Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

"Commander Soushu, you truly are fearless!"

After leaving the palace and returning to the embassy district, Hizashi Hyuga finally gave voice to his thoughts in front of the representatives of various ninja clans.

"At the end of the day, Your Highness remains the sovereign Daimyo of the Land of Fire; a ninja should at least not..."

Hizashi really didn't know what to say anymore.

The first guardian ninja who challenged him was obviously an Iron Country samurai in disguise, so there must have been some intrigue behind the scenes—most likely arranged by loyal courtiers within the Daimyo's inner circle. Considering this had originally been Hizashi's own instruction, killing him wasn't a big deal.

As for the guardian ninja executed on the spot by the Daimyo himself, he was clearly someone like a high-ranking Guardian Ninja. It was impossible that he acted without direct orders from the Daimyo. However, both the Konoha ninjas and the imperial courtiers had made up their minds to pressure the Daimyo this time, so this high-ranking Guardian Ninja's death was simply accepted without further investigation.

Moreover, the noble courtiers hadn't planned to replace the current Daimyo anytime soon, and they had also accepted the financial compensation from the Imperial Treasury.

Therefore, although Commander Soushu seemed to have done many things, upon closer examination, nothing significant actually happened—his only mistake being somewhat harsh language.

But what Soushu said never came out and said anything about killing the ruler directly, just hinted around it cleverly. Although it embarrassed the Daimyo greatly, it still provided a burning-hot path for him to retreat down gracefully, which left the courtiers quite satisfied with the outcome.

So what did this prove?

Everything appeared fine on the surface, yet somehow felt problematic...

Although Hizashi had indeed intended to use Soushu as a weapon, this blade now clearly showed indiscriminate destructive power toward friend and foe alike!

However, he was just part of the Branch House after all.

After calming himself, Hizashi quickly resumed his composed demeanor.

"If only you were of the Uchiha clan!"

Captain Uchiha remarked with admiration.

These words turned Hizashi's face crimson with rage!

Praise from a rival aristocratic house undoubtedly slapped him straight in the face!

"Oh, let me formally introduce myself—I'm Captain Uchiha Takahiro, deputy commander of the Policing Department's Special Service Unit."

The Policing Department's captain extended his hand toward Soushu in a friendly manner.

"Tokubetsu Jonin Hyuga Soushu."

Soushu responded just as readily, shaking his hand firmly.

"You don't have to hang out all day long in that little training ground with Miss Mahiru when visiting our clan territory next time. You're more than welcome to try out our main training facility."

Captain Uchiha Takahiro teased, "I'm extremely interested in your Taijutsu skills. I hope one day we can test each other's abilities."

"You flatter me," Soushu admitted, his face unusually flushing red.

"In that case, allow me to introduce myself—I am Yamanaka Toshimichi!"

Representing the Yamanaka clan—one of the Ino–Shika–Cho triad—the envoy stepped forward to introduce himself, "I may be different from others, but certain matters aren't convenient to discuss right now. Hopefully, we'll have the opportunity for deeper conversation someday!"

Danzo, previously standing nearby appearing absorbed by dead branches and fallen leaves, instantly darkened his expression.

"I look forward to our discussion," Soushu replied politely, though still somewhat puzzled.

"I am Mitotou Takahiro, a Chunin from the Foreign Affairs Department."

Another person then stepped forward to introduce himself to Hyuga Soushu, sharing the same name as Toshimichi-kun: "Just like Toshimichi-kun, I hope to have the chance to have a match with Jonin Soushu someday. I look forward to your guidance!"

"Perhaps next time."

Hyuga Soushu was even more puzzled.

The representatives from other ninja clans, who were well aware of the underlying situation, quickly dispersed as if trying to avoid something fearsome.

"Hmph!"

Once the clan representatives had left, Danzo, who had been listening with an increasingly dark expression, immediately turned and walked away.

After completing this especially intense diplomatic mission, despite the funds not having officially arrived yet, the various clan representatives in the envoy couldn't wait to disband—just as they would back in Konoha. Each hurried back to his quarters to report the outcome to his clan leader.

"Who are they?" Soushu asked Hizashi with some confusion.

Back in Konoha, he had always been virtually invisible; on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, his reconnaissance duties limited his interactions with fellow Leaf ninja. With the war so fierce that newly deployed Leaf ninjas typically survived less than a month, Soushu saw no reason to develop close relationships—better not to grieve when someone died.

"The Martial Faction," Hizashi replied with a slight sigh. "They're all combat-oriented ninja from the village."

Considering they were both from Konoha, and possibly due to security concerns in the embassy district's public area, Hizashi did not continue. Instead, he pulled Soushu along back toward the Hyuga Clan's quarters.

"Now that I think about it," Soushu asked, puzzled, "why would the Yamanaka Clan and the Mitotou Clan have members belonging to the Martial Faction?"

"Konoha's a big place. You'll find every kind of weirdo imaginable," Hizashi answered.

After arranging for Branch House Jonin to set up soundproof seals, Hizashi finally continued: "Even the Uchiha Clan has those unnaturally peaceful types. So, should it really be surprising that other clans have a few warmongers?"

"That's true," Soushu replied, at a loss for words.

It seemed that among ordinary Leaf ninja, "Martial Faction" wasn't considered a positive or neutral label.

"If you don't want to get involved with Danzo, it's best to stay away from those Martial Faction ninja entirely," Hizashi warned solemnly. "In fact, aside from Danzo's faction, most other groups are reluctant to associate with such reckless warmongers anyway."

"Why?" Soushu asked, quite surprised.

"I don't know much about that Uchiha guy, but for the Yamanaka and Mitotou Clans…" Hizashi paused, searching for a suitable description. "Their attitude toward war is… conflicted."

"What do you mean?" Soushu grew even more confused.

"How should I put it…" Hizashi scratched his head, clearly struggling with how to explain. "They think the current scale of the war isn't big enough. They consider our refusal to declare war on the Four Great Ninja Villages as a sign of weakness."

"That's seriously out of bounds!" Soushu could only stare in disbelief.

"Actually, most of the so-called martial faction members in the village are more or less like this, especially members of noble ninja clans."

Clearly, Hizashi Hyuga held rather negative opinions toward these people.

"Is that so?"

Soushu Hyuga seemed deep in thought.

In theory, even a scrap of paper can be useful — let alone ninjas who clearly offer far greater value?

Especially their backgrounds were quite interesting.

One came from the Yamanaka clan — specifically the Ino branch of the Ino–Shika–Cho triad — which has long been a loyal supporter of the Hokage, while the other belonged to a family directly connected to one of the village's top leaders — Homura Mitokado.

Unfortunately, he was now only a Tokubetsu Jonin — neither his status nor reputation carried much weight anymore.

What's more, most of his strength and past victories came from his "Weapons Master" ability. But since his skills had cooldowns, his performance in battle wasn't always reliable. In short skirmishes like the ones they'd faced since returning to the village, he could use intel gaps and surprise to his advantage. But on the battlefield? As the saying goes, you need real strength to stand tall.

[Gentle Fist] and [Byakugan]...

Soushu Hyuga gently pressed his forehead, deep in thought.

His left hand patted the Kaguya secret medicinal potion inside his ninja tool pouch, feeling somewhat indecisive inside.

Use it?

Or not?

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