The new year began.
It should have been a happy time for families.
But Konoha was filled with sadness and worry.
Like when one domino falls and causes all the others to fall too, one event had started a chain reaction.
Kirigakure had completely defeated Konoha and taken back the Land of Whirlpools Ruins. They were now using it as a base to attack the Land of Fire.
At the same time, Konoha was facing problems on other fronts as well.
The A-B Brothers, from Kumogakure, kept trying to break through Konoha's defenses, but they couldn't.
This was partly because Namikaze Minato kept stopping Killer Bee.
And partly because Uchiha Fugaku was holding back the Fourth Raikage, Ai.
But when the Third Raikage joined the fight, everything changed.
Konoha's line against Kumogakure quickly collapsed, and history took another unexpected turn.
Also, large groups of Iwa ninja gathered at the border again. This time, they had learned from their mistakes and were being much more careful with their scouting. The large number of troops created a lot of fear for Konoha. Because of this, Konoha had to send as many soldiers as possible to the front lines.
The only good news was from the front against Sunagakure. They kept winning battles there. The dozen or so Sunagakure Elders, who were always interfering, were finally proving useful. In this war of who could be worse, Konoha had been the winner so far.
However, this changed when the Third Kazekage returned.
His sudden appearance announced that he was back in control of Sunagakure.
He got rid of the dozen Sunagakure Elders, killing some and capturing others.
The Third Kazekage quickly eliminated all the problems within Sunagakure.
This made people wonder if he had disappeared on purpose.
Was it to reveal how bad the Sunagakure Elders were and see how far they would go?
The leaders of the other countries could only guess about this situation, because no one knew the truth.
After taking back control of Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage made Pakura the next Kazekage.
Rasa's past actions, where he had given in to the Elders to become Kazekage, now seemed foolish.
With two Kazekage in charge, Sunagakure's soldiers felt much more confident.
They began to fight back.
The Third Kazekage stayed in Sunagakure, watching carefully and removing any new threats.
Pakura traveled to different battlefields, encouraging the Suna ninja.
Because of the Third Kazekage's return and Pakura being chosen as the new Kazekage, Sunagakure's soldiers felt much more confident and started fighting back.
They pushed forward, breaking through Konoha's defenses and reaching a very important place in the Land of Fire: Kikyo Mountain.
Konoha was surrounded and about to fall apart.
A huge shadow of danger hung over Konoha.
---
Swish...
Heavy rain fell.
It was after the new year, but instead of snow, it was raining.
Inside the Hyuga Clan Estate, Hyuga Hiashi looked worried.
The constant bad news from the front lines was upsetting everyone.
They were all in this together.
If Konoha failed, the results would be terrible.
"Hiashi-sama... this is bad..."
A member of the Branch Family rushed in.
He looked scared, almost crying.
"What is it?" Hyuga Hiashi stood up and asked quickly.
"The Head Family Lord... he's dead!"
"What?!"
Hyuga Hiashi's eyes opened wide.
Almost all the Branch Family members sent to the Kirigakure front had died, and now this relative from the Head Family was also dead.
"What about the Byakugan?!"
Hyuga Hiashi asked immediately.
He was most worried about the Byakugan falling into the wrong hands.
The Branch Family member's shaky answer was like a heavy blow to Hyuga Hiashi.
"They say... they say Kirigakure got one of the Lord's Byakugan..."
"!"
Hyuga Hiashi felt dizzy.
The Hyuga Clan, who were supposed to protect the Byakugan, had failed in this generation.
In the end, they had lost a Byakugan.
Swish...
The rain kept falling.
But Hyuga Hiashi couldn't hear anything.
His mind was full of thoughts.
The Konoha leaders will be angry, and the Hyuga Clan is now in danger...
---
The Jonin Squad meeting began again.
Hyuga Hiashi sat there, looking pale.
The Konoha leaders were furious and were scolding the Hyuga Clan for not being good enough.
But everyone knew that the Hyuga Clan had done their best.
So, was the enemy too strong? Or were the Konoha leaders not good enough?
Trying to ignore those thoughts, everyone listened to the leaders' speech with sad faces.
Sarutobi Ryo and Namikaze Minato were also there, looking serious. No one could tell what they were thinking.
Konoha's ninja were slowly being killed, and many young children were being sent to fight.
The Land of Fire was at war, and many ordinary people had to leave their homes.
Now, the Hyuga Clan had lost another Byakugan.
Konoha was surrounded and in danger.
More than 10,000 Iwa ninja could attack Konoha at any time.
Because of the Third Kazekage's actions, Onoki didn't risk sending his soldiers to attack Kumogakure, which was far away.
History had changed.
Onoki was focused on Konoha and Sunagakure.
It was clear that the Land of Wind was not useful to take over.
So, Onoki's target was Konoha, which was the closest.
As for Sunagakure, after getting rid of the bad people, they found a lot of money and supplies, which made them much richer.
They used these resources wisely.
The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo... were strong, experienced ninja.
Pakura and Rasa had learned a lot from the war and had also become very strong.
So, Sunagakure now had five very strong ninja.
They were doing well, and the younger ninja had a lot of potential.
Konoha, which was once known as the strongest, was now in a bad situation.
---
After the meeting.
Hyuga Hiashi and the Head Family Elder talked in secret all night long.
They came to the conclusion that the Land of Fire was in danger of being destroyed.
Konoha couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
The end result might be the same as what happened to the Uzumaki Clan.
"Our Hyuga Clan must protect the Byakugan..."
Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the dark night.
Hyuga Hiashi looked at the Elder's serious face.
"Hiashi, we have to make a choice..."
"Elder, what do you mean...?"
Hyuga Hiashi had a feeling he knew what was coming.
When the Head Family Elder told him their decision, Hiashi's eyes opened wide.
So, it's time to take this step?
Leave Konoha.
*
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 138 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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]