Chapter 71: The Hyuga Have Stiffened Up!

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled and said, "It's not that my guess is accurate, but that you have imagined Sarutobi Hiruzen to be too good."

"Cloud Ninja are the least trustworthy village in the Ninja World; they have no shame and wantonly bully the weak."

"I've heard that whenever a ninja clan has a secret technique, or a ninja village has a decent Ninjutsu, the dignified Raikage will lower his face to snatch it, even going so far as to kill for it."

"The only thing that can make them truly submit is unquestionable strength."

"Orochimaru and I defeated the Cloud Hidden Army, but we couldn't suppress the AB Combination with the strength of one person like the Fourth Hokage; Cloud Ninja are unwilling to admit defeat from top to bottom."

"Back then, the AB Combination was suppressed by the Fourth Hokage to the point of having no temper; they promised to end the war on the spot and led the Cloud Hidden Army to retreat immediately."

"From the moment they entrenched themselves in Sakurahara and refused to leave, and sent out ninjas to sue for peace, I knew they were up to something."

"It's also easy to guess what they could be up to."

"Back when Uzumaki Mito-sama was old and frail, Konohagakure selected Uzumaki Kushina from the Ninja World; she had just been brought back to the village to be settled when she was kidnapped by a lurking Cloud Ninja spy."

"From this, it can be seen that Kumogakure has a very high level of attention toward Konohagakure's Bloodline Limit, and their intelligence gathering is extremely accurate."

"Then, the only target that can throw Konohagakure into chaos and cause maximum tearing is the Hyuga Clan."

The more Hyuga Hiashi listened, the more he felt it made sense: "So that's how it is, it really is like that, it truly is like that!"

Yamanaka Chujiu continued, "According to the Third Hokage's consistent way of thinking, and his obsessive desire for peace, he will inevitably demand that the Hyuga Clan consider the big picture after the incident."

"Although I can't guess exactly what the Third Hokage will say, the meaning should be more or less the same."

Yamanaka Chujiu laughed loudly: "Hiashi-senpai, let me tell you a principle: if anyone tells you to consider the big picture, it means you are not within his big picture."

"Moreover, you are the cost he cares about the least and can sacrifice at will when he is maintaining the big picture."

Hyuga Hiashi's expression gradually changed, and his gaze grew sharp: "So that's how it is; the Hyuga Clan is not part of Konohagakure's big picture, but the cost chosen by the Third Hokage!"

"Then why should I still care about the big picture? This is not the big picture of my Hyuga Clan!"

"But, but what should I do?"

"The Third Hokage wants me to provide an explanation, the Hyuga Clan doesn't support me, how am I supposed to withstand the Third Hokage's pressure?"

Yamanaka Chujiu sneered: "Hiashi-senpai, you are also a ninja who has experienced the slaughter of the battlefield; you haven't even tried to stand your ground, so why have you already turned coward?"

"Do you really want to let Hyuga Hizashi-senpai die?"

Hyuga Hiashi was terrified: "You... how did you guess that?"

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled: "Is that hard to guess?"

"All cowards have one thought: as long as I give up a little, the oppressor will no longer bully me."

"All hypocrites think: as long as what I give up is my own relative, others cannot blame me for being shameless."

"No, you are a coward, you are a hypocrite!"

Hyuga Hiashi's face turned deathly pale in an instant, but his eyes gradually became bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling violently, yet he couldn't say a single word.

Yamanaka Chujiu's psychological dissection destroyed all his disguises, pulled away the hands covering his own eyes, and almost tore his entire worldview to pieces along with them.

But the greatest pain brought to Hyuga Hiashi was not the shattering of his worldview, but the fact that he saw the truth in that instant.

The truth of the inevitable fate that the Hyuga Clan would follow in the footsteps of the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan toward destruction.

Hyuga Hiashi endured the heart-piercing pain and asked again: "Yamanaka Chujiu, what should I do?"

Yamanaka Chujiu was extremely satisfied: "It's very simple, you need to do this and that..."

Dawn broke; Hyuga Hiashi had not slept all night, his eyes were bloodshot, as if he had become a ninja from the house next door.

But his expression was firmer than ever, and there was no longer any hesitation in his eyes.

When the Main Branch Elders and Hyuga Hizashi came to ask for the Clan Head's decision, Hiashi smiled and said: "I will not commit suicide because I killed an intruder who kidnapped a child."

Hizashi was dejected, the Elder was excited: "Then that means Hizashi..."

Hyuga Hiashi interrupted him decisively: "Hyuga Hizashi will not commit suicide either!"

"This matter is the Cloud Ninja's fault; why should we, the Hyuga Clan, die for someone else's crime?"

Hyuga Hizashi was dumbfounded, and the Main Branch Elder was terrified.

The oldest Elder jumped up: "This is the Third Hokage's request, have you gone mad, Hiashi?"

Another Elder jumped and questioned: "Foolish, foolish! Do you want the Hyuga Clan to pay a huge price for your foolishness?"

Hyuga Hiashi sneered: "Oh, I am actually very curious; in Konohagakure, is telling the truth considered foolish, and does refusing to yield to evil mean one must pay a price?"

"If Konohagakure is such a place where evil runs rampant, the Hyuga Clan really needs to carefully consider whether to continue living in Konohagakure."

"After all, the Senju are already gone, the Uchiha are being targeted, and we Hyuga are not having an easy time either."

"Don't you all feel that we powerful clans are being targeted?"

"This time, I want to see if Konohagakure intends to wipe out all the powerful clans!"

Hyuga Hizashi stood up thoughtfully and looked at his older brother firmly: "I will listen to my brother!"

Some Elders were moved, but other Elders jumped and roared: "Hizashi, shut your mouth! You trash from the Branch House have no right to speak!"

"Agh—"

Hyuga Hiashi lunged forward suddenly, slapped this Elder on the chest, cut off the flow of chakra in his body, and made him collapse limply to the ground.

Hiashi questioned sternly: "I, the Clan Head, have already made a decision, yet you dare to question it? Do you have any sense of hierarchy left?"

Violence is the primary cause of power.

When Hyuga Hiashi no longer discussed things nicely with the Hyuga Elders, but instead demanded their obedience through violence, the internal strife of the Hyuga Clan ended immediately.

Then Sarutobi Hiruzen received the worst news: "Hyuga Hiashi won't admit his mistake, nor does he intend to give an explanation; he even, he even wants to recall all Hyuga ninjas?"

The Anbu who delivered the message swallowed hard: "Yes, Clan Head Hyuga Hiashi said that if Konoha cannot protect the Hyuga who fight for the village, then the Hyuga can only choose to protect themselves, rather than trust Konohagakure."

Utatane Koharu was furious: "What does Hiashi mean by this?"

"Is he planning to rebel?"

Mitokado Homura frowned deeply: "Hiruzen, the ninjas of the Hyuga Clan are very important, extremely important; they are our Konoha's most important reconnaissance force on the battlefield."

"Almost every direction requires the power of Hyuga ninjas; the Hyuga Clan cannot have any problems!"