Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Whether he likes it or not, Yagura Karatachi has to admit that those who plotted to assassinate the Mizukage were often genuinely passionate about the village. Only a small group of ambitious individuals were involved; most of them were motivated by a desire to make the village better, which is why they dared to make the decision to assassinate the Mizukage. In the eyes of many in the village, the Fourth Mizukage was undoubtedly the culprit who had brought Kirigakure to its current state.

However, this viewpoint is not necessarily wrong.

While the village of Kirigakure's current state is undoubtedly influenced by a complex web of historical issues, the Fourth Mizukage, who was manipulated by others, is also undeniably to blame.

"Clan Chief Uchiha, there is one more thing."

Yagura Kaguya gathered his scattered thoughts and brought up another matter, "Regarding that one-eyed man who claims to be Uchiha Madara, I wonder what your plans are?" This matter is the foundation of the cooperation between Konoha and Kirigakure. Without this bridge, the two sides would simply be victor and vanquished.

Forget about forming an alliance; given enough time to fester, the hatred between them will only escalate into a new war in the future.

However, now an enemy who is hostile to both major ninja villages and is suspected to be Madara Uchiha has attracted the attention of both villages. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Konoha and Kirigakure are indeed enemies, but their conflicts and hatred are out in the open. In comparison, an enemy hidden in the shadows who has the ability to overthrow a ninja village is even more daunting.

"This matter..."

Zongxian pondered for two seconds, "I've been away from home these past few days and haven't been back to the village for meetings. The Hokage and the others have already ordered the Anbu to conduct a thorough investigation. However, if you ask for my opinion, I would like Konoha and Kirigakure to each select a small number of elites to form a joint investigation team, specifically to track down that imposter who claims to be Uchiha Madara, instead of leaving everything to the Anbu."

The current Konoha Village Anbu is far too bloated and sluggish; its excessive authority makes it extremely inefficient.

"Joint investigation department?"

While Yagura was still pondering, Genji nodded repeatedly, his aged, hoarse voice ringing out: "Establishing a joint investigation department is an excellent idea! It would be best to select some outstanding young people to join. Mizukage-sama, I think Mangetsu and the others are quite good." A pleasant smile appeared on the old man's face. Since he didn't have the strength to be an enemy of Konoha, he thought he should find a way to become Konoha's friend.

Unfortunately, successive Mizukage were obsessed with attacking Konoha. Admittedly, the Land of Fire was the richest of the five great nations, and defeating Konoha would bring the greatest profits. However, the prerequisite was that Konoha could be defeated. If Konoha hadn't been constantly surrounded by enemies and didn't have enough energy to settle accounts with each one, the Mist Ninja would not only have not gained any benefits, but might have even suffered losses instead.

If we could change our approach and join forces with Konoha to bully the Cloud Village, Rock Village, and Sand Village, the spoils might not be as plentiful as defeating Konoha, but it would still be better than attacking Konoha time and time again only to lose everything!

A flicker of doubt crossed Yagura's eyes.

This idea is pretty good. Whether or not we can track down that guy who claims to be Uchiha Madara, having such a legitimate cooperative organization would certainly help ease the conflict and hatred between the two villages. But isn't Master Yuan being a bit too enthusiastic?

"This is just my humble opinion. The final decision rests with the Hokage. All I can do is offer my suggestion." Zongxian waved his hand with a smile, indicating that the matter was still far from settled and it was too early to talk about candidates.

but,

Are they selecting outstanding young people to join this organization?

Zongxian approved of this suggestion.

Hearing Zongxian's words, Master Yuan's withered lips moved slightly.

Should we leave it to the Hokage to decide?

If it weren't for his advanced age and slowed reflexes, he almost couldn't help but laugh. If he remembered correctly, the current Konoha was ruled by the acting Fifth Hokage. Fortunately, he was only acting. The real trouble would come when the real Fifth Hokage took office. No matter which village it was, powerful and domineering clans like the Uchiha were always a thorn in the side of the Kage.

No one likes such an uncontrollable factor, just like how the Mizukage after Byakuren didn't like him, this guy who was immortal.

The same applies to the loss of barnyardgrass.

It is estimated that even the fifth generation leader will be no exception.

Thinking of this, the smile faded, replaced by a helpless sigh. He hoped that Mei Terumi wouldn't disappoint him. If possible, he would rather go to a temple to cultivate in peace than toil away like this every day.

[Chapter 143. Hashirama Senju plus Madara Uchiha equals...]

Yuan Shi walked out onto the street with his cane. Although Zong Xian had said that he could just dispel the shadow clone, the old man still walked out the door step by step. Using a shadow clone to come over was already very impolite, and if he were to dispel the shadow clone and leave directly, it would be too disrespectful.

This time, Yagura and Genji did not stay long during their visit. They returned the Byakugan, finalized the general outline of their alliance, and also discussed their cooperation in dealing with the mysterious man. After finishing their business, they exchanged a few pleasantries and then took their leave.

