After leaving the meeting room, Gisei Shiraishi walked out with a face full of anger.
It was the first time he had been scolded right to his face like this.
If not for the consideration of their past friendship, he would have said even uglier things. Someone had just called him selfish, and he really wanted to retort back.
It was originally a matter of each taking what they needed, but now it had suddenly become his fault? If you have the capability, go seek refuge with the Hokage and see how the Third and Danzo deal with you.
Just as he was about to storm out of the Takemoto estate, Anna Takemoto and Aonobu Kawai stopped him.
"Losing your temper like this... it seems you were scolded quite badly!"
Aonobu winked at him playfully.
Gisei grumbled, "You heard everything outside the door too. I originally thought that since they are all clan heads, they would at least care about their dignity when speaking. Who knew they would all act like shrews in the market?"
Anna laughed. "Do you think being a clan head is easy? The whole clan rests on their shoulders. You're not close to them, so they've been holding back a bellyful of anger for a long time."
"Before, you had Uncle Eisawa helping you. Now it's Grandpa who keeps suppressing them. Otherwise, do you believe they would have been even more excessive?"
Gisei looked thoughtful, and after thinking carefully, he laughed despite himself.
Indeed, he had been a bit excessive these years.
He never visited, never interacted during holidays, and even when he had a favor to ask, he passed the message through Shuichi Takemoto. Over time, no matter how much friendship there was, it would be exhausted, leaving only impatient waiting and unseen hope.
If it were him, he would probably be clueless and muttering curses in his heart too.
But even so, Gisei didn't plan to go back. Since they had already fallen out, what friendship was there to speak of? It would only add to the joke.
A real man never admits defeat; even if he's wrong, he'll be wrong to the end.
Moreover, taking them along carried the risk of intelligence leaks if he wasn't careful, so why ask for trouble?
"Let's just leave it at this. I'll go to the Third and ask if there are any leisurely positions."
Gisei wanted to leave after speaking, but Anna held onto him and wouldn't let go.
"What's the rush? Come with me."
Anna pulled him into the backyard; Aonobu didn't follow.
When there was no one around, Anna said slowly, "Grandpa asked you to wait. The real good show starts only after those irrelevant people have left."
Irrelevant people?
Gisei asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
Anna rolled her eyes at him. "Why do you think Grandpa made such a big scene? Not only are there village spies among those clan heads, but there are also some among my own clan members."
Gisei's expression became colorful as he slowly realized what was happening.
Openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing at Chencang? (Feinting one way while striking another?)
Sure enough, one cannot underestimate the elderly; they have plenty of twists and turns in their bellies.
Speaking of which, the situation had a flavor of being out of control from the start, and in the end, it was guided to slide in a terrible direction. Shuichi might have done it on purpose, and the village spies probably had similar intentions. The two sides hit it off instantly, and the situation spiraled out of control.
So it was all acting for others to see. Until he stormed out, both sides achieved their goals and thought the play was over.
Next would be the happy dispersal.
Thinking carefully about this kind of intrigue was actually quite interesting.
Why did Shuichi Takemoto gather all the ninjas of the clan?
He probably knew that even if he acted low-key, he couldn't hide it from the village. After all, it was a secret meeting of more than a dozen ninja clan heads. If something went wrong, it would cause big trouble.
Since that was the case, he might as well make it open and aboveboard, letting the Third and Danzo see. After getting a satisfactory result, everyone would be happy. Only after all the spies had left would the real secret meeting begin.
However, there was one thing Gisei couldn't figure out. Although he proposed the gathering, entering the Administrative Division wasn't a major event. Was it necessary to hide it like this?
Shuichi making it so troublesome probably meant there was another inside story.
"Is your grandfather hiding something else from me?"
Anna shook her head. "I don't know. Grandpa didn't tell me. Anyway, it should be something very important."
Gisei sighed helplessly. "Don't make decisions casually. Did you tell him my plan to destroy the Will of Fire and make Konoha collapse on its own?"
Anna's face changed. She looked around and whispered alertly, "Don't talk nonsense about such things. Grandpa asked me, but I didn't tell him. He might have guessed something, but I can't be sure."
Hearing this, Gisei knew that Shuichi must have sensed something.
"That means only you know my plan now?"
Anna nodded and smiled bitterly. "Grandpa watched me grow up. It's unrealistic for me to hide it from him completely."
Gisei sighed again. Things were developing in a more troublesome direction.
Sure enough, after waiting for about two hours, Aonobu came over and took them away from the Takemoto estate.
Along the way, they deliberately used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves. After winding around for more than an hour, they met those clan heads again in the basement of a tavern.
However, this time only eight clan heads remained.
Kawai, Fukuyama, Takemoto, Ishikura, Komatsugawa, Asano, Nakamori, and Kamikawa.
After Gisei entered, he realized that six of the eight clan heads were old guys with heads full of white hair.
He smiled bitterly. "Everyone, what is this for? If entering the Administrative Division doesn't work, then forget it. Making it so mysterious... others might think we are planning a coup."
Shuichi glanced at him. "Stop complaining. Everyone here is absolutely trustworthy. We have some other things to do."
Gisei was silent for a moment, then obediently found a seat and sat down. He wanted to see what these people intended to do.
Shuichi clapped his hands, and soon several young people walked out from behind the six old guys.
"They are basically the heirs of each family. First, plant the Butterfly Seeds in them."
Gisei was originally calm and composed, but upon hearing this, he was so shocked he almost jumped up.
"Grandpa Shuichi, are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Gisei's confused gaze began to size up those people one by one. He couldn't understand what this meant.
Shuichi sighed. "Don't think too much. Anyway, just do as I say."
Gisei felt it was better to make things clear, otherwise he wouldn't feel assured.
"Grandpa Shuichi, do they know the consequences of raising the Butterfly Seed?"
Yunosuke Fukuyama grumbled, "Where did your violent temper from earlier go? We have long told them the pros and cons of the Butterfly Seed."
Clan Head Kamikawa added, "It devours lifespan to accelerate cultivation speed, and we will be subject to your constraints. We know all of this."
Gisei looked thoughtful. He looked at Shuichi and asked, "I don't have the ability to control the Butterfly Seed. What is going on?"
Shuichi looked grim. "Haven't you communicated with the Butterfly Seed inside your body?"
Shiro can control the Butterfly Seed?
Gisei had a strange look on his face. Without saying another word, he entered his consciousness space to find Shiro.