The Third Hokage and the elders' faces had flushed red with anger.
It was no longer a hidden irritation.
The blood in their veins seemed to boil as they stared at Toyoma.
What he had said was not simple disrespect.
It was an open strike against the dignity of the village leadership.
Against their authority.
The atmosphere inside the hall turned suffocating.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Even breathing felt difficult.
Several minor clan representatives began to sweat visibly.
Some avoided eye contact entirely.
Others stared at the floor, unwilling to be caught between sides.
All eyes eventually returned to one person.
Uchiha Toyoma.
He stood calmly in the centre of the storm he had created.
Unmoved.
Hyuga Hiashi watched him carefully, his usually composed expression faintly disturbed.
Does this brat fear no one? he wondered.
Hiashi had witnessed political disputes before.
He had seen elders argue.
He had seen clan heads challenge decisions.
But never—
Never had he seen someone treat the Hokage and council so lightly.
The silence stretched further.
BANG.
The heavy wooden table in front of the seinin's shattered into two pieces.
Cracks splintered across its surface before it split cleanly down the middle.
All eyes turned instantly toward the source.
Tsunade stood.
Her fist was still buried in the broken wood.
Fragments scattered across the polished floor.
"Uchiha brat," she said, her voice low but shaking with fury, "don't you think you've disgraced the village and its leadership enough?"
Her eyes locked onto Toyoma.
The air trembled faintly with her chakra.
Toyoma looked at the broken table.
Then at her.
He smiled.
"I was just explaining to Shimura Danzo how he should act in future," he replied casually.
The arrogance in his tone only made the silence worse.
Then he shifted his gaze toward the Hokage.
"So next time," he continued evenly, "if the Hokage plans this kind of conspiracy— f
or taking other clans' property—
at least make it look a little realistic."
Gasps.
Actual gasps echoed in the hall.
Hiruzen rose slowly from his seat.
The movement alone commanded attention.
"Enough."
His voice was no longer patient.
No longer diplomatic.
It carried authority.
"Uchiha brat," he said, staring directly at Toyoma, "I have tolerated enough of your disrespect toward me, but."
His presence filled the room.
"I will not allow anyone to trample upon the dignity of Konoha."
The words struck harder than Tsunade's punch.
He glanced briefly at Grand Elder Setsuna.
"Yes. Your clan has been neglected. Your clan has grievances."
His gaze returned to Toyoma.
"But that does not give you the right to challenge the foundation of the village."
The clan heads watched carefully.
This time, Hiruzen did not look like the gentle leader.
There was no softness in his eyes.
Only resolve.
Only warning.
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Well," he drawled smoothly, "it seems the Uchiha have grown rather coura—"
"Hey."
Toyoma cut him off.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it sliced cleanly through the room.
"You snake fucker."
The hall froze.
Even Tsunade stopped breathing for a second.
"You'd better zip your trap," Toyoma continued coldly.
"Don't think I don't know what you've done to Uchiha soldiers on the Mist border."
No anger.
No shouting.
Just a flat statement.
Orochimaru's playful expression disappeared instantly.
For a brief second—
He was genuinely stunned.
His eyes narrowed slowly.
The smile returned.
But it was different now.
Interested.
"Is that so?" Orochimaru murmured.
The room had shifted again.
Toyoma saw Orochimaru smiling and felt disgusted.
"Disgusting creature," Toyoma said in a low tone, but everyone present heard it.
"Uchiha… To-yo-ma," the Third Hokage said his name slowly, word by word.
But Toyoma did something that stunned him again.
He raised his hand toward the Hokage, signalling him to wait.
Then Toyoma turned and looked toward the left side of the hall, where the clan heads were sitting.
"I will say this once," he said, his voice steady.
"So that no unnecessary fight happens between Uchiha and Konoha. Whoever you are here, listen carefully before pointing a finger at Uchiha."
As he spoke, everyone's attention shifted back to him.
"If anyone thinks or has any thoughts about Uchiha property, research, wealth, jutsu, or anything else, then understand this clearly —
Uchiha is not their father who will just hand over their things to you."
