Heeheeheehee~

"Look! Something seems to be flying over!"

Unaware of the danger, the villagers pointed at the high sky, discussing the faint black dot drifting above them.

"It seems to be floating toward the village..."

Its trajectory was slow and leisurely, not resembling anything particularly formidable.

Ordinary villagers lacked experience; even living in a shinobi village, they rarely saw ninjas perform ninjutsu. Ninjas, however, were different—they always maintained the highest level of vigilance toward the unknown.

On rooftops and throughout the streets, ninjas wearing Konoha flak jackets, registered as Konoha shinobi, looked up at the sky.

Even if it were something ominous, given their current capabilities, they could only watch helplessly, unable to reach it, let alone intercept it.

Across the village, ninjas in clan attire stood in unison on the rooftops of their respective compounds, gazing at the sky with solemn expressions.

An enemy?

It had only been three years since the village was founded; who would dare to provoke the God of Shinobi and the majesty of Konoha?

Beneath the Uchiha fan crest, a group of red-eyed Uchiha, standing or crouching on rooftops, were tense and in a state of obvious high alert, their scarlet three-tomoe sharingan spinning as they stared upward.

"Can you see what it is?" an elder asked in a deep voice.

With their former patriarch having left, the Uchiha were currently without a leader; the position of clan head remained vacant, and no one was willing to submit to another.

"It looks like a person?" a young Uchiha with spiky hair said, his face full of arrogance and confusion.

"A person?" The crowd murmured.

"Great Elder, what should we do?" a clansman asked.

Hearing this, the elder sneered: "Wait and see. Wait for notification from the Senju brothers. Do nothing!" His voice carried a hint of resentment.

Before Madara left, everyone had been polite, acting like decent people.

The moment Madara left, every clan started giving them attitude; it was truly abysmal, and the Senju brothers just watched, not saying a word.

On the other side, compared to the Sharingan, which was not particularly suited for long-distance vision, the eyes of the Hyuga clan were much more convenient.

As the altitude decreased, the object entered the range of vision of most Hyuga clansmen.

The elders of the main branch, both men and women, had ashen, unsightly faces, while the branch family members all had bulging veins and faces full of rage.

For no other reason than that the figure hanging in the sky was one of their own. They could clearly see her miserable state, which was far worse than simply having her eyes gouged out.

In the spacious courtyard of the clan compound, a refined, middle-aged man with a clean-shaven forehead, wearing a kimono and covered in scars, looked up steadily at the sky. His fists were clenched tight; the treatment of his clansman filled him with fury.

But...

"Tenji..." an elder said, eyes lowered, one hand raised: "It is best to do nothing. Wait for the Senju brothers to give us an explanation."

"Heh..." Tenji chuckled: "The Ino-Shika-Cho just lost three men. Did they get an explanation?"

His eyes flashed as the elder said: "Don't speak loosely while in the village."

"Foolish." With a cold sweat, Tenji said: "Tobirama is highly vigilant against us. If you go to him for an explanation, I fear he will demand one from you instead. If we say nothing, everyone will act as if nothing happened."

"Tenji, you can try to trust his older brother, Hashirama." The elder was composed; as long as Hashirama was alive, that detestable brat Tobirama could not turn the world upside down.

"Can you still not see it? The fact that those two brothers are thick as thieves," Tenji said: "As cunning as you are, old man, don't be fooled by that idiot Hashirama."

"Things have reached this point; we should handle it as usual. It is only a branch family member, after all," the elder said. He cast a hidden glance at the angry and agitated branch family members nearby, then lowered his eyes, appearing weary.

It had always been this way; this was tradition.

The man turned his head to look at the elder: "If I had known, I should have taken my people and retreated alongside the Kaguya Clan."

"Heh..." The elder closed his eyes and mocked: "Even a man like you feels regret? The foolish old men of the Kaguya Clan still cling to the traditions of the clans. Sooner or later, Kirigakure will fall before Konoha. But no matter where we go, as long as the Caged Bird remains, the Hyuga will always just be the Hyuga."

"The old man is truly optimistic," Tenji sneered: "Uchiha Madara is gone."

"Let him be gone," the old man asserted: "Hashirama is the strongest in the Shinobi World. That arrogant brat Uchiha Madara will never win a single time in his life."

