For his own purposes, Shiyu Uchiha took the initiative to break the stalemate and calmly said, "The price you're offering right now is even lower than your bounty. Do you really think it's acceptable?"
Kakuzu was an S-rank rogue ninja who had lived a long life, so his bounty had reached into the billions. Immediately afterward, Shiyu Uchiha continued, "Since that's the case, how about this instead—you work for me to pay off your debt. If you serve me for ten years, I'll let you go free. What do you say?"
Upon hearing Shiyu Uchiha's proposal, Kakuzu secretly felt delighted. This condition hit both of his bottom lines perfectly—staying alive and spending as little money as possible. By accepting Shiyu's terms, he wouldn't only avoid paying a huge ransom, but also preserve his life. He immediately accepted with pleasure.
Shiyu Uchiha felt somewhat surprised at how quickly Kakuzu agreed. Originally, he expected Kakuzu to haggle over terms, but that never happened. In reality, Shiyu's bottom line was to let Kakuzu work only five years. Through this incident, he now understood more deeply Kakuzu's greedy nature.
After Kakuzu accepted, wanting him to willingly carry out tasks, Shiyu Uchiha then introduced an annual bonus system, explaining that if Kakuzu worked diligently for those ten years—even without regular payment—he would still receive a considerable bonus each year at year's end.
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's eyes immediately lit up. He hurriedly expressed gratitude toward Shiyu Uchiha, praising him as a great boss. Seeing Kakuzu's flattery-filled expression, Shiyu couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, thinking what a gold-digging fellow this guy truly was.
"If you genuinely believe that, then stand up already," said Shiyu Uchiha. He had already sensed that Kakuzu had regained the ability to move—but deliberately waited until now to expose it.
Just then, Shiyu's subordinates arrived one after another. He instructed them to go over the full details with Kakuzu. Once everything was settled, Kakuzu officially became a high-ranking employee within the Uchiha financial empire before Shiyu finally left confidently.
Interestingly, during this time, besides Kakuzu, several bounty hunters and Root division ninja also caught up. Their intentions needed no explanation. Under Shiyu Uchiha's silent signal, Kakuzu mercilessly eliminated all of them, turning them into sacrificial sources to replenish his multiple hearts.
Back then, Setsuna Uchiha might have been momentarily confused or perhaps influenced by certain external factors. After the decisive battle at the Valley of the End between Madara and Hashirama, he unexpectedly made some reactionary remarks.
Those words were like time bombs, sending shockwaves through Konoha Village. Meanwhile, the corpse of Madara Uchiha mysteriously vanished—a disappearance that undeniably added even greater uncertainty and complexity to the entire situation.
Precisely because of this, under Tobirama Senju's firm command, Kagami Uchiha led elite Anbu forces into action. Like a blade slicing through fog, they swiftly captured Setsuna Uchiha and took him into custody.
Although Setsuna Uchiha had indeed made a serious mistake, it was established that he hadn't taken Madara Uchiha's body. Having learned more about the man, the Second Hokage decided he wouldn't pose a major threat.
In light of Kagami Uchiha's earnest pleas and hoping to maintain good relations with the Uchiha Clan, Tobirama opted to spare his life.
For the same reason, when Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeded as Hokage, he saw no reason to change that decision. Since Tobirama hadn't executed Setsuna and his threat level was low, he didn't view Setsuna Uchiha as a serious danger either.
Wanting to appease the Uchiha Clan, he returned Kagami Uchiha's favor by sparing Setsuna's life. Instead, he kept him locked away in Konoha's Anbu cells, giving him a chance to think things over and turn his life around.
Since Shiyu Uchiha posed a serious challenge—with his formidable strength and unique abilities making him renowned across the ninja world and drawing the attention of various factions—the Hokage and the other three elders knew they had to look for the right timing and strategy to handle the situation.
Drawing from their rich experience with internal conflicts, they picked up on the fact that when Shiyu handled clan affairs, some discontent was inevitable. Though his administrative skills were adequate, he couldn't please everyone, which naturally led to grumbling among members.
Seizing this opportunity, they swiftly returned Setsuna Uchiha to the Uchiha Clan. Setsuna, who had never been one to accept mediocrity or a quiet life, sprang into action after years behind bars. Once back in familiar surroundings, he acted like a shark sensing blood in the water—immediately moving to seize every chance to build his own power base.
Using his intelligence and methods, he began quietly gathering those Uchiha who were unhappy with the current state of affairs, gradually forming a small faction of his own. This group slowly gained strength, introducing an undercurrent of instability into the previously steady Uchiha Clan.
If Setsuna's plan proceeded smoothly, it could very likely trigger deep internal conflicts. Should those tensions escalate, the entire Uchiha Clan would face the risk of splitting apart.
At that point, for Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others closely watching the clan, it would be a golden opportunity. They could step in quietly, further weakening the Uchiha's unity and pushing them toward disintegration.
As for Shiyu Uchiha himself, he understood the dangers of internal strife. Yet he also saw it as a chance to identify those in the clan with divided loyalties.
Still, he wasn't willing to test people's hearts. He knew all too well that human nature was the most fragile and complicated thing there was—once tested, it could lead to disappointment and coldness, especially among the emotionally sensitive Uchiha.
So, when Shiyu Uchiha received news about Setsuna Uchiha's return and his activities, he grew worried about the situation within the clan. Without hesitation, he handled everything on his plate and rushed back to the Uchiha clan as quickly as possible.
Because Shiyu had been away dealing with other matters at the beginning, he wasn't present during those early days. As a result, the others weren't wary at all when Setsuna was released and returned.
Instead, they warmly welcomed him back. After all, Setsuna really was quite talented back then. By promising them a shot at seizing the Hokage (Village Leader) title, he easily managed to bring together some of the ambitious and stubborn members within the clan who had previously had their ambitions suppressed by Shiyu.
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