The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 499 Ceasefire? War Reparations?

The clan chief Kazami echoed this sentiment, but his tone was icy and chilling.

His eyes were filled with rage, as if he wanted to burn Shimura Taro to ashes.

"If we can't gather enough supplies within three days, the frontline defenses will collapse completely sooner or later, and we'll be in dire straits. You'll bear all the responsibility! You're playing with the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers on the front lines... You're a sinner against Konoha!"

Shimura Taro's face was ashen, devoid of any color. His legs trembled even more violently, and his lips quivered, yet he couldn't utter a single word. He could only instinctively shrink back.

He knew in his heart that the disappearance of supplies could no longer be concealed. Once he was held accountable, he would be stripped of his post and exiled to the border at best, and could be executed at worst, with his family members also potentially being implicated.

Just when he was at his wit's end and on the verge of collapse, his gaze suddenly fell upon Uchiha Sanfeng, who had pushed open the door, and beside him stood Aoyama Yui, dressed in Iwagakure attire. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, as if he had grasped at the last straw.

He quickly calculated in his mind that as long as he muddied the waters and diverted everyone's attention, he could temporarily escape accountability and perhaps even shift the blame for the missing supplies onto someone else.

"Uchiha Mitsunaga... how dare you!"

Taro Shimura suddenly raised his voice, his shrill voice particularly jarring in the silent conference room.

He pointed at Yui Aoyama, his tone deliberately inciteful, and he deliberately raised his voice.

"You dared to bring Iwagakure ninja back to Konoha's camp! You must have betrayed Konoha and defected to Iwagakure! I think the last time the logistics team was attacked at the border, it must have been you who leaked the intelligence! Otherwise, how could Iwagakure have intercepted the supplies so accurately!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, as if what he said were undeniable facts. He waved his hands wildly in the air, trying to incite the crowd's anger, and the panic on his face was replaced by a distorted excitement.

"I suggest we arrest him immediately and interrogate him thoroughly! He might be involved in this supply theft too! He deliberately colluded with Iwagakure to drain our Konoha camp's supplies, weakening our forces and giving Iwagakure an opportunity to seize our camp from within!"

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room froze instantly. Even the flickering flame of the oil lamp seemed to freeze, and the air became so oppressive that it was suffocating.

All eyes were fixed on the Uchiha Mitsurugi. The light from the oil lamp cast interplay of light and shadow on their faces. Some were shocked, some were doubtful, and some had cold expressions, each with their own thoughts.

The clan chiefs of Kurama and Kazami exchanged a glance, their expressions full of hesitation.

Several Uchiha elders' expressions darkened, and crimson Sharingan appeared in their eyes.

One of the elderly men, with a tall and stern face, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

The hawkish elder, the Eighth Hokage of Uchiha, was still vigorous, his three-tomoe Sharingan eyes darting rapidly. He angrily rebuked Shimura Taro, "You bastard, you're asking for death! How dare you publicly accuse a member of my Uchiha clan of betraying the village? Do you even respect the rules of Konoha? Do you even respect us Uchiha?"

Uchiha Hachiho's angry shouts made the wooden door of the conference room rattle slightly, causing Shimura Taro to instinctively shrink back.

As a senior hawk within the clan, he has always been protective of his own and ruthless in his actions, and he would never allow outsiders to trample on the dignity of the Uchiha in this way.

"You can't even manage logistics yourself, and you can't explain why supplies are going missing, so you're trying to shift the blame onto my clan's descendants? Your scheme is far too cunning!"

His tone grew increasingly sharp, and a flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes. If Fugaku hadn't remained silent, he would have already killed this troublemaker.

The other Uchiha elders echoed his sentiments, their eyes filled with cold anger, their chakra intertwined, making the atmosphere in the meeting room even heavier.

Shimura Taro, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope, was so frightened by this aura that his legs trembled even more violently and cold sweat poured down his forehead, yet he still stubbornly refused to lower his head.

Since things had already come to this point and couldn't get any worse, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and carry on with the framing to the end.

Fugaku Uchiha remained calm, his crimson Sharingan fixed on Mitsumine Uchiha, his expression blank as he awaited Fugaku's explanation.

Yui Aoyama froze under the gazes of everyone, shrinking even further behind the Uchiha Sanfeng, her eyes filled with fear and unease, afraid that she would cause trouble for Sanfeng.

"Seek refuge with Iwagakure?"

Uchiha Mitsunori chuckled, his tone full of disdain and mockery, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, a confident smile curving his lips.

The next second, an eerie red suddenly appeared in his eyes, and intricate and strange kaleidoscope patterns slowly flowed in his pupils. Powerful pupil energy surged towards Shimura Taro like a tangible tide, carrying overwhelming spiritual power and instantly enveloping his entire body.

Shimura Taro instantly froze, as if he had been frozen in place, unable to move an inch.

The terrifying mental pressure gripped his mind, making it difficult for him to even breathe, and leaving his mind blank.

