A Show of Force

"Is it all taken care of?"

Shingetsu wiped the blood off his kunai with Hyuga Sojin's clothes, then turned to ask Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura.

"Easy! Without the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, they were simply pathetic." Karatachi Yagura replied.

If the combat power of each member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was one, their combined strength could reach ten; the way the three clans complemented each other's strengths and covered for their weaknesses was what made them such a headache on the battlefield.

But when isolated, they were nothing special.

Therefore, even though the ninjas from the Yamanaka Clan and Akimichi Clan were both jonin, they were easily taken down by the two.

"Two minutes have passed. Let's go; we should head out to welcome the Uzumaki patriarch!"

Shingetsu estimated the time and walked out first, with Karatachi Yagura and Yukinagi following closely behind, leaving behind only the raging fire and the wide-eyed, lifeless corpses of Nara Shikacho and Hyuga Sojin.

When Uzumaki Takumi arrived with a group of Uzumaki experts, he saw a crowd of Uzumaki ninjas standing helplessly before the mist that shrouded the Konoha embassy district.

"Patriarch, this mist is truly bizarre; it must be a large-scale genjutsu. Everything we see after entering is fake, and many of our men can't even locate the Konoha envoys," a guard reported with a troubled expression.

"This is... Mirage."

Uzumaki Takumi, who was from the same generation as Hozuki Gengetsu, naturally recognized this technique. The moment he saw it, a sense of foreboding filled his heart.

With this technique in play, combined with the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique and Ice Release, what could those few Konoha ninjas possibly use to defend themselves?

However, still clinging to a sliver of hope, just as Uzumaki Takumi was about to force his way in, the mist suddenly dissipated, and Shingetsu and his two companions walked out amidst the lingering wisps of vapor.

"Could it be that you, Patriarch, are like me—unable to sleep and drawn out by this beautiful scenery to admire the moon?"

Shingetsu looked at Uzumaki Takumi and asked with a smile.

Beside him, Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura looked up at the moon obscured by dark clouds, then back at the embassy engulfed in flames, nodding in silent agreement.

"Good, very good!"

Uzumaki Takumi looked at the burning embassy behind him and naturally knew it was too late. If the Konoha envoys were still alive, they would have come out themselves; in the current situation, they were obviously dead. Why else would they stay inside—to roast by the fire?

His face turned livid, and he immediately ordered the surrounding Uzumaki clansmen to seize Shingetsu and his two companions.

Shingetsu did not resist, still smiling. He knew well that if Uzumaki Takumi hadn't killed them on the spot, it proved that he was hesitant. And where there is hesitation, there is room for him to maneuver later...

After a brief moment of rage, Uzumaki Takumi had already thought through the current situation. With Konoha confirmed to have no reinforcements, if the Uzumaki Clan didn't want to face annihilation, the only way to ensure their survival was to defect to Kirigakure.

But if they were to defect so ignominiously, wouldn't it make them look incompetent? Especially after Shingetsu had aggressively executed the Konoha envoys; if word got out, wouldn't outsiders think his Uzumaki Clan had simply bowed to brute force?

Therefore, even if they were to join Kirigakure, there was a right way to do it—the manner and posture of their entry mattered.

Uzumaki Takumi carefully considered the current plight of the Uzumaki Clan, then suddenly remembered something and signaled the Uzumaki ninja beside him.

"Go, pick a few children and send them to Konoha."

Although he had made up his mind to defect to Kirigakure, things had reached this point; even if only to mitigate risk, he couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

With the protection of the remnants of the Senju, the Uzumaki bloodline could at least be preserved in Konoha.

The faces of several children flashed through Uzumaki Takumi's mind—they were all renowned geniuses of the Uzumaki Clan, and Uzumaki Kushina was among them.

Just as he was about to send Uzumaki Kushina to Konoha, the news of Shingetsu giving a gift to Uzumaki Kushina suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"Let Michiko and Yamakai go instead!"

Uzumaki Takumi hesitated for a moment before finally making his decision.

After Shingetsu and his companions were captured, they were not thrown into a dungeon. Instead, after their ability to refine chakra was sealed using sealing techniques, they were held in separate rooms.

The place of detention was a normal residence, and aside from the fact that they could not leave the house or use chakra, there was no difference from before.

Seeing this, Shingetsu felt his suspicions confirmed and waited quietly. In any case, the war on the front lines of the Land of Whirlpools was urgent, and the Uzumaki Clan had more pressing matters to attend to.

Sure enough, only a day later, Shingetsu was led out. On the way, he ran into Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura, and the three were escorted to the Tenshukaku.

However, the main gate was locked tight. Shingetsu looked at the leading ninja, who pointed toward a dog hole, clearly intending for the three of them to enter through there.

"Only distinguished guests may enter through the main gate; you can only enter through there."

Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura were furious—wasn't this looking down on them too much?

"But we entered through the main gate last time!"

"That was last time. Last time you were guests of Uzushio Village, but now..."

The guard glanced at Shingetsu and his companions, shook his head, and said no more.

