Chapter 61 » Mikoto: Am I Yusuke's Final Condition?
"He… he… he must be dreaming!" At this moment, Fugaku's face had darkened to the point of looking murderous.
"Clan Leader Fugaku." Hiruzen sighed, then said gravely, "Sometimes, for the sake of the clan and the village, we must make sacrifices."
"Absurd! This is utterly absurd!" Fugaku's breathing became rapid with anger, "I will absolutely never agree to such an unreasonable demand!"
He viciously tore the letter in his hand to shreds, his face contorted with rage. At that moment, Fugaku wished he could personally cut Yusuke into a thousand pieces. After winning the great battle, he really had the audacity to make such an unreasonable demand of him!
This was unacceptable!
Moreover, he had already promised Mikoto that once there were signs of the Third Ninja War coming to an end, he would immediately marry her. And now Yusuke actually wanted to propose to his future wife?
It was utterly absurd! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His face was filled with uncontrollable rage.
"Sigh… Clan Leader Fugaku, I know this request is difficult for you to accept. But for the sake of the village and your clan, you need to think very carefully." Hiruzen said, already knowing it would turn out like this.
It was exactly the same as with Minato before.
"Impossible!" Fugaku snorted heavily, "I will never agree to such an unreasonable demand! Let Yusuke Kamizuki keep dreaming!"
"Don't be so hasty to decide." Hiruzen frowned slightly.
If Fugaku rejected it outright, then tomorrow, Kirigakure would start a large-scale war against Konoha. At that time, there would only be two outcomes.
The first would be the total defeat of Konohagakure. Those who die will die, those who flee will flee, and the village would cease to exist.
The second outcome might be slightly better for Konoha. That would be fighting a battle to the death with Kiri, then being invaded by the other three ninja villages. The village would still perish.
After all, Kirigakure was the victorious side. Those three ninja villages might not be foolish enough to ambush them, given Yusuke's formidable reputation.
Therefore, for Konoha, there was only one viable option: to temporarily agree to the demands.
Then, they could immediately form secret alliances with other ninja villages and recalculate how to defeat Kirigakure.
This was Konohagakure's only remaining option. After all, only by surviving would they have a chance!
"Fugaku, Lord Hokage, what exactly is this difficult demand?" Mikoto, who had been watching the two men argue, couldn't remain silent any longer.
What kind of demand is so unacceptable? If it's not too difficult to accept, shouldn't the priority be protecting the village and the clan?
Fugaku, his face dark, glanced at the shredded paper on the ground.
Hiruzen spoke in a low voice, "Yusuke Kamizuki is using the same method against Clan Leader Fugaku that he used against Minato Namikaze."
"The method used against Minato?" Mikoto was startled at first, then her brows furrowed slightly.
Although she hadn't been on the battlefield, she was still aware of various developments within the village. She had heard the widely circulated news about the Ice God proposing to Kushina Uzumaki, and how the woman had disappeared from public view during this time.
Mikoto was a clever woman. She had already deduced that Kushina was no longer in the village.
Considering Fugaku's gloomy expression and Hiruzen's helpless demeanor, her body began to tremble slightly.
"Could it be... that Yusuke Kamizuki's final condition is... me?" Mikoto's voice quivered.
If it really was this demand... she dared not imagine further.
"Yes." Hiruzen said gravely, "Yusuke's final demand is that you be sent to the front lines before dawn tomorrow. Otherwise, he will immediately launch a war of annihilation against Konoha. So...Sigh…"
The Third Hokage sighed heavily several times that day.
"Mikoto! Don't worry! I will absolutely never hand you over to such a person!" Fugaku suddenly slammed the table.
Mikoto bit her lip and lowered her head. Her hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes. She was a clever woman. She knew that if they didn't agree to Yusuke's demand, the consequences would be absolutely devastating.
"Clan Leader Fugaku!" Hiruzen, visibly displeased by his outburst, said with furrowed brows, "If you hadn't suddenly withdrawn your clan members from the front lines on a large scale three days ago, our village wouldn't have been defeated so quickly. I'm curious — the Uchiha were dominating the battlefield. Why did they suddenly withdraw?"
"Because Yusuke Kamizuki was among the opponents." Fugaku replied, raising his eyebrows, "He's leading the Kaguya clan from Kirigakure. Their clan members are formidable, and nearly ninety percent possess Kekkei Genkai. If our clan had continued to engage with them, how many of us would have survived to return?"
"Aren't all the other clans in the same situation?" Hiruzen's anger flared upon hearing this.
So it was indeed to preserve their own clan's strength? The entire village was on the brink of destruction, yet they were still thinking about preserving their power.
"Lord Third, our clan has already done enough for the village." Fugaku said, his voice laced with impatience.
"Sigh…" Hiruzen, not wanting to push too hard, said, "Let's put this matter aside. Regarding Yusuke Kamizuki's final demand, please give me an answer this afternoon. I hope you can make the right choice."
As he was about to live, he speaked again.
"Also." Hiruzen added, as if remembering something, "Orochimaru had a brief encounter with Yusuke Kamizuki earlier. He also saw Kushina Uzumaki. She appeared to be in good spirits, so even if we agree, there shouldn't be any life-threatening danger. Clan Leader Fugaku, I won't disturb you any further. Please consider it carefully."
He stood up and glanced at Mikoto.
"For the sake of the clan and the thousands of members behind you, please consider it carefully!"
This statement seemed directed at Fugaku, yet it also appeared aimed at her.
With that, the Third Hokage left.
