Why Are We the Unlucky Ones!

Why did the gentlemen of ancient times all learn a thing or two about swordsmanship, with some even capable of driving their own chariots into the fray?

Because the scholars of that era understood clearly that if you want to have a proper conversation with someone, it is best to beat them into submission first. (Heavy fog)

The founding master of Confucianism could even lift a city gate with his bare hands; clearly, there was some logic to this.

This muscle mass exists not to bully the weak, but to ensure that people are willing to reason with me properly. If you refuse to be reasonable, then this (clenches fist) is the reason.

With his neck being gripped, the Third Raikage was visibly much calmer.

This display of situational awareness caused Uchiha Yuji to slowly release him, yet the terror radiating from those blood-red eyes did not diminish in the slightest. "The Cloud Ninja's war is destined to fail this time."

"That is a fact!"

The booming voice drowned out the words the Third Raikage intended to use for a rebuttal.

"If you insist on continuing this fight, I will snap the spine of your Cloud Ninja forces entirely."

"By dragging me here like this, you are likewise snapping the spine of the next generation of my Cloud Ninja."

Uchiha Yuji's fists were hard, and his eyes carried immense pressure, but that could never compare to the Third Raikage's explosive temper—and his stubbornness.

"He won't die," Uchiha Yuji said with certainty. "Even if it's only been a short year or two, the Fourth Generation A is someone I have taken a liking to; he is not the type to die so easily."

"Besides, if he really were to die so simply, it would only prove that he was nothing more than that."

"If he fails to live up to my expectations, such a waste of space might as well head to the Pure Land early."

If not for the fact that he couldn't win, the Third Raikage would have already thrown a punch.

"What exactly do you want! Give me a straight answer!"

"As long as you write a letter of surrender here, I can guarantee—I can assure you—that you will return to the Land of Lightning safely and in one piece."

At this, both Kage furrowed their brows tightly.

Ōnoki slammed his hand onto the only intact dining table; his small frame carried immense power, causing the table to sink into the mud from the impact.

"My army of thirty thousand is enough to bury every single Cloud Ninja here. Why on earth should I let them go!"

"Not only has the Third Raikage failed to grasp the situation, but you, Third Tsuchikage, have also failed to understand the current state of affairs." The cold, sharp gaze shifted to Ōnoki.

"We may be traveling the same path, but have you forgotten, Third Tsuchikage, that we are actually enemies?"

"The Cloud Ninja were my prey to begin with. Now that you, Third Tsuchikage, want to compete with me for this prey, I don't mind fighting another round."

"That is, if your subordinates in Iwagakure are all happy to accept that."

Ōnoki was left speechless. Without absolute certainty, he had no desire to fight this guy again.

Without absolute certainty, he would not recklessly start a war.

In truth, Ōnoki had other methods, but they were things he dared not voice.

What if he dealt with the Raikage and his son, then charged toward the hidden village? Wouldn't that end the war faster?

He feared that the moment he voiced this suggestion, the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha Yuji before him would flare up, and he would proceed to wipe out every Iwagakure and Cloud Ninja present.

Coincidentally, the Raikage and his son were both here, and unluckily, he and his own son were also on this battlefield.

Especially when the man had the strength to back it up, it was easy for a slip of the tongue to bring disaster.

If that happened, those hot-headed Cloud Ninja would likely throw their lives away to seek revenge against Konoha, which might make the war even more intense.

To Uchiha Yuji, these people were all diligent leeks waiting to be harvested.

As for the Iwagakure ninjas... it might end up being Rōshi who called the shots.

Just the thought of Rōshi sitting in his seat, wearing the Fourth Tsuchikage's hat, mocking his corpse while spreading his philosophy of Earth!

I don't want that to happen!

Of course, even if he had said it, Uchiha Yuji wouldn't have done it; the emotions provided by the Fourth Generation A and Kitsuchi were truly high-quality.

Especially that constant [Longing]; one person provided so many portions of extreme positive and negative emotions. Such premium leeks were hard to find.

Watching Uchiha Yuji roast him was infuriating, but when the Third Raikage saw Uchiha Yuji roasting Ōnoki just as mercilessly, he felt much better.

There is no harm without comparison, and thus, no sense of superiority.

"How do you want me to write it? There is no pen or ink here." The Third Raikage was straightforward, without any hesitation.

At the start of the war, to avoid running into Uchiha Yuji, the collective brain of the Cloud Ninja—Dodai—chose to stretch the front lines as thin as possible. Fearing the loss of morale that would result if the Third Raikage lost a direct confrontation with Uchiha Yuji on the main battlefield, he had arranged for the Third Raikage to handle side operations.

But sometimes, when a person is down on their luck, they choke even on cold tea.

They had intended to sneak a victory, only to run straight into the person they least wanted to meet, and then run into an army of tens of thousands.

However, the goal of this war was to seize supplies. The war had been short, the battlefield hadn't heated up yet, and the Cloud Ninja's casualties were minimal.

Long front lines also meant difficulty for Konoha's defense, allowing them to seize much more loot. The Cloud Ninja bandits had already secured a certain amount of supplies, so ending the war now was not a loss for him at all.

The three-tomoe in Uchiha Yuji's eyes spun and merged into a circle. Abundant Chatonra and ocular power acted upon his left eye simultaneously.

A ripple of chaotic color, only the size of an arm, slowly unfolded beside him. Uchiha Yuji reached into the ripple and retrieved a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

Ōnoki and the Third Raikage exchanged a silent glance. Ōnoki coughed twice and asked with a tone of curiosity, "What kind of ability is this?"

"An ability of the Mangekyō Sharingan. It unfolds an independent dimension that belongs only to me. However, the unfolding speed is very slow, making it difficult to use in the heat of battle."

"Rest assured, I don't need to use that ability to deal with the likes of you."

The corners of the Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage's eyes twitched simultaneously.

Uchiha Yuji placed a sheet of white paper on the table and handed a pen to the two Kage.

"I don't care how you phrase the surrender document, but you must write the fact that you were 'defeated by Hatake White Fang' in great detail."

Hm?!

The Third Raikage might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but the Third Tsuchikage was exceptionally cunning; upon hearing this, his eyes lit up instantly.

"Does the Uchiha clan intend to support White Fang to become the Fourth Hokage?" Ōnoki asked, his hand moving across the paper without the slightest hesitation.

"I shall take this opportunity to congratulate White Fang in advance for defeating Sarutobi Hiruzen and becoming the Fourth Hokage."

With Ōnoki having made it so explicit, the Third Raikage's eyes also brightened. He abandoned his original, formulaic phrasing and injected it with plenty of his own malicious intent.

We lost on the battlefield, so we accept that.

But since we've had such rotten luck, there's no way you, our old friend Sarutobi Hiruzen, should get off scot-free!

Regardless of whether Sarutobi Hiruzen or Uchiha Yuji ends up dead, it's a massive profit for us!