His tone remained firm.
"As for the healing pills, my clan is selling them under the Daimyo's order and permission, and we are paying taxes for it to him. If anyone wants to revolt against the Daimyo, then you are standing as an enemy of the Fire Nation itself."
Toyoma's voice was loud and clear as he finished speaking.
"So if this meeting is about pressuring the Uchiha to hand over the healing pills to the village," Toyoma said, looking directly at the Third Hokage, "then you'd better forget it."
His voice was clear.
Steady.
"There isn't a single clan in this village," he continued, "that has birthed someone capable of taking Uchiha property by force."
He let the words sit in the air.
Then his eyes shifted toward the Grand Elder.
The old man smiled faintly as he heard it.
The message was clear.
This was a warning.
I want to kill this brat right now… right here.
The Third Hokage's eyes turned red with anger as he looked at Toyoma.
He did not speak it.
But the thought was clear in his mind.
Homura glanced at Hiruzen and felt the rage coming from him.
His jaw tightened slightly.
This brat is a calamity for the whole village, Koharu thought coldly.
She had once imagined Toyoma becoming an obstacle in the future.
Now it no longer felt like imagination.
It was happening in front of her.
The clan heads watched the situation carefully.
No one wanted another internal conflict inside the village.
The atmosphere was already too unstable.
Shikaku finally stepped forward with a quiet sigh.
"Hokage-sama," he said calmly, "the Uchiha are right about one thing. Protecting their own property is natural. We cannot force them."
His voice was steady.
He was not defending the Uchiha.
He was preventing disaster.
Forcing the Uchiha to hand over the healing pills… what are the elders even thinking?
Shikaku wondered internally as he glanced toward Danzo.
Did they already forget the previous lesson the Uchiha taught them?
He suppressed another sigh.
Sometimes, the village leadership created more problems than enemies ever could.
The meeting hall was still silent.
while Konoha argued about dignity, property, and power—
War did not pause.
Far from the council hall.
At the Lightning–Fire Border
The real test of Konoha's strength was unfolding.
The sky was grey.
The ground was torn apart.
Burned trees.
Broken rocks.
Fallen shinobi.
Cloud and Leaf forces clashed across the valley.
Steel met steel.
Ninjutsu tore through the air.
Then—
A streak of yellow flashed across the battlefield.
A Cloud jonin fell before he could scream.
Another grabbed his neck, trying to stop the bleeding, but collapsed seconds later.
Another body dropped.
Confusion spread.
"What's happening?!"
Cloud shinobi looked around in shock as their soldiers fell one by one without even seeing their attacker.
"It's him!"
"The Yellow Flash!"
Fear spread instantly through the ranks.
Some began retreating without waiting for orders.
Because they knew.
If the golden flash appeared—
Death followed.
That was the rumour spreading inside the Cloud army.
On a raised ridge overlooking the battlefield stood two figures.
One tall and broad, lightning already flickering faintly around his body.
The Fourth Raikage.
Beside him stood a dark-skinned young man with white hair and sunglasses, blades strapped across his back.
Killer B.
The Raikage narrowed his eyes.
"So this is Namikaze Minato."
Killer B tilted his head slightly, watching the figure appear and disappear below.
"Yo… that's the fast guy, huh?"
Below them—
Minato appeared.
Calm.
Cloak fluttering in the wind.
No visible strain.
No arrogance.
Just quiet focus.
His blue eyes scanned the battlefield.
Then—
He vanished.
The Raikage's eyes widened.
Lightning chakra exploded around his body instantly.
"Lightning Release Armour."
His entire body was wrapped in high-voltage lightning.
The Raikage launched forward like a thunderbolt toward Minato.
But Minato was already gone.
He reappeared behind the Raikage mid-charge.
A Rasengan formed in his palm.
The Raikage twisted his body at the last second.
The Rasengan slammed into the ground instead.
The cliff shattered.
Stone exploded into the air.
The shockwave rippled across the valley.
Killer B moved next.
Blades drawn.
