Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"Lord Mizukage, the Kaguya clan was destroyed by our own hands. Even if we can bring that child back, how can we ensure that the child won't turn against the village in the future?" Genji could see that Yagura was unwilling to accept this.

He certainly hoped that the Kaguya clan could truly integrate into Kirigakure.

However, things in this world are rarely as one wishes. From the time of Byakuren to the present, through four Mizukage, not only did the Kaguya clan not join Kirigakure, but the conflicts and rifts between them grew larger and larger until they could no longer coexist. The Kaguya clan was wiped out by the Kirigakure ninja. If it weren't for Kimimaro's sudden appearance, they would have thought that the Kaguya clan had long been extinct.

"The Kaguya clan has never been a Kirigakure ninja. Lord Mizukage, what excuse do you think we should use to get the Konoha ninja to hand over that Kaguya clan descendant to us?"

Yagura's face was tense, and anyone could sense his displeasure.

"Lord Mizukage, I understand your desire to minimize the losses for the village, but it is precisely in times like these that we must not act rashly, like someone who is desperate for food or dressed indiscriminately for warmth... We cannot make such a mistake. The village is currently like a sick person; it cannot digest food that is too hard or spicy. Biting into a hot plate will break several of its teeth."

"Even setting aside the pretext for demanding the Kaguya family's children from the Konoha ninja... Lord Mizukage, the information you just mentioned mentioned that the Konoha ninja who brought back the Kaguya family's children were injured?"

"Seems to be."

Yagura frowned.

"If I remember correctly, that Konoha ninja was named Uchiha Shisui?"

"It's Uchiha Shisui."

Yagura nodded.

"Shisui, the Body Flicker! I've heard of his name for a long time." Master Yuan sighed, "To be able to make Ao retreat on the battlefield, Shisui, the Body Flicker, must be the second strongest shinobi in the Uchiha clan after the Uchiha clan leader, right?"

"What kind of opponent could possibly injure such a master? Within the Land of Water, who could possibly harm him?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that child from the Kaguya family is probably in quite a bit of trouble."

Yagura opened his mouth as if to speak, but he felt that Master Yuan's speculation was a bit like a castle in the air. Just because Uchiha Shisui was slightly injured, he said that the Kaguya family's child was in big trouble. There was too much conjecture in it, but in the end, he did not say anything to object.

Because he saw the sorrow and helplessness in Yuan Shi's eyes.

He suddenly realized something.

It turns out that Master Yuan did want to keep the [Shikotsumyaku] in the village, but the current Mist Ninja simply didn't have the confidence or strength to negotiate with Konoha. If the Konoha ninjas were unwilling to let go of the [Shikotsumyaku] they had obtained, the Mist Ninjas coming to demand it would only be humiliating for themselves!

As for the claim that Konoha would be magnanimous enough to hand over the Kaguya clan's descendant to Kirigakure...

Dream on!

Apart from the Land of Water, whose citizens harbor hatred towards bloodline limits due to complex reasons, other countries and villages have never given up on collecting bloodline limits. The Cloud Village's persistent desire for the Hyuga clan's Byakugan is just one example, a very obvious one. In fact, the mission of those spies sent to other ninja villages is not only to gather intelligence on each village, but they also bear the responsibility of collecting and stealing bloodline limits.

The Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, belonging to the Cloud Ninja, was stolen from the Sand Ninja using a "honey trap".

“I acted impulsively, Master Yuan.”

Yagura, the tachibana man, sighed wearily.

"This feeling of being subservient and humble is truly unpleasant!"

"It's all for the village." A resolute determination, as firm as a rock, appeared on Yuan Shi's aged, wrinkled face. What did it matter if he had to humble himself before the Konoha ninjas, as long as it was for the village? The village's interests were paramount.

"Yes! It's all for the village."

Yagura repeated this in a low voice, his chest feeling as if a bottle of mixed emotions had been spilled, an indescribable feeling filling his heart, "This chair is really hard to sit on!"

Master Yuan said nothing more.

Needless to say, the position of Mizukage is not easy to hold, especially now that Kirigakure is in such turmoil. The position is becoming increasingly difficult to secure.

[149. Chapter 149 I'm Not Some Evil Ghost]

"Whoosh!"

A sharp, cold light pierced through the stone pillars, and almost instantly all thirty-six irregularly distributed stone pillars on the training ground exploded. The snow-white stream of light reversed direction, and the undamaged katana slowed its flight and landed in the hands of Shisui, who was standing at the edge of the field.

He glanced at the rubble scattered on the ground, then turned his gaze back to the gleaming blade.

Regardless of the different abilities possessed by various Kusanagi swords, most Kusanagi swords possess an indestructible and durable nature. It is said that Kusanagi swords are made from the hardest material in the ninja world. What exactly this hardest material is remains unknown to later generations, but the hardness of Kusanagi swords has indeed reached a level that makes them indestructible.

Shisui has gained a profound understanding of the sturdiness of the Kusanagi sword over the past two days.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn't leave even a scratch on the smooth, mirror-like blade of the Sky Blade, which made Shisui truly fall in love with this sturdy and durable weapon.

"Looks like you're quite satisfied, Shisui." A familiar voice came from behind.

"It's quite easy to use."

Zhi Shui did not deny it.

After two days of practice, he had become accustomed to wielding the Sky Blade. With his talent, he mastered the special summoning technique for ninja tools after just one glance, and easily formed a summoning contract with the Sky Blade. Moreover, with his mental power at the level of his Mangekyou Sharingan, he had mastered the Sky Blade to a level that could be described as skillful in the blink of an eye.

"As long as you're satisfied."

Zongxian walked over to Shisui's side.

