Double Standard

After years of administration, the Military Police Force had practically become synonymous with the Uchiha clan, its emblem even bearing the family's traditional fan crest.

With another ninja clan inserting a wedge into this domain—and specifically the other prominent dojutsu family in Konoha, a peer to the Uchiha—one could easily imagine the explosive consequences that might follow.

Yet, Uchiha Fugaku found it quite difficult to refuse at this moment.

Since Orochimaru had officially confirmed that the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' chaos possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan, the village's choice not to hold the Uchiha clan accountable was already a tremendous act of leniency.

To engage in further confrontation with the village right after the masked man's death would truly be pushing one's luck and showing a complete lack of self-awareness.

Gazing at Fugaku's face for a brief moment, the Third Hokage perceived that the Uchiha leader was not merely paying lip service while plotting behind his back. He gave a slight nod, a deep sense of relief washing over him.

In the past, the mere hint of such a move would have caused the Uchiha clan to bristle with hostility. How different things were now, allowing him to effortlessly neutralize resistance while gradually infiltrating the Uchiha-dominated Military Police Force.

Having waited aside for quite some time, the Main House elder—who had unexpectedly stumbled into a massive windfall—wore an expression of unadulterated ecstasy and immediately vowed, "The Hyuga clan will respond to the village's summons without delay!"

He had long coveted the opportunity to displace the Uchiha Military Police Force, which frequently paraded through the streets to flaunt the clan's might.

Although the Uchiha currently possessed greater strength, the Main House elder was by no means a fool. He understood that by pushing the Hyuga forward to rival them, the Third Hokage would never sit idly by and let the Hyuga be completely suppressed. This was a godsend delivered right to their doorstep.

Even so, being so painfully eager made his greedy posture look rather unseemly.

Fugaku observed the elder, whose stern facade failed to mask the triumph radiating from his brow, and his gaze narrowed slightly.

To be frank, there was precious little he could do against the man, other than having his clansmen make things difficult for the Hyuga Branch House. Yet he knew full well that the Main House cared very little for the branch members; such petty tactics would be nothing more than a mild scratch.

At that moment, Orochimaru looked toward the Hyuga Main House elder and suddenly chuckled.

"I almost forgot what we came here to solve tonight. Hehehe... Clan Head Hizashi—ah, Hizashi? No, Clan Head Hiashi, you killed the leader of the delegation and wanted Hyuga Hizashi to pay with his life, didn't you?"

Hearing this, Fugaku's gaze returned to its calm composure, laced with a trace of mockery as he looked at Hiashi and the Main House elder.

Indeed, what on earth had he been worrying about? A clan so ossified, rigid, and content to coast entirely on the unearned dividends of their bloodline—was it truly worthy of the Uchiha's apprehension?

No doubt, if he were to share this matter with his clansmen, they would think the exact same thing.

Catching the sneering sarcasm in Orochimaru's tone, Hiashi's expression shifted. But as he felt the emotions of his identical twin brother beside him sinking into deeper despondency, he opened his mouth, yet found no words to say.

At that juncture, the Main House elder insisted, "Lord Orochimaru, as you yourself said, this was a trap set by the masked man."

"Yet you people jumped right into it with bated breath."

Orochimaru licked his lips and suddenly smiled. "I heard about the scene from a certain anonymous source."

"The delegation leader feigned an attempt to kill that little girl named Hinata. Clan Head Hiashi rushed forward to stop him, whereupon the enemy halted—yet you failed to stop yourself. For an ordinary person, perhaps it could be excused, but for a ninja proficient in taijutsu and possessed of the Byakugan bloodline... Tsk, tsk..."

Among those present, everyone except the Third Hokage and the Hyuga faction was hearing this version of events for the first time. The glances directed at Hyuga Hiashi instantly took on a somewhat peculiar tinge, particularly from Clan Head Fugaku, who harbored a silent sneer in his heart.

As fellow wielders of ocular jutsu, he knew all too well just how humiliating this affair truly was.

Hyuga Hiashi's face flushed crimson as he managed to maintain a stern mask, while the Main House elder stepped in to argue on his behalf. "Such rumors are half-truths and entirely unfounded. Besides, even if Hiashi had stopped, is there any guarantee that this 'Grogba' lacked the means to commit suicide?"

Orochimaru arched an eyebrow. "What you say makes a great deal of sense. But now that Cloud Village demands Clan Head Hiashi's life, how do you propose to handle it? Don't even bother suggesting that Hizashi die in his stead; that option was discarded right from the start."

