This Is... Ao's Byakugan

The battle in East Coast Forest did not last long.

All six Kirigakure ninja had been captured by the Uchiha Clan's God-Demon Battalion.

The Byakugan in Kirigakure jonin Ao's eye socket had been dug out and placed in a nutrient jar.

Ao endured the excruciating pain and raised his head. Blood continued to seep from his empty eye socket. "Uchiha... you won't succeed... Kirigakure... will make you pay..."

A God-Demon Battalion member rushed over using the Body Flicker Technique and said urgently, "Captain, the clan head wants you in the conference room immediately."

Uchiha Sanpo gently shook the glass jar, watching the Byakugan rotate in the liquid before finally tucking it into his clothes.

"Got it. I'll go right away. Keep a close eye on these prisoners."

Seeing that no one paid him any attention, Ao changed his approach.

Enduring the pain of having his eye gouged out, he said, "Could you bandage my teammates' wounds? If this continues, they'll bleed to death. Since you captured us alive, I assume you don't just want corpses, right?"

Uchiha Sanpo did not turn around. He merely waved a hand. "Give them basic treatment. Just don't let them die."

God-Demon Battalion member Uchiha Yakumi patted his chest and grinned confidently. "Brother Sanpo, I'll handle it. Go on without worry!"

Inside the stronghold's high-level conference room, two Uchiha guards immediately pulled open the door when they saw Sanpo.

The instant the door opened, fierce arguing poured out like a tide.

Akimichi Choza slammed the table, making it tremble.

"Clan Head Fugaku! Your Uchiha Clan took thirty billion ryo in reparations from Iwagakure. Do you intend to swallow this juicy piece of Kirigakure all by yourselves too?"

Nara Shikaku coughed lightly and rose to his feet as well.

With a solemn expression, he said, "Allow me to remind everyone that our Ino-Shika-Cho clans followed Lord Minato and fought bitterly on the Kumogakure front for years, suffering heavy casualties. Yet we haven't seen even a single coin. Meanwhile, Kirigakure looted over thirty billion ryo from Bear City and more than ten billion from White Bird City. That is more than forty billion ryo in hard cash."

"Since when did the Ino-Shika-Cho clans become so brave that you dared to talk about dividing up Kirigakure?"

Uchiha Sanpo's voice was not loud, yet the entire conference room fell silent in an instant.

"How about the Uchiha Clan, the Kurama Clan, and the other clans stay behind to garrison the area while you go attack Kirigakure?"

The smile on Nara Shikaku's face froze, and he awkwardly stroked his chin.

"Captain Sanpo, you jest. The Uchiha Clan is now the number one clan in the Ninja World. You captured more than five thousand Iwagakure ninja on the Iwagakure battlefield. Our Ino-Shika-Cho clans greatly admire such achievements."

Uchiha Sanpo ignored Shikaku's flattery and walked straight to the seat on Uchiha Fugaku's left, pulled out the chair, and sat down. He deliberately tilted the chair back and rested his calves on the conference table, looking utterly unconcerned.

"Does Clan Head Nara Shikaku have any important intelligence to share?"

A trace of vigilance flashed through Shikaku's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "What would Captain Sanpo like to know?"

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist ventured deep into the Land of Fire and happened upon Konoha's eternal genin, Might Duy. In the end, Might Duy used the secret technique, the Eight Inner Gates Formation. Four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist died and three fled. The four ninja swords have already been sent back to Konoha."

"Captain Sanpo, is this intelligence accurate?" Inuzuka Tsume suddenly spoke. The ninja hound beside her gave a low growl, seemingly sensing its master's agitation as well.

Uchiha Sanpo sighed softly. "The Eight Inner Gates is an A-rank ninjutsu with harsh requirements for both training and use. Once the Eight Inner Gates Formation is opened, it can unleash dozens of times one's normal strength. But the price is that the user burns all their blood and chakra to death."

Clan Head Kazami sneered. "No wonder the Ino-Shika-Cho clans kept urging us to attack Kirigakure just now. So you had already received this intelligence!"

Clan Head Kurama slammed the table hard and said, "Damn it! Why didn't the village notify us of such important intelligence?"

At those words, everyone in the conference room looked at the three Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads differently.

Seeing that the atmosphere had turned sour, Nara Shikaku hurriedly forced a smile. "We only just received the news as well. Kirigakure is weak right now, but it still holds vast amounts of money and resources. We should discuss how to take down Kirigakure and divide this enormous wealth."

Uchiha Sanpo reached into his clothes and gently set the glass jar containing the Byakugan on the table.

"Before everyone starts arguing, I think you should first take a look at this."

He raised the glass jar. The white pupil within the eyeball looked especially eerie.

Hyuga Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly, and veins bulged at his temples as he instinctively activated his Byakugan.

"This is... Ao's Byakugan?" Hiashi's voice carried a hint of anger.

"That's right. Kirigakure jonin Ao's six-man squad has been captured by us, and I also obtained an important piece of intelligence."

Uchiha Sanpo deliberately paused for a moment, drawing everyone's attention.

"This afternoon, Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails inside Namikaze Minato's student, Nohara Rin, then dispatched fifty Kirigakure Anbu jonin to escort her. In the end, Nohara Rin and all fifty Kirigakure Anbu jonin died. Kirigakure jonin Ao was sent here to gather intelligence on the matter."

A chorus of sharp breaths sounded within the tent. Nara Shikaku rubbed the stubble on his chin, and a shrewd gleam flashed through his eyes.

"The Three-Tails' jinchuriki is dead, more than half of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have been lost, fifty Kirigakure Anbu jonin are dead, and Kirigakure jonin Ao has been captured... Kirigakure is probably at its weakest right now."

Clan Head Kurama rose to his feet and said excitedly, "Clan Head Fugaku, no matter how you look at it, the current situation warrants an attack on Kirigakure."

Yamanaka Inoichi frowned slightly. "If our Ino-Shika-Cho clans join the battle as well, Konoha headquarters' defenses will have a serious gap. What about the rear guard?"

The argument erupted again, mainly dividing into two factions. One was led by Uchiha Fugaku, while the other consisted of reinforcements withdrawn from the Kumogakure battlefield, centered around clans such as the Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka, and Aburame Clan.

Uchiha Sanpo coldly watched these so-called "big shots" haggle like market vendors over a few benefits, and he could not help sneering inwardly.

As he watched everyone argue until their faces turned red, Uchiha Shisui wore a worried expression and said, "I'm willing to stay behind and take charge of the garrison duty!"

Hearing Shisui speak, Uchiha Fugaku felt somewhat displeased. This was an important moment to fight for the clan's interests.

But there was no point in continuing the quarrel, so he gave a light cough to draw everyone's attention.

"Quiet! It's already late at night... Go back and get some proper rest. We'll discuss this again tomorrow morning..."