Hyuga Hiashi looked up at Neji, a hint of pleading in his eyes:
"Neji, Hinata and Hanabi grew up alongside you. They won't be a threat to you–please look after their safety from now on."
As he spoke, Hiashi's voice carried a note of desperate entreaty.
At this point, he had no regrets left. The only thing he couldn't bring himself to release was his two daughters–Hinata and Hanabi.
"Father."
"Father."
Hinata and Hanabi watched as Hiashi's breath grew weaker. Both girls broke into tears simultaneously.
"Rest assured. With me here, no one will harm them."
Neji saw the guilt and hope in Hiashi's eyes, and the hatred he had carried for so long suddenly faded.
Any grudge, paired with the passing of the one it was directed toward, will ultimately dissipate into nothing.
Neji sighed inwardly and gave Hiashi a solemn nod, accepting his request.
A look of relief crossed Hiashi's face. His breathing grew increasingly weak, his pupils beginning to lose focus as he gazed at the sky above.
The Caged Bird scroll was gone.
There was no longer a distinction between the Main Branch and the Branch Family.
Where the Hyuga Clan would go from here, Hiashi could not predict–nor would he ever know.
Even until his final moments, Hiashi could not be certain whether everything he had done was right or wrong.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Whatever one does, there is always a price to pay.
Without Konoha, the future of the shinobi world was uncertain. The Hyuga Clan's future path was equally unclear.
"The new era has arrived. So the relics of the old era must step aside…"
Hiashi murmured softly, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
With the final syllable fading, Hyuga Hiashi drew his last breath.
Hinata and Hanabi's bodies convulsed. They collapsed to their knees, their eyes brimming with tears.
Hyuga Neji and all the remaining Hyuga shinobi bowed their heads in silence.
Some mourned the passing of the former patriarch.
Others mourned the end of an era.
At that moment, the sound of rushing air broke from above. Two figures appeared at Neji's side.
Neji quickly looked toward the source.
They were none other than Yuto and Ranmaru.
"Lord Yuto!"
Neji was startled for a moment before his face lit up with joy.
Lord Yuto?
The moment these words left Neji's mouth, the wariness that had appeared on the faces of the Hyuga shinobi upon seeing the two newcomers vanished instantly.
Expressions of fear and dread replaced it on every face.
Even Hinata and Hanabi stifled their sobs, a flicker of fear in their eyes.
Yuto was not surprised by this reaction.
"It seems you've settled things here."
Yuto looked at Neji with a hint of amusement.
Neji nodded quickly. "Lord Yuto, would it be possible to incorporate the Hyuga Clan into the Hidden Mist Village?"
As the new patriarch, it was natural for Neji to consider bringing the Hyuga into the Hidden Mist–though this required the approval of both Yuto and Mizukage Terumi Mei.
"As the new patriarch, there should be no issue."
Yuto smiled lightly. How could he refuse such a beneficial arrangement?
Neji blinked in surprise, then instantly realized that Yuto had likely witnessed everything that had transpired.
Yuto spoke without any attempt to conceal his meaning. A wave of joy spread across the faces of every Hyuga shinobi in the courtyard.
If they could join the Hidden Mist, it meant they would be allowed to live!
Given the choice between life and death, no one would choose death.
As for the so-called betrayal of Konoha–if Konoha itself had ceased to exist, then what betrayal could there be?
The Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist had already breached the village. Senju Hashirama had been defeated by Uchiha Madara. Konoha had lost all hope.
In the next instant.
Before Hinata and Hanabi could even process what was happening.
Every Hyuga shinobi present dropped to one knee, lowering their heads in submission to Yuto.
"Ha ha! Welcome to the Hidden Mist Village. As long as you remain loyal to the village, the village will never let you down."
Yuto let out a hearty laugh and addressed the assembled Hyuga.
The words had barely left his mouth when Yuto's expression shifted to one of astonishment.
He watched as the Hyuga swiftly removed their Konoha headbands and, producing Hidden Mist headbands from within their robes, tied them across their foreheads.
These people?
They had brought their own Hidden Mist headbands!
Yuto's lips twitched violently. He was rendered nearly speechless.
At the same time.
Yuto glanced at Neji beside him and found that Neji's face wore an identical expression of shock and speechlessness.
Clearly, this scene had exceeded Neji's expectations as well.
Of course, among everyone present, only Hinata and Hanabi remained completely bewildered.
The fact that they had come prepared with Hidden Mist headbands showed that the Branch Family had long harbored this intention and prepared for it.
If Hiashi had not already died, seeing this might well have killed him outright.
But then again.
Perhaps this was Hiashi's own preemptive measure to preserve the Hyuga Clan.
Yuto turned his gaze to Hinata, who stood with her head lowered, seemingly afraid.
According to the original storyline, Hinata was once jokingly called the "Princess Consort" by fans.
But judging from the current situation, the likelihood of Hinata becoming any sort of princess was infinitely close to zero.
Uchiha Madara would not show mercy when it came to seizing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
And Uzumaki Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu would be useless against Madara.
After glancing at Hinata, Yuto looked toward Hanabi.
Unlike the timid, head-bowed Hinata, Hanabi was also frightened but refused to lower her head.
If one didn't know better, they might think Hanabi was the elder sister and Hinata the younger.
Their personalities were truly worlds apart.
After observing the two, Yuto withdrew his gaze.
Neji's eyes flickered subtly. He had noticed that Lord Yuto seemed particularly interested in Hinata and Hanabi.
"You should have the key to the Hyuga Clan's secret vault by now?" Yuto turned his attention to Neji.
