Weakness or Giving Up?

Hiashi did not even have time to clean up the spilled tea. His face was filled with shock and disbelief.

"Danzo ordered the extermination of your Uchiha!?"

Shien calmly reached out and took the teapot, refilling Hiashi's cup first. His movements were steady.

"It is absolutely true. There were countless Root members who infiltrated our clan grounds alongside Itachi Uchiha."

"There are still two hundred corpses laid out in our Uchiha Clan Grounds."

Hiashi felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. He no longer had any mood for tea.

He knew Danzo had always suppressed the Uchiha, but such brutal measures were completely beyond his imagination.

"Then... what does Shien hope the Hyuga Clan will do this time?" Hiashi steadied himself and asked directly.

Shien spoke in a deep voice, putting forth an unexpected proposal.

"After this battle, we discussed it and decided to formally transfer this department, along with its law enforcement authority, to your Hyuga Clan."

Hiashi's gaze abruptly sharpened, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The Konoha Military Police Force had always been a symbol of the Uchiha's authority within the village and their private preserve.

Although it had been continuously suppressed in recent years and had shrunk drastically in scale, as long as it retained the signboard of "law enforcement authority," its political significance and potential value could not be underestimated.

More importantly, this was a system established during the Second Hokage's era. Even the Third Hokage found it difficult to directly interfere with its appointments and dismissals.

If the Hyuga could obtain it...

A flicker of barely restrained fervor flashed through Hiashi's eyes. But he immediately calmed down. If the Uchiha were paying such a "price," what they sought would certainly not be insignificant.

Thinking of how the Uchiha had suddenly lost so many people this time, could they be planning to challenge Danzo?

"Shien, what must the Hyuga Clan give in return for such a generous gift?" Hiashi's voice returned to its usual steadiness.

Yet Shien shook his head, a trace of deep exhaustion appearing on his face at just the right moment.

"Please rest assured, Lord Hiashi. Our clan has suffered this calamity, and more than half our elites have been lost. All we want now is for our remaining clansmen to live in peace. We have no intention of stirring up further trouble."

Hiashi's heart eased slightly. "Explain in detail."

Shien sighed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness born of being unequal to the task.

"To be honest, Lord Hiashi, if all the elder seniors in the clan had not died, it would not have fallen to a junior like me to serve as acting clan head."

"The most urgent problem in the clan right now is the difficulty in paying compensation to the families of those who died in battle."

"And after an attack like this, I fear our clansmen will not even be able to sleep at night."

At this point, Shien deliberately paused, observing Hiashi's reaction before continuing.

"Therefore, I hope Lord Hiashi can accompany me to meet the Third Hokage, explain the situation, and apply for an emergency relief grant."

"Also, I hope that during this period, you can send two teams every day to help us keep watch and patrol at night, until we recover our strength."

"How does a provisional period of half a year sound?"

Hiashi was greatly surprised. He had assumed Shien would ask the Hyuga Clan for money or seek their help against Danzo, but instead, he was asking the Third Hokage for money.

As for the latter request, having them stand watch at night, that was even more unbelievable.

What bloodline clans feared most was allowing the Hyuga Clan, who possessed the Byakugan, near their core areas.

Many clans even kept barriers activated around the clock in their secret locations, precisely because they feared the Hyuga Clan might see some secret.

What did Shien mean by this? Was he just giving up?

Or had he abandoned everything?

After turning it over in his mind, Hiashi could not help asking, "What if the Third Hokage refuses to approve the money?"

Shien smiled. "It does not matter, Lord Hiashi. You only need to go with me. Whether the Third Hokage agrees or not has nothing to do with you."

"The matter of night watches and patrols is the help we truly seek."

Hiashi pondered in silence.

He could both observe the Uchiha's true condition up close and gain a Konoha Military Police Force that might eventually become his, all for free. This deal seemed guaranteed to bring profit without loss.

He also wanted to know what medicine Shien was selling in his gourd.

"No problem. I will immediately arrange people to stand watch for you."

"As for the duration, half a year, or until you feel you no longer need them."

Shien smiled faintly. Good. He had taken the bait.

"If Lord Hiashi is not busy, let us leave now."

After thinking briefly, Hiashi rose to his feet. "All right."

Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage was reading the reports on his desk.

They mainly concerned the Uchiha's reaction today and what news had spread outside.

After all, he did not know exactly how many people had died within the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Or rather, which people had died.

But the ANBU could not penetrate deeply inside, and the information they reported was vague and unclear, making it difficult for him to accurately judge the Uchiha's remaining strength and true intentions.

The Third Hokage could only wait for now.

"Lord Hokage, Shien Uchiha, the acting head of the Uchiha Clan, and Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Hyuga Clan, request an audience."

The ANBU brought news that left him utterly astonished, to the point that he suspected he had misheard.

That was a lot to take in.

"What?"

"The acting head of the Uchiha Clan..."

Only after the ANBU repeated it did the Third Hokage nod.

"Let them in."

Soon, Shien and Hiashi entered the office side by side.

"Lord Hokage." Hiashi nodded at the Third Hokage in greeting.

"Lord Hokage, I am Shien Uchiha, temporarily serving as acting head of the Uchiha Clan."

Shien, on the other hand, properly gave the salute of a junior, keeping his posture very low.

The Third Hokage's face took on his usual expression of kindness and concern.

"Yes, Shien, there is no need for such formality. Tell me quickly, what exactly happened in your clan? The village is very concerned."

Naturally, he knew the truth of the matter. He merely wanted to see what the remaining Uchiha intended.

Shien said with a face full of grief, "Alas, it is truly a misfortune for our clan."

"Fugaku Uchiha and Itachi were dissatisfied with the village. Our attempts to persuade them failed, and we were preparing to remove Fugaku from his position as clan head according to clan rules."

"Never could we have imagined that they would become so utterly deranged, collude with foreign enemies, brazenly betray the clan and the village, and raise their blades against our clansmen!"

"Although we fought desperately and ultimately drove them back, the clan... the clan has also suffered catastrophic losses. Fewer than one in ten of our elites remain."

The Third Hokage looked astonished. He had not expected Shien Uchiha to come up with such a story.

He had placed the crime of betraying the clan entirely on Fugaku and Itachi while concealing Danzo and Root's involvement.

This was undoubtedly a show of weakness toward the village, an attempt to characterize the incident as an "internal rebellion" rather than "village suppression."

Beside him, Hiashi Hyuga's eyelid twitched slightly. Shien had not said this back at the Hyuga Clan Grounds.

But he immediately understood. This was the Uchiha sending a signal to the village—we admit defeat and will not pursue the matter, but we need compensation.