Escape From Konoha

Dark clouds covered the sky, thunder flashed in the clouds, and there was a faint roaring sound.

The raindrops seemed to fall faster.

It was still noon, but the sky seemed to be darkening early.

The dull atmosphere squeezed into the room made it difficult to breathe.

Most of Hizashi's figure was shrouded in the shadows of the walls of the room. He looked at Neji with a pair of white pupils, which were very bright in color.

Although he had already expected that this day would come sooner or later regarding Neji's problem.

But he didn't expect that this day would come so quickly, catching him off guard, and he didn't even prepare words of defense in advance.

No, in front of a son with a bright mind and a clear mind, any sophistry explanation is meaningless.

What's more, Neji went to verify this in person.

Because once some things are noticed, it is difficult not to make people doubt and suspect.

Facing his silent father, Neji clenched his fists tighter and tighter. Although his chest was already filled with boundless anger, his tone was surprisingly calm.

"When did this happen..."

when?

It's a really ambiguous question.

Hizashi sighed in his heart.

There is really no need to hide this kind of thing.

"It has been a rule since ancient times, but after the split seventeen years ago, the clan's restrictions on family division have become even more stringent."

Hizashi replied calmly.

"Seventeen years ago..."

Neji suddenly realized that he didn't feel much surprise.

Seventeen years ago, that was the time when Hinata Ayane defected to Konoha.

If that year is used as the dividing line, many things do make sense.

"That's right. Coincidentally, the Third Ninja War broke out that year, and Konoha was forced to get involved in the battlefield. The Hyuga clan, which should have gone all out to fight on the front line, ended up being betrayed by Hyuga Ayane. Had to hide in the village in the early stage of the war, unable to send manpower to the front line to support."

"Is it because the other party has the ability to crack the bird in the cage?"

Ning Ci asked.

Rizai recalled the scene of that year, and it seemed to be vivid and fresh in his memory.

"Yes, this technology was obtained by a person who was hostile to the Hyuga clan, and the consequences were more terrible than imagined. But the village was in a tight situation on the front line, and the Hyuga clan's shrinking strategy made many people dissatisfied. As a last resort, in order to Send the tribe to the battlefield as soon as possible to support, and at the same time appease the high-level, the clan at that time could only use extreme means to control the division."

That is to monitor the families of all branch ninjas who go out to perform tasks, and monitor them 24 hours a day.

Once the out-of-town ninjas defecting from the clan or doing something unfavorable to the clan, their family members will be executed.

Using the family as a deterrent, even though the divided family is dissatisfied, they can only obey all the orders of the clan.

Such a result, Neji can guess it with a little brainstorming.

"At that time, assisting the clan's operations were the ANBU directly under the Hokage. Every move of the clan was monitored to prevent defectors from inciting rebellion. And the effect was also obvious. During the Third Ninja War, the branch affiliated with Konoha No one in the family has defected. Although there may be some small thoughts behind the scenes, under the coercive policy of the Zong family, they dare not act rashly in the open. At this point, the Zong family and the branch family have reunited on the surface and restored their 'trust' relation."

But this kind of 'trust' threatens the separation of the family for the safety of the family members, and forces the establishment of a 'trust' relationship with the clan.

Such trust can be said to be fragile.

Once such a relationship is broken, there will be no room for buffer between the branch family and the main family, and fierce conflicts will inevitably erupt.

But the good thing is that as long as no accidents happen, the clan family and the branch family will still be as close as one family on the surface, trusting each other and maintaining the original contract.

And as a day difference that has been given a high degree of trust by the clan, it is also unavoidable.

He and Neji couldn't leave the village at the same time, one must go out, the other must stay in the family, and accept the 24-hour surveillance of the family like a prisoner.

"That's true..."

Neji closed his eyes with a sad expression and breathed heavily.

Although he had expected it, when his father Hizashi came to such a conclusion personally, humiliation and anger inevitably emerged in his heart, so that a dark feeling that wanted to destroy everything was born in his heart.

What do the guys from the Zong family think of dividing the family?

Is such a clan really worthy of his continued loyalty?

After Neji became angry, he opened his eyes with unprecedented confusion.

He no longer knew what he was fighting for in the past.

I don’t know who I will fight for next.

It doesn’t matter what life feels like.

Whether it was his family or his village, he had no reason to fight for them.

What’s the point of continuing to practice and become stronger?

Anyway, this is the only thing in this life.

