Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

However, Hiashi Hyuga immediately thought: Could he refuse?

Does he have the right to refuse?

Most importantly, is the Hyuga clan capable of protecting its leader?

Hyuga Hizashi suddenly stood up and said in a low, bitter voice, "The Third Hokage's meaning is very clear. He wants us Hyuga to hand over a ninja, a ninja of sufficient importance, to exchange our lives for the lives of the Cloud Village ninjas and shut them up."

"He doesn't care who it is, or whether they are the murderers; he only cares if the amount is significant enough."

"To be fair, the Hyuga clan is not as strong as the Uchiha clan. They have been suppressed to the point of desperation. We are powerless to resist the will of the Third Hokage."

"Now that things have come to this, there is no other way. I will die in my brother's place."

"I am still the younger brother of the Hyuga clan head, and the head of the branch family. My life carries more than enough weight!"

Hyuga Hizashi removed his headband, revealing the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead: "I am from the branch family, and it is my duty to serve the main family and the Hyuga clan."

"As long as I can protect you, my brother, and the interests of the Hyuga clan, I can say that I died a worthy death."

Hiashi Hyuga suddenly stood up, his eyes reddening as he growled, "No! I will never let you die in my place!"

"It was I, Hiashi Hyuga, who killed them. I did it to save Hinata, and it had nothing to do with Hizashi!"

"More importantly, the Cloud Village ninjas' despicable kidnapping of Hinata makes killing her entirely justified. Why should the Third Hokage expect the entire Hyuga clan to sacrifice their lives to silence them?"

"On what grounds?"

His voice carried a suppressed roar, addressed to Hyuga Hizashi and all the elders of the main family.

However, the elders of the main family all looked timid and hesitant, clearly believing that the death of Hyuga Hizashi from the branch family would satisfy the Third Hokage and be a very worthwhile explanation.

Seeing the reaction of the clan elders, Hiashi Hyuga felt a chill run through him.

Is this still the Hyuga clan?

How did the members of what was once the strongest clan, on par with the Senju and Uchiha clans, degenerate into such a state?

The atmosphere in the council chamber of the Hokage Building was even colder than that at the Hyuga headquarters.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on the Hokage's throne, his fingertips pressing against his brow, his tone utterly disappointed: "So, Hiashi Hyuga is unwilling to sacrifice himself for the greater good of Konoha?"

"Yes, Third Hokage."

The masked ninja knelt on one knee and answered in a muffled voice.

Actually, wearing the mask was useless, because there were only two white-haired people in the entire Hidden Leaf Village. One of them was Jiraiya with long hair, and the other was naturally Kakashi Hatake with short hair.

The Third Hokage stood up and looked out the window at the prosperous Konoha Village: "That's how selfish the ninja clans are. They always prioritize the interests of their own small clans over the overall interests of Konoha Village."

"Orochimaru made tremendous efforts, even destroying the fortress of Sakurahara with the Tailed Beast Ball, in order to withstand the offensive momentum of the Cloud Village army."

"Orochimaru's student, Yamanaka Hatsukyu, risked his life to attack the Kumogakure supply center."

"Thousands of Konoha ninjas sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, forcing the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure to sue for peace."

"How can we let the selfishness of the Hyuga clan destroy everyone's hard work?"

"Relay all the information to Shimura Danzo, and he will make Hyuga understand what the big picture is."

Kakashi, currently serving in Root, lowered his head and mumbled, "Yes!"

A few minutes later, Shimura Danzo listened to Kakashi's report and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hiruzen, Hiruzen!"

"You shattered my dream of becoming Hokage, and now you want me to continue working for him?"

"Haha, does he think I have no temper?"

"Fine, if you won't give me any hope, then let his son do it himself!"

Late at night, Hiashi Hyuga sat alone in the courtyard, silently weighing different options, but what he thought about more was the current situation and future of the Hyuga clan.

Having served as the clan leader for many years, he knew all too well how deep the divide was between the main family and the branch families.

As his own younger brother, Hizashi did countless things as the head of the branch family, which led to the stability of the Hyuga clan today.

If Hyuga Hizashi were to sacrifice himself in his place, the branch family and the main family would lose their foundation of trust, and the situation would only become more and more difficult in the future.

Hiashi Hyuga was willing to sacrifice himself, but the behavior of the main family elders today made him worry about how they would treat the branch family ninjas if they became clan leaders.

The foundation of the Hyuga clan is not the main family, but the branch family!

It was the branch family ninjas fighting and killing on the battlefield that allowed the main family ninjas to enjoy peace and tranquility in the village, and gave him, as the clan leader, the power to maneuver and dominate.

If the branch family ninjas completely collapse, the Hyuga clan will not be far from splitting up and perishing.

Just as Hyuga Hiashi was secretly struggling with his thoughts, Hyuga Michima knocked on the door and reported, "Clan leader, Mitarashi Anko, a Chunin, requests an audience."

Hiashi Hyuga was stunned: "Who?"

Michima replied, "Mitarashi Anko is a Chunin and a student of Orochimaru."

Hiashi Hyuga was startled, but a glimmer of hope inexplicably rose in his heart: "Quick, quickly invite her in."

"Someone, bring tea!"

"Serve the finest tea!"

Unfortunately, Mitarashi Anko didn't like tea. She only took a sip before resolutely putting down the expensive tea.

"Chief Hiashi, I'll skip the formalities. I'm here on Orochimaru's orders to deliver a pair of communication snakes to you so that my senior brother, Yamanaka Hatsukyu, can communicate with you."

As she spoke, Hongdou took out two small snakes from her sleeve and activated them using the Great Serpent Style secret technique.

"Alright, you can talk now!"

Immediately afterwards, a small snake opened its mouth: "Hey, is this Red Bean?"

Red Bean picked up another small snake with a grin and said to it, "It's me, it's me, Senior Brother Chu Jiu. The Hyuga Hiashi Clan Chief is right across from us."

"Senior Hiashi, I am Yamanaka Hatsukyu."

Hiashi Hyuga said in a deep voice, "I am Hiashi, the ninth generation... What do you want to say to me?"

Upon hearing Hiashi's voice, Orochimaru, thousands of kilometers away, laughed: "Haha, this guy is just putting on an act."

Yamanaka Chukyu laughed as well: "Hiashi-senpai is the clan leader, so it's normal for him to care about his reputation."

After exchanging a few jokes, Chu Jiu restarted the communication snake and sent a message to Konoha Village: "Senior Hiashi, I already know."

"Knowing that the Cloud Village ninja infiltrated the Hyuga clan, kidnapped Hinata Hyuga, the daughter of our ancestor, and were then killed by you, from any perspective, it's the Cloud Village's fault, not the Hyuga's!"

"But I guess the Third Hokage admitted this, but demanded that the Hyuga clan bow down, not only taking the blame upon themselves, but also offering a life of sufficient importance to shut up the mouths of the Cloud Village ninja."

"is that so?"

Looking at the dumbfounded Anko, Hiashi Hyuga replied bitterly, "Hatsukyu, you guessed very accurately, so accurately that I'm a little scared."

Shan Zhongchu smiled.