Naruto: The Shadow of Uchiha

At the same time, Samui and her team from the Cloud Village had been waiting at the rendezvous point, expecting Dodoi to arrive so they could escape together. However, seeing that he was overdue, they grew anxious and decided to check the situation near the Hyuga clan grounds.

As they rushed over, what greeted them was the horrific sight of Dodoi's lifeless body lying on the ground. Standing nearby were the Third Hokage, several Hyuga clan members, and that Uchiha clansman they'd seen yesterday—Uchiha Ryosuke.

The Cloud shinobi were all visibly shaken. Panic surfaced quickly on their faces.

Samui, the blonde kunoichi, was the first to calm herself. She immediately questioned loudly,

"Who killed Dodoi? Third Hokage, we came here in good faith to discuss peace between our villages, and now our envoy leader is dead. You must hand over the killer to the Cloud for justice!"

Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened.

"What do you mean? That man infiltrated the Hyuga compound and kidnapped my daughter. It's you Cloud people who owe us an explanation!"

Samui gave him a cold glare.

"Nonsense. Dodoi was just out for a walk. When did he ever enter your Hyuga territory?"

She gestured around.

"Is this your clan compound? Stop making false accusations."

Turning back to the Third Hokage, she added,

"Hand over the killer. Otherwise, there will be no peace between our villages."

Of course, they couldn't admit this was part of a failed kidnapping plot. Samui had no choice but to brazenly lie.

The Third Hokage frowned, clearly troubled by the diplomatic mess. He pondered how to resolve this without escalating the situation.

Uchiha Ryosuke couldn't help but interject with sarcasm,

"Wearing a black stealth outfit to go for a stroll? Cloud shinobi sure have strange hobbies."

Samui remained unfazed and said,

"Wearing black is Dodoi's personal preference. He absolutely did not enter the Hyuga clan and certainly didn't kidnap anyone. Konoha must give us an explanation. Don't think the Cloud is easy to bully."

"I'll be reporting this directly to the Fourth Raikage. The peace talks are off."

Ryosuke chuckled to himself.

Not only was this woman well-endowed, she clearly had no brain. Her ability to spout nonsense so seriously was almost impressive.

Hiashi didn't even want to argue anymore. The other side was clearly being unreasonable.

The Third Hokage was now deeply worried. If this wasn't handled properly, war would reignite. Konoha couldn't afford another war. It didn't want one either.

He said helplessly,

"Rest assured. Once we've discussed the matter internally, Konoha will give Cloud an appropriate explanation."

Samui, hiding her satisfaction behind a calm expression, nodded.

"Then we expect an answer by tomorrow. Don't let this matter ruin our peace."

Clearly, the Third Hokage was desperate for peace. With a bit of pressure, Cloud might get what it wanted.

With that, they picked up Dodoi's corpse and left.

Hiashi's face was grim.

"What does this mean, Third Hokage? Are you saying we must give them an explanation? They tried to kidnap my daughter, and now you want to appease them?"

The Third Hokage answered,

"That's not what I mean. Let's return to the Hyuga compound and discuss this properly."

Hiashi reluctantly agreed and looked toward Ryosuke.

"I'd like you to come as well. You were a witness tonight."

"No problem," Ryosuke replied. He was curious to see how the Hokage would bend over backwards to keep the peace.

The Third Hokage had already recognized Ryosuke as the troublesome Uchiha who had openly opposed his leadership several times. Now he was a key witness, and couldn't be dismissed.

Inside the Hyuga Clan Hall

Ryosuke found a quiet corner to sit and observed the Hyuga elders and the Third Hokage holding an emergency discussion.

Among the gathered Hyuga were Hiashi and another, thinner man who seemed to be his twin—likely Hizashi.

Everyone wore grim expressions. The situation was serious.

Hiashi couldn't help but feel uneasy. Could Ryosuke's warning be true? Would the death of the Cloud envoy bring trouble down upon the Hyuga?

The Hokage let out a heavy sigh. Though he knew Cloud was at fault, he needed the war to end. Konoha had lost too many shinobi. Even the Hyuga clan had suffered.

Looking at Hiashi, he began:

"Clan Head Hiashi, you know how many years this war with the Cloud has dragged on. The number of dead is enormous. Even your clan has lost many."

"Do you think this war should continue?"

Hiashi responded flatly,

"No, it shouldn't."

He understood that war wasn't the answer. But was the Hokage about to ask what he feared?

Hiruzen continued,

"Since they demand someone take responsibility for Dodoi's death, we should give them what they want. That way, peace can continue, and we can finalize the treaty."

Hiashi was furious. If the Hokage weren't the leader of the village, he would've struck him right then and there.

With a stern expression, he asked,

"Are you saying I should be handed over to them in exchange for peace?"

The hall erupted.

"What kind of joke is this?"

"How can we hand over our clan head to those shameless Cloud shinobi?"

"Doing so would not only disgrace our clan, but practically hand them our Byakugan!"

The Third Hokage coughed awkwardly,

"No, I don't mean to hand over the clan head. What I mean is… we should find someone to take the fall."

Hiashi's expression remained ice cold.

Even if he weren't the one to be sacrificed, such a solution was unacceptable.

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