The Third Hokage's Compromise

Shien stood at the edge of the clan grounds with his arms crossed, admiring his handiwork.

Displaying the corpses of those Root members was his strongest counterattack against Konoha.

Besides, the Uchiha Clan had nothing left to lose.

What did Konoha being infiltrated or invaded have to do with him? If they were going down, then everyone could go down together.

In less than a few dozen minutes, more and more people had gathered around the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, and public opinion was steadily fermenting.

The pressure had now fallen entirely on the Third Hokage.

Soon, an ANBU agent flashed before Shien.

"Clan Head Shien, Lord Hokage requests your presence."

"Heh..."

The corner of Shien's lips curled up slightly, but he did not refuse.

Displaying the corpses was merely a means, not the goal.

Before long, Shien arrived at the Hokage Office. Besides the Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Hyuga Hiashi were also present.

"I wonder what the Third Hokage and the two elders wished to see me about?"

Shien casually cupped his hands, in a gesture that seemed halfway between a salute and a greeting.

He was completely different from the respectful man he had been yesterday.

Seeing Shien's casual demeanor, so unlike yesterday's, the Third Hokage's eye twitched slightly. Yet, as an experienced veteran, he did not reveal much emotion.

The two elder advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, wore displeased expressions. Clearly, they were highly dissatisfied with Shien's attitude.

After all, Shien was far too young. A man barely over twenty was behaving with such a lack of manners.

"Shien," the Third Hokage spoke first, his tone grave.

"The arrangements outside your clan have caused immense panic and discussion. This is not a way to resolve the matter."

Shien spread his hands, looking utterly helpless. "There's no helping it. Fugaku Uchiha took all the money and ran."

"Forget compensation payments—many of our clansmen can barely afford to eat now."

"We can no longer concern ourselves with panic or discussion."

"If we don't let the clansmen vent some of their grief and outrage, I'm afraid trouble will break out."

Shien's shameless attitude made the Third Hokage and the other two elder advisors' brows twitch.

But clearly, the Uchiha had decided to smash the pot and give up all pretense.

The Third Hokage took a deep drag from his pipe, his voice carrying a trace of weariness.

"Shien, the village can approve the compensation payments."

"However, the five billion ryo you requested is an enormous sum. The village treasury cannot pay it all at once."

"We can release half first—2.5 billion ryo, effective immediately. The remainder will be paid out monthly over three years. This is the greatest sincerity the village can offer at present."

Shien raised his brows. He had not expected the Third Hokage to fold so quickly.

Just as he was about to speak, Mitokado Homura suddenly cut in from beside him.

"Wait."

Mitokado Homura first shot the Third Hokage a reproachful look before turning to Shien.

"The Uchiha must remain stable! So must the village! We absolutely cannot endure another upheaval like the one from the night before last."

"You must ensure that the Uchiha Clan will no longer harbor any thoughts or carry out any actions that endanger the village!"

Utatane Koharu added coldly from the side.

"That's right. The Uchiha's Sharingan is immensely powerful. Should it lose control, the consequences would be unthinkable. We need your explicit guarantee."

Oh? So they're laying their cards on the table now?

Facing the near-interrogative pressure from the two elders, Shien immediately put on the performance of a lifetime, acting with a mixture of truth and falsehood.

He chuckled, his smile carrying a hint of mockery and helplessness.

"You two elders worry too much. A guarantee? I can give you all the clearest guarantee right now—"

He spread his hands, his tone turning somewhat desolate.

"After the night before last, nearly all the core elite among the clan's radicals—the ones both capable of and willing to stage a coup—were purged by that traitor, Itachi Uchiha."

"Most of those left are ordinary clansmen, women and children, and pacifists like me, who merely want to live peacefully and see the clan endure."

"We can barely protect ourselves. Where would we find the strength to contemplate a coup?"

"Our greatest wish now is simply to survive—to live in peace."

His words were half true and half false. They highlighted the Uchiha's severely weakened current state to lull them into complacency, while placing all responsibility on the supposedly defected Itachi and Fugaku.

The Third Hokage listened in silence, his gaze deep behind the smoke as though judging the truth of Shien's words.

At that moment, Hyuga Hiashi spoke at an opportune time. His tone was relatively mild and carried an air of mediation.

"Lord Hokage, elders, after suffering such a devastating blow, the Uchiha truly need time to recover."

"Clan Head Shien is young and capable. I believe he also hopes for the clan to transition smoothly."

"My clan assisted with the night watch last night, and we saw it with our own eyes. Order within the Uchiha Clan Grounds was indeed impeccable, with no unusual activity."

Hiashi's words appeared to be an objective statement, but he was actually speaking for the Uchiha. He implied that the current Uchiha were controllable, while indirectly acknowledging Shien's management ability.

The Third Hokage and the two elder advisors kept exchanging glances in that brief span, seemingly weighing the matter.

Seeing this, Shien decided to administer another strong dose of medicine.

"How about this?"

He let out a fake sigh. "To completely dispel the village's concerns and demonstrate that my Uchiha harbor no disloyalty—"

"I am willing to send Mikoto Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha out of the clan grounds and place them under Lord Hokage's personal supervision and care."

"With that mother and son at your side, I trust the village can rest assured about my Uchiha Clan."

The office immediately fell silent.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances, their expressions easing somewhat.

Handing over the clan head's wife and young son as de facto "hostages" to the Hokage was indeed the most direct way to demonstrate loyalty and earn trust.

After all, Fugaku and Itachi, who had defected, both possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

The Third Hokage stared deeply at Shien, as if trying to discern an even deeper intention in his eyes.

At last, he slowly exhaled a stream of smoke and nodded.

"Since you possess such sincerity, Shien, the village will not stand by and ignore the Uchiha's difficulties."

"The first 2.5 billion ryo of compensation assistance will be delivered to your clan grounds before noon today."

"I will arrange suitable accommodations for Mikoto and Sasuke."

"We discussed this in a meeting. The Konoha Military Police Force has always been under Uchiha control. Since you believe the Hyuga Clan is suitable, it will be handed over to them from now on."

"You may settle the handover yourselves."

"As for those... things outside your clan grounds, dispose of them quickly. The impact is far too negative."

"Of course," Shien readily agreed. "As soon as the initial 2.5 billion ryo in compensation aid arrives, I'll have people clear everything away immediately."

The implication was obvious: he was afraid Konoha was making empty promises. Give him the money first, and he would get to work at once.

The Third Hokage was somewhat irritated.

Was Konoha's reputation really that bad?

The Third Hokage snorted. "The money will be delivered to you in half an hour!"

A smile appeared on Shien's face. He then gave a slight bow to the Third Hokage and Hyuga Hiashi.

"In that case, I'll return to the clan grounds and wait for the money."

He turned and had just reached the door when he suddenly looked back.

"Oh, right, Lord Hokage. We caught another four rats last night."

"I hope you can warn the one raising them."

"The clansmen's nerves are on edge. They can't take any more provocation."

The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened, and the face that had just relaxed darkened once more.

He had not expected Danzo to treat his warning as mere background noise. It seemed he would have to summon him for a talk.

"Understood. I'll handle it."