"Lord Hokage, Kakashi has already informed me about the meeting's content. The Hyuga clan agrees to join; when do we depart?"
Hyuga Hiashi entered, looking at the Third Hokage with anger. Since they were targeting the Cloud ninjas, they naturally had to contribute.
Some of those Cloud ninjas had to be left behind for his brother to take revenge on.
This way, his guilt towards his brother would lessen. Currently, he couldn't even face his nephew Neji.
"Hiashi, I know you're angry about the actions of the Cloud ninjas, but for the peace of Konoha, sacrifices must be made!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said, reflecting on the difficulties of being Hokage.
He continued, "You don't need to rush to attack. They should still be on high alert. It would be best to strike once they enter the Land of Lightning and let their Police Force down."
Entering the Land of Lightning meant they would be in the Cloud's home territory.
This attack was bound to be a massive and dangerous battle.
Hyuga Hiashi nodded, suppressing his hatred for the Cloud. "Understood. I will follow your orders!"
"Lord Hokage, give the command. The Uchiha clan will complete this mission!" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with determination.
Since the Nine-Tails incident, the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha had reached a freezing point. Now that Uchiha clan members could take on missions again, the Uchiha clan would rise to prominence once more.
Seeing the urgency in both men, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Then I will start assigning tasks!"
He then produced a map showing the territories of the Five Great Nations.
Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed at the map. "To travel from our Land of Fire to the Land of Lightning, we must pass through two small countries: the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost!"
As Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice faded, everyone focused on the map.
Once he had everyone's attention, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "Fugaku, Hiashi, you two will send seven elite Jonin from your clans to bypass these two small countries and launch the attack at the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Frost. Remember to leave two or three alive; the contract between Konoha and the Cloud must be delivered to the Raikage!"
Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi nodded seriously, considering who to send to intercept the Cloud ninjas.
This collaboration between the village and the Uchiha after years of tension had to be executed flawlessly!
Uchiha Shisui, with his exceptional talent and strength, was a candidate. As for the others, perhaps only the former captain of the Uchiha Police Force could take on this task. It seemed he would need to speak with Uchiha Kinya tomorrow.
"Alright, since the plan is set, gather your clan members tomorrow morning. We'll meet at noon and depart!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said, satisfied with Fugaku and Hiashi's responses.
Both Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi nodded solemnly.
With determination in their eyes.
Outside Konoha Village
Dodai and the ninjas from the Cloud Village were steadily making their way to the Land of Lightning. It was dark, but since they were still in the Land of Fire, they didn't feel the need to be cautious. They set up camp outside and lit a bonfire.
They knew that within the Land of Fire, their group was unlikely to face any incidents.
"Dodai-sama!" While Dodai was roasting fish, two ninjas from the Cloud Village jumped in from a distance and half-knelt on the ground.
Dodai flipped the fish, the firelight casting shadows on his face. Without turning around, he asked, "Has the person from the Hyuga clan who committed suicide been buried?"
"Dodai-sama, as you expected, the corpse we saw was not Hyuga Hiashi, but his younger brother from the branch family, Hyuga Hizashi!"
The newcomers quickly recounted what had happened in Konoha. Their eyes flashed with anger when they mentioned that it was a branch family member who committed suicide, not the main family member.
Konoha had deceived them.
"Just as I thought, hehe," Dodai smiled slightly, clearly having anticipated this outcome. Knowing his guess was correct, he handed the two investigating ninjas the roasted fish, indicating they could take a break.
At that moment, an elite Jonin beside Dodai noticed that he showed no signs of anger and said, "Dodai-sama, since you know that Hyuga Hiashi is fake, why should we agree to peace talks with Konoha? They've deceived us!"
"Ahaha... We couldn't even successfully loot the bloodline limit, so a little slap in the face is nothing. The Hyuga clan is a major clan in Konoha. If we push them too hard, Sarutobi Hiruzen, that old fox, might retaliate!"
Over the past few days of negotiations, Dodai had come to understand the personality of the third Hokage; he couldn't be cornered.
After all, they were all old foxes, and it was hard to predict each other's thoughts!
Dodai wasn't someone to be underestimated; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent by the Raikage to negotiate.
After all, every village was formed by gathering major ninja clans, and the Hyuga clan was a pillar of Konoha. If they truly pushed the Hyuga clan too hard, it would escalate.
To maintain his image among the major clans, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to confront the Land of Lightning directly.
At that point, both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire would suffer. If the peace talks succeeded, it would become a significant achievement for the third Hokage during his administration, yet it would also embarrass the Land of Lightning, leaving only the branch family hurt.
As the conversation went on, the expression of the Dodai grew serious, with uncertainty in his eyes.
"Dodai-sama, is something wrong?" The Cloud ninja felt a sudden alertness at the Dodai's words, glancing around warily, unsure of what the Dodai had noticed.
Dodai took a deep breath and said, "Sarutobi Hiruzen was embarrassed during the negotiations; he will definitely try to regain his face and re-establish his authority in front of his subordinates!"
The Cloud ninjas present blinked in confusion, not understanding what the Dodai meant by that. Establishing authority in front of his subordinates didn't concern them, yet the Dodai seemed overly cautious.
"Establish authority? We already embarrassed him; how can he do that?" Someone finally asked in confusion, wondering how he could regain authority.
"Hehe... Of course, he'll use us to regain his authority!" A cold glint flashed in the Dodai's eyes.
"We slapped Konoha in the face, and to take revenge, they might come after us. They could use our corpses to provide an explanation to the Hyuga clan and other clans, proving that Sarutobi Hiruzen is not weak but is fighting for Konoha!"
All the Cloud ninjas inhaled sharply, scanning their surroundings warily, checking if they were surrounded!
"Don't worry; with Sarutobi Hiruzen's cunning nature, he won't act within the Land of Fire!" Dodai then took a bite of grilled fish and looked at his assistant beside him.
"Agon, after you finish eating, return to the Cloud Village and tell Raikage-sama to send elite ninjas to ambush at the border of the Land of Lightning, waiting for our team to arrive!"
After the Dodai finished speaking, a tall, lean ninja in Cloud attire nodded. He was a speed-type ninja and could quickly deliver the message to set things in motion.
The night was deep and silent...
The next day, in Konoha...
Uchiha Fugaku was in high spirits today. Seeing that it was almost time, he headed towards the Uchiha Merchant Association.
Today, he planned to borrow some people from Uchiha Kinya.
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