A Wager

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

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

Though Enkō followed Uzuki Riten, he remained vigilant within. Outwardly, however, he appeared utterly calm. "Your clan is in the Land of Fire. You should have received invitations from Konoha as well, correct?"

Uzuki Riten paused, already vaguely guessing Enkō's purpose. Still, he answered 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 us and other clans was unavoidable. If we all joined Konoha, it would mean wiping away all our previous grudges... so some clansmen may find that difficult to accept."

Enkō nodded. "That is understandable."

Uzuki Riten glanced at Enkō and asked tentatively, "Since you mentioned this, could it be that you also wish to..."

"We can discuss that after meeting your clan head."

"Uh... understood."

Before long, the group arrived at the Uzuki Clan's grounds. The entire estate was surrounded by towering forest trees, yet it covered no small area. Its orderly layout displayed the deep foundations of an established clan.

After entering the grounds, Uzuki Riten dismissed his subordinates and led Enkō into a spacious reception hall, personally pouring him a cup of fragrant tea.

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

"Alright." Enkō nodded and lightly sipped the tea. Its fragrance lingered on his lips and teeth, and he could not help but praise it. "Excellent tea."

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

"Lord Enkō, I have long heard of your great name. Are you satisfied with our hospitality?"

At that moment, a vigorous voice sounded from the doorway. Looking over, Enkō saw a white-haired old man striding toward them with the bearing of a dragon and the gait of a tiger. Though advanced in years, he showed no trace of frailty.

Uzuki Riten immediately introduced him. "Lord Enkō, this is the head of our clan, Lord Uzuki Dekima. Please speak freely. I will take my leave first."

Enkō set down his teacup and greeted him. "Senior, you are truly vigorous for your age."

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 Enkō's eyes. "Did you come here on your own behalf, or on behalf of your Uchiha Clan?"

"It seems Senior already has his own suspicions." Seeing how direct he was, Enkō got straight to the point. "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 gave no response after hearing this. He simply toyed with 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. I want to ask you something first."

Enkō raised a hand. "Please ask, Senior."

"Was Sarutobi Sasuke killed by you?"

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

Whoosh—

The instant he spoke, a piercing whistle tore through the air. A teacup streaked through the air in a white line, shooting toward Enkō below!

Facing the sudden attack, Enkō raised his hand and grabbed at the air. The teacup, which had been as swift as lightning, nearly stopped the instant 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 murderer who killed Sasuke. You truly have skill." Uzuki Dekima rose from his chair, sharp chakra fluctuations erupting from his entire body. His tone brimmed with killing intent. "Do you know that Sarutobi Sasuke was a benefactor to the Uzuki Clan? By killing him, you became our clan's enemy. We have always repaid grievances in kind. When you hid in Flame Hidden Village, there was little we could do to you. Yet you actually dared come here alone to seek death!"

His booming voice echoed throughout the reception hall. At the same time, a clamor of footsteps came from outside. Enkō looked up and saw Uzuki Riten, who had supposedly left, returning with a large group of clansmen. They surrounded the entire hall, each holding a weapon and poised to strike.

Enkō swept his gaze over the surroundings. Though encircled, his face showed no fear. He remained calmly seated, gently placing the teacup Uzuki Dekima had hurled at him onto the table before him. Then he said evenly, "Senior, there is no need to rush into avenging him. How about you take a look at this first?"

With a flick of his hand, a jade pendant shot toward Uzuki Dekima. The old man merely snorted disdainfully and caught it steadily. The moment it landed in his hand, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. When he opened his palm and looked at it, his expression instantly became extremely complicated.

This jade pendant was naturally the one Sarutobi Sasuke had given Enkō, a token symbolizing the bond between the Uzuki Clan and Sarutobi Sasuke. Since Enkō had killed Sarutobi Sasuke, it was normal for the pendant to be in his possession. But the issue was that Enkō knew what it represented and had come to their doorstep carrying it. That could only mean Sarutobi Sasuke had personally told him, perhaps even hoping that the Uzuki Clan would repay their debt of gratitude through Enkō!

But why?

Unable to make sense of it no matter how much he thought, Uzuki Dekima could only ask, "Why did he give this jade pendant to you?"

Naturally, Enkō would not reveal the real reason. He shrugged and said casually, "Who knows? Maybe he saw that our Flame Hidden Village has a bright future and hoped you would seize this opportunity. At the end of the day, he and I never had some irreconcilable blood feud. We were simply on different sides. 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, from a rational standpoint, since the person involved had said they need not avenge him, then they certainly could not take revenge. Instead, they would have to accept this favor and obediently join Flame Hidden Village.

But if they did that, would it not make the Uzuki Clan's gratitude seem cheap? As though it were a commodity that could be handed over at will, with no dignity whatsoever.

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

The clansmen at the doorway were also frozen in place, each of them 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 Enkō as he spoke word by word. "Since you have the jade pendant, we will consider this grudge nonexistent. But we cannot submit so easily either. How about the two of us make a wager?"

"Hmm?" Enkō raised a brow. "Please, 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 grudges between us will be wiped clean from that day onward. You will return wherever you came from."

Enkō listened patiently, then slowly rose to his feet. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Deal."