The light coming from the communication snail slowly flickered across everyone's faces as Toyoma finished speaking.
"This decision..."
Toyoma's calm voice echoed through the room.
"...will become a memorable step in the history of the Land of Snow."
His eyes slowly moved across all the nobles visible through the communication screen.
"And I can promise every person present here..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...your descendants will one day thank you for this."
For a brief moment—
Silence spread through the hall on both sides.
Then finally—
Daimyo Kazahana slowly smiled.
Even Advisor Katagiri's previously tense expression softened slightly.
"I hope things truly unfold the way you say, Toyoma-dono."
The Daimyo spoke calmly before slowly looking toward the nobles gathered beside him.
Then his expression became serious once again.
"In the name of the current Daimyo of the Land of Snow..."
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"...I form a secret agreement with the people of the Uchiha Clan."
Every noble present quietly straightened after hearing those words.
"With all of you as witnesses..."
The Daimyo slowly continued,
"...the Uchiha are welcomed to migrate to the Land of Snow as the sixth noble house."
A brief silence followed.
Then the Daimyo paused slightly before speaking again.
"From this day onward..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...we welcome not the Uchiha Clan—"
His voice became firmer.
"But the new noble house of the Land of Snow."
"The Takayuki Clan."
The moment those words fell—
The nobles inside the hall slowly began clapping.
Some looked curious about takayuki clan.
Some looked thoughtful.
And some were relieved.
Advisor Katagiri also smiled lightly afterwards.
"We shall await the arrival of the Takayuki Clan people..."
His gaze shifted toward Toyoma through the communication snail.
"...and Clan Head Genzo."
Toyoma quietly watched everything from the other side.
Then he slowly lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you..."
His voice remained calm.
"...to the Daimyo and all the nobles of the Land of Snow."
And soon after—
The communication connection finally disconnected.
The room instantly became much quieter afterwards.
Only the faint sound of the cold wind outside could still be heard.
"Sigh..."
Toyoma quietly exhaled while rubbing his forehead slightly.
Then he slowly looked toward Suki, Genzo, and Pakura.
The atmosphere inside became awkward almost immediately.
Especially on Pakura's side.
"Uncle Genzo... Aunt Shizuka..."
Toyoma spoke calmly.
"I hope both of you understood the entire discussion properly."
Pakura looked at Toyoma with a complicated expression.
Honestly—
Even now, this entire thing still felt unreal to her.
"Toyoma..."
She hesitated slightly before continuing.
"There are many people inside the clan more suitable for managing something like this."
Her eyes unconsciously shifted toward Genzo, standing beside her.
"Why not let Uzuku or Raizen handle it instead?"
Managing an entire hidden clan was not a small responsibility.
And the more Pakura thought about it—
The more uncertain she became.
Then slowly—
She looked toward Genzo again.
And immediately, a headache started forming inside her mind.
'If we leave the clan management to this idiot...'
Pakura's lips twitched slightly.
'...there's a real chance we might not even have food left to eat.'
After living beside Genzo for more than two years—
She had already completely understood his personality.
This man genuinely did not know how to refuse people.
Especially if someone approached him politely.
In just the past two years alone—
Genzo had already given away more than a hundred chakra pills and healing pills to injured Uchiha members.
And the worst part?
When he himself got injured—
He would start secretly hoarding medicine "for future emergencies."
Yet somehow—
Those hidden supplies would also disappear sooner or later after someone asked him nicely.
Pakura had personally watched several Uchiha shamelessly come to Genzo for extra healing pills despite already receiving their assigned share.
And every single time—
Genzo still handed them over anyway.
Meanwhile, Toyoma quietly listened to Pakura's concerns.
Then he calmly replied,
"Aunt Shizuka... if Uncle Raizen or Uncle Uzuku suddenly disappear from the clan, it will immediately raise suspicion."
His expression gradually became serious again.
"Their presence inside the clan is too important."
Then he looked toward Genzo.
"But Uncle Genzo's disappearance has already been quietly covered by Uncle Uzuku for a long time."
A faint smile appeared on Toyoma's face.
"And both of your names are already listed among the dead."
The room became quiet again.
Then Toyoma turned toward Raizen.
"Uncle Raizen's squad will help erase the traces of all one hundred and eighty Uchiha people involved."
His tone became much calmer now.
"We don't have enough people we can fully trust for something this important."
Then slowly—
Toyoma walked toward Genzo and Pakura.
The lantern light quietly reflected in his eyes.
And for the first time since the meeting ended—
His expression softened slightly.
