Naruto: Uchiha is not Raikage!

"Yeah."

Qingsi nodded.

Then, they followed Mikoto to the Hokage Building.

As his strength increased, his influence also grew.

He would naturally be notified of these meetings.

Before long, the two arrived at the conference room inside the Hokage Building.

"Hehe, Kiyoshi-kun, it's been a long time."

Orochimaru nodded in acknowledgment.

He was leading troops at the front lines, and only returned once, when he handed over the Qing Si curse seal.

He spent the rest of his time on the front lines.

"Lord Orochimaru, I think we'll have research results on the cursed seal you gave me soon, in just a few days."

"It won't take more than a few days..."

Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth.

Kiyoshi's talent in scientific research is indeed no less than my own.

No, I should say they are stronger than me.

He had thought it would take Qing Si at least six months to analyze it, but this far exceeded his expectations.

"Curse seal?"

Inside the room, there was also a blonde figure.

Tsunade glanced at Orochimaru, then at Kiyoshi.

She simply couldn't understand how Kiyoshi could be hanging out with Orochimaru.

Given Orochimaru's arrogant nature, he wouldn't look down on juniors.

"The Uchiha clan is truly blessed with outstanding people and resources."

Orochimaru sometimes really wanted to have an Uchiha body himself.

According to his research and the Second Hokage's theories, once the Uchiha clan evolves the Sharingan, that special chakra will boost their physical abilities.

Both physical and mental abilities will be improved.

Orochimaru believes that Kiyoshi's excellence is due not only to Kiyoshi's personal way of thinking, but also to the effect of the Sharingan.

"I heard you met Shennong?"

Orochimaru mentioned the name Shennong.

He gave Kiyoshi a deep look.

Shennong was able to open all eight gates, including the Gate of Death. The fact that Kiyoshi was able to survive here undoubtedly means that he defeated Shennong.

The key is that Shennong's forbidden medical techniques possess extremely strong restorative abilities.

Being of the same level isn't enough; one must be far stronger than Shennong to achieve such a feat.

"Just remnants of the Land of Sky. What, Lord Orochimaru knows them too?"

Qingsi smiled.

Mikoto, who brought Kiyoshi with her, stared wide-eyed.

Does that old man Shennong still have acquaintances in Konoha?

Could it be that they were also deceived by Shennong's honest appearance?
"How could that be? I've only known a little bit about it."

Orochimaru would certainly not reveal his friendship with Shennong in such a setting.

The two had only a brief exchange, and Shennong left in a hurry after obtaining the "Zero-Tail Technique".

This scroll should now be in Qing Si's hands.

"It's best to stay away from such dangerous people in the future."

Tsunade frowned.

The Sky Kingdom is not just a country that talks big; it's just that their capital city's energy supply ran into problems, which led to their complete defeat.

"Since it's Tsunade-sensei's advice, I'll be more careful in the future."

Kiyoshi said.

Upon hearing this, Mikoto glanced at Tsunade.

Tsunade has a pretty face, with a purple diamond pattern on her forehead, which adds a touch of charm.

Below are graceful bodies, especially those two enormous hearts.

In terms of size alone, Mikoto couldn't help but feel inferior, realizing she couldn't compare to Tsunade.

Kiyoshi exchanged a few simple pleasantries with Orochimaru and Tsunade before continuing to follow Mikoto inside.

On the way, Mikoto changed the subject:

"Kiyoshi, are you that familiar with Orochimaru?"

Mikoto was quite surprised.

The two appeared to be working together, researching something.

"good."

The Qing official remained silent.

He and Orochimaru likely had a mutually beneficial relationship; Orochimaru saw a second version of himself in him and wanted to cultivate the perfect assistant.

Kiyoshi, on the other hand, coveted Orochimaru's experimental abilities and data, which would save Kiyoshi a lot of trouble.

They even obtained forbidden techniques such as the "Impure World Reincarnation Technique".

"Alright everyone, these should be the Jonin who can come from the village right now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed softly.

