Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

A battlefield ravaged by war.

The huge crater looked as if a piece of the earth had been scooped out by a god with a spoon, and the soil around the edges was charred black from being burned by high temperatures.

Broken trees were scattered all around in various twisted shapes, forming a messy fan-shaped area.

The air was filled with the smells of soil, burnt wood, and a peculiar odor from ionization.

Those were the traces left behind after the devastation of the Super Shinra Tensei.

Only Fugaku Uchiha and Konan were present.

Nagato and Obito had already left.

Konan stood at the edge of the battlefield, gazing absently in the direction where Nagato had disappeared.

The wind blew her light purple hair, brushing against her cool and refined face. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a very faint, yet genuine smile.

"I don't think this is a smile meant for me."

Beside him, Fugaku Uchiha slumped to the ground. After a series of battles, although he had repeatedly replenished his chakra with his left eye, as he had said before, his soul had been constantly damaged under the torment of such extreme vitality. Afterwards, he would need to slowly "replenish his mana" with Mikoto to repair it.

Right now, this kind of damage manifests as mental and spiritual exhaustion.

A deep sense of weariness, as if I had stayed up for more than a dozen nights in a row. My brain could still function, but something more fundamental had already protested.

"Of course not."

Konan stopped smiling, turned her head, and calmly looked at Uchiha Fugaku.

"I was just thinking that ever since Nagato got the Rinnegan, he has become less and less like a 'human' person."

She paused, then her gaze drifted into the distance once more.

"But just now, his face was full of guilt, and his eyes showed struggle, worry, and anger. It was as if he had returned to how we were when we were children, the living, breathing person who would blame himself for Yahiko's injury and clumsily try to dry my paper flowers with chakra when they got wet in the rain."

"Doesn't this constitute leaking information?"

Fugaku Uchiha retorted, a playful smile curving his lips.

"That would remove his mystique, and a 'god with emotions' would be much less intimidating."

Xiao Nan's expression held a hint of disdain.

"You possess half the authority of the Heavenly Dao, and even know the abilities of the Human Dao. I imagine you know far more. Is this level of 'information' meaningful to you?"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha smiled and nodded, extending his fingers to demonstrate a gesture where his index finger and thumb were pinched together, leaving only a small gap.

"I know a little bit. For example, I also know that your name is Konan, his name is Nagato, and the body that Nagato took away was named Yahiko. The three of you grew up together and depended on each other for survival in the Land of Rain, a land where it always rains. Although you are not related by blood, you are the closest of brothers and sisters, even closer than blood relatives."

"Otherwise, why do you think I would dare to kidnap you and blackmail him?"

"If you were just an ordinary subordinate, with his 'god-like' mentality, he would have sacrificed you. But you are 'family,' the only remaining anchor in his life that connects him to the identity of 'Yahiko.' If he harms you, it's like he's undermining the foundation of his being a 'human being.'"

Xiao Nan stopped talking.

She simply stood quietly beside Fugaku Uchiha, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding ruins, wary of any potential dangers. She kept her word and would fulfill all her duties without fail.

Suddenly, a slight tremor came from afar. Was it an earthquake, or a collective tremor caused by many people moving quickly and stomping on the ground?

Konan instinctively formed hand seals, and chakra surged within her.

"The Technique of the God of Paper!"

Countless white paper scraps poured out from her sleeves and hem, like a living white tide, quickly enveloping her and Uchiha Fugaku.

Layer upon layer of paper, glued together, shaped, and changed color. In the blink of an eye, the spot where the two stood transformed into a half-person-high, grayish-brown rock covered with moss and cracks, perfectly blending into the surrounding battlefield rubble.

To avoid attracting attention, the rock was not large, which is why the two people were standing very close together.

They were so close they could feel each other's breath.

Fugaku Uchiha could smell a faint, unique scent emanating from Konan, a mixture of sandalwood and paper, and he could also hear her heartbeat.

Clearly, this woman was not as calm as she appeared. Her tense body indicated that she was waiting for something. However, Fugaku Uchiha did not make a move.

He even adjusted his posture to make himself more comfortable, then closed his eyes as if taking a nap.

Marriages between countries are very common.

Whether one wins or loses a war, marriage alliances are a normal diplomatic tactic and part of politics.

Not to mention, the other party made the first move.

However, it cannot be denied that the Nagato trio are at least "human".

They have ideals, bonds, the awareness to sacrifice for their comrades, and the magnanimity to admit defeat. He would not use despicable means to humiliate such an opponent, nor would he deliberately make things difficult for them when they fulfill their promises.

That's meaningless and it would damage his own image.

However, thinking of Nagato, Fugaku Uchiha still felt somewhat regretful.

"Just a little bit more..."