"So..."
He gently grabbed both of their hands.
Pakura froze slightly in surprise.
Then Toyoma quietly placed Genzo's rough hand together with Pakura's.
"From today onward..."
His voice became softer.
"...I leave the future of the Takayuki Clan in your hands."
The underground room became completely silent.
"You will become Takayuki Genzo and Takayuki Shizuka."
His eyes quietly stayed on both of them.
"The first clan head family of the Takayuki Clan."
For a brief moment—
Even Genzo looked stunned.
Meanwhile, Pakura silently stared at their joined hands.
Then finally—
Toyoma smiled faintly.
"So now..."
He slowly stepped back.
"...all you two need to do is protect the clan."
The cold wind outside quietly brushed against the walls once again.
"And live peacefully..."
His gaze lowered slightly for a moment.
"...hidden from the shinobi world."
Pakura silently looked at her hand; Toyoma had placed it together with Genzo's.
For a brief moment—
She said nothing.
The underground chamber remained quiet except for the faint sound of cold wind moving outside the hidden cave.
Then finally—
Pakura slowly took a deep breath.
"...I will do my best."
Her voice was softer than before.
"And I'll help Genzo manage the clan."
The moment those words came out—
Toyoma, Raizen, and Suki all smiled almost at the same time.
The heavy atmosphere inside the room finally loosened slightly.
Then suddenly—
Toyoma looked toward both of them before grinning faintly.
"It really is a pity..."
His tone carried a rare trace of teasing now.
"...that we won't be able to attend your wedding."
For a second—
The underground chamber became completely silent.
Then both Genzo and Pakura slowly turned toward each other at the same time.
And instantly—
Both of their faces turned red.
Pakura immediately pulled her hand back slightly while Genzo awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"Hahahaha!"
The others immediately burst into laughter after seeing their reactions.
Even Raizen, who usually kept a serious face, laughed openly.
Suki almost leaned against the wall while laughing.
"You bastards..."
Genzo muttered with an embarrassed expression.
His ears had already become red.
Meanwhile, Pakura simply avoided everyone's gaze completely.
The earlier tension inside the cave finally disappeared for a brief moment.
But suddenly—
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the cave entrance.
Everyone's expressions immediately became alert again.
Several pairs of eyes turned toward the dark entrance of the underground hideout.
Then soon—
A familiar figure stepped inside.
The moment they recognised the person—
The atmosphere relaxed once again.
"Uncle Uzuku."
Toyoma immediately looked toward him.
"How is it going?"
Uzuku quietly walked inside before slowly sitting down near them.
His expression looked slightly tired.
"As expected..."
He let out a small sigh.
"After Fugaku arrived and heard everything from Shishu..."
Uzuku rubbed his forehead slightly.
"...he became a little angry."
Toyoma quietly listened without interrupting.
Uzuku then looked toward him directly.
"He said I should have managed the situation better before things spiralled out of control."
Uzuku leaned back slightly before continuing,
"And one more thing..."
His expression became even more complicated.
"He brought his son here as well."
The room fell silent for a second.
Uzuku let out a tired sigh.
"Sometimes..."
He rubbed his forehead again.
"...I genuinely don't understand what is going on inside Fugaku's mind."
His voice carried clear frustration now.
"He keeps doing things nobody expects."
The underground cave became quiet again after hearing that.
Then suddenly—
Raizen frowned slightly.
"His son...?"
He looked toward Uzuku with confusion.
"Itachi?"
Honestly—
For a moment, Raizen thought he had heard wrong.
Uzuku quietly nodded.
The moment he confirmed it—
Raizen immediately pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.
"...With a Clan Head like this, the clan truly has no future."
His tired voice echoed through the underground chamber.
Nearby, Suki silently shook her head.
Even Genzo looked speechless.
Meanwhile, Toyoma simply let out a small breath before leaning back against the wall.
At this point—
None of them even knew what to say anymore.
Then Toyoma slowly looked toward Genzo again.
The faint smile on his face gradually disappeared.
For the first time since the discussion began—
His expression became truly serious.
"Uncle Genzo..."
His calm voice echoed softly inside the underground chamber.
"You'll have to carry a very heavy burden from now on."
The cold wind quietly passed through the cave entrance.
Toyoma's eyes slowly lowered for a moment before he continued,
"...because the future of all Uchiha now rests on your shoulders."
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Right now, P@treon chapters are available up to (Chapter 127: There Is No Turning Back).
P@treon - Hear_tteeth [18 +]
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