Under the gazes of the many Konoha ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and straightened his back.
Then Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Gengetsu and spoke in a steady, somewhat lecturing tone.
"Fifth Hokage, you were too rash!"
"We absolutely cannot kill the Kumogakure delegation! Once you kill them, the Land of Lightning will have a legitimate excuse to wage all-out war against Konoha! ..."
"Don't you understand the current situation? Konoha has just suffered the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Fourth Hokage died in battle, and the village was gravely weakened, with everything needing to be rebuilt! We absolutely cannot withstand a major war right now!"
"So not only must we not kill them, we must release them immediately! And we must ensure they return safely to Kumogakure!"
A faint stir immediately swept through the office at Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.
Every Konoha ninja looked deeply displeased.
They had come right to their doorstep to abduct someone, and now they were supposed to send them back with all due respect?
But Hiruzen Sarutobi had not finished speaking.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned toward Hyuga Hiashi, who stood to one side with his face already livid, and continued.
"Hiashi, to appease Kumogakure's anger and show our sincerity in seeking peace... hand your younger brother Hizashi over to Kumogakure..."
"Exchanging his life for Konoha's peace is the safest approach."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words completely shattered the worldview of everyone present.
Every Konoha ninja stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Kumogakure ninja had slipped into Konoha under cover of night and brazenly abducted a child of the Hyuga Main Family. What was that?
It was naked aggression! A provocation that trampled all over Konoha!
Yet according to Hiruzen Sarutobi, not only were they supposed to release these criminals unharmed, they even had to force the victim's family to surrender his own younger brother to make amends to the enemy?!
Why did every one of these terms favor Kumogakure?!
How was this negotiation? It was nothing short of surrendering their rights and humiliating their village!
It meant handing Konoha's honor and dignity to Kumogakure to trample on as they pleased!
Could these really be words spoken by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage?
Was this really the Third Hokage who had once been hailed as the "Shinobi Hero"?!
"No... I refuse!"
At that moment, Hyuga Hiashi, the person directly involved, shouted.
Clearly, as the head of the Hyuga Clan, he would never agree to sacrifice his own younger brother.
As though he had expected Hyuga Hiashi's reaction, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurried to persuade him.
"Hiashi, for Konoha's sake, hand your younger brother over to Kumogakure. The village will always remember his sacrifice."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura then adopted earnest expressions and immediately joined in the persuasion.
"Clan Head Hiashi, you must consider the bigger picture! This is no time to let your emotions rule you!" Utatane Koharu rebuked him with a frown.
"Sacrificing Hizashi alone can save the entire village from the ravages of war. This is all for Konoha! Do you want to see Konoha's people suffer and die?" Mitokado Homura loudly chimed in, as though Hiashi would become Konoha's greatest sinner if he refused.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words left more than just the surrounding Konoha ninja dumbfounded.
Even the terrified Kumogakure ninja still pinned to the floor gaped in astonishment.
When they had seen Gengetsu's icy gaze and heard him say "kill them," they had all panicked, certain they were doomed this time.
But they had never imagined that Konoha's Third Hokage and former high command would actually come forward to plead for their lives!
It was a windfall straight from heaven!
Not only would they survive, but according to the Third Hokage, they could even swagger back to Kumogakure with a member of the Hyuga Clan and claim their reward!
Now these Kumogakure ninja were even beginning to wonder whether the Third Hokage and these two members of Konoha's high command were agents Kumogakure had planted in Konoha.
Why else would they consider Kumogakure's interests at every turn?
For a moment, the Kumogakure ninja, who had been terrified and despairing, suddenly felt they had someone backing them and grew arrogant again.
The Kumogakure captain struggled hard and shouted, "Did you hear that?! Your Lord Third Hokage has spoken! Release us at once!"
"That's right! Let go! Release us, then hand over a member of the Hyuga Clan like you're told! Otherwise, when Kumogakure's army marches on your borders, Lord Raikage will never let you off!"
Another Kumogakure ninja hurriedly shouted as well!
"Your Lord Third has already said he'll release us and make amends! What are you subordinates waiting for? Do as he says!"
"Release us now!"
For a moment, all these frightened Kumogakure ninja began clamoring.
Watching Hiruzen Sarutobi and the clamoring Kumogakure ninja, Gengetsu could not help finding it laughable.
Gengetsu had not expected the illustrious Third Hokage to come up with such a humiliating compromise.
As for these Kumogakure ninja who had dared to steal Konoha's kekkei genkai, Gengetsu had only ever had one thought: cut them down.
