CHAPTER 69

Yan's cold gaze sent shivers down the spines of everyone nearby. Those who met his eyes quickly looked away, afraid to maintain eye contact with the infamous Uchiha prodigy.

Asuma's companion was still groaning on the ground in agony, clutching his ribs in pain, and no one dared to approach or intervene.

The crowd began murmuring, their gazes filled with pity directed at Asuma and his group.

Of all people to provoke, why choose Uchiha Hiko?

Did they forget this guy was renowned as the number one ruthless shinobi among the current generation?

A Jonin? So what? This was a Jonin who could crush other Jonin with ease!

"I'll deal with you later!!"

Tsunade's chest heaved with suppressed fury. Her patience had worn thin.

"Shizune, tend to their injuries! The rest of you—disperse! What are you all gawking for? Do you want to join in and make it worse?"

If not for her medical condition and deep-rooted fear, Tsunade might have slapped Asuma several times right then and there.

That damn fool just had to cause trouble for her disciple.

"Captain, we're just going to let this go?"

On their way back, Zhiyan still looked dissatisfied, the sense of injustice churning in his gut.

Yan shot him a glance and replied calmly, "What else? You want me to kill them right here?"

Let it go? Not a chance.

This wasn't about forgiving or forgetting—it was about timing.

"Remember them. Their faces, their names. When we return to the village, we'll deal with them slowly… them and their families. Since they dared to insult and target Uchiha, then they must face the consequences."

One person's actions affect the entire clan?

Then so be it. Uchiha Hiko never played the benevolent fool.

You provoke me, I'll ensure no one close to you is spared.

"Mingyin, why didn't you stop him?"

Tsunade lightly thumped Shizune's head in frustration, but the woman looked pitiful and wronged.

"I didn't dare…"

And it wasn't just about Yan.

At the time, the entire Uchiha unit had activated their Sharingan, their crimson eyes spinning ominously.

Being surrounded by so many sharingan was enough to make any medic-nin freeze in place.

Besides, Shizune honestly didn't want to stop it.

Asuma had it coming. Maybe getting beaten down would knock some sense into him.

She'd grown tired of his swaggering arrogance and constant disrespect.

"…."

Tsunade found herself momentarily speechless.

Thinking about it, Shizune had a point.

Even if she tried to stop it, the chances of success were slim.

Compared to that group of Uchiha, even Shizune's decent combat skills would've been useless.

Had she rushed in, she might've ended up slapped unconscious, too.

Hell, even the passing dogs in that moment probably would've caught a stray slap.

What was the point of lamenting it now?

Tsunade sighed heavily and rubbed her temples.

"Forget it. You're not to blame. Go check on Asuma. That idiot probably doesn't even recognize himself anymore."

"I'm not doing it!"

And with that, Shizune turned and bolted.

"Come back after you're done—wait… you said you're not?!"

Tsunade spun around, but Shizune had already vanished from sight.

"No one wants to deal with him."

Tsunade chuckled in disbelief.

Still, she couldn't ignore Asuma's condition. If Shizune wouldn't help, then someone else had to.

She'd assign the task to one of the other medical-nin in the escort group.

While none matched Shizune's expertise, they could at least reduce the swelling and dull the pain.

As for whether this incident needed reporting?

Tsunade decided against it.

This was Asuma's own doing. If he got beaten and humiliated, it served him right.

Tsunade understood that the most she could do now was give Yan a superficial warning. From Yan's reaction, it was clear he didn't care.

Headache-inducing. Why did so many problems keep cropping up?

And why did Uchiha birth such a terrifying prodigy?

The core of this conflict stemmed from Asuma's arrogance—he picked a fight with the Uchiha and tried to humiliate them.

Someone in Uchiha had sustained minor injuries, but Asuma ended up in much worse shape.

Anyone with a brain would know: it's better to take a physical beating than to suffer public humiliation and a knockout slap.

The shame was worse than the pain.

When Asuma attacked Uchiha, Hiko retaliated.

