Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

“If I’m going to kill you, I’ll kill you now. I’m too lazy to make something so simple complicated. Also, you don’t need to ask me if I will kill you. The answer is no. The reason I chose to capture you alive is because I want to see if I can make you work for me.”

Zongxian didn't keep anyone in suspense and bluntly revealed his true intentions.

"Work for you?"

Scorpion was stunned.

This answer was completely beyond his expectations. He was somewhat bewildered and confused, wondering if Zongxian was playing a trick on him.

Are you playing me again?

"As expected, they didn't believe me!"

Zongxian sighed, "I'm not joking, nor am I teasing you. Well, let's just be frank! What I admire is your talent. I need someone to help me study the cells that contain the power of Wood Release."

[Chapter 233. Winter in Konoha]

As winter arrived, the lush greenery of Konoha Village finally changed color. After a heavy snowfall, the entire village was covered in white when viewed from a high place. The villagers put on thick winter clothes, and the students of the Ninja Academy were also bundled up like balls. Early in the morning, they were noisy and commotion in the school, releasing their boundless and seemingly inexhaustible energy.

However, Naruto Uzumaki, who is usually the most active, did not join the noisy crowd today.

He sat in the last row of the classroom, slumped over his desk, seemingly staring wide-eyed ahead, but anyone could tell he was daydreaming. This made Uchiha Fujika, who had just entered the classroom, wonder if something extraordinary had happened at the ninja academy during the two days she had been absent.

"Naruto, did you eat expired ramen again and get diarrhea?"

Uchiha Fujika sat down in the empty seat in front of Naruto, tossed her backpack on the table, and turned around to look curiously at the somewhat listless Naruto. It was common for Naruto to get food poisoning. Living alone, Naruto's staple food was all kinds of ramen. Even if it was expired, he would still eat it.

Naruto could withstand it once or twice thanks to the powerful bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, but his unbalanced diet was a long-term problem. Naruto often had to skip class because of diarrhea from eating expired or nearly expired ramen. This was common knowledge.

"Wisteria, you're back!"

Naruto snapped out of his daze and shouted excitedly.

"Keep your voice down, you're making my ears hurt." Uchiha Fujika delivered a precise chop to Naruto's forehead, causing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who was about to jump up, to sit back down obediently. Next to Naruto, a shy girl with pure white eyes, like a little rabbit, looked enviously at Uchiha Fujika, who was communicating so familiarly with Naruto.

However, neither Naruto nor Uchiha Fujika noticed this Cinderella who was completely inconspicuous in the class.

"Oh, okay! I got it." Naruto chuckled sheepishly, lowering his voice, "Fujihana, is your cold better now?"

"I'm fine now, it's just a minor cold. If Grandpa hadn't made such a fuss, I would have come back to class yesterday. I ended up sleeping at home all day, and I was so bored!" Uchiha Fujika grumbled about her grandfather's excessive pampering. It was just a minor cold, but he had to take three whole days off.

For three days, he was bedridden. Because of the cold weather, he couldn't even take a stroll in the yard. When Kurama Yakumo came to visit, he only left a gift and sat for a while before leaving. There was no way around it; Kurama Yakumo's body was too weak to have any contact with the sick. It would be troublesome if he caught the illness.

"Hey, don't change the subject! What were you spacing out about? You looked so listless."

Uchiha Fujika pressed for an answer.

"Um... how should I put it..." Naruto scratched his face in distress. He looked at his classmates in the classroom. Most of the girls, such as Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, were gathered around Sasuke Uchiha, who was sitting in the second row by the window. Choji Akimichi was eating, Shikamaru Nara was sleeping on his desk, and Kiba Inuzuka was feeding his dog. Everyone was busy with their own things, and few people paid attention to the students sitting in the back row.

"Last night, the Hokage came to my house."

Naruto lowered his voice and said softly.

"...Hokage-sama?" Uchiha Fujika's eyes widened instantly, a flood of questions forming in her mind.

"Yes, the Hokage came to my house last night and told me something."

"what?"

"The Hokage told me that he would send me to a special place to train, so I may have to leave the village."

No wonder!

