Chapter 18

(The day of the attack)

Looking at his hand full of Uno cards, Hiroshi sighed with a sullen face, threw all the cards onto the table, and then put his hands over his head in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, I lose."

Since playing a game alone was boring, they implemented a condition: whoever lost would have to kneel, while the winners continued to sit comfortably on the zabuton. If the person who kneeled won the next match, they could sit again.

After applying this rule, to say that it was just fun would be an understatement.

"Finally, now get on your knees, boy," exclaimed the glowing Itami, as happy as if she were at a festival, and she got down from her already sore knees.

"Are your knees hurting? Would you like me to get some medicine for you, ojou-sama?" Mia, who was cleaning nearby, asked.

"No need, I'm still good. Now, let's make you keep kneeling," Itami replied, still in a joyous mood, after escaping from having knelt for 10 consecutive sets.

However, her dream ended early when Hiroshi immediately won the next set, putting Itami on another consecutive set of kneeling.

When they went to sleep, Itami was already sore enough not to be able to walk straight, having to rely on Mia's assistance to return to her bed.

Their designated room oozed a sense of spaciousness, having sliding doors and bamboo shutters that allowed glimpses of the meticulously landscaped courtyard outside. Within, a collection of wooden furniture caught the eye, each piece intricately carved with delicate patterns reminiscent of sakura blossoms. The room was further adorned with a lacquerware tea set, adding a touch of elegance to the already serene atmosphere.

Mia fondly helped Itami lay on the bed, then headed to the kitchen to prepare two cups of warm milk before bed. Seeing Itami still annoyed and pouting, she spent the next 30 minutes massaging her legs and knees, trying to ease her discomfort.

"Thank you, Mia-neechan," Itami murmured gratefully as she leaned back against the soft pillows, feeling a bit more relaxed. Despite the lingering soreness, there was a sense of contentment in the air, even as haughty as she was, she still loved acting all baby in front of Mia.

Living in the Hyuga compound felt like dwelling in a somber and reclusive society, where joy seemed a scarce commodity. For an energetic person like Itami, the companion of the gentle and considerate Mia was akin to a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Mia smiled gently as she picked up the cup of warm milk from the nearby bedside table, encouraging Itami to take a sip like a good mother with her child. "You're welcome, ojou-sama. Don't play so much next time, alright?"

Itami nodded, her expression softening as she gazed out at the moonlit courtyard through the bamboo shutter. She drifted into sleep peacefully and quickly, imagining it was merely due to exhaustion, unaware that was because Mia had slipped a sleeping pill into her drink.

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After Itami had drifted into a deep slumber, Mia and Hiroshi silently guided her to the underground chamber, their footsteps barely audible in the quiet corridors. Despite the necessity of their actions for Itami's safety, a pang of guilt gnawed at their hearts for keeping such a significant secret from their friend. 

Perhaps their actions seemed somewhat harsh, but their primary goal was to safeguard their dearest companion, rather than attempting to rescue anyone else.

Once they reached the basement room, where Hiroshi had prepared everything necessary, they gently laid Itami down on a comfortable bed, tucking her in with care. Mia glanced at Hiroshi and nodded. 

They returned to their own bed, and both drifted off to sleep. As they lay down on their back, they found themselves oddly hoping for the attack to occur that night. They prayed that the Hokage would intervene and halt the threats, bringing an end to their ongoing hiding days.

As dawn broke, Mia woke up early, and carefully carried Itami back to her room, gently settling her into bed as if nothing had happened. She smoothed the blankets over Itami's sleeping form, ensuring she looked undisturbed before quietly slipping out of the room.

The sleeping pill Mia had given Itami the night before wasn't the type to instantly knock someone out but rather to induce deep and prolonged sleep, making waking up more difficult. They chose this type of pill because they didn't want to harm Itami's body in the long run.

The next morning unfolded like any other day. They all went about their routines, heading to the company together, enjoying the view of Konoha while sipping a cup of tea Mia had prepared before taking a look at all the forms that had been sent to the office today.

Itami joined in, helping to review the forms, but her patience wore thin as she encountered one absurd request after another. Unable to contain her frustration any longer, she slammed the scroll she was holding onto the table with a resounding thud.

"Who the heck would agree to your ridiculous requests, seriously!" she exclaimed, her irritation palpable. As a girl born into a wealthy family, she had never experienced such blatant audacity before. This was the first time she realized just how shameless people could be.

