Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"That's true."

Zongxian nodded.

That makes sense. It's reasonable to think that any intelligent life form would dislike being manipulated. The Uchiha clan are experts in the field of genjutsu, and perhaps because the Sharingan and the power of the tailed beasts both originate from the God Tree, the power of the Sharingan at a higher level has an extremely strong control over the tailed beasts!

So for thousands of years, the ancestors of the Uchiha clan have really messed with these tailed beasts quite a bit, and Sogen has no intention of abandoning this fine tradition!

"However, I'm sorry, but to make it easier for me and my subordinates to do some research, you'll have to stay in this seal for a while." Zongxian's consciousness and the Eight-Tails' gaze met in mid-air. In an instant, an incomparably powerful eye force surged upwards, and all of the Eight-Tails' resistance was utterly crushed by Zongxian!

"Damn Uchiha..."

The eight-tailed beast's angry roar abruptly stopped.

Killer Bee stood helplessly outside the cage.

His body was immobilized by metal wedges, like a wooden puppet, unable to move. Even though this was clearly within his consciousness space, Zong Xian, this uninvited guest, had already taken over and even his mouth was sealed by some unknown force. He could only watch helplessly as Zong Xian acted recklessly!

"Still unable to access memories... Phew!!"

Consciousness space,

Zongxian looked at the Eight-Tails squatting motionless in the cage and sighed with some regret but not much surprise.

He had already used his Sharingan to control the Eight-Tails, but when he tried to access the Eight-Tails' past memories, he encountered the same setback as with the Three-Tails. He was unable to access the Eight-Tails' past memories and suffered the same failure with both the Three-Tails and the Eight-Tails.

Judging from this, it seems that all the tailed beasts are in the same situation.

However, upon closer reflection, this makes sense. Otherwise, if the memories of the Tailed Beasts were so easily read, the story of the Ten-Tails and the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't be a secret in the current ninja world, and Madara Uchiha wouldn't have been so easily fooled by Black Zetsu.

After all, Madara Uchiha used the Nine-Tails like a lackey, and Sogen didn't believe that this powerful figure hadn't tried to read the Nine-Tails' memories. In Sogen's memories from his previous life, none of these tailed beasts had forgotten the brief time they spent with the Sage of Six Paths in their childhood.

As for why he couldn't read the Tailed Beasts' memories, Zongxuan had two guesses.

Firstly, there is the unique nature of the Tailed Beasts themselves. It is true that they can be controlled by the Sharingan, but as immortal life forms and as part of the God Tree, they possess many unfathomable characteristics. Just as no one knows the exact working principle of the Tailed Beasts' immortality, perhaps their memories also have a similar protective mechanism.

Secondly, perhaps the Sage of Six Paths left some contingency plan after splitting the Ten-Tails, to prevent future generations from reading things from the Tailed Beasts' memories that he intended to bury in the dust of history.

However, it doesn't matter what exactly happened. Whether the answer is in Sogen's guess or not, it doesn't mean much to him for the time being. Since he can't get any useful information from the Eight-Tails' memories, he can only shift his research focus to the Eight-Tails' chakra and Killer Bee!

The Eight-Tails' chakra can be used by Sogen to compare with the information contained in the Flame Fan, while Killer Bee's memories... I believe the intelligence department and the sealing team will be more interested in them. The method of cultivating a perfect Jinchuriki is also extremely valuable. Moreover, to be honest, Sogen is not an expert in memory reading. The Sharingan's ability in this area is ultimately not as professional as that of the Yamanaka clan.

But if I remember correctly

It seems that the Cloud Ninja need the help of the 'True Waterfall' on Turtle Island to cultivate a perfect Jinchuriki. I don't know what that thing is, but maybe I can go and see it sometime in the future.

outside world,

Zongxian blinked, his consciousness withdrawing from the sealed space within Killer Bee's body. He withdrew the left hand that was pressing on Killer Bee, but Killer Bee did not wake up. His mental consciousness was still bound by Zongxian's 'Shackle Technique', immersed in the space of consciousness and unable to extricate himself.

"Someone come here."

"Lord Zongxian, what are your orders?"

Itachi Uchiha walked in.

"Go and call the intelligence team and the sealing team over. Tell them that the research on the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki can officially begin."

"Yes, Lord Zongxian."

Itachi Uchiha glanced curiously at Killer Bee, who was sitting motionless on the edge of the bed, and quickly agreed. He then left the tent and went to carry out Sogen's orders. Soon, the intelligence team and the sealing team, who had received the news, rushed over and looked at the unconscious Eight-Tails Jinchuriki as if he were some rare and exotic beast!

“I have suppressed the tailed beast inside the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. As long as you don’t act recklessly, it won’t be able to hinder your research.” Looking at the group of people in the tent, Zongxian pointed at Killer Bee. “He is yours now. I look forward to good news.”

