The two Uchiha instinctively wanted to argue, but seeing the earnest sincerity in Minato's eyes, a strange sense of trust inexplicably surfaced within them.
They exchanged a brief glance, silently confirming their shared thought, then nodded. "Alright. We'll trust you on this."
Seeing their agreement, Minato's expression softened with relief.
His greatest fear had been the Uchiha refusing to back down and insisting on continuing the conflict.
If that had happened, he would have had no choice but to incapacitate his fellow villagers first.
Because while he was confident he could hold his own against Ryuji, he knew he couldn't prevent Ryuji from attacking the other two.
The situation in the Roran had proven that.
"I will not betray your trust." After giving the Uchiha pair his assurance, Minato turned to face Ryuji. "Ryuji-kun."
"Hmm?"
Ryuji stood with his arms crossed, observing Minato with clear curiosity. He was interested to see how Minato would handle this.
"From our earlier interaction, you didn't strike me as someone who goes out of his way to be confrontational. Why are you deliberately provoking the Uchiha Clan like this?"
Faced with Minato's question, Ryuji couldn't help but laugh. "Are you saying that when someone comes looking for a fight, I'm supposed to greet them politely and turn the other cheek?"
"Well..."
Minato was momentarily at a loss for words.
While he didn't fully grasp the idiom 'lick his boots', he could infer the general meaning from the context.
But he had no counter-argument.
In his mind, it was just a misunderstanding. It wasn't a serious issue.
But not everyone had the same temperament as he did...
'Cough.' Thinking of himself as particularly easy-going made Minato feel a bit self-conscious.
But it was true; compared to many, he didn't hold onto minor conflicts. Calling himself easy-going wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Ryuji, however, was not him.
Although their brief conversation had given the impression that Ryuji wasn't a petty person, the reality was they had only fought once and talked for a short while. He couldn't possibly claim to understand Ryuji's true character.
After a moment's consideration, Minato decided on his approach.
He looked at Ryuji and continued, "Ryuji-kun, the Uchiha Clan serves as Konoha's Military Police. Their actions, however abrasive, stem from their duty. And you haven't suffered any tangible harm. Can we let this matter rest?"
Instead of answering, Ryuji glanced over at the Bad Company soldier still pinned and twitching on the ramen stand's sign. He extended the index finger of his right hand toward it.
Instantly, Chakra Threads shot out, ensnared the kunai, and yanked it free. The small soldier dropped to the wet ground, mechanically repeating its command to attack Obito.
Remarkably, the hole in its abdomen had already sealed itself completely in that brief moment, causing Kakashi and the others to stare in renewed astonishment.
"It's true I haven't suffered a loss," Ryuji said, recalling the tiny soldier with a flick of his chakra threads. "And I don't particularly care about their initial rudeness. However, on my very first day here, Orochimaru confronted me. Today, there's another inexplicable confrontation... What about tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that?"
"I can promise you that from now on—"
Ryuji raised a hand, cutting Minato off. "Your intentions may be genuine. But you are not part of Konoha's leadership. Your promise means very little... Furthermore, for all I know, this could very well be Konoha's leadership trying to intimidate the Sunagakure's delegation from the start."
"I—"
"You don't need to explain." Ryuji interrupted again. "I can understand the reasoning behind such intimidation tactics. If I were in charge, I might do the same."
"But understanding is one thing."
"Being on the receiving end is quite another. It's unpleasant. Especially when it happens repeatedly."
Hearing this, Minato fell silent.
He was intelligent enough to piece together the likely truth.
Orochimaru's earlier confrontation was almost certainly a show of force ordered by the Third Hokage. Today's incident was probably a genuine accident.
But that distinction no longer mattered.
The other party was now convinced that the Sunagakure's delegation would face continued harassment during their stay.
The priority now was to placate him.
He needed to hear Ryuji's terms.
After a brief pause, Minato asked, "...What would it take, Ryuji-kun, for you to consider this matter closed?"
"Hmm, I'd need to think about that."
With Ryuji's intellect, how could he not see that today's event was likely an accident?
However,
The Uchiha Clan was notorious for valuing pride above all else and for holding deep, lasting grudges.
Having publicly humiliated them today and demonstrated a method to seemingly counter their Sharingan, they would undoubtedly seek revenge. An order from the Hokage might not stop them.
As the saying goes, it's often more troublesome to deal with stubborn subordinates than with the leader himself.
The Uchiha had always operated with a degree of autonomy from Konoha's central authority. Paying lip service while acting independently was nothing new for them. Ignoring one more order wouldn't be a concern.
Given the current political climate, they might avoid overtly violent actions, but underhanded schemes and obstructions would be inevitable.
While Ryuji himself wasn't worried, the other members of the Sunagakure's delegation would certainly be affected.
Since a feud had been ignited, the logical move was to crush the opposition completely.
But Ryuji couldn't achieve that right now. The next best option was to make them too afraid to act.
Therefore, this incident could not be simply brushed aside.
But even instilling that fear was difficult under the current circumstances.
No matter the internal tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership, they were still part of the same village. They wouldn't stand by and let an outsider openly attack their own.
Only one viable solution remained.
"A series of friendly duels between Konoha and Sunagakure," Ryuji stated after a moment of contemplation. "Each village selects three representatives for three one-on-one matches. Any issues, whether it's about intimidation or seeking payback, can be settled there."
"Resolving conflict through formal duels..." Minato mused briefly. "It's an old-fashioned method, but it fits the current situation. In that case..."
"Wait."
Everyone turned. Setsuna had regained consciousness and was now standing, supported by his clansmen.
"Setsuna-san, are you alright?"
Though concerned about Setsuna's intentions, Minato's first priority was his well-being as a fellow Konoha's Shinobi.
The rift between the Uchiha and the village leadership was one thing, but they were still comrades.
"I'm fine," Setsuna said with a curt nod. Then, his voice hardening, he continued, "If an insult to the Uchiha name can be washed away with a simple sparring match, then anyone will feel free to spit on our honor in the future."
"Oh? What do you suggest instead?" Ryuji asked, his smile not faltering as he waited for the answer.
"The duels will be to the death. I demand three lives from Sunagakure as recompense."
"You're that certain of victory?"
"If we cannot reclaim our clan's honor, we have no right to keep breathing."
"Admirable resolve." Ryuji lightly clapped his hands together, his smile widening. "I was thinking the very same thing. If we cannot defend our village's honor, what right do we have to keep breathing?"
"Then it's settled!" Setsuna shot Ryuji one final, venomous glare before turning his attention to Minato. "Namikaze, relay this to the Third Hokage. The participants representing Konoha will be chosen from the Uchiha Clan."
With that, leaning heavily on his companions, Setsuna turned and limped away, leaving Minato behind with a deeply troubled and weary expression.
'This has gotten completely out of hand...'