The hall, which had been filled with murmurs moments ago, fell into a silence far heavier than before.
Danzo did not move.
He did not raise his voice.
He did not respond immediately.
But something in the air shifted.
Across the hall, several jonin lowered their gazes.
A few pretended to adjust their uniforms. Others avoided looking at either side.
On the Uchiha side, some jonin glanced sideways, clearly struggling to suppress their laughter.
"You brat!" Jiraiya finally snapped. "Do you not know how to speak to an elder?"
His voice echoed sharply across the hall.
It had been a naked insult.
And Toyoma had offered Danzo not even a shred of dignity.
Toyoma turned toward Jiraiya slowly.
He smiled.
Then casually picked at his ear.
"Elder Jiraiya," he said lazily, "I have a problem with people who believe they can bark authority over things that do not belong to them."
His eyes shifted toward the village leadership, whose expressions had darkened.
"For such people," he continued calmly, "I have only one response."
He paused.
"They should learn the difference between public property and private property… before demanding ownership."
The words were not shouted.
They were delivered clearly.
Toyoma then looked around the hall.
"So before accusing the Uchiha," he said evenly, "perhaps think first… and then speak."
Jiraiya looked at Toyoma with visible anger.
"Elder Danzo was just asking a question."
"Then why did it sound like an accusation?"
Toyoma shot back without hesitation.
"He's lived this long, one foot already in the grave, and still doesn't know how to ask properly?"
Danzo's face darkened even further as he listened.
"Just shut up, you bastard, and keep quiet!" Jiraiya shouted.
Toyoma tilted his head slightly.
"Then what's the meaning of this meeting?" he replied.
"Just to sit here and look at you people? Sorry… you're not that good looking."
The argument between Toyoma and Jiraiya continued, sharp and relentless.
The jonin present no longer understood what the original topic even was.
The discussion had completely derailed.
Orochimaru and Tsunade were both stunned by Toyoma's attitude.
Even Tsunade, who was known for her temper, felt she could not compare to this Uchiha brat.
When did someone like this appear in the Uchiha clan? Tsunade wondered.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had initially dismissed Toyoma as nothing more than an unruly child.
Now, his opinion shifted.
This kid doesn't care about anyone… or any title, he thought.
"Enough!"
The Third Hokage, who had been listening to the nonstop bickering between Jiraiya and Toyoma, could no longer remain silent.
Even he was beginning to lose his temper.
The hall fell silent as all eyes turned toward the Hokage.
"Jiraiya. Sit down."
His voice was firm.
Jiraiya clenched his jaw but unwillingly returned to his seat.
The Third Hokage then looked at Toyoma.
He stared at him for a full minute without speaking.
The silence stretched.
Then he finally said,
"Danzo did not phrase his question properly. What he meant to ask was this —
if the village had known that the Uchiha were researching something like healing medicine and had been informed, we might have offered our assistance as well."
Toyoma listened without interrupting.
Then he replied flatly,
" Don't worry about it. Even if you had helped, we would not have taken it."
The blunt answer stunned the Hokage slightly.
There isn't even a shred of consideration for the village, Hiruzen thought.
"Uchiha brat, don't be so ungrateful,"
Tsunade said sharply, her patience finally running thin.
Toyoma turned toward her calmly.
"We have to be ungrateful," he replied. "The village has done nothing for which we should be grateful."
The words were simple.
But they were heavy.
Tsunade fell silent, staring at him.
For a moment, no one spoke.
"Well," the Third Hokage said slowly, regaining control of the room, "the Uchiha and the village have many misunderstandings about one another. We will attempt to reduce them."
He then looked toward the jonin present.
"But this is wartime, which brings us to the second matter. The Uchiha's healing medicine can greatly assist us and reduce unnecessary sacrifices."
The jonin began murmuring among themselves.
"Well, those pills are truly effective."
"The natural recovery rate increases several times because of them."
"But they are expensive…"
One by one, the discussion shifted.
The room moved from personal insult… back to practical benefit.
As the discussion about the healing pills began, Toyoma and the Grand Elder quietly observed how smoothly the Hokage had diverted the topic.
Toyoma glanced at the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder gave a small nod.
Then he spoke.
"Well, the healing pills are only secondary,"
Grand Elder Setsuna said calmly, looking toward the clan heads.
