https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-254-A-Full-Table-of-Mahjong-Players-67-/12559326/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-256-This-is-the-Fifth-Hokage-17-/12559336/
Chapter 255: Hinata Incident [77]
Chapter 255: Hinata Incident [77]
Feng Ye, Tsunade, and the others played mahjong until three in the morning.
The game ended with Feng Ye winning four and a half rounds out of six, coming out on top four times. On the other table, Konan emerged as the eventual winner with the highest score.
It was worth mentioning that when Konan arrived, Kakashi was in third place. Konan took his place and, despite her lack of experience, played even better than he had, climbing her way to the top with a series of consecutive wins.
The Nine-Tails propped up its last two claws, puffing out its cheeks on both sides.
The next day.
Feng Ye woke up on the sofa and rubbed his eyes.
Konan had left after the game, while Tsunade and Shizune stayed the night at Feng Ye's place. Shizune and Rin had both learned medical ninjutsu from Tsunade, and the three of them had a good relationship. Shizune and Rin slept in Feng Ye's room, while Anko shared a room with Kurenai.
Tsunade occupied the room that had been vacated when Kakashi moved out.
There were other bedrooms, but they lacked bedding. However, the real reason Feng Ye slept on the sofa had nothing to do with that. It was because of Kurenai, Rin, and Shizune. While they didn't mind sharing a room with Feng Ye, they were uncomfortable with the idea of him sharing a room with anyone else.
Just as Feng Ye sat up on the sofa and yawned, the door to Kurenai's room opened. Kurenai, clad in loose white sleepwear, emerged sleepily. The sleepwear was left slightly unbuttoned, revealing the well-developed figure of a sixteen-year-old girl.
She carefully closed the door and, upon noticing Feng Ye sitting on the sofa, immediately raised a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet.
"Shh..."
"Anko is still sleeping," Kurenai whispered. "Do you want something to eat? I'll prepare breakfast."
Seeing her drowsy state, Feng Ye couldn't help but chuckle. "You should go back to sleep. I'll just make some breakfast myself. I need to head out to take care of something soon anyway."
Kurenai looked concerned. "You've only slept for less than four hours. Why don't you use a shadow clone instead? After all, Nara Shikaku is handling things."
"No, this is a small matter that requires my physical presence." Feng Ye stood up and smiled at her. He reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture that caused a hint of crimson to appear on Kurenai's cheeks as she lowered her head slightly.
And it was this action of lowering her head that made her realize her sleepwear was unbuttoned. Her face turned a shade redder, and she quickly adjusted her clothing. "Then make sure you get some rest later..."
"Okay," Feng Ye said with a slight smile as he made his way towards the kitchen.
...
Nine in the morning.
Hyuuga Clan's Estate.
A large number of people had gathered in one of the clan's more spacious courtyards, making it extremely crowded. There appeared to be at least several dozen people squeezed into the area.
On the outer walls and rooftops stood even more ninja sentinels.
Some wore the uniforms of the Konoha Security Force and belonged to the Uchiha clan, while others donned the coats of the Shadow Guard, bearing the symbols '2' and '7'—members of the Second and Seventh Platoons responsible for maintaining peace within Konoha.
In addition.
There were also some Konoha jonin present, led by Nara Shikaku.
In the center of this particular courtyard, two groups stood in confrontation. One side comprised the Hyuuga clan ninja, headed by Hyuuga Hiashi, while the other was a group of Cloud ninja who had come to forge an alliance.
Lying between the two groups on the ground was the body of the Cloud ninja's captain.
"As expected of one of Konoha's Great Families," a Cloud ninja spat. "You kill our leader, refuse to take responsibility, and even slander his name. You were the only ones absent from yesterday's celebration. It seems the entire village dances to your tune, Hyuuga clan."
Upon discovering the intruder last night, intent on kidnapping Hinata, Hizashi naturally treated them as an enemy and struck with full force, aiming for vital points.
However, to his surprise, his attacker suddenly stiffened, not attempting to dodge, and his hand blade strike broke the intruder's neck.
It was only then that he realized the intruder was the leader of the Cloud ninja, and Hizashi's brow furrowed as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He even suspected that someone was deliberately targeting the Hyuuga clan, as the intruder's sudden rigidity didn't seem like normal behavior.
"...And as I said, your captain seemed to be under someone's control. It's not entirely my fault, and it could be that someone is deliberately framing us."
"Nonsense!" The Cloud ninja glared at Hizashi, unconvinced.
Whether it was deliberate entrapment or not, they didn't know, and Hizashi's earnest explanation made them wonder if there might indeed be some truth to it. However, they could only direct their anger at the Hyuuga clan.
If the relationship between Konoha and the Hyuuga clan was strained, they might be able to pressure the Hyuuga clan into taking responsibility, using the opportunity to acquire the Byakugan bloodline limit.
"Every word I say is true," Hizashi asserted, his voice grave.
He turned to Nara Shikaku, his expression somber, awaiting his judgment.
Shikaku's face was impassive, revealing no strong emotions, but his keen intellect had already deduced the likely cause, sequence of events, and truth behind the incident.
Undoubtedly, Hizashi wouldn't have idly killed the Cloud ninja's leader, so the intruder's presence in the Hyuuga clan's territory during the night was certain.
And Hizashi's explanation of the cause of death didn't seem like a lie; at the very least, from the surface, Shikaku could sense Hizashi's irritation and his suspicion that he had been set up.
However...
The fact remained that the Cloud ninja's leader had died at the hands of the Hyuuga clan.
This matter could be made bigger or smaller, but the final decision rested not with Hizashi, the Cloud ninja, or even himself, but with the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.
"Shikaku, are you just going to let the Hyuuga clan trample over us like this?" one of the Cloud ninja demanded. "They didn't even attend the celebration, blatantly disregarding the peace between our villages!"
The Cloud ninja turned expectant eyes to Shikaku, awaiting his response.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Shikaku said calmly. "First, we need to establish the cause of your captain's death. I've already informed the Hokage about this incident."
Shikaku was well aware of his role: to stall for time until Feng Ye arrived. This wasn't a matter he could decide on his own.
He crouched down and turned to Hinata, who was cowering behind Hizashi, her fingers clutching at his robe. With a gentle smile, he asked, "Hinata, do you remember what happened last night?"
"... " Hinata shook her head, her eyes filled with fear.
Shikaku stood up and addressed the ninja handling the Cloud ninja's body. "Have you determined the cause of death yet?"
The ninja had already established the cause of death but was repeatedly checking due to the seriousness of the matter, ensuring that no detail was overlooked.
"If there are no issues with the examination, it appears to be a broken neck and ruptured carotid artery," the ninja reported, his voice grave.
This essentially confirmed that Hizashi's gentle fist technique had caused the death.
(End of Chapter)
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