Chapter 39: This Is... Ao's Byakugan
The battle in the eastern coast forest did not last long.
All six Kirigakure ninjas were captured by the Uchiha's Divine Demon Battalion.
The Byakugan in Kirigakure jōnin Ao's eye sockets had already been dug out and placed in a nutrient jar.
Ao endured the excruciating pain and lifted his head; fresh blood continuously seeped from his empty eye sockets: "Uchiha… you won't succeed… Our Kirigakure… will make you pay the price…"
A Divine Demon Battalion member arrived in a Body Flicker, urgently saying: "Captain, the Clan Head is calling you to the meeting room immediately."
Uchiha Sanpō gently shook the glass jar, watching the white eye swirl in the liquid, then tucked it into his robes.
"Got it. I'm heading there now. Keep these prisoners secure."
Seeing that the other side ignored him, Kirigakure jōnin Ao changed tactics.
Enduring the agony of having his eyes gouged, he said: "Could you at least bandage my team members' wounds? If they keep bleeding like this, they'll die from blood loss. Since you captured us alive, I assume you don't just want corpses, right?"
Uchiha Sanpō didn't turn back, only waved his hand: "Give them basic wound treatment—just don't let them die."
Divine Demon Battalion member Uchiha Kusuri patted his chest confidently: "Sanpō-niisan, leave it to me. I'll handle it properly—you go ahead without worry!"
Inside the outpost high-level meeting room, two Uchiha guards saw Sanpō and immediately opened the door.
The moment the door opened, fierce arguing voices flooded out like a tide.
Akimichi Chōza slammed the table so hard it rattled.
"Clan Head Fugaku! Your Uchiha took three hundred billion ryō in reparations from Iwagakure—now you want to hog all the fat meat from Kirigakure too?!"
Nara Shikaku cleared his throat lightly and stood up.
He spoke seriously: "Allow me to remind everyone—the Ino–Shika–Chō fought bitterly for years under Lord Minato on the Kumogakure front, suffering heavy casualties, and we haven't seen a single copper coin. Meanwhile, Kirigakure looted over 300 billion ryō from Bear City and another 100+ billion from White Bird City—that's a solid four hundred billion+ ryō."
"When did the Ino–Shika–Chō become so greedy as to want to carve up Kirigakure?"
Uchiha Sanpō's voice wasn't loud, yet it instantly silenced the entire meeting room.
"How about we Uchiha, Kurama, and the others stay behind to guard, and let you go fight Kirigakure instead?"
Nara Shikaku's smile froze; he awkwardly touched his chin.
"Battalion Commander Sanpō must be joking. The current Uchiha are the number one clan in the ninja world. Capturing over 5,000 Iwagakure ninjas on the Iwagakure front—that kind of achievement, even we of the Ino–Shika–Chō greatly admire."
Uchiha Sanpō ignored Shikaku's flattery. He walked straight to the seat left of Uchiha Fugaku, pulled out the chair, and sat down casually. He deliberately tilted the chair back, propping his calves on the meeting table, looking completely nonchalant.
"Clan Head Nara Shikaku, do you have any important intelligence you'd like to share?"
Shikaku's eyes flashed with a hint of caution, but he quickly regained his composure: "What would Battalion Commander Sanpō like to know?"
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure went deep into Fire Country territory and encountered Konoha's eternal genin Might Duy. In the end, Might Duy used the secret technique Eight Gates Formation and defeated four of the Seven Swordsmen while the other three escaped. Now four of the ninja swords have already been sent back to Konoha Village."
"Battalion Commander Sanpō, is this intelligence accurate?" Inuzuka Tsume suddenly spoke up. The ninken beside her let out a low growl, seemingly sensing its master's agitation.
Uchiha Sanpō sighed lightly: "The Eight Gates is an A-rank ninjutsu with extremely harsh training and usage conditions. Opening the Eighth Gate unleashes dozens of times the normal combat power, but the price is that the user burns all their blood and chakra and dies."
Clan Head Kazami mocked: "No wonder the Ino–Shika–Chō were so eager to push us to attack Kirigakure earlier—it seems they already received this intelligence!"
Clan Head Kurama slammed the table hard: "Damn it, such important intelligence—why didn't the village inform us?"
At these words, everyone in the meeting room turned their gazes toward the three Ino–Shika–Chō clan heads with changed expressions.
Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Nara Shikaku quickly smiled placatingly: "We only just received the news as well. Kirigakure is weak now, but they hold massive amounts of money and resources. We should discuss how to conquer Kirigakure and divide this enormous wealth."
Uchiha Sanpō reached into his robes and gently placed the glass jar containing the Byakugan on the table.
"Before we continue arguing, everyone should take a look at this first."
He lifted the jar; the white pupil inside the eye looked exceptionally eerie.
Hyūga Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly; veins bulged at his temples as he subconsciously activated his Byakugan.
"This is… Ao's Byakugan?" Hiashi's voice carried some anger.
"Correct. Kirigakure jōnin Ao's six-man squad has been captured by us. And I've obtained one more important piece of intelligence."
Uchiha Sanpō deliberately paused to draw everyone's attention.
"This afternoon, Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails into Namikaze Minato's disciple Nohara Rin, then sent fifty Kirigakure Anbu jōnin to escort her. In the end, both Nohara Rin and those fifty Kirigakure Anbu jōnin are dead. Kirigakure jōnin Ao was sent here to gather related intelligence."
Gasps filled the tent. Nara Shikaku stroked the stubble on his chin, a shrewd light flashing in his eyes.
"The Three-Tails jinchūriki is dead, over half the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are gone, plus fifty Kirigakure Anbu jōnin dead and Ao captured… Right now, Kirigakure is probably at its weakest moment."
Clan Head Kurama stood up excitedly: "Clan Head Fugaku, given the current situation, it's absolutely worth launching an attack on Kirigakure."
Yamanaka Haiichi frowned slightly: "If the Ino–Shika–Chō also participate in the battle, Konoha's main village defense will have serious gaps. What about rear defense?"
The argument erupted again, mainly splitting into two factions: one led by Uchiha Fugaku, the other centered on the reinforcements who had come from the Kumogakure front—mainly Ino–Shika–Chō, Inuzuka, Aburame, and similar clans.
Uchiha Sanpō coldly watched these so-called "big shots" haggle like market vendors over profits, sneering inwardly.
Seeing everyone arguing until their faces were red and necks thick, Uchiha Shisui spoke with a worried expression: "I am willing to stay behind and take responsibility for guarding the village!"
Hearing Shisui's statement, Uchiha Fugaku felt a slight displeasure—this was a critical moment for securing clan benefits.
But continuing the argument was pointless, so he lightly cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention.
"Quiet! It's already late at night… Everyone go back and rest well. We'll continue the discussion tomorrow morning…"
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