Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"As long as we unite with the Cloud Ninja, we will have a chance to teach those damned Uchiha a lesson."

The one who spoke was the representative of the martial arts faction, the current patriarch of the Hozuki clan, Hozuki Shimotsuki, who is also the father of Hozuki Mangetsu and Hozuki Suigetsu. This white-haired man could not hide the excitement on his face, and his purple eyes were filled with an excited fighting spirit.

only--

Hozuki Mangetsu, sitting at the lower end of the long table in the conference room, rolled his eyes and stared speechlessly at the ceiling after hearing his father's speech.

"That old man really has no political talent!"

Previous meetings had already decided to use human resources instead of war reparations. Now, instead of discussing how many troops to send to support Konoha, they're proposing a plan to betray their ally... Have they lost their minds?

Moreover, it wasn't just his father; his gaze swept over the heads and ministers in the upper positions one by one. There were quite a few people who echoed the Hozuki clan leader. No wonder the Genji chose someone from among the young people to succeed the Fifth Hozuki, rather than from this group who were still in their prime.

If it were him,

He wouldn't choose these idiots whose brains are practically filled with muscles as the Mizukage.

However, he didn't expect that Mei Terumi would be chosen in the end... If you ask him if he felt disappointed by this result, he probably would be a little! But he found that he was not as disappointed as he had imagined, and he suddenly realized that his obsession with succeeding Mizukage was not that strong.

The matter of succeeding the Fifth Mizukage,

It's less about Hozuki Mangetsu's wish and more about the clan's obsession.

"That's fine too! As long as it's not that idiot Zabuza..."

Hozuki Mangetsu glanced out of the corner of his eye at Momochi Zabuza, who was sitting opposite him with half his face wrapped in bandages. These young people were not supposed to be qualified to sit here and participate in the meeting, but the Mizukage had given them special permission to join. However, sitting at the end of the table, they didn't have much say.

Speaking of,

It's great that the ninjas of Konoha can participate in another major battle! An overwhelming sense of envy welled up within me.

"Full moon?"

"A full moon?!"

Upon hearing the voice, Hozuki Mangetsu's scattered gaze focused, and he looked in the direction of the sound, only to find that Terumi Mei, sitting diagonally opposite him, was staring at him... Wait, it wasn't just Terumi Mei; many people sitting on both sides of the long table were staring at him.

"We're doomed!"

Hozuki Mangetsu inwardly cursed, but a smile appeared on his face as he calmly met everyone's gaze and went upstream, making eye contact with Yagura Karatachi, who was sitting in the main seat.

“Our Hidden Mist Village has already formed an alliance with the Hidden Leaf Village. This time, the Cloud Ninja have marched south to attack the Land of Fire. As allies, we cannot stand idly by. Even though our current strength is indeed weak, we must still show our support. Mangetsu, I hope you will take a group of people as reinforcements to support the Hidden Leaf Village.”

Yagura understood the confusion in Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes.

Knowing that this brat had been daydreaming during the meeting, he still patiently tried to briefly summarize the previous meeting's outcomes. From his words, it was clear that Hozuki Shimotsuki and the others' proposal to join forces with the Cloud Ninja to betray Konoha had been abandoned, and they had made a firm decision to stand on Konoha's side.

After listening to the Mizukage's explanation, Hozuki Mangetsu blinked, thinking to himself, "Is there really such a good thing?"

"Lord Mizukage! Leave it to me!"

Hozuki Mangetsu licked his lips, his smile cruel and ferocious, his sharp teeth gleaming with a bloodthirsty light. His intense fighting spirit was so strong it was almost tangible, causing Yagura Karatachi, who was sitting in the main seat, to shake his head slightly.

really,

It was the right choice to kick this brat out of the candidates for the Fifth Boss!

Hozuki Mangetsu is just like the Second Mizukage, a warmongering fanatic, a born war-loving maniac... Could the Hozuki clan have been mixed with the Kaguya clan's bloodline? Yagura Karatachi's mind raced with these thoughts, but he quickly suppressed them, clearing his throat. "Mangetsu, then I'll leave it to you. This time we can't spare too many troops to support Konoha, but I'll allow you to choose your own companions. As long as it's within reasonable limits, I'll grant your request."

"In that case..."

Hozuki Mangetsu's gaze swept back and forth in the conference room.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Have you packed everything?"

"Yes, I brought everything."

Teng Hua reached out and gently patted the scroll bag hanging behind her waist.

No matter how old you are, as long as you can extract chakra and have basic logical thinking abilities, you can use the sealing scroll.

The sealing scroll, a great invention, greatly facilitated the movement of ninjas. Even when traveling thousands of miles away, they did not need to carry heavy luggage. They could seal all the necessary items into the scroll and take them out when needed.

Seeing this, Zongxian reached out and gently pressed his little sister's head, then turned his gaze to the little devils beside him.

"Yakumo, Naruto, where are you?"

"Master, I'm ready."

“Brother Zongxian, I’m ready to leave at any time.”

The two spoke at the same time.

After saying that, Yakumo glared at Naruto, still not very happy. "Couldn't you have said something else?" Naruto understood what Yakumo meant from her eyes, and could only respond with a simple, honest smile.

But soon, they lost interest in paying attention to such a minor dispute.

"Squeak!"

The door to the room not far away opened.

Kimimaro, with white hair and green eyes, stepped out.

Kimimaro.

Zongxian looked at Kimimaro who was walking over and said, "You should have already explained it to Shisui, right? He has a mission to carry out, so you will be following me for the time being."

"I know."

Kimimaro said cautiously.

