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

In the eastern coastal city of the Land of Whirlpools, martial law has been imposed.

In the empty square, there was only a ninja sword stuck there, or rather, a weapon that looked like a needle, only magnified many times.

The next moment, accompanied by a spatial fluctuation, a group of people and nine cats appeared next to the needle without any warning.

"Fugaku..."

Seeing her husband safe and sound not far away, Uchiha Mikoto finally felt relieved and couldn't help but step forward to gently hold his arm.

Fugaku Uchiha didn't say much, he just gently patted the back of her hand.

Then, raise your head and look ahead.

"Hello, Chief Fugaku."

Mei Terumi had already come up to him, and after taking a deep breath, she extended her hand.

"Hello there."

Fugaku Uchiha also extended his hand, examining the woman before him. Compared to the anime-style image he remembered, Mei Terumi before him was more real, more beautiful, and of course, more...

"Um, well..."

Looking at Fugaku Uchiha's aggressive gaze, Mei Terumi hesitated for a few seconds before letting go of his hand, feeling her cheeks burning.

"Please take care of me from now on."

"It's over."

In the distance, Chojuro pushed up his glasses.

"Senior Qing, look at the clan leader... isn't he...?"

"It's over."

Qing spoke concisely, his left eye, which wasn't covered by the blindfold, also staring at Terumi Mei, before shrugging.

"I knew it!"

Chojuro clenched his fist.

"Marriage is the clan chief's greatest weakness!"

"That makes sense, the other party is Uchiha Fugaku."

Qing said calmly.

"The head of one of the strongest ninja clans in the ninja world possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan and can simultaneously summon hundreds of people in reverse. This strategic-level mobility is unique in the entire ninja world. It's normal for the clan head to be tempted."

"I'm not saying the clan leader shouldn't be tempted. What if he tries to sideline the clan leader?"

Ao turned her head and glanced at Chojuro.

"Child, you're overthinking it."

"How so?"

"First, it would be impossible for an outside ninja clan to usurp the power of a local ninja clan without decades of effort. The Uchiha clan currently has only three hundred members, and most of them are elderly, weak, women, and children. There are no more than seventy ninjas capable of fighting."

"Secondly, even if we're going to create a fictional ruler, it will be several generations from now. The next Mizukage will undoubtedly be the clan head, and the one after that will be the child of the clan head and the Uchiha clan head, Fugaku. The Uchiha bloodline will already be the Mizukage, so what's the point of creating a fictional ruler? At that time, the Uchiha clan will truly be integrated into Kirigakure..."

"I see..."

Chojuro nodded, seemingly lost in thought...

"Whoosh!! Boom!!"

Suddenly, a piercing explosion resounded throughout the misty East Coast Market!

"Signal flare!!"

As Qing's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, he immediately activated his Byakugan. His nearly 360-degree field of vision allowed him to clearly see that, following the explosion of the signal flare, chakra reactions had spread throughout the area surrounding Donghai Market!

Without a doubt, those must be Konoha ninjas!

"Enemy attack! Alert!!"

Qing's voice instantly rose in pitch, echoing throughout the entire market!

However, it was too late...

Almost at the same time that Ao issued the warning, these Konoha ninjas had already stormed the walls of the East Blue Market! Countless Konoha ninjas were divided into several small teams, surrounding the entire market from all directions!

"It seems your plan was guessed."

Mei Terumi looked up at the ninjas in all directions and frowned. There were more than a thousand of them, and more importantly... all of them were Chunin, which meant that this was an elite ninja corps from Konoha!

"I only brought these people with me for the sake of secrecy; there are only three hundred Mist Village garrison troops stationed in the market... Hey, why aren't you... nervous at all?"

As Mei Terumi was speaking, she noticed that Fugaku Uchiha, who was standing to the side, had a calm expression and even seemed to be holding his wife's hand.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you."

Fugaku Uchiha naturally took Mei Terumi's hand and placed it in Mikoto Uchiha's hand, patting them together.

"Huh...eh?"

...

"The Uchiha clan..."

On the walls of Kirigakure City on the east coast of the Land of Whirlpools.

Danzo Shimura stood against the wind, leaning on his cane. The sea breeze billowed his wide robes, revealing the bandage wrapped around his right arm.

He saw Uchiha Fugaku.

I saw those three hundred-plus Uchiha clansmen.

This made him feel somewhat emotional.

However, what he was lamenting was not that he had caught the Uchiha clan by the tail.

Instead, it was his old friend—

Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He still remembered that night when he received a communication from Shikaku Nara, the commander of the southern defense line, while he was on the border of the Jaggi Kingdom.

The gist of it is that they deduced that Fugaku Uchiha's true target was Kirigakure.

When he first heard this speculation, he even found it somewhat absurd. Putting aside the issue of distance, how many ninja clans had fled Kirigakure due to the village's Blood Mist policy...?

However, after carefully listening to Nara Shikaku's analysis, he had to admit that it made a lot of sense.

