Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 28 Hizashi: Hyuga Hiashi, you are too arrogant.

"..."

Upon hearing the solution proposed by Hyuga Higo, the other elders of the main clan all had a flash of insight and began to consider the feasibility of this method.

It seems that this method can really break the deadlock.

Regardless of whether the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning misunderstood what the Hidden Cloud Village wanted, they made it very clear that they wanted the murderer's "corpse".

Even if the Hidden Cloud Village discovers that the "corpse" has no eyes, so what? Do they still dare to righteously and sternly continue to demand the Byakugan?
There is no such thing.

Even if the Hidden Cloud Village wanted to start a war, it would need a legitimate reason. Without a legitimate reason, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning would not agree.

If we cannot stand on the moral high ground, it will affect the reputation of the Land of Lightning in the ninja world, and it will also affect the economic situation of the Hidden Cloud Village, resulting in a decrease in the number of requests from the village.

Aside from a portion of the commissioned tasks coming from people within the Land of Lightning, the rest came from people in other small countries without ninja villages.

Unless a village is like Sunagakure, kneeling at the feet of a daimyo and becoming a dog, and can only lay off ninjas if the daimyo cuts off its funding, mission commissions can be said to be the foundation of a ninja village's existence.

It can only be said that the rules of the ninja world are really abnormal. Ninja villages and nobles are interdependent yet wary of each other. Ninjas bring killing and trouble to the people, and the people can only entrust ninjas to solve their problems. Ninjas who do not engage in production need the people's entrustment to make a living.

The entire ninja world is in a strange and fragile balance.

Although the elders of the Hyuga main family could not think that far ahead, they knew that the Hidden Cloud Village needed a reason to start a war.

"Hiashi, it's time to face reality. Our ancestors preserved the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit to this day in the same way."

Higo Hyuga looked at Hiashi Hyuga, whose expression was conflicted, and said in a deep voice, "For the sake of the Hyuga clan, even brothers must be abandoned. This is the destiny of the Hyuga main family and the fate of the Hyuga clan!"

"..."

It was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear the hissing of the candlelight burning, and the melting beeswax flowed silently, reflecting the light of the fire that was right next to you.

No one spoke; they all waited quietly for Japan to make a decision.

In fact, given Hyuga Hizashi's previous personality, since he had already decided to die in place of his brother, he wouldn't have let Hiashi be the villain. At this point, he should have spoken up and made the final decision.

However, at this moment, he was filled with mixed feelings, staring at his elder brother without saying a word, as if the words left by that adult before leaving were echoing in his ears.

"It seems you're not ready yet. In that case, let's make a bet."

The man chuckled lightly, his tone mocking: "You've already chosen to be a father, so let's take a gamble: will Hyuga Hiashi choose to be an older brother, or will he choose to continue being the head of the main family who prioritizes the big picture?"

It was because of this sentence that Hyuga Hizashi chose to remain silent.

Everything that has happened so far is unfolding exactly as that person predicted.

The Land of Lightning, the Hidden Cloud Village, the Konoha leadership, the Hyuga main family, and even himself...

It was just like a chess piece in that master's hand, allowing him to manipulate and move it to its proper place.

This ability to orchestrate events and manipulate people's hearts made Hyuga Hizashi even more awe of him.

He just wanted to see if his death would have been worthwhile if things had gone according to plan, without that important person's intervention.

"..."

The atmosphere in the entire reception room plummeted, making one feel as if they were drawing air from a quagmire, with thick, sticky mud filling their lungs.

Hiashi Hyuga felt his mind was in complete chaos. Looking at Hizashi Hyuga, whose expression was calm, he couldn't understand what he was thinking. The conflicted look on his face gradually turned into pain.

Fear of death, guilt towards Hizashi, responsibility to his family, reluctance to part with Hinata, anger towards Kumogakure...

He wasn't actually cold-hearted. Just like with Hinata, he had feelings for Hizashi, but those feelings were hidden, deeply concealed beneath his cold and hard exterior.

At this moment, countless emotions intertwined, weaving into a vast net, like a tangled ball of yarn with no end in sight, binding his heart tightly and causing the blood in his body to stagnate. "Hiashi!" Hyuga Higo whispered.

"I……"

Hiashi Hyuga's body trembled suddenly, his chest heaving violently like a broken bellows, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I...I am the head of the main family, I..."

He couldn't say anything more. His whole body hunched over, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at Hijiri. A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

For the first time, he felt such self-loathing, and for the first time, he truly understood how heavy and disgusting the word "fate," which he used to casually utter, really was.

At the same time, a look of relief appeared on Hyuga Hizashi's calm face.

After Hiashi uttered those words, all hesitation and doubt were severed from his mind.

He lost.

Hiashi Hyuga also lost.

"Brother."

Hyuga Hizashi even smiled, looking at Hyuga Hiashi, whose figure was hunched over as if he were about to be buried in the ground, and said, "I have a few last words, which are related to Neji and Kumokawa. Can I speak to you alone?"

Hiashi Hyuga's body trembled again before he slowly nodded, and the others, including Higo Hyuga, naturally had no reason to stop him.

Hinata Kumokawa simply stood still, observing the "ugly" side of this so-called great clan.

Click.

The two, whose day difference was earlier and whose day was later, entered another soundproof room.

The sound of rain outside was suddenly cut off, and only disordered, heavy breathing could be heard.

Hiashi Hyuga, who had been keeping his head down, seemed to regain a bit of courage. He looked up at Hizashi Hyuga standing in front of him, pursed his lips, and said, "Hizashi, I'm sorry. I will definitely take good care of Neji and that boy named Yunchuan."

But after he said those words, Hyuga Hizashi slowly shook his head, a relieved smile on his face.

"Hizu-sama."

Hizashi stopped addressing his elder brother by his usual respectful title and said calmly, "Do you know that even now, you are still arrogant?"

"..." Hiashi Hyuga paused for a moment, "What?"

"Actually, among the methods that Hyuga Higo mentioned, there is another option that you have ignored."

Ignoring his astonishment, Hyuga Hizashi slowly said, "If you are truly determined to die and have the courage to pay the price for your impulsiveness, you can actually gouge out your own eyes before committing suicide. That way, the effect will be the same, you won't lose your Byakugan, and you won't cause a war."

"But you never imagined being so arrogant."

Looking at Hyuga Hizashi's strangely calm expression, Hyuga Hiashi suddenly felt uneasy and subconsciously opened his mouth as if to say something.

But, the next moment.

puff!

A blurry black shadow appeared behind him, and Hiashi Hyuga felt a sudden chill in his heart.

All his strength seemed to have been drained away in an instant, and he stiffly and slowly lowered his head to look at the source of the chill.

Suddenly, a loosely clenched hand emerged from his heart, and though there was no blood on his chest, ripples spread across his skin.

Hiashi Hyuga's body stiffened, and a look of bewilderment appeared on his face.

What's this?
(End of this chapter)