When Asuma humiliated Uchiha, Hiko paid it back twofold.

The irony was that even if this incident exploded, the one who would suffer most was still Asuma.

He had dug his own grave.

Compared to Kakashi's earlier attack, this entire situation was trivial.

No matter how large it got, neither Yan nor the Uchiha would receive serious punishment.

In contrast, Asuma would be ridiculed endlessly.

Especially after Yan exposed that he bribed the examiners to pass the Special Jonin assessment.

The incident had too much impact to stay hidden.

Once it reached the Daimyo's palace, rumors spread like wildfire.

"Heh, I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe. Who knew the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi was such trash?"

"Bribing examiners to pass a ninja test? That's beyond shameful!"

"Did he really send money?"

"If you don't believe it, tell me—why can't a supposed Special Jonin like Asuma last a second against Uchiha Hiko?"

"All he does is bully Genin and Chunin in Konoha. Against real power, he's a joke."

"Exactly. How embarrassing."

The daimyos had no issue mocking even the Hokage, let alone his son.

Rumors continued swirling, and thanks to the grapevine, it soon became accepted truth that Asuma had bribed his way into being a Special Jonin.

"If even the Hokage's son behaves like this, Konoha must be rotting inside."

Naturally, rival daimyos began needling the Daimyo of the Land of Fire over the scandal.

What they didn't realize was that he was secretly delighted.

He'd long been searching for a reason to get rid of the Third Hokage.

He'd grown tired of Sarutobi's incompetence—and even more so of Danzo's manipulations.

But Sarutobi's blind loyalty to Danzo had made it difficult.

Now, he had ammunition.

On the surface, the Fire Daimyo wore a mask of indignation, reprimanding Asuma's actions.

In private, he ordered his men to spread the scandal far and wide.

He wanted the whole shinobi world to know what kind of village Sarutobi had created.

Let's see how he explains this to the people of Konoha.

"Have you heard? The Third Hokage of Konoha let his son buy his rank with money."

"Is that true? I can't believe Konoha has fallen this far."

"And that's not all—this Sarutobi Asuma is also a spoiled brat, throwing his weight around the village because of his father's status.

He insulted the Uchiha clan right in front of everyone at the Daimyo's palace, and then got humiliated."

"…"

By the next morning, the rumors were everywhere.

No one could stop them even if they tried.

Strangely, Uchiha emerged from the situation unscathed.

"Yan, tell me the truth—did you start this?"

Tsunade had hoped to let the matter cool and handle it quietly after returning to the village.

Now it was global news.

Tsunade could already imagine the storm waiting back home.

All of the rumors seemed crafted to tear down the Third Hokage.

"It's not Uchiha," Yan replied coolly. "If you're so free, Tsunade-hime, maybe ask the Daimyo. See if it was his doing."

Uchiha's reputation had only benefited from the affair.

But Yan wasn't foolish enough to set the world on fire like this.

This wasn't Uchiha's style.

In truth, Yan had been stunned when he first heard the extent of the rumors.

Whoever did this clearly hated Asuma—and by extension, the Third Hokage.

He suspected the source had to be the Daimyo's court.

Only someone from within could orchestrate such rapid information spread across so many provinces.

"Don't look at me like that," Yan added, raising his hands innocently. "I, Uchiha Hiko, never hide when I act. If I wanted to ruin someone, I wouldn't do it this way. It's not even beneficial to me."

He paused, voice turning sardonic.

"Besides, even if Uchiha did want to spread rumors, could we make the entire continent talk overnight?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, but she couldn't argue.

"Fine. I'll speak with the Daimyo myself. In the meantime, keep your Uchiha in check. No more incidents like this."

She knew Uchiha wanted revenge—not just on Asuma, but on his whole crew.

She tried to dissuade them, but it was a futile effort.

The Uchiha were biding their time, ready to take action the moment they returned to the village.

Telling them to stop?

That door had already closed.

"Lady Tsunade, about everything that happened—"

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