69 - The Truth

The Third Hokage frowned, taking a long drag from his cigarette before exhaling slowly. The smoke curled in the air, mirroring the tension in the room.

A ninja entered, his posture stiff with unease. "Lord Third, Kayami Hyuga and Chiba Taki have arrived. Also..." He hesitated, swallowing hard. "Lord Shinsuke and Lady Kushina are here as well."

The Third's frown deepened, lines etching deeper into his weathered face. "Shinsuke, Kushina..." He rubbed his brow, feeling the weight of secrets pressing down on him. "Let them all come in."

"Yes, sir!" The ninja turned to leave.

"And when they enter, you are to withdraw," the Third added, his tone brooking no argument.

The ninja paused, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face before he nodded. "Understood."

As the door closed behind the departing ninja, they asked themself 'Is this secret so dire that even the Hokage guards can't be privy to it?'

Moments later, Chiba, Kayami Hyuga, Shinsuke Hyuga, and Kushina Uzumaki filed into the office. The air seemed to thicken with each step they took.

Kushina's brow furrowed as she took in the scene. This was no ordinary meeting. Beside her, Shinsuke maintained a neutral expression, though his eyes flicked briefly to Chiba.

The Third Hokage cleared his throat. "Chiba Taki, Kayami Hyuga, I had hoped to wait until you were older to discuss this matter."

Chiba's mind raced, his heart pounding against his ribs. 'What could this be about? Is there more to Kayami's attempt on my life?' He recalled Hirohiko's words about Kayami's hateful glares. 'But I've done nothing to warrant such hatred. And it doesn't seem to involve Yukina's safety either.'

As Chiba's thoughts whirled, he couldn't shake the feeling that this had something to do with his father—the man he'd never met, the one who'd cursed him with the villagers' hatred from birth.

Kayami Hyuga glanced between the Third and Shinsuke, confusion etched on his young face. 'Why is Lord Shinsuke here? What does he know?'

The Third's gaze swept over Shinsuke and Kushina, both of whom remained silent. Shinsuke met Kayami's eyes, his own filled with a mixture of regret and resignation. Behind Chiba, Kushina placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

The gesture sent a wave of warmth through Chiba. 'Kushina-sensei came because she was worried about me,' he realized, a small spark of comfort in the growing tension.

The Third took a deep breath, his words shattering the silence like a hammer on glass. "Kayami Hyuga, the person who killed your father, Iroha Hyuga, was not Chiba's father, Tokuma Taki."

Kushina's eyes widened, her hand tightening slightly on Chiba's shoulder.

Chiba's eyebrows shot up. 'So this is about my father after all.'

"Impossible!" Kayami's voice cracked, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Everyone said—all the evidence showed—it was Chiba's father, Tokuma Taki, a traitor who betrayed the village. My father discovered this and was cruelly murdered by him!"

Kayami took a step forward, his voice rising with each word. Tears welled in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Chiba turned to look at Kayami, his face showing surprise at the raw emotion on his enemy's face.

"Your father died protecting Tokuma, Chiba's father," Shinsuke interjected, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

'Protected my father?' Chiba's gaze snapped to Shinsuke, searching for any sign of deception. But the man's face was a mask of seriousness.

Kushina and Kayami both stared at Shinsuke, shock evident in their expressions. Kayami's head whipped around so violently that the unshed tears in his eyes flew into the air.

"What... what are you saying, Lord Shinsuke?" Kayami's voice quavered, panic and confusion battling for dominance. "My father protected that traitor? Did he... did he also betray the village?"

Shinsuke's expression softened, nostalgia creeping into his features. "Iroha did not betray the village. Your father, Iroha Hyuga, and Chiba's father, Tokuma Taki, grew up with me. We were on the same team." He paused, a heavy sigh escaping him. "Both of them died protecting me. In the end, I was the one who caused their deaths."

"Lord Shinsuke... how can that be?" Kayami stumbled back, shaking his head in denial. "The village's defense plans were stolen by Tokuma Taki. My father discovered this and reported it to the Third Hokage, but he was killed by that traitor. The Third Hokage stopped—"

"I lost the village defense map!" Shinsuke's sharp words cut through Kayami's protests. Pain and regret etched deep lines on his face. "It was Iroha and Tokuma who desperately tried to recover the plans."

Shinsuke's gaze bore into Kayami, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "It was I who caused their deaths."

"This is impossible!" Kayami's scream bordered on hysteria. Shinsuke had been like a father to him, the person he respected most. To hear that the resentment he'd harbored for seven long years was misplaced, that his real father had died because of his mentor and adoptive father—it was too much for the young ninja to process.

Chiba watched Kayami closely, noting how his lips trembled as he repeated, "This isn't true, Lord Shinsuke. You're lying to me. This joke isn't funny." A realization dawned on Chiba: perhaps the greatest victim in this tragedy was Kayami Hyuga himself.

'The burden left by the previous generation...' Chiba mused, his heart heavy.

