Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The boy, who possesses a bloodline limit called "Shikotsumyaku" (Corpse Bone Pulse), does not need to form hand seals to use his ability. His bones grow according to his will and pass through his skin to reach his body without harming himself. At this moment, he used his finger bones as bullets and shot them out with a flick of his wrist.

These finger bones weren't very large, but they were just as hard as shuriken, and their speed was just as fast. The extremely fast finger bone bullets almost pierced through Xi's head, grazing his head and severing dozens of his hairs.

just,

He was able to dodge Kimimaro's astonishing attack.

That doesn't mean his companions could dodge. A Cloud Ninja Chunin swung his long sword to try and block the finger bone, but failed. The finger bone pierced his heart and killed him instantly, leaving him no chance to linger. Perhaps he was even spared the pain of death. At least the dead man's face showed no pain, only a blank look of not having reacted.

"Scatter, scatter and pursue them, surround them from both sides, trap them!"

As the leader of the vanguard, hope quickly directed his subordinates to take action, a fiery glint in his eyes. He had noticed when his [Lightning Illusion Pillar] was broken that the taller of the two boys chasing them was a member of the Uchiha clan.

Kimimaro's extraordinary ability to fight with bones proves that he comes from an extraordinary background. Most importantly, they are so young. Even in Konoha, a place full of talented people, these two are probably extremely talented geniuses!

these two,

Perhaps it could be a very valuable bargaining chip?

The idea of ​​capturing Uchiha Itachi and Kimimaro alive immediately formed in his mind.

but,

Soon, Itachi and Kimimaro proved to Hii that capturing him alive was no easy task. Faced with the Cloud Ninja who split up to try to flank them from both sides, Itachi and Kimimaro tacitly chose to go to one side and directly confronted the Cloud Ninja who were rushing to their destination.

Fighting while moving makes it impossible to travel at top speed. As the pursuer, Hii ​​needs to be wary of counterattacks from Uchiha Itachi and Kimimaro, so she can't be reckless. However, the flanking teams have no such worries and can travel as fast as Yamanaka Aoi, who has already run ahead.

Therefore,

This led to a situation where Hiyori and the others, who were in the middle, were still behind, while Itachi Uchiha and Kimimaro had already encountered the Cloud Ninja who were flanking them from the left and right!

As he watched the three Cloud Ninja, his three-tomoe Sharingan swirled, and the [Illusionary Shackles Technique] was unleashed at will. The Cloud Ninja, who were unable to avoid Uchiha Itachi's gaze in time, were frozen in place by the genjutsu. Before they could even react, the kodachi swiftly swept across the necks of the three.

Blood spurted out, and the corpse fell to the ground.

On the other side, Kimimaro's entire body was covered with sharp, pale bones, making him look like a demon or Asura who had crawled out of hell. He easily crushed the Cloud Ninja, who were only Chunin. The bones of varying lengths left pits of different depths on the Cloud Ninja's bodies.

The battle ended so quickly that hope almost forgot to breathe!

This is too fast!

Overjoyed, he realized that the better Itachi and Kimimaro performed, the higher their value would be. If he could capture them alive, he could quickly gather the money needed to exchange for Lord Killer Bee. He immediately made a decision: "Tell the rear that there are big fish here. I need support. It would be best to send Jonin. If we don't have enough manpower, send a few more special Jonin to help!"

"Yes, Lord Xi!"

The message was relayed to the main force behind them at lightning speed. hope stared intently at Uchiha Itachi and Kimimaro, who had rejoined the group, looking at them as if they were rare treasures. He murmured to himself, "This time, I will definitely not let the Raikage down!"

[Chapter 207. Let's Fight!]

When news of the large-scale attack by the Cloud Ninja reached Zongxian's ears, he had just finished his morning work. Uchiha Futaba had brought him lunch, but he hadn't even had time to touch his chopsticks before the sudden news made him realize that he wouldn't be able to eat.

"Cloud Ninja...are you in such a hurry to get beaten up?"

Zongxian sighed.

then,

Once the order for an emergency assembly was given, all the Konoha ninjas and Kirigakure ninjas who had finished eating, were eating, or were waiting in line to eat immediately sprang into action. At the same time, the leaders also rushed to Sogen's tent.

Jiraiya, Hozuki Mangetsu, Hyuga Hiashi, Aburame Shiki, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, Nara Suzaku, Nara Shizuku, Momochi Zabuza... almost all the prominent figures gathered inside the tent.

