"Investigate!"
Hyuga Hitoshi and the four clan elders gave their orders directly. They intended to investigate everything about Hyuga Mirai, from his birth to the present, gathering every bit of information they could.
The breaking of the Caged Bird seal would shake the very foundation of the Hyuga clan. After all, there were many in the branch family who were unhappy with the Caged Bird seal. Although the seal protected the Byakugan, it lacked the broader perspective and inheritance of secret techniques like the Heavenly Rotation, which made the branch family's dissatisfaction grow over time.
Hyuga Mirai's sudden surge in power was also suspicious. He had once been deemed lacking in talent for the Gentle Fist, yet now he possessed the strength to kill one of the Sannin, Jiraiya. If his power hadn't risen so suddenly, it could only mean that he had been hiding his abilities for a long time.
But how had Hyuga Mirai concealed his strength and talent when he was just a child? At five, he joined the Ninja Academy, and after only a year, he became Kiyo Hyuga's bodyguard. In such a short time, how had he hidden his abilities?
This question was raised within the Hyuga clan, with suspicions pointing toward Kiyo Hyuga. But the moment the topic turned to Kiyo, Hyuga Zosuke, in a fit of rage, roared in anger, not even sparing Hyuga Hitoshi's face. After some deliberation, it was decided to exclude Kiyo from this investigation, and only then did Zosuke calm down, though it came at a personal cost, since Mirai was Kiyo's protector.
Even without questioning Kiyo, the matter of Hyuga Mirai's betrayal couldn't be overlooked. Even though Mirai's power now rivaled that of a Hokage, they couldn't let a nearly thousand-year-old ninja clan bow its head.
Kurenai Yuhi, upon hearing the rumors of Mirai's betrayal on the street, initially refused to believe them. But after Mirai's long absence, she felt compelled to visit the Hyuga clan's territory to find out whether Mirai had truly returned.
As Kurenai approached the Hyuga clan's estate, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her chest, as if something bad was about to happen. The closer she got to the core of the Hyuga compound, the more unusual the atmosphere seemed. The Hyuga clan didn't usually prevent outsiders from entering, as long as they didn't approach the core areas, where the main family resided. At most, someone would ask who they were looking for and offer directions.
But now, the closer Kurenai got, the more Hyuga ninjas with headbands she saw.
"Stop."
Several Hyuga guards blocked her way in front of Hyuga Mirai's house.
Kurenai quickly explained her identity. "I'm a friend of Mirai. I came to check if he's returned."
The two branch family guards exchanged a glance, then coldly told her, "That traitor won't be coming back. You don't need to look for him anymore."
"What did you say?" Kurenai's anger flared, but before she could speak further, a voice came from upstairs.
"Let her up."
Kurenai looked up and saw Kiyo Hyuga standing in front of Mirai's door. Several Hyuga ninjas walked out from inside.
"They should have finished by now."
"We've recorded everything, Lady Kiyo," the branch family guards said, bowing.
Kiyo responded, "Thank you. If there's any news, please let me know."
The branch family ninjas immediately bowed again and left to organize all the information regarding Hyuga Mirai.
Once they received Kiyo's command, Kurenai climbed the stairs. Normally, she would have eagerly jumped over the walls to get in, but today, each step felt especially difficult.
Kurenai wasn't foolish. Based on Kiyo and the Hyuga clan's attitudes, the rumors she had heard today were likely true.
"Where's Mirai?" Kurenai asked.
"He's gone. He fled Konoha with Orochimaru."
"What? How could that be?" Kurenai pressed a hand to the wall, feeling a hollow emptiness inside her. She didn't know what to say or what she was even feeling.
"Kurenai, stop thinking about him. The Hyuga Mirai you knew never existed from the start. From now on, don't chase after him anymore."
Kiyo Hyuga calmly spoke to Kurenai Yuhi. She then remembered every word Hyuga Mirai had said to her when he left, silently thinking, 'The words you wanted to say to me... I guess they were these.'
Afterward, Kiyo Hyuga left. It was a long time before Kurenai snapped out of it. She noticed that Mirai's room wasn't locked, so she went in and sat for a few minutes. Afterward, she silently returned home.
The news spread like wildfire doused in oil, quickly reaching everyone. Most people's first reaction was disbelief.
Orochimaru's charisma was considerable, and many of his subordinates fought back when they heard the news of his defection. The ninja who spread the news was quickly involved in a scuffle, but the confrontation was restrained, with only Taijutsu being used. Despite this, the Uchiha guard squad arrived in time to detain them.