His previously sinister gaze was instantly replaced by extreme terror; his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Uchiha Mitsunori took a step forward, his figure appearing even more upright and sharp in the dim light. His tone was icy and piercing, each word like a blood-soaked blade.

"Only the weak resort to false accusations to cover up their crimes. Do you think that will allow you to shift the blame for the missing supplies onto others and escape the punishment you deserve?"

As he spoke, the kaleidoscope patterns in his eyes spun more rapidly, his pupil power surged again, and he directly invaded Shimura Taro's mental world.

The illusion instantly enveloped Shimura Taro. Before his eyes appeared the mountain of supplies piled up in the logistics warehouse, and the scene of him secretly colluding with black market merchants to pack ninja tools and medicines and transport them out of the camp. Every detail was crystal clear, and it was the secret he least wanted to recall.

"Ah! No! It wasn't me... It was the black market people who forced me! I didn't want to harm the soldiers on the front lines!"

Shimura Taro broke down and screamed in the illusion, his body struggling violently out of control, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

"You were forced into this... because you were greedy for the huge sums of money offered by the black market, actively approached them, and resold the supplies in batches. You even deliberately leaked the logistics team's transport route to ensure the transaction went smoothly, leading to the team being attacked and the supplies being stolen, right?"

Uchiha Mitsunori's voice rang out clearly within the genjutsu, carrying a powerful sense of oppression.

The illusion continued to penetrate Shimura Taro's mental vulnerabilities, exposing all the greed and fear deep within his heart.

His mind flashed back to his own greedy self counting gold and silver jewels, to the horrific scene of his soldiers fighting valiantly when the logistics team was attacked, and to the cold gazes of everyone in the conference room at this moment. His mental defenses completely collapsed.

"It's...it's me...!"

Shimura Taro's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, crying out and confessing his guilt.

"It was my greed that led me to sell the camp's ninja tools and medicine to the black market! I was also the one who leaked the information about the supply team's attack last time. I wanted to pin the blame on Iwagakure, but I never expected... I never expected that not only would I not get the supplies, but I'd also cause such a huge disaster! The disappearance of the supplies really has nothing to do with Lord Mimine; it's all my fault!"

He confessed while crying, revealing the whole process of his collusion with the black market, reselling supplies, and leaking intelligence. He even mentioned the name of his black market contact and the location of the transactions. His tone was full of regret and despair.

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence; no one had expected the truth to be like this.

Chief Kurama was so angry that his face turned ashen, his fists clenched tightly. If he hadn't been rational and restrained, he would have already punched Shimura Taro in the face.

Chief Kazami frowned, his eyes filled with coldness.

Uchiha Hachiho immediately ordered in a deep voice, "Men! Take Shimura Taro away and keep him under strict guard. Send men to the location he gave us to arrest the black market contact and retrieve the remaining supplies!"

Two guards rushed in and quickly dragged the limp Shimura Taro out.

Shimura Taro had long lost the arrogance he had displayed when he framed someone; all that remained was endless regret. He cried out and begged for mercy, but no one paid him any attention.

The atmosphere in the meeting room eased slightly only after the footsteps faded into the distance.

The oppressive aura in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes dissipated slightly, and he slowly spoke, "Mitsubin, you did well this time... Do you have any other information... to report?"

Uchiha Mitsumine's gaze swept over Aoyama Yui, who still looked somewhat uneasy, and gave her a reassuring look.

Once Aoyama Yui relaxed a little, he turned to Fugaku, who was in the main seat: "Clan leader, Aoyama Yui is now my woman. She no longer wishes to serve Iwagakure in the war and prefers to stay in Konoha with me. For this reason, she voluntarily defected from Iwagakure and severed all ties with Iwagakure. I know her identity is special, but I am willing to vouch for her. She has absolutely no disloyal intentions."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha's crimson Sharingan shifted slightly, his gaze lingering briefly on Yui Aoyama before returning to Mitsumine's face, and the oppressive aura emanating from him dissipated somewhat.

He paused for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Alright. Since you're willing to vouch for her, I agree. But her movements must be restricted; she must not leave the Uchiha's control area before the war ends."

Upon hearing this, Yui Aoyama's tense body instantly relaxed, and most of the fear in her eyes faded away.

She bowed slightly to Fugaku, her voice soft yet firm: "Thank you, Clan Chief Fugaku."

Seeing this, Uchiha Mitsunori immediately changed the subject: "Besides that, I also have important information about Iwagakure. On my way back, I encountered Onoki, and a fierce battle broke out between us, which ended in a draw. He seems to be considering a truce."

"At first, I thought he was trying to lull me into a false sense of security so I could launch a sneak attack, so I simply went along with it and extorted money from him. I made it clear that if Iwagakure wanted to make peace, they had to pay 300 billion ryo in war reparations... To my surprise... Onoki didn't immediately fly into a rage and refuse, but instead fell into a long period of hesitation... Clearly, this condition had hit a nerve... There's a high probability that they will agree to this compensation."