Saving Uchiha, Starts by Flipping The Table

Deidara frowned. He wanted to defeat the strongest one—not Uchiha Shisui or Uchiha Itachi. 

Uchiha Shisui… 

Forget it, scratch that name off the list! 

He had just suffered a huge loss at Shisui's hands, and he wasn't about to fail a second time. 

Until he was absolutely sure, he wouldn't mess with Shisui. 

So that meant both Shisui and Yan were off-limits… which left Uchiha Itachi? 

What Oonoki didn't realize was that, thanks to his own advice, the rebellious and unpredictable Deidara had now set his sights on Itachi. 

And the result of that… would be something he'd never forget. 

After Oonoki left with his men, Tsunade finally arrived at Yan's office. 

"I can't believe Oonoki actually agreed to such ridiculous terms. I thought for sure you'd take advantage of Iwagakure." 

With the way Yan had acted over the past few years, he never missed a chance to squeeze someone dry. 

But this time, he didn't go after Iwagakure's money or supplies. 

Instead, he turned Iwagakure into Konoha's weapon. 

"Back then, our village was struggling—we had no money, barely any resources, so of course, we had to find ways to make things work. But now that the village is back on track, why bother with that stuff?" 

If possible, Yan wouldn't want to play those kinds of games at all. 

At this point, the people from Kumogakure had developed a reflex—any time they negotiated with Uchiha Yan, they knew they were going to get fleeced. 

And Tsunade had the nerve to say that? Did her conscience not hurt? 

If it weren't for making sure her position was secure, did she really think he'd go through all this trouble? 

"Ahem!" 

Under Yan's knowing gaze, Tsunade felt a little guilty and quickly changed the subject. 

"When Oonoki gets back to Iwagakure and starts blaming Kusagakure for doing nothing—even cleaning them out—other small ninja villages probably won't dare to work with Iwagakure anymore." 

"You're overthinking it." 

"Regular collaborations will still be fine. But shady, under-the-table deals… well, those villages will definitely be more cautious. 

If it happened once, it could happen again. No matter what you say, once you've done something like this, people will always be on guard." 

"This wasn't just about making Oonoki trip over his own schemes—it was also a warning to the other villages in the ninja world. 

Don't mess with Konoha's reputation. And don't try to play tricks on us." 

Yan sighed and rubbed his temples. 

"For too long, people have seen Konoha as a peace-loving village. Over time, that made them think we're weak—an easy target they can push around whenever they want." 

"Changing that perception is going to take time. But I want everyone in the ninja world to understand: if Konoha isn't looking for trouble, that doesn't mean people should come looking for trouble with us." 

"You're right." 

Yan's beliefs clashed with those of the Third Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and Senju Tobirama in some ways. 

But Tsunade agreed with him. 

She didn't want to pick fights or bully anyone, but she also didn't want to see Konoha become a target for no reason. 

People always said that Konoha had been in decline ever since the days of Hashirama and Tobirama… because its strength had weakened.

Konohagakure isn't as strong as it was during the First Hokage's era—that's a fact. 

After all, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara alone could dominate everything. 

But if someone says Konohagakure wasn't as strong as it was during the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's time, Yan wouldn't agree. 

Over the years, Konohagakure didn't weaken; instead, it kept growing stronger. 

And yet, despite that, Konohagakure remained a juicy target that anyone could take a bite out of. 

The main reason is that Konohagakure's foreign policies and strategies are too soft. 

If any of Konohagakure's Hokage had even a fraction of Kumogakure's Raikage's ruthlessness and thirst for revenge… 

For starters, Sunagakure and Kirigakure wouldn't dare provoke Konohagakure so easily. 

Sunagakure wouldn't act recklessly, Kirigakure would stay in its own waters, and Konohagakure's strength wouldn't be worn down. 

And Iwagakure? Would they even think about starting a war? 

They'd have their heads smashed in. 

Look at Kumogakure instead—after the Third Raikage took charge, Kumogakure's strength steadily grew. 

With their "hit me once, I'll bite you; look at me the wrong way, I'll kick you" approach, they forced both Iwagakure and Kirigakure to back off. 

Kumogakure kept up this attitude, and as a result, they kept growing stronger, and no one dared mess with them. 

Meanwhile, Konohagakure, the village that constantly preaches about peace and love, keeps getting stabbed in the back. 

Everyone knows that even if they hurt Konohagakure, they'll be forgiven in the end. At worst, they'll just get a slap on the wrist. 

No big deal. Sometimes, they don't even need to pay compensation. 

Because Konohagakure is so afraid of being attacked again, it would rather give up some benefits just to maintain peace and stability. 

"For now, it's somewhat effective—at least this time, Oonoki won't dare provoke us again. As for Sunagakure…" 

Sunagakure may be struggling, but their shinobi sure know how to be a nuisance. 

At the borders, they keep stirring up trouble every now and then—nothing too major, just small provocations. After all, Konohagakure would never start a war over such petty conflicts. 

Yan's smile turned cold. 

"I'll make sure they understand that playing these little games will cost them." 

Just after dealing a heavy blow to Iwagakure, Yan was now planning something for Sunagakure—just to give them a little "fun." 

"You're sure this won't cause any problems?" 

Tsunade looked a bit concerned. 

Yan spread his hands, speechless. 

"See? This is exactly what I mean. The moment I bring this up, you're already worried about problems. Why are we the ones always worrying, while Sunagakure gets to do whatever they want?" 

"Aren't they afraid of war?" 

"If every small move led to war, the shinobi world would've been drowning in blood long ago. There's no way things would've stayed this stable until now." 

"…" 

Maybe my way of thinking is part of the problem too. 

Realizing this, Tsunade let out a bitter laugh. 

"Fine, whatever. I handle the village's internal matters, and you take care of things outside. 

If you're confident, then go ahead. It wouldn't hurt to make Sunagakure behave for a while."

"Those bastards love to stir up trouble at the border, always targeting Land of Fire's trade caravans." 

The actions of Sunagakure Village weren't deadly, but they were extremely annoying—like a toad squatting on your foot. It didn't hurt, but it made you feel disgusted. 

They would sneak into the Land of Fire without permission, wander around for a bit, and if caught, they'd call it a misunderstanding and leave immediately. Or they'd pick a meaningless fight and then retreat. 

If they came across a caravan and couldn't find a reason to cause trouble, they'd still find a way to make things difficult—deliberately dragging out inspections until the merchants were completely frustrated. 

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