"The second matter: two days from now is the day Konoha and Iwagakure sign the peace treaty.
There will be a joint escort—ten ANBU, three members of the Hyūga clan, and three members of the Uchiha clan.
"Among the Uchiha, the Third Elder, Uchiha Wen Lan, will lead the team. There are two remaining slots—who is willing to go?"
For a moment, everyone exchanged glances.
They all knew this was a thankless assignment.
It wasn't being issued as a formal mission, which meant no pay.
And if anything went wrong during the escort, minor injuries would be the least of it—death was a real possibility.
Worst of all, the village would offer no compensation.
"Clan Head, I'll go."
Uchiha Shisui, kneeling upright, spoke calmly.
"Good." Fugaku nodded in satisfaction. Shisui was strong, and his presence would show that the Uchiha were taking this matter seriously—no slight toward Minato.
"That leaves one more slot."
"Father, I'll go as well."
A calm yet resolute voice rang out—it was Uchiha Itachi.
Fugaku's gaze sharpened as it landed on Itachi, who was barely four years old.
"You're not going." Wen Lan shot Itachi a sideways glance.
"You're the future clan head. There's no need for you to personally handle something like this.
And frankly, your current strength doesn't qualify you to go."
The peace treaty might look safe, but in truth it was riddled with danger.
If negotiations collapsed, it would immediately turn into open conflict.
The reason the talks were being held in the Land of Fire was simple—Konoha had gained a slight upper hand against Iwagakure and thus held the initiative.
But initiative did not equal safety.
Iwagakure's ninja could easily seek revenge in the shadows.
"Clan Head, Third Elder—let me go."
An Uchiha jōnin stood up. It was Uchiha Naoyan.
He had been gravely injured in the battle against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and had only recently fully recovered.
He bowed deeply to Wen Lan.
"On the battlefield, the Third Elder saved my life. I'll repay that debt for the rest of my life!
If anyone means you harm, they'll have to step over my corpse first!"
Wen Lan frowned slightly and looked at him.
"Master Naoyan, I saved you because we're of the same clan—not because I wanted repayment.
As an Uchiha, your loyalty should be to the clan as a whole, not to a single individual."
The words were impeccably proper—but they still drew everyone's attention to Wen Lan.
Fugaku's face darkened slightly.
That line was clearly aimed at him.
Naoyan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Third Elder, you really don't need to call me Master anymore.
And in my eyes, you saved my life—no matter how you look at it, this life of mine belongs to you now."
Wen Lan sighed, his gaze sweeping across the hall before settling back on Naoyan.
"Since you insist, then come along. But this mission prioritizes stability above all else.
Everything will be done according to my orders."
His voice dropped a notch.
"We represent the face of the Uchiha—and the authority of Konoha itself.
Not even a blade of grass may be damaged."
"Yes!" Naoyan and Shisui answered in unison, backs straight as spears.
"Good. Then it's settled," Fugaku nodded.
He was about to adjourn the meeting when Wen Lan signaled that he still had something to say.
Fugaku paused. "Third Elder, you have more to add?"
Wen Lan took the floor smoothly, addressing everyone.
"I have two points.
"First: although Root has been dissolved, Shimura Danzō's influence has not been fully eradicated.
During the peace talks, it's very possible his loyalists will attempt a prison break.
Security around the prison must be strengthened—especially at night. Two rotating shifts of Uchiha personnel are mandatory.
"Second: in the near future, Orochimaru may visit Konoha's prison to inspect high-value inmates.
If he takes any prisoners with him, do not interfere. Let him take them."
"Yes, Third Elder!" the room responded in unison.
Fugaku and the other elders exchanged looks. From Wen Lan's words, it was obvious he had reached some kind of agreement with Orochimaru.
But since Wen Lan didn't elaborate, they didn't press the matter.
After all, Wen Lan had already proven wisdom far beyond his age.
The meeting ended, and everyone departed.
Wen Lan returned to his own courtyard.
The moment he saw Yagura playing with water again, he felt a headache coming on. At this rate, the fish in his pond were doomed.
Sensing his return, Yagura shook the water off her hands and stood up.
"I saved you some food. I'll heat it up for you."
Wen Lan was briefly surprised, then realized he hadn't told her he ate at Fugaku's place.
"No need. I already ate at the clan head's house," he said, stopping her.
"In the future, if I'm not back, eat when you want and sleep when you want. You don't need to wait for me."
Yagura had always placed herself very low.
She knew she was alive only because of Wen Lan.
A five-year-old with Kage-level power—his future was limitless.
She understood that Wen Lan was her pillar of support, and so she unconsciously treated herself like a servant.
"You're already a member of Konoha," Wen Lan said as he walked inside.
"You're a normal person. There's no need to demean yourself."
Yagura stood where she was, water still dripping from her fingers, watching his back.
After a long moment, she whispered softly,
"But this life of mine… never truly belonged to me in the first place."
The night wind brushed past, ruffling the loose strands of hair on her forehead, yet unable to shake the stubborn resolve in her eyes.
She crouched back down by the pond, gazing at the moon's reflection in the water.
It looked just like that night in the desert, when Sunagakure betrayed her—the same cold, lonely silver glow.
But this moon… was no longer the moon of that night.
Over the next two days, Wen Lan bought more supplies for Might Duy.
After all, Duy was practically his teacher.
Without him, even with the "Demon" power, Wen Lan would never have reached his current level.
At present, Wen Lan's base strength was at most jōnin-level—but once he opened the Eight Gates, he could reach super-Kage territory.
Every day, Wen Lan continued swinging his blade, diligently completing the training requirements for Breath of Thunder.
Because of the war, he hadn't trained like this in a long time.
Finally, at dawn on the fourth day, the group assembled at the village gates.
At the front stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the Hokage robes and hat.
Behind him were Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Namikaze Minato, and several ANBU.
Further back stood Hyūga Hizashi and two other Hyūga members, along with Wen Lan, Naoyan, and Shisui.
One of the ANBU caught Wen Lan's attention.
The man wasn't much taller than Wen Lan himself—and that white hair was unmistakable.
Kakashi.
This was the first time Wen Lan had seen the famous "Fifty-Fifty" Kakashi since arriving in this world.
After all, Kakashi wasn't most famous for his Sharingan or his background—
but for always arriving late, yet somehow surviving every crisis with a perfect five-five split.
People said the Sharingan dragged Kakashi down.
And yet, it never stopped him from carving a few extra dog heads onto the memorial wall.
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