You Make the First Move, I’ll Make the Fifteenth

As everyone knew, ever since Duke had forcibly taken the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from the Hokage’s Office three years ago and humiliated the four higher-ups, he had not been particularly welcome in Konoha.

A Jinchuriki was a village’s nuclear weapon. In his previous life, even the suitcase containing the nuclear launch codes was kept close to the president. Duke had relied on his overwhelming strength to threaten the four higher-ups and seize their nuclear weapon. No matter how many reasons he had, they could not cover up the accusation that he had defied law and order.

Duke had gained savior-level prestige during Nine-Tails’ Night, but it had gradually been worn away over the course of three years. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other three could hardly be blamed for being petty. They had already given him the Jinchuriki; if they also gave him extraordinary prestige, then should he ride that momentum to the top and become Hokage, who could stop him?

So while Duke was quite famous outside the village, he was nothing special within Konoha. Since he rarely showed himself, the attention he received had steadily dwindled.

In Konoha’s propaganda, sealing the Nine-Tails was entirely the Fourth Hokage and his wife’s achievement. Duke was never mentioned. Many ninja students had grown up being indoctrinated this way, holding the deceased Fourth Hokage in the highest regard, while having never even heard of Duke.

Influenced by the village, even veteran ninja who had lived through Nine-Tails’ Night did not dare say much. It was like Naruto being the Nine-Tails’ incarnation—those old ninja knew perfectly well that Naruto was a Jinchuriki, not the Nine-Tails. But knowing was one thing. Ninja had to follow the rules. If they were not allowed to speak, they should not go around blabbing.

Now, Duke and Naruto were both marginalized figures. In another ten years, the new generation of ninja would probably not even know there had once been someone named Duke in the village.

This was also part of the deal between Duke and the village. He had not taken the Jinchuriki for free; the price he paid was his reputation. It was his compromise with the higher-ups, and he had blocked off his own Hokage Path.

That was also why Minato had willingly gone into hiding under an assumed identity. He truly had no way to repay the debt he owed his senior brother, and this enormous favor was beyond repayment.

Enough idle chatter. Over the past three years, Duke had never spoken in the Hokage’s Office. He had worked hard to play the role of an outsider, so his sudden words today startled the four higher-ups. They feared he was about to cause trouble again.

"What do you have to say?" In a ninja world that revered strength, power was everything, and the strong possessed privileges. Hiruzen Sarutobi was old and no longer capable of restraining Duke. He could only pray that Duke would not go too far.

"After Nine-Tails’ Night, the village and Kumogakure have been locked in a standoff for nearly three years. It is time for this war to end." As he spoke, Duke glanced at Hyuga Hiashi. Why had the Hyuga Clan been getting somewhat carried away lately? Wasn’t it because the Byakugan had repeatedly achieved outstanding results on the battlefield?

Besides the Hyuga Clan, the village’s other clans had also gained plenty of military merit. Of course, the most renowned was Uchiha Shisui, known as the "Body Flicker." The guy seemed to have cheats enabled as he swept across the battlefield, dazzling everyone. The title of strongest Uchiha resounded throughout the ninja world, winning the Uchiha back quite a bit of prestige.

Kumogakure was no exception. Several well-known powerhouses had risen there, and the A-B Combo in particular had been racking up achievements like crazy.

To put it bluntly, this war was just the two villages farming each other. It was not a life-and-death struggle, so the other three ninja villages merely watched from the sidelines without joining the excitement.

Three years had passed, and they could not farm any new tricks out of each other. After all, their stamina was limited; if they kept going, things might collapse. Thus, Kumogakure’s leader had sent an envoy to Konoha to sign a peace treaty.

"So you agree to Kumogakure’s harsh demands?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

"No. Peace built on sacrifice is destined to be short-lived. Besides, the Hyuga Clan is Konoha’s foremost clan. Sacrificing the Hyuga clan head would be no different from cutting off one of Konoha’s own arms. We absolutely cannot do something that pains our loved ones and delights our enemies." Duke spoke eloquently. His remark that the Hyuga Clan was Konoha’s foremost clan made Hiashi nod repeatedly in heartfelt agreement.

"Then what do you mean?" Shimura Danzō gave a sinister smile. "Are you saying that since the Hyūga branch family has the Caged Bird, the Hyuga clan head’s younger brother should be the sacrifice?"

Damn it! Is that how you dump the blame on someone?

Duke shot Shimura Danzō a fierce glare. So the old bastard had kept quiet earlier because he had already dug a pit for Duke to fall into.

Sure enough, Hiashi’s expression immediately darkened. The admiration in his gaze toward Duke turned cold. The Caged Bird was a unique curse technique used by the Hyūga Main Branch to control the branch family. On one hand, it limited the Byakugan’s abilities; on the other, it effectively prevented the Byakugan bloodline from falling into outsiders’ hands. Once a branch family member bearing the Caged Bird died, their Byakugan would be sealed, rendering their corpse useless even if enemies obtained it.

From the perspective of maximizing human happiness, sacrificing Hizashi, who looked exactly like Hiashi, was the best choice. But Hiashi would never agree. Brothers shared blood thicker than water; how could family bonds be divided?

