The discussion inside the Hokage's office finally came to an end.
As the clan heads stepped out one by one, many of them instinctively looked toward the Uchiha group gathered nearby.
The Uchiha were speaking quietly among themselves.
To most observers, the entire meeting had felt like a tug-of-war between the village leadership and the Uchiha.
And this time—
The Uchiha had pulled harder.
"I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing," Hyuga Hiashi said quietly, his gaze fixed on the Uchiha side.
He let out a slow sigh.
The confrontation had exposed many uncomfortable truths.
And what unsettled him the most was this—
The bloodline clans had suffered the most pressure from the village over the years.
The Uchiha.
Before them, the Senju.
And now—
The Hyuga stood as the strongest remaining bloodline clan.
Hiashi turned slightly toward his brother.
"Hizashi," he said in a low voice, "we must be more careful from now on when dealing with the Hokage. One mistake… and the entire clan could pay for it."
Hizashi nodded slowly.
"I was thinking the same. If the Uchiha are pushed aside… we may be next."
Neither of them liked that thought.
Not far away, Nara Shikaku stood with his usual calm expression.
He glanced at his two long-time friends.
"Inoichi," he said evenly, "put aside your hatred for now. No real damage was done to our clans."
He paused.
"The Uchiha are not targeting us. They are targeting the Hokage faction."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"There is no reason for us to stand between them."
Yamanaka Inoichi fell silent.
For a moment, his thoughts drifted to his cousin —
the one who had lost his will to be a shinobi and now rarely left his house.
The resentment was still there.
But after watching the entire meeting…
He had to admit something.
The Uchiha's anger was not directed at the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance.
It was directed upward.
He exhaled slowly and gave Shikaku a small nod.
Shikaku allowed himself a faint smile.
He had been worried.
If Inoichi acted out of emotion now, the consequences would be severe.
The current Uchiha were not restrained.
If provoked, they would not hesitate.
And if a clash began—
It would not remain small.
Shikaku's gaze shifted once more toward the Uchiha group.
Let us hope the village and the Uchiha do not push each other too far, he thought quietly.
Because if they did—
The cost would not be limited to one side.
On the Uchiha side, Grand Elder Setsuna and Elder Kazuto walked ahead slowly.
Toyoma followed beside them, but his eyes drifted toward the Aburame clan head in the distance.
Grand Elder Setsuna noticed.
"What happened, Toyoma?" he asked quietly.
Toyoma blinked and shifted his gaze back.
"Nothing important, Grandpa. I just thought of something."
He paused.
"So… what do you think about the Hokage's request?"
Earlier, the Hokage and the elders had tried to push the Uchiha to increase the supply of healing pills for the war.
The Uchiha had responded clearly:
If the village quota increased, the clan quotas would decrease.
Production had limits.
That single condition changed everything.
The clans immediately opposed the Hokage's request.
If the village wanted more pills, it would mean fewer for the clans.
And no clan was willing to sacrifice its own shinobi for the sake of political balance.
Faced with unified resistance, the Hokage and elders had no choice but to step back.
They accepted a small increase — nothing more.
At least they were smart enough not to ask for the production method, Toyoma thought.
Even the Hokage understood the risk.
If they tried to force the Uchiha to reveal the formula, they would not only lose access to the pills—
They would turn every major clan against them.
Grand Elder Setsuna spoke after a moment.
"We can send some of our shinobi to the Mist border as reinforcement."
Toyoma stopped walking.
"I was thinking of going myself."
Both elders rejected the idea immediately.
"No."
The word came from both of them at once.
Grand Elder Setsuna cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed by his reaction.
"Toyoma… if you go to the Mist border, the Hokage's faction may take the opportunity to target you."
His voice was serious now.
"You are too important."
Toyoma remained calm.
"Grandpa, don't worry. My strength is no longer what it used to be."
His tone was steady.
"And I am not careless enough to walk into a trap."
His blink ability had improved significantly.
His overall combat strength had increased.
And with full mastery of Total Concentration, defeating him would not be easy.
Still—
That was not the real reason.
"I want to go because there is something I need to confirm there," Toyoma continued.
"It is important."
Grand Elder Setsuna frowned slightly.
Toyoma had already become the biggest obstacle to the Hokage's faction.
If the leadership learned he was heading to the battlefield—
They might attempt something drastic.
They could not risk his life.
Toyoma glanced at both elders.
"Grandpa… I also have a mission for the clan."
Setsuna and Kazuto focused fully on him.
"If it succeeds," Toyoma added quietly, "it will give us support at the level of Mangekyo."
Both elders stiffened.
Mangekyo-level support?
Setsuna lowered his voice immediately.
"What mission?"
He subtly glanced around.
Clan heads and shinobi were still nearby.
Too many ears.
Toyoma smiled faintly.
"Let us return to the compound first," he said calmly.
"This is not a place for that discussion."
As he turned, he briefly looked back.
In the distance, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru stood apart.
They were not speaking.
But their attention was clearly on him.
Toyoma's smile faded slightly.
Jiraiya watched Toyoma walk away.
"That brat is trouble," he muttered.
"Every time he opens his mouth, something goes wrong."
Tsunade followed Toyoma's retreating figure with her eyes.
"He is trouble," she admitted quietly.
"But he is not wrong."
She replayed the meeting in her mind.
The confidence.
The pressure.
The refusal to compromise on accountability.
For a brief second, a thought crossed her mind—
If someone like him had stood firmly within the Senju clan… perhaps the Senju clan would not have faded into just a name.
