Evil Uchiha Itsuki

Is there anyone who truly desires war?

Itsuki didn't know if such people existed, but he knew that even a madman like Uchiha Madara disliked war.

War had taken away his brother.

Madara's ultimate plan was to create a world without war.

But!

War is an unavoidable topic.

No one can escape it!

Just as Itsuki had said, the ninja world is only so big. If you take more, I'll have less.

Some people may not care for themselves, but what about your children?

What about your loved ones?

Falling behind means getting beaten.

Even if you don't fight for yourself, don't you want to fight for your children?

Moreover, hatred spreads. Many have inherited the grudges of their ancestors, and given the chance, they will immediately raise their blades.

And then...

There will always be one reason or another.

War is a curse!

No one can avoid the curse.

Everyone will be dragged into it.

Itsuki sighed softly, holding Kurenai tightly in his arms.

Even though he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, making him one of the strongest in the ninja world, he still felt powerless to stop it.

Senju Hashirama was likely stronger than him back in the day.

Did he manage to stop it?

Did he succeed?

Even when he and Madara joined forces, they only brought the ninja world a brief respite.

Although Hashirama wished to avoid another war and unite the ninja world, Itsuki now wondered if that was even possible.

If Hashirama truly had such thoughts, it might have led to even more problems.

And after their deaths, even more intense wars erupted!

Moreover...

Currently, Itsuki was the strongest in the ninja world—among the living!

But what about the deceased Madara?

He could be revived at any time.

What about the Six Paths in the Pure Land?

What about the ancestor of the Byakugan on the moon?

What about Indra and Asura, hidden inside Naruto and Sasuke?

And then there's Kaguya!

These beings seemed dead, disappeared, yet could resurface at any moment.

Damn it.

*Sigh!*

Itsuki silently sighed.

The only thing he could do was continue to strengthen himself.

With the system, even if it took time, he would eventually become the strongest!

The Six Paths are temporary; I am eternal!

Right now, all I seek is stability!

"Itsuki!"

Kurenai's gentle voice sounded.

"Hmm?"

Itsuki lifted his head.

Kurenai quietly gazed at him. "What's wrong? You seem a bit down."

"Of course!"

Itsuki sighed and said, "War is about to begin. Who knows how many people will be swept into it? The population of the ninja world is already small, and now, who knows how many more will be lost?"

Kurenai softly replied, "During the last few great ninja wars, almost all the major villages were involved. Konoha..."

"Hmph!"

Itsuki snorted lightly, saying, "Konoha is still in a phase of development. We don't need war right now."

"But..."

Is it their decision to make?

If someone wants to fight you, you can't simply say, "We need to recover, so please leave us alone. We're not fighting."

"I'll inform Pakura."

Itsuki closed his eyes and calmly said, "Let Pakura's Sunagakure mobilize. As for us, have Fugaku lead a group of Uchiha to the battlefield, just to show some presence."

Black lines appeared on Kurenai's forehead.

You make it sound so easy!

Like drinking a glass of water.

Aren't you afraid it might be too hot?

...

War was on the brink.

Iwagakure and Kumogakure had begun large-scale military adjustments.

Konoha, having suffered multiple blows, was seen as a target.

Sunagakure was also actively preparing.

At this moment, Konoha was united, and the entire village was running at full speed.

In a short time, they had gathered 12,000 ninja, ready to strike at any moment.

Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and even Danzo Shimura were all prepared to fight.

As soon as war broke out, they would immediately join the battlefield without hesitation.

Amid this tense atmosphere, emissaries from three ninja villages arrived in Konoha.

In the grand meeting hall.

Kakashi met with the emissaries from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure.

In truth...

Whether they met or not didn't make much difference.

The other side would certainly make exorbitant demands, trying to take a chunk out of Konoha.

This time, Konoha had already prepared for an all-out war and would naturally not agree to the other side's terms.

Who would have thought...

"These are your demands?"

The emissaries' conditions passed from hand to hand among Konoha's leaders.

The last to read them was Jiraiya.

After reading, he was filled with disbelief.

It wasn't that the demands were too high, but that they were too low.

