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"This young man has a point," said the patrol team captain.
He continued, "Unlike them, who need to avoid the patrol squads along the way, if you speed up and head directly to the southern coast, you might intercept them there."
"Oh, I see!" Guy quickly regained his high spirits. "Then let's move out immediately! Target, southern coast!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee responded enthusiastically.
"No, that's just the most likely scenario," Shino replied calmly. "We can't be certain they'll go there."
"No problem!" Guy raised a thumbs-up, flashing his big, white teeth. "Our other teammates are taking action too. We'll handle the south!"
Shino nodded. "Understood."
"Then!"
Guy crouched into a running stance, and Lee quickly followed suit.
"Let's go!!!"
The two dashed off at top speed.
"Let's go too," Tenten said to Shino, and they began to follow.
"I really don't fit in with these guys' style," Shino muttered, adjusting his sunglasses before reluctantly joining them.
The captain watched them disappear into the distance, then shifted his attention to the now-awake Natsu and Shoyo.
"Let's go. Take these two back to camp," he ordered.
He approached the siblings and looked them over. "To be honest, I can't tell if you're telling the truth, so I'll hand you over."
With that, he turned and led the way back to camp, with his team surrounding the siblings and following closely.
Shoyo and Natsu exchanged a silent glance and said nothing more.
---
*One day earlier.*
At the Hyuga residence in Konoha, Hiashi Hyuga called an urgent clan meeting upon his return.
Outside the meeting room, Hinata anxiously waited, nervously wringing her hands.
Finally, the meeting concluded.
Clan members with some status in the family exited with various expressions on their faces, all leaving in a hurry. None of them noticed Hinata standing by.
Hiashi was the last to leave, and Hinata immediately gathered her courage to approach him.
"Fa... Father," she said, bowing her head before him.
"Hinata?"
Seeing his daughter looking so hesitant, Hiashi grew annoyed. "What are you doing here?"
"Father!" Hinata clenched her fists and raised her head, meeting his gaze despite her trembling legs. "Neji… Neji-nii-san..."
"That traitor! That ungrateful son!" Hiashi grew angrier at the mention of Neji's name. "What are you planning to do? Plead for that traitor?"
"Father!" Hinata held onto his sleeve. "What will happen to Neji-nii-san?"
"A traitor to the clan," Hiashi said coldly, his face darkening. "He no longer has any reason to exist."
"How... how could that be..." Hinata's hands trembled, and her face paled. "Father… please..."
"Silence! This is not something you should be involved in!" Hiashi barked, shaking off her hand and walking away without looking back.
Left alone in the courtyard, Hinata slowly crouched down, hiding her face in her knees as she silently wept.
'Neji-nii-san, please run. Leave the Land of Fire safely. I'm still so useless, Naruto-kun. If it were you, would you be able to do more...'
---
In the Hokage's office.
Tsunade leaned her head on her crossed hands, her face stern as she looked at a rather uncomfortable Minato.
"Tsunade-sama?" Minato spoke cautiously.
Tsunade didn't respond, still staring at him intently.
"Um," Minato scratched his head nervously. "Tsunade-sama?"
"Tch!"
Tsunade slapped her desk, her face darkened.
"Minato! What is that man planning?!"
"I don't know," Minato replied without averting his gaze.
"You don't know!" Tsunade pointed at him. "Wasn't it you who brought Sasuke back to Konoha?! What did you promise me then?!"
"I'm sorry," Minato said apologetically. "I failed to prevent this."
"We overlooked the Uchiha clan's matters, and now they've gone and interfered with the Hyuga as well!"
Tsunade slapped the table again, creating a few cracks. "Does Konoha have no backbone anymore?!"
"..." Minato looked visibly miserable.
Kaito has really gotten me into trouble!
"I don't care what you do," Tsunade said, regaining her calm while still fixing her sharp gaze on Minato. "Uchiha Kaito must give me an explanation for this! Otherwise, Konoha will become a laughingstock!"
"I understand," Minato nodded, giving her a weak smile. "Then, I'll be off, Tsunade-sama."
"Go!" Tsunade dismissed him tiredly.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Minato began to worry.
'What should I do? Those two Uchihas are nothing but trouble! Especially Kaito — he didn't even give me a way to reach him!'
'Should I bring Neji back? Forget it, I'll wait. Let's see if Neji really manages to escape. This might not be a bad thing for the Hyuga clan.' Lost in thought, Minato walked off, eventually deciding to watch the situation unfold.
Outside the Hokage's office window, a paper doll hidden beneath the eaves trembled silently. Inside it, Danzo's soul was seething with rage.
"Curse it! The Uchiha clan has ill intentions for Konoha, as I suspected!"
He silently roared, his expression twisted.
"And the Hyuga clan is starting to act up too! I don't believe for a second those two brats are behind this! This is definitely a plot! That sly fox Hiashi must be hedging his bets, sacrificing a branch member genius to secure both sides! It's such an obvious scheme, and yet Tsunade is completely blind to it! Useless! She hasn't even put the Hyuga under surveillance for harboring a rogue ninja! Tsunade is clearly unfit to be Hokage! She's nowhere near as competent as I am! And that fool Minato, who undoubtedly betrayed us for the sake of revival."
"Tsunade foolishly trusts him with the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki! Ridiculous! The means for revival are right before their eyes, yet these idiots haven't seized it! It infuriates me! Just look; without me, Konoha is rapidly crumbling. They're all useless! Without my watchful eye, Konoha is heading straight downhill!"
"At this rate, Konoha is doomed!"
---
"What's going on?" Tsunade rubbed her arms, feeling a sudden chill.
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune quickly closed the window.
"The weather's turning chilly. Please take care of yourself."
"Tch, I'm fine," Tsunade grumbled, feeling slightly better. "I am the top medical ninja, after all!"
Outside the window, Danzo's silent, furious rant continued, "Why?! Why let the Hokage position fall into such a fool's hands?! I refuse to accept this!"