"This, this! Hokage-sama! Aren't you going to do something about him? He's turning black into white!" The Cloud envoy had no choice but to address him respectfully.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been leisurely smoking and drinking tea while watching the show. But now that he was called out, he couldn't stay silent any longer, so he cleared his throat strategically.
"Ahem! Elder Ryun, the man is already dead, so there's no way to verify this anymore. Please restrain yourself a little." Hiruzen sighed and took a puff of his pipe.
Uchiha Ryun wasn't surprised by Hiruzen's reaction. In fact, he found it completely expected. However, there were still things that needed to be said.
"Reporting to the Hokage, I'm just afraid that certain people might use this rogue ninja as an excuse to gloss over the matter and then make trouble in future negotiations." Uchiha Ryun cupped his hands and then glanced at the Cloud envoy.
At this moment, the Cloud envoy's heart skipped a beat. 'Damn it, this Uchiha Ryun is cheating! He's trying to downplay this incident and shift the blame onto us for attempting to provoke a war by accusing him of severely injuring our Jinchūriki.'
But now that Uchiha Ryun had said this, if the envoy continued pressing the issue, it would only make it seem like the Cloud Village was indeed scheming something.
"Don't you agree, envoy?" Uchiha Ryun's eyes were filled with mockery. He knew the bandit-like nature of the Cloud Village all too well. Back then, their envoys had tried to kidnap the Byakugan, and after failing, they demanded an explanation from Konoha.
Due to the Third Hokage's weakness, he had chosen to let Hyūga Hizashi die in place of Hyūga Hiashi to appease the Cloud Village's anger, which further deepened the Hyūga Clan's resentment toward the village and intensified the conflict between the main and branch families.
"This, this…" The Cloud envoy's brain was struggling to keep up. He was desperately trying to come up with a counterargument when Uchiha Ryun snorted coldly.
"Anything else to say? If not, then get lost."
The Cloud envoy gritted his teeth. 'Fine, worst case, I die. But I have to say what needs to be said!'
"Your Elder Uchiha Ryun injured our village's Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito! Shouldn't you give our village an explanation? Otherwise, can I take this as Konoha declaring war on the Hidden Cloud Village?" After saying this, the Cloud envoy closed his eyes. 'Whatever, just destroy me already. I'm tired!'
Uchiha Ryun was about to respond when the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open. Hyūga Sekijō, Hyūga Fūrin, and her husband, Hyūga Seiun, entered.
"Bullshit!" Hyūga Seiun activated his chakra, his Byakugan burning with fury, the veins around his eyes bulging. 'I'm a jonin! I took my wife to restock supplies, and two jonin attacked us. And now you're telling me they were rogue ninjas, and that Elder Ryun saving me by defeating Yugito is an act of war? Damn it, I've never been this angry in my life!'
"Cloud envoy, if that's how you see it, then can I assume the Cloud Village is declaring war on the Hyūga Clan?" Hyūga Sekijō also activated his Byakugan, glaring fiercely.
He didn't push it further by saying it was a declaration against Konoha, because he wasn't sure what Hiruzen Sarutobi's stance was.
The Cloud envoy's face paled. Hyūga Sekijō's strength was nothing to scoff at—at the very least, he was Kage-level. A mere shinobi like him couldn't withstand such pressure.
Uchiha Ryun smirked. "I, Uchiha Ryun, am a Konoha elder. The Hyūga are Konoha's Hyūga. If you're declaring war on them, then the Uchiha Clan is also Konoha's Uchiha. The day war is declared, the Uchiha will also take action!"
With that, Uchiha Ryun activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop drastically. The Cloud envoy felt like he couldn't breathe.
The Mangekyō Sharingan! Its terrifying power could be traced back to the Warring States Period. The Cloud Village knew all too well just how fearsome the Uchiha Clan was.
Hyūga Sekijō looked at Uchiha Ryun with gratitude in his eyes. With the Hyūga and Uchiha Clans united, even the Raikage would have to think twice.
Especially when one of them possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment before slamming the table. "Hmph! Cloud envoy, you've gone too far. If you want war, Konoha will fight to the end! Go back and tell A that if he wants war, we're ready anytime!"
Danzō Shimura smirked. 'That's more like it, Hiruzen! This is how it should be. Screw the Cloud Village!'
"Indeed, Cloud envoy. Tell your Raikage that if he wants war, we're ready. I look forward to meeting him on the battlefield!" Danzō's eyes gleamed with malice.
The Cloud envoy couldn't take the pressure anymore and immediately prostrated himself. "Perhaps there's been a misunderstanding! The Cloud Village has no intention of war with Konoha, Hokage-sama! We're willing to offer twenty million ryō as compensation to the Hyūga Clan and Elder Ryun! Please don't misunderstand!"
"Hmph. First, you demand an explanation from me, and now you're offering compensation. Does the Cloud Village always talk out of its ass?" Uchiha Ryun walked up to the Cloud envoy and crouched down in front of him.
"Go back and tell your Raikage that his sincerity isn't enough. Twenty million ryō to brush off two of the Ninja World's greatest noble clans? Who does he think he's looking down on?" With that, Uchiha Ryun released his chakra, the overwhelming pressure causing the Cloud envoy's pants to dampen.
"Y-yes! I'll go back and inform the Raikage immediately!" The envoy scrambled to leave.
"Wait. Roll out." Uchiha Ryun added.
The Cloud envoy clenched his teeth but ultimately rolled out of the room, followed by his attendants.
Under the escort of the Anbu, the Cloud shinobi quickly left Konoha Village, their faces filled with panic. 'Damn it, Konoha is full of lunatics!'
Hokage's Office
Hiruzan took a drag from his pipe and gestured for the Anbu to close the door. The Anbu complied, shutting it tightly.
"Ryun, doing this might lead us into another war." Hiruzen sighed. He truly didn't want to fight, but there was no choice. If the enemy was already stepping on their faces, and they still didn't retaliate, then he might as well resign as Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, don't worry. The Cloud Village won't dare to act." Uchiha Ryun smiled confidently and poured Hiruzen a cup of tea.
Hiruzen chuckled, not entirely convinced. But with Ryun's Mangekyō Sharingan, he wasn't too worried about losing.
Hiruzen took a sip, and Uchiha Ryun continued explaining. "The Third Raikage is less of a Kage and more of a bandit with Kage-level strength."
"Against bandits, if you show weakness, even if you get temporary peace, they'll just find another excuse to start a war. So the best way to deal with them is head-on. If they refuse to back down, then fight. Let's see who gets wiped out first!" Uchiha Ryun's eyes burned with madness.
Hiruzen was taken aback. He studied Uchiha Ryun carefully. "How do you know the Third Raikage's personality?"
"There's plenty of information in the black market, including details about the Tsuchikage, Kazekage, Mizukage, and others. Enemy forces spread their personalities and jutsu as a way to undermine them. You can get all this with a bit of money—it's nothing special." Uchiha Ryun smiled. His reasoning was sound.
Hiruzen nodded. "Are you confident?"
"One hundred percent." Uchiha Ryun grinned.