"Hyūga Hinata was almost kidnapped. Hyūga Hiashi stepped in and killed the kidnapper, but it turns out the kidnapper was part of the Hidden Cloud Village envoy group, and now that group is demanding that the Hidden Leaf Village hand over Hyūga Hiashi, or they'll refuse peace talks?"
"Pfft."
Akashō shook his head with a laugh.
"The Hyūga, the Hyūga… they really had this coming. Though it's not surprising—back in the Third Shinobi World War, the Hyūga clan was sent to the Lightning-Fire front and killed quite a few Hidden Cloud Village ninja."
"This move by the Hidden Cloud Village is probably about revenge, but they're also likely coveting the Hyūga clan's Byakugan. Unfortunately… anyone with a brain should know Sarutobi Hiruzen would definitely…"
"Definitely…"
Akashō's muttering suddenly caught in his throat, the words refusing to come out.
"What the hell—has Sarutobi Hiruzen gone senile? He actually agreed!?"
Akashō widened his eyes and quickly sifted through the memory fragments from his shadow clone.
"Whether Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed simply out of fear of prolonging the war, or whether he's playing the usual 'good cop, bad cop' game with the Hyūga clan, one thing is certain—he has already made it clear in the Hokage's office that he supports handing over the culprit who killed a member of the Hidden Cloud Village envoy group."
"But given the current situation, that decision is incredibly foolish. It could easily cause dissatisfaction within the Hyūga clan, leading to division within the Hidden Leaf Village, weakening its combat strength and potentially reigniting war."
"More importantly, the so-called envoy who tried to kidnap the Hyūga clan's heiress was actually quite weak. It doesn't feel like a real kidnapping attempt—the true purpose was likely exactly this outcome. Internally, it was probably the Hidden Cloud Village testing the Hidden Leaf Village's strength. If Sarutobi Hiruzen backs down, it could invite a full-scale invasion."
That was the entirety of Danzō's analysis of the incident.
"What kind of nonsense is this? So no matter what, it all ends in war?"
Akashō scratched his head, biting his thumb as he paced back and forth.
"Damn it, this isn't a small problem anymore… Tch, if I'd known, I wouldn't have killed Namikaze Minato. This would've been over by now…"
Thinking about it, what Yamanaka Inoichi and his brother were discussing at the flower shop earlier must have been this very matter.
"Danzō said the best way to resolve this now is either to make Sarutobi Hiruzen revoke his decision, or have the Dark Council show themselves and declare their stance. But the latter would likely draw massive hostility toward the Hidden Leaf Village and get it besieged by multiple villages—triggering another war."
Akashō immediately ruled out the second option.
"Not realistic… which means I have to make Sarutobi Hiruzen change his mind…"
"Phew…"
"Looks like what I set up earlier is finally going to be useful. Time for me to take the stage."
...
Not long after, under Itachi's guidance, Akashō arrived at the Uchiha clan head's residence.
"Yo, Fugaku-san. Long time no see."
Uchiha Fugaku was sitting in the corridor drinking tea. He paused slightly when he saw Akashō.
"Heh, it has been a while. Come, sit."
Akashō sat beside him and accepted the tea he handed over.
"You don't visit without a reason. Go on—what do you want?"
Akashō took a sip and grinned. "Then I'll get straight to it."
Fugaku smirked. "Go ahead. Let's see if it's beyond what I can tolerate."
"Fugaku-san, your Uchiha clan has been suppressed by Sarutobi Hiruzen quite a bit, hasn't it?"
Fugaku froze for a moment.
"What are you getting at?"
"You've heard about the Hyūga clan situation, right?"
Fugaku frowned and nodded.
"Yes. What about it? You want to help them?"
"More accurately… I want to help you."
"Heh, don't joke around, Akashō. The conflict between the Uchiha and Hyūga clans runs deep—it's not something easily resolved. And even if the two clans really did form an alliance, they still wouldn't be able to contend with Sarutobi Hiruzen… the Third Hokage."
"Hehe."
Akashō set down his teacup with a smile.
"No need to rush. When things reach a critical point, take a look at how the situation develops. If it benefits you, you can decide whether to join then."
Fugaku glanced at Akashō, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
...
Night.
In a courtyard within the Hyūga clan compound, a soft, timid little girl knelt on the ground, looking up at the moon with her hands clasped together.
"Please help me… I don't want Father to die, and I don't want Hizashi-san to die either. It's all because of me… If someone has to die, then let it be me instead. Please, I'm begging you…"
"Oh? Praying to the gods, little girl?"
A voice suddenly came from above. Hinata looked up in surprise—had the gods really answered her?
But when she raised her head, she saw it was the boy she had met not long ago at the memorial park. He was crouching atop her family's wall, smiling down at her.
"So it's not the gods…"
Akashō raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Instead of praying to the gods, you'd be better off praying to me."