For example, Kumogakure only had one request: a member of the Hyūga Clan's main branch!

In the past, Konoha would have immediately refused.

The Byakugan was one of Konoha's most important strategic tools, especially in reconnaissance. Apart from the Yamanaka Clan, no one surpassed them in this area.

If the enemy gained such abilities, it would be a huge blow to Konoha.

They would lose their unique advantage on the battlefield.

However!

Since the founding of the Village of Fire, Konoha knew that the Byakugan was no longer exclusive to them.

The Village of Fire had it too!

They had dozens of Byakugan users.

In a few decades, these Hyūga would surely produce even more clan members.

Given this situation, was it necessary for Konoha to cling so tightly to the Byakugan?

If giving the other side a member of the Hyūga Clan would make them retreat, it seemed like a deal worth considering.

After all, if they refused, there was no guarantee that the Village of Fire wouldn't offer the same thing.

But could the other side really be trusted to retreat after getting what they wanted?

Kumogakure's credibility was highly questionable.

As for Iwagakure's demands, they were just some wealth and weapons. The amounts were large, but Konoha could still manage to provide them with some difficulty.

The contrast!

At this moment, the leaders of Konoha were filled with conflicting emotions.

They had braced themselves for a deadly battle, only to find the other side didn't seem intent on attacking.

After a brief silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "If we agree to your terms, how can you guarantee that you will retreat?"

The two emissaries remained calm, clearly confident that Konoha would accept their conditions.

One of them said, "Once we receive what we want, we can immediately announce that Iwagakure and Konoha are allies."

"We in Kumogakure will do the same!"

Looking at the two, Konoha's leaders felt a sinking sensation.

The other side's attitude made it clear... they had planned this together.

This undoubtedly caused the scales in Konoha's hearts to tip once more.

With two villages joining forces, could Konoha really win this war?

No.

They couldn't win!

Kakashi suddenly shifted his gaze toward the Sunagakure emissary, who had remained silent, and asked, "What does Sunagakure want?"

Upon hearing this, both the Iwagakure and Kumogakure emissaries also turned to look.

The Sunagakure emissary grinned and said, "Recently, Sunagakure has been working on river construction, but we're short on funds. We hope Konoha can help us out with some money."

"That's it?"

Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"That's it!" 

The emissary shrugged.

He couldn't understand either. With such a great opportunity, why did the Kazekage abandon it and ask for such a simple thing?

Still!

He was Pakura's loyal subordinate, and since it was Pakura's order, he would carry it out without fail.

Looking at the three emissaries, Konoha's leaders exchanged glances.

Kakashi said, "We need some time to discuss."

"Of course!"

The Iwagakure emissary said, "But only for a day. To be honest, our terms aren't difficult to meet."

Kakashi coldly replied, "Those are the terms you're giving us."

And with that, the conversation ended.

Kakashi turned around and walked into a room on the side.

The other Konoha members followed one after another.

The Iwagakure envoy kept his eyes on Kakashi, and only after the door closed did he turn to the Kumogakure envoy and say, "Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Copy ninja, is indeed impressive. It's a shame that now he's nothing but a puppet."

"Eventually, he'll become a real Hokage!"

The Kumogakure ninja replied indifferently, "After all, he's still young. Right now, no one in Konoha's leadership is under fifty. He can afford to wait."

"Indeed!"

The Iwagakure envoy smirked and murmured, "He can wait, but Konoha can't."

…

"I don't agree, and I hope none of you do either!"

Kakashi and the others had entered the adjacent room.

It was none other than the Hokage's office.

Kakashi sat in his designated seat and spoke first, "It's obvious something is wrong here. Since there's a problem, we can't just go along with the other side's wishes."

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others remained silent.

They, of course, knew something was wrong, but…

"Lord Hokage!"

Nara Shikaku sighed and said, "We all know there's an issue, but Konoha can't afford another war right now."

Originally, they were prepared to fight to the death. Now that they didn't have to, their will to fight seemed to vanish in an instant.

Previously, they were sure they could make Iwagakure and the others pay dearly.

But now, with that will to fight dissipated, if they were truly to go to the battlefield... the results would be disappointing.

