Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"Before I left, the clan chief told me that if the thief really was Sasori of the Red Sand, then we should be careful of Sasori's puppets. In addition to the puppets made of steel and wood that we know in the conventional sense, Sasori also has a kind of human puppet." Before Kakashi could ask any further questions, Itachi Uchiha relayed what Sogen had said in one breath.

"Human puppet?"

When this particular word was linked to the stolen corpse, a horrifying thought immediately popped into Kakashi's mind: "Could it be that these so-called human puppets were made from the corpses of ninjas?"

"That's what the clan leader said: Sasori's puppet can retain the chakra pathways of a ninja, and can use the ninjutsu and bloodline limit that the ninja mastered in his lifetime. He also said..." At this point, Itachi Uchiha swallowed hard. Even with his genius, such astonishing news made it difficult for him to remain calm.

"He also said that the Third Kazekage may have been turned into a human puppet by Sasori of the Red Sand. If we really encounter Sasori of the Red Sand, we must be careful of the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Technique. He also told me to tell Kakashi-senpai that we don't need to fight Sasori of the Red Sand to the death, and that we are allowed to retreat at any time if we are no match for him."

Kakashi was stunned.

The Third Kazekage... was turned into a human puppet.

What earth-shattering news! The Sand Village ninjas, suspecting Konoha of being behind the Third Kazekage's disappearance, launched a massive war, thus beginning the Third Shinobi World War... Regardless of the deeper reasons for the outbreak of the war, it is at least publicly known that the Third Kazekage's disappearance was the trigger for the Third Shinobi World War.

Unfortunately, the missing Third Kazekage was never found even after the Third Shinobi World War ended, becoming a famous unsolved mystery in the shinobi world. It is said that the Sand Village has never given up searching for the Third Kazekage, who is said to be the strongest of all the Kazekage in history.

If the information provided by the Hokage's assistant is correct...

So the disappearance of the Third Kazekage was actually the work of the Sand Village? In the end, they pinned the blame on Konoha, which sparked a war that lasted for years, during which countless Konoha ninjas sacrificed their lives, including his two teammates, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara.

[Chapter 226. The Researcher]

A cold wind blew through the forest, making a series of "whooshing" sounds like someone was crying sadly. The dry branches swayed gently in the wind, and one or two stubborn dead leaves still clung to the branches and refused to fall. Kakashi, standing under the tree, was stunned like a wooden statue for a long time before struggling to break free from his inexplicable low mood.

He shook his head vigorously, burying the sudden surge of memories deep in his heart once more.

"How exactly did the Hokage's assistant find out about this secret?"

Kakashi sighed from the bottom of his heart.

"Kakashi-senpai, if you are interested, you can ask the clan leader yourself. If the clan leader is in a good mood, he may be able to answer your questions. Also, Kakashi-senpai, please keep this a secret. The clan leader does not want too many people to know about this, and he especially does not want people to know that the news came from him."

Kakashi stiffened and coughed lightly twice. "No, no need. I was just saying it offhand. I'm not that curious about this. How the Third Kazekage died has nothing to do with me. I'm very familiar with confidential matters and won't leak information casually... However, if the Hokage's information is correct, our opponent this time is quite troublesome!"

Red Sand Scorpion

A genius puppeteer from the former Sunagakure village.

With such incredible abilities as human puppets, even the Third Kazekage, who was hailed as the strongest Kazekage, was killed. Kakashi didn't think he, Itachi Uchiha, and Kimimaro Kaguya had much confidence in defeating such an enemy, but they couldn't just be scared off like that.

"Parker, keep chasing."

"Huh? Kakashi, are you sure? Aren't we going back to get some reinforcements?"

Parker asked uneasily, having heard everything that had just been said. It was unsettling not to bring more people along when chasing such a dangerous enemy.

"No need. The Hokage's assistant has already given us permission to retreat at any time. Let's go check the situation. If it's not a match, then we'll retreat!"

Kakashi glanced at Itachi Uchiha. This genius of the Uchiha clan truly lived up to his reputation. Not only was he quick-witted and skilled, but his ability to keep his emotions hidden was also astonishing. When he was eleven or twelve years old, he was not as mature and experienced as Itachi.

"But······"

"That's settled then, Parker, let's go!"

Kakashi urged.

In fact, Pak's statement was not wrong. It's not like they couldn't get reinforcements. To deal with a ferocious enemy like Sasori of the Red Sand, it's natural to have more people to ensure safety. However, Itachi Uchiha's words just now blocked this option. The Hokage's assistant forbade the disclosure of information. In addition to keeping it a secret, this statement also meant that they were not allowed to involve others in this mission.