Shingetsu, however, smiled calmly. "People use doors, dogs use dog holes. Since you use a dog hole as a door, I wonder if the master of this Tenshukaku is a human or a dog? If it's a dog, then entering through here is not entirely unacceptable."

The guard was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond.

"Sharp-tongued, no wonder you've managed to throw the Shinobi World into such chaos." High up in the Tenshukaku, a group of Uzumaki elders, including Uzumaki Takumi, were watching the scene, and one of them commented.

Uzumaki Takumi nodded noncommittally and signaled his men to open the gate and let them in.

The guard, sweating profusely and unsure of what to do, felt a sense of relief and hurriedly opened the gate to let the three in, and thus, they stepped into the first floor of the Tenshukaku.

Entering the Tenshukaku this time was different from before. On the first floor, dense rows of Uzumaki Clan members stood in two lines, their faces filled with killing intent. Each was clad in battle armor still stained with patches of blood, clearly having just withdrawn from the front lines.

"The front line has fallen!"

The moment he saw these people, Shingetsu understood. The Uzumaki Clan wouldn't have recalled these elites just to get the upper hand on him; this was a true life-or-death crisis for the clan. The Uzumaki were about to have a showdown with him, and their behavior earlier was a deliberate attempt to intimidate him.

However, the more critical the situation became, the more Shingetsu realized he could not afford to show fear. At such moments, it was a contest of momentum and inner resolve.

Thus, he immediately held his head high, chest out, and strolled through the gap between the lines with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

"Hah!"

When he reached the halfway point, the Uzumaki ninja on both sides shouted in unison, drawing their standard-issue ninja blades and pointing them directly at Shingetsu and his two companions.

Beside him, Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura were struck with terror, assuming the Uzumaki Clan intended to kill them. They immediately tried to resist, only to realize they were still suppressed by the Uzumaki sealing technique and could not refine any chakra. Just as they were filled with anxiety, they noticed Shingetsu in front of them, his expression unchanged. He remained unfazed by the display, continuing to walk forward with a leisurely gait.

Standing at the top of the Tenshukaku, an Uzumaki elder saw this scene and couldn't help but sigh, "He certainly has some backbone."

Uzumaki Takumi's face darkened. Isn't that obvious? Would someone without backbone dare to ambush the Konoha delegation last night?

However, it would be beneath him to belittle the man now, so he could only snort coldly and say, "Let's see how he performs next!"

Under the direct gaze of the many Uzumaki ninja, the trio walked safely through the first floor and climbed the stairs to the second.

The second floor didn't have as many Uzumaki clansmen, only a massive cauldron heated until it glowed red, with boiling water churning inside and emitting waves of steam.

A butcher-dressed Uzumaki clansman was sharpening his blade, glancing occasionally at various parts of Shingetsu's body with a cackling laugh, as if deciding where to make the first cut.

"Go up from there to reach the third floor; the clan leader is waiting for you... Hehehe, though I suspect we might be seeing each other again very soon." The Uzumaki clansman offered a reminder in a raspy voice before returning to his sharpening.

Seeing this, Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura's muscles tensed instinctively. It was hard not to associate such a scene with the punishment of being boiled alive.

Although as ninja, they had long been prepared for death—especially after helping Shingetsu kill the Konoha envoys—they had wondered what would happen if the Uzumaki Clan went mad and tried to execute them. But being mentally prepared was one thing; how one actually died was another. Being killed by a kunai and being boiled alive in water were two very different experiences.

Just as the two were trembling with fear, Shingetsu didn't bypass the area to head for the stairs. Instead, he walked straight up to the cauldron, leaned over to peer inside, and clicked his tongue with an expression of deep dissatisfaction.

"This plain water won't do! Remember to add some chili later; I prefer it spicy." Shingetsu pulled a handful of chili peppers from his robe and handed them to the butcher, adding, "Oh, and remember to marinate the meat before it goes in! Use cooking wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic to remove the gamey smell. Also, make sure to prepare a dipping sauce for me with sesame paste and chive flowers. Thanks!"

With that, ignoring the stunned butcher, Shingetsu grabbed the still-frozen Yukinagi and Karatachi Yagura and stepped onto the stairs.

He hadn't expected that the chili peppers he'd hidden away to help him fake tears would actually come in handy like this.

Shingetsu thought lightheartedly that he had originally intended to use the peppers to win over the Uzumaki Clan. He had planned to wait until Uzumaki Takumi decided to lead the clan into Kirigakure, at which point he would rub some chili in his eyes to feign a tearful, emotional scene, grab Uzumaki Takumi's hand, and say with deep sincerity: "Gaining the Uzumaki is like a fish finding water!"

Wouldn't that scene have maximized the prestige for both sides?

The butcher looked at the chili in his hand, then at his blade, falling into a deep state of self-doubt.

Wait, who carries chili peppers with them when they go out?

Upstairs, the many Uzumaki high-ranking officials who had witnessed this scene also fell into a heavy silence.