Neji's will quickly sank, his eyes lost their light, he lowered his head, and his mind was filled with negative and indifferent thoughts.

Although he could force himself to continue fighting, whether it was fighting for his family or fighting for his village, he felt extremely repulsed just by imagining it.

Thinking of the indifferent attitude of the elders of the branch family, Ning Ci suddenly understood why they faced life so turbulently and calmly. Calm and calm.

The only ones who are deceived are the younger generation who are separated.

But young people will always grow up until they discover this cruel fact, and then become like those elders who live in the family with an attitude that everything doesn't matter.

Even hateful thoughts are probably too lazy to be expressed because they are meaningless.

Neji smiled bitterly.

Before he knew the answer, all he thought about was how to fight for his family and village.

But now, such thoughts have completely disappeared from my mind.

"Sorry, I seem a little tired. I'm going back to rest first, father."

Seeing Ningji walking out of the room in a daze, Nissai wanted to keep him, but he just opened his mouth, not knowing what words to comfort him, and finally could only silently watch his back, disappearing from sight.

Hope he can come out of the shadows and get back on his feet.

"Zong family, alas..."

In the room, there was a sigh of the day difference.

◎

It would be completely meaningless for days like this to continue.

Tossing and turning on the bed, what Neji was thinking about was the words Hizashi said at noon, which he couldn't let go of for a long time.

He is only thirteen years old this year, and when he thinks that the next few decades may be so meaningless, living like a walking corpse, Neji can't help feeling sad and depressed.

But self-killing is too extreme, at least Neji doesn't have any thoughts of committing suicide, even though he no longer has great expectations for the future.

And the root of everything is not caused by that woman - Hinata Ayane. The root of all unreasonableness lies in the caged bird. Hyuga Ayane, at best, was the last straw that overwhelmed the trust relationship between the main family and the sub-family. The hidden problems within the Hyuga clan had already appeared, and it was not brought about by Hyuga Ayane.

Therefore, Neji did not have the slightest hatred towards the Hyuga clan in the Kingdom of Demons.

Some are just envy, and there are also some desires that I can't explain.

In this family, as well as in this village, I can no longer find a reason to fight for it, and my dreams in life have become worthless and wiped out.

As long as this mark on his forehead is not removed, no matter how optimistic he faces life, Neji will still feel grudge and rejection.

Humans are such creatures.

Even if you are looking at the same things, admiring the same scenery, and talking about the same things, the resulting feelings are completely different.

I cannot experience the joy of those people, nor can I empathize with it.

It's like they don't understand what the inner world of people who have lost their freedom is like.

Therefore, rather than being depressed and helpless, Neji felt more at a loss about the future.

It's like coming to a fork where many roads intersect. It seems that any road can be taken, but it seems that whichever road is followed is unsatisfactory, there is no value in going on, and life is empty.

If freedom is restricted, personality is humiliated, and even the closest family members are subjected to extreme injustice, then it is inevitable to have such thoughts.

The reality is incredibly empty.

Then the only freedom I have now is probably dreaming.

Ning Ci couldn't help laughing at himself.

He can also try not to think about it and be a fool who doesn't know anything, but now as long as he closes his eyes, he can only feel the emptiness in his heart. No matter what, Neji doesn't like self-deception.

Looking out the window, the thunderstorm had stopped at some point.

It was already dark, and before he knew it, he had been thinking about it in bed for most of the day.

He hadn't eaten anything all day since he ate two rice balls in the morning. Neji felt a little hungry and wanted to find something to fill his stomach.

No matter what, life must go on, at least there may be hope for survival.

Although this hope is very slim.

Just when he stood up and was about to get out of bed, his body suddenly stiffened, and a gust of cold air rushed from the soles of his feet to Tianling Gai, like an ice cave.

A figure appeared in the shadow corner of the room at some point, a pair of sharp eyes staring straight at him in the darkness.

"who!?"

Neji jumped to the side, took a soft fist stance, and looked warily at the figure in the shadow in the corner.

With his strength, he was completely unaware that there was an extra person in the room. Although it was true that he was immersed in thinking, it also showed the strength of this intruder.

Jonin.

And he is also a powerful jounin.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to sneak into his room silently.

"Don't be nervous, it's me."

The figure slowly walked out from the corner. It was a man. He had a kind smile and didn't mind Neji's vigilance at all.

Has the same white eyes as Neji, but is much older than Neji, about twenty-six or seven years old, with black hair and shawl, handsome appearance, which is a unique symbol of the Hyuga clan.

