No one laughed.
That was what unsettled the crowd the most.
The square remained frozen in the aftermath of Toyoma's words—not in outrage, not in chaos, but in a heavy, suffocating stillness that refused to break.
Villagers stood rooted to the ground, eyes darting between clan heads, shinobi, and the Hokage himself, as if waiting for reality to correct what they had just heard.
It did not.
Parents slowly pulled their children back.
Merchants shut their mouths mid-whisper.
Even the shinobi loosened their stances—not because the danger had passed, but because no one knew who the danger truly was anymore.
The Uchiha did not advance.
They did not retreat.
They simply watched.
Jiraiya stood motionless, his earlier anger drained away, replaced by something unfamiliar.
His gaze lingered on the boy at the centre of it all—not with hostility, but with unease.
That last sentence…
For the first time, Hiruzen Sarutobi failed to contain his anger.
He did not understand what Toyoma truly meant.
He did not know whether the boy was mocking him—or something far worse.
"What kind of utter nonsense are you spouting, boy?" the Third Hokage snapped.
The words came out sharper than he intended.
"Marrying Tsunade?" he continued, his voice tightening. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Toyoma turned his gaze toward him.
"What I am saying," Toyoma replied calmly, "is practical. Logical."
His eyes did not waver.
"Can't you understand it, Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the crowd.
Jiraiya stepped forward instantly, anger flaring.
"That's enough," he said, glaring at Toyoma.
"Boy, do you know what respecting an elder means? You should address him as Third Hokage-sama."
He turned slightly toward Hiruzen, then back to Toyoma.
"And stop spouting nonsense."
Everyone knew it.
Everyone in Konoha knew that Jiraiya had loved Tsunade since childhood.
And now this boy was casually suggesting marriage—to the Third Hokage himself.
The thought alone made Jiraiya's mood worsen.
Toyoma looked at him.
Then spoke again.
"Well, Jiraiya-sannin," Toyoma said evenly, "I know you like Tsunade-sannin."
Jiraiya stiffened.
"But think about this," Toyoma continued.
"Tsunade-sannin is the granddaughter of the First Hokage. If you marry her, you would gain enormous influence."
His voice remained disturbingly calm.
"And that influence would put you directly in the way of powerful people who have ruled this village for decades."
Toyoma tilted his head slightly.
"There would be a very real chance of you being killed."
The crowd froze.
"Just like her last lover," Toyoma added quietly.
"Kato Dan."
Jiraiya stared at him.
Not in anger.
In shock.
For a moment, the boy in front of him no longer felt human.
The village higher-ups understood it now.
What Toyoma was doing.
Hiruzen's expression darkened further.
"Hey—Uchiha brat—"
"No, no," Toyoma interrupted politely, raising a hand. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, I have a better idea."
The interruption itself was a crime.
"If marrying Tsunade yourself is too direct," Toyoma continued, "then why not let your son marry her?"
The silence became suffocating.
"In this way," Toyoma said calmly, "these foolish villagers of Konoha won't question you. Instead, they'll praise you."
He smiled faintly.
"Look at our great Hokage-sama," he mimicked quietly. "He married his son to Tsunade-sannin."
Toyoma's eyes sharpened.
"You won't have to worry about killing her husband for standing in the way of power."
The words landed like a blade.
"And the Sarutobi clan," he finished, "will turn Konoha into a Sarutobi village."
"Just imagine it."
Fear crept across the faces of the clan heads.
The villagers felt it too—an ugly, crawling outrage mixed with dread.
Grand Elder Setsuna stared at Toyoma with awe.
No approval.
Awe.
At how a mind so young think in such a direction?
Jiraiya's face had gone pale.
For the first time, he did not imagine the boy being punished.
He imagined the consequences if the boy were ignored.
Minato stood silently.
His mind was blank—but his expression said enough.
Whatever happened next…
Would become a black mark on the Sarutobi name.
The Third Hokage's face twisted with fury as he stared at Toyoma.
Ugly.
Unrestrained.
"You… you—" Hiruzen began, but the words failed him.
For the first time in his life, he had no answer.
Because he could not escape it.
This boy had just marked him—not as a flawed leader—but as an enemy in the eyes of the entire village.
Hiruzen saw it clearly now.
The fearful looks of the clan heads.
The hesitation.
The doubt.
Homura stepped forward quickly, gripping Hiruzen's shoulder in support.
Hiruzen forced himself to breathe and turned toward the gathered clans.