In short, Fugaku Uchiha's behavior was contradictory. If he really just wanted to hide, then the most reasonable thing to do after controlling the Byakugan would be to lie in wait silently and look for loopholes in the encirclement. But he didn't. He deliberately exposed that he had already captured the Hyuga members.

As a result, Hiruzen mobilized 10,000 ninjas to the north to encircle and suppress them. This was actually intentional on his part, a diversionary tactic. With everyone heading north, his real target could only be the south, and the only place in the south where he could contact Kirigakure was the Land of Whirlpools.

As for the Blood Mist policy...

Nara Shikaku stated that the outside world has limited information, but it is certain that most of those persecuted were small and medium-sized families, such as the Yuki clan, while larger families, such as the Hozuki and Terumi clans, are still alive. The Kaguya clan was wiped out because they went mad and launched a rebellion, so it cannot be entirely attributed to policy.

These surviving clans, under the shadow of the blood mist, will surely unite in secret to protect themselves. If, at this time, a powerful ninja clan with the Mangekyou Sharingan comes to seek refuge, would they refuse?

Undoubtedly, this convinced him, but the matter was of great importance, and he certainly did not have the right to make a decision unilaterally. After all, if he guessed correctly, it would mean war.

So he told Hiruzen Sarutobi everything.

Then he heard those words.

At all costs, annihilate the Uchiha clan. If Kirigakure wants war, then... give them war.

In that instant, Danzo seemed to see that person from thirty years ago, the one who, in the Second Shinobi World War, brutally defeated the four great ninja villages under the name of "Shinobi Hero." Time had smoothed his edges, and political affairs had worn away his sharpness, but in some core aspects, that ruthlessness had never disappeared.

After all, no one knew better than the two of them just how troublesome a well-organized Uchiha clan could be...

"Hiruzen, you're going a bit too far..."

As his thoughts raced, Danzo slowly exhaled, lowered his head, and his gaze swept over the Hidden Mist ninja, over the Uchiha clan members, and finally settled on Mei Terumi.

"Clan Chief Terumi Mei, the Uchiha clan are rogue ninjas of Konoha. According to the Shinobi World Convention, any village that harbors rogue ninjas from another village will be considered an act of hostility."

Using his wind-escape technique, he amplified his voice, making it resound throughout the entire market.

"Are you sure you want to go to war with Konoha for the sake of these three hundred people?"

"A rogue ninja? Lord Danzo."

Inside the market, Mei Terumi crossed her arms and looked up at Danzo Shimura on the city wall. Nourished by chakra, her loud voice echoed all around.

"You make it sound so easy. The entire ninja world knows about your oppression of the Uchiha clan, from your Second Hokage to the present. Even so, Clan Head Fugaku has not done anything to harm Konoha. He only took away the moderates. You still won't let them go and insist on exterminating them?"

"Heh, ruthless extermination..."

"How ironic it sounds coming from the mouth of someone from Kirigakure!"

On the city wall, Danzo raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

"Blood Mist Policy..."

He slowly uttered four words.

"The Hidden Mist Village has been persecuting ninjas with bloodline limits for over a decade. In terms of persecution of bloodline limit ninjas, the Hidden Mist Village is the number one in the ninja world. Now, you want the surviving ninjas of the Hidden Mist Village to go to war with the Hidden Leaf Village for the sake of a clan with an unfamiliar bloodline limit?"

"Before that, why don't you ask your ninjas if they're willing? If they are, then what about the Blood Mist Plan?"

As expected, the words had barely left his lips when a commotion broke out in the market. Some of the Hidden Mist ninja exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes wavering...

Mei Terumi was taken aback. She wanted to refute, but was speechless for a moment.

Because what Danzo said was true, or at least partly true. The Blood Mist Policy did exist, and it still exists now. But that's exactly what she wanted to change, yet she couldn't say it directly—it was a secret.

With just a few simple words, she realized how troublesome the "Darkness of Konoha" was.

Just then, a hand gently patted her shoulder; it was that same gentle hand.

Mei Terumi turned her head.

Fugaku Uchiha smiled at her gently.

"Leave it to me..."

As he spoke, he walked up to Terumi Mei, shielding her behind him. He looked up at Shimura Danzo, who was high above, but instead of speaking, he focused his gaze on Nara Shikaku, who was not far from Shimura Danzo.

"Shikaku, you really are smart."

"Chief of the Fugaku clan."

Lu Jiu took a few steps forward, his voice filled with helplessness.

"I was merely suggesting a possibility; it was the visionary leadership of three generations of leaders that made the final decision."

"Yeah?"

Fugaku Uchiha smiled.

"But among all the people in Konoha, only you could think of this and persuade that person."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Danzo.

"As expected of Hiruzen Sarutobi, he's ruthless enough. A thousand elite troops, crossing the sea to launch a surprise attack, laid an ambush in advance, and attacked without warning. Hiruzen Sarutobi has finally regained some of his former courage."

Danzo narrowed his one eye, let out a soft hum, and even couldn't help but raise his head.

"but."

His voice suddenly became playful.

