"Has Hidden Cloud Village replied?"
Upon hearing the Anbu's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Utatane Koharu, and Homura Mitokado all couldn't help but raise their eyebrows.
They were all very curious about how Hidden Cloud Village would choose.
Would they choose to reconcile with Konoha, or would they choose to sacrifice the Uchiha Clan and the reputation of the entire Hidden Cloud Village?
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he took the scroll from the Anbu's hand.
He was in a very good mood now, because whatever Hidden Cloud Village chose—whether to abandon the war against Konoha or abandon their reputation—it was acceptable to him.
In fact, he was even a little hopeful that Hidden Cloud Village would choose to continue fighting.
That way, Hidden Cloud Village and the Uchiha Clan's reputation in the Ninja World would be completely ruined.
"This is an overt scheme," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a hint of smugness.
When Hidden Cloud Village used an overt scheme to swindle money from Konoha back then, you probably never imagined a day like this, where you'd be caught in such a dilemma, did you?
However, the smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face completely vanished the moment he opened the scroll.
His face instantly turned pale, and the pipe in his hand fell onto the desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips trembled as he mumbled, "These bastards… they're too cunning!"
After speaking, his pale face suddenly flushed red again.
Immediately, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and, with a "thud," collapsed onto the desk, completely unconscious.
Seeing this sudden turn of events, Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, and the others were all stunned.
What on earth was written on that scroll to make the usually composed Hiruzen so furious?
According to their earlier guesses, no matter how Hidden Cloud Village replied, they should have been able to accept it.
Thinking of this, Utatane Koharu immediately took the scroll from Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand.
The next second, she felt a dizzy spell, swayed, and then plopped down onto the ground.
"The inherently evil Uchiha… they were scheming against us from the very beginning!"
"We've been played!"
Seeing Utatane Koharu wailing on the ground, Homura Mitokado and Danzo Shimura couldn't sit still any longer.
They both leaned in and took the scroll into their hands.
The reply on the scroll was simple.
First, it stated that from beginning to end, Hidden Cloud Village had maintained its excellent tradition of keeping its word and honoring its promises, and there was absolutely no betrayal of trust.
Following that was an explanation of why Hidden Cloud Village was participating in the war.
According to the scroll, the current situation in the Ninja World was a three-on-one battle.
If Hidden Cloud Village were to abandon the war against Konoha, they would need to be offered more money for ninja tools than Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Hidden Mist combined.
At the end of the scroll, there was also a cordial greeting from Uchiha Yuzuru to the four of them.
After reading it, Danzo Shimura and Homura Mitokado finally understood why Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu were so enraged.
It turned out that they had made their plans from the very beginning; the so-called agreement was merely an excuse to squeeze out as much value from them as possible.
After all, no matter how prosperous the Land of Fire was, it would be impossible to offer more money for ninja tools than the three opposing ninja villages combined, especially while simultaneously fighting Iwagakure, Hidden Mist, and Sunagakure.
From the very beginning, they had been targeted as a juicy piece of meat!
A chilling realization dawned on them.
Uchiha Yuzuru… that guy is too cunning!
Recalling their smug expressions from just moments ago, Danzo Shimura and the others felt their faces burn.
And they had talked about making Hidden Cloud Village and the Uchiha Clan lose face… Clowns!
They were utterly clownish!
Compared to Uchiha Yuzuru, they were as innocent as children.
Even if this matter spread throughout the entire Ninja World, people would only mock them four as incompetent fools, right?
Utatane Koharu was still wailing on the ground, Homura Mitokado leaned against the wall, looking distraught, and Danzo Shimura remained silent, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still slumped on the desk, motionless, and none of his three old teammates bothered to check on him.
After all, this time was different from previous times; the losses they incurred… were all from their own pockets!
No, they had to find a way to recoup these losses!
— — — —
— — — —
Hidden Cloud Village.
Uchiha Clan Estate.
In the courtyard, Karura, Uzumaki Kushina, and Uchiha Mikoto were playing with Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Yuzuru was lying on a rocking chair nearby, leisurely basking in the sun.
Itachi was over three years old, with fair skin.
His appearance perfectly inherited the best features of Uchiha Yuzuru and Uchiha Mikoto, with red lips, white teeth, and lively eyes.
Uzumaki Kushina held a skewer of three-colored dango and smiled, "Itachi, do you want some?"
Uchiha Itachi immediately nodded, "Mommy, I want some."
Looking at Uchiha Itachi's eager eyes, Uzumaki Kushina said, "Then go peel a grape for Daddy."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Itachi immediately ran to Uchiha Yuzuru, deftly peeled a grape, and popped it into Uchiha Yuzuru's mouth.
Seeing his impatient demeanor, Karura couldn't help but laugh, "Children really are adorable."
Uzumaki Kushina agreed, "Exactly, they smell so milky and sweet. Every time I see him, I can't help but lean in and smell him."
Hearing their conversation, Uchiha Yuzuru raised an eyebrow, "You two like children so much, how about I give you one each?"
Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Kushina and Karura gave Uchiha Yuzuru a glare, "Yuzuru, Itachi is still here."
Itachi, eating his three-colored dango, mumbled, "Daddy, I support you, I want a little brother!"
Uchiha Yuzuru stroked Uchiha Itachi's head and said lightly, "The Ninja World isn't peaceful right now. When the war ends, I'll grant your wish, alright?"
Uchiha Itachi smiled and nodded, then asked curiously, "Daddy, what is war, and why is there war?"
Uchiha Yuzuru gently pinched Uchiha Itachi's cheek, "I'll tell you when you grow up. For now, you just need to think about eating, drinking, and playing every day, understand?"
Uchiha Itachi obediently nodded, "Got it, Daddy."
After speaking, he ran off to the side to eat his three-colored dango.
Watching Uchiha Itachi run around the courtyard with a smile, Uchiha Yuzuru stretched.
Judging by the time, Hiruzen Sarutobi should have already seen his reply, right?
The thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and the others fuming with rage made him want to laugh.
In the original story, these people loved to play schemes and stand on the moral high ground to criticize others. Now that he had thoroughly outsmarted them, they were probably spitting blood from anger.
A moment later, Uchiha Obito's voice came from outside the door.
"Big Brother Yuzuru, are you home?"
"Kakashi and I want to discuss something with you!"
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