Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage in his chest. Gritting his teeth, he said,
"Fine. I agree to everything you said. Is that enough now?"
"Of course," Wen Lan replied, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as a glint of meaning flashed through his eyes.
"You four clans have been sucking Konoha dry for so many years—it's time to spit it back out, isn't it?
Let your four clans hand over ninety percent of your resources to the village treasury. No objections, I hope?"
Utane Koharu's pupils shrank. Her fingers dug unconsciously into her palm.
"Impossible! Wen Lan, we've already made concessions. Don't push your luck!"
"And what if I insist on pushing it?" Wen Lan's gaze turned icy as he looked at her.
"I'm negotiating with you right now.
If you refuse, tonight the Utane clan compound will mysteriously catch fire. Once you're dead, those resources will still belong to Konoha.
Or do you think that after draining Konoha for decades, you don't need to give anything back?"
"We'll pay!" Sarutobi Hiruzen ground out through clenched teeth. He knew that if he rejected Wen Lan's demand, the situation would spiral completely out of control.
He and his old companions would die right here.
At this moment, he was absolutely no match for Wen Lan. If things turned ugly now, his death would be inevitable.
Hiruzen clenched his fists.
"Now then—what else are you dissatisfied with?"
"This is supposed to satisfy me?" Wen Lan bent his left arm, rested the Kusanagi Sword in the crook of it, then slowly drew the blade across his sleeve to wipe away the blood.
"When villains rule the world and there is no longer any common good—that's what truly dissatisfies me.
And you… are those villains."
"Hmph!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted angrily and flicked his sleeve as he turned to leave.
Utane Koharu and Mito Homura could only grit their teeth and follow after him.
Hiruzen never questioned Minato. He knew perfectly well that everything Wen Lan did was what Minato himself wanted to do.
Wen Lan watched the three figures leave, his gaze cold as frost.
What followed was a normal meeting.
Minato spoke about Konoha's future plans and requested personnel from the various clans to join the ANBU.
He needed to build his own core power base.
None of the clans objected. Joining the ANBU was an honor for any family—it was also an implicit sign of the Hokage's trust and support.
Inside the Sarutobi clan compound.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utane Koharu, and Mito Homura sat around a table in the courtyard.
Utane Koharu clenched her fists, teeth grinding.
"I can't swallow this humiliation! That little bastard dared to speak like that in public!"
Mito Homura gazed coldly at the fallen leaves drifting across the courtyard and said slowly,
"He has Namikaze Minato backing him. Konoha is entirely under their control now."
"But if we let him act so arrogantly, where does that leave the dignity of the four great clans?" Utane Koharu snapped, her voice trembling with rage.
Mito Homura sighed.
"The ninja world has always respected strength. Wen Lan now holds moral authority and possesses Kage-level combat power. If we don't endure this, destruction is the only outcome."
"But if we keep enduring, we'll die all the same!" Utane Koharu said coldly.
"He's killing us with a dull knife—cutting us piece by piece!
He doesn't want to crush us outright. He wants to torture us to death!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew perfectly well that his own ending would not be a good one.
With just four clans, there was no way to stir up real trouble against Wen Lan.
If only he had broken Wen Lan early on—he wouldn't have ended up raising a tiger that now threatened him.
Unfortunately, he hadn't listened to Danzō back then. Instead, he tried to cultivate Wen Lan like Shisui, to use him for himself.
Suddenly, Hiruzen's hand holding the pipe froze.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Because he thought of Kotoamatsukami.
A genjutsu capable of rewriting a person's will!
If he could obtain Kotoamatsukami…
couldn't he control Wen Lan and turn him into a dog at his side?
And what's more, there was still the Rinnegan hidden within the Uchiha clan!
As long as he held Wen Lan and the Rinnegan in his grasp, Konoha would still be his Konoha!
His breathing grew uneven, the embers in his pipe flickering.
Utane Koharu looked at the silent Hiruzen, urgency creeping into her voice.
"Have you thought of something?"
"Yes," Hiruzen said slowly, nodding. "I have."
Then he barked,
"Someone!"
A Sarutobi clan ninja appeared instantly in the courtyard, kneeling on one knee.
"Go check whether the Uchiha have withdrawn.
If they have, infiltrate the Uchiha compound and have Shisui come meet me on the west side of the village before nightfall.
It concerns the village. Wen Lan must not find out."
"Yes!"
The ninja accepted the order and departed.
"You're still trying to use those wicked Uchiha at a time like this?!"
Utane Koharu's pupils shrank as she stared at Hiruzen in disbelief.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
"Shisui's Sharingan has already evolved into the Mangekyō, and he possesses the strongest genjutsu of all—Kotoamatsukami.
As long as we bring him over to our side, Wen Lan can be no more than a fish on the chopping block.
Shisui has always cared deeply for the village. As long as it's 'for Konoha,' he will definitely come.
And once he's in our hands—if he doesn't obey, we'll take his Sharingan."
The Uchiha naturally did not keep the four clan compounds surrounded forever.
After the four clans handed over their resources, the Uchiha withdrew.
Wen Lan also announced the final deadline for the four clans to head to the front lines: five days.
They had to depart within five days, no exceptions.
The Sarutobi clan ninja made his way unimpeded to the Uchiha district.
Most of the Uchiha had been mobilized earlier to surround the four clans, leaving the defenses less tight than usual.
After some effort, he finally managed to infiltrate the area.
Avoiding patrols, he quietly approached Shisui's residence.
Hiding in the shadows, he carefully observed the house. Only after confirming no one else was present did he move closer, vaulting over the wall.
The moment he landed, a ninja blade pressed against his throat.
"Who are you?"
Shisui, having attended the meeting as a jōnin, had just returned home and hadn't yet rested.
Sensing a presence outside, he had already concealed himself beneath the wall.
"Shisui," the Sarutobi ninja said softly,
"I'm a confidant of the Third Hokage. He wants me to inform you to meet him on the west side of the village tonight.
It concerns the village and must not be known to Wen Lan."
Shisui's pupils contracted slightly. He frowned and thought for a moment before nodding.
"I understand. I'll be there on time tonight."
"Good."
The Sarutobi ninja nodded and swiftly vaulted out of the courtyard.
Shisui sat in the yard for a long time, struggling internally.
Finally, he clenched his teeth, stood up—
and headed toward Wen Lan's residence.
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