"Master Yuan?"

Yagura turned to look at his side.

"Very impressive."

The master's answer was irrelevant.

Yagura was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that his master had come with him not only to personally deliver the Byakugan, but also to see for himself what kind of person Uchiha Munen was. He tentatively asked, "Master, have you noticed anything about the Uchiha clan head?"

He spoke very softly, subconsciously controlling his volume.

"As I said before, maintain good relations with Konoha and don't easily become enemies. Our most important task now is to recuperate." Master Yuan didn't say much more. He didn't have any eye techniques or sensory secrets. He relied on the experience he had accumulated over his long life to judge a person.

He didn't realize how powerful Uchiha Sogen was.

To be precise, he didn't see any secrets in Uchiha Sogen, but he could see the unspoken confidence in Uchiha Sogen's eyes. He had only seen such a strong confidence in the eyes of the First Mizukage Byakuren and the First Hokage before he met Uchiha Madara.

Unfortunately, ever since Byakuren suffered an unprecedented defeat at the hands of Uchiha Madara, he never saw that light in Byakuren's eyes again until Byakuren's death.

Even Madara Uchiha's eyes didn't have that kind of brilliance.

Perhaps Madara Uchiha once possessed that same confident radiance, but just as a white lotus encountered Madara Uchiha, Madara Uchiha also encountered the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

“I don’t know how powerful that Uchiha clan leader is. You, the Mizukage, should know his strength better than I do. But I can tell that he doesn’t take us seriously at all. Not just the two of us, but the entire Hidden Mist Village is not in his eyes.”

Master Yuan walked slowly down the street, leaning on his cane.

Yagura, standing nearby, listened to Genji's sigh.

"Don't feel ashamed. Being looked down upon like this is certainly not a pleasant feeling. Back when Byakuren and I stood in front of Uchiha Madara but were treated like cannon fodder, we were extremely angry. But later, when we were beaten by Uchiha Madara and had to run away with our tails between our legs, we realized a truth: compared to temporary humiliation, survival is more important."

As if fearing that Yagura might do something irrational, Genji solemnly warned Yagura and the others around him, such as Hozuki Mangetsu and Kisame Hoshigaki. He especially focused on the proud geniuses like Hozuki Mangetsu. Compared to the Fourth Hokage, who had already suffered enough and learned his lesson, these young people who had not experienced many setbacks were the most unstable factors.

but,

Neither Hozuki nor Mangetsu made a sound.

They must be out of their minds to provoke Uchiha Munegen. They had already experienced the terror of the [Flame Demon] firsthand. With just a casual wave of his fan, he sent Hozuki Mangetsu, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Zabuza Momochi flying. Zabuza Momochi's injuries still haven't healed.

He broke too many bones and can barely walk now. It will probably take another month or two to recover to the point where he can run and jump freely.

"Remember, we are ninjas. Only those who have learned to endure are qualified to call themselves ninjas. Moreover, it is not shameful to bow down and endure in front of someone like Uchiha Sogen. It is not shameful at all, because in the future, as long as he does not die young, perhaps the entire ninja world will bow down to him."

"Master Yuan, you're really inspiring!"

The saying "young and impetuous" is absolutely true. Even though he had already suffered at the hands of Sogen, the naturally proud Hozuki Mangetsu was still a little unconvinced. He admitted that Uchiha Sogen was stronger than them, but to say that the entire ninja world would bow down to Uchiha Sogen was too exaggerated.

"Full Moon, haven't you suffered enough yet?"

Yagura was also helpless.

"Once I master the family's secret technique, I will never lose so badly next time." Hozuki Mangetsu still held onto hope. The Hozuki clan's secret technique was still very powerful. The Second Mizukage relied on this secret technique to fight the Second Tsuchikage, who had developed the [Dust Release] bloodline limit, many times to a draw, and in the final battle, they perished together.

"It's not that simple."

Master Yuan sighed.

The Second Tsuchikage, Mu—that man, Genji certainly knew him, and not only knew him, but had personally fought him on the battlefield. The domineering power of [Dust Release], comparable to the Tailed Beast Ball, left a very deep impression on him. However, nowadays, few ninjas know that the Second Tsuchikage once suffered a crushing defeat in front of Uchiha Madara.

And then there's Byakuren, who was also defeated by Madara Uchiha.

This gives a glimpse into how terrifying the Uchiha clan was.

"Don't think I'm lying to you anymore. I see the shadow of his ancestor, Madara Uchiha, in Uchiha Sogen. But for some reason, Uchiha Sogen seems to me... well, he also has some resemblance to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

Master Yuan hesitated for a second, but still expressed his feelings.

"Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha?" Yagura Karatachi scratched his head, wanting to ask, "Master, you can joke around, right?" Hashirama Senju plus Madara Uchiha? What kind of bizarre combination is this? Does this even exist? "Master, are you kidding me?"