The mission can only be carried out by the three of them. It doesn't matter if the mission fails, but a fourth person must never be brought in. This is the spirit that Kakashi learned from this, although he doesn't understand why this is necessary and doesn't understand what the Hokage's assistant is planning.

Therefore,

Parker's reasonable and justifiable request was destined to be impossible to fulfill.

All he could do was grit his teeth and continue carrying out the mission.

Although Pakkun is very intelligent and can speak human language, he is not human after all. Without Kakashi's detailed explanation, he couldn't understand the intricacies of the situation. However, seeing that Kakashi was determined, he had no choice but to accept his fate and continue to track the lingering scent in the air.

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.

Uchiha Futaba stood outside the door, blocking all the onlookers. Whenever someone came, she would say that the clan leader had a headache today and was resting and was not available to see anyone. She would say that if it was not an urgent matter, they could talk about it tomorrow. Hearing Uchiha Futaba say this, everyone would naturally say to wait until tomorrow. The war was over, so what urgent matter could there be?

Inside the office,

Zongxian sat in a chair, deep in thought.

Headaches were just an excuse, of course. He was perfectly healthy right now. Although his Yin-Yang Release training hadn't yielded any significant results yet, the essence of Yang Release was life energy. He could feel his life energy growing stronger little by little with his training. While he was far from reaching Hashirama Senju's level of self-healing without hand seals, he could be said to be in a state where he was virtually immune to all diseases.

He's currently thinking about the Crimson Sand Scorpion.

He hadn't taken the theft of the corpse disposal team seriously at all, and having Kakashi investigate it was already a great effort. However, the investigation yielded unexpected results. The name Sasori was not common in the ninja world, at least not in the Land of Fire.

Furthermore, the name was linked to the corpse of a ninja, and the name Sasori of the Red Sands instinctively came to mind. His intuition told him that this matter was most likely related to this most outstanding puppeteer of Sunagakure after Monzaemon.

only--

To be honest, Zongxian didn't really care about this genius puppeteer. Human puppets are powerful, but in the ninja world, they can't compare to the bloodline passed down by the Sage of Six Paths. This is an era where bloodline is paramount and eyes are king!

Sasori of the Red Sand is a genius, a genuine genius!

But his talent was clearly not enough to overturn the fundamental principles of the ninja world.

Zongxian suddenly remembered something: a piece of spoils he had acquired before, a piece of spoils that he still kept hidden away, unused. That piece of spoils was sealed in a small scroll with red borders that sat on his desk.

Inside is—

The corpse of a White Zetsu!

During the war with the Mist Ninja, he captured the corpse of a White Zetsu, but so far he has not been able to put the White Zetsu's corpse to any use. He initially thought of using the White Zetsu's corpse to curb the problem of blindness caused by the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, which was a wonderful idea.

The problem is that putting this wonderful idea into practice is quite difficult.

Zongxian himself is not good at this kind of biotechnology research. He doesn't know how to use the White Zetsu's corpse to excavate this invaluable treasure. So far, he can only sit there staring at the treasure mountain. After all, an excellent researcher is extremely rare in the ninja world.

There are countless skilled fighters in the ninja world, but very few researchers.

In the more than fifty years since the establishment of these five great ninja villages, only a handful of people have truly been qualified to be called researchers, including the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, the Second Kazekage Shamon, the Second Tsuchikage Mu, Orochimaru (one of the Legendary Sannin), and Sasori, the genius puppeteer of Sunagakure. Even counting the dead, they are not enough to count them in two hands.

Since Orochimaru's defection, Konoha has been depleted of talent, with few outstanding individuals left. The few researchers who are still considered capable are firmly under the control of the Fifth Hokage, and Sogen has no immediate plans to promote the White Zetsu treasure to the entire village.

Therefore,

He was troubled about what to do with the White Zetsu corpse in his hands, and was even considering whether to cooperate with Orochimaru.

Until today, he realized that Sasori of the Red Sand was a genius researcher who was not much inferior to Orochimaru. Orochimaru was dedicated to pursuing immortality, while Sasori of the Red Sand was trying to grasp eternity. Moreover, both of them had succeeded. If he hadn't been broken by Granny Chiyo, Sasori of the Red Sand would not have died so easily!

Moreover, judging from Sasori's puppet-making technology, he even completely modified himself, leaving only a piece of flesh as the 'core'. This technology is, in some ways, even more impressive than Orochimaru's Reanimation Jutsu.

Orochimaru's Reanimation Jutsu involves constantly searching for a physical body to house his soul, while Sasori's puppet technique directly modifies his own body. Whether it can truly be eternal is hard to say, but the biotechnology involved is undeniably advanced!

"At this point in time, I wonder if Sasori of the Red Sand has joined the Akatsuki organization yet..."