His innate keenness, coupled with his honed intuition, always made him a little nervous when facing Sogen. His body would subconsciously want to adopt a fighting stance. Although Uchiha Shisui was also very strong, Uchiha Shisui's aura was very gentle.

In contrast,

Kimimaro felt that the murderous aura emanating from Sogen was so intense that he felt uneasy just by getting close to him.

"Am I that scary?" Seeing Kimimaro not approaching him, Sogen smiled helplessly and asked, "Kimimaro, have you packed your things?"

"There's nothing to pack, I can leave anytime."

Kimimaro had only been in Kirigakure for a little over two days. Although Shisui was gentle, he wasn't attentive enough to prepare all the necessary supplies for a child at once. He would buy whatever was needed or give Kimimaro his spare items.

'There's nothing to tidy up'—that's a true reflection of the situation.

However, these two days were enough for Kimimaro to realize that it seemed impossible for him to return to Lord Orochimaru's side in the short term. This cruel fact dealt him a huge blow, but... he was not so fragile as to give up hope so easily.

Since escape is not possible in a short time,

Then let's keep going!

Anyway, Lord Orochimaru had said that he would only be used after he grew up. Until then, even if he couldn't return to Lord Orochimaru's side, it wouldn't affect Lord Orochimaru's plan. So he made up his mind to stay by Uchiha Shisui's side for the time being until he had the chance to return to Lord Orochimaru's side, and to work hard to become stronger!

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, he had witnessed Orochimaru lose to Uchiha Shisui.

Learning from Uchiha Shisui

Maybe it will become stronger soon!

"If everyone is ready, then gather in the yard."

Zongxian glanced at Kimimaro but didn't say anything more. He was somewhat interested in Shikotsumyaku, a bloodline limit that was very likely derived from the Sage of Six Paths' legacy, just like the Sharingan. However, he didn't care about Kimimaro himself. His emotions were limited, and he couldn't be universally loving to so many people.

Family, disciples, clansmen, friends... these different beings have already divided up most of his 'love'.

As for Kimimaro

This is Zhishui's trouble, not his burden.

Kimimaro silently went downstairs and walked towards the courtyard. Fujika, Yakumo, and Naruto did not go with him. Normally, children would easily become friends. Fujika and the others could play together with Hozuki Suigetsu and a group of other kids from Kirigakure.

However, Kimimaro's aura was too special; his unique upbringing had created a distinctive and unapproachable demeanor.

Even Fujika, who had taken the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki as her henchman on the very first day of the Ninja Academy and had a very cheerful and lively personality, did not get close to Kimimaro. She sensed a dangerous aura from Kimimaro. To give a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it was like a pet kitten encountering a wild stray cat.

"Chihaya, keep an eye on Fujika and the others. Their safety is the most important thing."

Once the little ones' figures disappeared at the top of the stairs,

Zongxian then looked up and spoke to the ceiling in the corridor.

Just as he finished speaking, a slender, upside-down figure appeared on the previously empty ceiling, with long, jet-black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Uchiha Chihaya mumbled an "I understand," then used invisibility jutsu to conceal herself again, and followed Fujika and the others.

To protect his sister, disciples, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Sogen arranged for six Jonin from his clan to take turns guarding them, with Uchiha Chihaya being just one of them.

"Next... we'll be waiting for you."

Zongxian stood by the window, his scarlet eyes reflecting the village shrouded in a hazy mist. He was looking in the direction of the Water Shadow Building.

[Chapter 151. Combat is the fastest way to become stronger]

The hazy mist dampened the ends of her reddish-brown hair, which was tied into upright braids that resembled rabbit ears, evenly and symmetrically arranged on the left and right, just like the pair of [Lightning Blade Kiba] in her hands, one of only two pairs of ninja swords among the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure.

Ringo Ameyuri walked behind Hozuki Mangetsu, her steps so light she almost jumped.

The upright braid swayed precariously.

The girl's joyful mood was so obvious.

As for why she was so happy, the Mist Ninja in the group all knew perfectly well that the 'Lightning Release genius girl' was a battle maniac, which was common knowledge in the Hidden Mist Village. Even the children knew that the little girl was very fierce when she fought!

At the meeting, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, decided to send Hozuki Mangetsu to lead the Kirigakure ninja to support the Konoha ninja, fulfilling the contract they had made with Konoha. He also gave Hozuki Mangetsu a certain degree of choice, allowing him to select his preferred companions to join his team.

At that time, Hozuki Mangetsu mentioned two names.

One of them is Ringo Ameyuri.

"Yuri, control your emotions. We're still in the village! It'll be a while before we have a chance to kill someone." Hozuki Mangetsu noticed the girl behind him becoming agitated and warned her accordingly. As one of his kind, he knew very well that if Ringo Yuri's spirits were truly at their peak, and there were no enemies for her to kill, the knife might end up on one of their own.

People like them, once they get excited, will recklessly become engrossed in the fighting.

Just like his grandfather, the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, who would rather fight to the last and perish together with the Second Tsuchikage than retreat or escape. It was not a battle where he had to fight to the death. Unlike the Third Raikage, who chose to fight alone against more than 10,000 Iwa ninja in order to cover his comrades' escape, and died of exhaustion after fighting for three days and three nights.

Will it take a long time?

Ringo Yuri frowned unhappily, but smiled again after three seconds. "It's okay, Chizuru is here! She'll fight alongside me."

Hozuki Mangetsu paused for a moment, then remembered who Chihaya was referring to. "Uchiha Chihaya? Ameyuri, are you close to her?"

"We are friends."

Ringo Yuri answered quickly.

"friend?"