"Who exactly are you? The Uchiha shouldn't have any conflict with you, right?"
Judging by Byakuya's behavior, this young ninja, who seemed to be from the Amegakure, didn't appear to have any intention of killing them. It might be because he was wary of their clan and village or for some other reason.
Shisui wanted to understand why the boy attacked them. It couldn't be that there was really an inside job colluding with outsiders, right?
Byakuya glanced at Shisui. The future wielder of the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, was now just a kid, likely concerned with balancing the interests of his clan and the village.
(AN: Author called him teenager but I think at this point, he should be around 7-8 years old at most.)
Since Shisui asked, Byakuya pondered for a few seconds, then decided to speak truthfully. With a sincere expression, he said, "I indeed had no conflict with the Uchiha before, but now I do. You see, Kakuzu was my target, but you Uchiha interfered. Isn't that conflict enough?"
Hearing this, Shisui was stunned. The other Uchiha members looked equally perplexed.
After regaining his composure, Shisui quickly explained, "Sir, there must be some issue here. We didn't intend to engage with Kakuzu in the first place. He attacked us!"
"Is that so?" Byakuya appeared doubtful, staring at Shisui as he said, "It seems there is indeed a misunderstanding. I thought you were here to steal my prey. You should know that Kakuzu has been in the underground black market for many years, and he must carry a lot of money. Robbing him would quickly yield a significant amount of funds. My misjudgment was understandable. But how can you assure me that you weren't after Kakuzu's money?"
We really weren't after Kakuzu... Shisui's face was helpless and his lips twitching. While the Uchiha might not have many friends in Konoha, their clan's businesses were quite substantial. They didn't need to capture bounty hunters for money.
Moreover, even if they needed money, who would target Kakuzu? He was a ruthless person who had even attempted to assassinate the first Hokage.
Thinking of this, Shisui cautiously said, "Sir, the Uchiha don't lack money. And if this is just a misunderstanding, why not let us go? If you kill us, our clan will surely seek vengeance. Instead, why not form an alliance with the Uchiha?"
Byakuya shook his head slightly, "Whelp, what's done is done. Even if I release you now, you will still resent me. And I don't see any benefit in the Uchiha's friendship. The Uchiha are infamous with dark vibes. You couldn't even secure the Hokage position and still face constant exclusion."
Hearing words like 'couldn't secure the Hokage position' and 'constant exclusion,' the Uchiha members, aside from Shisui, felt as if their wounds were being reopened. Their Sharingan, which had just been deactivated, was reactivated once again.
"Kid, one day, the Uchiha will produce a Hokage!"
"That's the past; this is the present. Lord Fugaku is about to run for Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage position is already in the bag for the Uchiha!"
Hearing these complaints, Byakuya glanced at Shisui and then said, "Do all Uchiha have such foul mouths? Aren't you worried about getting yourselves killed?"
Shisui was at a loss for words. Indeed, his clan members' attitudes were rather rude. Although Clan Leader Fugaku was strong, he didn't seem to meet the standards for running for Hokage unless the Sannin and Minato Namikaze stepped aside and handed the position to the Uchiha.
However, the most arrogant and foul-mouthed person here is you, Byakuya.
Despite his thoughts, Shisui could see that Byakuya truly had no intent to kill. He was likely stalling for time, waiting for them to offer something in exchange for their release.
"Sir, what price must we pay for you to release us?"
Seeing Shisui initiate negotiations, Byakuya held up his fingers and said, "One million ryo for a Genin, three million for a Chunin, and ten million for a Jonin. Pay up, and I'll release them immediately. Additionally, anyone who insulted me earlier has to pay an extra fifty thousand for each insult."
Hearing Byakuya's public pricing, the Uchiha members turned red with anger again. They were proud Uchiha; how could they pay ransom to a kid? And making it so cheap—did he look down on the Uchiha and the Sharingan?
On the other hand, Shisui was calculating the ransom: two Jonin and six Chunin totaled thirty-eight million ryo, plus the insults fee, bringing it to forty million ryo.
This amount wasn't extremely high, but the problem was they didn't have that much money on them. Who carries large sums of money while on a mission?
The only valuable items they had were explosive tags and weapons.
After some internal calculations, Shisui turned to the Uchiha members and said, "Tetsuka, my katana is worth a few million ryo. You all gather what you can and give it to him."
"Shisui, are you really going to pay ransom? What about the Uchiha's honor if this gets out?"
Shisui sighed, "Compared to money and honor, I think our comrades' lives are more important. If this drags on, we won't be able to participate in the frontline battle."
Tetsuka hesitated, still struggling with the Uchiha's pride and dignity.
At this moment, Byakuya walked over to them, squatted down, and said, "That's right. Money can't compare to life. I won't say anything about today; you can make up any reason you want."
"You seem to care about us a lot." Tetsuka didn't give Byakuya a friendly look.
Byakuya nodded slightly, accepting the compliment without shame, "I do think I'm a good person. Since becoming a ninja, I've saved many and prevented numerous tragedies."
Looking at the shameless Byakuya, Tetsuka turned his head away, choosing to seal himself off from the situation.
Shisui slowly moved to his comrades, persuading each one to contribute their valuables. After gathering everything of value, they had about thirty million ryo, still ten million short of Byakuya's demand. This meant that at least one of them would have to stay behind with Byakuya.
Byakuya glanced at the pile of valuables, nodded, and gestured for the salamander to swallow everything. Then, he tossed an antidote to Shisui.
Shisui took one pill himself to ensure its safety before distributing the rest to his comrades.
After they had all taken the antidote, Byakuya said calmly, "Shisui will stay behind. The rest of the Uchiha can leave."
"Why should Shisui stay?" Tetsuka frowned.
Before Byakuya could respond, Shisui volunteered, "I will stay. You all must hurry to the front lines to support the village. As long as you gather enough money, I'll be fine."
Hearing this, the Uchiha exchanged glances. The Uchiha never abandon their own, but their weapons had been confiscated, and the chance of overpowering Byakuya was slim. It seemed their only option was to temporarily leave and seek support on the front lines.
After a silent exchange of looks, Tetsuka and the others reluctantly departed.
Now, in the vast clearing, only Byakuya and Shisui remained.