Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Furthermore, there is another Wood Release ninja who can coordinate with Susanoo, clearly another young Kage-level ninja.

The overall strength of Konoha Village has not weakened in the slightest, so attacking at this point would be completely risky.

But Uchiha Shisui was only 16 years old, and that mysterious Wood Release ninja must be even younger. If we wait a few more years, they will become stronger, and Konoha will be even more difficult to deal with.

After much deliberation, the Fourth Raikage made a decision: he instructed Killer Bee to summon Tsuchikage.

Then, in front of the two of them, he announced: "I have decided to accept Konoha's conditions and continue to maintain the previous peace agreement."

"But don't inform Konoha of my decision yet. We need to get the Cloud Village ninja to retreat first."

"Tsuchi, you will be in charge of leading the Cloud Village ninja back to the Land of Lightning. Be careful of possible attacks from the Iwa Village ninja along the way."

Tsuchida nodded steadily: "Fourth Raikage, please rest assured, I will lead everyone back to the country."

He chuckled and said, "Hehe, actually, given the Third Tsuchikage's character, he won't provoke our Hidden Cloud Village right now."

The Fourth Raikage agreed with Tsuchikage's assessment: "I know that after I tricked him twice, he's become increasingly cautious, and it's indeed unlikely that he'll suddenly appear and launch a sneak attack."

"But we must be careful in everything we do. Only when we have made the most comprehensive preparations can we ensure that the enemy will not have any unrealistic ambitions."

"Also, after you leave, Killer Bee and I will stay here."

"Furthermore, I will make a public appearance to create the illusion of an attack on Konoha Village, putting enough pressure on Konoha Village to prevent a possible attack by Konoha ninja."

Tsuchida bowed his head in sincere admiration: "Yes, Fourth Raikage."

The Fourth Raikage suddenly appeared at the Hidden Cloud Village camp and forcefully declared that Konoha would pay the price for the deaths of the Hidden Cloud Village ninja.

The Fourth Raikage's statement caused panic among the Third Hokage's group, which in turn caused panic throughout Konoha Village, leaving the entire village in a state of fear.

Xia Zuo felt deeply dissatisfied as a result.

Is this the number one ninja village in the ninja world?

The idea that the First Ninja Village could be so easily frightened by a few empty threats from an enemy is simply a joke.

But Xia Zuo soon realized that he had made a mistake.

The Konoha ninjas' fear of the Fourth Raikage wasn't that they couldn't defeat him, but rather that they were afraid of suffering losses because of his madness.

This is similar to the fear that ordinary people have of wolves. They are not afraid of not being able to defeat them, but of being bitten, bleeding, and in pain.

The ninjas of Konoha are like city dwellers in the ninja world; after enjoying a comfortable life, their willpower inevitably weakens.

They didn't want to pay too high a price, but as a result, they always paid a higher price.

Uchiha Shisui did not complain about Xia Zuo's misjudgment; instead, he was eager to prepare for battle.

But just a few days later, the Fourth Raikage, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and all the Cloud Village ninjas suddenly vanished without a trace.

Before the Third Hokage could recover from his shock, a Cloud Village ninja arrived at Konoha and delivered a personal letter from the Fourth Raikage, formally accepting Konoha's conditions to continue the peace treaty that had lasted for the past five years.

Regardless of the extent of the Third Hokage's psychological trauma, the shadow of war has completely dissipated.

Although he didn't get the chance to go to the battlefield, Uchiha Shisui was even happier. His respect and confidence in Natsume reached a new level, completely surpassing that of the Third Hokage.

In other words, when the Third Hokage makes a mistake next time, Xia Zuo can beat up Hiruzen Sarutobi in the name of justice without worrying that Shisui Uchiha will intervene.

With the shadow of war dissipating, the Chunin Exams, which had been delayed for more than five months, finally began in Konoha.

Xia Zuo happily ran off to participate in the Chunin Exams, which attracted the attention of Uchiha Shisui, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

The Third Hokage even personally intervened to change the Chunin Exams, removing the written exam, which was highly unpredictable, to prevent Xia and Zuo from failing the exams due to factors beyond their ability.

So when Xia Zuo met Dou outside the Forest of Death, Dou was rambling on and on about how he never expected to skip the written exam, which made all his hard work and preparation over the past year go to waste.

Xia Zuo calmly entered the Forest of Death and passed through it without attracting Dou's attention.

Then, in the selection battle, he steadily demonstrated the strength of a Chunin and achieved a final victory without much difficulty, thus defending his title as the top graduate of this year's Ninja Academy.

The Third Hokage was very satisfied with Xia Zuo's "low-key" performance, which did not attract attention.

With a huge weight lifted from his heart, the Third Hokage was the first to sign the Chunin promotion order for Xia Sa.

He said to Mitokado Homura, "This must be the strongest Chunin in Konoha's history."

Mitokado Homura smiled wryly, "I don't think there will be any stronger Chunin. After all, they are Wood Release ninjas who are no match for even Jonin."

Back home, Uchiha Izumi, Aunt Miko, and Uncle Heishiro prepared a feast for Natsusa to celebrate his promotion to Chunin.

This was a small family dinner, and the only guest present was Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Izumi smiled and congratulated him, "Congratulations, brother! You must be the strongest Chunin in Konoha's history!"

Xia Zuo was stunned, and subconsciously thought of Obito, who had lost half of his body.

But then he remembered that he had already beaten Obito, and that Obito was indeed the strongest Chunin.

So Xia Zuo accepted his sister's compliment with peace of mind.

At the banquet, Uchiha Izumi asked, "Brother, the Uchiha clan has been settled. What should I do next?"

Xia Zuo smiled and countered, "Did the Third Hokage send someone to ask for your opinion, hoping that the Uchiha clan would return to the Security Forces?"

Uchiha Shisui exclaimed, "Lord Xia Zuo is truly amazing; your guess was absolutely accurate."

"After the Uchiha ninja completely withdrew from the Security Department, and after six months of preparation, the villagers of Konoha are rapidly increasing their grievances. Perhaps the Third Hokage is under great pressure."

Xia Zuo sneered, "Don't worry about the Third Hokage. He's just stating his position; he's not seriously asking the Uchiha to go back."

He looked at Uchiha Izumi and asked, "Izumi, does the Uchiha clan still have money?"

Uchiha Izumi's eyes were somewhat dazed: "They're rich, incredibly rich. I had no idea the Uchiha clan was this wealthy."

Xia Zuo smiled and said, "That's good. For now, the Uchiha should not return to the Konoha Village power structure. They should focus on restoring their strength."

"With only one Jonin, Uchiha Shisui, such strength is not enough to uphold the name of the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Izumi pouted, "It's all because my brother wouldn't let me advance and even made me leave Hana's team. Otherwise, our clan would have two Jonin right away."

Xia Zuo burst into laughter upon hearing this.