The large discussion room began to quiet down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced around the crowded room; everyone's eyes were on him.

"First of all, I want to announce that I will step down during this period to carry out the handover procedures. Once the Fourth Hokage is selected, the succession ceremony will be carried out immediately."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was like throwing a bomb into the deep sea right from the start, creating a huge uproar.

"What, the Fourth Hokage?"

Who will be next?

Among the Jonin, besides those from large clans, there are also Jonin from small clans and lone commoners.

Their sources of information are not well-informed.

Only those powerful clans knew about the upcoming election of the next Hokage long ago.

"In addition, the Root leader, Danzo Shimura, has also abdicated, and a second Root leader needs to be elected."

Everyone turned to look at Shimura Danzo.

Danzo Shimura stood next to Homura Mitokado with a gloomy face.

"He's been dismissed."

Kiyoshi's lips curled into a smile.

Now, it will be much more difficult for Shimura Danzo to cause trouble.

"Therefore, please make as many contributions as possible to the village in the upcoming battles, as this will affect our evaluation of the candidates."

Koharu Utatane stepped forward to support Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As the war draws to a close, anti-war sentiment will reach its peak.

So now we need to reassure everyone and keep them engaged in the fight with high spirits.

As expected, the crowd immediately stirred.

Kiyoshi could see that the eyes of people like Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku lit up a bit.

It can be said that in Konoha, a ninja who doesn't want to become Hokage is not a good ninja.

Even a three-year-old can come up and chant a verse about wanting to become Hokage.

"Kumakuya is now launching an attack on the border of the Land of Fire, and Kirigakure is also making moves. This operation must be won."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at all the Jonin.

The Jonin rank is the top rank in a ninja village.

None of these people are weak.

Because being a Jonin requires being an all-rounder, and if you specialize in only one area, you will be a Special Jonin, not a true Jonin.

"If we lose, the outside world will see the weakness of Konoha, which will once again escalate the war."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was solemn.

Qingsi nodded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was only a little weak-willed, but he possessed all the qualities of a Hokage.

Simply put, this operation is about striking first to avoid a hundred more blows.

The war was supposed to be ending, but Konoha is on the verge of collapse.

Other countries will then have unwarranted thoughts, trying to pick up scraps from behind the Cloud Hidden.

A shrewd resolution to this matter would demonstrate Konoha's profound strength to neighboring countries, prompting them to willingly relinquish control.

"This time, the Hidden Clouds traveled by water. They circled around the seas of the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Water, and the Land of Bear, and arrived directly at the western border of the Land of Fire."

Nara Shikaku began to explain further information to everyone, all of which was the fastest information relayed back from the front lines by the Yamanaka clan.

"In other words, they will be very fast, and their follow-up support will be quick, right?"

Kiyoshi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

Nara Shikaku paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Uchiha Kiyoshi, you’re right.”

Nara Shikaku had researched the information about the Uchiha clan's most famous geniuses recently, and Kiyoshi was definitely one that everyone else would research.

"Therefore, this battle could easily turn into a protracted war of attrition if we are not careful, and we must win with swift and decisive action."

Nara Shikaku spoke in a serious tone.

As an advisor, he knew the village's ninja reserves better than anyone.

It's becoming increasingly difficult for Konoha to continue fighting this war.

"How about I take charge of a unit? I possess the 'Flying Thunder God Technique,' allowing me to come and go as I please."

Qingsi spoke lightly.

There are many good things in the Book of Seals, all of which require merit points.

Once the war ends, it will not be easy to gain merit in peacetime.

The noisy discussion room fell silent instantly.

All eyes turned to Kiyoshi.

"Qing Si, you must not act rashly."

Mikoto's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tugged at Kiyoshi's left sleeve.

Among the people here are many powerful clan leaders, so Qing Si's actions are far too abrupt.

"Hmph, it's not up to a brat to talk about leading a team here."

Danzo Shimura was the first to express his dissatisfaction.