Shinsuke closed his eyes, his jaw clenched as he began to explain. "At that time, as the second son of the Hyuga family, I was about to be branded with the 'Caged Bird' seal. My brother, the current head of the Hyuga family, couldn't bear to let me be separated but was under pressure from the family elders. I asked the Third Hokage to give me the task of transporting the village's defense plans. I thought that if I completed such an important task and gained some reputation in the village, even the clan elders would have to reconsider before putting me in the branch family."

Chiba considered this information, his mind working through the implications. 'It makes sense. Someone with prestige in the village would bring honor to the clan. Relegating such a person to the branch family would diminish that honor.'

'The Hyuga clan head had a clever plan,' Chiba realized. 'Using prestige and honor to outmaneuver the elders.'

Shinsuke continued, his voice heavy with regret. "The Third Hokage was in a difficult position, having to entrust such an important task to me alone. But my brother's earnest request finally convinced him."

The Third Hokage took another puff from his pipe, a weary sigh escaping him.

"Everything went smoothly at first," Shinsuke went on. "But when I arrived at my destination, I was ambushed by enemy ninja, and the defense plans were stolen. Iroha and Tokuma knew about my task and the risk of me being assigned to the branch family. They had secretly followed me, accepting my brother's request to watch over me."

Shinsuke's voice grew thick with emotion. "After the plans were stolen, they caught up without my knowledge. They managed to retrieve the plans from the enemy, but on the way back, they were attacked again. To protect Tokuma and ensure the plans were returned safely, Iroha sacrificed himself. He died at the hands of the enemy."

A heavy silence fell over the room as Shinsuke's words sank in.

Kushina was the first to break it. "Then, did Tokuma Taki betray the village?" She frowned, shaking her head. "It doesn't make sense. After working so hard to recover the plans, even having his partner sacrifice himself, he couldn't have surrendered to the enemy. If he had betrayed the village before then, he should have killed Iroha."

All eyes turned to the Third Hokage. He took a long drag from his pipe before speaking. "Tokuma was a hero of the village."

The words hit like a physical blow. Kushina, Chiba, and Kayami all stared at the Third in shock. Shinsuke's body trembled slightly.

The Third's frown deepened as he continued. "It wasn't just the defense plans that were attacked that day. Konoha's forbidden jutsu room was also raided. The forbidden jutsu *Eight Gates* was stolen..."

'The *Eight Gates* was stolen?' Chiba's mind reeled. He suddenly thought of the scroll hidden in the basement under the cabin, the one that had allowed him to learn the technique.

"Did you get it back?" Chiba blurted out before he could stop himself.

The Third shook his head, worry evident in his expression. "We never found it. But we're convinced it wasn't obtained by our enemies. The forbidden scroll must be hidden somewhere in our village."

'Could it be...?' Chiba wondered, his thoughts racing back to the *Eight Gates* scroll he'd discovered.

"Chiba, don't interrupt," Kushina admonished gently. "What happened after that, Lord Third?"

The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair, his eyes distant as he recalled the events. "After Tokuma regained the defense plans and returned to the village, he learned about the situation. Then he made a proposal. He would pretend to defect with the plans, letting us spread the news that he had stolen them and betrayed the village. This would attract the attention of the enemy ninja, allowing us to set up an ambush."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the room. "To make it convincing, he requested that this news be spread throughout the village, with everyone believing it—even blaming Iroha's death on him. The plan worked. Tokuma successfully drew out the enemy ninja who came for the plans. They were killed by our forces, and based on the information we found, we tracked down all the invading enemy ninja and captured them in one operation."

The Third's voice grew softer. "However, Tokuma was injured in the two battles..."

Silence fell once more, broken only by the soft crackle of tobacco in the Third's pipe.

Shinsuke's face was a mask of grief as he spoke. "Later, according to Tokuma's last wishes, to cover up my mission failure, the Third Hokage did not clarify the rumors. Tokuma died as a 'traitor'... And because of his sacrifice, I was not immediately branded with the Caged Bird seal."

"Tokuma died as a 'traitor' to protect the village and his close friends," the Third Hokage said, his voice filled with respect. "He was a great ninja."

Chiba frowned as he absorbed the Third's words. He had no real emotional connection to Tokuma Taki—how could he, when he'd never met the man? As someone from another world, it was impossible for him to feel a true familial bond.

And yet, hearing of his father's deeds, Chiba felt a twinge of regret for never having met this ninja whom the Hokage deemed "great."

Then, almost despite himself, he laughed inwardly.

'When I first arrived in this world, I complained about not being born into a great lineage—like being the Fourth Hokage's son, or Naruto's brother, or even part of the Uchiha clan. But now...'

'It seems I was born well after all.'

'For the village, for his comrades... this Tokuma Taki truly inherited the Will of Fire from the First Hokage!'

A new sense of determination filled Chiba as he realized, 'I have a lot to live up to.'