Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

Once the illusionist's paper screen was pierced, what lay behind it was a cold truth.

And this was also something Hizashi Hyuga could not refute.

The complete distrust toward the Main House revealed by Soushu Hyuga's words had deep and long-standing roots—something impossible to explain fully in a short time.

Moreover, Soushu Hyuga gave him no chance to explain either.

"You've had your tea and breakfast. It's time you left."

Soushu Hyuga issued an eviction notice directly: "It's getting late. You should return and get back to your training."

"So you won't even bother showing up tomorrow and just go through the motions?"

Hizashi Hyuga still tried desperately to persuade: "Even if it's just a superficial show, it's better than openly defying the clan head's authority!"

"Absolute loyalty means anything less is total disloyalty!"

Soushu Hyuga declared solemnly: "Indeed, I am a man of absolute loyalty!"

"But for over a thousand years there have been no happy outcomes from marriages between our two bloodline clans!"

Hizashi Hyuga continued to reason: "Whether between the Hyuga and Uchiha, or the Uchiha and Senju, even with our former Kaguya Clan, we've avoided intermarriage for reasons you simply cannot ignore!"

"I know you're referring to bloodline disorders, right?"

Soushu Hyuga sighed slightly: "After all these years of development in the Ninja World, how come people are still stuck within the musty pages of history?"

"The progress of the Ninja World spirals upward. Even if you don't have faith in the abilities of people today, you should still trust in the wisdom of future generations!"

With that, Soushu gestured politely toward the door as a sign of dismissal.

"Fine then,"

Hizashi Hyuga sighed helplessly. "Since you don't really care for tea anyway, would you mind giving me that bag of leaves?"

He then took the precious high mountain cloud mist tea gifted by the Hyuga Clan Leader and prepared to leave.

Soushu didn't mind at all.

Although he wasn't against tea drinking per se, he certainly cared about its source; plus, he never felt worthy of receiving the Clan Leader's generosity, otherwise he wouldn't have left the tea untouched in the cabinet of the reception hall until now. Handing it over to Hizashi Hyuga was essentially returning it to where it belonged.

"Take care of yourself!"

As he reached the doorway, Hizashi turned back one last time, looking at Soushu who remained standing with the courteous gesture. Slightly dejected, he let out a sigh and walked out the door.

Soushu glanced at the wall clock and casually changed into his Jonin vest, collected his Ninja Tool Pouch, and headed out alone toward the Uchiha Compound.

Meanwhile, the Branch House ninja who had always been attuned to rumors and quietly followed the situation quietly turned away once they saw Hizashi leave Soushu's house.

Though most Branch House members lacked the courage to confront the powerful Main House directly, they still secretly hoped that someone might stand up on their behalf—raising a banner for their long-subjugated kinfolk; whether or not they would personally step forward to voice support alongside the rebels remained uncertain.

But one could clearly sense the will of the people through this subtle shift in attention.

The death of the Sunagakure Advisor Elder and the destruction of the border forces was more than just a military defeat.

More importantly, it marked a major reshuffling within Sunagakure's internal power structure.

Although waging war represented the collective will of all Suna ninja, the objectives and command authority behind the war had always been fiercely contested by the village's top leaders.

Moreover, Elder Chiyo's death dealt a heavy blow to her faction—the influential Advisor Elders who had long held strong influence within Sunagakure.

Although under the Third Kazekage's firm control, consensus had been reached within Sunagakure to continue the war effort, one major issue remained unresolved—whether to shift their focus from Konoha to their longtime rival, Iwagakure, which was considered an easier target.

It was this exact deadlock over strategy that kept Sunagakure's top brass from making a decision—leaving the next phase of the war hanging.

However, to the outside world, this leadership stalemate appeared as incompetence and inaction.

Therefore, after consulting with the Jonin Unit, the Kazekage had no choice but to reconvene the high-level decision-making council.

"Continuing the war against Konoha is yielding no real benefits—we must stop now!"

At the meeting, the Northern Faction's elder—the faction advocating war against Iwa—spoke first, pointing out a very practical issue: "As long as we can't neutralize Sakumo Hatake, we won't have a real advantage on the eastern battlefield. Even if we temporarily achieve localized victories, we won't be able to solidify and expand those gains. From a village benefit perspective, it would be far better to launch a northern campaign into Bird Country, using it as a stepping stone to penetrate Earth Country and plunder its mineral resources!"

"The White Fang is human, not a god!"

Yet the Eastern Campaign Faction—who advocated continuing the war against Konoha—countered with equally reasonable arguments: "Humans eat, drink, and rest like anyone else. Sooner or later, he'll make a mistake! Surely if we deploy all our elite assassins, we can take him down!"

"And at what cost do you imagine doing so?"

The Northern Faction immediately responded with rebuttal: "Even if we destroy Konoha's western front line, even if we seize the barren Land of Rivers—which is poorer than our own—it would be pointless if our Jonin elites suffer heavy casualties! Would we still have enough strength left to push further east into the Land of Fire afterward?"

"If we hesitate merely because of one White Fang, then there truly won't be a place for Sunagakure in the Ninja World anymore!"

The Eastern Campaign elders rose together, passionately condemning their opponents from the moral high ground:

"No revenge for our defeat means no peace for Sunagakure—not even one day!"

"Elder Chiyo is a founding figure of our village; seeking vengeance for her is only natural and justified!"

An elder from the Northern Faction slammed his staff onto the ground and bellowed, "But we simply cannot afford to fight more unprofitable wars! Our village's funds can no longer support another potentially prolonged conflict!"

"The will of Sunagakure shall overcome all obstacles!"

The Eastern Campaign group still refused to back down.

"Just wait until you're too hungry to even swallow Military Rations Pills—you'll be singing a different tune then!" 

The Northern Faction elder stood up and mocked.

"Have you made enough noise already?"

After listening to the cacophony of arguments for some time, the Kazekage finally spoke in resignation, halting the group of elderly elders who had long since lost most of their teeth.

"Elder Ebizō, what is your view?"

The Kazekage turned his gaze toward Ebizō, who had remained silent throughout.

He was not only Sunagakure's highest-ranking advisor and one of the village's founding elders, but also Chiyo's younger brother. To a certain extent, his stance would determine where Sunagakure's next strike would be directed.

"In my heart, I wish Sakumo Hatake were dead today."

Ebizō hesitated briefly before speaking slowly: "However, I believe everyone here understands our village's current situation well enough that I don't need to elaborate further."

The assembly of elders fell into silence.

They all knew the village's plight, but that had nothing to do with the ongoing factional struggle!

Did the village's difficulties mean they should stop fighting for power? Of course not! Besides, weren't they all competing for authority just to build a better Sunagakure? That seemed perfectly reasonable!

Yet Ebizō's words finally shattered the deadlock between the Eastern Campaign Faction and the Northern Faction.

"So, according to Elder Ebizō..."

The Kazekage nodded slightly. Although he already had a general idea, he still continued asking out of courtesy.

"Launch a northern offensive against Iwagakure!"

Ebizō made a difficult yet personally justified decision.

"I see," the Kazekage replied, then rose to his feet.

No matter their ages, all the elders stood as well, showing solemn respect.

"What we have lost to Konoha, we will take back from Iwagakure!"

The Kazekage issued his war declaration directly: "All ninja in this village must unite with one heart and one purpose—to destroy our enemies. We shall not return until Iwagakure has been brought to ruin!"

"Victory! For Sunagakure!"

Whatever their personal views, once the Kazekage had spoken, the elders of Sunagakure chose unity and threw their full support behind him.

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