"An opportunity?" Hyuga Reiyo narrowed his eyes as if he didn't understand Danzo's meaning. Hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard before speaking again. "Danzo, just say what you mean. How does Haruto Saito's mission create an opportunity for the Hyuga Clan? The secret scrolls of our clan were destroyed by him!"
His voice turned cold at the mention of this. When he first heard the news, he had been furious—he wanted nothing more than to rip Haruto apart. But as time passed, he had calmed down. After all, Haruto was the personal disciple of the Hokage. Attacking him purely for revenge was not worth the risk.
"Destroyed? That's what Haruto told you." Danzo's voice paused before he added in an eerie tone, "But is that really the truth? Just because he says he destroyed them… does that make it so?"
Hyuga Reiyo's expression shifted slightly. His heart pounded, and he turned to face Danzo again. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Danzo, do you know something? Just say it outright!"
"The scrolls still exist!" Danzo declared with absolute certainty. "Haruto never destroyed them. He simply hid them away!"
"Oh?" A sharp glint flashed in Hyuga Reiyo's eyes—like a bolt of lightning cutting through the darkness. His gaze turned piercing as he scrutinized Danzo. "Haruto is no fool. He wouldn't have told anyone something like that. So how do you know?"
"I have my ways," Danzo replied, his face darkening. "I've been keeping an eye on that boy for a long time. However, I haven't yet found where he's hidden the scrolls. I suspect only he knows their exact location."
Hyuga Reiyo narrowed his eyes once more, staring at Danzo's profile before slowly shifting his gaze away. He didn't speak for a while, lost in thought.
Danzo glanced at him but didn't rush the conversation. He knew he had no absolute guarantee that he could persuade Hyuga Reiyo to take action against Haruto. Reiyo was a cautious man—loyal to Sarutobi Hiruzen. Danzo could only try and sway him.
The truth was, Danzo was lying.
He had no idea whether Haruto had truly destroyed the scrolls or not. But the truth didn't matter—only that Hyuga Reiyo believed him. Because this was something no one could verify.
If Haruto claimed the scrolls weren't destroyed, no one would believe him.
All Danzo needed was for the Hyuga Clan to move against Haruto! To hunt him down and force the truth from him!
That was enough.
It would ensure Haruto died outside the village. And no matter how much anyone investigated afterward, nothing would ever trace back to Danzo.
"Where was he sent on this mission?" Hyuga Reiyo suddenly asked. "The Land of Whirlpools?"
He had already guessed it.
The Land of Whirlpools had fallen into chaos, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had issued numerous missions related to the situation. Many Konoha shinobi had been sent there recently, including the Hyuga Intelligence Unit under Reiyo's command.
"Yes. The Land of Whirlpools—targeting the Mist Village's Vanguard Army. An assassination mission." Danzo nodded, then added, "He left this morning with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. But they won't be with him the entire time. They're only assisting him briefly with the assassination. Tsunade and the others have their own important objectives, so… they will separate from him."
Danzo didn't spell it out completely, but the meaning was clear:
The Hyuga Clan had a chance to find Haruto alone.
If Haruto remained with Tsunade and the others, the Hyuga Clan wouldn't dare touch him. They wouldn't risk crossing all three of them.
But if Haruto was alone…
That was a very different situation.
Hyuga Reiyo remained silent, deep in thought.
If everything Danzo said was true, then he wasn't wrong.
This was an opportunity.
A chance to reclaim the lost scrolls of the Hyuga Clan.
But another thought lingered in Reiyo's mind—why was Danzo telling him all this?
"What's your reason for telling me this?" Reiyo asked directly. He didn't bother with roundabout questions.
The truth was, he and Danzo had known each other for many years. They were of similar age and had been close friends in Konoha's early days. But because of their respective positions, they had grown distant.
As the head of the Hyuga Main Family, Reiyo couldn't afford to be seen as too close to Danzo. His loyalty was to Sarutobi Hiruzen, and if he was caught associating privately with Danzo too often, suspicions would arise.
"You've been in a tough fight with the Uchiha Clan lately," Danzo remarked suddenly, as if changing the subject.
"Hmph. So what?" Reiyo replied.
"I want you to win," Danzo stated bluntly, his expression darkening. "The Uchiha Clan deserves to be wiped out. We cannot allow another rebellion like in the past! If your clan regains its lost scrolls, your overall strength will grow. And with that… you'll always be above the Uchiha."
"That goes without saying," Reiyo said coldly.
He didn't doubt Danzo's hatred for the Uchiha. Everyone knew about it.
In truth, all of Konoha's higher-ups were wary of the Uchiha Clan. It wasn't a secret.
But Danzo was more extreme than the rest.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sought to maintain balance and stability.
Danzo, on the other hand, wanted the Uchiha wiped out.
"And that boy, Haruto Saito… he needs to die as well." Danzo's eyes gleamed darkly. "I have no idea what Sarutobi Hiruzen is thinking, taking him as a personal disciple. Koharu and I both opposed it! He's an outsider, a defector from an enemy village! If anything, he's even more unstable than the Uchiha! One day, he will become a threat to Konoha!
Hiruzen is being blind… but I refuse to let this mistake continue."
Danzo's extreme nature was showing again. If he saw someone as a threat, he would eliminate them—without hesitation.
But that wasn't the real reason he wanted Haruto dead.
Was Sarutobi Hiruzen truly blind?
Of course not.
Danzo trusted Hiruzen's judgment. The fact that the Hokage had taken Haruto as his personal disciple proved that Haruto wasn't a threat.
But it was precisely because Haruto was legitimate that he needed to die.
Because Haruto Saito had a high chance of becoming the next Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had four personal disciples.
Tsunade had a reckless nature—clever but addicted to gambling and prone to fits of rage.
Orochimaru was too cold, lacked empathy, and had an excessive thirst for blood.
Jiraiya was too carefree. If you asked him to be Hokage, he'd probably refuse outright.
Despite their talents, all three had serious flaws. Their chances of becoming Hokage had significantly decreased over time.
But Haruto…
Yes, he had flaws. He was reckless, loved taking risks. But he was still young and moldable.
And Hiruzen valued him greatly.
Danzo had a strong feeling that right now, Haruto was at the top of Hiruzen's list for the next Hokage.
That's why Haruto had to die.
This wasn't about logic—it was about personal feelings.
Danzo had disliked Haruto from the start. He had always despised the idea of an enemy defector rising within Konoha.
Hyuga Reiyo understood everything now.
Danzo wanted to use the Hyuga Clan as his weapon.
He was trying to get them to assassinate Haruto for him.
And the worst part?
It was hard to refuse.
Because Reiyo truly wanted those scrolls back.
And since Danzo had taken the initiative to bring this plan to him, if the Hyuga Clan went through with it, Danzo would undoubtedly help cover their tracks afterward.
"Who is Haruto's assassination target?" Reiyo asked suddenly.
Danzo smirked.
He knew now—Reiyo had taken the bait.