Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 285 Emotions

The debate in the Hokage's meeting room was extremely heated, but ultimately no clear conclusion was reached. Left with no other option, Jiraiya decided to take immediate action and recall Tsunade, thus ending the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Hyuga clan was busily packing and making arrangements for the departing members. Most decided to follow Hyuga Kanan to his training grounds, while some of the older clan elders chose to remain in Konoha. These elders had spent many years in Konoha and had deep feelings for the village. Furthermore, they had lost the will to pursue higher achievements and were unwilling to struggle in an unfamiliar environment.

After a series of events, Konoha Village appeared to have returned to peace on the surface, but in reality, many ninja clans keenly sensed the undercurrents within the village. The Hyuga clan's decision, in particular, was already widely known, yet the news of their impending departure still left many confused and bewildered. After all, the Hyuga clan had always been an important part of Konoha, their formidable strength and unique abilities leaving a deep impression. Now, the impending departure of this once-glorious clan undoubtedly dealt a significant blow to the entire village.

As one of the two powerful clans of Konoha, the Hyuga clan holds a pivotal position. They possess the astonishing Byakugan ability, allowing them to anticipate enemy movements and prepare countermeasures in advance. This makes them an indispensable strategic force for Konoha, with the Byakugan playing a crucial role in both missions and wars. Now, with the Hyuga clan's impending departure, everyone is beginning to worry about the future. Without the Hyuga clan's support, can Konoha maintain its former strength? Without a powerful weapon like the Byakugan, how will Konoha cope with external enemies? These questions linger in the minds of every ninja, causing them unease.

The Konoha leadership was not about to simply watch the Hyuga clan leave; their hearts were filled with resentment and discontent. Thus, a conspiracy quietly unfolded.

These high-ranking officials began spreading rumors throughout the village, claiming that the Hyuga clan had betrayed Konoha and had an ambiguous relationship with Orochimaru, the infamous rogue ninja. They fabricated various lies in an attempt to smear the Hyuga clan as traitors and internal saboteurs.

They claim that the betrayal of the Hyuga clan led to the death of the great Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. They accuse the Hyuga clan of secretly colluding with Orochimaru, becoming his inside agents in the attack on Konoha. Furthermore, they claim that the Hyuga clan deliberately let the Sand Village and Sound Village easily infiltrate the village, causing immense losses to Konoha.

These rumors quickly spread throughout Konoha Village, causing panic and anger among the villagers. People began to harbor suspicion and hostility towards the Hyuga clan, and their feelings towards the Hyuga clan gradually turned into distrust and suspicion.

However, the Hyuga clan no longer cares about such things, because they know very well that Konoha is not their true home. Despite their immense contributions and sacrifices to the village, all of this pales in comparison to a few fabricated rumors spread by Konoha's higher-ups. These rumors have caused the Hyuga clan to feel disappointed and dissatisfied with Konoha, gradually eroding their sense of belonging. For the Hyuga clan, the most important thing now is to leave this place as soon as possible, find a suitable place to recuperate, and establish their own clan territory. Only in this way can they better protect themselves and their clan members and pursue higher levels of development.

Faced with the Hyuga clan's complete lack of response, the Konoha leadership began to feel genuine panic. They had originally thought that by spreading rumors, they could force the Hyuga clan to submit and beg for mercy, but the situation had completely taken them by surprise.

The Konoha leadership realized that if the Hyuga clan chose not to respond, they would face even greater pressure and difficulties. They understood that if the Hyuga clan was unwilling to cooperate with them, they might have to pay a higher price to resolve this issue.

The Konoha leadership began to re-examine their plans and consider how to deal with this unexpected situation. They knew that if they couldn't find a proper solution, they would lose control of the situation, which could even lead to more serious consequences.

How could this be! How could the Hyuga clan have such a foolish idea? Don't they understand the gap between themselves and the Uchiha clan? The Uchiha clan once possessed the powerful Mangekyou Sharingan, yet they too were wiped out by the Konoha leadership. What does the Hyuga clan have to contend with them? If a conflict were to break out, it would be tantamount to suicide!

Furthermore, Konoha would absolutely not allow the Hyuga clan to leave easily. After all, their Byakugan ability holds significant strategic importance for the village. The Konoha leadership would not stand idly by and allow the Hyuga clan to depart. The sole purpose of spreading these rumors is to force the Hyuga clan to admit their mistake, thereby demonstrating their authority and control.

