Declaration of War? Sacrifice!

Even the Raikage hadn't expected to miss despite stepping in personally. The lightning around him showed signs of going berserk.

"Stand down, Raikage. This is Konoha, not your Kumogakure."

The Third Hokage spoke.

His eyes hadn't moved once from beginning to end.

Only after Ryosuke dodged the Raikage's attack did a meaningful glint flash in his eyes.

This child had great potential. What a shame he was part of the Uchiha Clan.

"Hokage, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to start a war?"

The Raikage's shirt had already burst open, revealing a body packed with bulging muscles.

"I'll investigate the Cloud Ninja's deaths and give you an answer. But if you really want war, then I'll see it through to the end."

The Third Hokage suddenly took a hard line.

The Raikage couldn't help but pause at his words. He glanced at the Hokage, unsure why the old man suddenly seemed like a different person.

At that moment, the office door opened.

Another middle-aged man, about the same age as the Third Hokage, walked in.

It was Danzo, of Konoha's Root organization.

"Lord Raikage, it's been a long time."

"Danzo? You old bastard, you're still alive?"

The Raikage's pupils narrowed as if he'd been reminded of some unpleasant memories.

"Have you come to declare war? If so, I'll accept on Konoha's behalf. It's about time we avenged the Second, too."

Danzo spoke leisurely.

"Bullshit! The Second's death had nothing to do with the Cloud Ninja. Those two rogue ninja, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, were responsible."

The Raikage shouted.

"If there's nothing else, please leave. We need to prepare our battle plans."

Danzo turned to look at the Third Hokage.

The Raikage's brow furrowed.

In his eyes, Danzo was far more troublesome than the Third Hokage. The old fox was a real handful.

"Fine. You Konoha people have gone too far. Just wait for war to break out between our nations."

But now that things had come to this, all he could do was leave them with a harsh threat before turning to go.

When the Third Hokage saw Danzo, the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

"What brings you here?"

"I came to see what you'll sacrifice this time to protect Konoha."

As he spoke, Danzo pulled a child out from behind him. It was Ryosuke.

"I said I got lost earlier. You don't believe me?"

Ryosuke said awkwardly.

He'd meant to slip away while he had the chance. With the system, he could thrive even outside Konoha. But he hadn't expected to run into Danzo, the old fox who'd been eavesdropping in the hallway, and ended up getting dragged out instead.

No one else present said anything, but little Hinata covered her mouth and giggled.

The Third Hokage sighed. "Konoha can't afford another war. Our duty is to protect the next generation as they grow."

"Hmph. Even when they grow up, flowers raised in a greenhouse are useless. Only the trials of war can turn them into protectors of the village."

Danzo pressed the point aggressively.

Their ideals differed. The Third Hokage was a pacifist, while Danzo was a hardliner.

They'd struggled against each other for decades, and their differences had only grown more pronounced.

"Go back. I'll handle what happened today."

The Third Hokage didn't want to argue with Danzo in front of everyone else. Besides, as Hokage, he had no need to do so.

"I can go back, but I'm taking this child with me. If I remember correctly, he's an orphan, isn't he?"

Danzo pointed at Ryosuke.

Ryosuke was dumbfounded. Damn, had he escaped one tiger's den only to fall into a wolf's? Being in Danzo's hands wasn't much better than being in the Cloud Ninja's. After all, Danzo had been one of the masterminds behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre. The Sharingan embedded in his arm was proof enough.

At that moment, Uchiha Fugaku walked over.

"Lord Danzo, I've already taken this child as my adopted son."

"Your adopted son? This child?"

Danzo looked at Uchiha Fugaku and asked in a chilling voice.

Cold sweat ran down Uchiha Fugaku's face, but he stood his ground. "That's right. The Uchiha Clan will look after its own."

"What a shame. Little one, if you want to become stronger, if you want to protect the village, you can come to me anytime."

Danzo lowered his head and gave Ryosuke a chilling smile, then sauntered away.

Ryosuke could only grimace.

Couldn't anything good ever happen to him?

Why had he become Uchiha Fugaku's adopted son?

Though he was the head of the Uchiha Clan, he was also the father of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.

That meant Ryosuke might not be able to move around freely anymore.

And especially since he'd have to face the man who would personally wipe out the Uchiha Clan.

The very person he'd always wanted to stay away from.

The Third Hokage glanced at Ryosuke. "The technique you used just now..."

"It was the Body Flicker Technique. I asked Shisui to teach it to him for self-defense. That's how he managed to defeat those three Cloud Ninja."

Uchiha Fugaku cut the Third Hokage off.

"Shisui? Then there's no problem. Fugaku, take the child and go. He needs to rest. Hiashi, stay."

The Third Hokage picked up his pipe and took a puff, speaking at an unhurried pace.

He knew he couldn't make Uchiha Fugaku give in, but Konoha had a firm hold over the Hyuga Clan.

Now the only way to avoid war with the Land of Lightning was to make the Hyuga Clan sacrifice something.

That's right. Even now, the Third Hokage was still thinking about how to avoid war. The stance he'd taken earlier had all been for Danzo's benefit.

Danzo had coveted the Hokage Position for a long time, but had never managed to garner enough support.

Uchiha Fugaku led Ryosuke toward the exit.

Little Hinata suddenly walked over and took Ryosuke's hand.

"Miss Hinata?"

Ryosuke was a little surprised. Hinata lowered her head shyly.

Hyuga Hiashi turned around and smiled at Ryosuke. "Ryosuke, it seems Hinata trusts you. Could I trouble you to take her home for me? Please."

Ryosuke glanced at Hinata, then nodded.

The three of them left together.

The Third Hokage exhaled a ring of smoke and looked at Hyuga Hiashi.

"Hiashi, you should understand my good intentions, shouldn't you? Konoha is the legacy of the First and Second. I can't let it be destroyed on my watch, so I need the Hyuga Clan to set an example this time."

Hyuga Hiashi seemed to have expected this. He replied at once, "As one of Konoha's most powerful clans, the Hyuga Clan is willing to sacrifice everything for Konoha."

The Third Hokage nodded. "You and I both know what the Cloud Ninja are after. They covet Konoha's Kekkei Genkai, so only the members of the Hyuga Branch Family can carry out this mission."

Hyuga Hiashi lowered his head. He said nothing this time, but his fists clenched tightly.

That's right. The Hyuga Branch Family existed for precisely this purpose.