"What the fuck is this? This guy has the nerve to ask us to build ten houses for free, just so he can test their effectiveness. Who does he think he is..." Itami scoffed, disbelief evident in her voice. This offer seemed like the most absurd thing she had ever encountered, akin to being asked to perform tasks for free to practice ninjutsu. Absolutely ridiculous.

"And this..." she continued, grabbing another scroll from the table, "This guy claims he'll be a regular big customer in the future, with major deals involving roads, bridges, and apartments. But for now, he just wants a small house and expects a discount as a 'VIP customer.' Does he really think we're fools?"

Itami, still sitting with her usual inelegant posture, seemed increasingly annoyed with each passing second.

Hiroshi just smiled at her and threw a scroll he had just looked for her.

She took it naturally, opened it, took a look, and almost tore the whole scroll apart.

"I'm gonna kill him. Who is this guy?" She stood up, as if ready to head out to finish what she had just inhumanely said.

Hiroshi simply smiled at Itami and tossed her another scroll he had just come across. She took it without much thought, but as she read its contents, her expression twisted with anger, nearly tearing the scroll to shreds in her fury.

"What's the big deal? He's just asking for a 50% discount on 500,000 ryos, isn't he?" Hiroshi remarked casually, unfazed by Itami's outburst.

"And who the fuck needs a measly 500,000 ryos anyway? What does he think of our company?" Itami retorted, her frustration evident.

"A company run by two kids from the Hyuga clan?" Hiroshi shrugged nonchalantly, as if these encounters were nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps drawing from experiences in his past life. "Many people still believe they can take advantage of us because of our youth. It's normal for them to try, and technically, they haven't done anything illegal. At least they still have some respect for our clan."

"But aren't you quite famous already? Why don't they know better? If they knew what you're capable of, they wouldn't dare pull this nonsense!" Itami snapped, her impatience evident as she impatiently gulped down juice from the table.

"It's either because they don't know, or they simply don't believe it," Hiroshi replied calmly.

As they continued their conversation, Mia burst into the room with an excited expression on her face, clearly eager to share some news.

Just as they were about to ask what was wrong, she opened her mouth, bringing news about yesterday's attack on Hokage.

"Last night, there was an attacker who attempted to release the Nine-Tails to destroy the village, but Hokage-sama intervened and stopped them. Everyone in the village is talking about it."

"What? Really?" Hiroshi exclaimed, jumping up from his seat in surprise.

"Yes, Hiroshi-kun. It seems to be the talk of the entire village, and they're all expressing gratitude towards Hokage-sama for protecting us," Mia confirmed, her enthusiasm evident in her nods. "Who knows what could have happened last night if Hokage-sama hadn't intervened." She added the last part, mindful of Itami's presence, so as not to arouse suspicion.

After spending a significant amount of time with Hiroshi, both Mia and Itami seemed to have acquired new skills.

"Indeed! Thanks to Minato," Hiroshi overjoyed, his excitement palpable. The news brought a profound sense of relief and happiness, knowing that they were finally free from the immediate threat of disaster.

Originally, Hiroshi felt an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness as they were finally liberated from the looming threat of disaster. However, what truly filled him with satisfaction and a profound sense of accomplishment was the realization that his subtle hints and actions might have played a crucial role in altering the course of history.

It was akin to the feeling of traveling back in time and, through the butterfly effect, being able to prevent a world war from erupting. Despite knowing that as an individual, his power alone could not have actively achieved much, the notion that his seemingly insignificant actions could yield such significant outcomes brought him immense satisfaction.

'But now that Minato is not dead, the future will change. Guess that's the price of being a good guy then.' Hiroshi silently signed.

Whether the future would be worse or better was hard to say. But thinking of Minato and his family again, Hiroshi suddenly felt much better. 'At least they are not dead. As for the future, let's just believe in Minato, he will be much better than the Third Hokage.'

Mia also breathed a sigh of relief, a sense of tension that had been tightly coiled within her chest finally dissipated. It was a weight lifted off her shoulders, knowing that she no longer had to conceal the truth from her Ojou-sama. For days, she had carried the burden of deception, each lies adding to the strain of maintaining the facade. Hiroshi had told her about two possible outcomes, and they had always carried out the plan to hide in case the Hokage failed. Truth be told, she had always felt guilty, knowing that not informing other people might result in their deaths. But as Hiroshi said, rather than saving other people, she would save her own important person. Now that the outcome was good, she obviously no longer needed to worry about feeling guilty anymore.