"Let's negotiate for peace."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly, "We need to buy time to restore Konoha's strength."

His words made everyone in the room nod in agreement.

Even Danzo did not object.

They all liked what they were hearing.

"Do as you please."

Kakashi said flatly, "In any case, I disagree."

He was simply expressing his opinion—nothing more!

At this point, that's all Kakashi could do.

No one paid him any further attention as they began discussing how much each family would contribute.

Currently, Sarutobi Hiruzen controlled the finances. During the Sarutobi clan's expansion, they had created a significant financial deficit, which he hoped to gradually cover up.

Of course!

During this process, he didn't mind taking a little extra for himself.

After all!

It was all for Konoha, and the Sarutobi clan had made considerable sacrifices recently.

So, as much as possible, they aimed to avoid drawing on Konoha's treasury.

Weapons, money—these things were easy to handle.

Each family present would contribute a portion.

As for the ninja clans that were absent, the people in the room decided on their behalf.

But!

What about the Hyuga clan's main branch members?

The Hyuga clan's main branch is the royal line, the central family!

The branch family exists to protect the main family.

Back when Kumogakure caused trouble, the Hyuga clan sacrificed the branch family leader, Hyuga Hizashi, just to protect the main branch leader, Hyuga Hiashi! It was also to protect the main branch.

Now, they're asking the Hyuga clan to offer up one of their main branch members…

Due to the events in the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hyuga clan is already in a sensitive position. If you bring up such an outrageous request, will they lose their minds?

After all!

Kumogakure's intentions are clear—they want the Hyuga clan's Byakugan.

If they hand over a main branch member, in the future, Kumogakure will inevitably have a branch family of the Hyuga.

The implications are simply too significant.

In the end!

Everyone unanimously decided that such a critical issue concerning the bloodline of a major ninja clan should be handled personally by the Hokage.

Kakashi: "..."

What the hell!?

Is this how things work?

You take the benefits, and then you leave the dirty work to me?

You're really something!

Kakashi understood the motives of these old dogs.

They wanted to put him in his place.

After all, he's a puppet, and a puppet should behave like one.

Lately, he's been the first to voice his opinion on several decisions, and that's not a good sign.

By making him deal with the Hyuga situation, they intended to sever his relationship with the Hyuga. For Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, this was clearly beneficial.

With the Uchiha gone, the Hyuga were set to become the largest clan in Konoha.

But then, the Sarutobi clan stepped in, and Hyuga Hiashi immediately withdrew, behaving much more submissively.

Still!

No matter how submissive, they remain a large clan, and their strength is not to be underestimated.

Kakashi reluctantly stood up, glanced around the room, and finally fixed his gaze on Nara Shikaku.

He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

He had always thought Shikaku would support him.

But!

When it comes to personal interests, even the best relationships crumble.

"I understand. I'll go."

Kakashi said coolly, "But if I don't handle it well, don't blame me."

"We trust you, Lord Hokage!"

Koharu Utatane immediately responded, "For Konoha's sake, you'll give it your all, won't you?"

"Right."

Kakashi threw out the word and left the office, heading towards the Hyuga clan's compound.

As for the envoys from the other ninja villages, Shikaku would handle them.

…

"Boom!"

A ball of fire suddenly appeared in front of Itsuki, burning intensely.

Itsuki reached out, directly into the flames.

Moments later, he withdrew his hand, completely unscathed, with a note now in his grasp.

He opened it!

After glancing at it for a few seconds, a look of shock appeared on Itsuki's face.

"What is it?"

Uzuki Yugao asked in surprise, "Has Konoha gone to war with Iwagakure?"

As soon as she said it, she realized something was off.

She had long assumed that Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Konoha would eventually come to blows. If that were the case, how could Itsuki be so shocked by the news?

Itsuki raised his head, silently staring at Yugao. "It's not that they've gone to war. On the contrary, this war might not happen... No..."

Itsuki thought for a moment and slowly said, "I should say that in the short term, it won't happen. But after some time, it might break out even more fiercely."

"What are you even talking about?"

Yugao rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. "Make yourself clear! What do you mean the war won't happen now but will get fiercer later?"

(End of chapter)