His body twisted into his unpredictable acrobatic rhythm as he rushed forward.
Minato disappeared again.
Reappeared above them.
A faint Flying Thunder God mark glowed on one of B's blades.
B's eyes sharpened.
"He tagged me…"
The Raikage turned—
Too late.
Minato appeared behind him.
A kunai hovered at the Raikage's back.
Close enough to end it.
For a split second—
Time froze.
Lightning roared around the Raikage's body.
But he did not move.
Because he understood.
If he moved carelessly—
He would die.
Minato spoke calmly.
"You're fast raikage."
The Raikage clenched his jaw.
"You're faster."
Behind Minato, red chakra began leaking from Killer B's body.
The Eight-Tails stirred.
The air trembled.
The ground cracked beneath B's feet.
Minato's eyes hardened slightly.
If B transformed fully—
This battlefield would turn into a disaster.
Minato stepped back.
Not in fear.
In calculation.
"I didn't come to escalate this," he said evenly.
Lightning intensified around the Raikage.
"Running now?"
Minato gave a faint smile.
"No."
He glanced toward the distant Konoha forces.
They had already retreated safely.
Mission complete.
"I came to remind you," Minato said quietly,
"I can reach you anytime."
And then—
He vanished.
Gone.
No chakra trail.
No sound.
Silence settled over the battlefield.
Lightning slowly faded from the Raikage's body.
Killer B exhaled.
"Yo… that guy's different, brother."
The Raikage stared at the empty air for several seconds.
Then he turned toward the remaining Cloud shinobi.
"Spread my order," he said firmly.
"From today onward, if you see the Yellow Flash —
retreat immediately. No hesitation."
"Brother?" Killer B looked at him in surprise.
The Raikage's expression remained serious.
"We don't need unnecessary deaths."
The battlefield remained quiet.
From this moment onward—
The name "Yellow Flash" spread across the ninja world.
Killer B did not say much.
He watched the Raikage walk back toward the camp.
The Raikage stopped for a brief moment and looked toward the place where Minato had disappeared.
"I thought after Orochimaru, Konoha would not have a better commander," he said quietly.
He paused.
"I was wrong."
His expression remained serious.
No anger.
Just an acknowledgement.
Then he continued walking toward the Cloud camp.
Back to Konoha — Council Hall
After listening to Shikaku, the people in the hall slowly sat down.
The earlier tension had not disappeared.
But it had settled.
Shikaku looked toward both the Uchiha side and the Third Hokage.
"We cannot keep arguing over things like this," he said calmly.
"The situation at the borders is tense. The village cannot afford division right now."
His tone was steady.
Not blaming anyone.
Just stating reality.
Grand Elder Setsuna nodded slightly.
"We also do not want internal conflict," he said. "Our Uchiha people are fighting at the border as well, Nara clan head."
His voice was not angry.
But firm.
Then his expression hardened slightly.
"But if the discussion is about our clan's property, our rights, or our survival—" he continued, looking directly at Shikaku and then at the other clan heads, "we will not step back."
He paused.
"I believe any of you would do the same for your own clan."
The words hung in the air.
Several clan heads exchanged looks.
Then, one by one, a few of them nodded.
It was not in support of rebellion.
But there was agreement on one thing—
Protecting one's clan was not unreasonable.
The hall remained tense.
But now—
It was thinking, not shouting.
"Enough," Homura said as he slowly stood up.
His voice was calm, but firm.
"Now we will return to the main topic of this meeting — the war."
He looked at the clan heads one by one.
"There will be no more accusations."
The hall quieted.
The clan heads and jonin shifted their attention toward Elder Homura.
The earlier confrontation was still fresh, but for now, it was being pushed aside.
Toyoma quietly sat down beside Elder Kazuto.
He did not speak again.
From this point, the discussion would be handled by the Grand Elder.
On the other side, Danzo and Hiruzen remained seated as well.
Both of them kept their eyes on the Uchiha side.
Toyoma met their gaze without hesitation.
No words were exchanged.
But the meaning was clear.
The argument was paused.
Not finished.
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