Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Besides Kazuma and Kogitsunemaru

The other four radicals were also present: Kaminosuke, Tenmoku, Kumo, and Shiko. Except for Shiko, who was female, the rest were all male. Kaminosuke was the one speaking at the moment. He was a short, stocky man with a sallow complexion, yellow teeth, and looked more like an old farmer than a ninja.

However, anyone who is deceived by his appearance and thinks he is easy to deal with will definitely suffer a great loss unless they are a powerful dragon crossing the river. If they are unlucky, they will lose their lives. "I have fought with that guy Jiriku several times in secret. The immortal talent of the Fire Temple has extremely strong attack power, and his defense is also as solid as a rock. Even if Kazuma and I join forces, it is not difficult to defeat him, but it may not be possible to keep him. At the very least, three people will have to work together."

Kamanosuke explained in detail to his companions the difficulty of dealing with Jiraiya.

Count me in.

Kogitsunemaru was bursting with excitement.

The murderous intent in his eyes was almost overflowing.

"Can I... say no?" Tenmoku is very young, or rather, all of them are very young. The Twelve Guardian Ninjas were originally a group of young geniuses, but even among such a group of young people, Tenmoku, who is only seventeen years old this year, is definitely the youngest.

"Don't be lazy, Tianmu, your perception techniques are essential."

Kamanosuke glared at him.

Among the six radicals, Kazuma is undoubtedly the leader, while Kamanosuke is probably the second-in-command. He is an evenly matched rival to Chiriku, and the two have fought each other openly and secretly countless times over the years. It is precisely because of this that he knows so much about Chiriku's intelligence.

"cough!"

Kazuma coughed lightly.

Tianmu, who was about to speak, obediently shut his mouth, while Yunguang, who had been sitting under the pillar with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked over.

"I don't intend to get involved with the Earth."

This sentence,

This left Kamanosuke and the others stunned. Kogitsunemaru instantly became anxious and restless. Fortunately, he was able to control his emotions and not let them control his actions. However, if he couldn't do that, he would never have been able to join the Twelve Guardian Ninjas in the first place.

"Kazuma, are you abandoning our plan?"

After a two-second silence, Kamanosuke asked a question.

"No, I'm just going to revise the plan." Kazuma calmly faced the doubtful and questioning gazes of his companions and said, "Instead of eliminating one of them, I think it would be better to take this opportunity to eliminate Hokugen, Naruma, Hoshito, and Touyu all at once. Otherwise, that forbidden lightning technique will always be a big problem, like a sharp blade hanging over our heads, making it impossible for us to feel at ease."

Of course, if it could be seized, it would also be an indispensable weapon.

"...It's not impossible, but taking down four people at once is quite difficult." Kaminosuke scratched his sallow face and frowned. "Kazuma, are you sure you want to do this? Kitane and the other three are not easy to deal with, and if they don't leave the palace, it will be inconvenient for us to take action."

Fighting is prohibited in the Imperial Palace.

Once they clash with Hokane and the others in the Imperial Palace, the division and conflict among the Twelve Guardian Ninjas will be laid bare. At that point, the Daimyo will likely be forced to make a statement: Will he protect them to demonstrate his ambition to centralize power? Or will he abandon them and continue to endure and lie low...? Frankly, neither option aligns with their agreed-upon plan.

According to their previously agreed action plan

The plan is to find an opportunity to gradually and covertly eliminate the obstacle of the moderate faction. Even if they can guess that it was them who did it, there is no evidence to prove it is slander. Once the moderate faction is dealt with, they can continue to recruit people and strengthen their forces, and then strike a thunderous blow when Konoha is caught off guard.

If Zong Xian were to see this plan, he would probably comment, "It's too rough! And it underestimates people!"

But the radicals did not see anything wrong with their plan.

They felt that the plan didn't need to be too complicated; the simpler and clearer the plan, the less likely it was to break down during execution.

"It's alright. After we deal with Beigen and the others, we'll continue our activities as traitors." Kazuma calmly stated something that left his companions speechless!

Oh!

Not everyone was frightened. Kogitsunemaru was so excited that he almost jumped up and cheered, while Yun Guang kept a cold face, making it hard to understand his thoughts.

[Chapter 270. Internal Strife Among the Twelve Guardian Ninja]

"traitor?"

