Saving Uchiha, Starts by Flipping The Table

"Hahaha…" 

Just imagining Oonoki's reaction—running around in a panic after hearing the news—made Yan laugh even harder. 

"Well, well, looks like we just got a surprise gift. Oonoki definitely didn't see this coming." 

"Send someone to inform the Anbu. Tell them to leave a squad behind to keep investigating Kusagakure Village and gather any valuable intel. The rest can return to the village." 

With Kurotsuchi and Deidara captured, Yan had no interest in Kusagakure Village anymore. 

His focus was now entirely on Oonoki. 

They had made *him* run all the way to Iwagakure Village and back. Pretty fun, huh? Now it was Oonoki's turn to scramble around. 

Thinking about Oonoki's age and how he'd have to rush to Konohagakure for his granddaughter and student, Yan's smile grew even wider. 

"Take good care of our guests. We're heading back to the village. We need to get ready for Tsuchikage's arrival." 

If it weren't for Deidara and Kurotsuchi, Yan would've gone straight to Kusagakure Village to deal with things there first. 

But since those two had walked right into his hands, Kusagakure's little problems could wait. 

They'd let the intel keep coming in and deal with them later. 

After all, they were just grasshoppers caught in a rope—there was no escaping. 

With Deidara and Kurotsuchi captured, Kusagakure Village wasn't even worth his attention anymore. 

"Yes." 

The group picked up the pace, following Yan as they moved quickly. They needed to get out of the Land of Earth and beyond Iwagakure Village's reach as soon as possible. 

Besides, Yan hadn't gone out of his way to capture Deidara and Kurotsuchi. No matter how much of a fuss Iwagakure made, he had no reason to back down. 

After all, it was *Oonoki's* student and granddaughter who had provoked him first. They even attacked him—a guest in their village. 

So, Oonoki, how do you plan to settle this? 

What, don't like how it sounds?

Alright, let's put it another way. The future of Iwagakure is in my hands. Oonoki, what price are you willing to pay to get them back? 

If you don't speak nicely or act fast enough, I might just decide to keep them. 

Both of them have great talent. With the right training, they could each stand on their own. 

And trust me, I, Uchiha Yan, have plenty of ways to make sure they behave and fully become part of Konoha. The only question is, can you bear to lose them, Oonoki? 

What a twist. 

Yan glanced in the direction of Iwagakure, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to laugh. 

Oonoki, just wait. Our battle is only getting started. 

Deidara and Kurotsuchi had snuck out of the village, and no one in Iwagakure had noticed. 

Now that they were in his hands, Yan certainly wasn't going to make a big scene about it. 

He picked up the pace, making sure to return to Konoha as quickly as possible, avoiding the border patrols of Iwagakure. Best to keep them in the dark for now. 

Once he was back in the village, he'd let Oonoki know. 

A little surprise gift for the Tsuchikage. 

As for Kusagakure, no rush. Let things play out a little longer. 

Oonoki was a busy man, just like the Third Hokage once was. 

The difference was, the Third Hokage refused to give up his power, while Oonoki simply couldn't. 

That left him with little time to spend with his granddaughter Kurotsuchi or train his student Deidara. 

Deidara's rebellious nature and Kurotsuchi's habit of following him around meant the two of them often disappeared for long periods. 

So when they went missing this time, no one in the village really paid much attention. 

In fact, no one even bothered to inform Oonoki. 

Two days later, Yan returned to Konoha through a hidden Anbu passageway, keeping the entire operation a secret. 

Deidara and Kurotsuchi were placed directly into the police force's prison. 

This was Uchiha territory—every single person here was an Uchiha. 

It was one of the safest places in Konoha, practically impossible for spies or traitors to infiltrate. 

Plus, the police force's prison usually only held minor offenders. 

No one would ever expect Yan to hide two high-value captives here. 

"Damn it, you're too sneaky! You actually used Genjutsu to control me! Uchiha Yan, if you've got guts, let me go and fight me fair and square!!!" 

Deidara was still talking big even after being locked up. 

He had been caught before he even got the chance to fight, taken down in an instant by Shisui's Genjutsu. 

Unacceptable. 

He didn't even get to make a move! This was so unfair! 

Watching Deidara shout and complain, Yan casually waved over the guard at the door. 

"Elder?" 

The man hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. 

"Take off your shoes." 

Yan pointed at his feet. 

"Huh?" 

The Uchiha clan member looked completely lost, not understanding what the elder wanted. 

But if Yan told him to take off his shoes, he had no choice but to follow orders. 

"Uchiha Hoshiryu, you are truly something else." 

Watching the man take off his shoes, Yan couldn't help but rub his forehead.

Wearing socks inside ninja combat sandals—probably no one else in the entire Uchiha clan had such a weird habit. Who even taught him that? 

Well, at least the socks came in handy. 

"....." 

Elder, how does that make me weird? 

Uchiha Hoshiryu looked completely wronged. 

"Don't look at me like that. Stuff your dirty sock into his mouth and make him shut up. Think you can handle that?" 

"What?!" 

A shocked exclamation rang through the prison. 

Deidara stared in disbelief. Did Yan really just order someone to shove a stinky sock into his mouth just to shut him up? That was straight-up humiliating! 

It was an insult to his dignity! 

