The battle in the East Coast forest did not last long. All six Kiri ninjas had been captured by the Divine Demon Squad.
The Byakugan had been removed from Ao's eye socket and placed in a nutrient jar.
Ao endured the severe pain and raised his head, blood continuously seeping from his eye socket.
"Uchiha... you won't succeed. Kirigakure will make you pay..."
A member of the Divine Demon Squad, using the Body Flicker Technique, rushed over and said urgently, "Captain, Fugaku-sama wants you in the meeting room immediately."
Shun gently shook the glass jar, watching the Byakugan rotate in the liquid, then put it into his pocket.
"Understood, I'll be right there. Keep a close watch on these captives."
Seeing that the other party ignored him, Ao changed his strategy.
He endured the pain of his gouged eye and said, "Could you please bandage my squad members' wounds? If they continue like this, they will die from excessive bleeding. Since you captured us alive, I believe you wouldn't want a corpse, right?"
Shun didn't turn around, he just waved his hand and said, "Give them a simple wound treatment, just don't let them die."
Yakumi patted his chest and smiled confidently. "Shun, I'll handle it. You can go without worry."
...
Inside the stronghold's high-level meeting room, two Uchiha guards immediately opened the door when they saw Shun.
The moment the door opened, a tide of intense arguments surged out.
Choza slammed the table, making it rattle.
"Clan head Fugaku! You Uchiha took 30 billion ryo in compensation from Iwagakure. Are you now trying to hog this juicy piece of meat from Kirigakure?"
Shikaku cleared his throat and stood up as well. He said with a serious expression, "Allow me to remind everyone. The Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans have fought bitterly with Minato on the Kumogakure battlefield for many years, suffering numerous casualties, and yet we haven't seen a single coin. However, Kirigakure looted over 30 billion ryo from Bear City and another 10 billion ryo from White Bird Castle, which is a solid 40 billion ryo."
"When did the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans become so brave that they would think of carving up Kirigakure?" Shun's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire meeting room.
"How about we, the Uchiha, Kurama, and other clans, stay behind to guard, and you all go attack Kirigakure instead?"
Shikaku's smile froze, and he awkwardly stroked his chin.
"Squad Leader Shun is joking. The current Uchiha is the number one clan in the Ninja World. You captured over 5,000 Iwagakure ninjas on the Iwagakure battlefield. We, the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clans, are quite impressed by such achievements."
Shun ignored Shikaku's flattery and walked directly to Fugaku's left side, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He deliberately tilted the chair back and propped his calf on the conference table, looking nonchalant.
"Does clan head Nara Shikaku have any important information to share?"
A flicker of alertness crossed Shikaku's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "What does Squad Leader Shun wish to know?"
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Kirigakure ventured deep into the Land of Fire and encountered Konoha's eternal Genin, Duy. Duy used the secret technique Eight Inner Gates, and four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist died while three escaped. Now, four of the Ninja Swords have been sent back to Konoha."
"Squad Leader Shun, is the information accurate?" Tsume suddenly spoke, and the ninja dog beside her whimpered, seemingly sensing its owner's anxiety.
Shun sighed slightly, "Eight Inner Gates is an A-rank Ninjutsu. Its training and usage conditions are harsh. After opening the Eight Inner Gates, one can unleash dozens of times their combat power, but the cost is that the user will burn all their blood and Chakra and die."
Tetsu scoffed, "No wonder the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi ,lans have been instigating us to attack Kirigakure, it seems they received intel."
Unkai slammed the table and said, "Damn it, why didn't the village inform us of such important intelligence?"
Upon hearing this, the looks on the faces of everyone in the meeting room towards the three clan heads of Ino–Shika–Chō changed.
Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Shikaku quickly offered a conciliatory smile and said, "We just received the news. Now that Kirigakure is weakened but has a lot of money and resources, we should discuss how to attack Kirigakure and distribute this enormous wealth."
Shun reached into his pocket and gently placed the glass jar containing the Byakugan on the table.
"Gentlemen, before we argue, I think everyone should take a look at this."
He held up the glass jar, and the white pupil in the eyeball looked particularly eerie.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly, the veins on both sides of his forehead bulged, and he subconsciously activated his Byakugan.
"This is... Ao's Byakugan?" Hiashi's voice was somewhat angry.
"That's right. Ao's six-man squad has been captured by us, and I also obtained an important piece of intelligence."
Shun deliberately paused for a moment, attracting the attention of those around him.
"This afternoon, Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails into Rin, Minato's student, and then dispatched 50 Kirigakure Anbu to escort her. Then, Rin and all 50 Kirigakure Anbu died. Ao was sent to gather related intelligence."
A collective gasp filled the tent. Shikaku stroked the stubble on his chin, a shrewd glint flashing in his eyes.
"The Three-Tails Jinchuriki is dead, more than half of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are lost, plus 50 Kirigakure Anbu are dead, and Ao has been captured. Kirigakure is probably at its weakest right now."
Unkai stood up and said excitedly, "Clan head Fugaku, given the current situation, it's definitely worth it for us to launch an attack on Kirigakure."
Inoichi frowned slightly and said, "If the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans also participate in the battle, the defense of Konoha's main headquarters will have a serious gap. What about the rear defense?"
The debate erupted again, mainly divided into two factions.
One led by Fugaku, and the other consisting of reinforcements who had retreated from the Kumogakure battlefield, centered around the Ino–Shika–Chō, Inuzuka, Aburame, and other clans.
Shun coldly watched these so-called "big figures" haggle like market vendors for some profit, and he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Watching everyone argue until their faces were red, Shisui, with a worried expression, said, "I am willing to stay behind and be responsible for the garrison mission."
Hearing Shisui's statement, Fugaku was somewhat displeased. This was an important time to fight for the clan's interests. But continuing to argue was pointless, so he cleared his throat to attract everyone's attention.
"Quiet! It's already late night. Everyone go back and get some good rest. We'll discuss this again tomorrow morning."