The Culprit Was Me All Along

Yun Yan across from him was still smiling sinisterly, a smile he thought looked very genuine. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he sighed with a hint of regret:

"Oh dear, there's something I almost forgot. If you really let me take my eyes back to Kumogakure, you'll definitely be dissatisfied with this compensation."

That's how it is.

Look, whether it's the Byakugan of the Hyūga Clan, the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, or the eyes of some other clan or village, I've noticed a pattern in the eyes of the Shinobi World that's easy to criticize: they're plug-and-play.

It seems that no matter where the eye comes from, no matter how powerful the eye is, no matter if the eye belongs to oneself, one's brother, or someone else, as long as it is placed in one's eye socket using Medical Ninjutsu, then it becomes one's own, and one can use it, and use it quite smoothly.

This really leaves me speechless.

It's as if our eyes aren't eyes, or human organs; they're more like plug-ins or tools that anyone can use and anyone can take away.

When I discovered this, I felt incredibly uneasy. How could my own eyes be treated like a plug-in, wandering around everywhere?

So over time, through self-study, I bound my Mangekyō Sharingan to my soul."

Binding?

Upon hearing these two words, everyone—from the Kumogakure delegation, Dodai, and Hiruzen Sarutobi —was puzzled, not understanding what this binding meant.

Seemingly noticing everyone's confusion, Yun Yan very considerately explained it to them:

"The so-called binding... is actually binding. Only I can use my Mangekyō Sharingan, or rather, the power of my Mangekyō Sharingan has penetrated deep into my soul."

Once my eyes leave my body, leave my soul, they will immediately lose their effectiveness, becoming useless eyes, unable to even unleash the power of a single Tomoe.

"Ha, forget about a single Tomoe, it can't even function as a normal eye. It's just a completely grayish-white eyeball, the kind that has no vision."

Hearing this, everyone present was shocked, but Yun Yan continued speaking:

"Because my Mangekyō Sharingan ability is already bound to me, even if my eyes leave my body, the Mangekyō Sharingan ability I possess will still remain within me."

To put it bluntly, my power is not in my eyes, nor even in my body, but in my soul.

Even without my eyes, I still possess all the power that the Mangekyō Sharingan should have, and my strength is not diminished in the slightest.

Furthermore, even if someone were to possess my body through their soul, take my eyes, and seize everything about my body, it wouldn't matter.

Because my power is already bound to my soul, as long as my soul is not in my body, this body of mine has no power whatsoever that my Mangekyō Sharingan possesses. Only my soul has it.

"Yes, this is what's called the Mangekyō Sharingan being bound to the soul."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was incredulous, as if they were hearing a fairy tale.

But considering this is a negotiation, and the other person has no reason to lie, what Yun Yan said must be true. Is it really like this? Is his Mangekyō Sharingan truly bound to his soul?

Such an outrageous thing! It's absolutely outrageous and incredible!

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

Dodai was momentarily confused, but then suddenly realized this was an opportunity, and he quickly seized the opportunity:

"So that's how it is. Yun Yan's ability to achieve this level is truly astonishing."

However, in this way, even if our Kumogakure obtained your Sharingan, it would be of no use, and we would still be unable to obtain your soul.

So, regarding compensation, well... well... well... we can only leave it at that for now!

The Dodai groaned and thumped for a long time, only able to say something like "let's do this for now," unable to say anything about seeking other compensation.

Yun Yan seemed to have seen through Dodai's thoughts, and he said to Dodai with a half-smile:

"Is the matter of compensation settled for now? I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean, Your Dodai."

This is a serious negotiation, so please refrain from making ambiguous statements. What do you mean by "let's just leave it at that for now"? Does your Kumogakure even want compensation from me, the murderer? Or are you simply demanding that I pay with my life?

Forced into this situation, Dodai was extremely distressed, as he would lose face otherwise. At this point, he had no choice but to speak frankly:

"Uh... the inside story of Morui's death is actually like this. I didn't know it before, which is why I asked Konoha to make this compensation."

