When Ebizō uttered those words, everyone present was utterly stunned.
The assembled shinobi from various clans exchanged shocked glances—they finally understood the real reason this so-called "envoy" had come to Konoha.
He was proposing a trade: the lives of Danzo, the Shimura clan, and the Sarutobi clan prisoners… in exchange for the life of Hatake Sakumo.
Chiyo had gone completely insane.
Blinded by the desire to avenge her son's death, she no longer cared about ideals like the Way of the Shinobi.
All she wanted was the White Fang dead.
SLAP!
But just as everyone was still reeling from the shock, the crisp, echoing sound of a slap redirected their attention back to the scene.
Ebizō, who had only just managed to get back on his feet, was once again sent flying by a slap from Senju Yukika.
He'd been hit again.
Ebizō looked up at Yukika with humiliation and resentment written all over his face.
Honestly, after the first slap, he had been on guard against this young man.
But what he hadn't expected—what he couldn't have expected—was Yukika's speed.
With just a flicker, the boy appeared in front of him and delivered a direct, precise strike to his face.
Why?
He had been clearly prepared!
Sure, he wasn't quite on his elder sister's level, but as a puppet master, he was still considered jōnin, maybe even elite jōnin tier!
And yet he'd been smacked—twice—without even the chance to react.
He had no comeback.
Others might not understand why, but Hatake Sakumo, who had gone quiet in thought, knew exactly what was going on.
Puppet masters were a different breed. They were shinobi, yes, but not front-line fighters in the traditional sense.
They relied on their puppets in battle—and without those puppets, their own physical strength and close combat ability weren't anything exceptional.
Think of them as technicians—masters of chakra control and finesse—while front-line brawlers were just pure muscle and reflex.
Brains vs. brawn.
And unless Ebizō had summoned his puppets, Yukika could move freely around him and land hits at will.
Just like when Sakumo had eliminated Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law…
A faraway look crossed Sakumo's face as he remembered.
He'd been ordered to infiltrate the Sunagakure camp under the cover of night, silently approaching the tent where the couple was staying.
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—he had arrived at a… rather intimate moment.
Chiyo's son and his wife were in the middle of creating a little sibling for Sasori.
And so, Sakumo struck.
Clean and efficient.
They died with dignity, faces flushed with a final smile, still connected in life's most primal expression.
That moment… was oddly memorable.
Ahem.
Sakumo snapped out of it.
The point was: puppet masters were weak without their puppets.
Just like how Ebizō, with no chance to summon his gear, had been completely overwhelmed by Yukika's ghost-like speed.
He had no counter.
"Why did you hit me…" Ebizō growled, struggling to rise from the ground, his face twisted with hatred.
He admitted it—he'd let his guard down. He hadn't dodged.
But what he couldn't understand was why he'd been slapped.
"Because you're full of crap," Yukika said, voice firm and righteous.
"Lord Danzo said it himself before the expedition—he was willing to lay down his life for Konoha!"
"He's a great commander who fully understands the destiny of a shinobi. Even in death, he wouldn't allow himself to be taken in humiliation!"
"You say he was captured? You expect us to just believe that?"
"I don't believe it! Lord Danzo isn't the type to fear death. If you really did capture him, then I'm certain he would've fought to the last breath, following the code of Konoha's shinobi!"