To be honest, it wasn't just Danzo who suffered a severe blow.
Even Hyuga Soushu, who had long anticipated the darkness within Konoha, and the other Branch House Jonin loyal to him felt their moral foundations shaken.
After all, they were all ninja of Konoha; even if they didn't believe in the Will of Fire, they'd still been somewhat influenced by it over the years, and generally speaking, their sense of moral bottom line hadn't been that flexible.
But…
According to information spilled from Hizashi Hyuga's mouth, Konoha was rotting down to its core!
It wasn't just those powerful noble families— even the Hokage and the two advisors' clans had joined in on the extravagant feast of embezzling special military funds!
Now, ironically, of all the powerful figures in Konoha— the so-called elite four— the one known for being the most ruthless, Danzo, now seemed almost virtuous by comparison!
"Err, why don't you try to temper your grief and accept fate with composure?"
Soushu hesitated slightly as he tried to comfort the grief-stricken Danzo.
As for whether his choice of words was appropriate, no one really cared at this point.
That said, it wasn't out of kindness from Sōshu either; rather, Danzo's wailing sound was simply unbearable to listen to.
"You worms!"
Judging from his reaction, Danzo clearly had no intention of accepting the sympathy.
"Hmph!"
Hyuga Soushu snorted coldly, casually pressing a point behind his ear, temporarily dulling his hearing.
"Lord Danzo, you truly didn't know anything about this?"
Honestly, Hizashi was genuinely surprised.
In his view, these kinds of things were perfectly normal— not even worth talking about.
Besides, isn't everything okay as long as Konoha achieved its original goal? Was the process really that important?
They were just siphoning off a bit of the Daimyo's treasury together— so what's the big deal?
Perhaps the Daimyo himself already understood perfectly well, regarding it as an act of generosity showered upon his subordinates!
But Danzo ignored them completely, tears flowing freely from his eyes and soaking large patches of the tatami beneath him, looking truly heartbroken.
"This has always been an unspoken custom in Konoha, a reward from the village for each ninja clan's contributions."
Hizashi patiently explained. "These rules have actually been in place for many years since The Third took office. To be honest, if you really didn't know about this, then you've truly been…"
This sentence appeared somewhat problematic as he spoke.
Thus, Hizashi paused, deciding not to speak further.
Yet precisely this was what caused Danzo the greatest sorrow!
"For so many years, I remained hidden in darkness, acting as The Third's shadow and doing countless things..."
Danzo, whose lips were still trembling continuously, struggled to stand up, wiping away the tears from his face in one sweep while whispering softly, "...I thought I had borne all the darkness alone."
"Never did I expect—"
"Never— *never* did I expect—"
Then, Danzo stopped paying attention to the gathered Hyuga ninjas, staggering unsteadily toward the door.
"Hey hey hey! Lord Danzo!"
Worried that Danzo might do something reckless in this irrational state, Hizashi hurriedly ordered the Branch House ninja to follow closely behind.
He didn't really care whether Danzo lived or died, but it would be best if he didn't die at the Daimyo's court, especially without even the slightest connection to the Hyuga Clan!
Otherwise, that old monkey in the Hokage Tower would surely use it as an opportunity to stir up trouble!
"Get away!"
Danzo suddenly flung his hand up, knocking away Hizashi Hyuga's arms that were reaching out to help him stand.
"Hmm?"
Soushu Hyuga immediately frowned.
The Branch House jonin instantly caught on and turned their icy stares toward the rude Danzo.
Frankly speaking, in terms of pure strength alone, Danzo was actually superior to these Hyuga ninja.
But unfortunately, after losing his temper and attacking, he accidentally fell into Soushu Hyuga's trap, and was later harshly shaken by reality until his beliefs about the Ninja Way were nearly shattered completely. Right now, he could barely display even one tenth of his true power.
Thus, under the intimidating stares of the Branch House jonin, Danzo could only accept Hizashi Hyuga's kindness and let himself be supported back to his room within the envoy's quarters.
Once they'd settled Danzo into his room—his face twisted with bitterness yet unable to do anything about it—Hizashi Hyuga carefully arranged for four Branch House jonin to monitor him in two shifts, preventing the emotionally unstable Danzo from causing any trouble.
After everything was done, Hizashi Hyuga sighed to Soushu Hyuga, "Seriously, wanting to do something for the village yet not even being understood. Don't even know what those desk-jockey higher-ups are good for anyway."
"Eh..."
Even a man like Soushu Hyuga, who had lived two lives and had been thoroughly tainted by the information chaos of the modern era, didn't know what to say.
After all, no matter which dynasty across time and cultures, skimming off eight-tenths of wartime military funds is straight-up insane!
"Let's go. I know you haven't eaten enough yet, so we'll just grab a drink together."
Hizashi pulled Soushu toward the banquet hall in the embassy district.
He knew Soushu never cared about the Ninja's Three Forbidden Taboos, so he didn't mind that Soushu was still underage according to Konoha's laws.
Hizashi arranged for regular human servants in the banquet hall to prepare a table full of drinks and dishes, then began toasting with Soushu.
As they drank more wine and enjoyed several courses, their initial tension gradually faded away along with the clinking sound of their glasses.
"Oh right, there's something I forgot to give you."
Hizashi let out a belch, fumbled inside his robe for a while, and then handed over a bottle the size of a fist.
"This is…"
Soushu raised an eyebrow and reached out to accept it.
"This was entrusted to me by Father Head for you."
A slightly drunk Hizashi swayed as he spoke, "This is a very precious item!"
"A secret medicinal potion from the Kaguya Clan. It significantly enhances physical strength."
