"Wait!"
Enkō's icy voice stopped the Uzumaki Clan members who had been preparing to leave. They all looked at him with rather strange expressions, and an eerie atmosphere suddenly settled over the sea.
What now, man? What else did you want?
Hashirama frowned as well, but he still asked calmly, "What is it?"
Whoosh—
The sea breeze stirred Enkō's robes. He first swept his gaze across the people before him, then said unhurriedly, "The people can leave, but the valuables stay."
The "valuables" naturally referred to the assets the Uzumaki Clan had accumulated over hundreds and thousands of years, including their collected ninjutsu, stockpiled wealth and supplies, and every other resource that formed their foundation.
"In your dreams!"
Before Hashirama could speak, Ise was the first to roar in anger. From the look of him, he seemed ready to defend their wealth with his life, as though the fortune would remain while he lived and scatter only after he died.
In truth, it was no wonder he was so furious. If a clan were ransacked and stripped of all its accumulated resources, its overall strength would naturally drop by a level. A first-rate clan could directly become a second-rate one, and climbing back up would not be something that could be achieved overnight.
Even if they still had a foundation to rebuild upon, many inherited sealing ninjutsu had harsh requirements or were difficult to master. The current generation of the Uzumaki Clan had not fully mastered them. Once they were lost, their inheritance would very likely be cut off forever.
And most importantly, they could not even beat them. What gave Enkō the right to demand that they leave their belongings behind? Was that the attitude a loser should have?
Hashirama clearly understood this as well, but his emotions remained