"Over the years, there's something I've always been curious about."

He looked at the Konoha army formation, his gaze sweeping over the masked Root and Anbu members, and over the young Jonin and Chunin.

"The Shadow Guards have always existed to protect the Shadows, that's common sense. But I've never heard of a Shadow sacrificing himself to protect the Shadow Guards. What's even more interesting is that the Senju clan, the core of Konoha,... collapsed so 'naturally'."

"Senju Nawaki, the eldest grandson of the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, died on the battlefield at the age of twelve. The cause of his death was so... ridiculous. He was blown up by an explosive tag. A child who inherited the Sage Body and should have had super strong vitality, tsk tsk."

"Kato Dan, the prized student of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju and son-in-law of the Senju clan, was a nearly invincible ninja. His hiding place was 'coincidentally' discovered by Iwagakure, and his internal organs were ripped out..."

"After her younger brother and lover died one after another, Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, became disheartened and abandoned everything to leave. From then on, the Senju clan completely disappeared from the core of power in Konoha."

Fugaku spread his hands, making a "that's it" gesture.

"This fundamentally cuts off the Senju clan's chance of becoming Hokage. Don't you think that's too 'coincidental'?"

Dead silence.

The Konoha army formation fell into dead silence.

Some of the young ninjas looked at each other in bewilderment. They knew that the Senju clan had declined, but they had never investigated the reasons. Now that Fugaku had said this, it was indeed too much of a coincidence.

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"What? You dare to do it, but not admit it? The despicable things you old geezers have done don't stop there!"

"Hatake Sagumo! The legendary White Fang of Konoha! He abandoned his mission to save his comrades, and upon returning, he was driven to suicide by rumors! What did he do wrong? Doesn't Konoha always promote the Will of Fire and mutual respect and love? Why doesn't that apply to White Fang?"

A sea breeze blew by, and in the crowd, a white-haired, masked ninja trembled slightly...

...

"And then there's the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, hailed as the most talented Hokage. How come he was the one who sealed the Nine-Tails with the Reaper Death Seal on the night of the Nine-Tails? Where was the Third Hokage? Oh, he was 'watching' from the back. A retired ninja, letting a 24-year-old use a forbidden technique that would lead to mutual destruction, how 'protecting the junior' he is."

"Enough!!!"

Danzo finally erupted, his chakra exploding outwards, his black robes fluttering without wind, and then he raised his right hand, his bandaged arm looking particularly ferocious in the sunlight.

"Attention, everyone!!! Combined Ninjutsu—Ready!!!"

The Konoha army formation moved.

A thousand ninjas simultaneously began forming hand seals.

The air began to vibrate.

It wasn't the wind, but a torrent of chakra converging.

A thousand ninjas, even if most of them are only Chunin, and even if each person has a limited amount of chakra, when their chakra is linked together through a specific technique, the power they generate is devastating.

This is the ninja army's most powerful weapon: combined ninjutsu.

The chakra of hundreds or thousands of ninjas is gathered, amplified, and released in a targeted manner to form a terrifying attack capable of altering the terrain and destroying fortresses.

But this tactic also comes at a price.

First, it requires long-term training and close teamwork.

There is no problem with that. These are the elite ninjas that Hiruzen Sarutobi selected from ten thousand ninjas!

Secondly, it consumes a great deal of chakra.

In a battle, combined ninjutsu can usually only be used once or twice, after which most Chunin will run out of chakra and lose their fighting ability.

Therefore, the commander will not use it lightly unless necessary.

But now, Danzo used it.

Because he has to use it.

He thought he knew very well that his previous plan to subdue the enemy without fighting was no longer feasible. The remnants of the Uchiha clan were more treacherous and cunning than he had imagined. If he continued to speak, in this environment, it would be enough to shake the rule of the Konoha Hokage lineage!

We must use absolute force to destroy all doubts!

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation - Combined Style!!!"

Danzo roared.

A thousand ninjas simultaneously completed the final seal.

"ha!!!"

A deafening roar.

Then, there was the flame.

It wasn't a ball of fire, nor a patch of fire, but... a sea of ​​fire.

Cover the sky.

It was as if the entire sky was on fire.

"Hey, is this what you meant by putting my mind at ease?"

Looking at the overwhelming flames, Mei Terumi felt like crying. Even with a combined ninjutsu, it seemed that three hundred Kirigakure members would have difficulty withstanding such a large-scale attack.

"Oh.."

However, Fugaku Uchiha laughed.

The smile conveyed a lot: emotion, sarcasm, disdain, but most of all, it was the relaxation that comes after winning the gamble.

An ordinary working-class man is transported to the Naruto world and inherits everything from Fugaku Uchiha...

They racked their brains, even borrowing a few bits and pieces from their instructors, to devise this plan, which took several days and involved traveling thousands of kilometers.

Everything will converge and transform at this moment...

From this day forward, he will be the renowned Uchiha clan leader!

"Kaleidoscope Sharingan - Awaken!"

"Pupil Technique: Yellow Springs Restaurant..."