Kamanosuke gripped the short stubble on his chin, the sharp pain a clear reminder that he wasn't dreaming. "Kazuma, you... this is completely different from what we agreed on! I've never heard of us betraying the daimyo, this..."

"That's inevitable."

Kazuma forcefully interrupted Kamanosuke's speech. He looked around at his companions, his sharp gaze seemingly able to see through the hearts of each person. "Everyone knows that Konoha is very strong, so strong that even the Daimyo finds it inconvenient to confront them directly and can only rely on us to act in secret. But Konoha is not blind; it's impossible that they don't notice us. From what I understand, Jiraiya is very likely going to Konoha to deliver a message."

"Then why the hell did you let him leave...? You did it on purpose?"

Kamanosuke glared at Kazuma.

"No, that's not true. As I said, Konoha can't possibly be unaware of us. Even if we kill Jiraiya this time and stop him from communicating with Konoha, as our actions become more and more obvious, Konoha will eventually keep an eye on us. It's only a matter of time. So I think rather than passively waiting for Konoha to find out, we should take the initiative to clarify our relationship with the Daimyo."

It is clear,

The Fire Lord has no intention of formally breaking with Konoha. All of these actions are the private actions of Kazuma and his group, and have no direct or indirect relationship with the Fire Lord. Unless they truly succeed, the Fire Lord will never admit to having any connection with them before that happens.

Everyone knows this.

But is it necessary to become a traitor?

This makes one feel somewhat uneasy.

Furthermore, there is another problem: once they become traitors, even if only in name, nomenclature is extremely important in many situations. Without the title of Guardian Ninja Twelve, it will be difficult for them to gather the strength of the ninja villages and clans in the Land of Fire to fight against Konoha.

"There is another reason why I have to become a traitor. I have recently mastered a forbidden technique, a forbidden technique that can greatly enhance our overall strength and help us minimize the numerical gap between us and Konoha... However, this forbidden technique is somewhat unethical. Before we achieve final victory, leaving it in the Daimyo's residence will only put His Majesty in a difficult position."

Earth Release: Ultimate Creation Technique: Soil of the Dead—

This forbidden technique,

Kazuma has successfully mastered it and secretly tested it several times, confirming the effects of the forbidden technique. As a result, he has decided to change his plans. This is the power of the forbidden technique. Its power is not only used in direct combat, but in many cases, some forbidden techniques even have strategic and tactical significance.

He demonstrated the power of this forbidden technique in front of everyone.

then,

"So... you're saying you want to attack Hokgen and the others because of that forbidden Lightning Release technique?" After understanding the power of the forbidden technique [Soil of the Dead], Kamanosuke immediately connected it to Hokgen and the others. Through this forbidden technique, they could completely usurp that forbidden Lightning Release technique for their own use.

"No, not just Beigen, but also Ma. Are you going to take action against those ninja villages and ninja clans within the country?"

Kamanosuke was not only good at fighting, but also very quick-witted. His divergent thinking quickly led him to guess Kazuma's intentions. He gasped and his body trembled at Kazuma's crazy idea.

But inexplicably, my heart started racing, and a feeling of excitement welled up from the bottom of my heart.

"We've met quite a few people during this time, but so far, not a single ninja clan or village has truly promised to join us in fighting Konoha. All they do is shout slogans, but when it comes to actual action, they all back down."

Kazuma continued, "I've figured it out. Expecting them to do anything is nothing short of wishful thinking. But since they're unwilling... well, they might as well do me a favor." As he said this, he grinned, but for some reason, the smile was filled with an indescribable bloodthirstiness.

"That's roughly the plan. Any questions?"

Kazuma looked at his companions and asked with a smile.

"No! This plan... is absolutely perfect!!!"

Kogitsunemaru was also laughing, a ferocious and bloodthirsty smile.

"can."

Yun Guang gave a brief explanation.

"I...I...I don't think I have any objections, right?"

Tenmu said in a low voice, sounding somewhat unsure.

"You guys are making things really difficult for me!" The only woman present, Zi Zi, sighed and complained, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her true thoughts. "Fine, I'll play along with you guys for a big game! I've also been wanting to find an opportunity to try out some of my newly crafted treasures."