"In short, just don't provoke Konoha."

Master Yuan didn't explain anything in detail because he couldn't articulate that almost intuitive feeling.

In fact, what he just said was his true feelings. He saw in Uchiha Sogen the same confidence and power as the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, but deep in his eyes there was also a cruelty and ruthlessness that the First Hokage did not possess, all of which was found in Uchiha Madara.

When these two are combined,

It's truly chilling.

If someone is as gentle and powerful as Hashirama Senju, even an enemy would feel a sense of security. However, while Mugen Uchiha may possess similar strength to Hashirama Senju, he lacks that kindness and gentleness, instead inheriting the ruthlessness passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan.

[Chapter 144: Hinata's Tragedy]

Zongxian was unaware that the departing Genji had given him extremely high praise, but even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. It was just a few compliments, not enough to make him overjoyed, and it wasn't any real benefit. After seeing off Yagura and Genji, he sent someone to find Hyuga Masayuki.

This elder of the Hyuga clan's main branch arrived in Kirigakure with Sogen.

However, given his aversion to the Kirigakure ninja, the old man has been keeping a low profile lately and has basically avoided dealing with them. In any case, their delegation doesn't actually have much work to do. The negotiations and wrangling with Kirigakure are handled by Sogen at the top and by the advisory group led by Suzaku Nara at the bottom.

So much so that the delegation consisted of more than a hundred people.

Nearly two-thirds of the people have nothing to do.

To prevent everyone from getting bored and restless—they were all Jonin-level experts, and it would be a waste to leave them idle—Sōgen proposed to Yagura that his Jonin spar with the Jonin of Kirigakure. Yagura understood the true purpose of this 'exchange': to show off their strength in order to suppress the Kirigakure ninja.

but,

This was exactly what he was thinking.

Just as Sogen didn't want any more setbacks in the Mist Ninja, so he flaunted his military might to suppress their rebellious spirit, Yagura Karatachi and Genji, along with other high-ranking officials, didn't want to see their subordinates act impulsively and do anything irrational.

So he took the initiative to select those unruly troublemakers in the village to spar and exchange ideas with the Konoha ninjas. On the one hand, he could temper the temperament of these unruly guys, and on the other hand, he could openly collect information about Konoha.

With the deliberate encouragement of the high-ranking officials on both sides, the sparring and exchanges between the Jonin of Konoha and Kirigakure have never stopped during this period. Of course, these exchanges were not made public. Yagura Karatachi wanted to dampen the menacing aura of the troublemakers, not to damage the morale of the village.

after all,

The Konoha ninjas who came to Kirigakure this time were all highly skilled.

Uchiha Chihaya and Ringo Ameyuri, these two rivals, have already sparred four times, and Ringo Ameyuri has suffered four consecutive defeats. Although she herself doesn't care about such defeats at all, and even each defeat makes her stronger, if such news gets out, it will definitely cause the already low morale of the village to decline once again.

Then there's Might Guy, the man with a watermelon-shaped haircut, thick eyebrows, and wearing a green bodysuit who doesn't look like a formidable character. Yet, he uses ridiculously strong taijutsu to teach the Mist Ninja a lesson. So far, eleven Mist Ninjas skilled in taijutsu have been defeated by Might Guy.

Yes, it's about crushing, not defeating.

Although they were all experts in hand-to-hand combat, in front of Might Guy, these martial arts masters no longer dared to say that they were good at hand-to-hand combat.

So far, the Jonin of Kirigakure have suffered more defeats than victories, and Yagura Karatachi has achieved the result he wanted. The once unruly troublemakers have become much more obedient.

The Hyuga clan's Jonin did not participate in this exchange. Firstly, old grudges remained unresolved; the humiliation of having his Byakugan stolen from the main branch of the clan still lingered in Hyuga Masayuki's mind. Secondly... the Hyuga clan's Jonin were not confident of victory, which was the most awkward situation for the Hyuga clan.

Their clan has a large number of Jonin, and the fact that they all awaken their Sharingan makes their average strength even higher than that of the Uchiha clan. However, the problem is that their strength is too evenly distributed. There are no truly top-tier experts in the clan. Even their clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, can only be described as stronger than an ordinary Jonin, and can hardly be called a top-tier expert.

On a personal level, there are many courageous Jonin from the Hyuga clan who are willing to challenge the experts from Kirigakure.

However, they do not have a powerful clan leader like Uchiha Mugen. If the Uchiha Jonin lose, it will only be attributed to their own lack of strength. But if the Hyuga Jonin lose, it may be said that the Hyuga clan is nothing special.

Therefore,

Hyuga Masayuki simply ordered that the Jonin of the clan not to act on their own.

"Clan Chief Uchiha, this is..."

"Your clan's disdain."