Neji nodded quickly and produced the special key that the Main Branch elder had given him not long ago.
"Would you mind if I took a look?"
Yuto smiled as he asked Neji.
Two things particularly interested Yuto. One was the sealing scrolls of Konoha, and the other was the secret vault left behind by this ancient clan.
Between the two, Yuto was more intrigued by the Hyuga's vault than the sealing scrolls.
Various ninjutsu and forbidden techniques held little appeal for him now. What truly caught his interest were the ancient pieces of information preserved within.
Without a moment's hesitation, Neji placed the key in Yuto's hand.
The entire Hyuga Clan now belonged to the Hidden Mist. Besides, Neji understood well that Lord Yuto's interest lay not in the various ninjutsu the Hyuga had collected.
"Ranmaru, stay here and assist Neji."
Yuto took the key, then vanished.
Elsewhere.
Uchiha Madara had arrived at the northernmost edge of Konoha, where a small contingent of Leaf shinobi continued to resist.
Facing such futile opposition, Madara unleashed his full power to clear the area. In a short time, nearly half the resistance fighters had fallen to his hand.
Using the momentum of this clearing operation, Madara located where Naruto was hiding.
A tremendous boom erupted across the ground.
The once-flat terrain was shattered by an overwhelming force, fracturing in every direction!
Jiraiya spat out a mouthful of blood and burst from underground, his remaining arm clutching Naruto as he fled into the distance.
"Konoha has truly fallen."
"Thankfully, some have already evacuated."
Jiraiya looked thoroughly battered, blood staining the corner of his mouth.
At this point, no matter how unwilling he was to accept it, Jiraiya knew Konoha had no chance of victory.
And now his only task was to escape with Naruto!
Chakra wrapped Jiraiya's feet in a blue glow as he leapt at incredible speed, each jump carrying him a hundred meters forward.
But such speed was ultimately meaningless.
Boom!
Another deafening explosion came, and a massive crater materialized in the ground before Jiraiya.
He skidded to a halt, gasping for breath, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
If his reflexes had been any slower, he would have been obliterated by that force.
But even having narrowly escaped, Jiraiya knew he could run no further. At the center of the crater, a figure was slowly walking toward him.
Uchiha Madara!
"You've done well. You've wasted a bit of my time."
"But this ends here."
Madara regarded Jiraiya from nearby, his voice cold, his entire presence radiating a terrifying aura.
At the same time, Uchiha Obito and Sasuke appeared at Madara's side.
Seeing this, Jiraiya managed a bitter smile and set Naruto down.
"Pervy Sage."
Naruto's eyes glistened as he looked at the battered Jiraiya.
Then Naruto whipped his head toward Madara.
"Why are you doing this?!"
"Why can't everyone just get along?!"
Naruto's voice was filled with rage as he shouted at Madara.
Right now, Naruto's heart churned with frustration and despair.
The village had been devastated by these people. Countless faces–friends and strangers alike–had perished here.
And he could do nothing to stop it.
"How naive."
"As a Jinchuriki, shouldn't you be the one who hates this village?"
Madara's tone was indifferent, his voice flat.
"Why would I hate my own village?!"
"I'm going to become Hokage–surpass every Hokage before me–and then beat every last one of you!"
Naruto clenched his fists and roared at Madara.
Madara's face twisted with contempt. He seemed too bored to listen to Naruto's rambling.
From today onward, Konoha Village would cease to exist in the shinobi world. The title of Hokage would become nothing more than a historical footnote.
And Naruto's claim that he would become Hokage was, in Madara's eyes, nothing short of a joke.
"This boring game should come to an end."
Madara spoke flatly. He had lost all interest.
A muffled crack echoed as the ground beneath Madara split apart.
"Rasengan!"
Jiraiya burst from the earth with a Rasengan in hand, driving it straight toward Madara's jaw.
But before his attack could get close.
Madara raised his leg and kicked Jiraiya flying through the air.
Meanwhile, the Jiraiya who had been standing beside Naruto dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
It had been a Shadow Clone.
"Pointless tricks."
Madara's face showed only boredom. He formed hand seals and then slapped his palm to the ground.
Summoning Technique–Gedo Statue!
As a massive cloud of white smoke dispersed, the Hundred-Meter-Tall Gedo Statue appeared on the battlefield, its body resembling a withered tree.
At the Gedo Statue's appearance, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto shuddered violently.
"Damn it… why am I so useless…"
Naruto looked at Jiraiya, who had been sent flying, and knelt weakly on one knee, his face twisted with frustration.
He had clearly been through his own brutal fight before this, but to no avail.
"Lord Uchiha Madara, I still have one unresolved battle with Naruto. May I settle it with him once and for all?"
Just then, Sasuke, who stood beside Obito, exhaled deeply and stepped forward.
His contest with Naruto had never been settled, and Sasuke refused to accept that.
Deep in his heart, Sasuke didn't want Naruto to die at anyone else's hands.
If Naruto was going to die, it would have to be at his hand!
Madara raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Sasuke, then turned back.
Seeing that Madara didn't appear to refuse, Sasuke's heart surged with hope. He was about to step forward.
Then the Gedo Statue suddenly opened its mouth. A golden chain of chakra shot from its maw, hurtling toward Naruto.
Before Naruto could react, the golden chakra chain had already pierced his body and yanked violently.
Under the gaze of everyone present!
The chain ripped the Nine-Tails' chakra from Naruto's body, then the Gedo Statue swallowed it whole.
Everything went dark before Naruto's eyes. He collapsed backward onto the ground.
[
Dear Readers,
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