"Are you...Senior Yukima?"

Seeing the appearance of this man, Neji was surprised and recognized the man's identity.

Hinata Yukima.

The most elite jounin of the Hyuga clan.

Although he is not an elder of the branch family, his status is no worse than that of the elders.

Moreover, he won the trust of the clan and did a lot of things for the clan to bully the branch families, and his reputation among the branch families was extremely bad.

Not only that, he was also very at odds with his father, and the two often had political disputes.

It can be said that he is a lackey who is loyal to the Zong family.

Having said that, Neji only knew him through written information, but in reality, he only met him a handful of times.

He couldn't figure out why such a person came to him.

But considering that the other party is a loyal lackey of the Zong family, could it be said that his dissatisfaction with the Zong family has been discovered?

Thinking of this, Ningci remained calm on the surface, but began to feel nervous inside.

It doesn't matter if something happens to him, it will be troublesome if his father is implicated.

"Are you surprised? I've always wanted to meet you, a well-known genius of the Hyuga clan, alone."

Hinata Yukima smiled slightly.

"You flatter me."

Ning Ci put down his soft fist posture, no matter what, the opponent is also an elite jounin in the clan, so he still needs to have a respectful attitude.

"I don't know what Senior Xue Jian wanted for me?"

After a moment of silence, Ning Ci said, asking the other party's specific intentions.

Hyuga Yukama always had a smile on her face, that fake smile that was visible to the naked eye, gave people a very cold feeling, and could not feel the slightest warmth.

"Although I was entrusted to come to you, it's not a lie to be interested in a genius like you."

"Entrusted by someone?"

Neji was slightly stunned.

"Yeah, because you're just like me."

The smile on Hyuga Yukama's face was full of mystery, making Neji unpredictable.

"What's the meaning?"

Neji didn't want to play charades with him.

"Over the years, there are only a few branch members who have been honored to be personally invited by Ayane-sama, and you are one of them."

Hearing Hinata Yukina's words, Neji's pupils widened in shock, because the news was so shocking that Neji began to tremble when he spoke.

"Who are you!?"

traitor! This word suddenly appeared in Neji's mind.

He did not expect that this elite Jounin of the branch family who often relied on the power of the clan to bully the branch family and was even willing to become a lackey of the clan family would actually be a spy planted in the family by an enemy country!

Neji's hands and feet became cold.

Even this kind of person is a spy, the current Hyuga clan... how far has it been infiltrated?

Hyuga Yukama seemed very satisfied with the shock on Neji's face, and said with a smile:

"Next, I think we should have a good common topic..."

◎

The Hokage Building shrouded in darkness was brightly lit inside.

"Then, it is certain that Uchiha Sasuke is the only one who will be promoted to Chunin in this exam."

In Hokage's office, Hizan looked at Kakashi who was standing in front of the desk and said.

Kakashi accepted the appointment letter handed over by Shikaku, and Sasuke's promotion to Chunin has been confirmed.

"Congratulations, Kakashi."

Lu Jiu congratulated.

"Ah, thank you."

Kakashi scratched his head and accepted the congratulations calmly without being too pretentious.

In fact, the result was pretty much what he expected.

In the finals, only Sasuke and Naruto had the experience of defeating their opponents, and the rest of the contestants were eliminated in the first round.

But compared to Sasuke's comprehensive conditions, Naruto's basic conditions are too low, and he is obviously not suitable for promotion to chunin.

At least Kakashi couldn't imagine what ditch Naruto would lead the team into after becoming the team leader.

Just thinking about it gives me a huge headache.

"That boy of mine is not good at all. He was eliminated in the preliminaries. It seems that we need to control his leisure time in the future."

Lu Jiu said in distress.

Although his son seems to be a lackluster person, he also has great expectations.

But he didn't even make it to the finals. No matter what, it would be difficult to be promoted to chuunin.

If you miss this opportunity, you can only wait for the next chunin exam.

"It's just a little late, there's no need to worry at all."

Kakashi said.

"Then I accept your good advice."

Shikaku nodded, he still had this confidence.

"The focus of the next thing is to start the arrangements in the ANBU."

Ri Zhan said at this time.

Both Kakashi and Shikaku looked serious.

"Has Tsunade-sama agreed?"

"I have asked Jiraiya to go over. No matter what, she has the blood of the first generation flowing in her body. She is the fifth generation Hokage that everyone in Konoha hopes to have. There is no time for her to be willful."

