Chapter Fifty-Two: The So-Called Midnight Snack

"No, you can't make me do this..."
In the shadowy depths of the alley, Kamoi's faint voice of resistance could be heard.
But such resistance was ultimately futile; the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan was not something a mere jonin could overcome.
One should know, as long as the conditions were sufficient, even a Kage-level powerhouse could be controlled by the Mangekyo.
Uchiha Li closed his Sharingan, gazing at Kamoi as he said, "Go now. Go plunder the Uchiha's secret vault, destroy the Hokage Rock—all for the glory of your Hidden Cloud."
"Plunder the Uchiha's vault, destroy the Hokage Rock, for the village's cause. I understand," Kamoi muttered, then drew a kunai from his ninja pouch at his waist and strode out of the alley.
Uchiha Li turned to his clan head and spoke: "Lord Clan Head, I'll leave the finishing touches to you."
"Understood."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Li with a complex expression before coming back to himself.
Uchiha Li said nothing more and disappeared from the alley.
The matter was now nearly complete; only one thing remained—to invite Shisui for a midnight snack.
After a while, when he arrived at Shisui's residence and knocked on the door, it was already the early hours of the morning.
Shisui yawned as he opened the door, a trace of grievance in his eyes. "Is this the time you always eat your midnight snacks?"
Since Uchiha Li had said he would treat, Shisui had been waiting at home all evening.
Yet, no matter how long he waited, he even stayed up through the first half of the night, but Uchiha Li never came.
Just as he thought Uchiha Li wouldn't show and went to bed, sleep had only just claimed him when Uchiha Li knocked on his door!
Uchiha Li smiled slightly and said, "Sometimes, the most delicious meals require just the right timing, don't you think?"
Hearing this twisted logic, Shisui shook his head and sighed, "Fine, then where are we going to eat now?"
Uchiha Li was about to answer when suddenly, a pillar of fire lit up the dark clan grounds.
"That's... the direction of the Clan Head's residence?!" Shisui exclaimed in shock, quickly recovering himself. "Forget the food for now, come help me put out the fire!"
Uchiha Li watched as Shisui dashed ahead, and said behind him, full of meaning, "Of course."
The two hurried towards the source of the blaze and soon arrived at the entrance of the Clan Head's compound.
By now, the entire estate was engulfed in flames, waking the sleeping clansmen nearby.
Fortunately, Uchiha Fugaku was present, directing the clansmen in firefighting efforts. Though the scene was chaotic, it had not devolved into disorder.
Seeing the dozen or so clansmen unconscious on the ground beside Fugaku, Uchiha Li feigned ignorance and asked, "Lord Clan Head, what happened here?"
With killing intent on his face, Uchiha Fugaku replied, "Kamoi of the Hidden Cloud infiltrated our grounds, incapacitated the guards, stole Sharingan from our secret vault, and set the fire..."
Fugaku's account was heard by all present and swiftly spread among the gathering crowd.
As more and more clansmen arrived, awakened by the commotion, they took in the scene and, upon learning the cause, everyone was furious, eyes reddened with anger.
"Lord Clan Head, this is no longer mere provocation by the Hidden Cloud—it is outright humiliation!"
"The eyes in the vault belonged to our departed ancestors, family, and friends—we cannot let this go unavenged."