It might be okay with other ninjas, but the Uchiha are definitely not an option!

"Why don't we let Orochimaru lead the team? He has a wealth of experience."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe, remained silent, and looked thoughtful.

He could see that his proud and talented disciple was getting very close to Danzo.

Danzo and he had been companions for decades and knew each other's character well.

Danzo Shimura was morally corrupt, but he was indeed devoted to Konoha, which is why Hiruzen Sarutobi was able to tolerate him all this time.

It was obvious that Danzo Shimura wanted to nominate Orochimaru as Hokage.

This achievement will also bring great benefits to the candidates for Hokage.

"But Danzo, here, only Kiyoshi should know Tobirama-sensei's techniques."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Minato Namikaze was dispatched to the battlefield in Kirigakure, a place fraught with danger.

Danzo Shimura snorted coldly.

This is indeed as Hiruzen said.

The fastest ninja here is only Uchiha Kiyoshi.

"In this way, we'll divide into several teams. Orochimaru will lead one team, Tsunade, being Kiyoshi's teacher, will lead another team, and the rest..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

He knew that Tsunade had taken Kiyoshi as her apprentice.

Kiyoshi and the Hokage lineage formed an even closer alliance.

And the Uchiha clan wouldn't have any objections to this arrangement.

Kiyoshi's surname is Uchiha after all.

Discussions resumed in the discussion room.

Some people are optimistic about Qing Si, while others are not.

Afterwards, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to finalize the details of this operation.

After everything was finished, Hiruzen Sarutobi said:
"Everyone, go back and make preparations."

The once crowded discussion room began to see a large number of Jonin filing out.

"Kiyoshi, are you really alright?"

Mikoto gently furrowed her beautiful brows and asked.

This operation is no simple matter; Kiyoshi is likely to be in trouble.

This time, the Hidden Cloud Village will most likely deploy forces at the level of tailed beasts.

That's a terrifying weapon that can flatten a mountain with a single "Tailed Beast Ball".

"Tailed beasts are terrifying, but they are not absolutely invincible. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Qingsi spoke.

The main strength of the Tailed Beasts lies in their ability to unleash the "Tailed Beast Ball," but this technique requires time to condense.

During this time, you could either use ninjutsu to bombard the black sphere formed by the tailed beast to interrupt it, or quickly run away.

Unless they are hit head-on, a ninja with their strength would find it difficult to be killed by the subsequent shockwave.

"It doesn't matter. Compared to these trivial matters, there's another thing I regret more."

"What's the regret?"

Mikoto was puzzled.

"It's a pity we can't stay in the village any longer. We agreed to go to Mikoto's house in a couple of days to cook some new dishes." Kiyoshi looked at Mikoto.

Her long, straight, black hair cascaded down her back, with some strands falling onto her shoulders and down her chest.

Her gentle face, which seemed to radiate tenderness, turned to face Kiyoshi.

"This is not an important matter."

Mikoto gently shook her head.

She thought Kiyoshi would say something more important.

Although this is regrettable, it is clearly insignificant in the face of the village's future.

"How could Mikoto's matter be a trivial matter to me?"

Qing Si looked serious.

Mikoto was slightly taken aback, not expecting Kiyoshi to say that.

"But there's not much time left; we have to leave tonight."

Mikoto shook her head.

The operation was scheduled for the evening.

In other words, they had to pack their marching gear, go to the market to buy ingredients, and hurry home, which created some time conflicts.

"Why don't I just use the 'Flying Thunder God Technique'?"

Kiyoshi smiled and reached out to put his arm around Mikoto's slender waist.

A fragrant aroma wafted over.

Mikoto stiffened, instinctively wanting to say something.

In the end, he said nothing and let Kiyoshi take his arm.

The next moment, the two appeared in the market.

"I...I'll go pick out the ingredients."

Mikoto lowered her head, looking hurried.

She didn't know what was wrong with her.

