"Actually, Konoha had their reasons for not telling you. After all, how would the villagers react if they found out you are the descendant of the 'Shura of the Ninja World'?" Ōnoki said leisurely.
Uchiha Ryun pretended to be shocked, his pupils contracting. "Shura of the Ninja World? You mean...?"
"Correct, just as you guessed. You are the descendant of Uchiha Madara," Ōnoki chuckled.
"I've heard some things about what happened back then. The Senju clan of Konoha, disregarding all bonds of friendship, monopolized the positions of the First and Second Hokage and excluded Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara realized something was wrong and wanted to lead the Uchiha clan away from Konoha to seek a new path. But the Uchiha clan betrayed him."
"Tsk tsk, how pitiful. Here you are, the true heir of the clan leader's bloodline, fighting for your enemies, treating a pack of wolves as your comrades." Ōnoki's voice was extremely persuasive.
He was analyzing, studying, observing, and fabricating. Surprisingly, Ōnoki had guessed nearly 90% of the truth.
As the saying goes, your enemies know you best. Ōnoki's political wisdom and personal charisma were undeniable. The fact that he could deduce so much already placed him above 80% of the people in the ninja world!
Uchiha Ryun pretended to be disheartened, muttering, "I... I am the heir of the clan leader's bloodline? Konoha and my clan betrayed my family and drove him away?"
Seeing this, Ōnoki nodded in satisfaction. Young people were indeed easy to manipulate. He decided to add fuel to the fire. He didn't necessarily need Ryun to join him, but as long as he left Konoha, that would be enough.
Without Uchiha Ryun, how could Konoha compete with Iwagakure?
"Yes, they are nothing but selfish, untrustworthy villains. If you hadn't shown your talent, someone might have used your identity against you..." Before Ōnoki could finish, Uchiha Ryun's chakra surged violently.
He glared at Ōnoki. "Enough!" With that, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared from Ōnoki's sight.
Ōnoki smirked. Once the seeds of hatred and suspicion were planted, they would take root and sprout. This was both humanity's strength and its weakness.
Thinking this, Ōnoki shook his head. Even if this attempt at sowing discord failed, the worst outcome would be the status quo. It couldn't get any worse.
Rather than maintaining the current situation, it was better to gamble everything!
After Uchiha Ryun left the battlefield, the Wood Human and Wood Dragon turned into lifeless logs.
Ōnoki roared loudly, "Everyone, return to the village! Rebuild our home!"
"Yes!" The Iwa-nin were excited. Who wouldn't be happy about not having to fight anymore?
Konoha Village Gate
Uchiha Ryun's figure appeared. He sneered in disdain. That old man was truly foolish. If he had bothered to gather any information, he would have known that Ryun was about to marry Tsunade.
What he said meant nothing. Still, Ryun found him amusing and decided to play along. Perhaps he could be useful someday.
"Ryun, you're back!" Tsunade's voice rang out. Uchiha Ryun immediately wiped the playful expression off his face and replaced it with a bright, cheerful smile.
"Yeah, I went to earn some money. Sorry to keep you waiting, Tsunade," Ryun said with a grin.
"It... It wasn't that long. Come on, let's go back. The banquet is still going. You probably didn't eat properly on your trip!" Tsunade said, looking at Ryun's travel-worn appearance with concern.
Uchiha Ryun stepped forward and took Tsunade's delicate hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. My, it was so soft it felt like he could squeeze water out of it!
"Alright~ You have no idea how bad the food in Iwagakure was..." As the two walked into the village under the respectful gazes of the Konoha guards, Ryun began telling Tsunade about the customs and culture of Iwagakure.
Tsunade, holding his hand, watched his youthful, radiant smile and felt her heart flutter.
Kumogakure
"Lord Raikage, are you alright?" Yugito asked after some hesitation.
The Third Raikage, A, waved his hand. "It's nothing, just some minor injuries. They'll heal in about ten days or so!"
"Father, what about Uchiha Ryun..." The young A's expression was complicated.
"Don't worry. I know what you're asking. You want to know whether Uchiha Ryun's pure taijutsu poses a significant threat to our village's ninja taijutsu."
"The answer is both yes and no. Even if someone could learn it, they'd still need to consider whether their strength and physical condition meet the minimum threshold."
"If they don't, then even if they master Ryun's taijutsu, it would only be effective against low-level shinobi. In other words, the reason Uchiha Ryun achieved such results this time was because he was fighting me, the Third Raikage, in Sage Mode." The Third Raikage's mind was sharp.
While Uchiha Ryun's taijutsu was advanced, not everyone possessed his level of physical prowess. If they tried to use his techniques against him, they'd be courting death.
Thus, his taijutsu wouldn't have much impact on Kumogakure.
"Understood, Father!" The young A nodded and stepped aside.
The Third Raikage wasn't in the mood to discuss anything else. After summoning Kumo's medical-nin, he dismissed the meeting.
As he was being treated, he carefully analyzed Uchiha Ryun's movements, thinking about how to counter them.
In this world, there were all kinds of people. Some avoided difficulties, some were distracted, and some faced challenges head-on.
The Third Raikage was undoubtedly the latter. Right now, he was pondering countermeasures.
After leaving the tent, Yugito suddenly asked the young A, "Young Master, you know about the abuse I suffered during my training, right?"
The young A's expression flickered slightly. "Of course. Why bring this up now? After investigating, Father and I executed every last one of those beasts who mistreated you. None of them got away."
Yugito wasn't stupid. She noticed the unnatural tension in his expression and had her suspicions, though she didn't show it.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to ask. I'm grateful to you and Lord Raikage for the status and treatment I enjoy now," Yugito said with a smile.
The young A rubbed his head. "Yugito, no need to be so polite. It was the least we could do."
Matatabi, observing from within Yugito's consciousness, saw the expressions and responses of the two. It knew Yugito was beginning to distance herself from Kumogakure.
After some more conversation, the two parted ways. Yugito returned home and opened the door to see the memorial tablets of her parents.
Back then, her parents had died protecting her, killed by enemies. She was captured and subjected to inhuman training and torture.
If she failed to meet expectations, she was whipped or cut with kunai. Then one day, the Third Raikage smashed open the iron door, letting her see the light again and kindly telling her everything was alright.
To repay the Raikage's kindness, Yugito buried her parents and agreed to become the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki.
She thought she was repaying a debt, only to realize she had been working for her enemies all along.
"Matatabi, do you obey the Raikage or me?" Yugito said calmly.
Matatabi, having finally found a Jinchūriki so perfectly compatible with it, wasn't about to let her go.
"Of course, I obey you," Matatabi replied with a grin.
"Good." With that, she removed her forehead protector and slashed a kunai across it.
Kumogakure missing-nin—Yugito, officially marked.
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