Uchiha Fujika suddenly realized that as Naruto's only friend, well, although she initially treated Naruto like a little brother, that didn't matter. It was all in the past, and there was no need to dwell on it. What mattered was that as a friend, she knew how much Naruto loved Konoha, even though Naruto hadn't felt much warmth in the village and had been forced to face the overwhelming malice since childhood.

She didn't know these things before.

However, during her journey to the Land of Water, she learned about Naruto's complicated background and arduous experiences from Naruto's words, her brother's words, and the subtle explanations from Shisui and others. She also learned that Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, which was the first time she understood what a Jinchuriki was.

same,

Naruto also understood why everyone in the village called him the Demon Fox.

There really was a demon fox inside him, and it was sealed inside him by his father himself... This wasn't told to him by Sogen, but by the Fifth Hokage, unlike the Third Hokage who tried to hide these past events to keep Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, firmly in his hands.

The Fifth Hokage didn't have that strong a desire for control!

As the Hokage, he naturally hoped to turn the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki into his loyal supporter. However, he was getting old and unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had held power for decades, power had become part of Hiruzen Sarutobi's blood. Without power, even breathing was painful!

The winds that are taken in autumn are different.

He didn't want to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki by first pushing him into the water and then becoming a hero to help him, or rather, he couldn't do that right now, since Jiraiya was watching closely! So Akimichi Torifu tried to communicate with Naruto by exchanging sincerity for sincerity.

Such methods would probably be ineffective against an adult, but Naruto is just a child. Although he is very smart, it does not change the fact that he is inexperienced. Moreover, Akimichi Torifu also discovered Naruto's kind nature during his observation.

For this kind of person, honest communication is probably more effective than playing tricks!

Anyway,

Naruto now knows many things, and because of this, he has many troubles.

"When? Are you leaving soon?"

"The Hokage said the timing is still uncertain, but if everything goes smoothly, I'll probably take a break from school early next year," Naruto said with mixed feelings. He was somewhat resistant to the option of taking a break from school and leaving the village.

He finally made friends at the Ninja Academy: Fujikasa, Sasuke, Kiba, Choji... After the Fifth Hokage took office, fewer and fewer people called him the Demon Fox, while his friends slowly increased!

"Early next year..."

It's already winter, and there's really not much time left until the beginning of next year.

"Don't worry too much. Didn't the Hokage tell you that it's all on the premise that everything goes smoothly? That means it's still uncertain!" To be honest, the lively girl didn't quite understand Naruto's melancholy, but her kindness led her to offer words of comfort.

"Even if you leave school by then, I will still find a way to visit you. As long as I ask my brother for help, there will always be a way."

"Brother Zongxian?"

Naruto regained some of his energy and had no doubt about his older brother Sogen's abilities.

If it were Zongxian, perhaps he really could do it!

"Speaking of which, when is Brother Zongxian coming back?" Naruto asked.

When this topic came up, the girl, who had been full of energy, suddenly wilted and muttered, "I don't know. I've written to ask so many times, but my brother always replies that he'll come home after the war is over. Even though the Yunren have been defeated, he still hasn't come back."

"Perhaps there's something we don't know!"

"Who knows? I'm thinking that my brother might not come back until next year."

Their casual conversation came to an abrupt end as the bell rang, and the teacher, carrying lesson plans, walked in. It was time for class!

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.

While the students at the Ninja Academy began their classes, the Hokage Building, the brain of Konoha Village, also sprang into action, constantly receiving information and relaying instructions and orders back, making this behemoth of Konoha Village active again after a night's slumber.

"Lord Hokage, how was your haul last night?"

Nara Shikaku, who had arrived at the Hokage's office, asked a question.

“It’s a good thing that they have some resistance, are very attached to the village, and don’t want to leave!” Akimichi Torifu sat behind his desk, looking at the documents in his hand while talking to Nara Shikaku.

"You have a strong attachment to the village? That's definitely a good thing."

Nara Shikaku's brows relaxed slightly. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't gone berserk after learning about the past; instead, he still clung to the village. This was undoubtedly good news, meaning they could continue to increase their efforts in nurturing Naruto and truly raise him to adulthood.

"However, to be on the safe side, it's best to assess the mental state of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki every six months, no, every three months."

