76. The Journey to The Konoha Council Meeting
As night transitioned into morning in Konoha, the dawn brought with it a palpable shift in the vige''s atmosphere. The usual tranquility was tinged with a sense of urgency and anxiety.
By now, word had spread throughout the vige that Konoha was embarking on arge-scale mobilization in response to the looming threat of global war.
The streets, once bustling with the daily routines of its inhabitants, now echoed with the sounds of military preparations.
It wasn''t until the afternoon began to wane that the Hyuga n''s delegation made its prominent departure from theirpound, setting a course towards the crucial pre-war council.
This assembly was designated for Konoha''s elite decision-makers to deliberate and define the vige''s involvement and strategy in the impending war.
The delegation was led by Patriarch Hirayoshi himself, his sessor Hiashi, Takumi, the Fifth Elder, and Hikari as well, as the three of them would lead the Hyuga n forces on the battlefield.
They were also walking closest to the center of the group, protected from all sides, and talking quietly about various matters regarding the uing meeting as they walked.
Their entourageprised dozens of Hyuga n Jonin and Elite Jonin, apanying them were also selected highest intelligence assistants, tasked with providing analytical support to navigate the uing discussions and the intricatendscape of the vige shinobi politics and warfare.
As the Hyuga delegation continued their march toward the council meeting, their ranks swelled with the addition of their closest allies first.
The Inuzuka and Aburame ns, led by their respective heads—Tsume Inuzuka and Shibi Aburame—converged with the Hyuga group, from the other side, bringing with them thebined strength and strategies of their ns, although they led considerably less numerous groups.
After brief, yet meaningful exchanges between the three n heads, the two groups seamlessly merged with the Hyuga at the helm. Everyone was a little uneasy and wanted to arrive at the destination as soon as possible.
As thebined forces of the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame ns made their way across the Naka River towards the vige center, there, on the opposite side of the bridge, stood the delegation from the Uchiha n.
Leading the Uchiha delegation was Fugaku Uchiha, the n''s current, young patriarch, known for his leadership of the Military Police Force within the vige and great strength.
Beside him stood Great Elder Setsuna, a figure, of simr old age as the Hyuga n Patriarch, representing the more radical faction within the n, and his 15-year-old granddaughter Kiyomi Uchiha, marking the presence of both the n''s established authority and its future.
The Uchiha''s numbers present there were on par with the Hyuga''s. As the groups from both sides of the Naka River merged, the anticipated tension between the Hyuga and Uchiha ns was noticeably absent. Instead, elite members from both ns exchanged looks of curiosity and mutual recognition.
The old rivalry and animosity that might have clouded their interactions even two years ago seemed to have dissipated. Now, in the face of a greatermon challenge and the pressing need for unity against the external pressures of the impending war and the internal dynamics opposing the Hokage''s Faction both ns found themselves realigned as true informal allies.
As the two groups approached each other on the other end of the bridge, the leading figures of both ns here—Fugaku and Setsuna from the Uchiha, alongside Kiyomi, and Hirayoshi, Takumi, Hikari, and Hiashi from the Hyuga positioned themselves at the front of the groups.
Setsuna had short, but slightly spiky gray hair and a dark traditional Uchiha-like n kimono with the giant n symbol woven at its back.
Meanwhile, Fugaku had short, brown hair that reached to his shoulders and onyx-colored eyes, with visible pronounced creases below them made.
He wore a simple traditional Uchiha-like kimono with grey pants, however for some reason, he still wore his Police Force uniform on top of that for the asion today, with its symbol, at the back, as if to signal that he was both from the Uchiha and Konoha''s executive branch.
Fugaku, with his calm and authoritative presence, first exchanged a nod with Hirayoshi, whose stature and demeanor mirrored the significance of the asion, and then with everyone else, just like Setsuna. Kiyomi meanwhile also did the same, although in a more respectful kind of manner, but she secretly made some kind of a casual expression at Hikari.
Meanwhile, Hikari also observed Fugaku Uchiha, at this time, he couldn''t help but mentally assess the Uchiha patriarch''s capabilities and history. At 28, Fugaku was indeed at the peak of his strength as a shinobi, radiating the confidence and power that came with his prime.
Hikari considered Fugaku''s present skill level, cing him in the realm of an above-average Elite Jonin, simr to Kiyomi Uchiha, making them the two strongest people in the n now. It was just that Kiyomi generally focused more on the Fire Release and Fugaku on genjutsu.
The simrity in their power, alongside the obvious differences in their ages, often sparkedparisons and, at times,petitive tension within the Uchiha n, as it seemed that Kiyomi, the radical faction sessor, had truly better talent inparison to the Patriarch.
However, the external pressures, on many levels, prevented this topic from causing any more significant rifts within their ns currently.
But, Hikari knew that if he hadn''t been secretly assisting Kiyomi through various indirect means, in her shinobi journey, especially regarding her ''eyes'', during thest two years, then it would''ve been probablypletely different.
Yet, what intrigued Hikari the most was precisely the status of Fugaku''s own Sharingan. Despite his rtively formidable abilities, there were no signs of Fugaku having activated the Mangekyo Sharingan as of today, in terms of his chakra potency or the reservoir in general.
Hikari''s Byakugan could now be activated and deactivated almost instantly, thanks to his intense exercise of it, and talent, alongside chakra control and quick processing speed, allowing him to gauge many things about anyone he was in contact with without them realizing it at all. It was his analytical ability and the processing speed that also made it possible to gauge many different things in milliseconds.
Additionally, that power necessitated profound emotional distress or a significant personal loss to unlock at this point in time. Given Fugaku''s steady leadership roles—overseeing the n and the Konoha Military Police Force—it seemed he hadn''t been subjected to the kind of traumatic experiences that typically precipitated the awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Hikari spected about the impending war''s potential to change this. The conflict might provide the conditions for Fugaku to unlock this deeper power, should he face extreme emotional turmoil. However, the uncertainty surrounding Fugaku''s Sharingan and the exact circumstances that might lead to the Mangekyo''s awakening remained aplex puzzle.
Hikari''s thoughts drifted to Fugaku''s sons, particrly Itachi, born the previous year already. He also remembered how Shisui Uchiha should have been born three years earlier as well.
He recalled how, during theter stages of this very war, Fugaku took a young Itachi to witness its horrors firsthand.
This experience, Hikari considered, was pivotal in shaping Itachi into the figure he became—a staunch ''pacifist'' and a betrayer, driven to make extreme decisions for what he was led to believe was the ''greater good''.
So, Hikari pondered whether Itachi''s ''extraordinary'' eventual path could be attributed to Fugaku''s parenting, which he regarded clearly as a horrible failure, as seen from that example, or if Itachi''s brain was simply inherently different and programmed with some kind of a ''mistake'', from the beginning, due to the exceptional talent he possessed with the Sharingan, which was said to be able to influence one''s personality in significant ways.
As for Fugaku himself, Hikari simply considered him indecisive and notpetent enough. He neglected his sons for the so-called n and vige responsibilities used as excuses, yet he simply failed in those areas as well, so what was the point?
And he also let his older son, one of the biggest talents in Uchiha history, betray their n to Hokage''s faction, ''in front of his eyes''. He may or may not had the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he should''ve at least done something instead of always going with the flow, in the end even peacefully allowing his elder son to y him and his wife like animals. In Hikari''s mind, in his limited exposure, Fugaku didn''t seem like a very capable individual.
However, despite Hikari''s bad opinion of him, he still had to cooperate with him as the leader of the Uchiha n in the future. Hikari could just hope that his ''Butterfly Effect'' makes him morepetent this time around in this timeline, as he didn''t need any substandard allies.