Hatake Sakumo fell silent, then suddenly spoke. "Ryun, what should I do? Should I tell the Hokage?"
Uchiha Ryun shook his head.
"No need. The order was given to you by the Hokage himself. Having your own judgment is good, but if you tell the Hokage now, it would force him to reverse his own decision. Even if you do the right thing, it will make the Hokage dislike you. Instead... let's go with the flow. You will set out tonight for the location marked on the map, and then..."
The last few words were whispered directly into Hatake Sakumo's ear. Hatake Sakumo nodded. "I understand, Ryun!"
Uchiha Ryun glanced at the sky outside the window. The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. A cold breeze blew in, making him shiver. He sighed. "Pretend I was never here tonight. Oh, and one more thing, Sakumo-sama. 'A tree that stands out will be toppled by the wind.' Remember to hide your brilliance. Konoha is not as simple as you think."
After speaking, Uchiha Ryun stood up and walked out of the study. When he reached the front door and turned the handle, the door opened.
Uchiha Ryun paused in surprise. Yoshiko was standing guard at the entrance, looking very focused.
When Yoshiko saw Uchiha Ryun come out, she gave him a formal smile and opened the door.
Uchiha Ryun nodded and left the Hatake residence. He had guessed who was behind this, but it wasn't appropriate to tell Hatake Sakumo. The more one knew, the heavier the burden.
Hatake Sakumo was a sharp blade—one so sharp that even its wielder would handle it with caution. Any mission he undertook would be completed flawlessly.
But it was precisely because of his immense talent and his inability to conceal it that he became a target of suspicion for the Third Hokage and jealousy from Danzō Shimura. In the end, unable to overcome his own guilt, he took his own life.
Even though the elderly Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Sakumo was a loyal and outstanding shinobi, he didn't dare take the risk. What if, one day, those who supported Sakumo incited him to compete for the position of Hokage? Would his own seat remain secure?
In his later years, Hiruzen Sarutobi became obsessed with power. He only let go at the moment of his death. What? You ask about the Fourth Hokage?
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was indeed a commoner by birth. He was a student of Jiraiya and the grand-disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi. After becoming Hokage, he didn't form his own faction, instead deferring to his grand-teacher's authority.
He consulted Hiruzen Sarutobi on every matter, which greatly satisfied the Third Hokage's desire for control. In other words, the Fourth Hokage was Hiruzen Sarutobi's puppet.
At the time, Fugaku had approached Minato, hinting and even outright suggesting cooperation multiple times. But Minato only engaged in small talk, avoiding political discussions, which left Uchiha Fugaku deeply troubled.
Other clans also watched from the sidelines. Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, they preferred this politically inexperienced and amiable Minato.
However, the Uchiha's failed approach led other clans to abandon their ideas and stop visiting Minato.
But let's return to the main topic.
This time, Uchiha Ryun advised Hatake Sakumo to deliberately fail the mission and even prepared various explanations for him. The rest was up to Sakumo.
He had said all he needed to say. Whether Sakumo listened or not was his choice. A general who always won, undefeated in a hundred battles—it sounded impressive, but it also invited suspicion from the ruler.
"Meritorious service that overshadows the lord" was not just a saying. As Uchiha Ryun stepped out of the Hatake clan's territory, five Uchiha shinobi appeared before him.
They knelt in unison. "Sixth Elder, the clan leader has ordered us to escort you to the meeting."
Uchiha Ryun was startled, then smiled. "Alright, stand up. We're from the same clan. There's no need to kneel. A man's knees are as precious as gold. From now on, you don't need to kneel when you see me. Lead the way."
His words, "A man's knees are as precious as gold," stunned the five Uchiha shinobi. A strange feeling stirred in their hearts. None of the other elders had ever said such things.
Even the dovish Fourth Elder only had a gentle demeanor, but his words still carried the arrogance of an elder. But Uchiha Ryun was different. They could sense his sincerity.
The others looked at the leader of the group. After a moment of thought, the leader said, "Everyone, listen to the Sixth Elder. Stand up first!"
Then the leader spoke again. "Sixth Elder, I am Uchiha Ippū. Please follow us."
Uchiha Ryun nodded. "Good, I'll remember you, Ippū."
"Yes!" Uchiha Ippū nodded and led the other four shinobi ahead. Uchiha Ryun smiled faintly and followed.
Ding! Congratulations, host, for gifting 2090 bomb suits to Nawaki. Rewards will be issued after the battle with Suna.
Ding! Congratulations, host, for slightly altering Hatake Sakumo's thoughts. Reward: 5,000 points, ninjutsu: Body Flicker Technique.
The chakra flow path of the Body Flicker Technique instantly imprinted itself in Uchiha Ryun's mind. He smirked as he looked at the shinobi ahead of him, circulating his chakra without hand seals.
In an instant, Uchiha Ryun leaped several positions forward, landing beside the leading shinobi. "Hey, Ippū, I'll wait for you at the clan entrance!" With that, he continued flickering away.
The five Uchiha shinobi were dumbfounded. They had seen the Body Flicker Technique before, but never one so smooth. Moreover, the technique consumed a lot of chakra, yet Uchiha Ryun seemed to have an endless supply!
The five shinobi exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and began forming hand seals to use the Body Flicker Technique. But even then, they couldn't catch up to Uchiha Ryun's continuous flickering.
Soon, Uchiha Ryun appeared at the clan entrance. The Uchiha guards saw him and immediately saluted. "Sixth Elder, please enter. The clan leader is organizing the meeting."
Uchiha Ryun shook his head. "Wait, not everyone has arrived yet." His tone carried a hint of amusement.
Not arrived yet? The guards were puzzled but didn't dare ask further, returning to their posts to guard the clan entrance.
About three minutes later, Uchiha Ryun looked in the direction he had come from and smiled. The five had finally arrived. He waved. "Hey~ You finally made it!"
Uchiha Ippū and the others didn't use the Body Flicker Technique for the last stretch, choosing to run instead. Good heavens, the technique consumed too much chakra! One more use and they might collapse from exhaustion.
Suppressing their exhaustion, they ran to Uchiha Ryun's side. They noticed he wasn't even out of breath and was still smiling at them.
Truly worthy of being the Sixth Elder—the youngest elder, living up to his reputation. These five were thoroughly impressed.
Uchiha Ryun chuckled. "Young people need more training." He patted Uchiha Ippū's shoulder.
Uchiha Ippū's face was flushed as he gasped, "Elder... you're... too strong! We... can't compare!"
Uchiha Ryun shook his head. "Need a break?" Seeing Uchiha Ippū in this state, he felt a little guilty. He had been too focused on showing off and hadn't considered the others.
Uchiha Ippū shook his head, took a deep breath, and forced himself to stand straight. "Please... follow me, Elder." He trembled as he led the way.
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