The Main House elder was momentarily struck dumb, while Hiashi let out a long, heavy sigh. "Sigh... Lord Orochimaru need say no more. Although this matter is the enemy's conspiracy, I am already deeply enmeshed in it. For the sake of the village, I am willing to hang myself."

"Clan Head..."

Hizashi looked at Hiashi, at a loss for words, while the Main House elder remained tight-lipped in silence.

Seeing that Hiashi trading his life for life seemed all but a foregone conclusion, Danzo could no longer sit still. He spoke in a cold, stern voice, "I am utterly opposed to this. Konoha must never resort to such cowardly measures."

The Third Hokage gave a slight nod to indicate his support for Danzo. Tsunade and Jiraiya saw that Orochimaru had yet to state his position and felt no rush to speak.

Utatane Koharu wanted to voice her agreement, but after glancing at Orochimaru, she swallowed her words, deciding to reserve her opinion for later.

Meanwhile, the Jonin representative, Nara Shikaku, remained as silent as ever, wearing a placid expression. He knew full well that in this village council, he was merely an observer.

"Lord Danzo is entirely right. If Clan Head Hiashi acts as though he's being forced to his death, it would only make Konoha appear hopelessly incompetent."

Orochimaru glanced at Danzo, then shifted his gaze back to Hiashi with a smile.

"The only reason the Cloud Village delegation refuses to let this go is because their people died, resulting in tangible losses. As long as Konoha suffers an equivalent loss of its own, they will be forced to explain why Grogba appeared within the Hyuga compound immediately after a peace treaty was signed."

Hearing this, Hyuga Hiashi felt a surge of doubt. Since Orochimaru did not want him to commit suicide, yet kept talking about substantial losses, what on earth did he mean?

The Third Hokage's eyes flickered, and Danzo, sharing a tacit understanding, seemed to realize something as well.

The Main House elder demanded in a deep voice, "Orochimaru, if you have a solution, stop playing games and speak plainly."

Orochimaru smiled with an eerie twist. "It's very simple. If Cloud Village were to seize Hinata's Byakugan, leaving the Hyuga clan with the genuine possibility of a leaked bloodline limit, that loss would be no less significant than the death of a peace envoy."

An assassination attempt on the delegation leader involving the theft of a Byakugan that failed and resulted in the thief's death might seem excessive. But if the theft succeeded and the thief was killed in the process, the sequence of events would suddenly become entirely logical and justified.

Utatane Koharu felt a sudden wave of understanding. With this revision by Orochimaru, Konoha would merely project an image of negligence rather than appearing weak and easily bullied—a completely acceptable outcome.

Hiashi's complexion changed drastically. His face darkened like water as he pointed at Orochimaru and declared, "Are you asking me to sacrifice my daughter's eyes?"

The Main House elder hurriedly pulled Hiashi's hand down. "It's only an act! Lord Orochimaru must mean it's just a performance, and those eyes can be swapped back afterward."

Hiashi's expression lightened slightly, only to hear Orochimaru say, "Though it's a fake act at first, once the performance is truly underway, your daughter will simply have to make do with a replacement pair of eyes. Otherwise, if Konoha goes back on its word, wouldn't we become the laughingstock of the nations?"

"This... I utterly refuse!" Hiashi stated with unyielding firmness.

Yet Orochimaru chuckled darkly, "Whether you agree or not is no longer up to you."

Inside the conference room, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, the two advisors, and Nara Shikaku—who was merely making up numbers—all remained silent, evidently in profound agreement with Orochimaru's proposal.

This was not a hasty decision, but rather the result of repeated meetings where the Hyuga Main House elder had endlessly touted the convenience of having Hizashi die as a substitute.

They had listened to all those lofty speeches about clan honor and the village's greater good, yet when the burden finally fell upon his own doorstep, he began stalling and making excuses. That was truly... Hehehe.

Hizashi was about to lose his life, whereas his brother's daughter would merely suffer the loss of a pair of eyes and still live quite comfortably.

In the eyes of everyone present, both Hyuga Hizashi and Hyuga Hiashi were shinobi of the village with no fundamental difference between them. Indeed, given Hizashi's extensive service and hard-earned contributions through multiple major wars, his value was arguably somewhat higher than that of the latter, who merely hid safely within the village.

Feeling the oppressive atmosphere closing in from all around, Hiashi felt a bitter chill in his heart, yet he refused to yield an inch, standing firm in his opposition.

He was not merely fighting for himself.