"Assistant Danzo has misunderstood me. Brother Hizashi was once the captain of my team. How could I possibly harm him?" Duke said, glaring at Danzo again.

The weight lifted from Hiashi’s heart, and he too glared at Shimura Danzō.

"This won’t do, and that won’t do. Are you toying with us?" Danzo said in a strange, mocking tone. The old man had recently fused quite well with the First Hokage’s cells and had also selected a target for the Sharingan. With a trump card in hand, he naturally spoke with much greater confidence.

"You all seem to be so caught up in this that you have failed to see the situation clearly. Kumogakure demands that Konoha hand over the culprit because they think they have Konoha cornered." Duke gave a sly smile. "If we also have bargaining chips in our hands, would they still dare jump around like this?"

"What are you planning? Konoha needs to recuperate. We cannot rashly start another war!" Hiruzen Sarutobi tensed up, afraid Duke would rush into Kumogakure and wreak havoc. He believed that, with Duke’s strength, a day trip through Kumogakure would not be difficult. But if that happened, Konoha would become a target for all. Offending all four great nations over a Cloud Shinobi envoy leader was not worth it.

"The Cloud Shinobi are still camped at the Land of Fire’s border. There are plenty of important people on the front lines. Wouldn’t it be enough to capture any one of them?" Duke said as if it were only natural. You make the first move, and I’ll make the fifteenth. It all came down to who was the better player.

"This…" Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged looks with the two elders. Kumogakure had acted with ill intent first; it was indeed time to respond forcefully.

Shimura Danzō’s single eye gleamed as he remained silent. Duke’s approach suited his hardline style perfectly. Though he approved out of personal preference, he did not voice his support.

"Infiltrating the Cloud Shinobi camp and capturing an important figure alive is already an S-rank Mission. Then who do you think is best suited to carry it out?" Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, his meaning clear enough.

"The Hyuga Clan is willing to go. This matter began because of me, and there is no need to seek anyone else’s help." Hiashi gave Duke a grateful look and vowed to take the mission.

"The Byakugan is unmatched in the ninja world when it comes to reconnaissance, but the Hyuga Clan is considerably weaker at infiltration. Professional work should be left to professionals!" Duke pointed at Minato, who was pretending to be dead nearby. "Infiltration missions are about quality, not numbers. Kyo from the Anbu and I will be enough."

"Since you are so confident, this mission will be assigned to the two of you." Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Minato before looking away. From beginning to end, he had not recognized Minato’s identity. After all, Minato’s corpse was still frozen in the cemetery. Even with ten wild guesses, he could never have figured it out.

Early the next morning!

At Konoha’s gates, Duke and Minato, both traveling light, were about to leave the village when they encountered Hiashi and Hizashi. The two brothers seemed to have been waiting for some time; the dew on their clothes had not yet dried.

"My brother and I have no way to repay this kindness. The Hyuga Clan will remember it always. Should you ever have need of us brothers in the future, we will never refuse." The brothers opened with a ninety-degree bow.

"You are too courteous, Clan Head Hyuga. Captain Hizashi and I have known each other for many years. How could I stand by and do nothing?" Duke pounded his chest loudly, wearing the expression of a man who would go anywhere for righteousness, even if ten million stood in his way. The sight warmed both brothers’ hearts.

"Duke, I…" Hizashi knew that without Duke’s support, his personality would likely have driven him to volunteer for death. He opened his mouth to thank him.

Duke stopped him, then left the village directly with Minato and rushed toward the Cloud Shinobi front lines. To outsiders, this journey would likely seem difficult, but Duke knew the truth. With his and Minato’s strength, even bulldozing through the entire Cloud Shinobi front would be easy, let alone infiltrating it. They could treat it as an outing.

As Konoha grew more distant, Minato finally voiced the question in his heart. "Duke, this doesn’t seem like your style. Since when have you become so helpful?"

Others might not understand Duke, but Minato knew him very well. Aside from training and diligently visiting the laboratory, Duke was ordinarily so lazy that he made people worry. He never took anything to heart. This time, Duke had actively requested a mission, and Minato could not figure out what he was plotting.

"I just needed a reasonable excuse to leave the village. Over in the Land of Water, Kirigakure is brutally suppressing the bloodline clans. The newly appointed Fourth Mizukage is nearly exterminating every bloodline clan. That is very abnormal!"

"What does that have to do with you? Could it be that… because the Yuki Clan was exterminated, you…" Minato roughly understood. Though Duke had changed his surname, his blood still belonged to the Yuki Clan. The extermination of his entire clan had made him unable to sit still.

"What does Hōzuki have to do with me?" Duke rolled his eyes, completely unconcerned. "Back then, the Third Mizukage was from the Hōzuki Clan, and I still beat him into a cripple."

"Then why are you—?"

"I suspect the Fourth Mizukage is being controlled by someone. Obito is very likely behind it…"

Thanks to readers Elegant Cabbage, Fate Lasts Only a Moment, Ray Han, Liu Unyielding Spirit, and Wind Flower Bird Moon for the donations!