"Lord Madara, those Konoha sensory ninja are about to find this place. It's no longer safe here..."
In a hidden cave near Konoha's Forest of Death, a White Zetsu emerged halfway from the ground.
Uchiha Madara heard this and fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a long time as usual.
After a while, he finally snapped out of it and gave his orders:
"Take her deeper into the Forest of Death first and hide there. Wait for my signal before bringing her back."
"Based on rough estimates, this matter will be resolved in 2-3 days at most... After all, those warmongers from Kumo won't give Konoha too much time."
The White Zetsu nodded upon receiving the command, then picked up the unconscious woman on the ground and walked straight into the depths of the Forest of Death without looking back.
"Have you figured it out? Which of the Uchiha elders is the easiest target?"
Uchiha Madara fiddled with a golden bell bracelet in his hand, not even lifting his head as he asked another White Zetsu nearby.
"It should be the Fifth Elder, Uchiha Yo. He only has one jonin bodyguard, making him relatively easier to deal with..." The White Zetsu replied with a sinister smile.
"Then lead the way... Uchiha Yo it is!"
The next day, in the reception hall of the Hokage Building.
"It's been so long already. When will Konoha execute Uchiha Ryun?"
The Kumo envoy leader Saki loudly confronted the two Hokage Advisors.
"Don't think you can muddle through and sweep this under the rug. If you don't give a clear answer today, then prepare for war!"
He couldn't meet the Hokage of Konoha, or rather, the Hokage didn't want to meet them. Thus, he vented his anger on the two advisors.
"Is there any room for negotiation on this matter? Such as monetary compensation? Konoha can offer you a satisfactory amount..."
Koharu Utatane tried to bargain. In fact, the repeated negotiations between the two Hokage Advisors and the Kumo envoy team were aimed at saving Uchiha Ryun.
This child was too important to Konoha. Sacrificing him would have massive repercussions. Unless absolutely necessary, they couldn't just execute him.
"What? Money? Are you fucking kidding me? You think killing someone can be settled with money?"
"Then how about I kill your entire family and pay you compensation? If you agree, bring your family here. We'll pay you for however many of them die!"
Saki directly cursed at them, showing no respect at all. With the unconditional support from Kumo and a powerful backer, he didn't even care about the Hokage now.
"You..."
The two Hokage Advisors turned pale with rage upon hearing this. Koharu even pointed at the rude man, her face red with anger.
"What 'you'? You two are just here to be insulted."
"Didn't you read our Raikage's letter? He demanded Uchiha Ryun pay with his life. Uchiha Ryun must die. There's no room for negotiation!"
Saki's attitude was extremely hostile and unyielding. Yet, the two Hokage Advisors could do nothing about it and couldn't think of any effective negotiation strategies.
They had already discussed everything yesterday, but Kumo insisted on Uchiha Ryun paying with his life. This envoy leader was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, sticking to one line:
If they didn't execute Uchiha Ryun in front of them, the only alternative was war!
Faced with Kumo's relentless pressure, the two Hokage Advisors felt both furious and under immense stress.
Killing Uchiha Ryun wasn't that simple. He had already made it clear that unless he saw his mother, he wouldn't surrender his life to Konoha. Forcing the issue wouldn't just have major consequences but could also lead to significant casualties.
After all, this was someone who had defeated the Demigod. Underestimating him based on age would be fatal. The Konoha higher-ups wanted to avoid further bloodshed.
"Let me say this one last time. If I don't get an answer today, if I don't see Uchiha Ryun's corpse tomorrow, I will send word back to Kumo and declare the negotiations failed!"
Failed negotiations meant war. After throwing down these words, the Kumo envoy leader left the Hokage Building.
"Bastard!!!"
Koharu Utatane kicked over the conference table in anger, her expression extremely grim.
After meeting Ryun last night, the two had immediately gone to see Danzō, only to be turned away. Worse, Danzō had threatened to cut ties with them...
They couldn't find the person they needed through Danzō, Uchiha Ryun refused to sacrifice himself, and the negotiations with Kumo kept failing...
Repeated setbacks left them physically and mentally exhausted. They were deeply worried about Konoha's future, but none of the immediate problems could be solved.
In the Uchiha clan compound.
The five elders held an emergency meeting to discuss Ryun's situation.
With such a major incident involving an Uchiha, Konoha had informed the clan and explained everything to them.
"Ryun is a hero of Konoha and our Uchiha clan. Now that he's in danger, we must find a way to help him, to save his life..."
The Second Elder proposed first, believing the clan should protect this child. After all, he was one of their own, and his potential made him a worthy investment for the future.
"How can we help? Even pooling the entire clan's strength wouldn't be enough, right? Besides, do you think Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't want to save Ryun? Don't forget, the boy is also his student's disciple...
Even the Hokage himself can't protect him and is being forced to consider sacrificing Ryun. What can we do even if we know the details?"
The Fourth Elder spoke bluntly.
His words instantly silenced everyone, even the Second Elder had nothing to say.
This wasn't about whether they wanted to save him anymore. They simply lacked the capability...
If they wanted to save him without going to war, Kumo wouldn't budge on this matter.
The elders talked endlessly in the meeting, but none of it was useful for solving the problem. It was all just empty talk.
By the end, it seemed they could only follow Konoha's lead and watch as Uchiha Ryun was sacrificed.
All the elders present shared their opinions, except for the Fifth Elder, Uchiha Yo, who remained silent the entire time.
Just as the meeting was about to conclude, he suddenly stood up with a smile and said:
"Everyone, I think I have a perfect solution to this problem!"