The two of them exchanged a quick, knowing glance with each other, and they both couldn't help but smile. It always felt best when the situation unfolded this way.

However, Itami's keen intuition picked up on the subtle exchange between them, and her doubt deepened into a sense of hurt and exclusion. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were hiding something from her, and doubt weighed heavily on her heart. Various thoughts raced through her mind as she considered what the secret between Mia and Hiroshi could be, and she found none of them pleasant. She even entertained the possibility that Hiroshi harbored feelings for Mia behind her back, although she knew deep down that couldn't be true. Such thoughts only served to further irritate her.

As someone who despised the ambiguity of unanswered questions, Itami was not one to shy away from confronting her doubts. She was the type to seek out the truth, even if it meant facing unpleasant realities. She is the person who would listen to the story and then work to solve it, rather than running away, trying to escape from reality.

"What are you both hiding from me?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Upon hearing Itami's voice, both Hiroshi and Mia were stunned. In their moment of excitement, they had momentarily forgotten about Itami, who was still nearby.

"What are you talking about?" Hiroshi attempted his usual tactic of feigning ignorance, but Itami wasn't fooled. She had seen through his act countless times before.

"Don't take me for a fool," she said, her voice tinged with anxiety. "You two have been unnervingly secretive lately. Don't think I haven't noticed those sneaky glances between you. Tell me, what are you hiding from me?"

Realizing that his usual strategy wasn't going to work this time, Hiroshi began to formulate an excuse. However, before he could respond, Mia spoke up, with a glint of light passing from her eyes.

"I... I've been spending more time playing with him lately," she confessed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Even when you're not around, I'm sorry." She lied to Itami, fabricating a reason for their secretive behavior. However, her words seemed to carry a hidden meaning as she sent a wink to Hiroshi, hinting at something.

Now it was Hiroshi's turn to wear a perplexed expression. 'I played with you? When? Why don't I remember such a good thing?' he thought to himself, though he maintained an embarrassed and troubled face, as it seemed like the appropriate response for any situation.

Itami's worry quickly morphed into a frown as she yelled at him, "Hey, bastard! I told you that you can only touch her when I'm around, remember? She's my servant, goddamn it!"

Hiroshi felt utterly helpless as the situation took an unexpected turn. 

Mia's plan to solve the problem worked but also made things much more complicated. He would have been relieved to be scolded if he had indeed done something wrong. But the problem was, he hadn't.

Mia immediately interjected, as if she feared Hiroshi might say something wrong. "I-It's not like that, Ojou-sama. It was me who wanted to do that..." she confessed, attempting to diffuse the tension with her explanation.

"What did you do?" 

"I give him a blowjob under the table...It's just a quick refresh" She said embarrassingly, but only Hiroshi knew that this should be an act.

'hey, you slander people out of thin air. At least you have to do the act before slandering people, I never saw you under my table before.'

Itami signed in reassuringly, "If it's just that, I allow it, of course not the main course, you know, the old rule." she began, her voice soft but firm. "But from now on, let's promise to be honest with each other. No more secrets, okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much". Mia answered contentedly.

Hiroshi had a hesitant look, the atmosphere at the present felt wrong for a moment, began to suddenly realize. 'Is that mean, she will be under my table from now on, oh shit, so this is your excuse, Mia? ... Thank you', he thought, before putting on the most pious expression he could muster. 'Thanks god, for letting me come here, with a girlfriend and a b-sister in heat.' 

"And include me too," Itami added, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "If you can do it for him, do it for me too."

Hearing this, a lustful and excited expression spread across Mia's face as she eagerly agreed. "Of course, Ojou-sama. Thank you very much."

Without another word, she happily got down under the table and headed towards Hiroshi's crotch area. Despite all her respect for Itami, her intention was clear, she still value a dick over a cunt. 

Hiroshi made a face at Mia under the table, with an expression like 'why?'

, to which she just whispered silently with a blushing face, "Cause I like it." then suck his top glan playfully, before putting the entire object into her mouth.

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Meanwhile, the incident attracted the attention of spies from different countries, each eager to exploit the situation for their own advantage. They hastily transmitted the news back to their respective villages, knowing that the masked man's abilities would be of great interest to their superiors. The potential implications of the masked man's powers, whether they were derived from the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines or the successful replication of wood escape and Mangekyo Sharingan, stirred both temptation and trepidation among these nations. The thought of such formidable capabilities falling into the hands of enemy forces sent shivers through the Kage of each village.