Therefore, it is virtually impossible for the Hyuga clan to leave the village. Their only option is to submit to the Konoha leadership, beg for their forgiveness, and hope to gain the right to remain in the village. Otherwise, they will face full-scale suppression and military conquest from Konoha, which will undoubtedly wipe the Hyuga clan out of the ninja world.

In this atmosphere, even those members of the Hyuga clan who had initially intended to remain in Konoha ultimately chose to leave. They once again deeply felt the undisguised malice emanating from the Konoha leadership, and even the last vestiges of their illusions were shattered by the rumors spreading throughout the village over the past few days. At this moment, they finally realized that Konoha was no longer a suitable place for the Hyuga clan to continue living. Therefore, they resolutely decided to leave this once familiar place to seek a new life for their clan.

Even Hinata Hyuga, with her exceptionally kind heart, sensed the deep-seated malice hidden within Konoha Village. She ultimately chose to abandon her teammates and leave with Neji. In just a few short days, all members of the Hyuga clan quickly packed their belongings, preparing to leave Konoha Village.

At midday, all the members of the Hyuga clan gathered together, and led by Hiashi Hyuga, they left the clan's ancestral home, where they had lived for over fifty years. Only the houses, bearing the marks of time, stood silently, bearing witness to the Hyuga clan's past glory in Konoha. Many clan members gazed at this familiar land with wistful eyes; though their hearts were filled with reluctance, they all understood that this place did not truly belong to their clan. No matter how long they had lived here, they would ultimately be forced to leave due to pressure from the Konoha leadership.

Hiashi Hyuga led his clansmen through the streets of Konoha Village, heading towards the gate. He was well aware of Kanan Hyuga's strength; Konoha alone couldn't possibly stop him. Even with so many clansmen, Konoha couldn't halt Kanan's departure. Furthermore, Hiashi didn't want the Hyuga clan to leave secretly, as that would make the villagers think they were acting out of guilt. The Hyuga clan had done right by Konoha; if they were to leave, they wanted to do so openly and honorably. They wanted everyone to know that the Hyuga clan had never wronged Konoha; only Konoha had wronged them.

The villagers of Konoha watched the vast Hyuga clan procession, a strange feeling welling up inside them. They had privately cursed the clan, calling them traitors to Konoha, and longed for their departure. Yet, now that the moment had truly arrived, and the Hyuga clan had left as they had hoped, the villagers felt a growing unease. They realized that what they had longed for had become reality, but it didn't bring the expected relief or satisfaction. Instead, an indescribable sense of loss washed over them. Nevertheless, it was too late. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, the Hyuga clan's departure from Konoha was a done deal, irreversible. Even if someone wanted to stop it or change the situation, it was too late.

The ninja clans, however, showed a hint of dissatisfaction. While ordinary villagers might not understand the Hyuga clan's importance to the village, these clans knew it all too well. The Hyuga clan had always been the village's strategic force. Whether in missions or wars, Konoha, with the Hyuga clan, always had the upper hand. Furthermore, the village's outer defenses relied heavily on the Hyuga clan. The ease with which Sunagakure and Otogakure were able to invade Konoha this time was not only due to Orochimaru's familiarity with Konoha's barrier and environment, but most importantly, because Hiruzen Sarutobi had been constantly suppressing the Hyuga clan, forcing all Hyuga ninjas in Konoha's ranks to leave. Now that the Hyuga clan had completely withdrawn from Konoha, the village would no longer hold an advantageous position against other ninja villages, and its long-held reputation as the strongest ninja village in the world would soon become meaningless.

Since the Hyuga clan withdrew from the Konoha ninja ranks, the casualty rate of Konoha ninjas on missions has increased significantly. Although these ninjas have long been dissatisfied, they have managed to suppress their emotions. After all, the Hyuga clan was only temporarily out of the Konoha ninja ranks and would return in the future. But now, the Hyuga clan has completely left Kimura, and no Hyuga clan ninjas will join the Konoha ranks again. Konoha will completely lose the Byakugan, a strategic force.

This completely harmed the lives and interests of most of Konoha's ninjas, causing dissatisfaction among many of them.