"The energy-restoring pills and other medicines we are preparing for sale are far more efficient than what is currently available in the market."
The clan heads exchanged looks.
"Grand Elder Setsuna," the Kurama clan head asked eagerly, "when will those be available for purchase?"
"The production has already been completed," Setsuna replied.
"They were scheduled to be released starting today. However… we have decided to postpone it."
There was visible surprise in the hall.
At first, the Third Hokage did not understand why the Uchiha had suddenly begun mentioning other products.
But when he heard that they were significantly more efficient than the current market supplies, he felt a brief moment of appreciation.
This could benefit the village.
However—
"Grand Elder Setsuna," Hiruzen asked carefully, "is there a problem?"
Setsuna looked toward him.
His expression carried regret.
"Yes," he said slowly. "The village has once again placed pressure on the Uchiha clan. Once again, our people are being pushed toward sacrifices for goals that are not fully explained to us."
The hall stiffened.
Setsuna continued.
"So we have decided to focus on our own people lives first. On those who were persuaded, misled, or sent to fight at the Mist border."
His voice hardened slightly.
"They are shedding blood for this kind of village. And yet the Uchiha didn't get any promised supplies till now."
A hint of disdain was clear on his face.
"It is a shame for their sacrifice," he added quietly.
"And perhaps a lesson for the Uchiha… not to blindly follow the path once taken by the Senju."
The words settled heavily across the hall.
No one laughed this time.
The Third Hokage and the elders stared at Grand Elder Setsuna and Toyoma, their eyes widening slightly.
They had not expected the conversation to turn this way.
Toyoma watched them calmly.
What? You think only you can divert the topic? He thought as he held the Hokage's gaze.
Grand Elder Setsuna spoke again, his voice steady.
"So the supplies prepared for sale will instead be sent to the Mist border," he said clearly.
"We will prioritise our people there and attempt to call them back."
The hall stiffened.
Setsuna did not stop.
"Their sacrifice, under the current circumstances, is not worth it."
The words were blunt.
Deliberate.
There was no attempt to soften them.
Let the entire village and all the jonin see your true face, Grand Elder Setsuna thought coldly.
Let them decide for themselves — is the Uchiha against the village… or is the village against the Uchiha?
Mist Border
A squad of Uchiha shinobi moved cautiously toward the outskirts of the Hidden Mist territory.
The air was damp.
The fog was thick.
Visibility was low.
Every step required attention.
"Senior Gendo," a young genin asked quietly as he kept pace, "is it true that the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist have returned?"
Gendo did not answer immediately.
His eyes scanned the treeline.
His hand rested lightly near his weapon.
"Pochita," he said calmly, without looking at him, "we confirm information first."
A pause.
"Only after that do we believe it."
He glanced toward the distant mist-covered hills.
"If they truly returned from the Rock front… then this mission just became far more dangerous."
The squad tightened its formation instinctively.
The fog ahead seemed thicker now.
As they advanced carefully through the mist, Gendo suddenly raised his hand.
Ahead, at some distance, a group of figures stood motionless.
"Stop. Hide first," Gendo whispered sharply.
The Uchiha squad immediately moved into concealment, slipping behind rocks and trees and suppressing their chakra.
Gendo narrowed his eyes as he observed the figures ahead.
Pochita peeked through the fog.
"They look like Mist shinobi…" he murmured. Then he paused.
"Wait… they look like they're waiting for someone."
The group stood still, weapons visible, but not drawn.
Not patrolling.
Not fighting.
Just waiting.
Pochita studied them carefully.
"They're not moving at all."
Gendo kept his gaze fixed on them.
"Stay here," he said quietly. "We wait. Let's see who they are expecting."
Minutes passed slowly.
The mist shifted with the wind.
Then—
Movement.
Another group emerged from deeper within the fog.
Pochita's eyes widened.
"Senior Gendo… look."
Through the haze, distinct clothing and headbands became visible.
"They're Hidden Sand shinobi."
More than a few.
And they were walking straight toward the Mist group.
Gendo's expression tightened.
Mist and Sand.
Meeting here.
At the border.
That was not normal.
Gendo and his squad did not move.
They stayed hidden, watching.