Hiruzen said so firmly, as if he had made up his mind.

"The Fifth Hokage? It's finally time."

Shikaku let out a breath, looking like the burden on his body had become heavier.

"The daimyo side has agreed, and the only remaining issue is Tsunade's return. As for Danzo's side...what's going on in the past few days?"

Hizan looked at Kakashi.

Monitoring the roots is also one of the ANBU's jobs.

Especially in this special situation, the work of monitoring the roots cannot be careless.

"Everything is normal for now, but I don't think it's that simple here."

Kakashi replied.

"Yeah, that's what worries me too."

Hiruzen was worried.

If Danzo came out to disrupt the situation at this time, it would make him feel at ease, but such silence, not knowing what to arrange in secret, made Hiruzen feel restless.

Danzo like this must be plotting some major conspiracy secretly.

Only by bringing Tsunade back to Konoha as soon as possible and letting everything settle can we dispel the thoughts that should not have arisen in Danzo's mind.

Even he, the Hokage, didn't know how strong the root was, how many people there were, and how many radicals it had secretly contacted.

Once these people riot, it will be a very terrible thing.

"Do you need to dispatch some people from my side?"

Shikaku suggested.

He didn't have any good methods for the roots.

Danzo is basically flawless in everything he does, and it's hard to find any excuses.

The roots are extremely deep and powerful. Even among the Nara clan, there are voices that seek refuge with Danzo. Although these voices are small, they still show the seriousness of the current situation.

Danzo, who has united so many fighting factions, has already threatened the Hokage with his power.

"Not for the time being, not to that point."

Hiruzen also considered using the power of the Inar, Deer, and Butterfly clans, but gave up after thinking about it.

Doing so would only alert the enemy and make Danzo hide deeper.

"Kakashi, you will temporarily return to the ANBU until the Fifth Hokage is confirmed to take office."

Ri Zhan quickly made arrangements.

Considering mobility, it would be better to let the ANBU monitor the root's movements.

"Then Class 7..."

"I will find another Jonin to replace temporarily."

"Yes, I'm fine."

Watching Kakashi retreat, Hiruzen also leaned back on the seat and slowly exhaled, his wrinkled face full of tiredness.

This body is getting worse and worse.

◎

In the dark forest, a frog shuttled through the forest, jumped in front of Jiraiya as fast as lightning, and croaked twice.

Jiraiya knelt down and took out a scroll from the frog's open mouth.

Using the moonlight to examine the text on the scroll, Jiraiya frowned after reading it.

"Still haven't found it yet?"

This is the information from Anbu.

This time he came out to look for Tsunade and brought two teams with a total of eight Anbu members. Each of them was a ninja with extremely strong search capabilities.

But it has been quite a while since I left Konoha. Unfortunately, Tsunade's whereabouts have not been found yet.

Whether it was himself or the Anbu, it could be said that they found nothing.

The only information I got was that a week ago, Tsunade seemed to have appeared in a certain casino in Lin Zhiguo, and then he disappeared mysteriously, disappeared mysteriously.

Did you go to Wetbone Forest to hide from me? Jiraiya frowned.

Although he could find the location of the Wetbone Forest through Miaomu Mountain's relationship, it is the territory of the Slug Immortal. If Tsunade is determined not to see it, he probably won't even be able to enter the door of the Wetbone Forest in the end.

Moreover, he didn't think that Tsunade would suddenly go to the Shiggy Bone Forest at this time. There was no need at all.

"It's such a troublesome job that I don't even have time to collect materials..."

Jiraiya complained.

This time point is obviously an important time for me to collect materials in the hot hot springs.

As a result, there was an eerie cold wind blowing in a place like this, leaving Jiraiya at a loss for what to do.

Originally, he wanted to end this kind of work quickly, but right now Tsunade's traces are really hard to track, and Jiraiya doesn't know when the search will continue like this, and when there will be results.

"But, then again, this thing is really strange. This is the first time that Tsunade has disappeared so completely."

Jiraiya's expression became serious, and he suddenly remembered something, touched his chin, and began to think about it.

Although Tsunade would deliberately avoid Konoha's sight in the past, she would not leave no trace behind.

But this time it was different, as if the world had evaporated, and there were no clues to find.

"I hope nothing happens to her..."

Jiraiya looked up at the pale moon above his head, suppressing the deep uneasiness in his heart.