One after another, his companions expressed their opinions, until only Kamanosuke remained. This young man, who looked like a weathered farmer, sighed helplessly. Kazuma was gambling with his life, either win or die, and not only his own life, but also the lives of all of them.

That's a complete bastard!

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be a good person either, and he didn't dislike the feeling of risking his life.

Kamanosuke couldn't help but laugh. He looked at his companions and said, "No wonder they say birds of a feather flock together. It's amazing that you desperados could gather together. Of course, so am I. Hahahaha!!!" His cheerful laughter echoed in the garden.

In the end, Kazuma persuaded all the radicals.

After achieving consensus, the operation began immediately. Jiraiya had already left the Daimyo's residence for Konoha. If the operation dragged on, the Konoha ninjas might arrive at the Daimyo's residence at any time, so the operation had to be completed before that happened.

only--

How exactly should I do it?

This is a difficult problem facing Kazuma and the others. Kita, Naruma, Hoshito, and Toussaint, the four people targeted, are currently staying at the Imperial Palace. Moreover, because the conflict between the radical and moderate factions has recently been exposed, Kita and the other three have given up all private entertainment activities and try their best to stay close to each other when walking, sitting, or lying down.

Furthermore,

Taking action at the Imperial Palace is not so easy.

As the nominal head of the Land of Fire, the Fire Daimyo's security measures are undoubtedly top-notch. Unlike the Hokage, the Fire Daimyo is not a ninja, so the vast palace has an extremely formidable security force. The Twelve Guardian Ninjas are merely a shining symbol.

Of course, this signboard is of high quality; otherwise, if it were easily destroyed, it would not only be the Twelve Guardian Ninjas who would lose face, but also the Fire Lord's reputation.

What I'm trying to say is that there are several forces within the palace that are not much weaker than the Twelve Guardian Ninjas. If we can't finish this quickly or control the scope of the battle, it might attract their interference and hinder their actions.

"Zizi, can we use poison?"

Kazuma looked at the only female ninja among his companions.

"It's very difficult. Beigen and the others aren't fools. It's obvious they've been wary of us lately. Even if I have that powerful poison, the problem is I can't find an opportunity to administer it. You don't actually think I can just stand 300 meters away and poison Beigen and the others with a wave of my hand, do you? Don't dream! If I had that ability, I wouldn't need to bother with Beigen and the others. We could just go to Konoha and kill the Hokage, wouldn't we?"

Zizi couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Kazuma laughed heartily after being rebuked, not annoyed at all. He reached up and touched his forehead, muttering, "Looks like... we can only find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack! Let's wait until tonight! When Asuma goes out drinking, we'll find an opportunity to make our move."

Although he didn't think Sarutobi Asuma would jump out and get in the way,

However, if possible, it's best to take precautions to avoid being caught off guard.

As evening fell and the sun set, Sarutobi Asuma continued his solitary journey to the taverns throughout the Daimyo capital, drowning his sorrows in alcohol. His lonely figure quickly disappeared into the dim, yellowish glow of the setting sun. Meanwhile, Tenmoku, who had been standing on the rooftop with his hands in a mudra, slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at Kazuma standing next to him and said, "He's already left, but I can't guarantee whether it was Sarutobi Asuma himself or just a shadow clone."

"That's good. While caution is never a bad thing, we can't be timid when it's time to act. Just be careful when we make our move." Kazuma jumped off the roof, looked at his companions who were ready, clapped his hands, and said softly, "Alright, everyone, let's begin."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Kazuma melted into the soil beneath his feet like molten mud.

"Running really fast!"

Seeing this, Kamanosuke muttered something, and then, just like Kazuma, he merged into the earth beneath his feet, using Earth Release: Earth Release to travel underground. Like Kazuma, he was extremely skilled in Earth Release: Earth Release, but unlike Kazuma, who was distracted by other things, he focused solely on honing his skills.

Seeing that the leader and deputy leader had taken action, the rest of them immediately set off as well. However, they did not know the art of earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of invisibility technique), so they could only try to avoid the patrolling guards in the palace and sneakily approach their destination under the cover of the slowly descending night.

Putting aside other things, the Imperial Palace

It is really big.

The sprawling palaces and gardens not only accommodated a large number of nobles, headed by the daimyo, but also guards like the Twelve Guardian Ninja were entitled to reside in the palace, as they were responsible for taking turns to protect the daimyo's safety.