As the Sand delegation approached the Mist group, the fog ahead began to warp from the rising heat. The air shimmered unnaturally.
The clearing slowly became visible.
The air was damp.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
A small Sand delegation stood at the edge of the clearing.
At their centre stood a woman with fierce amber eyes and wind-tossed hair.
Pakura.
Hero of the Hidden Sand.
Her chakra felt dry —
sharp —
scorching.
Even in the thick humidity, the air around her felt warmer.
Across from them, Hidden Mist shinobi emerged silently from the fog.
Blades visible.
Faces unreadable.
At the front stood a tall Mist captain.
"You came."
Pakura did not bow. Her gaze swept across the growing number of Mist shinobi gathering in the fog.
"We were told this was a negotiation."
The Mist captain smiled faintly as he counted the small number of Sand shinobi standing behind her.
"It is."
Pakura glanced sideways at her escorts.
Their faces were neutral.
Too neutral.
There was no tension in them.
No alertness.
No suspicion of the number of Mist forces surrounding them.
"You seem… underprepared," the Mist captain added.
Pakura remained silent.
Behind her, one Sand shinobi shifted.
Then another.
Then—
They stepped back.
Not in a battle stance.
Away from her.
Pakura's eyes narrowed.
"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, anger flickering beneath her calm.
No one answered.
The Mist shinobi did not move.
They only watched.
Smiling.
Pakura turned toward the Sand delegation leader.
"Explain."
The man avoided her gaze.
When their eyes met, he looked away.
"This was the Kazekage's order."
Silence.
The mist pressed closer.
Pakura's expression did not break.
But something inside her settled.
"You told me," she said calmly, "that we were discussing a ceasefire."
The Sand jonin beside her finally spoke, swallowing dryly.
"We are."
He did not meet her eyes.
"With the Mist."
The meaning was unmistakable.
Pakura had been offered.
A hero.
A symbol.
A sacrifice.
Her Scorch Release had made too many enemies.
Rock feared her.
Mist despised her.
She was too powerful.
Too visible.
Too dangerous.
And the Sand daimyo had cut funding.
Peace had to be bought.
Even if it meant trading blood.
The Mist captain stepped forward.
"Hidden Sand has withdrawn its claim over you."
His smile widened slightly.
"You now belong to the Hidden Mist."
Mist shinobi stepped into position.
Weapons ready.
Pakura exhaled slowly.
The air around her dried instantly.
The fog hissed as moisture evaporated.
"So this is how it ends."
Her voice was steady.
Behind her, the Sand shinobi were already retreating.
Not looking back.
She watched them go.
Not with anger.
With clarity.
"Remember this," she said quietly.
"A village that trades its heroes for safety… will one day trade its pride as well."
The Mist captain raised his hand.
"Kill her."
The fog exploded.
"Scorch Release: Overheat Sphere!"
A blazing orb formed in Pakura's palm and shot forward.
The mist shrieked as it evaporated, and two Mist shinobi collapsed, their bodies shrivelling from sudden dehydration.
"Scorch Release: Drying Field!"
Heat surged outward in a violent wave.
The ground cracked.
Fog vanished.
Mist swordsmen screamed as their skin dried and split.
A blade lunged through the steam toward her neck.
"Scorch Release: Incinerating Orbs!"
Multiple blazing spheres erupted around her, forcing attackers back as moisture ripped from their bodies.
Pakura stood alone in the clearing like a desert sun.
Surrounded.
Wounded.
Still burning.
Moisture vanished from the air.
Mist shinobi screamed.
But there were too many.
And she was alone.
Blades pierced through steam and heat.
Blood sprayed into evaporating fog.
The clearing turned red.
The fog swallowed everything.
When it thinned—
Only Mist shinobi remained standing.
The Sand delegation was gone.
Pakura, hero of the Hidden Sand, lay bleeding on foreign soil.
The Mist captain approached her still form.
"Hero of the Sand… is that all?"
He looked down at her unconscious body, blood covering the earth.
"Let's go."
The Mist shinobi disappeared into the fog.
***************************************************************************************
Early access to [ 20 chapters ] ahead
Patr***n - hear_tteeth [18+]
["Many of you said the chapters should be longer, so I made this one over 2,000+ words. Let me know if this length feels good to you."]