Sign in From Naruto

Senju...

Upon hearing that name, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind immediately associated it with his former disciple—Tsunade.

With her strength, repelling the forces of the Cloud Ninja Village wouldn't have been a difficult task.

However, ever since the deaths of Nawaki and Dan, Tsunade had developed a severe case of hemophobia and left the village.

"Hiashi," Hiruzen said after a moment of silence, waiting until the nurse had left before asking Hiashi for details.

"Yes," Hiashi responded, recounting the situation he had encountered during his pursuit. He particularly emphasized the extent of the destruction at the border forest, which left both Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō visibly surprised.

"Did you notice any suspicious individuals?" Danzō couldn't help but ask.

It was hard to believe that Tsunade had been the one to save Hinata.

"No," Hiashi shook his head. For the Hyūga clan, who possessed the Byakugan, even a moonless night wouldn't hinder their vision. If there had been a suspicious person, it would have been impossible for them to go unnoticed.

"Hm," Danzō nodded. Since Hinata was unharmed, the truth would likely come to light once she woke up.

However, the current situation was far more complicated than the identity of Hinata's savior.

The Cloud Ninja Village and Konoha had finally managed to form an alliance, and now this incident threatened to reignite conflict.

The village could no longer afford another large-scale war.

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had passed away, and the jinchūriki, Naruto, was far from mastering the Nine-Tails' power—he didn't even know he was a jinchūriki.

The Uchiha clan's issues were also growing increasingly problematic.

The village needed stability now more than ever.

"Hiashi, I hope the Hyūga clan can take responsibility for today's incident," Danzō said, his voice low and direct.

"Danzō, what do you mean by that?" Hiruzen immediately expressed his displeasure.

"It's simple. The leader of the Cloud Ninja Village took the Hyūga clan's eldest daughter hostage but was discovered by the clan leader during his escape and killed in the crossfire. As for what happened at the border, no one knows," Danzō explained.

According to Hiashi's account, the ninja who had kidnapped Hinata were already dead. This explanation would detach the village from the incident entirely.

The Hyūga clan had mistakenly killed the Cloud ninja without the knowledge of Konoha's leadership. It had nothing to do with the village.

"Danzō, how could you suggest such a thing?" Hiruzen frowned, clearly seeing through Danzō's scheme. By doing this, the Hyūga clan would become a buffer between the Cloud Ninja Village and Konoha.

"I understand," Hiashi said after a deep breath. As the clan's patriarch, he recognized the reasoning behind Danzō's proposal and reluctantly agreed.

"Hiashi..." Hiruzen frowned, hoping that neither Danzō nor Hiashi would act too hastily in this matter.

But Danzō didn't seem to care. After explaining his plan, he stood up from his seat. "Hiruzen, Hinata needs to rest now. There's nothing more for us to do here."

"Danzō!" Hiruzen called out in frustration, but he could only watch as Danzō disappeared through the doorway. He sighed helplessly and turned to Hiashi. "Hiashi, there will be other ways. Take good care of Hinata."

"I will, Hokage-sama," Hiashi replied.

With that, Hiruzen also left the hospital room, shaking his head.

However, Danzō hadn't gone far. He stood at the corner of the hospital corridor, seemingly waiting for Hiruzen.

"Danzō," Hiruzen said, his face filled with displeasure. "How could you place the entire burden on the Hyūga clan?"

"Isn't that why you asked me to come?" Danzō's tone was cold and emotionless. "You and I both know how crucial the alliance with the Cloud Ninja Village is, even if their intentions are questionable. We can't afford to provoke them now."

"The Uchiha clan is unstable, we've lost Namikaze Minato, and the jinchūriki is still untrained. The village is in no position to wage another war."

At the mention of the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen's expression darkened.

"Homura and Koharu will support me on this," Danzō said firmly.

Since the Cloud Ninja Village had targeted the Byakugan, it would be enough to have a member of the Hyūga branch clan pose as the main family and hand over the body, sealing the secret of the Byakugan.

The branch family existed to protect the main family.

And the sacrifice of the Hyūga clan was for the sake of the village.

Everything... was for the village.

"No, Danzō. I will find another solution this time. Whether it's the Hyūga clan or the Uchiha clan, I won't let them bear the burden alone."

Hiruzen sighed inwardly. He had originally asked Danzō to come today to help shoulder the responsibility, but Danzō had instead shifted the entire problem onto the Hyūga clan.

"If you're worried, I'll handle this matter myself," Danzō said, his tone unyielding.

In truth, Hiruzen had repeatedly promised to find a solution to the Uchiha clan's issues, but he had yet to deliver.

"Let's discuss this matter later, Danzō," Hiruzen said, ending the conversation.

There was another matter that was equally important—finding out who had saved Hinata.

Personally, Hiruzen hoped it had been Tsunade.

Although he had taken over as Hokage after Minato's death, his body was aging. He needed a successor.

However, just as Hiruzen and Danzō were about to leave the hospital, Hinata, who had been guarding Hinata's side, suddenly caught up to them.

"Third Hokage-sama, Hinata has woken up," Hinata said.

"She's awake?"

"Who exactly saved her?" Danzō asked immediately, more concerned about the savior's identity than Hinata's condition.

"It was... a self-proclaimed Senju," Hinata said, her voice filled with disbelief. "A black-haired teenager..."

"A teenager?"

Hiruzen and Danzō exchanged shocked glances.

It wasn't Tsunade!

Instead, it was a teenager!

Could it be... Senju Xu Fan?

Hiruzen's mind immediately conjured up the name, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea.

He had visited the Senju clan's compound several times in the past. Xu Fan, the boy from the Senju clan, was said to lack even the most basic qualifications to become a ninja. He hadn't even been able to enroll in the ninja academy.

To think that he had saved Hinata and caused such destruction at the border... Was that even possible?

Meanwhile, Xu Fan had returned to the Senju clan's compound, preparing to rest and enroll in the ninja academy the next day.

"Speaking of which, the Third Hokage should know by now that it was me who saved Hinata," Xu Fan mused, projecting the timeline in his mind.

Hinata should have woken up by now.

The name "Senju," combined with the description of a teenager, would undoubtedly lead Hiruzen to investigate him.

This, however, was only one part of Xu Fan's plan.