No Needless Sacrifices

"You're slandering us! It was clearly your Kumogakure ninjas who coveted the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan and kidnapped my daughter in the middle of the night. Now you have the nerve to accuse us first!" Enraged, Hiashi temporarily forgot about Hiruzen and shouted directly at Kumogakure's delegation.

"Hmph! Threatening Konoha with war? Do you really think Konoha fears you? I never agreed to a ceasefire in the first place. If you want to fight, Konoha will accompany you anytime." Danzo, still wrapped in bandages, snorted coldly.

What Ye Wuyue had not expected was that Danzo would actually join in confronting Kumogakure's delegation. At the moment, the only calm people present were Orochimaru and Minato.

"Hmph! Do you have any proof that we kidnapped your daughter? The fact that one of our men died inside Konoha is indisputable. And may I take Danzo's words as Konoha's position? If Konoha truly has no intention of maintaining the ceasefire, I can return at once and report to Lord Raikage!"

The Kumogakure ninja flatly refused to admit it, then turned to Minato with a question.

The room fell temporarily silent as everyone looked toward Minato. He had been observing and considering matters as well, and now he spoke after hearing the Kumogakure ninja's question.

"First, I offer my deepest apologies for the death of your village's ninja within Konoha. However, according to the people on our side who witnessed it, your people first kidnapped the Hyuga Clan's main-family princess last night. And the witness is right here."

Minato looked toward Sasuke.

"That's right! Last night, I really saw someone wearing the same forehead protector as yours carrying my friend, Hinata Hyuga. After they discovered me, they even tried to kill me to silence me. If Uncle Hiashi hadn't arrived in time, they would have killed me." Ye Wuyue spoke, fear still on his face.

"These are nothing more than one-sided claims from Konoha. And the witness Lord Hokage speaks of is just some blond brat?" Kumogakure's side seized on Hiashi's inability to produce evidence and refused to acknowledge anything.

"Since neither side trusts the other, then let us investigate. If we cannot produce evidence within three days that you kidnapped her, Konoha will definitely give you an explanation. Conversely, if we find evidence, Kumogakure must sign the ceasefire agreement unconditionally and apologize to the Hyuga Clan." Minato spoke up at this point.

"No—" One Kumogakure ninja was about to refuse, but another ninja beside him patted his shoulder and shook his head. The first ninja immediately changed his words.

"Then investigate as you please. We only hope that if Konoha fails to find anything, you will honor your word." With that, the Kumogakure ninjas left with the corpse on the ground.

Ye Wuyue thought Minato's arrangement was quite reasonable. After all, they truly had no strong evidence proving that Kumogakure's ninjas had kidnapped Hinata. Besides, Minato had only said Konoha would give them an explanation if no evidence could be found—he had not said what that explanation would be.

Maybe that explanation would be a Rasengan?

Moreover, the Kumogakure ninjas' attitude seemed somewhat different from the original story. Ye Wuyue remembered that they had originally gone directly to Hiruzen Sarutobi that very night to demand an explanation, without giving Konoha time to search for evidence. It seemed Minato's deterrence truly could not be underestimated.

"What are everyone's thoughts on today's matter?"

After Kumogakure's people left, Minato asked the Konoha ninjas present. Fugaku and Hiashi had already taken their seats, while Sasuke stood beside Fugaku.

"I believe signing the ceasefire agreement should remain our priority. After all, the Kumogakure ninja was killed by Hiashi. The Hyuga Clan does indeed need to bear some responsibility for this matter." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

"Does the Third Hokage mean to hand me over?" Hyuga Hiashi asked with a frown.

"What I mean is that this matter was caused by your Hyuga Clan, so shouldn't your clan be the one to resolve it?" the Third Hokage replied.

"I will follow the Fourth Hokage's arrangements," Hiashi said.

Afterward, under Minato's arrangements, the matter was handed over to the Hyuga Clan for investigation. If they could find evidence, they would proceed as originally stated. If they could not, they would not need to hand anyone over and would only need to compensate Kumogakure with some supplies.

"Peace is not obtained through the needless sacrifice of comrades. If Kumogakure insists on using this matter to start a war with Konoha, it only proves that they never intended to agree to a ceasefire in the first place."

Those were Minato's exact words.

Afterward, Ye Wuyue and Fugaku returned home, and Hiashi arrived with Hinata.

"Fugaku, I must thank your Sasuke for what happened this time. Otherwise, they might really have succeeded."

Sitting at the table, Hiashi spoke to Fugaku with heartfelt gratitude.

"Come, Hinata. Thank Sasuke."

Hinata had been hiding behind Hiashi. Upon hearing his words, she slowly stepped out.

"Th-thank you!" Little Hinata bowed to him.

"Uh, you don't have to thank me so seriously. After all, if Uncle Hiashi hadn't been there, I might have been in danger too."

Ye Wuyue spoke. If not for the sake of gaining the Hyuga Clan's friendship, he actually did not want to get too involved with Hinata. He thought the original Sasuke had handled this quite well—throughout the entire anime, he had barely exchanged a few words with Hinata.

"That's true. Hiashi, there is no need to keep dwelling on this matter." Fugaku said with a smile.

After the two chatted about family matters for a while, Hiashi revealed an envious expression.

"I truly envy you, Fugaku! Both of your children are so gifted. Itachi graduated exceptionally from the Ninja Academy less than a year after entering, and I never expected Sasuke to possess such extraordinary talent as well. When do you plan to enroll Sasuke?"

Fugaku took a sip of tea before answering, "There's no need to rush his enrollment. The same as Itachi, I suppose. But I still hope he can complete his studies at the Ninja Academy instead of graduating early like Itachi. After all, there is still quite a lot to learn there."

Ye Wuyue did not quite share Fugaku's view on this. He rather wanted to become a ninja. He liked that hot-blooded feeling that surged through him during battle.

Looks like I'll have to make a bigger splash when it's time to enroll, Ye Wuyue thought.

"Fugaku, as a friend, I want to remind you of something. The Military Police Force is a difficult position to manage. Your clansmen have been enforcing things too harshly, and nearly all the clans in Konoha have grown dissatisfied with your clan."

Before leaving, Hiashi gave Fugaku a reminder.

"Thank you for the reminder, Hiashi. I'll take note of it," Fugaku said solemnly.

He had actually known this for a long time, but he had never found a solution. The radicals within the clan simply refused to listen to him and offended people everywhere. Recently, however, Minato had begun considering allowing other clans in the village to join Konoha's Military Police Force. Fugaku could only hope this measure would change the Uchiha Clan's current situation.

"Sasuke, have you been having some difficulties with your Body Flicker Technique training recently?"

After Hiashi left, Fugaku asked Sasuke.

"Yes. For some reason, I can never successfully perform it. I can't even move a single meter."

Sasuke answered. In truth, what he had been practicing was Shunpo. He had called it the Body Flicker Technique because he wanted to see whether he could learn Shunpo through the Body Flicker Technique's methods. After all, Shunpo seemed usable far more times than the Body Flicker Technique, and his Spiritual Power was much greater than his Chakra Amount.

His Spiritual Power had already reached 12,360, while his Chakra was only three-quarters of a card.

"Your brother's friend Shisui has attained a very high level in the Body Flicker Technique. I asked him to teach you, so go seek his guidance tomorrow afternoon."

Fugaku's words pleasantly surprised Sasuke. He knew exactly how powerful Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was. It could even create afterimages that were entirely solid through the technique. The description sounded a little awkward, but that was exactly what it meant.

"Alright! Thank you, Father!"

Sasuke answered excitedly. Fugaku smiled in satisfaction at the sight.