The Wager

Amid the lush forest, a group of people moved swiftly through the trees.

Uzuki Riten led the way at the front, occasionally turning back to speak with Yan Hong. "Lord Yan Hong, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Uzuki Riten. May I ask what brings you to the Uzuki Clan this time?"

Though Yan Hong followed Uzuki Riten, he remained wary inside. Outwardly, however, he appeared perfectly calm. "Since your clan is in the Land of Fire, you should have received invitations from Konoha as well, correct?"

Uzuki Riten froze for a moment. He had vaguely guessed Yan Hong's purpose, but he continued speaking normally. "Uh... that is indeed the case. The Hidden Leaf Village has invited us to join them many times. But in the past, friction between our clan and other clans was unavoidable. If we all joined Konoha, it would mean wiping away all old grudges... so some of our clansmen may not be able to accept that."

Yan Hong nodded. "That is understandable."

Uzuki Riten glanced at Yan Hong and asked tentatively, "My lord brought this up because you also wish to..."

"Let's discuss it after I meet your clan head."

"Uh... understood."

Before long, the group arrived at the Uzuki Clan's territory. Great trees surrounded the entire compound, but it covered a considerable area. Its orderly layout reflected the deep foundations of an established clan.

After entering the compound, Uzuki Riten dismissed his subordinates and brought Yan Hong to a spacious reception hall, personally pouring him a cup of fragrant tea.

"Please wait a moment, my lord. Our clan head will arrive shortly."

"Alright." Yan Hong nodded and took a light sip of tea. Its fragrance lingered on his lips and teeth, and he could not help praising it. "Excellent tea."

"I'm glad you like it, my lord." Uzuki Riten immediately picked up the teapot and refilled his cup.

"Lord Yan Hong, I have long admired your name. Are you satisfied with our hospitality?"

At that moment, a vigorous voice sounded from the doorway. Looking over, Yan Hong saw a white-haired old man striding toward them with the bearing of a dragon and the gait of a tiger. Though elderly, he showed not the slightest trace of frailty.

Uzuki Riten immediately introduced him. "Lord Yan Hong, this is our clan head, Lord Uzuki Dekima. Please speak freely. I will take my leave."

Yan Hong set down his teacup and greeted him. "You are truly vigorous for your age, senior."

Uzuki Dekima did not reply. He strode to the seat of honor, sat down, picked up the tea before him, and drained it in one gulp. Then he stared directly into Yan Hong's eyes. "Did you come this time on your own behalf, or on behalf of the Uchiha Clan?"

"It seems you already have your own suspicions, senior." Seeing how direct he was, Yan Hong spoke frankly as well. "To be honest, I came on behalf of the Uchiha Clan to invite the Uzuki Clan to join a village. We hope the Uzuki Clan will join our Flame Hidden Village."

Uzuki Dekima did not answer after hearing this. He simply turned the teacup in his hand, his low voice betraying neither joy nor anger. "Let us set aside the matter of joining a village for now. There is something I wish to ask first."

Yan Hong raised a hand. "Please ask, senior."

"Was Sarutobi Sasuke killed by you?"

Yan Hong fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "I did kill him."

Whoosh—

The instant he spoke, a piercing whistle ripped through the air. A teacup streaked downward in a white blur, shooting straight at Yan Hong!

Faced with the sudden attack, Yan Hong raised his hand and grabbed through the air. The teacup, swift as lightning, came to an abrupt halt the moment it entered his grasp. Not a single drop of tea spilled, and the immense force contained within it seemed to vanish into thin air without a trace!

"As expected of the man who killed Sasuke. You do have some skill." Uzuki Dekima rose from his chair, sharp chakra fluctuations erupting from his body. His tone brimmed with killing intent. "Do you know that Sarutobi Sasuke showed kindness to our Uzuki Clan? By killing him, you became the enemy of our clan. We have always repaid grudges. While you hid in the Flame Hidden Village, there was little we could do to you. But you actually dared come here alone to die!"

His booming voice echoed through the entire reception hall. At the same time, a chaotic rush of footsteps sounded outside. Yan Hong looked up and saw that Uzuki Riten, who had supposedly left, had returned with a large group of clansmen. They surrounded the entire hall, every one of them armed and poised to strike.

Yan Hong swept his gaze around the room. Though surrounded, he showed no fear. He remained seated calmly, gently placing the teacup Uzuki Dekima had hurled at him onto the table before him. Then he said evenly, "Senior, do not rush to avenge him. How about you look at this first?"

With a wave of his hand, a jade pendant shot toward Uzuki Dekima. The old man merely snorted disdainfully and caught it steadily. The instant it touched his palm, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. When he opened his hand to look at it, his expression immediately became extremely complicated.

This jade pendant was naturally the one Sarutobi Sasuke had given Yan Hong, a token symbolizing the bond between the Uzuki Clan and Sarutobi Sasuke. It was only natural for it to be in Yan Hong's possession after he killed Sasuke. The issue was that Yan Hong knew what the pendant represented and had come to their door carrying it. That could only mean Sarutobi Sasuke had personally told him about it, perhaps even intending for the Uzuki Clan to repay its debt of gratitude to Yan Hong!

But why?

Uzuki Dekima could not make sense of it no matter how hard he thought. He could only ask, "Why did he give this jade pendant to you?"

Naturally, Yan Hong would not reveal the true reason. He shrugged and answered casually, "Who knows? Perhaps he saw that the Flame Hidden Village had a bright future and hoped you would seize this opportunity. In the end, he and I never had some life-or-death grudge. Our positions were simply different. So, senior, there is no need for us to be so hostile, is there?"

Uzuki Dekima clenched the jade pendant tightly in his hand. Indeed, by all reason, since the person involved had said they need not avenge him, then they certainly could not seek revenge. On the contrary, they would have to accept this favor and obediently join the Flame Hidden Village.

But would that not make the Uzuki Clan's gratitude seem cheap? As though it were a commodity that could be casually handed over to someone else, without any dignity at all.

Yan Hong did not urge him. He calmly took another sip of tea, then frowned slightly. It had gone a little cold.

The clansmen at the doorway were also left standing in a daze. Every one of them was utterly confused. Were they fighting or not?

"Whew..." After a long while, Uzuki Dekima finally lowered the arm clutching the jade pendant. His sharp eyes fixed on Yan Hong as he said, word by word, "Although you have the jade pendant, we will treat this grudge as though it never existed. But we cannot submit so easily either. How about you and I make a wager?"

"Hm?" Yan Hong raised an eyebrow. "Please go on, senior."

Uzuki Dekima slowly held up three fingers. "Take three sword strikes from me. If you withstand them, the Uzuki Clan will immediately join your Flame Hidden Village. If you fail to withstand them, I will not kill you, but all grievances between us will be wiped clean. You will go back where you came from."

Yan Hong listened patiently, then slowly rose to his feet. A faint smile touched his lips. "Deal."