"You probably already know about the Kaguya Clan, currently affiliated with Kirigakure, right? Their Kekkei Genkai—Shikotsu-myaku—is known as the strongest defense, capable of even nullifying damage from high-level Ninjutsu."
"So taking this stuff'll make my body immune to mid- to low-tier jutsu?"
Soushu raised his eyebrows again, somewhat incredulous.
"That won't be necessary," said Hizashi Hyuga. "But at the very least, it can save several years of training time, effectively and relatively safely enhancing physical strength."
"Exactly how high a physical strength enhancement tier could it bring? And what are the specific side effects?"
Soushu Hyuga examined the vial in his hand again, noticing that the sealing tag on its lid was covered in tiny writing—instructions and precautions about the medicine, smaller than ants.
If not for the exceptional eyesight common among Hyuga ninja, no one would have noticed such minuscule text.
Half to be applied externally, half to be ingested internally.
Soushu studied it carefully but found nothing particularly unusual; this so-called Kaguya secret medicinal potion seemed basically similar in usage to ordinary ninja medicine.
"At the very least, it can protect against injuries from genin-level kunai attacks," Hizashi answered somewhat uncertainly. "However, due to its unknown Kaguya-originated ingredients, this potion tends to intensify one's emotions in a severely negative way. Since the founding of Konoha and our separation into two major ninja villages with the Kaguya, no one has used it anymore."
"Still, if it's you, Soushu, there shouldn't be a problem; after all, your temper is already notoriously short. Perhaps the negative effects of this medicine won't be that severe on you."
Now I get it!
Soushu cursed inwardly but maintained a blank expression as he asked, "Still, I suppose the clan head didn't bestow such a valuable medicine without reason?"
Hizashi nodded slightly but offered no further response.
This Kaguya secret medicinal potion was originally intended to be exchanged. According to his elder brother Hiashi Hyuga's plan, it was meant to trade for [Boxing Manual]—Soushu's self-created boxing manual, the Eight Boxing techniques. However, because of getting overly drunk, he had given away the potion before actually negotiating the trade.
Knowing his own personality, Hizashi probably wouldn't have known how to bring it up—if Soushu hadn't mentioned it first.
"Let's get straight to the point!" Soushu said, pouring Hizashi another cup of sake.
"The boxing manual," Hizashi replied, taking a deep breath to suppress his embarrassment. "Specifically, your original Eight Boxing manual! The clan intends to implement it among Branch House ninja assigned to active combat missions!"
"Sure," Soushu immediately agreed without hesitation.
"You see?!" Hizashi had intended to continue persuading him, but suddenly realized Soushu had already agreed wholeheartedly.
"It's just a boxing manual—hardly something worth fussing over." Compared to the Eight Boxing techniques he'd created by loosely borrowing elements from Baji Quan from his past life, Soushu felt this potion could benefit him far more directly.
"I do have one condition though: if any Branch House ninja later creates variations or evolves styles based on the Eight Boxing techniques, they must hand over the corresponding boxing manuals to me."
"No problem at all!" Hizashi voiced no objection whatsoever, readily patting his chest in assurance. "I'll get the manual ready and give it to you tomorrow!"
Without hesitation, Soushu stored the vial away, raised his cup in a toast, and drained it in one gulp.
"Oh right, Soushu, do you also think some ninja clans are too scheming—so much so that they're secretly weakening the village itself from within?
"Even if you, being part of the Branch House, still hold resentment toward the clan... as long as your skills are strong enough, the clan head will still let you learn the higher levels of the Gentle Fist."
"But then again—what about the non-clan Genin?"
Hizashi Hyuga's voice grew more intense as he waved his arms around, his expression slightly wild and confused. "All they can rely on is their team leader, but most of these so-called team leaders for commoner genin are just chunin who've hit a dead-end in their careers. What could they possibly offer?"
"As the war drags on, the village takes an increasing share from missions while prices keep rising. They're stuck doing low-paying D-rank missions but still have to pay for their own ninja gear. Before long, even a simple bowl of ramen feels like a luxury!"
"You've had too much to drink," Soushu said calmly.
That didn't sound like something someone born into a powerful, privileged family would say. It would make perfect sense coming from a seasoned genin who had suffered hardships.
If Hizashi's chakra signature hadn't remained constant, Soushu might've suspected he was possessed by some parasite.
"That's exactly what I'm saying! Not just our Hyuga Clan, but the whole of Konoha has already rotted from the inside out!" Grabbing Soushu's arm, Hizashi shook it furiously while shouting, "But those leeches in the Hokage Tower have been oppressing the ninja clans—not only the Uchiha, but us too!"
"Remember this—if the higher-ups ever start acting nice, that means they're planning something shady. Don't forget!"
"The family should be your only stronghold!"
Once he was done talking, Hizashi suddenly dropped his head sideways and seemed to fall right asleep.
"One rotten piece of leadership can rot the whole village," Soushu sighed, shaking his head.
He stepped forward to adjust Hizashi's posture, tidied his clothes slightly, then called over an experienced jonin close to Hizashi, entrusting him with taking Hizashi back to his room.
"I'm fine!" Hizashi insisted.
Back in his room, once the jonin left, Hizashi instantly snapped awake, every trace of drunkenness gone.
"Did Captain Soushu say anything else?" Hizashi subtly rubbed his temples, scanning the room to make sure no one else was around, before whispering cautiously.
"He didn't," the jonin shook his head.
"I see." Hizashi rubbed his forehead again thoughtfully.
He had finally learned from his elder brother Hiashi how to create personas and plant strategic pawns, though he wasn't sure how effective this strategy would turn out to be.
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