Now it's clear. I never expected Morui to do something like this, kidnapping the eldest daughter of the Hyūga Clan's Main Family. His death was deserved; perhaps he was provoked by something.

Therefore, we have decided not to seek compensation from Konoha, nor will we demand that you, this... this murderer, pay with your life.

Yun Yan smiled again, and his smile was genuine:

"Oh, this is no small matter. I need to confirm again, Dodai Excellency, are you sure you won't pursue the matter?"

The cold sweat on Dodai's forehead became even more pronounced. He gritted his teeth and finally said:

"That's right, I've made the final decision. We will not pursue any responsibility for this matter."

Yun Yan nodded with a sigh, indicating that this was good, as the negotiations had achieved very good results so far!

At this point, Yun Yan glanced smugly at Hiruzen Sarutobi like a clay statue, and raised an eyebrow at him, his meaning clear: See, the negotiations are progressing quite well, aren't they?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely stunned, and even fell into deep self-doubt.

The current progress of the negotiations is not just good, it's a huge achievement! Compared to before, it's like heaven and earth.

Just now, during the negotiations with Danzo and the Danzo, they were forced to retreat step by step due to the aggressive tactics of the Kumogakure, which threatened to start a war at the slightest disagreement. They even began to consider whether they should really hand over Hyuga Hiashi.

Now that Yun Yan has arrived, the situation has changed dramatically. The once aggressive Kumogakure delegation has become more honest and reasonable than ever before. Even with the real murderer Yun Yan right in front of them, they are exceptionally understanding and have even decided not to pursue the matter further.

This... this is the difference! The difference is too obvious! Am I really that weak? That incompetent?

It seems that this is indeed the case. In the eyes of the Kumogakure delegation, they seem to be particularly easy to bully, the kind of people who are particularly easy to bully.

Conversely, when faced with a tough opponent like Yun Yan who doesn't play by the rules, they can't even get a grip on him, let alone bully him. What other options do they have besides backing down and admitting defeat?

Wait a minute, where did your bravado go? Where did your arrogance and unreasonable behavior go? Where did your threats of war go at the slightest disagreement? Why did none of that happen when it came to Yun Yan?

For a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still didn't quite understand.

Whether he understands or not, things must continue to develop, and negotiations must continue.

At this point in the negotiations, Yun Yan nodded in satisfaction. Looking at the members of the Kumogakure delegation opposite him, he continued:

"Now that this stage of the negotiation has concluded, let's move on to the next stage and return to the original negotiation topics."

"Everyone, don't forget, you traveled all the way from Kumogakure to Konoha for negotiations. What were you originally here to discuss? Were you here to discuss the border friction and conflicts between our two countries? This matter needs to be resolved, right?"

Finally, when the matter was brought up, Dodai suddenly realized what was going on and nodded vigorously:

"Yes, yes, that's the important thing. This is why we came to Konoha to negotiate. Now we can finally resolve the border friction and disputes between our two countries."

When this important question was raised, Yun Yan simply waved his hand:

"Actually, this problem is easy to solve."

Just as I was the culprit behind the previous problem, I am also the culprit behind this border friction and dispute between the two countries! I'm laying my cards on the table!

The people on the opposite Dodai and the delegation from Kumogakure were completely baffled; they had no idea what Yun Yan was talking about.

As if to explain, Yun Yan kindly smiled and revealed the truth of the matter:

"Some time ago, a huge friction occurred between the two countries' borders, and even penetrated into the Lightning Country. The person who killed a large number of Kumogakure in your Lightning Country was none other than me!"

Oh, right, maybe we should add Kakashi too, but Kakashi only killed a few cats and dogs. The number of people he killed is not even a fraction of mine. I killed most of the ninjas in your Kumogakure.

Yes, that's it, that's right.

Upon hearing this, the entire Hokage's office fell into an almost absolute silence.