The Hyuga Shall Stand Above, In The Heavens!

"This time, things are different. I've learned my lesson!"

"Everyone knows that we won the defense of Konohagakure!"

"And because we were so close to the village, resupply was easy. Apart from the loss of personnel, our resources were barely touched."

"Even though I don't want to admit it, it's true that thanks to the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan leading the charge, we took down a lot of enemies in this fight! We even scattered the backup forces from Iwagakure that had entered the Land of Fire, and pushed back Kumogakure Village, forcing them back to the border."

"So, I've come to a conclusion—it's not just us who are short on troops, both of those villages are in the same situation!"

"I've been to Iwagakure Village myself, so I know exactly how hard it is for them to send out reinforcements from the Land of Earth. At least until they completely rebuild the Kannabi Bridge, they'll have to take a long detour to send help."

"And just like Iwagakure, Kumogakure also needs time to reorganize and send new reinforcements from their back lines. And that is where we can turn things around!"

Konohagakure, Hokage's office.

Shimura Danzo pointed at the whiteboard behind him, holding a marker as he sketched out something, a confident smile spreading across his face.

Below, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, waiting for Danzo to continue.

Utatane Koharu, listening on the side, didn't understand anything but still looked impressed, glancing at Danzo with admiration.

"And now, what we need to do is seize the opportunity and take the initiative!"

Danzo drew a circle on the whiteboard with a black marker, his eyes flashing.

"Right now, both the Raikage and Tsuchikage must think that Konoha will take this chance to rest, recover, reclaim the areas Kumogakure raided, and spend time helping the refugees."

"But I suggest we do the opposite! There's no need to worry about mere commoners. We must seize this chance, and while they're not expecting it, break through their defenses in one swift move! Hit them hard!"

So that's it!

Sarutobi Hiruzen's old eyes lit up, understanding Danzo's plan.

After just coming out of a major war, everyone in the ninja world knew that Iwagakure and Kumogakure wouldn't let Konoha rest. It felt like they were trying to drag Konoha into a long, exhausting fight, draining it to death.

Since that's the case, why not turn the tables and strike first? Start the war again and scare them into submission!

To be fair, hearing this kind of strategy coming from Danzo genuinely surprised Sarutobi Hiruzen. He never expected his old friend to have such solid ideas.

But...

A hint of hesitation flashed across Sarutobi's face. His usual overly cautious nature kicked in.

"The plan is good, and I believe following your suggestion could bring results."

"But Konoha has just gone through a war. It does need some time to recover, and launching an attack carries risks."

He was hinting pretty clearly. The meaning was obvious—he needed someone to take the fall if things went wrong.

"Besides, our forces are exhausted from the recent battles. Sending tired troops into another fight only adds to the risk."

You've got to be kidding me.

Danzo, fully understanding his old friend's meaning, was speechless. But after all these years, he was used to it.

Taking the blame again? He hadn't done that enough already?

So, he waved his hand, signaling that it wasn't a big deal.

"We may be tired, but Kumogakure and Iwagakure had to cross mountains and rivers to get here. They're even more worn out than we are."

"Tired troops against tired troops! We have the advantage of easier resupply. As long as we seize the chance and win the battle, we can take back everything we lost!"

A big victory would be enough for the Third Hokage to regain his momentum, at least balancing his achievements and keeping his position secure. Then it wouldn't be so easy for Hyuga Hitoshi to challenge him.

Even if Sarutobi stayed in the village keeping an eye on Hyuga, there wouldn't be much he could do to stop him if that guy tried to take over. The ninja clans, the higher-ups, even the Daimyo might turn to support Hyuga!

Danzo wasn't wrong—the situation couldn't get much worse. Going out again for one more fight wasn't out of the question. Last time, he didn't get to avenge Shinnosuke, and that still bothered him.

After thinking it over, Sarutobi exhaled a deep breath and tapped the table with his finger.

"So, the advantage is ours?"

Danzo was startled for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"The advantage is ours!"

They were in! The two quickly reached an agreement.

But Utatane Koharu, who had been quietly listening the whole time, didn't quite get it. 

She hadn't really followed all the strategy talk, but she understood one thing clearly: 

There's going to be a war!

War means profits!

