The cold wind passed through the forest as broken leaves scattered across the ground.
The smell of blood still lingered in the air from the battle.
"Am I wrong, Sarutobi Shinnosuke?" Toyoma said as he looked at the grim face of Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Shinnosuke's body trembled slightly.
Veins bulged near his neck as he struggled to control his anger.
Toyoma's words felt much sharper than any kunai or blade.
"You son of a bi*ch!" Shinnosuke shouted as he tightly clutched the kunai in his hand and flickered toward Toyoma.
At this point, Toyoma had not only insulted him but also his whole clan.
And his words didn't even contain a shred of respect toward his father.
Listening to Toyoma insulting his father in front of him was not something he could tolerate.
Toyoma calmly looked at Shinnosuke rushing toward him without a clear mind as anger clouded his thoughts.
Blink.
Toyoma disappeared.
Tomiko suddenly appeared in his place.
Her eyes widened.
Tomiko, who had suddenly appeared in front of Shinnosuke, felt something pierce through her left shoulder.
"Shi... no..."
A sharp pain spread through her body.
Blood came out of her mouth and fell onto the ground below.
For a moment—
Everything became silent.
Shinnosuke froze.
His eyes widened as he looked at the kunai piercing Tomiko's shoulder.
His hand trembled slightly.
"Tomiko...?"
Tomiko's breathing became uneven as she held onto his arm weakly.
"Tomiko! Tomiko!"
Shinnosuke hurriedly pulled the kunai out.
Fresh blood splashed onto his hand.
Tomiko stumbled back while holding her bleeding shoulder tightly.
Then suddenly—
Shinnosuke turned toward Toyoma again.
His face twisted with rage.
"You coward! If you have guts, just stay still!"
Toyoma looked at him and smiled faintly.
"Does anything written on my head? Why would I let you attack me?"
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or is this also a hereditary idiocy of the Sarutobi clan? Thinking the enemy will just stand in front of you like a target when you attack?"
Suki and Genzo snickered after hearing this.
"Tch tch, that's not how a person fights."
Suki clicked his tongue while shaking his head.
Meanwhile, Shinnosuke growled as he stared at Toyoma like a wounded beast.
Tomiko also looked at Toyoma with anger while holding her bleeding shoulder.
At this moment, Genzo and Raizen moved.
The dry leaves under their feet crunched softly as both of them stepped forward and forced Shinnosuke down onto the ground before he could attack again.
"Now just stand down, Sarutobi. If you lose any limb, don't complain afterwards."
Raizen said coldly before looking toward Toyoma.
"What should we do with him?"
Toyoma stayed silent for a moment.
The wind brushed past his clothes as he looked toward the distant battlefield.
"You and Uncle Genzo should stay here while Sister Suki and I go help Might Senior."
Just as Toyoma said this, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Uchiha boy, don't you think what you're doing is wrong?"
The forest became quiet for a moment.
Toyoma turned toward the voice and saw Jiraiya arriving through the trees along with Might Duy and three genin kids.
Toyoma's eyes paused on one of them.
It was Might Guy, who was carrying his father on his back.
Guy's breathing was rough.
Meanwhile, Duy's condition looked much worse.
His face had turned pale.
Even his legs and hands were trembling weakly.
The battle had clearly pushed his body to its limit.
Toyoma silently looked at Suki and gave her a nod.
Without wasting time, Suki immediately went near Might Duy, took out a healing pill, and started checking his condition carefully.
Jiraiya noticed this and was relieved a little.
But the smile quickly faded when his gaze shifted toward Shinnosuke, then toward Tomiko's bleeding shoulder.
The atmosphere became heavy again.
"You should know that ANBU are the people who hold the highest authority in the village, and you are holding them hostage here."
Jiraiya's tone became harder.
"And even attacking them?"
His sharp eyes locked onto Toyoma.
Toyoma looked at Jiraiya calmly before smiling faintly.
"I am just holding some deserter shinobi here so that one more person doesn't become a Hokage and elder in the same manner."
The moment those words left his mouth—
The air around them seemed to freeze.
Even Jiraiya's expression darkened slightly.
Then Toyoma looked toward Shinnosuke.
"Otherwise, it will become a criterion for the village. If you want to become Hokage, you just have to run away from battle."
Jiraiya stared at Toyoma with a grim face.
"Kid, do you know what the position of Hokage represents to Konoha? And you're making fun of it."
Toyoma heard this and laughed quietly.
"Are you really asking me what the position of Hokage represents to the village?"
Toyoma asked as he looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes.
For the first time since arriving—
Jiraiya looked slightly caught off guard.
"Tell me something, Sannin Jiraiya... how did the term Hokage come into existence? Do you know about it?"
