Slam!
The office fell silent once more as Kushina stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"I apologize, everyone. Kushina's been quite troubled lately," Minato Namikaze explained, scratching his head.
No one responded.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, turned to Fang Yuan with a serious expression. "Has the Scorch Release ninja Pakura revealed any crucial intelligence since you've been holding her in Konoha Prison?"
Fang Yuan stroked his chin, feigning deep thought. "Ah, I was in such a hurry to leave that I left my brain behind. Can't remember a thing."
"You..." Hiruzen growled, barely containing his anger.
If not for this man's formidable power, he would have...
Sarutobi Hiruzen Hatred Value +100
"Fang Yuan, don't push us too far. Our patience has limits," Utatane Koharu said, her face flushed with anger.
"Hmph..."
Mitokado Homura's face turned cold. "I've been saying for ages that we should hand Pakura over to the interrogation unit. The Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique would surely extract information from her."
"I could tell from the battlefield back then - selfish, cold-blooded, and cruel beyond measure."
"How could someone like you be worthy of being a Konoha ninja?" Utatane Koharu's wrinkled face twisted in contempt as she sneered.
Mitokado Homura Hatred Value +100
Utatane Koharu Hatred Value +100
"Heh-heh-heh..." Fang Yuan let out a sinister chuckle. "What? Did you want to bring up old grievances again?"
"Then let me ask - who gave the order to send our squad on a suicide mission behind enemy lines during the Land of Wind war?"
Both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu fell silent.
"Sigh!" Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled deeply, his face etched with sorrow. "At the time, it was for the greater good. Why can't you let go of this? Your delaying of the Sand Ninja reinforcements allowed Konoha to successfully raid their base, didn't it?"
Fang Yuan's eyes darkened with mockery. "Then why were all the ones sent behind enemy lines civilian ninjas like us? Where were the Sarutobi Clan? The Utatane Clan? The Mitokado Clan?"
"Even when we were struggling to survive behind enemy lines, you were already shaking hands with Sunagakure. Why didn't Konoha send reinforcements afterward?"
"Can the Third Hokage explain this?"
Utatane Koharu countered, "Konoha was under attack from two fronts. We couldn't spare any forces for rescue."
"Negotiating peace with Sunagakure would reduce Konoha's losses," Mitokado Homura agreed. "Besides, aren't you still alive?"
"Heh... Yes, I'm still alive."
Fang Yuan suddenly barked, "But my teammates are all dead."
As he spoke, a look of grief crossed his face.
"Never mind. After arguing with you all these times, repeating the same old lines, it's just plain annoying."
Minato Namikaze stood to the side, his expression complicated.
At the time, he had been on the battlefield in the Land of Earth, and only learned about this incident later.
During the Third Shinobi World War, to divert Sunagakure's reinforcements, Konoha had sent dozens of small teams - over a hundred ninja - to infiltrate enemy territory. Their mission was to tie up the Sunagakure shinobi army's reinforcements.
But just as these ninja were struggling to complete their missions behind enemy lines, Konoha's leadership suddenly proposed a ceasefire.
They wanted to negotiate peace with Sunagakure.
The hundreds of Konoha ninja stranded behind enemy lines were immediately abandoned. They were surrounded and slaughtered by Sunagakure forces.
In the end, only Fang Yuan survived.
And he went on to forge his legendary path of slaughter.
A moment of silence hung over the Hokage's Office.
"Hand over Pakura!" Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly spoke. "The Sunagakure envoy has proposed an alliance between our villages. One of their conditions is the release of Pakura."
With that, he turned to look at Minato Namikaze.
"This will resolve the conflict between our villages and prevent further war."
Fang Yuan pursed his lips.
He's trying to use righteous pretenses to pressure Minato, Fang Yuan thought. And Minato's all too susceptible to that kind of thing.
Sure enough, Minato Namikaze looked at Fang Yuan.
"Fang Yuan..."
"Never mind. You're the Hokage. Your word stands," Fang Yuan said dismissively.
Though he spoke to Minato, his gaze remained fixed on Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. The contempt on his face was unmistakable.
Hiruzen's cheek twitched, but he pretended not to notice.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. Pakura told me the Fourth Kazekage Rasa sold her out. He deliberately sent her to Kirigakure to die."
A smile suddenly appeared on Fang Yuan's face. "If you release Pakura now, Sunagakure will be in for quite a stir."
"What?"
"Is that true...?"
"So that's how it was?"
The Hokage and elders exchanged glances, disbelief written across their faces.
"Well then, I won't keep you any longer."
Fang Yuan turned to leave. "Goodbye!"
He had barely left the Hokage's office when Kushina, the pregnant woman who should have already departed, suddenly appeared at the staircase entrance.
Though dressed in loose-fitting maternity clothes, nothing could conceal her increasingly voluptuous figure. Her red hair cascaded softly over her shoulders, creating an image of gentle beauty.
What a striking young woman, Fang Yuan thought. Minato is truly blessed.
___________________
T/N-Read 20 Chapters Ahead of Webnovel and Get 2 Updates a day (Exclusive lemons too!)
Patreon.com/EtherealTL
Extra Chapter every 100 Power Stones :)