Chapter Fifty-Four: A Battle of Words

"Uchiha Li, mind your attitude!" Hearing this, Homura Mitokado turned to look at Uchiha Li, who had broken the silence, his expression tinged with dissatisfaction.

As one of the village’s advisors, people usually greeted them with utmost respect. Yet Uchiha Li was openly mocking them now, showing not the slightest courtesy. As one of the village’s authorities, this was utterly intolerable; he had to issue a warning.

On Uchiha Li’s side, seeing everyone’s gaze focused on him, the derision on his face did not fade.

"What have I done? I’m merely speaking the truth. Aren’t you all preparing to ‘beg forgiveness’ from the Hidden Cloud?" He deliberately emphasized those last two words, reminding everyone present.

"Are all Uchiha as arrogant as you? Since when does a youngster like you have the right to meddle in village affairs?" Koharu Utatane tried to brand Uchiha Li with the label of arrogance.

Yet since Uchiha Li had chosen to speak, he would not be cowed by these two.

He stepped forward, emerging from the crowd, and retorted, "You’re in no position to judge what I am, nor to define the Uchiha. Besides, this village belongs to all of us—when did I lose the right to make suggestions?"

"At least I contributed greatly on the front lines. What have you two advisors done for the village?"

"Don’t say you managed village affairs. Unless someone is utterly incompetent, anyone can learn and manage those tasks."

For a moment, everyone forgot about the destroyed Hokage Rock nearby, all staring at Uchiha Li in disbelief.

No one expected him to show such disrespect to the village’s two chief advisors.

Koharu and Homura’s faces shifted between pale and flushed as they listened to Uchiha Li’s barrage of questions. They wanted to retort, but his words were riddled with traps, making it difficult to respond.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at Uchiha Li with a complicated expression, knowing he had to intervene or risk the situation spiraling out of control under Uchiha Li’s provocation.

He took a deep breath and spoke, “Li, the advisors meant no offense. As a member of the village, you certainly have the right to speak.”

He paused, then continued, “But the village’s situation is dire; some matters must be considered with utmost caution.”

“Considered with caution?” Uchiha Li snorted coldly. “I see you’re ready to grovel outwardly while wielding a heavy hand within.”

Without pause, he pressed on, “The Hidden Cloud just signed an agreement with us, then committed these acts. Are the Uchiha and Hyuga supposed to accept such humiliation?”

“The Hokage Rock, symbolizing the village, was destroyed, and your statue has utterly vanished. Can you tolerate that?”

Hearing his words, everyone instinctively swallowed. If snubbing the advisors was one thing, now he was addressing the Third Hokage himself, who had governed Konoha for decades.

For most present, their lives in the village were spent under the Third’s rule. Even when the Fourth Hokage took office, the Third remained the true authority.

Yet Uchiha Li gave him no respect, speaking these bold words.

The Third Hokage himself was caught off guard, his eyes narrowing and his smile vanishing.

He’d known from their last meeting in the Hokage office that Uchiha Li would be difficult to handle. Not only was he powerful, but his words always invoked the village’s greater good.

As the one in power, Sarutobi had to uphold those ideals, or the title of Hokage would mean nothing.

Seeing the Third remain silent, Uchiha Li pressed on, refusing to stop.

"The Hidden Cloud seems to have signed a peace agreement with us, but are they truly sincere about peace?"

"Why did Kamui dare to steal the Byakugan, and after seizing the Sharingan, set fire and now destroy the Hokage Rock?"

"In my view, they don’t regard us at all. They anticipated the village would compromise, hence their brazenness."

"If we continue to yield, they’ll only become more reckless."

Finishing, he gestured for the Third and the advisors to respond.

He had spoken deliberately; this confrontation was part of his plan.

Now, as more villagers awakened by the blast gathered at the Hokage building, he sought to expose the weakness of the Third and the advisors, undermining their prestige.

Moreover, Uchiha Fugaku had repeatedly demanded severe punishment for the Hidden Cloud, only to be rebuffed, surely stirring resentment and dissatisfaction among many.

The police force members, unable to see justice done, were already on the brink of erupting in anger. Now, with Uchiha Li’s challenge, they felt invigorated, gazing at him with admiration and respect.

And then there were the Hyuga.

Hyuga Hiashi, ever since appearing, wore a frozen expression, proving that before the arrival of the Uchiha, his situation had been far from favorable, perhaps even forced to compromise.

But now, Uchiha Li had vented Hiashi’s grievances. With this bond, future relations between Uchiha and Hyuga would proceed more smoothly.

After a moment, under everyone’s gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen regained his composure and spoke slowly.

"Li, I know you and the Uchiha are dissatisfied with the way the village is handling this."

"That’s only natural; your demands are not wrong."

"But this world is not black and white; we cannot view everything in isolation."

"The Hidden Cloud now has an ambitious Raikage, with two Jinchuriki at his side."

"If we recklessly start a war, we lack the power to match theirs. That would bring massive casualties to the village."

"What would we do then?"

His words were not only for Uchiha Li, but also to provoke thought among the assembled crowd.

Uchiha Li sighed inwardly, recognizing the hidden trap in the Third’s words.

The Third highlighted the Hidden Cloud’s strength, framing this as Uchiha and his own dissatisfaction with compromise.

If war broke out and things went well, all would be fine. But if not, the Uchiha would be blamed as the cause.

A war that couldn’t be won—yet the Uchiha insisted on fighting—would leave the village devastated. Who would bear responsibility for the consequences? The Uchiha.

Perhaps the Third merely wanted to use this reasoning to pressure the Uchiha into backing down, not truly intending such an outcome.

But Uchiha Li could not afford to be careless. He immediately retorted, “Acting Hokage, I cannot agree with your words.”

Turning to point at the police force behind him, he continued, “Though the Uchiha are furious at the humiliation our clan has suffered, we did not act rashly, but came here precisely because we trust the village to resolve this.”

He shook his head, adding, “But your compromise is too disheartening. Now I have only one question.”

“What is it?” Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, his heart sinking.

“This time, you ask the Uchiha and Hyuga to compromise for peace. Next time, if the Hidden Cloud demands that other clans yield, will you still give way?”

Before the Third could answer, Uchiha Li pressed on, his words loaded with meaning.

“And if the Hidden Cloud demands that you personally compromise—say, if only your death could secure peace—would you agree and send your corpse over?”