Chapter 394: Chapter 456 : Hiruzen’s Anxiety!!
The Hokage’s Office.
"What is the current situation with the Hyuga clan?"
In his office, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly sensed a strange chakra coming from the Hyuga clan.
He couldn’t help but walk toward the window.
Looking up in the direction of the Hyuga clan, his pupils immediately constricted.
"Huh? What is going on?"
A massive Byakugan-like pattern spread over a portion of the Hyuga clan, making it appear both grand and mysterious.
Moreover, he felt an inexplicable sensation, as if things were slowly being overturned. Even his heart began to tremble slightly.
"What... is this? What exactly is happening?"
Thinking this, he hurried back to his desk and activated the Telescope Technique to observe the Hyuga clan.
Buzz~~
As the crystal orb trembled slightly, the scene inside slowly began to appear.
The territory of the Hyuga clan!
Many members of the branch families were lying on the ground. Wait... why couldn’t he clearly see what was happening inside the Byakugan pattern?
"Could someone be interfering with the Telescope Technique using chakra?" Hiruzen squinted, a growing unease stirring in his heart.
He had the feeling that this was related to the balance of power in Konoha.
It was very possible that today, the Hyuga clan’s fate would be changed.
He tried countless methods, but still could not see the scene within the Byakugan pattern.
Instead, the pattern seemed aware of his observation. A faint chakra began to spread outward, covering the entire Hyuga clan.
The Telescope Technique seemed completely blocked. Through Hiruzen’s crystal orb, the entire Hyuga clan was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to observe their surroundings.
"Damn it... Who is in the Hyuga clan, and who is interfering with the chakra flow, blocking my Telescope Technique?" Hiruzen’s crystal orb relied on locking onto someone’s chakra to observe the environment.
However, now all the chakra he had locked onto from the Hyuga clan was being interfered with by another source of chakra, making it impossible for him to sense them.
Naturally, his telescope technique was also ineffective.
In fact, this method had been taught to Hyuga Neji by Genya. With the Byakugan enhanced, it could sense any external prying.
So when Sarutobi Hiruzen activated the telescope technique, Neji had already begun to cover his tracks.
Now, he had sealed the entire Hyuga clan, making it impossible for anyone to spy on them through special means.
"Send someone here..."
Feeling helpless, Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow and called for a member of the Anbu to come over and explain what was happening with the Hyuga clan.
It wasn’t long before a masked man in black entered. He bowed respectfully to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Lord Hokage, what are your orders?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him and spoke slowly, "What’s happening with the Hyuga clan? And what is that pattern in the sky?"
From Sarutobi Hiruzen’s perspective, the situation with the Hyuga clan must have already become serious.
"Earlier today, the Eighth Elder of the Hyuga clan went to Hizashi’s courtyard with members of the main house. They intended to punish Hizashi’s wife to force Hyuga Neji, who was hiding outside, to show himself," the Anbu ninja explained everything he had witnessed during the day.
"Hyuga Neji violated the clan rules, so a mild punishment is justified," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, showing no concern over the main house causing trouble for Neji’s mother. "But will Hyuga Neji actually appear?"
Rather than being indifferent to the main house bullying Neji’s mother, he seemed to tacitly accept it.
He believed that if Neji dared to attack members of the main house, he should be punished.
What the Eighth Elder and the main house did was correct.
"They only acted while Hyuga Hiashi was away," the Anbu ninja added.
"Hyuga Hiashi was away?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s expression, which had been somewhat forlorn, suddenly grew serious.
He thought for a moment.
Then realization dawned on him. Hyuga Hiashi must have already sensed that Hyuga Hinata could be in danger and was likely taking the opportunity, while on a mission, to protect her.
However, perhaps I owe an apology to the head of the Hyuga Clan.
Hyuga Hinata was destined to be a sacrifice, but it was all for the sake of Konoha.
Letting your daughter die alongside the Uchiha brat in the Land of Lightning was the best choice.
Believe me, Hyuga Hiashi would slowly come to accept it.
In recent years, Hyuga Hiashi had led the Hyuga Clan in supporting him. He had no intention of joining forces with the main family to replace the clan’s head.
"They’ve appeared!" The ANBU ninja nodded, then continued, "The Hyuga main family’s method actually works. Just now, I saw Hyuga Neji appear and return to his own home!"
"Hyuga Neji returned?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback.
He hadn’t expected this. If it were any other member of the branch family, once they fled, they would never return.
Now, Hyuga Neji’s return... wasn’t that courting death?
The main family had always wanted to trouble him, and the Eighth Elder of the Hyuga Clan almost hated him to the core.
"Yes, he returned!" The ANBU ninja nodded, then added, "Not long after Hyuga Neji came back, something strange appeared in the skies above the Hyuga Clan!"
"Something strange after Neji returned?" Hiruzen frowned, lost in thought.
He still didn’t fully understand the situation. He even suspected that the Caged Bird Seal had something to do with the barrier.
Hyuga Neji must have had some extraordinary encounter to dare do such a thing. Hiruzen suspected the barrier might be shielding caged bird seal.
Only by shielding the caged bird seal would Hyuga Neji dare to defy the main family!
"We couldn’t check directly since it’s the Hyuga Clan’s territory. ANBU can’t just go in!" The masked ANBU shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Especially since the Hyuga Clan has skilled reconnaissance ninja."
Among Konoha’s great clans, there was an unspoken rule: ANBU wouldn’t patrol inside the clan.
So even if ANBU monitored the clan, it would only be from outside.
For the Hyuga Clan, ANBU followed this rule strictly.
The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, once activated, could see the surrounding environment and even those hiding in the shadows.
For that reason, the Hyuga Clan was a sensitive topic for them.
"Useless!" Sarutobi Hiruzen scolded as he saw the ANBU ninja hesitate.
"Right now, something serious has happened within the Hyuga Clan. You are the ANBU of Konoha, and you can openly investigate. How could they possibly refuse?"
"If they refuse, it means they are opposing Konoha!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the ANBU members, speaking each word with deliberate seriousness.
His tone carried both sincerity and the pride of the Hokage.
The ANBU nodded quickly and said, "I’ll send someone immediately to investigate the Hyuga Clan’s situation!"
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