"..."
For a long while, the scene was utterly silent.
Longya and the others had also been caught completely off guard by the sudden turn of events.
Just then, a loud crash rang out!
"Brat!"
Suigen burst free from the shattered wall, his head covered in blood.
His eyes were bloodshot as he roared and rapidly formed hand seals. Blue chakra surged around him. He was clearly preparing to summon a Summoning Beast and crush Uchiha Ao once and for all.
"You actually dared attack me! I'll kill you!"
"Haha..."
Ao turned slightly and glanced at him with contempt. Then he grabbed another Uzumaki Ninja who had passed out and held him in front of himself as a shield, laughing wildly.
"You worthless piece of trash!
"Go ahead and attack me, then! You want the Secret Medicine, don't you? Come and take it!
"Then Konoha will become an enemy of Uzushiogakure, too.
"And then... I'd like to see how much longer Uzushiogakure can survive!"
Suigen's hands froze mid-seal.
Those words pierced through his boiling killing intent like an icicle. Longya finally recovered from his shock and used the Body Flicker Technique to place himself between them, urgently pleading,
"Suigen, think this through. Konoha is the only ally we have left. If we lose their support, Uzushiogakure will be finished!
"And you really did go too far just now. If you keep acting recklessly, I'll have no choice but to join the other Clan Elders and impeach you."
Uzushiogakure might have been called a village, but in truth, the entire Uzumaki Clan held power there. Before he died, Uzumaki Ashina had made one wise decision: he divided authority among several people, so his foolish son wouldn't bring the whole village to ruin.
So Longya really did have that authority.
As he