"Don't believe this bastard's nonsense," he said harshly.
Koharu snapped next, unable to contain her rage.
"You bastard," she shouted at Toyoma. "Stop spouting fabricated stories here!"
Toyoma looked at them.
And smiled.
"I am simply giving you the best way," he said calmly, "to remain in power for a long time."
His tone was almost helpful.
"So that you don't have to keep conspiring to stay in power," he continued, "and killing the village's strong men out of fear."
The words landed like poison.
Shikaku Nara pressed his fingers against his temple, his head beginning to ache as he processed the situation.
Too many implications.
Too many directions.
Too little room to manoeuvre.
Finally, he spoke.
"Toyoma," Shikaku said carefully, "we are not here to discuss hypothetical futures."
The crowd stilled.
"Tell us," he continued, "how your clan wants to end this situation."
All eyes turned.
Toward Shikaku.
Toward Toyoma.
The Hyūga clan head stepped forward, his gaze sharp.
"Uchiha Toyoma," he said, "tell us what your clan wants. Stop pushing the situation into further chaos."
Another clan head nodded.
"The village is already at war," the Kurama clan head added. "We don't want further unrest inside Konoha."
Jiraiya spoke as well, his voice strained.
"This has gone far enough," he said. "Let's end this properly."
The village's higher-ups said nothing.
They had learned their lesson.
Every time they spoke, Toyoma replied—and every reply cut deeper than the last.
So they waited.
Toyoma looked at Shikaku.
Then at Jiraiya.
Then slowly, at the gathered clans.
And finally—
He spoke.
"Well," Toyoma said calmly, "what I originally wanted… was to have the person who ordered the Root shinobi to infiltrate and attack the Uchiha clan executed."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Danzo's face twisted.
Fear flashed through his single eye, immediately followed by anger.
"But," Toyoma continued, "I know that man has too much support."
His gaze swept across the assembled clan heads.
"And I know all of you," he added quietly, "do not dare to punish him."
The crowd stiffened.
"Even if he asked for your son," Toyoma said.
"Your daughter."
"Or even your wife."
His voice remained level.
"If he demanded them for Root," Toyoma went on, "and told you to sacrifice just a little for the village—"
The faces of the clan heads darkened.
Because he had struck something real.
Something they had all lived with.
"So," Toyoma said, "I changed what I wanted."
He straightened slightly.
"I want to end this village-versus-Uchiha narrative once and for all."
A pause.
"If not for the entire clan," he added, "then at least for my Grand Elder's faction."
His eyes shifted—to Hiruzen.
Then to Koharu.
Then to Homura.
"So that the people in power," Toyoma said evenly, "cannot keep finding new ways to conspire against the Uchiha."
Silence pressed down on the square.
Danzo and Hiruzen stared straight at Toyoma.
Not in shock.
Not in confusion.
But with absolute clarity.
In that moment, both men reached the same conclusion.
This boy—
Was now their worst enemy.
Toyoma met their gaze.
Unblinking.
Unafraid.
And for the first time that day, the balance of fear had shifted.
Hiruzen looked directly at Toyoma.
He forced his breathing to steady.
"And how," the Third Hokage asked slowly, "do you intend to do that?"
The tension between them became visible—thick, suffocating. Two wills pressing against each other in the open view of the village.
Toyoma smiled.
It was small.
Calm.
Certain.
"Simple," Toyoma said.
"From this day onward, my Uchiha clan will no longer be Konoha shinobi."
The words had barely settled—
When he continued.
"We will be known as the merchants of the Fire Nation."
For a heartbeat—
The world stopped.
Shock rippled outward like a wave.
Uchiha shinobi froze.
Clan heads stared.
Villagers gasped aloud.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What did you just say…?" someone whispered.
The Uchiha erupted.
"What do you mean by that, Toyoma?!"
"Are you insane?!"
"Why would we abandon being shinobi?!"
"We are Uchiha—how can you say something like that?!"
Voices overlapped, anger, fear, and disbelief crashing together.
Grand Elder Setsuna stepped forward, stunned.
"What do you mean by this, Toyoma?" he demanded.
"We are shinobi. We have a long heritage drenched in blood and sacrifice."
His gaze hardened.
"Why would we stop being shinobi… and become merchants?"
Toyoma did not flinch.
He waited.
Until the shouting died down just enough for his voice to be heard.
And then—
He answered.
*************
From today onward, chapters will be released at this fixed time each day instead of irregular hours.This helps me write with full focus rather than rushing between schedules.
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