The Konohagakure defense battle was over, and there didn't seem to be any immediate threats. Using some old Shuriken and Kunai shouldn't be a problem, right? After all, military supplies left over from the war are still usable. Why be so picky?

As for those Explosive Tags, a bit outdated maybe, but they could even pack a bigger punch! 

And those soldier pills—do they really have to be fresh? A few hundred days past the expiration date might just make them more chewy!

As Konohagakure's logistics head during wartime, there was a lot to learn here. Koharu had a knack for focusing on the essentials, even if she didn't always fully understand them. But she knew one thing for sure: the main forces this time were Sarutobi and Danzo. The supplies for this part couldn't be messed with or taken, but there were still other ways to profit. 

Konohagakure had plenty of skilled fighters, after all. Surely, they didn't need the best weapons to win. Koharu was certain of that!

She figured she'd have to chat with Mitokado Homura later to see if they could reclaim the profits they missed when Konohagakure was defeated before. Hopefully, they could make a big profit this time!

The high-level meeting that would decide the fate of the ninja world came to an end, and Sarutobi began issuing orders. Konohagakure, still recovering from the last war, was once again preparing for battle.

And as expected, both Kumogakure Village and Iwagakure Village quickly caught wind of the movement on Konohagakure's side.

But knowing is one thing; giving up on this war was out of the question.

Oonoki understood the importance of this war and kept urging his son, who was responsible for mobilizing their forces. Even Raikage, who hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, was gearing up for battle and had gathered most of Kumogakure's main forces to the frontlines.

Both sides were making big moves. Everyone knew the second round of fighting was coming, and they all prepared themselves, their faces serious.

To be fair, Danzo had found a pretty good opportunity this time. He didn't mess things up, and his plan wasn't bad. It was a straightforward strategy, taking advantage of the fact that the Land of Earth's reinforcements hadn't arrived yet and that they had just suffered a defeat. If they could win fast enough, they could claim victory in this war in one swift move.

Unfortunately, Konohagakure wasn't only being held back by those two.

Two days later.

Thanks to the "great efforts" of the two Hokage advisors, Konohagakure quickly organized its war supplies and logistical routes. When it came to causing trouble for their own side, the two highly respected advisors truly showed their full abilities, even surprising Sarutobi Hiruzen. However, the Third Hokage was smart enough to double-check the Sarutobi clan's weapons and equipment. To his relief, there were no substandard goods being passed off as acceptable.

But Sarutobi remained cautious. Brother Fugaku clearly wasn't the type to pay attention to details, and the old advisors had a lot of experience in this area, so the first batch of supplies wouldn't openly cut corners.

Therefore, nothing suspicious was found.

At the moment, Brother Fugaku wasn't even focused on the supplies. He stood in front of Patriarch Hitoshi, pounding his chest, looking very regretful.

"It seems this time, I'll have to go on ahead first. I can only fight alongside you later."

Yes.

When the Third Hokage shifted his thinking to internal conflict, his excellent brain started working again.

The blitzkrieg strategy was a secret developed with Danzo.

He and Danzo knew about it, but others didn't.

So the arrangements made by the Third Hokage were quite interesting.

On the front line, he personally led the troops—nothing unusual there. What was strange was that the person chosen to guard the rear would rotate, and it just so happened that the first group tasked with guarding the village was the Hyuga clan.

This was an open and fair arrangement, so no one would say anything. Even Hyuga Hitoshi himself didn't mind, and when he heard the news, he even laughed.

As a result, aside from the Hyuga clan members needed as scouts, Hyuga Hitoshi and the main forces of the Hyuga clan were temporarily left behind. And Hyuga Hitoshi gave his clan only one order: if anything unexpected happened, run immediately.

Patriarch Hitoshi could see that, on the surface, this arrangement seemed fair, but in reality, it was meant to prevent the Hyuga clan from gaining more reputation and winning the people's hearts.

Perhaps in the calculations of the Third Hokage and Danzo, once they defeated the Raikage and Tsuchikage's forces at any cost, the war would be over, and the Hyuga clan, left behind to guard the village, wouldn't gain any benefits. It was all about timing.

From a big-picture perspective, this strategy made sense, and it was the right approach.

But.

As the saying goes, you can always trust Shimura Danzo!

With Danzo involved, there are no surprises!

In the end, Patriarch Hitoshi offered Brother Fugaku his sincere blessings.

