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"You speak of the Will of Fire," he snapped, "but you speak only of flames that consume us."
Hiruzen's expression became grave.
"This has gone too far. Hiashi Hyūga—you should not have killed the Kumo delegate. You are strong enough to have subdued him."
"What would you have me do?" Hiashi growled. "Let him steal my daughter's eyes and run?! He died in the act of treason!"
"But he died," Hiruzen said firmly. "And Kumo now demands justice. The peace hangs by a thread."
Hiashi scoffed. "Justice? They want blood. And you will give them mine?"
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Hiruzen's eyes flicked again to Hizashi.
"I had… hoped," the Hokage said slowly, "that a Branch member might understand the greater good. The village survives because brave men and women bear the weight of sacrifice."
Hizashi stood silent.
"Kakashi reported that the one who killed the Kumo delegate was Hiashi. Kumo knows this. They will not accept a Branch member in his place. Especially now," Hiruzen gestured to the exposed seal, "when you've made it undeniable."
"I am not ashamed of who I am," Hizashi replied.
Hiruzen looked tired. Very tired.
"They've given us twenty-four hours. If we do not comply, Kumo will take this as an act of war. The other clans are weary, the walls are thin. The Third Shinobi War bled us dry. We are not ready for another."
"And so," Hiashi whispered bitterly, "you offer up a Hyūga."
"I offer up a hero," Hiruzen replied, standing. "You will be remembered, Hiashi Hyūga. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Your name will be spoken with reverence. You will have saved thousands."
"Spare me," Hiashi said, voice shaking. "The only thing you save is peace bought with hypocrisy."
For a moment, silence hung heavy.
Hiashi stepped forward. "You condemn us."
"I preserve Konoha," Hiruzen whispered. "This is not about right or wrong. It is about survival."
Hizashi saw all the ordeal with fist clenched and he had somehow escaped death, he had always questioned why should branch family members die in order to protect main family member. This time The main family head will be sacrificed and now the future is uncertain for Hyūga.
The Truth That Remains
What none of them knew, what no one in the room could have prepared for, was that even if Hiashi had subdued the delegate, it would not have mattered. Raikō, the Kumo envoy, carried a suicide pill embedded in his molar—a safeguard against exactly such a failure. If captured, he would have bitten down and died instantly.
Autopsy would never be permitted by kumo. Proof would vanish.
The narrative was always going to be bent. Kumo had already written the script.
And Hiruzen… had no choice but to follow for the peace of the village.
Aftermath
Hiashi's execution was carried out quietly. No fanfare. No ceremony. The body returned to Kumo—intact, respectfully packaged with Byakugan removed.
Kumo fumed, but accepted the gesture. Peace, for now, was maintained.
The village moved on.
Rain fell gently over the Hyūga compound, soaking the cobblestone courtyard where a single pyre smoldered.
Hiashi Hyūga, head of the Main Family, was dead.
The fire hissed as water met ash. Clan members knelt in mourning, white robes splotched dark by the rain. But in a far quieter hall, shielded from the ceremony, six Main Family elders convened.
This was no place for prayer. This was war.
The room was stark and traditional—tatami mats, calligraphy scrolls, and a low table with six cushions arranged in a circle. The air was thick with incense, but it couldn't mask the panic.
Elder Naomasa slammed his palm against the table.
"It should have been Hizashi! The Caged Bird Seal exists for this very reason! This... mistake has upended centuries of order."
"Mistake?" murmured Elder Ayane, a sharp-eyed woman in her sixties. "No, Naomasa. This is sabotage. A Branch member choosing to live while the Main perishes? This wasn't an accident."
Elder Genryu's voice was calm but cold. "Hiashi was the symbol of Hyūga strength. Now we burn incense over his ashes, and what remains? A Branch head with visible defiance. The seal... on display like a banner."
"An insult," Ayane spat. "Not just to us, but to the world."
Elder Masaki, the eldest of the six, sighed. His joints creaked as he shifted on the cushion. "None of you are saying it, but all of you know it. We are not ready to appoint a new head. None of us has the strength or legacy."
The others fell silent.
It was true. In the hierarchy of power, none of the six elders had the chakra strength, political savvy, or clan loyalty needed to claim Hiashi's title. Each of them had hoped to remain power-adjacent. Now the position loomed like a blade over their necks.
Elder Naomasa exhaled through his nose. "Then we make a scapegoat."
"Hizashi," said Elder Genryu immediately.
"He disobeyed tradition," Ayane added. "Let the blame rest on him."
Elder Hiro, silent until now, raised a hand.
"And if he refuses? If he cites the emergency, the chaos? You forget, Hizashi was summoned by the Hokage himself. Hiruzen likely sanctioned this exchange. We would be defying not only precedent, but the village."
"Then we move carefully," Masaki murmured. "Publicly, we honor him as the hero who stood in Hiashi's place. In private, we burden him with obedience. He will raise Hinata under our guidance. He will serve the family as penance."
"And if he refuses that guidance?" Hiro asked again.
The question hung, unanswered.
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