Shifting the Contradiction

Yamanaka Inoichi said with a gloomy expression, "Yamanaka Fu joined Root long ago and is no longer a member of the Yamanaka Clan. You came to the wrong place."

Uchiha Inabi laughed loudly. "What a joke. Leaving aside the fact that Yamanaka Fu was not a rogue ninja at all, he is still a member of Konoha."

"And who are you trying to fool with that excuse? Just because he left the clan, does that mean he has nothing to do with the Yamanaka Clan?"

"By that logic, I can kill you right now and then announce that I've cut ties with the Uchiha."

Even as Uchiha Inabi said those words, he was secretly alarmed.

Xuanye had actually predicted the kind of excuse that old bastard Yamanaka Inoichi would make. The words he had just spoken felt like reciting lines.

Trying to shift the blame onto Danzo and Root? It would not be that easy.

"Uchiha Inabi, don't go too far!"

Their clan leader had suffered such humiliation, and the two Yamanaka jōnin beside him could no longer hold themselves back. They even seemed ready to draw their weapons.

Just as they were about to step forward, Inabi made a move they had never expected.

He tilted his neck, exposing his vital point. He even pointed at his own throat and provocatively said to the two jōnin:

"Come on, cut right here. If you don't, you're my grandsons."

"You might still be able to argue over Yamanaka Fu's matter, but if you really dare attack members of the Konoha Security Division who came to investigate and gather evidence, that would be no different from rebellion!"

"In a crisis, the Konoha Security Division has the authority to execute first and report afterward!"

"Tell me, how long can your Yamanaka Clan last against the elite forces of the Konoha Security Division?"

By this point, even Inabi was looking forward to it. He hoped they would actually dare to strike.

"You!"

The two Yamanaka jōnin could no longer endure such provocation.

Even a clay figurine had some temper, much less jōnin like them, whose destructive power was terrifying and whose hands were stained with blood.

But Yamanaka Inoichi stopped them at that moment.

"Stand down."

"Clan Leader! What are you waiting for? We can't let the Uchiha think we have no backbone!"

"That's right! Even if we die, we'll drag someone down with us!"

"I said stand down!!"

Before Yamanaka Inoichi's authority as clan leader, the two jōnin, though unwilling, could only suppress their anger and retreat.

Yamanaka Inoichi had considered many things.

Over this period, the Uchiha's behavior had changed greatly. He had to consider whether this was the Uchiha setting a trap.

What if the elite forces of the Konoha Security Division were lying in ambush nearby? What if they were simply waiting for them to act before suddenly rushing out and wiping out the Yamanaka Clan?

Although that possibility was not especially high, unless Uchiha Fugaku had gone mad, he would never do something that openly declared war on every ninja clan in Konoha.

But as the Yamanaka Clan's leader, he could not place the entire clan's safety on his own speculation or the Uchiha's rationality.

What if Fugaku, that old good man, really did go mad?

Then even if Konoha later wiped out the Uchiha and avenged them, the Yamanaka Clan would not live to see it.

Yamanaka Inoichi did not doubt in the slightest that the Uchiha had the ability to do that.

You could say the Uchiha had no political sense, that every one of them was a red-eyed lunatic.

But you could never say the Uchiha could not fight!

After taking a breath, Yamanaka Inoichi glanced at Yamanaka Fu's corpse in Uchiha Inabi's hand, resentment flashing through his eyes.

What Shimura Danzō had done was actually being dumped onto the Yamanaka Clan!

What was even more infuriating was that Yamanaka Fu had been a Yamanaka Clan genius whom Danzo had forcibly taken from their clan back then by relying on his position as Hokage Assistant.

Taking away a genius was bad enough, but after something happened, they still had to take the blame—there was no bullying people like this.

Taking a deep breath, Yamanaka Inoichi suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a low voice:

"What does the Uchiha want?"

If the Uchiha's demands were not too excessive, he would satisfy them for now, then let them and Danzo tear each other apart later.

Seeing that Yamanaka Inoichi had backed down, Inabi felt somewhat disappointed.

But he quickly remembered the task Xuanye had assigned him. Glancing at the surrounding onlookers, he said:

"Does Clan Leader Yamanaka intend to discuss compensation for the Captain of the Security Division here?"

Yamanaka Inoichi was decisive as well. He immediately stepped aside and led Inabi to the clan's reception room.

Inabi and the other two Security Division members were not worried that there might be an ambush inside.

Yamanaka Inoichi had endured even their earlier provocation. Now that he had already shown signs of compromise, there was even less reason to worry.

A short while later, Inabi emerged from the Yamanaka Clan grounds with fifty million ryō in his arms, practically beaming with joy.

Medical expenses, compensation for emotional distress, and repair costs for damaged public facilities—he had originally wanted to demand one hundred million ryō without restraint.

Naturally, Yamanaka Inoichi could not agree to such an outrageous condition and instinctively tried to cut it in half.

But unexpectedly, Inabi immediately agreed to fifty million ryō, as though he had gotten an enormous bargain.

In truth, the minimum Xuanye had set was only thirty million ryō. Making roughly the equivalent of one Asuma was enough.

If they demanded too much, he was afraid of leaving the Yamanaka Clan with too great a psychological shadow all at once.

Looking at the banknotes in his hand, Inabi could barely believe his eyes.

Was making money really this easy?

Then what had all those miserable cat-catching, dog-walking missions and daily patrols he did usually been for?

Xuanye made money faster than robbery!

Watching the Uchiha swagger away, Yamanaka Inoichi did not know what expression to wear.

He kept feeling that this did not match the Uchiha style he knew. Their purpose seemed to be specifically to extort them rather than seek revenge.

He did not know where things had gone wrong.

After thinking it over and over, Yamanaka Inoichi still could not find anything wrong.

Fortunately, he knew what to do whenever his brain was not working well: he went directly to find his close friend, Nara Shikaku.

The Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clans were collectively known as Ino-Shika-Cho, Konoha's staunch Hokage Faction.

That did not mean they were forever loyal to Sarutobi Hiruzen. Rather, whoever sat in that position was the one the three clans served.

Put nicely, they were a staunch Hokage Faction. Put bluntly, they were fence-sitters who served whoever became Hokage.

The Nara Clan was famous for its intelligence, and Nara Shikaku was also the head of the Jōnin Corps.

Though this position was usually inconspicuous, during wartime it was almost responsible for coordinating all ninja and logistics management. Its authority was immense.

From this position alone, one could see just how much trust the Hokage Faction placed in the Nara Clan.

When he arrived at the Nara Clan compound, the guards let him in almost without notifying anyone.

Yamanaka Inoichi was an old friend of the clan leader, and the clan leader had specially authorized him to enter without announcement.

When Yamanaka Inoichi arrived at the reception room and saw Nara Shikaku, just as he was about to speak, the other man raised a hand and interrupted him.

"You don't need to say anything. I already know what happened."