Beneath his closed eyelids, his eyeballs moved slightly. If Obito hadn't appeared, he might have been able to seize those Rinnegan.

After all, everything he did was to prepare for the Infinite Tsukuyomi incident more than a decade later. Those two Rinnegan were the key to the plan. If he could get his hands on them in advance and destroy them, he could "graduate early".

Especially after his "butterfly wings" flap, no one can say for sure what the future will hold.

There are too many variables.

Of course, the good news is that his plan was executed smoothly.

By detaining Konan and obtaining the "Sealing and Restraint" of the Heavenly Dao, he could ensure that Nagato's covetousness of the Land of Mist was locked away. As for restoring some of his mobility, that was also intentional. When he controlled Nagato, he deliberately let his life chakra "leak" through him to nourish his body.

The reason is simple: if Nagato remains a cripple confined to the mechanical spider after detaining Konan, he will find it difficult to fulfill the role of a pawn in Nagato's future plans.

The tremors grew closer, accompanied by faint shouts and footsteps.

"They are our people."

Fugaku Uchiha opened his eyes and said softly.

Xiao Nan nodded and formed a hand seal again.

The rock enveloping the two instantly crumbled, turning into countless white paper scraps fluttering in the air. This abrupt yet beautiful sight immediately attracted the attention of the approaching Hidden Mist ninjas.

"There it is!"

"It's Lord Fugaku!"

"And...who is that?"

The Hidden Mist ninjas rushed over in a flurry, led by Mei Terumi and Mikoto Uchiha.

Ao, Raiga Kurosuki, Suigetsu Hozuki, and Kirigakure Jonin, along with Juzo Biwa, followed closely behind. Behind them were more than two hundred Chunin and Genin. The line was rather long, but the overall formation was still quite orderly.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Fugaku Uchiha was alright.

But when they saw a woman standing next to Fugaku, wearing a black trench coat with red clouds, exuding a cool and aloof aura and possessing stunning beauty, everyone's expressions became somewhat confused.

Isn't that the uniform of those "mysterious people" from earlier?

"Fugaku, you..."

Mei Terumi was the first to rush over, looking Fugaku up and down to make sure he wasn't missing any limbs before turning her gaze to Konan, her eyes filled with undisguised scrutiny and wariness.

With Konan's help, Fugaku Uchiha slowly stood up and explained.

"The enemy was very strong. I won, but I couldn't capture them. However, I did manage to take their 'sister' hostage."

He pointed to Xiao Nan beside him.

"After negotiations, she, also known as Konan, will become one of my wives. I will ensure her safety, and in exchange, that enemy promises not to approach the Land of Mist again."

"ha?"

Upon hearing this, the ninjas of Kirigakure displayed a variety of expressions.

Although they had spent the last few days in the East Coast Market, they all knew that Uchiha Fugaku was a "lecherous" man. He was accompanied by his beautiful wife Mikoto, and he also flirted with Mei Terumi. He often made jokes with the pretty female shop assistants in the market.

However, to be so lustful as to "capture the enemy's sister and then say he wants to marry her"...

Isn't this a bit too outrageous?

"Are you sure... he can lead our Hidden Mist Village to glory?"

In the distance, Kurozuki Raiga muttered to himself.

"This looks exactly like the behavior of a daimyo whose talents are being wasted on good looks!"

"Ahem! Kirigakure, due to the Blood Mist incident over the years, our population has dwindled..."

Watermelon Pufferfish carefully chose his words and spoke in his distinctive, slow voice.

"So, marrying more wives, getting married more often, and having more children can also be considered a contribution to Kirigakure..."

"Maybe I should just become a rogue ninja..."

...

"Fugaku, are you alright?"

Mikoto Uchiha ignored the whispers and walked over to Fugaku. She carefully examined his face; it was somewhat pale, and his eyes showed fatigue, but his overall condition was relatively stable. She then glanced at Konan, who was standing obediently to the side with a blank expression, and said nothing more.

She has confidence in her husband.

Since he did such a thing, it proves that the other party must be under his control. She is no stranger to political marriages and hostage diplomacy. The Uchiha clan used similar methods to consolidate their position and win over allies when they were in Konoha.

"I'll have to trouble you again later."

Fugaku Uchiha gently patted Mikoto Uchiha's hand.

"Um.."

In front of others, Mikoto Uchiha didn't say much, and didn't even blush. After all, this matter was top secret. That's the good thing about being an old married couple; they have enough tacit understanding. A glance or a gesture is enough for them to understand each other.

Meanwhile, Mei Terumi circled around Minami, looking her up and down with an expression that suggested she was evaluating a product or scrutinizing a potential competitor. She crossed her arms, raised her chin slightly, and looked somewhat sullen, her lips pursed, her emerald green eyes filled with displeasure.