An eerie silence fell over the clan leader's residence. Fugaku, too, began to struggle.
"This damned devil!"
He had never felt such an urgent desire for power as he did now. His fists clenched tightly. At this moment, he truly didn't know what to do.
Hand over Mikoto? Would he still be a man if he did that?! Willingly give his future wife to the enemy?!?!
He couldn't do such a thing.
But not handing her over meant waiting for Kirigakure to launch a full-scale attack. The final outcome could very likely be the annihilation of the clan.
If he still wanted Mikoto then, Yusuke could simply capture her on the battlefield. This was not a scenario Fugaku wanted to see either.
He was now deeply entangled in his struggle. There were only two paths before him: Either agree to the request and send his future wife over, or refuse and await the clan's destruction.
The outcome would remain unchanged. Both choices were extremely difficult to make.
Behind him, Mikoto was also painfully struggling in her heart.
Agreeing to Yusuke's request meant she would suffer, but it would ensure the safety of the clan members. Not agreeing might spare her in the short term, but for the clan, it could be a devastating disaster.
She didn't want herself or Fugaku to become the clan's sinners, nor did she want the entire clan to be implicated because of her.
This choice was truly too painful.
"Fugaku, I think we should inform the clan elders about this matter and let everyone decide together." Mikoto said softly, looking at Fugaku, whose burden had multiplied.
In her heart, she had already made some decisions.
After remaining silent for several seconds, Fugaku nodded heavily.
"Alright."
After all, this choice concerned the safety of the entire clan. If it led to the clan's destruction because of him, it wasn't what he wanted to see either.
Before this battle with Kirigakure, he had confidently guaranteed that he could lead his clan to turn things around.
The two left, both with heavy hearts.
"Gather all the clan elders! There's an urgent matter to discuss!"
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At the battle front, Yusuke stood on a smooth, flat rock.
Behind him, Juzo Biwa rapidly reported the intelligence he had obtained.
"Lord Yusuke! Our spies infiltrated the Land of Lightning and reported that Kumogakure has secretly mobilized many ninjas. They've left the village and concealed themselves at the edge of our Land of Water's border. Within Sunagakure, there are also large-scale ninja movements."
At this moment, Juzo genuinely admired his Captain.
Three days ago, when Konoha's side began to collapse, Yusuke had ordered him to investigate the movements of the other three ninja villages.
Sure enough, this investigation revealed issues with all three ninja villages. They were continuously transporting ninjas towards the border.
"Hmm." Yusuke nodded.
If these ninja villages didn't have even the slightest movement at this time, that would be abnormal.
"Do they dare to make a move now?" Mei frowned beside him.
"They dare, but they also don't." He smiled.
"Huh?" She looked at him, confused.
"They dare." Yusuke began to analyze for everyone, "As long as we fully engage in a nation-destroying war with Konoha. The Leaf Village would be forced to fight a life-and-death battle with us. Remember, even a lean camel is bigger than a horse — we need to understand this principle."
"Moreover, Kiri has truly risen for only about half a year. In terms of ninja numbers, we have a certain disadvantage. So, these ninja villages would only need to wait until we fight to mutual destruction. Then they can swoop in to clear the field and swallow both Kirigakure and Konohagakure whole."
"However, as long as this doesn't happen, these three great nations will continue to watch from the sidelines, laughing at Konoha. I've already sent the Leaf Village a letter demanding tribute of fifty percent of their overall income for a year in resources to supply Kiri's development."
"For Konohagakure, this is also the best choice at present. Hiruzen Sarutobi fears death most. Moreover, he doesn't want Konoha and Kiri to engage in a war of destruction. After all, he loves the position of Hokage above all else."
A smile appeared on Yusuke's face. At this moment, his grasp of people's hearts was displayed to perfection!
Mangetsu, listening from the side, became even more filled with admiration for him.
"This way, Kirigakure will certainly agree to the resource compensation. Then, our Kirigakure can return fully loaded! A triumphant return with great victory! Not only can we boost the village's morale, but we can also have abundant resources for development!"
After all, what Kiri needs most right now is resources!
Rather than fighting Konoha to mutual destruction and allowing other ninja villages to take advantage of the situation, it's better to force the Leaf Village to pay tribute! This will greatly develop their own ninja village.
This foresight, which ordinary people could hardly match, completely convinced the squad leaders of the Mist Village behind him!
After experiencing more than a month of war, although everyone was excited, they inevitably felt tired.
"Notify everyone. Tell all the ninjas to stay alert. Don't get drowsy at this final moment." Yusuke ordered.
After all, things can always change. It's better to be safe than sorry. Even a cornered dog will leap over a wall.
"Yes, Lord Yusuke!" Behind him, Mangetsu and others immediately obeyed the order, beginning to announce the command.
At this moment, Mei spoke beside him with a somewhat resentful voice.
"Hubby! The conditions you proposed for Konoha to compensate are very good for Kiri. But, the last one…" She gently bit her lip, a hint of jealousy suddenly welling up in her heart.
After all, when Yusuke was writing that letter, she was watching in his arms. Especially when he wrote that last condition, her jealousy had flared up.
So, at this moment, she bit her silver teeth, asking with a mix of resentment and jealousy.
"The last condition?" Yusuke closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Then he looked at the jealousy-filled Mei before him with an extremely serious gaze, "My dear Mei, you don't really think I'm the kind of man who sees a beautiful woman and wants to snatch her away, do you?"
Hearing this, she immediately widened her eyes.
"Eh?! Isn't that exactly what Hubby is like?"
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