But the number of fights sparked by Hyuga Mirai's betrayal only increased. Many ninjas whose lives had been saved by Mirai or whose careers had been salvaged by him didn't take kindly to the accusations of him being a traitor.
In just two days, because of these rumors, the Uchiha guard squad had detained more than thirty ninjas, including one special Jonin. Since the fighting couldn't be stopped, a small squad was sent to break up the clashes. The special Jonin who defended Mirai was brought in for questioning, while the other was sent to Konoha Hospital.
Inside the Uchiha guard, their situation was becoming troublesome. In less than three days, they had arrested so many ninjas. If this continued, their holding cells would be full. And these weren't civilians—they were ninjas who had committed offenses.
The Uchiha were proud but not foolish; they knew the difference between arresting civilians and ninjas. If this situation persisted, it wouldn't be long before the first casualty would be within their own ranks.
"Captain, we can't keep doing this. Should we speak to the Third Hokage?" one of the squad leaders asked.
"Right, if things continue like this, let's hand everything over to the ANBU. Our guard squad can't handle it alone."
A group of Uchiha guards surrounded Fugaku, all speaking at once. Arresting ninjas was far more complicated than apprehending civilians. If the target resisted, it would be humiliating if the guard squad couldn't subdue them.
Fugaku Uchiha, still maintaining his composure, thought it over. Although maintaining order in Konoha was the duty of the guard squad, the situation now far exceeded what the Uchiha should handle.
"Alright, I'll go see the Hokage and pass this onto the ANBU."
One of the squad leaders then asked, "What about the ones in the detention cells?"
"Release them after they sign a guarantee," Fugaku replied in a low voice. "We'll calm things down, and we'll wait for the higher-ups in Konoha to announce the official word."
After giving his orders, Fugaku Uchiha prepared to meet with the Hokage. But just as he stepped out of the guard station, an ANBU ninja appeared in front of him.
"Uchiha Clan Leader, the Hokage will be holding a Jonin meeting in two hours."
Two hours? It seemed there was no need to seek out the Hokage personally. Fugaku nodded to the ANBU, "I understand."
After receiving the response, the ANBU quickly used Shunshin to leave.
Before long, it was time for the Jonin meeting. The clan leaders of the various ninja families, all of whom were Jonin, were present, along with several civilian Jonin and heads of various departments.
The medical department's representative, Kimura, looked particularly displeased. Through various channels, she had learned the full details—Hyuga Mirai had indeed defected.
She couldn't even fathom this. She didn't want to believe it.
Kimura had a deep love for healing and saving lives. Her own family had suffered during the war, and because of the shortage of medical personnel, she had lost her only family member. This was the reason she had supported Tsunade when she proposed creating a medical system for Konoha. Even though Tsunade had later withdrawn from the project for various reasons, Kimura never gave up. Instead, she devoted even more effort into it, hoping to ensure no one else in Konoha would die due to lack of medical treatment.
When Kimuura first saw hope in Tsunade, that hope had been shattered. But when she saw Hyuga Mirai, she placed her hope in this nearly perfect young man. Yet, now, in the span of just a couple of days, her hope had been crushed once again.
Once everyone had gathered, Sarutobi Hiruzen began the meeting and spoke about the major topic at hand.
"A lot has happened in the past few days. This is of great importance, so we didn't explain everything to you right away. But it's mostly clear now. Orochimaru, involved in human experimentation, was discovered by the ANBU and subsequently defected. On his way out of Konoha, he encountered Hyuga Mirai, and the two of them fled together."
The room erupted in surprised murmurs.
Orochimaru's defection made sense. After all, discovering such inhumane experiments and then fleeing wasn't unexpected. After all, this had been confirmed by the Third Hokage himself, and Orochimaru was his disciple. If the Third Hokage said it, it was likely the truth.
But Hyuga Mirai's defection made no sense. If memory served correctly, Mirai was from the branch family. How could a branch family member defect from Konoha?
Many in the room understood the Hyuga clan's "traditions" and were baffled. Why would Hyuga Mirai, who had done so much for the village recently, choose to defect after encountering Orochimaru?
The Hokage didn't elaborate on this, and since Kimura from the medical department and the Hyuga clan were both upset, no one dared ask further. After all, bringing this topic up would not end well with these two factions.
(End of Chapter)
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