Although she could understand the political marriage, especially since the other party's brother was a true Kage-level powerhouse!

But she's not even married into the family yet!

Mei Terumi stared at Minami for several seconds, then suddenly leaned closer and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, her voice fierce.

"I'm telling you, you better behave yourself and don't try anything funny, or else, hmph!"

Xiao Nan simply looked back at her calmly, her purple eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"By the way, Ming."

Fugaku Uchiha spoke up at the right moment, breaking the silent standoff between the two women, and pulled Mei Terumi to his side.

"Where's Qing?"

"I had him work with Juzo Biwa to scout the surrounding area, because I was afraid Konoha would seize this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on us."

"Signal them to come back."

"What's wrong?"

"The sealing team of Konoha is unmatched by other ninja villages. For example, the defensive barriers that other ninja villages use to deal with the Byakugan in normal times can be set up by Konoha's sealing team at any time, making it too easy to fool the Byakugan's detection."

Fugaku Uchiha was serious when he said that. In fact, most major countries have similar barriers. After all, if their command posts could be easily seen through by the Byakugan, there would be no point in fighting a war. However, as I said before, only Konoha in the entire ninja world can set up such barriers in a mobile manner like a sealing team.

There's no other reason than that there are a lot of people and a lot of talented people; it's a prime example of "great strength makes bricks fly."

Especially after the Nine-Tails Night, Konoha learned from its mistakes and invested heavily in the sealing team to ensure that they would not be helpless against large monsters like they were during the Nine-Tails Night.

"You mean they'll ambush us?"

Remove the word "会".

Fugaku Uchiha gently ruffled Mei Terumi's dark red hair. To be honest, looking at her hair, he even wondered if Mei Terumi also had Uzumaki clan blood. Otherwise, her exaggerated chakra reserves were really hard to explain...

"Our previous cooperation was based on a relatively balanced state, which formed the basis for our negotiations. But now, although my life is not in immediate danger, I'm almost at my limit. In fact, I'm only able to talk to you because I'm barely holding on. Right now, I feel like someone who hasn't slept for ten days and ten nights..."

"Do you think, if you were in command, you would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deal with someone who already has a blood feud with your village and also poses a huge threat to it, even if it means sacrificing a thousand men?"

"I...I don't think so..."

She opened her mouth, but in the end, Mei Terumi could only shake her head. The battle between Fugaku Uchiha and the mysterious man was there for all to see. Any ninja who was cold-blooded and qualified enough would have made the right choice.

"So what do we do?"

"Unable to locate the enemy, especially one skilled in using barriers and sealing techniques, nowhere is safe, so..."

"Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath and said."

"Rest where you are, build fortifications, give me time to recover. Meanwhile, send a signal to raise the alert level at the East Coast Market..."

"Huh?"

Mei Terumi was caught off guard and was caught off guard by Fugaku Uchiha, who pounced on her head.

"Ah, not again..."

Mei Terumi instinctively hugged the suddenly unconscious Fugaku Uchiha, and couldn't help but complain that he had just fainted while talking in the East Coast Market last time!

"Leave it to me."

Beside her, Uchiha Mikoto stepped forward with a gentle smile on her face and reached out to take Fugaku's hand.

"don't want!"

Mei Terumi, as if a child snatching a toy, twisted her body and flung Fugaku Uchiha onto her back.

"You all heard that, didn't you!"

Mei Terumi turned around and shouted to the Kirigakure ninjas who were still in a daze, her voice regaining its usual crispness.

"Construct fortifications on the spot! Raise the alert level to the highest! No one is allowed to leave before Ao and Juzo return! Suigetsu Hozuki, you're in charge!"

"yes!"

More than two hundred Kirigakure ninjas, led by Jonin such as Suigetsu Hobuki, immediately sprang into action. For these veteran ninjas who had experienced the Third Shinobi World War, this was a piece of cake.

"What are you trying to do!"

Just then, Mei Terumi suddenly looked up warily at Konan who was walking over, and Mikoto Uchiha also looked up, looking at Mei Terumi with a hesitant expression.

"What's wrong...?"

"I suggest."

Xiao Nan interrupted her calmly, her voice utterly indifferent.

"You can reach behind you and touch it."

"What are you touching?"

Mei Terumi frowned.

"Fugaku is right behind me..."

However, despite saying that, seeing Konan's serious expression, Mei Terumi still reached out and touched Fugaku Uchiha, who was lying on her back.

She touched a smooth, firm buttock...

Then, she heard Xiao Nan's faint voice.

"I forgot to tell you before, his clothes were made of chakra. When he lost consciousness, the clothes naturally disintegrated..."

"..."