The thought lingered only for a moment.
Then she pushed it aside.
Senju were strong ones, she reminded herself.
They chose to live as civilians.
Not every great clan wants to carry power.
She exhaled slowly.
"Well," she said at last, irritation creeping into her tone, "first we clean the mess left by those old men. Then we can think about anything else."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
That "mess" now belonged to them.
Records.
Mission backlogs.
Border shortages.
Supply gaps—political distrust.
He would have to sit through reports all day to understand the village's current condition.
The Hokage and elders would assist them—
But only partially.
Koharu and Homura would be busy meeting the Daimyo.
Danzo…
No one expected meaningful cooperation from him.
Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck.
"I knew it," he muttered.
"I am not suited for this elder business."
He glanced at Tsunade.
"This is exactly why I preferred chasing prophecies."
The war on the battlefield felt simpler.
At least enemies there didn't hide behind paperwork.
Tsunade and Jiraiya continued their discussion as they walked.
But Orochimaru was no longer listening.
His attention remained fixed on Toyoma's departing figure.
Those healing pills…
His eyes narrowed slightly.
They may be the key.
When he first heard about the pills, his thoughts immediately turned to the First Hokage's natural healing ability.
Cells that regenerated without hand seals.
Wounds are closing without effort.
Now—
These pills seemed to imitate something similar.
They accelerated healing.
Extended endurance.
If that effect could be stabilised…
Expanded…
Refined…
A quiet thought surfaced in his mind.
If healing can be sustained long enough… the body may never truly decay.
Immortality.
A dream he had carried for years.
He did not speak his thoughts aloud.
He glanced at Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were still arguing about administrative burdens.
Neither of them had noticed the deeper implication.
Orochimaru said nothing.
He merely watched.
The Hokage building slowly emptied as the clan heads and shinobi dispersed.
Silence returned to the corridors.
But for Orochimaru—
A new possibility had just opened.
And unlike the others—
He was already thinking several steps ahead.
How could he obtain those pills?
What method would he use?
While the Sannin were busy worrying about their own plans—
At the Uchiha camp on the Mist border, the situation became tense once again as Pakura began to speak.
Uzuku looked at her steadily.
"You've been listening for an hour," he said in a flat voice.
"And you expect us to believe you weren't collecting intel? Is something written on our heads?"
He did not smile.
Pakura met his gaze calmly.
"Yes," she replied.
Uzuku frowned. "What?"
"On tag 'Leaf shinobi'," she said. "It's written clearly on your forehead."
For a second, Uzuku was stunned.
Gendo and Pochita couldn't help but smile faintly.
Pakura had listened for an hour to Uzuku scolding Gendo.
She had felt a little bad for him.
Uzuku regained his composure quickly.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Sand's Pakura," he said coldly.
"Now that you're awake, you can leave our camp. We won't report you to anyone. You can disappear and live in anonymity."
His eyes remained sharp as he looked at her.
Pakura heard his words.
For a brief moment, she looked at Gendo.
Gendo was already looking at her.
Neither of them spoke.
But something passed between them.
Uzuku noticed it immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
What… wait… no. Not another problem.
His thoughts became heavier.
He cleared his throat.
"You just woke up," Uzuku said in a controlled voice.
"We can allow you to stay here for a short time."
He paused.
"But you will disguise yourself. And if I find even the slightest sign of you collecting intel—"
His gaze hardened.
"I will not be merciful."
He then looked at Gendo.
A silent question.
Pakura met Uzuku's eyes and nodded.
"Don't worry," she said quietly.
"I have nowhere to go now. I should clear my thoughts first."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"I am grateful for the Uchiha's help. You do not need to worry about spying from me."
She tried to stand and bow lightly—
But her body weakened, and she lost her balance.
Gendo stepped forward instinctively and caught her.
Uzuku watched that carefully.
"Just don't mistake our decision for kindness. I need intel on sand from you; that's why I let you be here," Uzuku said evenly.
"There are not many truly kind people in this world."
Then he turned toward Pochita.
"Pochita. Come with me for a moment. I need to ask you something."
His tone left no room for refusal.
He needed the full story.
Every detail.
About how Gendo rescued her—
Pochita straightened immediately.
"Yes, Vice-Captain."
The two of them stepped out of the tent together.
As Uzuku walked away, he glanced back at the camp one more time.
His eyes lingered on the entrance.
"Just what kind of mess have you created this time, Gendo…" he muttered under his breath.
Then he left with Pochita.
Inside the tent, silence settled again.
Pakura looked at Gendo.
"Thank you for rescuing me," she said quietly.
"I never thought…
that at what I believed was my final moment… I would receive respect from a Uchiha."
Gendo listened.
He nodded.
"I heard why you saved me," Pakura continued.
"You had your reasons."
She paused slightly.
"But that doesn't change the truth."
Gendo nodded again.
He did not argue.
He did not justify himself.
Seeing that he would not speak further, Pakura fell silent.
Pakura lay back slowly.
Her eyes remained on Gendo.
"You saved me because you saw something familiar," she said quietly.
Gendo did not answer.
But his hand, which had been resting on the table, tightened slightly.
The lantern light flickered between them.
For a brief moment, neither of them looked away.
There was no hostility.
No trust either.
Only a quiet understanding neither of them could name.
Pakura finally turned her gaze toward the ceiling.
Gendo remained seated.
But he did not leave.
The room fell silent again.
This time—
The silence did not feel as heavy as before.
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