"The Hidden Cloud has gone too far—we must make them pay..."
In an instant, a chorus of angry voices rose.
Even the pacifists, those who usually advocated for compromise, had no intention of yielding tonight.
What had happened tonight had crossed the clan's bottom line; there was no room for concession!
As the situation threatened to spiral out of control, Uchiha Fugaku, sensing the time was right, cleared his throat to quiet the crowd.
The Uchiha present fell silent at their clan head's voice, though the fury in their eyes did not abate in the slightest.
Sweeping his gaze across the assembly, Uchiha Fugaku declared in a deep voice, "The Hidden Cloud has taken our eyes and burned our vault. Such actions cannot be tolerated."
His expression grew frosty as he issued his order: "For now, everyone help with putting out the fire. I will lead the Security Division to confront the Hidden Cloud delegation and demand they pay the price!"
The clansmen nodded in agreement, and the members of the Security Division quickly assembled.
Witnessing this, Shisui's face showed his anxiety.
The hard-won peace was now in jeopardy, threatened by the Hidden Cloud's greed—Shisui felt helpless, and yet, he was also full of rage.
Though he disliked war, he was an Uchiha.
He could not tolerate what the Hidden Cloud had done to his clan; retribution was inevitable.
The problem was, if the clan retaliated against the Hidden Cloud delegation without the village's orders, it would certainly create a rift between the clan and the village.
Such unauthorized action could even be deemed treason; if that happened, the situation would become irreparable!
Shisui opened his mouth, about to urge his clan head to reconsider.
But at that moment, Uchiha Li cut him off, shaking his head. "You want to stop the clan's vengeance?"
Through gritted teeth, Shisui replied, "Li, you misunderstand me. I don't oppose retribution. I just don't want the clan and the village to come into conflict."
Uchiha Li tilted his head, voice indifferent. "So you would have the clan just endure it and let the Hidden Cloud trample us?"
Stunned by the question, Shisui shook his head. "I... that's not what I meant."
A hint of mockery crossed Uchiha Li's face. "You can try to fool me, but how will you fool yourself?"
"But if we ignore the village's orders and kill those Cloud ninja, it will start a war—a war our clan cannot bear," Shisui said, closing his eyes in pain, unable to imagine the aftermath.
Seeing Shisui's distress, Uchiha Li patted his shoulder. "Since you believe the Third will resolve this, why not have the clan head take us to him and let him handle it?"
Shisui opened his eyes, hope flickering within. "You're right. Let's go with the clan head to see the Third—he'll surely do right by the clan!"
Uchiha Li offered no objection and glanced at Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku, knowing this was part of the plan, naturally agreed.
Thus, the assembled Security Division quickly made their way to the Hokage's Tower.
...
Hokage Tower, conference room.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was somber and heavy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi broke the silence with a grave voice, "The Hidden Cloud denies abducting Hinata and demands we immediately hand over the assailant who attacked Kamoi, or they will formally declare war!"

"Damn it! They did this themselves, and now they have the nerve to frame us?"
Homura Mitokado slammed the table, furious.
Koharu Utatane shook her head and said, "Now is not the time for accusations, but to decide—war or peace?"
At her words, all fell silent, instinctively looking to Hiruzen Sarutobi, cloaked in the Hokage's robe.
Hiruzen took a deep pull from his old pipe, his mind racing.
The night's events had caught him completely off guard; he hadn't expected the Hidden Cloud to dare such things.
He'd thought the peace treaty would allow the village to gradually stabilize, but now the plan was in ruins.
The issue was that war-weariness ran deep in the village—otherwise, the peace celebration earlier would not have been so eagerly anticipated.
Moreover, the village was in no condition to bear the cost of all-out war.
These days, though Minato was present, Tsunade and Jiraiya had left the village, and Orochimaru had defected.
Hiruzen himself had to remain in the village to guard against any possible contingencies; he could not leave on his own.
In short, if war broke out, the village could only handle a single front at best.
If it was just the Hidden Cloud, that might be manageable; but if the other Hidden Villages saw Konoha's weakness and joined in,
The entire front could collapse, and the village would be doomed.
But the Hidden Cloud's demands were outrageous.
They wanted Hiashi Hyuga to die as atonement, and for his body to be delivered to their village!
Exhaling smoke, Hiruzen's gaze swept, almost inadvertently, to Hiashi, who had just arrived. He asked softly, "How is little Hinata now?"
Hiashi paused before answering, "She is still unconscious. We do not know when she will wake."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed, then he continued, almost offhandedly, "The village is in no state to go to war, but the Hidden Cloud is determined this time."
What should have been a simple remark made the room fall silent, all eyes turning to Hiashi.
Seeing this, Hiashi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "This matter began with me. Though the Hyuga are also victims, still..."
Here, he stopped, gazing at the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen bowed his head, choosing not to offer an opinion.
Hiashi sighed inwardly, preparing to speak again.
At that moment, an ANBU burst into the room, dropping to one knee.
The meeting was interrupted; Hiruzen's face darkened. "Were you not told, no one is to enter until the meeting is over?"
The ANBU kept his head bowed, teeth clenched. "Lord Third, the situation is urgent—a large number of Security Division members are armed and, ignoring our warnings, are forcing their way toward the Hokage's Tower!"
At these words, the hearts of all present sank, while Hiashi quietly let out a breath.