Lately, whenever I see Kiyoshi, my heart skips a beat.

Her heart was in her throat and her blood was surging after that close encounter.

Seeing that Mikoto, who usually loved to haggle, didn't negotiate any prices and just kept her head down picking out items.

Kiyoshi couldn't help but smile.

With prolonged contact, Mikoto will only be changed little by little by him.

……

The next day.

Hundreds of ninjas gathered outside the village and headed towards the western front.

These are all elite ninjas, painstakingly assembled by Konoha, a village with depleted military strength, to prepare for this war.

The group marched for several days before finally reaching the western border.

The air there became noticeably more humid.

If you stand on high ground, you can see the boundless sea.

Upon arriving at the base, the group began setting up their tents in preparation for the next day's mission.

"Are you Shisui?"

As Qing Si set up his camp, he noticed someone watching him.

"You know me?"

The big-nosed young ninja looked puzzled.

"I've heard that you've gained some reputation even though you've only been on the battlefield for a short time."

Kiyoshi sized up Uchiha Shisui.

He is only a few years old, but his strength already far surpasses that of the other Uchiha clan members.

In the original work, there were two unconventional geniuses in the Uchiha clan: Itachi and Shisui.

They were all young enough to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, yet they ultimately chose to stand against the Uchiha clan.

"I came to you to ask for your opinion on the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Shisui looked at Kiyoshi.

He knew that Kiyoshi was a famous genius in the Uchiha clan, and he himself grew up listening to Kiyoshi's stories.

Therefore, Uchiha Shisui was very curious about how Kiyoshi viewed the Uchiha clan.

"A family of love".

Qingsi said calmly.

"like?"

Kiyoshi's answer was unexpected by Shisui.

There are rumors that the Uchiha are an inherently evil clan, and he himself can sense his clansmen's pursuit of power.

And narrow-mindedness.

Even he himself only opened his eyes after witnessing the death of his companion.

Is it really "love" that such a despicable race can only open their eyes to death and hatred?

"That's right, if the Uchiha clan doesn't have love, they can't awaken their Sharingan."

Qing Si's answer left Shi Shui completely baffled.

He looked up at the handsome man in front of him.

Those dark eyes seemed forever calm and unfathomable.

"I understand, thank you, Kiyoshi-senpai."

Zhi Shui composed himself, clearing his mind of confusion, and walked outside.

"I heard you have some talent for the 'Instantaneous Movement Technique,' here, take this."

Kiyoshi tossed out a scroll of ninjutsu.

Shisui opened the book and found that it contained some insights about the "Instantaneous Movement Technique".

After thanking Kiyoshi again, he left with the scroll and his thoughts.

Kiyoshi continued setting up his tent.

Giving the scroll to Zhishui was not a whim of his.

Rather, he had been planning to see Zhishui for a long time, and it just so happened that they met today.

It's true that it contains his insights, but it also contains contingency plans left by Kiyoshi.

Some chakra pathways are meaningless; if you follow Kiyoshi's instructions, you'll leave a weakness.

"From what we can see now, they haven't sided with Konoha yet, they're just lost. We'll see if we can guide them back."

Kiyoshi secretly said.

Of course, some backup plans are also essential.

……

Another place where tents were set up in Qingsi.

Fugaku looked up at the shimmering sea in the distance, his thoughts reflecting in his mind.

Just as he had predicted, Kiyoshi grew rapidly and attracted everyone's attention.

He also used this to hide himself even more deeply.

Finally, whether he had any hidden secret techniques or not, few people cared anymore.

Many people speculate that Kiyoshi might be the next Madara Uchiha.

After all, Madara Uchiha was a figure comparable to Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, and the two were childhood friends.

"I feel much more relaxed now."

Fugaku took a deep breath. Once the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Mist Village were pacified, the war would be completely over.

He was able to relax a bit and focus on some of his life's important matters.

That's Mikoto.

Fugaku felt a sense of indebtedness towards Mikoto because he had been dragging his feet on it.