"Please rest assured, Assistant Hokage. Without the Eight-Tails' interference, I guarantee I'll even get to the bottom of how many times the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki wet the bed as a child."

The Jonin from the mountain clan spoke with great conviction.

A week ago, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Killer Bee, and because of the Eight-Tails, he lost a lot of face in front of his juniors. A week is not enough time for him to forget this humiliation. Right now, he is full of thoughts of getting revenge and restoring his prestige in front of his juniors!

"I don't care whether the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki wet the bed when he was a child. What I want is the method for the Cloud Ninja to cultivate a perfect Jinchuriki. Of course, if you discover any other confidential information about the Cloud Ninja, please report it to me as well... Alright, that's all I have to say. I'll leave this to you."

Amidst the chaotic clamor, Sogen stepped out of the tent. Just as the curtain fell, Kimimaro caught a glimpse of the group of people rushing towards the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki like ravenous beasts!

[Chapter 204: Prelude]

Having temporarily dealt with the matter of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Sogen returned to his tent and found another stack of documents on his desk. He subconsciously shook his head; this work was never-ending. Although he could use shadow clones to handle it, the accumulated fatigue was unavoidable!

More importantly, he must maintain sufficient combat power at all times and cannot recklessly waste chakra for training, lest the Cloud Ninja attack when his chakra is over-exhausted. Even if the possibility is extremely small, as the supreme commander, he has the responsibility to ensure that he can take action to meet the enemy at any time.

This is why most people rarely use shadow clones to handle official business, even in villages!

"Rights and responsibilities!"

Zongxian sat down behind his desk and began to handle official business. There were no particularly difficult problems; most of the issues involved the allocation of resources and the dispatch of personnel. Basically, all that was needed was for him, as the supreme commander, to confirm and sign off on them. Only a very small number of documents required him to put some thought into them.

The pile of documents on the table visibly decreased in size.

"Chief, there is an urgent report."

Just as they were about to finish cleaning up all the documents, Uchiha Futaba, who was temporarily serving as Sogen's secretary, rushed into the tent. The girl with twin ponytails held a secret letter in her hand. Judging from the markings and seals on it, it was a top-secret document.

"Tsk!"

It seems I'm still busy, thinking of continuing to study the nature transformation of chakra after finishing these official duties... As expected, plans never keep up with changes. But with the highest level of encryption, what major event has happened in the village?

Zongxian's expression turned serious. He reached out and took the document, glanced at it, and ordered, "Shuangye, go and call the analysis team over." The seal on the document was intact, confirming that it had not been opened in the meantime. However, the seal was a unique technique possessed by the intelligence department, and it could only be removed by appropriate means or by an expert proficient in sealing techniques. Otherwise, there was no way to break the seal by force.

Even Zongxian didn't know how to break the seal. Although he had learned some sealing techniques due to his research on Yang Release and Yin Release techniques, he was only at the beginner level and was still far from being an expert!

The people from the analysis class arrived extremely quickly!

The group consisted of five people, with the leader being a man who looked to be only in his early twenties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and sporting short brown hair. Unlike the usual Konoha ninjas who wore green vests and blue trousers, the group was dressed in the professional uniforms of the interrogation unit, including a gray suit with a black leather belt and ninja boots.

"Hokage, my lord!"

"Enjoy solitude, unravel it."

Zongxian tossed the secret letter in his hand to the young man in the lead named Du Lehui. So-called geniuses are not limited to being able to fight and kill. There are geniuses in various professions such as interrogation and decryption. For example, this Du Lehui is one of them. He is just a commoner ninja, but he has shown a talent in Yin Release Technique that is no less than that of the members of the Yamanaka clan.

"Yes, my lord."

Du Le responded with a sound of agreement.

He took the secret letter. This man, with his strong personality and secretly called a devil by his subordinates, was a true pragmatist who acted immediately.

Without changing locations, they carefully inspected the seals in the tent in front of Zongxian and his subordinates. After confirming the type and model of the seals, they began to use the corresponding methods to remove them. Staying inside was also to ensure that the contents of the secret letter would not be tampered with.

Konoha has a very complete system for keeping information secret. Most of the seeds were planted by the Second Hokage and then nurtured and strengthened by the Third Hokage, which is why Konoha has the mature operating organization it has today, even if it is not perfect.

From this perspective, the Third Hokage did indeed make significant contributions to the development of Konoha. Comparing him to the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure and the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure, setting aside his later years' cowardice and other flaws, Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed an outstanding Hokage in his youth and middle age.

Hiruzen Sarutobi inherited most of the systems established by the Second Hokage and perfected and expanded them, which led to the prosperity and strength of Konoha. In contrast, Sunagakure and Kirigakure never became powerful under the rule of the Third Kazekage and the Third Mizukage.

The strongest Kazekage, while alive, did not bring about any changes to Sunagakure; his death, which triggered a great war, instead caused Sunagakure to decline further.