"What mission do you have that you've come to me for? If it's a very troublesome mission, I'm afraid it won't be convenient for me in my current state." Shisui held the Sky Blade in his left hand, his right arm was bandaged. Even though he had received professional medical treatment from a ninja after returning, the wound that pierced his right shoulder would not be able to fully heal so quickly. It was estimated that it would take at least twenty days.

"Shisui, it hurts me to hear you say that. Don't treat me like a demon who even drives patients around, okay? We're friends!"

"...Zongxian, just get to the point!"

"We're going back to the village."

Zongxian said it.

"Back to the village? Now?"

Shisui was somewhat taken aback.

This is so sudden! Something like this should at least be announced a few days in advance; he didn't make any preparations whatsoever!

"We were planning to set off in two days, but we just received urgent intelligence from the village that the Cloud Ninja have headed south."

"what?"

Zhi Shui screamed in shock.

"The Cloud Ninja are heading south? How could this be? Why so suddenly?"

As he spoke, he shook his head vigorously, wondering if he was still half asleep and dreaming. However, the head-shaking pulled on his right shoulder, and the sharp pain stimulated his nerves, reminding him that this was not a dream, but reality!

"The Cloud Ninja are probably trying to take advantage of our war with the Mist Ninja!"

Seeing Zongxian's calm demeanor, Shisui frowned. "Zongxian, what's going on?"

"I think I've made myself clear. The Cloud Ninja have gone south. To be precise, it's not just the Cloud Ninja. Our spies in the Land of Earth have also sent back intelligence that the Iwa Ninja seem to be getting restless as well. We might receive intelligence about the Iwa Ninja going south soon. The Hokage has sent a letter urging us to return to the village as soon as possible."

Zongxian casually explained the information he possessed.

Compared to Shisui's shock and anger, he did not have such intense emotional fluctuations. Even when he first received the information from the village, he remained as calm as he was now because... there was nothing to be surprised about. The actions of the Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja were not surprising at all.

The fact that the Cloud Ninja dared to launch a surprise attack on Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, within the Land of Fire is enough to show that the Cloud Ninja were about to lose their aggressiveness.

Or,

The fact that the Yunren have been able to endure until now before heading south shows that their patience is far greater than Zongxian had anticipated.

"Zongxian, have we... wasted too much time in Kirigakure?" They had been staying in Kirigakure for almost a month, and Shisui couldn't help but wonder if it was because such a large fighting force had been stuck abroad for so long that it gave the Cloud and Iwa ninja the courage to take risks.

"It doesn't matter much."

Zongxian understood what Shisui was trying to say.

To be precise, many people shared the same view after receiving the intelligence.

They believed that the fact that their massive military force, consisting of over a hundred elite Jonin, was far from the village was the reason for the renewed war. If it weren't for the fact that Sogen's power and prestige were so deeply ingrained in people's hearts, some might have already complained that Sogen wasted too much time in Kirigakure.

"Don't forget the attack you encountered when you were escorting Naruto to and from the front lines. The Cloud Ninja are much bolder than you think."

The still water fell silent for a moment.

He encountered an attack from the Cloud Ninja within the Land of Fire... He was a firsthand witness, so he couldn't deny what Zongxian had said. The Cloud Ninja's audacity was indeed far greater than he had imagined. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the Sky Blade.

He realized it.

The war with the Mist Ninja had finally ended, but a new war broke out.

"Is there no room for maneuver left?"

Even though he knew it was a stupid question, Shisui still asked it.

"The Cloud Ninja's knife has already been thrust at you. There's no use in enduring it now. If you don't fight back, you'll die." Zongxian didn't mock or ridicule Shisui's naivety. He simply exposed Shisui's wishful thinking in a calm and unflappable tone.

The light in Shizuku's eyes grew increasingly dim.

"Zhi Shui, war is inevitable. All we can do now is to do everything we can to end it as quickly as possible. Only by doing so can we minimize the damage caused by the war. Avoiding the problem will not solve it; facing the problem is the only way to solve it."

at this time,

Unrest could already be heard coming from the mission's residence.

Upon receiving the urgent order, the Konoha ninjas packed their bags at top speed.

"Let me go north!"

Shisui suddenly spoke, his scarlet eyes gleaming with unwavering determination.

"Are you sure? Your injury..."

"By the time we get to the front lines, he should be almost fully healed. Even if he doesn't fully recover, I don't need to wield the Sky Blade, so it's not a big problem. However, I'll have to trouble you, Munekazu, to find someone to take care of Kimimaro for now."

Zhishui made a decision.

Zongxian is right. Since we can't stop the war, we can only end it as soon as possible.

Zongxian smiled silently. He would not send the injured to carry out the mission. It was just that the clansmen had taken the initiative to ask to make more contributions, and he could not bear to refuse their sincere wishes, could he?

"I'll have someone take care of Kimimaro, so don't worry. Shisui, when you go north, remember to act within your capabilities. Also, be careful of that guy who claims to be Uchiha Madara. This time, the unusual movements of the Cloud and Iwa ninja might also be related to him."

Shi Shui was suddenly startled.

His expression immediately became more serious, and he nodded solemnly: "I will be careful."

"Better safe than sorry, just don't be careless."

Zongxian narrowed his eyes slightly. With Zhishui going to the front line, he could go back to the village first.

[Chapter 150. Such a good thing?]

The Konoha ninja's packing did not escape the notice of the Kirigakure ninja. When they sent someone to inquire, Sogen truthfully relayed the news of the Kumogakure ninja's southward march. The alarmed messenger immediately relayed the information back, and the Kirigakure leadership was also stirred up by this news.

"This is an opportunity."