"Sir, is it really necessary for the Hokage to mobilize nearly all available forces—aside from those guarding the borders—just for a single rogue Uchiha squad? Isn't that a bit excessive?"
The speaker was a young Hyuga from the branch family, standing respectfully beside Hiashi.
Hiashi removed his gray rain cloak and handed it to this promising young clansman, replying with a question of his own: "How did Shimura Danzo die?"
The young ninja bowed his head, took the cloak with both hands, and answered, "That was a disguised ambush. Even when the village moved against Orochimaru, they didn't deploy this many forces."
A deep weariness filled Hiashi's Byakugan-lined gaze.
He looked at his junior and sighed, shaking his head. In the end, he simply thought the boy was still too young. So, he explained patiently:
"Danzo wasn't a fool. He wouldn't just stand there and let himself be killed. Even staging a disguised ambush wouldn't easily take him down. As for Orochimaru—he's fundamentally different from Yu."
"You probably don't know this…"
"Uchiha Yu killed Asuma during his escape."
At these words—
The branch family members of the Hyuga clan all trembled.
In that moment, they understood why the Hokage had mobilized every available external force, ceded massive interests, and entrusted their own clan head to personally supervise the battle.
"It's not your fault. You're all still young. You've never lived through wartime, nor seen the true terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hiashi sighed, then said solemnly:
"Let the ninja we've embedded in each unit act first. Probe the strength of this rogue Uchiha team."
"Yes, sir!"
One Hyuga ninja respectfully nodded and immediately vanished into the shadows.
Hiashi looked down at the approaching horde of ninjas surrounding the Uchiha team and fell into deep thought.
He had to admit—the Third Hokage was still wise. He hadn't let the hatred of losing his son cloud his judgment.
The core of this mobilization was the elite remnants of the Shimura clan who had stayed in the village.
They were supported by elite units from the Sarutobi clan, several other major clans, and reinforcements from the allied village of Sunagakure.
As for smaller ninja villages like Kusagakure, along with rogue-nin, mercenaries, and mountain bandits—they were mere cannon fodder, drawn in by Konoha's propaganda about "claiming the Sharingan bloodline limit."
The total numbers reached nearly ten thousand.
No one had anticipated that the allure of the Sharingan could be so overwhelming for the ninja world.
"…Sigh."
Hiashi knew that Yu's seemingly reckless trek into the remote northwest had to be a deliberate trap.
Acting under the Hokage's orders, Hiashi—now serving as overall commander—had no choice but to come and coordinate the battle.
But the real force meant to suppress Yu wasn't the Hyuga clan, nor the elite forces or cannon fodder below.
His job was to test Yu's power and delay the rogue Uchiha unit.
Regardless of the outcome, the Hyuga clan would gain enormous benefits from this battle.
The terms offered by the Third Hokage were simply too generous for Hiashi—or the clan—to refuse.
If things went south—
Hiashi would, of course, retreat under cover of his branch family members. As the clan head, there was no need for him to sacrifice himself.
Whoosh—
A bitter cold wind howled down the center of the Valley of Judgment, whistling as it tore outward.
Rain fell at a sharp angle under the wind's force, trees swayed violently, and leaves scattered in all directions.
On the opposite cliff—
Two elegant figures stood beneath a black umbrella.
Tsunade, clad in her signature green robe, looked down but couldn't see her own feet. Instead, she gazed into the vast open field ahead, studying the massive deployment below.
"Interesting. After all these years away from the village, I return to find Danzo dead—and that old man actually grew bolder instead of more cautious!"
Her skin was pale as snow, her features stunning and untouched by time. Light makeup adorned her face, and her iconic golden twin-tails framed her forehead, where a purple diamond seal sat glimmering.
As she spoke, Tsunade twisted her slim waist and reached out with delicate hands to take the tiny pig, Tonton, from Shizune's arms.
"Lady Tsunade, what do you think about the rogue Uchiha team… killing Asuma?"
Shizune asked in a soft voice.
As she posed the question, she didn't dare look directly at Tsunade—her black eyes were locked on the battlefield ahead.
Shizune wore a long gray dress with white accents.
Beneath it was a mesh ninja undersuit. The hem of her dress fluttered in the wind, revealing slender white legs.
She was attractive and well-proportioned, but her plain attire and modest aura made her seem less striking next to Tsunade.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, interest flickering in her beautiful eyes. After thinking for a moment, she replied:
"As the leader of a ninja village, the Hokage did nothing—and even turned a blind eye—when the Uchiha clan was driven to extinction. Now, the few who survived, while escaping, killed the Hokage's son who tried to block them."
"That's how I see it."
That's why it doesn't seem like a problem.
If that old man had been able to stop the Uchiha massacre, Asuma wouldn't have been so reckless.
Then he wouldn't have had to die.
Having known Asuma, even just in passing, I can only feel sorry for him.
"Shizune, weren't you classmates with Asuma?"
"Ah, we were classmates, but I wasn't close to him," Shizune replied softly, her thoughts drifting before she snapped back and let out a breath of relief.
Tsunade immediately saw through Shizune's little thoughts. Her phoenix-like eyes glanced toward the woods behind them as she said coolly:
"Since you're already here, hiding and peeping from the shadows—that's so like you!"
Shizune looked surprised and turned around in the direction Tsunade was staring.
"Haha, I just got here!"
A rough, hearty voice rang out.
Jiraiya jumped down from the tree.
He wore a forehead protector with the kanji for "oil," a red vest over his clothes, and his whole body was drenched from the rain, the dark green inner lining clinging to his body.
After landing, Jiraiya tried to squeeze under the black umbrella Shizune was holding, but just as he reached it, she pulled out a new umbrella and handed it to him.
"…" Jiraiya.
"What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, casting a sidelong glance as she took the umbrella from him.
"Thanks!" Jiraiya accepted the umbrella without hesitation, opened it, and after giving his thanks, looked at Tsunade with curiosity. "I heard something big happened in Konoha, so I thought I'd stop by. I happened to pass through here and smelled blood, so I came to check it out.
By the way…
You two usually don't care about this sort of thing. What made you come all the way here to watch the show?"
"Hmph." Tsunade let out a proud snort, casting a glance at Shizune beside her. "She brought me."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot—Shizune used to have a crush on that Uchiha Yu."
Jiraiya suddenly recalled something from the past. His eyes lit up as he turned his gaze to Shizune.
"Eh?" Shizune's cheeks turned crimson. Embarrassed by the mention of an old memory, her head spun as she stammered, "Jiraiya-sama, how… how did you know about that?"
Jiraiya gave Tsunade a quick sideways glance, then looked awkwardly back at Shizune and scratched his head nervously. "Secret!"
Shizune wished she could disappear into the ground.
"Jiraiya, don't tell me you're thinking of getting involved in this mess too. Let me give you a word of advice—don't waste your energy. You should already be able to guess what Konoha's higher-ups did to the Uchiha."
Tsunade glanced sideways at him.
Jiraiya sighed softly.
"We'll see."
After all, there were a large number of Konoha shinobi down there. As one of the Legendary Sannin, he couldn't just stand by like Tsunade, who had become somewhat estranged from the village and its politics.
Just as the two fell silent—
The ground trembled faintly.
Tsunade and Jiraiya both snapped their heads up and scanned the cliffs in the distance, eyes narrowing with caution.
From within the primeval forest, a massive purple snake twisted its way forward. Its body was mountainous in size, and standing atop its head was a slender, androgynous figure.
"Orochimaru!!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya exclaimed in unison.
°°°
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