Chapter 21: The Yin Snake Spits Its Tongue (Part 2)

Nanshu opened his pair of scarlet pupils and glared fiercely at the Cloud Shinobi.

"Bastard, what kind of attitude is that!"

A chill ran up the spines of the Cloud Shinobi who were stared at by the Sharingan; they felt a sense of dread deep in their hearts upon seeing those scarlet pupils and subconsciously took a step back.

Nanshu glanced at the chair on the ground. Had the Cloud Shinobi actually set their sights on him?

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"It was you who kicked our leader in his vital spot, causing his ribs to break and puncture his internal organs! Otherwise, how could our leader have died? His corpse is lying right there, and you still intend to quibble!?"

The Cloud Shinobi clamored.

Indeed, the corpse lying on the stretcher on the ground was the man from last night, and his chest and abdomen still bore the remnants of Nanshu's footprint. Due to the special constitution of Fierce Fire Burning Body, the man's chest not only had fracture injuries but also traces of burns.

It was just that this level of injury was not enough to be fatal, but the problem was that the Cloud Ninja envoy had indeed died.

Was it intentional?

There seemed to be no other explanation; just a few broken ribs and localized burns could not kill a veteran of the Third Great Ninja War, unless the other party was actively seeking death and deliberately allowed the injuries to worsen.

"Murderer!"

Facing the malicious accusations of the Cloud Shinobi, Nanshu said expressionlessly: "The Cloud Ninja envoy left his residence without authorization during the peace talks and snuck into the Hyuga Clan grounds at night, attempting to abduct the daughter of the current Clan Head. He violated the curfew, attempted to abduct a child, and trespassed into restricted territory. Even if he were killed on the spot, it would be reasonable and justified."

"What's more, your leader's injuries do not look fatal at all; it looks more like internal hemorrhaging caused by letting the injuries worsen."

"Nonsense, this is clearly evidence of your intentional murder, and you still want to quibble at this point?!"

"Besides, our leader was just out for a walk and happened to pass by the Hyuga territory. We are unfamiliar with the area and had no idea that it was forbidden to enter; even if he strayed in, it is understandable. But this can never be a reason for you to kill innocent people at will, especially since he was a peace envoy from the Cloud Ninja Village!"

"If one can ignore the curfew and climb over other families' walls just by holding the banner of an envoy, then how many of these so-called foreign envoys would Konoha have to welcome in a year?"

"I don't care what kind of plans you have, but to me, it looks more like you are desperately looking for all sorts of reasons to distance yourselves after your conspiracy was exposed, while also wanting to use the death of the Cloud Ninja envoy to extort a hefty compensation."

Nanshu stared coldly at the Cloud Shinobi, a hint of mockery appearing on his face.

"With that shameless look of 'no matter what, the Cloud Ninja envoy died on Konoha soil so you must be held responsible,' it seems the Cloud Ninja Village is no different from the thugs and hooligans who hang around in the alleys all day."

"Or is it? If you go back empty-handed, you will definitely be punished by the Raikage, so you are terrified and desperate to tear a piece of flesh off Konoha just so you can go back and report?"

"Bastard! Are the people of the Uchiha Clan really this shameless? You don't even have the guts to admit what you've done!"

The Cloud Shinobi's faces flushed red, looking as if they wanted to rush over and beat Nanshu to death at any moment.

"Enough, such pointless arguing is just a waste of time. It would be better to state your respective versions of events before making a judgment."

Just as the atmosphere in the room was once again on the verge of breaking out into violence, Danzo, who was sitting in a high position, spoke in a sinister tone. As soon as he spoke, an air of conspiracy was added to the already heavy atmosphere of the conference room.

The Third Hokage just glanced at Danzo without speaking, while Fugaku remained with his eyes closed, resting his mind.

"Since Lord Danzo has said so, let us go first!" The Cloud Shinobi took the lead, and the one at the head said: "Last night, our leader wanted to enjoy the night view of Konoha and went out. His original intention was just to see the bustling streets of Konoha at night, but he accidentally lost his way and strayed into your village's clan territory. At first, this was just a trivial matter, a small incident that could have been resolved with an apology according to diplomatic etiquette, and we Cloud Ninja would absolutely not deny the mistakes we have made!"

"But!"

At this moment, the Cloud Ninja changed his tone and pointed his finger at Nanshu.

"In the end, it was nothing more than a small matter of getting lost while out for a night stroll, yet because of this Uchiha brat before us! He completely disregarded the fact that the other party was a Cloud Ninja envoy, and that he carried the heavy mission of being a bridge of peace between the two villages!"

"He killed not only our leader but also harbored malice, wanting to interfere and destroy the peace between the Cloud Ninja and Konoha. I strongly suspect that he carried out an assassination plan targeting our leader from the very beginning!!"