"Time is of the essence, so I'll get straight to the point. If you have any questions, please wait until I've finished speaking." Zong Xian cut to the chase, glancing around at everyone to make sure no one would object, and continued:

"I just received intelligence that the Cloud Ninja has launched a large-scale attack. The frontline troops have already engaged the Cloud Ninja. Based on the known intelligence, it is likely that the Cloud Ninja has come out in full force this time. Some people have already spotted the Fourth Raikage and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Although this does not match our planned strategy... However, it is clear that as long as the Cloud Ninja loses this battle, there will likely be no larger battles afterward. Therefore, this is the final battle!"

No one doubted the correctness of this reasoning.

From the day Onoki chose to ally with Konoha, the Cloud Ninja's hope of victory became increasingly slim. Although Sogen firmly believed from the beginning that the Cloud Ninja could not win, not everyone could be as confident as Sogen. Before the arrival of Uchiha reinforcements, the Cloud Ninja army was unstoppable, making many people in Konoha feel weak and discouraged. They did not seek to defeat the Cloud Ninja, but hoped to make peace with the Cloud Ninja and end this war as soon as possible!

However, this situation has now changed again.

At the very least, many of the hot spring ninja in the camp firmly believed that Konoha would win. The capture of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had greatly boosted the morale of the Konoha ninja and their allies! Moreover, with the arrival of Jiraiya, Hozuki Mangetsu, and others, this confidence grew even stronger!

"Lord Hokage, there's still no news from the Iwa ninja."

Suzaku Nara raised a question.

After the war between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rock ended, Jiraiya led his army eastward to the Land of Hot Springs to support Sogen. The Rock ninja, who had chosen to ally with Konoha, were not willing to leave empty-handed and gain nothing. Under Onoki's leadership, the Rock ninja army also chose to march eastward.

However, unlike Jiraiya and his group who traveled by land, the Iwa ninja first headed north, then turned to the sea and sailed east, saying they were going to stab the Kumo ninja in the backside.

"So this was an accident."

Zongxian calmly said, "Moreover... I don't think the Iwa ninja will choose to come south from the northern coast of the Land of Hot Water to join us in attacking the Kumo ninja. Their target might be Kumogakure, not this elite Kumo ninja force."

He tapped the bamboo whip in his hand on the map hanging beside him. The distance from the port of the Land of Earth to the west coast of the Land of Lightning was not much farther than that to the north coast of the Land of Hot Water. Moreover, the Cloud Village in the Land of Hot Water had the most elite troops, including the Fourth Raikage and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. In comparison, the Cloud Village, located on the mainland of the Land of Lightning, seemed easier to deal with.

Suzaku Nara remained silent.

When the Iwa ninja refused to travel by land with Konoha, he vaguely understood that the Iwa ninja might have other plans. However, as the key person who facilitated the alliance between Konoha and the Iwa ninja, he still had to mention it at this time, so that if any problems arose in the cooperation with the Iwa ninja later, he would not be held responsible.

"Of course, this is just my guess and can't be taken seriously. We'll have to wait and see how the Iwa ninja does things. But no matter what, since the Kumo ninja have come to us, we can't just avoid the battle, can we? Jiraiya-senpai, do you have any opinions?" Sogen asked.

"No."

Jiraiya's answer was concise and to the point.

Nara Suzaku, standing nearby, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but after looking around, he chose to remain silent.

"Full Moon, Zabuza, do you have any questions?"

Zongxian then questioned the two leaders of the Mist Ninja.

"We're professionals when it comes to murder."

Hozuki Mangetsu grinned menacingly, revealing his sharp, shark-like teeth.

"That's good!"

The bamboo whip snapped in two with a "crack".

Zongxian's eyes had turned bloodshot, and a murderous intent as intense as the rising sun swept through the tent.

"Since there are no objections or problems, let's stop with the small talk. Everyone, get moving immediately. Don't forget that the front-line troops are fighting the Cloud Ninja. Proceed according to the previously agreed plan. I will lead the way, and you will follow me to sweep away the Cloud Ninja."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zongxian kicked over the table in front of him and strode out, parting the crowd.

When he stepped out of the tent,

The deep crimson Susanoo suddenly appeared in everyone's sight, skillfully avoiding the tents in the camp and the running ninjas, and strode towards the northeast.

The group of people who poured out of the tent saw Susanoo rushing towards the northeast, and without saying a word, they all immediately split up and took action.

······

"Lord Jiraiya, isn't this too hasty? The previous plan was based on the premise that we would launch an attack."

Suzaku Nara followed Jiraiya.