Thinking of this, Fugaku could no longer suppress his longing and quickly walked towards Mikoto's tent.

"Mikoto."

When Fugaku arrived, he found Mikoto carefully heating up a bento box.

Then they drew a cute pattern on it with ketchup.

Fugaku couldn't help but smile, feeling a warmth in his heart. The bento box that Mikoto had prepared for him was really cute.

"Mikoto, you don't need to do so much for me."

Fugaku is close to Mikoto Road.

"Fugaku?"

Mikoto, who was focused on her work, was startled; she hadn't yet noticed Fugaku approaching.

"I think we can now officially confirm our relationship."

Fugaku spoke.

From the very first day Kiyoshi arrived at the Uchiha clan, their relationship was practically on the verge of being formally acknowledged.

However, contrary to Fugaku's expectations, Mikoto bit her lower lip and remained silent.

An ominous thought rose in Fugaku's mind.

Has Misaka changed her mind?
No, it's impossible.

Fugaku knew that Mikoto didn't have many men around her.

"Fugaku, let's talk about these things after the war is over. We were too hasty before."

Mikoto said, covering the heated bento box.

Fugaku was taken aback.

It seems that I have been too cold to Mikoto, which has caused her to feel distant from me.

Fugaku instinctively reached out to take the lunchbox that Mikoto had covered.

Regardless, as long as there is mutual communication, Fugaku believes that their relationship can be restored to its original state.

His hand froze abruptly halfway through its reach.

Mikoto didn't hand the bento to Fugaku; instead, she packed it up herself.

"I'm sorry, Fugaku, this is a bento box prepared for Kiyoshi."

Mikoto gently shook her head.

This was her promise to Kiyoshi.

On the afternoon of their mission, Kiyoshi used the "Flying Thunder God Technique" to take her around to buy ingredients and also gave her a sealing scroll.

After purchasing the items, the two exchanged recipes for a while.

According to Qing Si, these are what is called "Chinese style".

Mikoto had never heard of these strange words before, but after making them according to Kiyoshi's method, she found that they tasted pretty good.

These bento boxes were made by her and Kiyoshi.

Today she was just heating it up, intending to give it to Kiyoshi.

Qingsi is one of the commanders of this unit, so he will definitely not have much time to prepare these things at night, and he may go hungry.

"Seiji?"

Fugaku frowned deeply.

No, what's the situation?

He wanted Mikoto to visit Kiyoshi more often, so that Kiyoshi could leave a "bond" in the clan.

It's not about making Mikoto herself become Kiyoshi's "bond".

"I'm leaving now. We can talk when I get back."

Mikoto waved and walked out of her tent.

"Mikoto..."

Fugaku wanted to say something more, but Mikoto had already walked away.

His shouts attracted the attention of many passing ninjas.

Fugaku had no choice but to shut his mouth.

He is the head of the Uchiha clan, and his every move represents the face of the Uchiha.

"We can only wait until the war is over."

Fugaku was unusually anxious.

Kiyoshi never expected that he and Mikoto would become so close.

But there's not much we can do now.

He simply didn't have time to deal with these things.

"Captain Fugaku, we need your signature here."

Uchiha Yakumi shouted.

Besides Kiyoshi and Tsunade, there were actually many other commanders.

Fugaku is one of them.

"coming."

Fugaku's voice was somewhat muffled.

Uchiha Yakumi noticed this.

He wondered if Captain Fugaku and Mikoto had a fight.

However, I dared not ask about the smell of the medicine.

……

It's an isolated island more than ten kilometers from the coast.

Ninjas patrol here from time to time, and many ships are docked outside.

"The latest intelligence has arrived: Konoha's reinforcements have arrived."

Inside one of the caves, an orange oil lamp illuminated the surroundings.

A Cloud Village ninja began to report the situation.

"Has Uchiha Kiyoshi arrived yet?"

One of them, a mature woman with her arms crossed and golden braids hanging down, asked. (End of Chapter)