Oh? You're quite the talker.

Facing the accusations of the Cloud Ninja, Nanshu's expression remained unchanged as he said: "Can someone who runs around in night-crawling gear during a curfew really be considered a peace envoy? To welcome your visit, Konoha issued a curfew order a week in advance. After 8 PM, all streets are under martial law, and no one except patrol, inspection, or Root personnel may leave their homes without cause. It was already the middle of the night when I patrolled past the district where you Cloud Ninja were staying."

"Even if I were intentionally targeting the envoy for an assassination mission, why would your leader go out in all-black clothing knowing there was a curfew?"

"Violating the curfew, sneaking around in black." Nanshu's tone was flat, yet filled with disdainful mockery: "I don't know how the Cloud Ninja Village judges those who violate the curfew, but in Konoha, these two points alone are enough to constitute a charge of espionage."

"Besides, the place he trespassed into was the Hyuga Clan grounds. Private entry into clan territory is strictly prohibited, not to mention that I saw with my own eyes your leader climbing over the Hyuga wall and sneaking inside—are you trying to tell me that your leader was so lost that he couldn't even read the four characters for 'No Outsiders Allowed' on the wall?"

"Nonsense! Perhaps we were negligent regarding the curfew, but our leader never invaded the Hyuga Clan grounds, let alone your rude accusations. Don't forget that we came here shouldering a mission of peace; why would we deliberately destroy the relationship with Konoha?"

How would I know? You'll have to ask Kishimoto about that.

Although Nanshu was complaining internally, he said out loud: "I hadn't even had time to investigate the specific details before your leader was taken away. Otherwise, he would be in the interrogation room of the Uchiha Police Force right now. At this point in time, I would have even found out how many times a week he and his mother did it, so why would I need to waste my breath on you?"

—Clang!

A Cloud Ninja was quick-witted and grabbed his companion who had jumped out and was about to make a move. This person was named "Tujin," one of the students of the deceased envoy. He had witnessed his mentor sacrifice himself for the village and was filled with grief. Now, hearing Nanshu's deliberately vicious and sarcastic words, his blood boiled and he was about to rush over to fight to the death.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Tujin was held back by several companions, but he was shouting that he would tear Nanshu to pieces.

Nanshu remained unmoved, his face showing mockery. He wished the other party would actually rush over and make a move; if they did, things would be much easier to handle. Unfortunately, the person next to him who appeared to be the leader had a clear head and ordered his subordinates to pull this troublesome guy to the back.

"I know the Uchiha Clan is very arrogant, but I didn't expect you to be so arrogant that you've even lost the basic respect for the dead." The man who stood up to speak was named "Baton," the temporary leader of the Cloud Shinobi. "An arrogant and rude clan; no wonder you are so unwelcome in your own village."

The mockery on Nanshu's face gradually faded, his smile disappeared, and what was revealed was seriousness and vigilance.

"You Cloud Ninja certainly keep your promises, but the one time you broke your word, it killed Konoha's Second Hokage, and even your own Raikage died at the hands of your elite troops. When it comes to infighting, we Uchiha feel inferior. Come to think of it, if you don't bring anything back this time, won't you just go all the way and rebel against the Fourth Raikage?"

"Shut up, you Uchiha trash—if you dare say one more word, do you want to start a war with us Cloud Ninja directly?"

Baton was filled with a murderous aura, giving the impression that he would strike immediately if Nanshu dared to open his mouth.

Would Nanshu be afraid? The answer is no.

He directly raised his middle finger at Baton, his face devoid of any smile, and said coldly.

"Go f*** yourself."

Bold, reckless, arrogant!

In this instant, Nanshu displayed the over-the-top arrogance of the Uchiha to the fullest. He didn't take the Cloud Ninja seriously at all; even when faced with the other party's death threat, he chose to confront them head-on. There was a bit of that ruthlessness where the Uchiha dared to shake Konoha with the strength of a single clan, though I won't say much more about that.

In any case, the spectators in their seats all showed expressions of "As expected of the Uchiha..."

Danzo sneered, thinking to himself, this is the Uchiha.

The Third Hokage slowly closed his eyes, looking as if he couldn't bear to watch.

On the other hand, Hyuga Hiashi, who was sitting nearby, actually showed a trace of "admiration?" while looking at Nanshu, but he quickly restrained his smile and revealed a sorrowful expression.

"What's wrong? With that look on your face, as if you've eaten sh*t, are you planning to cry and tell your parents?"

Nanshu pointed his finger in the direction of the Third Hokage and the others, which made one of the Cloud Ninja who was planning to complain show an embarrassed expression.

"Heh... heheheh..."

Baton waved his hand, signaling his subordinates not to act recklessly.