Throughout this brief meeting, Jiraiya did not voice any objections.

"What's the problem? Can't we just turn the attack into a counterattack?" Jiraiya glanced at Suzaku Nara beside him and said expressionlessly, "Or do you think we have to wait for the Iwa ninja to cooperate before we can launch a decisive battle against the Kumo ninja? I understand that you want the Iwa ninja to play a bigger role in a battle. To put it bluntly, that will make your contribution even greater. But remember, defeating the Kumo ninja is the most important thing. Don't let other issues distract you from the most important objective."

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sama, it was my selfishness that got in the way."

Nara Suzaku forced a smile and said something in a strained tone.

However, he was filled with helplessness at this moment. To be honest, he didn't really care whether his merits could become greater. The reason he said those words to encourage Jiraiya to fight Uchiha Mugen was, on the surface, that he hoped Iwa ninja could occupy a more important position in the battlefield.

but,

The underlying reason is that they don't want the Uchiha clan to continue to shine on the battlefield!

If things continue like this, Uchiha Sogen's prestige will only grow higher and higher. By the end of the war, even the Hokage might not be able to command the Uchiha clan anymore. Although the Hokage didn't say it explicitly, Nara Suzaku received a letter from the clan head, Nara Shikaku, which subtly expressed the idea of ​​finding a way to limit Uchiha Sogen's prestige.

The war has come to this point,

No one doubts that Konoha will once again achieve final victory, just like in the previous Shinobi World Wars. Konoha will eventually usher in the glory of victory!

then,

The main contradiction has now subtly shifted from the outside to the inside. Even though Uchiha Sogen was one of the key supporters of Akimichi Torifu becoming Hokage, things were fine at first after Akimichi Torifu took the throne. However, as time went on, he tasted the allure of power. Just then, good news kept coming from the front lines, which made him worry that his support for the Hokage might be too strong.

That's why the Nara Suzaku's actions came about.

The reason they haven't launched an attack on the Cloud Ninja these days is twofold: firstly, Sogen is deeply engrossed in his research on the Bashōsen (Banana Fan), and secondly, it's due to the activities of Suzaku Nara and others. It is precisely because of their activities that this war has been repeatedly postponed, waiting for good news from the Iwa Ninja who are adrift on the vast ocean, so that they can launch a joint attack and further enhance Uchiha Sogen's prestige.

Unfortunately, plans are rarely able to avoid unforeseen circumstances.

Despite all the precautions taken by Nara Suzaku and his men, they couldn't prevent the Cloud Ninja from launching a large-scale operation!

In the ninja world, strategy is not a panacea.

otherwise,

The Nara clan has long been the rulers of Konoha Village, not just an adjunct force.

Jiraiya didn't have many thoughts. He had no interest in the intrigues and power struggles in the village. He understood some things clearly, while he was only vague about others. But as long as the village wasn't harmed, he didn't care. Right now, he couldn't wait for this war to end as soon as possible.

Compared to the tedious and annoying work of war, he would rather continue his research, writing, and searching for the chosen one. Of course, he would also come back regularly to check on Naruto's growth.

Uchiha Sogen's decision was exactly to his liking!

······

Unlike the undercurrents within Konoha, the situation in Kirigakure was much simpler. Putting aside their individual thoughts, Hozuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza shared one of the few common traits among Kirigakure ninja: warlikeness and bloodlust. The previous war with Iwagakure ended too quickly, although the Kirigakure ninja did not suffer too many casualties as a result.

but,

Hozuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza had finally gotten into the swing of things when their battle with the Iwa ninja suddenly came to an abrupt end.

"Zabuza, you're in charge?"

"Come on, Manyue, you are our leader. It's not your job to abandon your post."

"You bastard, you dare disobey my orders even though I'm the boss?"

Hozuki Mangetsu was very dissatisfied. "Besides, aren't you aspiring to be the Mizukage? Shouldn't you be honing your skills in commanding large armies in battle right now?"

"Stop trying to fool me. When Mei Terumi steps down, there will be plenty of young people vying for her position. I won't have a chance to cut in line." Zabuza Momochi sneered, firmly rejecting Mangetsu Hozuki's attempt to deceive him.

This offensive plan, or rather, counterattack plan.

Specifically, Sogen divided his army into several parts and assigned different commanders to each. He himself used Susanoo to lead the charge, while his troops followed behind him and fought independently. It seemed like they were fighting separately, but that's how ninja wars are, piecemeal.

Hozuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza naturally commanded the Kirigakure ninja, whose numbers were less than 1,300.