"We'll see how things go later! Jiraiya might not agree to do it. Let's not talk about this anymore. Shikaku, any new news today?" Akimichi Torifu didn't want to say much about Naruto. The matter of sending Naruto to Turtle Island for training was still just a draft, and a final decision could only be made after Jiraiya returned.

have to say,

He, the Fifth Hokage, completely lacked the absolute authority of the Third Hokage.

"The latest intelligence received this morning around 6:00 AM from the Land of Hot Water has just been decrypted. The intelligence states that four days ago, the Cloud Ninja caught up with the Iwa Ninja who were preparing to retreat near a port in the Land of Lightning, and a fierce battle broke out. The Iwa Ninja's Third Tsuchikage and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki were involved in the battle, while the Cloud Ninja's Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki were also all involved. The two sides fought for a day and a night without a clear winner. In the end, the Iwa Ninja retreated, and the Cloud Ninja were unable to pursue them because most of their warships were destroyed."

At the same time as the report,

The declassified intelligence document was delivered by Nara Shikaku to Akimichi Torifu.

"In this great battle, both the Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja suffered heavy losses. The total number of ninja killed on both sides may be close to five thousand. According to the assessment of the Hokage's assistant, the Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja will most likely not have the strength or courage to go south again in the next ten years."

"It's finally over!"

Akimichi Torifu let out a deep sigh.

Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was willing to sacrifice his own flesh to feed the enemy in order to avoid the outbreak of war, he also disliked war, especially after he became the Hokage. Every day, he watched as massive amounts of money and food were poured into the bottomless pit of war. Even though Konoha was a large and wealthy family, he still felt the pain.

Fortunately, Uchiha Sogen successfully defeated the Cloud Ninja and severely damaged them, restoring the village's vitality. He also acquired a rare treasure that made people's mouths water just thinking about it. He had never imagined that there would be such a wonderful treasure as Turtle Island.

It can actually help a Jinchuriki try to transform into a perfect Jinchuriki!

That's unbelievable!

"Sōgen-kun didn't say when he'd be back!" Akimichi Torifu read the intelligence report over and over again three times. Ignoring the useless formalities, the report mainly described the great battle between the Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja, without mentioning in a single sentence when he planned to lead his army back to Konoha.

"This time it should be soon. Now that the Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja have calmed down, the Hokage should be back soon with your assistance."

Nara Shikaku guessed.

He wasn't sure when Uchiha Munen would return, but now that the fighting on the front lines had completely subsided, it was about time to withdraw and return to Konoha. The reason they had been stationed in the Land of Hot Springs was to guard against a possible counterattack by the Cloud Ninja, and to keep an eye on the Cloud Ninja in the north.

Now there is no need to keep a large army stationed here; the border guards, which have been fully replenished, can take care of the relevant tasks.

"Is that so? I hope so!"

Akimichi Torifu gave a vague reply.

His feelings toward Uchiha Sogen, the Hokage's advisor whom he had personally appointed, were quite complex. He was influenced by the teachings of the Second Hokage, by the lessons learned from the defeats of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, and by the real challenges posed by the growing strength of the Uchiha clan.

Despite the Uchiha clan's significant losses in the war, their overall strength did not decline much. In fact, Fugaku's exposure of Susanoo actually elevated his standing in Akimichi Torifu's eyes. The Uchiha clan possesses a total of three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan.

This power,

It's so strong it's almost unbearable.

But there's nothing he can do. The Uchiha clan is so powerful that he has no way to restrain them. Even if the Second Hokage were to be resurrected, he would probably be helpless against the current Uchiha!

He could only pray that Uchiha Munegen would have more patience and that Uchiha Munegen wouldn't become like Uchiha Madara in the future... Of course, it wasn't all bad. After all, he hadn't forgotten that Uchiha Madara might still be alive, hiding in the shadows and plotting something. From this perspective, the strength of the Uchiha clan wasn't necessarily a bad thing!

[Chapter 234 The Real Waterfall]

The port has vanished, completely erased on a physical level. The docks, streets, shops... all are gone, replaced by a deep pit filled with flooded seawater. Onoki's Dust Release is that domineering, breaking down everything tangible into the smallest molecules.

On the mountains near this vanished port, several huge, visible craters can be seen.