"Foolish old stubborn," Tenji sneered, saying: "Regardless, the majesty of the Hyuga clan cannot be provoked. I will take action myself."

"The Warring States period is over, Tenji." The old man opened his eyes, glanced at the man, and said: "You should learn to retire and leave behind an heir. This matter is the village's business, not the Hyuga's."

Tenji crossed his arms and snorted: "I have my own plans. Stop worrying about me."

"Worrying?" The old man huffed: "I am merely concerned that you might lose those precious Byakugan of yours."

The two spoke in low voices, while the surrounding clansmen listened with fear, unable to hear the conversation.

In the sky, the black dot drifted toward Konoha, gradually drawing closer. Villagers followed out of curiosity, while the clans watched with cold eyes.

The leaders of the Ino-Shika-Cho gathered together to watch the scene, the thin man with the pineapple head looking entirely serious.

"I thought it was an exception before, but looking at it now, it is no exception."

"What do you mean?" the blond man asked.

"A terrifying fellow has set their sights on Konoha," the pineapple head said in a deep voice.

"What is so terrifying about it?" the fat man asked solemnly: "The most terrifying man in the Shinobi World is already in Konoha."

"It is precisely because they are not afraid of the most terrifying man in the Shinobi World..." the pineapple head said: "...that it seems so terrifying..."

"Perhaps it is just an ignorant fool," the fat man said.

"Leave the thinking to me," the Pineapple Head man said. "Don't you go overthinking things."

The fat man shut his mouth.

The three men gazed at the sky, their eyes filled with gravity.

The Pineapple Head frowned; this was a sign of a very bad omen. The strength of Konoha was not as formidable as it appeared, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Was my decision wrong?

It had only been three years; had the fearsome reputation of Hashirama already failed to intimidate the Shinobi World?

In the Senju compound, passing through a deep, secluded corridor to the depths of the courtyard, Tobirama slid open the paper door and sat behind his meditating elder brother.

The man, dressed in a casual kimono with a peaceful and simple-minded expression, scratched his head and said, "I told you already, I don't want to be Hokage. Whoever wants that office can have it; anyway, I'm not going!"

Hearing this, Tobirama's eyelid twitched.

"I didn't come here to drag you to work, brother."

Hearing this, Hashirama turned his head back to look at Tobirama and asked, "Then what for?"

Tobirama's expression darkened as he said, "In my perception, at an altitude of about eighteen thousand meters, the enemy is hovering there. Can you knock her down? That woman is extremely dangerous; she is carrying a Jinchuriki."

The abilities of sensory ninjas varied; some could only perceive a general direction and lacked range, while others could perceive not only the direction but also the specific number of people. Above them, the most elite could even perceive a person's specific appearance and physique. Senju Tobirama was the top-tier sensory ninja in the Shinobi World.

He could clearly see Yura's face, and that detestable face was full of mocking, playful smiles.

The other side had come for revenge; he knew as much.

Hashirama's eyes widened as he raised his voice, "How much!? Eighteen thousand meters!? You overestimate me, Tobirama."

As for the Jinchuriki or whatever, Hashirama didn't care.

"What a useless brother," Tobirama said.

Hearing this, Hashirama suddenly slumped, his spirit crushed as he said in a low-pressure, dejected tone, "I'm sorry for being useless..."

It was infuriating, truly infuriating.

Tobirama's face was gloomy; they could only watch the enemy's smug expression, unable to strike back at all.

He also knew that the other side could perceive him and was watching him make a fool of himself.

Perceiving the violent surge of Tobirama's emotions and the immense malice directed at her, Yura smiled.

With the shallow smile of an elegant lady, she extended a finger toward the air, gently pulled down her eyelid, and stuck out her little tongue.

Blehhh~

On the ground, inside the room, Tobirama's face turned black as he suddenly clenched his fists.

Very well! Very good!

Negative emotion +1+1+1+1

"Thanks for the treat~" Yura smiled faintly. She didn't know if Tobirama could hear her, but he should be able to read her lips.

Akitsu of the Hyuga clan could read them, as could Kakashi with his Sharingan. Yura knew that her intentions had been discovered by Akitsu previously precisely because her lip-reading had been seen through.