Zongxian gripped the scroll, toying with it in his hand for a moment. He made up his mind. Regardless of whether Sasori of the Red Sand had been recruited into the Akatsuki organization or not, he had his eye on this top-notch researcher in the ninja world. To make full use of the White Zetsu's corpse, the efforts of these researchers would be indispensable.

Instead of wasting time on those third-rate people, it would be better to try and see if we can control this top researcher.

He had similar thoughts before. He once considered capturing Hiruko, a rogue ninja like Orochimaru, in order to catch up with his classmates, the Sannin, and research the forbidden technique, the Demon Spear Technique, which was also a form of bio-engineering. After being discovered, he was forced to defect and leave Konoha...

I always felt that these top researchers were either Kage or rogue ninjas.

However, upon closer reflection, it's not surprising. Human experimentation, a taboo subject, is no big deal under the will of the village Kage. People like Orochimaru and Hiruko, not being Kage, couldn't bear the backlash from the exposure of their human experiments and had no choice but to leave their villages and defect…

Getting back to the main point...

It's not that Zong Xian doesn't want to hire these top researchers to work for him.

The problem is that these rogue ninjas are elusive and hard to find. For example, he once sent someone to contact Orochimaru, trying to join forces with Orochimaru to kill the Third Hokage, but the Uchiha Akitarou he sent ultimately returned empty-handed. If it weren't for the good luck of capturing Biwa Juzo, that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi might still be alive!

"It's a pity that Shisui is no longer here!"

Zongxian sighed regretfully.

If Shisui were here, we could just hand the task over to him. We can't waste such a useful ability as Kotoamatsukami! There's no better way to manipulate people's minds than with Kotoamatsukami!

But it's alright.

Anyway, Shisui will eventually come back. Kotoamatsukami can be used as a last resort. Only use this move when all else fails. Before that, you can try to improve yourself. His illusion skills are not bad!

"Futaba, I need to take a nap. Don't let anyone disturb me while I'm sleeping."

Zongxian called out.

"Yes, Chieftain!"

The girl outside the door answered in a strong voice.

Zongxian carefully put the scroll away, stood up from the chair, walked to the window, opened it, and looked around. There were quite a few people nearby! However, to be honest, the guards weren't very tight. The end of the war had made many people relax, and they all felt that no enemy could intrude. Moreover, to be honest, with the Hokage's abilities, no one in the ninja world could hurt him.

For this,

Zongxian has no intention of correcting it!

While it's true that caution is always wise, there's no need to be on edge 365 days a year. He himself can't stand the slightest disturbance from those around him, immediately assuming someone is trying to assassinate the clan leader...

[Earth Release: Submerged Navigation Technique]

Zongxian silently flipped and leaped out of the window, landing as lightly as a cat. He had already completed the hand seals while falling in mid-air, and his entire body disappeared into the ground like a fish entering water. The soil on the ground rippled like water, but it quickly calmed down and returned to normal.

The ninjas guarding the courtyard gate were completely unaware that the Hokage's assistant had left beneath their feet.

underground,

Zongxian moved through the soil like a fish swimming in water, and very deep underground. This superb earth-escape technique was the result of Zongxian's study of the Bashōsen. Zongxian was most proficient in fire-escape techniques, but apart from fire-escape, his level of the other chakra nature transformations was uneven, and to be honest, they were not very good.

but now,

His mastery of the four chakra nature transformations—wind, water, lightning, and earth—has reached a high level. While he cannot yet compare to the pinnacle of fire-style techniques, given time, it will not be difficult for him to become as proficient in the five chakra nature transformations as Hiruzen Sarutobi.

What he needs most right now is time.

He needs time to digest the benefits of the Flame Fan, the Banana Leaf Fan, and the Amber Bottle that he will soon obtain. He spent more than two years trying to fully understand the mysteries of Samehada, and the secrets hidden in the branches of the divine tree, such as the Flame Fan, are absolutely incomparable to Samehada.

Using Earth Release: Earth Release, Zongxian quickly left the Konoha army's encampment. Only after leaving the encampment did he reveal himself and stand on the ground again.

"Let me see, which way did Kakashi and the others go?"

Zongxian summoned Samehada.

He did not master tracking ninjutsu, but he had other means to track Kakashi and the others. As a living weapon, Samehada could not only devour chakra and replenish the chakra of its wielder, but it also had a very sensitive sense of smell. In terms of ability, it was certainly not as powerful as a ninja dog!

However, Kakashi and the others had only been gone for a short time, but the traces they left behind were quite obvious. Samehada stretched out its body and made a "sniffing" motion in the air before pointing out the direction to Munen.

"Kakashi, don't let me down!"

Zongxian muttered something to himself.