Uchiha Hoshiryu was stunned. 

This guy wasn't just some random nobody. Was it really okay to do something like that? 

"Do it. Or I'll shove it in your mouth instead." 

Yan narrowed her eyes, staring at him. 

Your choice. Either he gets it, or you do. If you've got some kind of weird preference, I won't judge. 

"...Mmmph—!" 

The next second, Uchiha Hoshiryu moved like lightning, jamming the dirty sock straight into Deidara's mouth. 

Afraid Deidara might spit it out with his tongue, he quickly yanked off his other sock and stuffed that one in too. 

Damn, that stinks. At least it's not in my mouth. 

Hoshiryu, who knew all too well that his feet reeked, shot Deidara a look of pity. 

Kid, just endure it. I only wear socks because my feet stink. Consider yourself lucky. 

"Mmmph! Mmmmmm!!" 

Deidara's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of his head. His face turned red as he shook it wildly, letting out muffled protests. 

Tears and snot streamed down his face—his nose assaulted by the sheer stink of the socks. 

"Not bad. Now tape his mouth shut so they don't fall out." 

"I don't care how you do it, just keep him quiet. If he behaves, we'll take the socks out." 

Yan patted Hoshiryu's shoulder, then strode out of the cell, heading to another holding area. 

Deidara and Kurotsuchi had been locked up separately to prevent them from scheming together. 

Compared to Deidara, who had been yelling his lungs out, Kurotsuchi was surprisingly calm. 

She sat there looking relaxed, like she didn't have a care in the world. If her hands weren't tied, it would've been even more convincing. 

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not seriously trying to start a war between our villages, are you? Dragging me all the way to Konohagakure like this?" 

The moment Yan walked in, Kurotsuchi's mouth went off like a machine gun. 

Yan glanced at her, then smiled. 

"Your senior wouldn't shut up, so I had someone gag him with a pair of stinky socks. You wanna try it too?" 

"....." 

Kurotsuchi twitched at the corner of her mouth, quickly shut up, and made a zipping motion across her lips, signaling that she would stay quiet. 

"Very good." 

Kurotsuchi was self-aware, and Yan nodded in satisfaction. He liked girls who knew how to cooperate. 

Not like Deidara—completely clueless. 

Even after stepping onto Konohagakure's turf, he still had the nerve to shout and yell. If he didn't get a fresh taste of some stinky socks, he would never understand the meaning of silence. 

"Stay quiet, or I'll send you to the Third Hokage as his little wife." 

"Hey, hey, hey! Why would you do that?!" 

Kurotsuchi couldn't stay calm anymore and shouted in shock: 

"Do all the people in Konohagakure have this kind of weird hobby? 

I haven't even grown up yet!" 

"Besides, isn't your Third Hokage just some old geezer? Why him?" 

The thought of being sent to marry some old man made Kurotsuchi shiver. Too terrifying. 

"A lot of girls your age are already married. Isn't that pretty normal in the ninja world?" 

Seeing Kurotsuchi's big reaction, Yan couldn't help but laugh. 

If the Third Hokage heard this, he would probably be devastated. 

Old geezer? 

Not a bad description. 

"Tch, stop trying to scare me. Besides, you wouldn't actually do that. I'm still useful to you, so you won't really do anything to me. I'll just stay quiet." 

Most girls would be scared out of their minds hearing such a threat. 

But unfortunately, Kurotsuchi wasn't just any ordinary girl. She was smart and had seen more of the world than most girls her age. 

As long as she was still useful, Yan wouldn't actually do anything to her—at most, he would just mess with her a little. 

"I like smart people." 

Yan snapped his fingers and nodded in approval. 

Kurotsuchi gave a mischievous smile. 

"How about this—why don't you stop my grandpa from taking me back, and I'll just marry you instead? You're handsome, an Uchiha elder, and the Hokage's advisor in Konohagakure." 

"..." 

What the… 

Are girls nowadays all this bold? 

Yan was stunned. 

Seeing Kurotsuchi's smug expression, he bared his teeth and poked her forehead. 

"Keep dreaming. Girls like you are everywhere in Konohagakure. No chest, no curves." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

Kurotsuchi's smile froze. 

She might still be young, but like any other girl, she cared about these things. 

"It means you look like a bean sprout. Got it? And besides, you're not even that good-looking." 

Yan only left once he got a frustrated, teeth-gnashing reaction from Kurotsuchi. 

That's what you get for acting cocky! 

There are ways to deal with you. Just because your grandpa is Oonoki doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. And now you're trying to mess with me? 

You've got some nerve. 

"Uchiha Yan! Get back here and explain yourself! Who are you calling a bean sprout?!" 

For a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl, words like that were a huge blow. Kurotsuchi instantly lost her temper. 

Sure, she hadn't fully grown yet, but calling her a bean sprout? That was just cruel! 

"Uchiha Yan!!!" 

She was completely furious now. She didn't care about keeping quiet or any warnings—she just wanted Yan to come back and explain himself. 

Too bad Yan had no time for her. 

After making sure his prisoners were secured, Yan left the police department and headed to the Hokage's office. 

Anbu had already reported his return to Tsunade, and she was waiting for him in her office. 

"You captured Oonoki's granddaughter and his disciple?" 

The moment he stepped inside, Tsunade couldn't help but ask. 

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