Toyoma asked calmly.
The wind passed through the trees softly.
But Jiraiya remained silent.
Toyoma's eyes narrowed slightly.
"When you don't even know about it, then you had better keep your mouth shut in this matter."
His voice wasn't loud.
But the pressure behind the words was clear.
"Instead, focus your attention on why I am holding these traitors here."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Even the sound of the forest seemed distant.
Shinnosuke looked between Jiraiya and Toyoma.
Then suddenly—
"Ask what?!"
His furious voice broke the silence.
"Ask how you, Uchiha, killed an ANBU member who was going to call for reinforcements!"
Then he looked at Jiraiya desperately.
"Jiraiya! These bastards just killed an ANBU member and also tried to kill us. They are in cahoots with the Mist!"
Shinnosuke shouted furiously.
"Apprehend these bastards!"
At this moment, hope finally appeared in Shinnosuke's eyes.
With Jiraiya here—
He believed the situation could still turn around.
And with the current situation, he could even accuse the Uchiha of being traitors.
Suki, Raizen, and Genzo, who heard Shinnosuke completely change the entire sequence of events and falsely accuse them, looked at him in disbelief.
Even they had not expected such shamelessness from him.
Nearby, Jiraiya frowned slightly after hearing Shinnosuke's accusations.
At first, confusion appeared in his eyes.
But the moment his gaze landed on the dead ANBU shinobi lying near the broken trees—
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"The tension between the Uchiha and the village is known to all, but that doesn't mean you people can attack your own village shinobi."
Jiraiya shouted as he looked toward Raizen and the others.
Toyoma also looked toward Shinnosuke after hearing this.
His expression remained calm.
"You killed this teammate of yours so that no one would know about your cowardice. The only living people in your team are the Sarutobi guy and your woman, if I guess correctly... and now you're accusing us Uchiha?"
Toyoma said as he slowly started walking toward Shinnosuke.
Dry leaves crunched softly beneath his feet.
The pressure in the surroundings instantly became heavier.
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened the moment he saw Toyoma's hand resting near his sword.
Without hesitation—
He used Body Flicker and appeared directly in front of Shinnosuke.
Protecting him.
Jiraiya carefully looked at Toyoma.
From Toyoma's words alone, he could already tell that something about the situation did not match Shinnosuke's story.
Which was exactly why he didn't attack the Uchiha immediately.
At this moment, Might Duy, who was still being treated by Suki, also looked toward Shinnosuke with a slightly questioning expression.
He still remembered the ANBU captain disappearing shortly after giving orders during the battle.
Suki suddenly stood up.
Anger flashed across her face.
"You bastard! You're really a hypocrite, just like your father, always changing your face!"
She shouted while glaring at Shinnosuke.
Even Raizen and Genzo tightened their grip on their swords.
Jiraiya slowly raised his hand.
"Listen here, everyone. It would be best if we talked this out rather than fighting. The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist may have retreated, but not been defeated."
But Raizen, Genzo, and Suki paid no attention to his words.
Their eyes remained fixed on Shinnosuke while their hands stayed on the hilts of their swords.
Meanwhile, Toyoma's eyes narrowed slightly after hearing Jiraiya mention the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
A strange feeling rose inside him.
Weren't only three of the Seven Swordsmen supposed to survive?
Then why did they all retreat?
Something was not right.
Toyoma's gaze slowly shifted toward Might Duy.
Then realisation flashed through his mind.
'So he didn't open all Eight Gates...'
Toyoma fell silent for a moment.
"The butterfly effect..."
He muttered quietly.
Then he looked back toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya Sannin, even if he is your teacher's son, he is still a deserter who abandoned his people to save his own life while his father preached that missions are everything."
Toyoma said calmly.
The wind moved through the trees softly as silence spread once again.
"Do you think he deserves to live? And look at the audacity of him. He accuses us, Uchiha, who were fighting against the Mist, of being traitors."
Toyoma's eyes stayed fixed on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya remained silent for a few seconds.
Then slowly—
His eyes shifted toward Shinnosuke.
Frustration appeared on his face.
'Shinnosuke... why did you have to falsely accuse them?'
Jiraiya thought to himself while looking at him silently.
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AUTHOR NOTE :
This chapter was less about fighting and more about pressure.
A battlefield doesn't only leave behind corpses — it also leaves behind fear, anger, blame, and people trying to protect their own name.
Toyoma and Shinnosuke are both fighting here, but not with swords alone. One is trying to expose the truth, while the other is trying to control the story before it spreads back to the village.
Jiraiya's arrival also changes the situation completely. Things are no longer just personal now — they are political.
And yes... some words hurt more than blades.
Thank you for reading.
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