After listening to Kisame's report, Yusuke instructed him to await further orders.
Rumors had already begun to circulate in the Leaf Village.
'Excellent. This is precisely as I had anticipated.' Yusuke thought.
The true catalyst was Kisame's placement of a Sarutobi clan member's body at the gates of the Leaf Village.
It marked the commencement of his plan.
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Konoha, village gates.
"Outrageous! This is absolutely preposterous!"
A security line has been established, and all civilians in the surrounding area have been evacuated. Only a group of elite ninja and ANBU, led by the Third Hokage, remain.
"It's confirmed, Lord Hokage. The body belongs to a member of our Sarutobi clan. Based on our examination, they've been dead for less than ten hours." An ANBU member from the Sarutobi clan approached Hiruzen, reporting the autopsy results.
Hiruzen's face turned ashen. Beside him, Minato Namikaze's expression was equally grim. Neither had imagined Yusuke would go to such extremes.
"Villagers discovered the body at dawn this morning." The ANBU ninja said in a low voice, "The message left on the attached note has also been seen by civilians. I'm afraid…"
Hiruzen glared angrily at the note presented to him.
"A week has elapsed, and it appears the Third Hokage has not acquiesced to the previously stated conditions. Commencing today, a new casualty will be discovered within the Leaf Village on a daily basis. The Sarutobi clan has suffered the first loss. One can only speculate which clan will be affected next."
"— Yusuke Kamizuki."
The Third Hokage crumpled the note in his hand, seething with anger. Never before had Konoha faced such humiliation — this was a direct affront to his authority!
"Minato, lead the ANBU and gather all civilians who know about the note's message." Hiruzen said in a hushed tone after a moment's consideration, "Then, send them to the Interrogation Division. Don't worry, it's just for a mild warning. After all, we should suppress the note's contents as much as possible, shouldn't we?"
Minato clenched his jaw, ashamed at the thought of taking action against his own village's civilians. Yet, at this moment, no better options presented themselves. They had no choice but to proceed.
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Kirigakure.
Yusuke was comfortably lying on the sofa, listening to the constant influx of sistem messages in his ears.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained: 2,000 Villain Points ]
[ Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained: 1,000 Villain Points ]
[ Ding! Congratulations, host... ]
Obviously, at this point, things have started to ferment continuously.
He began to look forward to Konoha's response.
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Konohagakure: The Hyūga Clan
A solemn atmosphere hangs over the compound.
The Hyūga clan faces both external threats and internal strife. Externally, the Third Shinobi World War looms. Internally, tensions simmer over the Caged Bird Curse Mark and the discord between the Main and Branch families.
"Clan Head... how should we address this situation?"
In the council hall, several core elders of the Hyūga clan sit with faces etched in concern. At the head is Hiashi Hyūga, the clan leader.
Hiashi's face mirrors their worry. For a week now, these powerful clans have had access to information beyond the reach of ordinary civilians.
Take, for instance, the large-scale battle a week ago. Konoha suffered a crushing defeat, with Kirigakure capturing numerous ninjas and making them war prisoners.
Among the captured ninja were members of the Hyūga clan, including those from both the Main and Branch families.
All these people are now in Kirigakure's hands. Had they died in battle, it would have been one thing, but Hiashi never imagined Yusuke would make such a move.
This move can only be described as extremely ruthless.
"Wait!"
After a long while, that was all Hiashi Hyūga could say. At the moment, they had no other options.
"Lord Hiashi! How can this be acceptable?" An elder on the Hyūga clan's council frowned, "Who can guarantee that the body Kirigakure sends over tomorrow won't be one of our Hyūga clan members? Moreover, since this incident came to light, the Branch family members in our clan have become even more dissatisfied with the family."
"Then what can we do?" Hiashi's brow furrowed deeply. "You all know Yusuke Kamizuki's demands. He wants to propose marriage to Kushina Uzumaki. She's Minato Namikaze's lover. And she's also..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone present understood perfectly.
She's also the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
"That's why I said Yusuke's strategy is truly vicious! If this continues, our clans within Konoha will lose all unity!" Hiashi's expression was filled with gravity. He too wanted to save his clan members, but how could he do it?
Lead the entire clan to directly attack Kirigakure? That would be a one-way trip.
Kiri's current fighting strength is formidable! The Fourth Mizukage Yagura is also the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. Add to that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist with their Kage-level strength. Moreover, there's the powerful Yusuke Kamizuki and their ANBU.
How could they possibly fight against all that?
Besides, even if they did launch a full-scale invasion, what about the Iwagakure {Hidden Rock Village} and Sunagakure {Hidden Sand Village}? They've been eyeing the Land of Fire like a fat sheep for a long time.
Meanwhile, other clans in Konoha, such as the Nara and Yamanaka, are equally concerned about this situation. Despite Hiruzen Sarutobi's directive to Minato Namikaze to suppress the rumors, they continue to spread like wildfire.
At the Ninja Academy, a red-haired woman conceals herself at the back of the classroom. In the office nearby, instructor ninja engage in heated discussions about the latest rumor.
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