The discussions about the attack that could almost destroy the entire village could be seen everywhere on the street. It was a topic of great concern and speculation among the villagers. Knowing the abilities of the masked man, at first, few people pointed out that the attacker could very much be the ninja from the Uchiha clan. However, as more sane individuals came forward, they refuted these rumors by focusing on two crucial aspects. Firstly, they noted that the masked man only showed one eye with the Sharingan, suggesting that it could be a transplant, similar to Hatake Kakashi. Secondly, they highlighted the masked man's ability to use Wood Escape, a technique associated with the Senju clan, especially only by the First Hokage. It seemed unlikely that the masked man possessed both the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines, even awakening the kekkei genkai of the Senju clan, leading to doubts about his true identity. Instead, there was a simpler explanation for his power - experimental experience.

This hypothesis provided an answer to the question of why the masked man seemed so hostile towards Konoha. The Hokage himself had noted that the masked man had little combat experience, which further accentuated the theory.

Coincidentally, there was one person in Konoha who was known to engage in such experiments - Danzo, the leader of Root. Initially, this information was only known to a small number of important individuals from famous shinobi clans. However, as these people actively spread the information on a larger scale, fueled by their grievances and hostility towards Danzo, more and more eyes were focused on him in a negative light.

And the situation gradually got out of hand.

That night, in the residence of the third Hokage of the Konoha village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was having a meal with his wife, Biwako, in a peaceful atmosphere. After the meal, The Third Hokage, known for his admirable face, short stature, and the iconic smoke pipe that always seemed to be in his mouth, returned to his room and sat at his writing desk. As he carefully penned his thoughts on the parchment before him, the silence was abruptly broken by a knock on the sliding door. The sound echoed through the otherwise quiet room, interrupting his train of thought.

"Patriarch-sama," a servant humbly addressed him as he entered, "there is an urgent request from Elder Danzo for your presence."

Without lifting his head or pausing in his writing, Hiruzen calmly responded, "Tell him to wait for me in the guest room."

"As you command, sir," the servant bowed respectfully and silently exited the room.

"Haa..." Hiruzen sighed, releasing a puff of smoke from his pipe. He could already anticipate what awaited him. "What a mess," he muttered under his breath, pushing himself up from his chair. Weary yet determined, he made his way towards the agreed place, located in another wing of the vast mansion. As he entered the room, he came face to face with his best friend, Shimura Danzo.

"Hiruzen, take a look at what your Hokage candidate has done!" Danzo exclaimed immediately upon seeing his face, his voice laced with frustration. "He has shamelessly spread rumors about me throughout the village. It seems that only I am truly suited for the position of Hokage..."

"Stop it, Danzo! This is my house!" Hiruzen roared, blowing a cloud of smoke in his friend's direction. Fatigue and anger mingled within him, creating a whirlwind of emotions.

"Don't think I am unaware of your actions, Danzo! Who else but you have experimental research in the Wooden Escape? And that traitor, who else could it be but you? Only a handful of individuals were privy to Kushina's information, after all." As Hiruzen took his seat, his eyes narrowed, a glint of confirmation shining through.

"I assure you, Hiruzen, I had no part in any of that! My actions have always been for the sake of our village!" Danzo fell silent, his stoic expression hiding his true thoughts. "I must admit, I am disappointed in you, Hiruzen. It seems that old age has taken its toll. You can't even see the situation clearly."

With those words, Danzo slowly reached into his sleeve and pulled out a scroll, tossing it at Hiruzen. "Originally, I had no intention of giving this to you, considering your retirement. But now..." Danzo sneered, observing Hiruzen's surprise as he accepted the scroll. "Now, I must show you the dirty truth, Hiruzen."

Written on the scroll was the shocking information that Minato had orchestrated the entire affair to stabilize his own position and dismantle the power of the Root. It revealed how Minato had secretly come into contact with the masked man, and even going so far as to identify the masked man as a mysterious ninja from the Land of Rain, by fabricated evidence, using his own contact channel with the masked man before as a basic to create more acceptable and believable evidence. The new evidence, which the Hokage himself was unaware of, seemed to solidify the claims.

And by looking at the half-doubt expression on Hiruzen's face, it seemed that the effect was evident.

"Now, what do you think?" Danzo inquired calmly, his sly smile contrasting with the darkening expression on Hiruzen's face. 'I'm sorry, Hiruzen, but I believe only I am truly worthy of the Hokage position. It is all for the sake of Konoha!'