Since the war began, the Moderate Faction Clan Members under him have lost over forty people, all of whom were veterans who had followed him for years.
Nearly thirty of his most trusted confidants have died in battle, and even his most capable deputy had his chest pierced by the Hidden Mist's Ice Release during yesterday's charge.
The branch Family of the Hyuga Clan suffered even more devastating casualties, with the death toll exceeding a hundred; the remains of the Byakugan were discarded haphazardly on the battlefield, a shocking sight to behold.
Not to mention the two thousand civilian Ninja, whose casualties have exceeded seven hundred; the survivors all bear looks of terror, their morale having hit rock bottom.
The defensive line was already riddled with holes; the Hidden Mist's Kekkei Genkai Ninja charged in waves like hungry wolves, taking a life with every assault.
Fugaku had sent messages back to the Village over a dozen times, ranging from initial earnest pleas for reinforcements to later angry interrogations, and finally to bitter begging. Yet, Uchiha Setsuna's reply was always the same—"Following the Clan Chief's instructions before his departure, the Konoha Military Police Force must protect the Village to guard against the tactic of luring the tiger away from the mountain. Without a direct order from Hokage-sama, we must never leave our posts."
"A direct order? How could that old fox Hiruzen Sarutobi possibly issue a direct order!" Fugaku slammed his fist onto the ground, splashing mud mixed with blood onto his face. "He just wants to watch us all die! To watch the Uchiha completely decline!"
His voice was filled with despair and resentment; the "moderate compromise" he had upheld his entire life had ultimately become a tool for the Konoha High Command to wear down the Uchiha.
Meanwhile, in the office of the Hokage Building, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it could drip water.
Hiruzen Sarutobi paced back and forth, his tobacco pipe creaking under his grip, his face as grim as iron.
Mitokado Homura sat to the side, her chest heaving violently, letting out a sharp curse from time to time.
Homura Mitokado's brow was furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the desk, his eyes darting in panic.
Danzo's single eye was terrifyingly cold, his hands beneath the black cloak clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles turning white.
"Wear them down, yes, but we cannot truly let the Hidden Mist break through the defensive line!" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stopped, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremor. "Once the Land of Fire's mainland is plundered, the Daimyo will certainly hold us accountable. If next year's military budget is cut, how will we compete against the other three nations?!"
This was exactly what they were most worried about—wanting to use the Hidden Mist to weaken the Uchiha, but fearing they would lose control, causing the defense to collapse and bringing disaster upon themselves.
Pushed to the brink, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Yakushi seven times in a row, but the results left him fuming with rage.
Uchiha Yakushi himself was nearly fainting from anger at Setsuna; the remaining fifty or so Ninja of the Moderate Faction were mostly children under sixteen. Forget supporting the front lines; whether they could protect themselves was a question. He simply had no manpower to offer.
As for Uchiha Setsuna, he either claimed illness or sent a subordinate to deliver a message every time. The core message was always the same—"If you want me to deploy troops, Hokage-sama must announce the crisis on the Hidden Mist battlefield to the entire Village and explicitly order the Konoha Military Police Force to provide support, while also mobilizing Ninja from other clans to assist in defending the Village. Otherwise, for the sake of Konoha's Foundation, I'm afraid I cannot comply."
"He's blackmailing us!" Utatane Koharu shrieked. "An Uchiha Elder dares to blackmail the Hokage! He's revolting!"
A ruthless glint flashed in Danzo's single eye: "Have the Root Organization take action directly. Secretly smear him for conspiring with the Hidden Mist, and then take the opportunity to seize him!"
"No!" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately refused. "Setsuna has over three hundred Radical Faction Ninja under him. The Village's forces are thin right now. If we push him to rebel and he charges straight for the Hokage Building, what then?"
He knew all too well that the current Uchiha Clan Compound was no longer something Yakushi could keep in check. Setsuna's slacking seemed passive, but in reality, he held the initiative.
But they didn't expect that Setsuna had already anticipated their moves.
The day before Danzo was prepared to send people to smear him, the Uchiha Clan Compound was suddenly covered in notices. Written in bold characters, they read: "Spies from the Four Nations are frequently infiltrating Konoha, and enemy Ninja are eyeing our internal defenses! Hokage-sama sits at the center to protect the entire Village; the Uchiha Clan is willing to follow the Hokage's example, firmly guarding the Foundation of the Clan Compound, and will never allow the tactic of luring the tiger away from the mountain to succeed!"
Once the notices were posted, the entire Village was in an uproar.
The civilians praised the Uchiha for their responsibility and cursed the other clans for only looking out for themselves.
The various clans didn't dare say much either—after all, Hokage-sama indeed hadn't issued a support order, and Setsuna's actions seemed beyond reproach.
"Pfft—" The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the notice, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. His vision went dark, and he almost fainted on the spot.
Utatane Koharu trembled with rage, pointing toward the Uchiha Clan Compound, unable to say a full sentence for a long time.
Homura Mitokado's face turned pale as he slumped into his chair, muttering, "This... how is he turning the tables like this?"
Danzo's single eye nearly popped out, his sinister expression twisting hideously. He cursed through gritted teeth, "What an Uchiha Setsuna! What a way to twist the truth!"
No one was more devastated than Uchiha Yakushi.
He was already fuming at Setsuna, and after seeing this move, he charged straight to Setsuna's courtyard with a ninja sword. He stood outside the vermilion gate and cursed loudly, from sunrise to sunset, and from sunset to sunrise. He cursed for two full days and nights until his voice went hoarse. He even brought a small stool to sit at the door, adopting a "if you don't come out, I won't leave" stance.
"Uchiha Setsuna! You shameless scoundrel! You coward! Do you have no shame?!" His voice was hoarse and dry, yet it still carried an unyielding fury. "Our Clan Members are bleeding on the front lines! Yet you're here putting on a self-directed show! Are you worthy of the Uchiha ancestors?!"
But inside the courtyard, Uchiha Setsuna acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
He continued to drink tea and play chess under the grape trellis as usual, occasionally humming a little tune, living a leisurely and comfortable life.
When a subordinate reported that "Elder Yakushi is still cursing at the door," he only gave a faint smile: "Let him curse. He'll leave naturally once he's tired."
In any case, he simply wouldn't go out, wouldn't take the bait, and wouldn't compromise.
Either Hiruzen Sarutobi would bow his head, issue a direct order, announce it to the whole Village, and send reinforcements to cooperate; or he would keep slacking off, guarding the Clan Compound to "show loyalty to Konoha."
As for Fugaku on the front lines and the crisis in Konoha, those weren't things he needed to consider—after all, this was all part of Lord Shine's plan, and he only needed to follow it.
The fire on the Hidden Mist front lines continued, with Fugaku's roars and the Clan Members' wails intertwined.
The arguments in the Hokage Building never ceased, as the anxiety and helplessness of the Konoha High Command spread.
Outside the gate of the Uchiha Clan Compound, Yakushi's cursing gradually weakened, while inside the courtyard, Setsuna held his teacup, enjoying the "farce" outside with a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
In this game, whoever compromises first loses. And the Uchiha had clearly seized the initiative...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808