The Third Mizukage was similar. As the Mizukage who held power in Kirigakure for the longest time, the village almost stagnated under his rule. When the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was taken over by Obito Uchiha, the internal strife in Kirigakure reached an extremely fierce level.

Just as Zongxian was lost in aimless reverie,

It didn't take Du Lehui and the others long to break the seal and hand over the secret letter written in coded language to Zongxian.

The letter was written using a pre-arranged code, but Zongxian had memorized the method of deciphering the code. He didn't need to consult any decryption book; he only needed to decipher it one by one according to the method he remembered.

"I can't believe it actually worked! Nara is truly something else."

Zongxian's lips curled up, and he felt even happier!

The secret message didn't come from the village, but from Jiraiya. Futaba is as naive as ever, not even explaining where the urgent message came from. But it's his fault for assuming it was intelligence from the village. However... it's not a big problem!

Anyway, it's good news, and it didn't delay anything.

"Duro, don't rush to leave. I need to write a reply in a little while, and I also need you to cast a sealing spell. Go wait in the tent next door for a while." Zongxian tapped the table and gave the order. "Futaba, go and convey my order. Ask the Hyuga clan chief and the Aburame clan chief to come to the emergency meeting. Tell them it's urgent information. I'll give you a list in a moment."

Futaba's personality is somewhat similar to Chihaya's; she has a strong ability to concentrate and focuses on what she likes, but she's not as persistent as Chihaya Uchiha. She's not a complete battle maniac, but at least under Sogen's guidance, she can still complete the tasks a secretary should do.

Holding the list written by Sogen, Uchiha Futaba followed the instructions and relayed Sogen's orders one by one.

One minute later,

"Zongxian-kun, what happened? Has the Cloud Ninja attacked?"

Hiashi Hyuga rushed in with great fanfare.

"That's good news, Hyuga clan leader. Please sit down and wait a moment. Aburame clan leader and the others will be here soon. The Cloud Ninja have been quite well-behaved these days and haven't been attacking with all their might."

Seeing the flustered Hyuga Hiashi, Sogen smiled and said something.

"Good thing?"

Hiashi Hyuga was somewhat puzzled.

He glanced at Zongxian for two seconds, confirming that the composed smile was not feigned. He breathed a sigh of relief, suppressed his worries, and sat down in the empty seat next to him, patiently waiting for the others to arrive. Soon, Aburame Shiki, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shizuku, Yamanaka Kokuren, Mimura Yomaki, and others arrived one after another after receiving Uchiha Futaba's order.

Even the current leader of Yugakure Village, Shioizumi, is among them.

The once spacious tent quickly became crowded. Because there were so many people, even Yan Quan, who was at the bottom of the list, didn't have a table in front of him. He just knelt down near the door. Fortunately, there was a futon under him so that he wouldn't have to kneel on the cold, hard ground.

"Futaba, is everyone here?"

"Everyone is here; not a single person on the list has been missed."

"Go and stand guard outside the tent, don't let anyone get close."

Although most of the people present were sensory ninjas and there was no worry about anyone eavesdropping, it would be disrespectful to have everyone discussing matters while monitoring their surroundings. After Uchiha Futaba hurriedly left, Sogen cleared his throat and said, "I have gathered you all here because I have some good news to share with you."

happy event?

There was a slight commotion among the crowd.

They all wondered what joyous occasion had brought so many of them together.

Sitting at the very back, Salt Spring couldn't help but let his mind wander. Could it be that the Cloud Ninja had withdrawn their troops and planned to make peace with Konoha? If that were true, that would be a good thing. Every winter was a time when Hot Spring Village and even the Land of Hot Springs would make a fortune. Nobles and merchants from various countries, as well as many tourists, would come back to the Land of Hot Springs to soak in the hot springs. Many wealthy people would even spend the entire winter in the Land of Hot Springs.

however,

This year, due to the war between Konoha and Kumogakure,

Business in the various hot spring towns is not just dismal, it's downright zero. There are simply no customers. Coupled with the various losses since the outbreak of the war, the villages of Yugakure and the Land of Hot Springs will definitely have a tough year ahead. So Shiozumi is desperately hoping that the war will end soon, and that they might be able to earn some income before winter ends.

"A secret letter from Jiraiya-senpai has just arrived. Our battle with Iwagakure in the Land of Grass has ended, and Jiraiya-senpai will soon lead his army to support us."

"So fast?"

Fugaku Uchiha exclaimed in surprise, his face filled with disbelief.

He wasn't the only one surprised; many people present also showed surprise. Almost everyone present knew about the Iwa ninja's southward advance, and they also knew that the Third Tsuchikage, 'Two Scales' Onoki, had personally led the attack. In their opinion, it was already quite good that Jiraiya could hold off the Iwa ninja's offensive.