Kakuzu

"It's been so long. How about we invite Orochimaru and have a drink together?"

"Have a drink?"

Tsunade's eyes lit up instantly.

"Isn't it a little late for that? The barbecue places outside are probably all closed..." Tsunade thought hard for a moment. "So, how about at my place?"

Ye Ning slapped his forehead, close to tears.

All right, it looked like tonight would be another sleepless one.

The Third Hokage's decision came as no surprise to Ye Ning.

Under pressure and threats from the Daimyo, the Third Hokage predictably chose to compromise, allowing the Uchiha Clan to select an elite squad to serve as the Daimyo's bodyguards.

And this elite squad was made up of genuine elites.

The squad had fifteen members in all, including five Jonin. The other ten were all elite Chunin.

Keep in mind, these were ninjas from the Uchiha Clan!

It was commonly accepted throughout the Shinobi World that Uchiha ninjas were almost impossible to defeat one-on-one. An Uchiha ninja equally skilled in Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu was practically invincible.

A squad of fifteen clan members, including five Jonin—and Uchiha Fugaku had actually been unusually generous this time.

The Uchiha Clan was hailed as the greatest clan in Konoha, even the greatest in the Shinobi World. But in reality, its population wasn't that large, and it had far fewer ninjas than clans like the Sarutobi and Shimura.

Fifteen ninjas wouldn't exactly cripple the Uchiha Clan, but it showed how seriously they were taking this matter.

A Police Force squad had only ten members, led by a single Jonin.

Sending out a force like this was already quite generous.

Looking at the prickly-haired ninjas with their calm expressions, Ye Ning nodded in satisfaction.

As expected, the Uchiha Clan was full of good-looking people.

Putting everything else aside, this squad was certainly easy on the eyes.

The fifteen clan members seemed to take their lead from the middle-aged ninja at the front. After asking around, Ye Ning learned his name.

Uchiha Ryu.

He was an elite Jonin of considerable standing in the Uchiha Clan, and had a good chance of becoming its youngest elder.

"Your Highness Ye Ning, Young Clan Leader Fugaku has given us special instructions. We'll follow your orders to the letter and do whatever you ask."

The man, who was on the verge of becoming an Uchiha elder, was being so deferential that Ye Ning could hardly believe this was something a member of the Uchiha Clan could do.

Ye Ning nodded and set off for the Daimyo Mansion with the fifteen Uchiha ninjas.

At first, Ye Ning hadn't wanted to go at all.

Those Uchiha could find the Capital City on their own.

They could go straight to the Daimyo Mansion and request an audience with the Daimyo. He didn't need to get involved at any point.

But Tsunade had been in a bad mood for the past few days, losing her temper from time to time.

Ye Ning had learned one thing.

Never mess with a woman when she was on her period!

Rather than stay home and worry that he might make Tsunade angry, he figured he might as well use this chance to get away.

The journey, however, turned out to be much duller than Ye Ning had imagined.

Apart from Uchiha Ryu, he didn't have a single person to talk to along the way!

Perhaps because Fugaku had repeatedly instructed them before they left, the Uchiha ninjas treated him politely enough, but that was all.

Getting the proud Uchiha to speak to Ye Ning with their heads bowed was simply asking too much of them.

They could only keep their faces stiff and follow behind Ye Ning without saying a word.

Of all the Uchiha, Uchiha Ryu was the only one who could lower his guard enough to exchange a few words with him.

"Your Highness Ye Ning."

Uchiha Ryu nudged Ye Ning's arm, his body suddenly tensing.

Ye Ning turned around and glanced at Uchiha Ryu in confusion.

"It seems someone's following us."

Uchiha Ryu kept his expression neutral and spoke to Ye Ning in a low voice.

"Whoever it is should be at least as strong as I am."

Ye Ning raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Someone was following them?

Were they after him?

Ye Ning furrowed his brow, unable to figure out who could possibly be targeting him.

Everyone in the squad except him was a Uchiha ninja, and they all wore the clan's Gunbai crest on their clothes, making their identities obvious at a glance.

And yet someone still dared to follow them—a group of Uchiha ninjas?

Ye Ning suddenly grew curious about the pursuer's identity.

Knowing full well that they were following a Uchiha squad and still trailing them all this way, the pursuer was either an idiot with no sense or someone confident in their own strength.

Seeing that Ye Ning made no move, Uchiha Ryu volunteered.

"Your Highness Ye Ning, shall I go capture him?"

Uchiha Ryu kept Uchiha Fugaku's instructions firmly in mind.

Whether the Uchiha Clan could change, shed people's prejudice and reintegrate into Konoha, and rise to greatness once more all depended on the seemingly young boy before him.

If they could get in Ye Ning's good graces, the Uchiha Clan would have a bright future.

That wasn't exactly what Uchiha Fugaku had said, but it was the gist of it.

As a senior member of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Ryu was willing to give everything for his clan, including setting aside his pride.

It was only natural that he follow Ye Ning's orders.

"No need. Let's see what he wants."

Ye Ning turned down Uchiha Ryu's offer.

The enemy was in the shadows while they were out in the open. Making the first move clearly wasn't a good idea.

Since the pursuer had chosen to follow them all this way, sooner or later he'd lose patience and make the first move.

As long as they stayed alert and kept watch on their surroundings, they could simply wait for him to walk into their trap.

"Understood. Don't worry, Your Highness Ye Ning. I'll protect you."

You had to be kidding.

This man before him was the Uchiha Clan's hope for a revival!

With Ye Ning's support, they'd have the Daimyo's backing too!

Restoring the Uchiha Clan and making its name resound throughout the Shinobi World would be a piece of cake!

So he would do everything in his power to keep Ye Ning safe!

Uchiha Ryu continued to act as if he hadn't noticed anything, but in secret he was on full alert. His Sharingan had quietly opened, and the Three-Tomoe in his eyes gave off a chilling aura.

Hidden in the shadows, Kakuzu felt a little frustrated.

This target seemed a lot harder to kill than he'd expected...

He even had fifteen Uchiha ninjas protecting him?