Hyuga Hinata walked along the path leading to the Hokage Building with steady steps and a composed expression, followed by two clansmen arranged by Hiashi.
Before the Hokage Office, two Anbu appeared silently and bowed slightly, pushing open the heavy wooden door for her.
Inside the office, smoke swirled in the air.
[1! 5! Big tobacco pipe stuffed in the mouth...]
As soon as Hinata entered, music involuntarily started playing in her mind... The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his massive desk, the pipe in his hand flickering. It was wrapped in adhesive tape; clearly, the Sandaime was sentimental and couldn't bear to replace it, choosing instead to repair it and keep smoking.
[Yo, he's a real traditionalist, an old-schooler.]
The two Elder Advisors, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, sat on sofas on either side with solemn expressions. The atmosphere in the entire room was oppressive.
"Hokage-sama, Advisors," Hinata said as she entered, her voice clear and calm.
"Hinata is here. Have a seat," the Sandaime said, putting down his pipe and pointing to a chair across from his desk.
Hinata sat down as instructed, her white eyes calmly meeting the scrutiny of Konoha's three highest decision-makers.
She could feel the gazes of Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado like knives, trying to dissect her exterior to see her true inner thoughts and hidden power.
"Hinata," the Sandaime spoke first, his tone slow and heavy, "I presume you already know. Elder Danzo Shimura and a Root squad he led met with misfortune outside the Village and have all died in the line of duty."
Hinata nodded, showing no sign of surprise.
The Sandaime carefully observed her reaction before continuing.
"According to the intelligence we have gathered and the fragmented memories of a surviving Root member, it seems Elder Danzo was planning and executing an irrational action directed at you before the incident occurred."
He chose his words carefully, replacing "encirclement and suppression" with the milder "irrational action."
Homura Mitokado added.
"Upon investigation, the recent disappearances of several Hyuga Branch House members were indeed the personal doing of Danzo. He defied the Hokage's orders, abused his authority, and privately deployed Root with the intent to harm a Village comrade. His actions have seriously deviated from Konoha's rules and the Will of Fire."
Utatane Koharu also kept a stern face, adding: "Danzo has long been radical in his thinking and dictatorial in his actions, which had already sown the seeds of disaster. This time he went even further, actually daring to lay hands on the daughter of the Hyuga Main Family—it is truly a heinous crime! His death is his own fault, and it is also a necessary result of Konoha cleaning house and setting things right."
These words were spoken with righteous indignation, cleanly and decisively pushing all faults and all guilt onto the deceased Danzo.
In an instant, the Konoha Leadership shifted from being potential 'accomplices' or 'enablers' into the 'just party' that had been deceived and finally cleaned house.
Hinata listened quietly, her face devoid of expression, but her mind was crystal clear.
This was politics; the dead and the weak have no voice.
Seeing that Hinata did not object, the Sandaime softened his tone slightly and asked with a hint of "concern."
"Hinata, according to the traces at the scene and the description from the survivor, did you have a conflict with Danzo? Can you tell us specifically what happened then? How did you... escape? And why did Orochimaru appear there? Who else was at the scene?"
Finally reaching the crucial point, the three Elders' gazes were locked tightly onto Hinata.
Hinata looked up, her gaze calmly returning the Sandaime's look.
"Danzo sent people to capture my clansmen, attempting to collaborate with Orochimaru to research the Byakugan. Orochimaru encountered me and we fought. Later, Danzo arrived; I questioned him, he admitted it, and he wanted to take me down as well."
"We fought, and later, Uchiha Sasuke appeared. He seemed to have mastered new abilities. Danzo's physical strength failed him, and he was ultimately killed by Uchiha Sasuke."
Her description was concise and direct, without embellishing the intensity of the battle or emphasizing her own role.
She had no need to tell them the specific truth; she only needed to give a general overview that aligned with their intelligence, as long as it was plausible.
A brief silence fell over the office. The Sandaime took a deep breath of smoke and slowly exhaled, seemingly digesting the amount of information in those brief words.
"I see..." The Sandaime finally sighed, his tone carrying a sense of "relief" and "grief."
"It seems Danzo's perverse actions invited counterattacks from all sides, and he finally reaped what he sowed. Hinata, you have been frightened. As Hokage, I bear inescapable responsibility for supervising Danzo's actions. On behalf of Konoha, I offer my most sincere apologies to you and the Hyuga Clan behind you."
[666, now this is a veteran actor.]
He lowered his posture completely, cementing Danzo's actions as "personal behavior" and clearing the Konoha Leadership of any involvement.
"Since the matter is now clear and Danzo has been brought to justice, let this matter end here," the Sandaime made his decision.
"Regarding Danzo's crimes, we will issue an internal report, but for the stability of the Village, the details will not be made public. His cause of death will be classified as a heroic sacrifice during a high-risk secret mission. This is to maintain Konoha's reputation and unity; I hope you can understand."
Hinata nodded, not at all surprised by this. Konoha needed a facade of stability and a decent explanation.
"As for you, Hinata..." The Sandaime's gaze became deep again, with a hint of inquiry.
"You have shown strength and courage beyond your years; that is good. Konoha needs excellent young Ninjas like you. However..."
He changed his tone, speaking with a warning, "Power needs correct guidance and use. I hope you will continue to uphold the Will of Fire in the future and use this power to protect the peace of the Village."
"Yes, I understand, Sandaime-sama," Hinata responded calmly. "I will always be Hyuga Hinata of Konoha."
Her answer was airtight, neither promising anything nor denying anything.
The Sandaime gave her a deep look, knowing that today could only end here. He waved his hand.
"Alright, you may go back now. Get some good rest. The Village might be a bit unsettled recently; just focus on your cultivation."
"Yes." Hinata stood up, turned, and left the Hokage Office with steady steps.
Watching her departing back, the atmosphere in the office did not relax.
"She didn't tell the truth, at least not the whole truth," Utatane Koharu said coldly. "She downplayed her own role."
"But she admitted to fighting, and that's already enough to prove the point." Homura Mitokado pushed his glasses. "Hyuga Hinata indeed possesses power we cannot ignore. She must be placed under surveillance."
The Sandaime leaned back tiredly against his chair and rubbed his temples.
"Surveillance? Do you want to follow in Danzo's footsteps? Behind her is the entire Hyuga Clan, and you saw Hiashi's attitude. As long as she doesn't harm the Village, we can only focus on appeasing and winning her over. Send out the word: raise Hyuga Hinata's secrecy level to S-Rank. Without my order, no one is allowed to investigate her."
As Hinata left the Hokage Building and walked in the sunlight, the System's complaining voice sounded in her mind:
[Ding! host has successfully completed the achievement 'Low-key Blame Shifting' in front of the Konoha F3! +5000 points!]
[System Commentary: Tsk tsk, this bunch of old foxes are each as cunning as can be, but host, you're not simple either. Impressive!]
The corner of Hinata's mouth quirked into a smile.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"