"I wish you victory, Brother, to trample Oonoki and cut down Ay of the Night Moon!"

With the Third Hokage's order, the forces of Konohagakure set off on their journey once again.

This time, they felt a bit more confident. Even Nara Shikaku didn't see anything majorly wrong with Danzo's plan.

As the army departed, the village's atmosphere grew quieter.

Time passed, and the first night of the Hyuga clan guarding the village arrived.

Night fell, covering the land, and this was precisely the time when shady characters would start moving.

Outside the outskirts of Konohagakure, at the site where Patriarch Hitoshi led the Hyuga clan to defeat the Kumogakure Village ninjas, a slender, shadowy figure quietly appeared.

The person was dressed in black, with a veil covering their face. Under the moonlight, her full figure was hard to miss. From a distance, it was clear that she carried a considerable weight on her chest, and with her slim waist, she was undeniably a stunning beauty.

If not for her pure golden hair, she could easily be mistaken for Tsunade-hime from the Land of Fire.

"What an unbelievable man."

A cold, disbelieving whisper escaped her lips, clearly shocked by the battlefield's destruction.

Tightening the veil around her face, Samui felt the urge to retreat. Earlier, when she had heard her colleagues from Kumogakure Village describe it, she thought they were exaggerating. But now, seeing it in person, she realized that the man named Hyuga Hitoshi was far stronger than she had imagined.

Maybe it's better to let Yugito stay locked up by the Hyuga clan.

Swallowing hard, Samui thought it might not be so bad after all.

She had originally been part of the Konohagakure siege force, but halfway there, Raikage sent her back to Kumogakure Village. By the time she made it back to the Land of Fire, all she found was the news of Raikage's defeat.

Now, her mission was to observe the situation in Konohagakure and investigate the supply lines of their main forces.

In fact, ever since the Third Hokage and Danzo gathered the ninjas, Ai and Oonoki had been making careful preparations. Samui wasn't the only one scouting behind enemy lines; many others were doing the same.

Their role was just as important as the fighters on the frontlines.

"If I keep going, I'll be in Konohagakure's territory."

Staring ahead, a trace of hesitation crossed Samui's face. Technically, she shouldn't get too close, but remembering her conversations with her best friend back in Kumogakure Village, it didn't feel right to return just yet.

Maybe I'll just take a look from a distance, to get familiar with the area. I can earn more credit when I report back. After all, Raikage-sama will eventually reclaim the Two-Tails, and if the main battlefield fails, sneaking in and forcibly taking Yugito back would be the next option.

Just like when they tried to kidnap the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before. The village elders always said that if the Fourth Hokage hadn't interfered, Kumogakure Village would have had the Nine-Tails by now!

With that in mind, I might as well prepare in advance. Besides, I'll need a map if I'm going to sneak in later. Walking around the outskirts wouldn't hurt, and it's not like I'll run into one of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan users, right?

They're important people—would their clan members even live on the outskirts?

I'll just look around from here, no need to go deeper.

Confident in her abilities as a new ninja, Samui convinced herself.

And then—

She ended up being delivered right to Patriarch Hitoshi's front door.

Seeing her beloved best friend.

"You bastard, you actually betrayed Kumogakure Village!"

Samui, tied up and thrown to the ground, struggled to lift her head and glared at the woman kneeling next to Hyuga Hitoshi, with cat ears perked up and a swaying tail.

"I didn't! I'm completely loyal to Kumogakure Village!"

Yugito, the cat girl, protested, and she quickly popped a grape into her master's mouth, rubbing against Hyuga Hitoshi's calf as if to earn praise.

She really hadn't betrayed Kumogakure Village and, in fact, had firmly kept its secrets. 

Even though Yugito was currently acting like a submissive cat, she felt no guilt.

Why? 

Yugito hadn't given in, but the two-tailed Matatabi inside her had. That's the same Matatabi she often praised, which, out of fear of the terrifying gaze of the man before her, had taken control of her body, turning her into a cat maid.

Some people were alive, but the shame of her situation made her want to give up.

She could die for Kumogakure Village and had even prepared herself for sacrifice when she was captured. The only difference was that she was a female ninja, so it was nothing more than enduring some humiliation before death—like being bitten by a dog.

But now…

Just thinking about certain scenes made her face burn with embarrassment.

And there was more to come.

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