Ryun glanced at that person and snorted coldly, then raised his right hand, holding up three fingers.
"Three hundred people? That can't be right, Vice-Hokage. Your Uchiha clan still has seven to eight hundred combat ready shinobi, right?" That person continued to mock.
Many clan leaders who were standing nearby had already started moving away, leaving an empty space around him. This guy was simply too crazy. Better not get implicated later!
Ryun shook his head. Everyone frowned. Thirty people? Wasn't that a bit too few? Actually, it wasn't that few. Initially, each family only contributed about twenty to thirty people. If not for that all in bet by the Uchiha clan, this number would already be considered quite substantial.
Just as everyone was silently criticizing in their hearts, Ryun spoke up. "Three people!"
The entire audience was stunned into silence. That clan leader, instead of being shocked, was delighted.
"Hahaha, fellow Konoha villagers, our Vice-Hokage, Lord Ryun, actually wants the Uchiha to contribute only three shinobi. Does this mean he expects our other clans to fight the enemy with all our might? What kind of reasoning is this!"
By the end, the clan leader was shouting angrily, pointing his finger accusingly at Ryun.
The expressions of the clan leaders present were very unpleasant. Three people? How dare you say that. Even if you were the Hokage himself, even if you had such intentions, you shouldn't say it out loud! Even if you tried to pass off inferior quality, everyone wouldn't look this displeased.
"Hehe, Clan Leader Jingcun, please let me finish. My Uchiha clan will indeed send only three people. But would you like to hear the names of these three people?" Ryun said with a playful smile.
"Hehe, I know one of them is you, Vice-Hokage. But you can only hold off one army at most. What about the other one? Don't we still need our clans to throw our lives at it?"
Sekijō Hyūga frowned. Had the Jingcun clan gone mad? One person holding off an entire army wasn't enough? Were all the other clans in Konoha useless? Could the other clans not handle the other front?
The leaders of the major clans had headaches. What a mess this was. However, they still stood on Ryun's side.
Ryun said calmly, "For the Land of Water battlefield, Ryun. For the Land of Lightning battlefield, Izuna Uchiha. For the Land of Earth border, Madara Uchiha. Do you have any objections to this arrangement?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha walked out from behind. Their appearance made the hearts of the present clans tremble with fear!
Some clan leaders were very old and had seen Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha in their youth or middle age. Now, with the two appearing on the stage, the visual impact on everyone was simply overwhelming!
"It's... it's Madara Uchiha! The Shinobi Realm Asura, Madara Uchiha!"
"That's right, this aura, it's him! It's him!"
"Izuna Uchiha, the one who rivaled the Second Hokage in strategy and military wisdom!!"
Some white haired elders trembled all over. More than respect, they felt fear. In their hearts, Madara Uchiha was much more terrifying than Hashirama Senju back in the day.
If you offended Hashirama Senju, you might be released without punishment. But if you offended Madara Uchiha, you better be careful in your next life!
"Dark arts! Ryun, what kind of dark arts have you used! You actually created two fakes to deceive everyone!" Clan Leader Jingcun had reached the point of no return.
Right now, he could not admit his mistake. He had to go all the way. It would be best if he could oust Vice-Hokage Ryun. Otherwise, his Jingcun clan would be finished later!
Madara Uchiha looked impatient. He reached out his right hand into the air. Blue Susanoo armor condensed in the air, accurately striking Clan Leader Jingcun.
Everyone present changed their expressions. Originally, they thought it was fake. But now the Susanoo was used, and they clearly saw that Ryun did not move, instead crossing his arms. This proved that Madara Uchiha was real!
Fortunately, the other clan leaders around Jingcun had moved away quickly earlier. Otherwise, with this strike, who knows how many would have been injured in the crossfire!
"Mere insects, how dare you boast so shamelessly!" Madara Uchiha's contemptuous and arrogant words further stimulated everyone's hearts.
Luming Nara wanted to speak but stopped himself. He understood this was Madara Uchiha establishing authority. But if someone was really killed in the conference room, the nature of this would change.
Ryun certainly understood this too. He signaled Lord Madara to restrain himself. "Granduncle, please show some restraint. These are our Konoha villagers."
Madara Uchiha snorted coldly and released his grip. "I'll give you, the Vice-Hokage, face this time. Otherwise, just his doubt towards me would be enough reason for me to exterminate his entire family!"
Thump, thump, thump!
Everyone's hearts raced wildly. They were wrong. They thought because Ryun was reasonable, it meant the Uchiha clan was easy to bully.
This scene also brought them tremendous shock. As for Clan Leader Jingcun, he was distraught. The dual torture of spirit and body made him tremble uncontrollably. He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with seventy percent fear and thirty percent resentment.
Ryun saw all of this clearly. But the proud Uchiha never bothered with insects!
He smiled. "Perhaps you think Madara Uchiha went too far, resorting to violence in the conference room."
"But what I want to say is, you all listened in this conference room to a troublesome clan leader spouting nonsense and insulting me, the Vice-Hokage, without saying a word."
"Could it be that you think I should just contribute, that Uchiha clan shinobi should die arbitrarily? Protecting the village is everyone's responsibility, yes. But can I interpret Clan Leader Jingcun's words earlier to mean that people of the Uchiha clan should die on the battlefield, that only when we are completely wiped out would we be worthy of everyone!"
Ryun decided to make things clear to everyone.
Now those major clans could no longer remain seated. They quickly expressed their stance. The Hyūga clan spoke first.
"Clan Leader Ryun, Clan Leader Jingcun is too immature. I suggest revoking all their village benefits!"
"That's right. Contributing to Konoha is everyone's responsibility. However, if we exhaust one major clan to satisfy the selfish desires of other clans, this is not only a betrayal of Konoha, but also a challenge to the ideals upon which the First Hokage founded this village!" The speaker was Luming Nara!
He had wanted to speak up for Ryun earlier, but the timing wasn't right. Now was the best opportunity to express stance and support!
Immediately afterwards, the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Aburame, and other clans responded in succession. They had wanted to say this all along. Why should the major clans bear the brunt of the war?
It was just that previously there hadn't been a strong enough Kage to tear off this fig leaf, making those minor clans who lived comfortably in peacetime think they were the masters of Konoha!
More than half of the minor clans also awakened, believing Ryun was right, and voiced their support. The other smaller portion inwardly complained that Jingcun was useless, causing their privileges to vanish completely in an instant.
As for blaming Ryun? Forget it. They were just a group of insignificant ordinary people who would kick someone when they were down.
The corner of Ryun's mouth lifted into a smile. "Everyone, rest assured. In this war, although my Uchiha clan sends only three people, each one possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan. The power of Susanoo should be familiar to everyone, right?"
" When the time comes, the shinobi of each clan can hide behind us. We will do our utmost to protect everyone's safety!" Ryun gave a slap followed by a sweet date. The art of controlling people was nothing more than this.
"Thank you, Hokage sir!" Now everyone was all smiles. With these words, they were reassured! They looked at Clan Leader Jingcun again, their eyes filled with indifference.
Such a short sighted minor clan might as well be destroyed!
From this day on, the Jingcun clan would have no more privileges in the village, reduced to an ordinary civilian clan.
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