Gengetsu did not care in the slightest whether it would trigger a ninja war between Kumogakure and Konoha.
He had now awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and mastered Wood Release. Gengetsu had absolute confidence that he could defeat the Kumogakure ninja, and more than enough power to crush them.
With that thought, Gengetsu stood up, casually drew a sharp Ninja Blade from the waist of a nearby Uchiha Clan ninja, and walked straight up to one of the clamoring Kumogakure ninja.
"Shut up!"
"You talk too much!"
As Gengetsu's words fell, he slashed down with the Ninja Blade in his hand.
Slash!
Blood sprayed as the Kumogakure ninja's head was cut clean off and rolled to a stop before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Ah!!!"
"Uchiha Gengetsu! What are you doing?!"
Seeing the head before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at Gengetsu and loudly demanded an explanation.
Utatane Koharu's and Mitokado Homura's expressions changed abruptly, and they immediately cried out.
"Have you gone mad?! You actually killed a Kumogakure ninja!"
"Do you know what consequences killing a member of the delegation will bring upon Konoha?!"
Hearing the three shouting, Gengetsu flicked the Ninja Blade in his hand and said with utter disdain.
"Didn't you see? I'm killing Konoha's enemies."
"But you three, Konoha's Third Hokage and former high command, keep defending Konoha's enemies and pleading on their behalf... you even want to hand Konoha's kekkei genkai over to the enemy."
"Could you three... be agents Kumogakure planted in Konoha?"
At Gengetsu's words, all the surrounding Konoha ninja turned in unison and fixed deeply suspicious stares on Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two.
There was no helping it. The solution the three had just proposed was simply too unbelievable, too absurd.
If they had not all known since childhood that Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Third Hokage and known he could not possibly have been bought off by Kumogakure, those remarks alone would have made the surrounding Konoha ninja arrest them on the spot as rogue ninja.
Feeling the suspicious gazes around them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura hurriedly argued back.
"Damn you! That's vicious slander! How could we possibly be enemy agents?!"
"Everything we're doing is for Konoha! It's to prevent a war!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi also spoke with an expression of anguish. "Exactly! This is all for Konoha! Only compromise can preserve the peace Konoha has now!"
Hearing the three of them, Gengetsu burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! For Konoha, you say!"
"You keep claiming it's for Konoha! Now Konoha has suffered a blatant provocation, and the enemy has infiltrated our village to abduct one of our clansmen! Instead of considering how to eliminate the enemy and defend the village's dignity, you keep thinking of the enemy's interests and harming Konoha's!"
Confronted by Gengetsu's questions, Hiruzen Sarutobi stubbornly insisted, "Konoha has just suffered a devastating blow. We cannot start a fight! Your rash, reckless behavior will only lead to all-out fighting between Konoha and Kumogakure!"
"Then let them fight!"
Gengetsu swung the Ninja Blade in his hand and declared forcefully.
"Konoha's standing and peace have never come from wagging our tails and begging others for pity, or from their charity! We fought for them!"
Then Gengetsu looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a face full of mockery and said, "Forget calling yourself the 'Shinobi Hero.' You should just change it to 'Sniveling Coward'!"
"What?! You! How dare you!"
At Gengetsu's merciless mockery, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned livid with rage and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
But Gengetsu completely ignored the furious Hiruzen Sarutobi and instead gave Uchiha Inabi a direct order.
"Inabi, cut them all down."
"Then hang their bodies in neat rows at Konoha's main gate! Let everyone in the Shinobi World open their eyes and see exactly what happens to those who cross Konoha!"
"Yes, Fifth Hokage!"
At Gengetsu's words, Uchiha Inabi showed no hesitation, his eyes gleaming with excitement and fervor.
He had long been sick of these Kumogakure ninja and those three old fools.
"Do it!"
At Inabi's command, the Uchiha ninja pounced like a pack of wolves and dragged the Kumogakure ninja outside.
"No! Don't kill me!"
"Lord Raikage will avenge us! Ah!!!"
The Kumogakure ninja let out piercing screams, struggling desperately.
Unfortunately for them, no matter how they screamed or begged for mercy, it was useless.
The Uchiha ninja raised their blades and brought them down in swift, clean strokes.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Stop now! You can't do this!"
Unfortunately, not a single Konoha ninja around them listened to him.
Seeing that he could not change the situation before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only stare at Gengetsu and deliver a harsh warning.
"Damn it! Gengetsu, you'll regret this!"
"You will bring endless disaster upon Konoha! You will bring the destructive flames of war upon Konoha!"
Before you continue