As Uchiha Yusuke's words fell, the atmosphere in the room briefly stalled.
The gazes directed at him were filled with admiration and respect.
Measured in advance and retreat, bold and heroic—
'Flame Demon' Yusuke truly lived up to his reputation as the renowned Uchiha clan head.
No one rushed to state their position. Almost instinctively, everyone turned their eyes toward the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Yusuke had ignited their fighting spirit, yes—but being the first to stick one's neck out was never pleasant. These seasoned clan heads were all waiting for someone else to speak first.
Hiruzen shot a pleading look toward Danzo.
In the corner, the so-called "Shadow Hokage" merely snorted and remained silent.
Danzo had always been a hardliner; he naturally looked down on Hiruzen's appeasement.
If not for the two advisors constantly backing Hiruzen, he might have already jumped in himself.
Now that Uchiha Yusuke was pushing for war, it actually aligned perfectly with what Danzo wanted.
His prestige had never matched Hiruzen's—and war was the best shortcut to earning it.
Hiruzen let out a helpless sigh.
Danzo, that old fox, was clearly not someone he could rely on.
Danzo stared deeply at Yusuke, his heart filled with caution.
First reshaping public opinion, now trying to harvest prestige through war…
The Uchiha really did calculate things well.
Was this an attempt to compete with him for the Hokage's seat?
Seeing that no one was still speaking up, Yusuke decided to throw on more fuel.
He had already made his stance clear—surely no one still wanted to accept such a humiliating peace?
The hesitation now was nothing more than fear of offending the Third Hokage.
Yusuke spoke decisively:
"My Uchiha clan will never abandon a single one of our people!"
"Even if it means war, the Uchiha will stake the lives of the entire clan to tear a chunk of flesh from the enemy!"
His gaze shifted toward Hyuga Hiashi.
What needed to be done had already been done. If the Hyuga still refused to take a stand, then the branch family would deserve to die in vain.
Yusuke's words had already earned goodwill from many clans. Even if this failed, it didn't matter.
As for offending Konoha's leadership—
The Uchiha's relationship with them had long been like fire and water. A little worse made no difference.
After a brief silence, Hyuga Hiashi finally responded.
"Yusuke is right. The Hyuga clan will also never abandon its people!"
"Hokage-sama, the Hyuga request to go to war!"
As he spoke, Hiashi didn't forget to cast a grateful look toward Yusuke.
Whatever Yusuke's true intentions were, there was no doubt—today, he had helped the Hyuga.
"Ahem…"
Nara Shikaku coughed twice and followed up.
"The Nara clan also agrees to go to war."
Shikaku had no real choice.
Yusuke had laid the issue bare—remaining silent now would mean accepting the abandonment of one's own people. No clan head could agree to that.
"The Yamanaka clan is willing to fight."
"The Akimichi clan is willing to fight."
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio had always advanced and retreated together. With Shikaku already declaring his stance, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza naturally followed.
…
Watching the impassioned clan heads, Hiruzen and the two advisors understood—war was now unavoidable.
What could have been resolved by sacrificing one insignificant life now required all of Konoha to prepare for renewed conflict.
Though deeply unwilling, they could only force smiles.
With Yusuke's sudden intervention, the situation had completely slipped beyond their control.
Hiruzen cast a subtle glance at Yusuke, fear and caution hidden deep in his eyes.
Was the Uchiha planning to break the deadlock through war?
That boy Yusuke really wasn't someone to underestimate.
Konoha's elite shinobi all looked toward Hiruzen, hope in their eyes.
Everything was ready—only the Third Hokage's final word was missing.
Hiruzen nodded solemnly and declared with righteous resolve:
"Everyone is right. Konoha will never abandon a single companion!"
"Since Kumogakure chooses to be unreasonable, then Konoha must respond in kind!"
…
With appeasement having failed, Hiruzen instantly shifted into a pro-war stance.
He understood the times well—continued compromise would only deal a severe blow to his prestige as Hokage.
If the Uchiha wanted trouble, so be it. War could also serve as a way to weaken them.
If the entire Uchiha clan marched to the battlefield, he could finally breathe a little easier.
At least there would be no more internal strife for the time being.
With the decision of war made, Hiruzen stood.
"This meeting is adjourned. This afternoon, I will personally negotiate with Kumogakure."
"Please return and prepare for battle."
As the meeting ended, Hiruzen stopped Hyuga Hiashi with an affable expression and explained,
"My earlier decision was also for the sake of the village. I hope you can understand, Hiashi."
His political instincts were sharp. Now that sacrificing the Hyuga was no longer necessary, the negative impact had to be minimized.
After all, the Hyuga's influence as a prestigious clan was not small.
Hiashi forced a smile, but the distance between him and Hiruzen was unmistakable.
"Hokage-sama, you're too kind."
Seeing this perfunctory response, Hiruzen could only sigh inwardly.
A crack had formed between him and the Hyuga—and it would take a long time to mend.
After placating the Hyuga, Hiruzen couldn't help but curse the Uchiha in his heart.
If not for Yusuke's sudden interference, how would he have ended up in such an embarrassing position?
He had offended the Hyuga, while the Uchiha gained a significant favor from them.
Yusuke's sudden attack had caught him completely off guard.
Hiruzen's eyes flickered.
"I must find an opportunity to put that young man in his place."
…
The crowd filed out one after another, leaving the Hokage Tower.
Inside the conference room, only Konoha's "F4" remained—along with Nara Shikaku, whom the Third Hokage had asked to stay behind.
"Shikaku, didn't you see Uchiha Yusuke's ambition? Why did you still—?"
As soon as the others left, advisor Homura Mitokado glared angrily at Shikaku.
Handing someone over in exchange for peace had been a plan discussed overnight—and Shikaku had originally supported it.
Yet Yusuke's disruption had flipped everything on its head. How could Homura not be furious?
Faced with the interrogation from Konoha's top brass, Shikaku gave a bitter smile.
"Advisor, I had no choice."
Yusuke had put all the major clans on the same scale and openly declared that the Uchiha would never abandon their own.
If the Uchiha wouldn't abandon their people, could the Nara do otherwise?
As clan head, he had to be responsible to his family.
Agreeing to abandon one's own people—if that ever got out, the Nara clan would be thrown into chaos.
Though this was what he truly thought, he couldn't say it outright.
So Shikaku chose another angle.
"Uchiha Yusuke invoked the former Hokage to stir everyone's fighting spirit."
"With the Uchiha and Hyuga pushing for war, if we insisted on handing someone over, it would damage the Third Hokage's authority…"
Though Shikaku didn't spell it out, the two advisors immediately understood.
If Konoha's leadership insisted on peace, it would amount to admitting their own incompetence.
And if they were incompetent—what right did they have to rule Konoha?
Realizing this, the two advisors cursed Yusuke in their hearts, while also feeling a tinge of relief.
Just moments ago, they had nearly condemned Yusuke for starting a war for selfish reasons.
Thankfully, Hiruzen had reacted quickly.
Otherwise, they would have walked straight into the carefully laid trap Uchiha Yusuke had prepared.
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