reputation was at stake.

As one of Konoha's founding clans and a bloodline limit comparable to the Uchiha, the Hyuga clan was facing severe repercussions.

Unable to save their own clansmen.

How could they continue to claim to be Konoha's strongest clan?

"Danzo-sama, they died yesterday," said a masked Root member after inspecting the bodies.

"Yesterday?"

Danzo Shimura suppressed his killing intent. "So this person never intended to trade with Konoha. His goal was to kill."

"I don't understand."

Kazushi Hyuga was visibly grieving. "Why my Hyuga clan members? If not for the Byakugan, could it really be the work of Cloud Ninjas?"

Danzo Shimura's gaze was as fierce as a beast's.

He took a deep breath and said, "Torune Aburame, go fetch Sakumo Hatake."

"Yes," Torune Aburame vanished instantly.

Before long, Sakumo Hatake arrived.

Seeing the countless corpses, his body shook.

"Danzo-sama, this..."

Despite being on par with Danzo Shimura in strength, Sakumo Hatake's rank was lower, so he maintained a respectful demeanor.

"Killed by the mysterious person from yesterday."

Danzo Shimura squinted his eyes. "It seems Haruki did a good job healing your wounds. Any trace of those two Cloud ninjas?"

"None."

Sakumo Hatake shook his head. "They were too fast. Neither the Anbu nor we could track them. However, Haruki said last night's mystery man could be a spy from Cloud Village. Does Danzo-sama have any leads?"

"This has nothing to do with you."

Having received the answer, Danzo Shimura stopped paying attention to Sakumo Hatake.

In his mind, he had already ruled out Cloud Village.

If the mysterious person were truly from Cloud Village, they would have allied with Sand Village to annihilate Konoha.

Moreover, he instinctively doubted a Wood Release user could hail from Cloud Village..

This person... could be from the Senju Clan.

Sakumo Hatake's mood sank.

Danzo Shimura's attitude made him uneasy.

As the commander, the deceased Hyuga ninjas were his subordinates. How could it not concern him?

Feeling disheartened, he glanced at the Root members transporting the bodies and bid Danzo Shimura farewell.

Rather than wasting time, it was better to take the opportunity to kill more Sand ninjas.

Haruki's strategy was starting to pay off.

In just this morning, the casualty ratio had drastically decreased.

"Don't worry."

Seeing Kazushi Hyuga standing still like a statue, Danzo Shimura spoke.

He wasn't particularly fond of the Hyuga clan because they always supported Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But the Hyuga clan held significant influence in Konoha. With his ambition for the Hokage position, Danzo wouldn't ruin their relationship.

Moreover, he needed to clear any suspicion.

Indeed, Hiruko was his subordinate.

"This battle is not your fault. It's due to the cunning of Sand Village and Cloud Village."

Kazushi Hyuga regained his composure, his eyes brightening slightly.

Indeed.

The current issue wasn't his reluctance to trade but the mysterious person's brutality.

The branch family couldn't blame him for this.

"Thank you, Danzo-sama, for your insight."

Kazushi Hyuga bowed slightly, hoping Danzo Shimura would vouch for him.

If he explained the situation, the branch family might not believe him, but Danzo, as a high-ranking Konoha official, had no reason to lie and held more credibility.

But he had no idea that before they could return, the news had already spread.

Once the dust settled, no amount of explanation would suffice.

People would believe what they heard and saw.

When they were all in the same informational environment, Kazushi Hyuga was destined to fail.

---

Haruki sat in a restaurant.

In the distance, he overheard a conversation about the Hyuga clan.

"Have you heard? The Hyuga clan ninjas in this war were completely wiped out."

"What happened?"

"I heard from a rumor that Cloud Village Eight-Tails Jinchuriki personally captured forty Hyuga ninjas. You know Kumogakure values bloodline limits, so they wanted to trade for the Hyuga clan's Byakugan."

"So the Hyuga clan didn't agree?"

"With everyone dead, they must not have agreed!"

Haruki smiled slightly, getting up and leaving the restaurant.

On the street, he overheard another version of the story.

Some said the daughter of a Sand Village elder took a fancy to a branch family ninja and wanted the main family to help remove the Caged Bird seal.

In any case, the rumors were getting more outrageous.

But they all pointed to the Hyuga main family.

"Heh, even Hiruzen Sarutobi can't change public opinion."

Haruki walked through the streets, frequently overhearing related discussions.

Without the deaths of forty ninjas, perhaps the highly respected Hiruzen Sarutobi could shift the narrative.

But facts were facts.

Forty people were no small number.

Their life paths couldn't be entirely covered up.

Anyone with a keen interest could uncover the truth.

"To quell the anger, perhaps there's only one solution: abolish the Caged Bird seal."

Haruki looked expectantly. "Hiashi Hyuga, what will you do?"

While he was musing, Hiashi Hyuga, unable to bear the villagers' gossip, performed a Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the street.

He returned to the Hyuga compound.

All the clan members had grim expressions.

Especially the branch family members, their gazes towards him were like poisonous snakes.

Cold and unfamiliar.

Hiashi Hyuga's body stiffened, an unspeakable bitterness rising within him.

The former glory seemed to have turned into sharp blades.

Layer by layer, they aimed to strip away his flesh.

Hiashi Hyuga felt lost. Even if he suppressed this crisis with the Caged Bird seal, what about the future?

With hearts divided, could the Hyuga clan maintain their prestigious status?