Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The only thing we can do is try to control it as much as possible.

"If the village's medical ninjas can't help, then we'll find a medical ninja who can." Nara Shikaku had no intention of giving up.

"Yup!"

Yamanaka Inoichi's eyes lit up.

As expected, Shikaku's mind is the quickest.

"You mean... Tsunade?"

Akimichi Torifu's face looked as if he was constipated. The brain doesn't just stop working whenever it wants. Upon hearing Nara Shikaku's words, his brain reacted spontaneously and understood what he was saying. If there was anyone in the ninja world who could cure this ailment, it would probably only be Tsunade.

"That's right, Lord Hokage, leave this matter to me. You don't need to worry about it for the time being."

"Let's do it this way!"

After a brief but painful period of deliberation, Akimichi Torifu agreed.

If there is hope for a cure,

He didn't want to suffer this deadly torment any longer. If a person can't think freely, then living is worse than dying!

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.

Daming Mansion, Imperial Palace.

Kazuma and his group were on the run. The news that Hokane and others had been killed by Kazuma, Kamanosuke and others had been found out by the Oniwaban ninja. After reporting the matter to the daimyo, it did not take long for the daimyo's order to be conveyed. Kazuma, Kamanosuke and the other six were stripped of their status as Guardian Ninja Twelve, and the Oniwaban was ordered to arrest them.

Yes,

The order is to capture him alive.

The reason given for this was that the daimyo wanted to ask Kazuma and the others in person what they were trying to do. Regardless of how ridiculous this reason was, the Oniwaban ninjas were clearly hampered by the order to capture them alive and were unable to go all out.

On the contrary,

Kazuma and his group showed no mercy whatsoever, their attacks were extremely ruthless.

After losing three members in the pursuit, Kazuma and his group successfully escaped from the palace. The size of the pursuit force immediately decreased several levels, leaving only four small teams of sixteen people to continue the chase. Compared to capturing Kazuma and his group, the duty of protecting the palace and the daimyo was obviously more important.

However, it would be a pipe dream to rely on these sixteen people to capture He Ma and the others.

Of these sixteen people, only four were Jonin, and the rest were Chunin. If Kogitsunemaru hadn't been seriously injured, they wouldn't have needed to escape; they could have simply turned back and killed the pursuers. Unfortunately, Kogitsunemaru's injuries weren't very good, and they didn't have time to stop and fight the pursuers again. They could only do their best to use the complex terrain of the Daimyo's residence to shake off the pursuers.

"Tianmu, how is it? Have they caught up yet?"

Seeing that the pursuers had disappeared, Kazuma looked at the sensory ninja in the group and asked about the situation.

"Wait a moment, let me take a look."

Tianmu stopped in his tracks. He couldn't use his perception techniques while running, so he formed hand seals and used a secret technique to survey his surroundings. "The pursuers haven't caught up, but... we have another problem!"

As he spoke, he looked up at the water tower on the roof of a five-story building in front of him. A tall figure emerged from behind the water tower and stood behind the roof railing, looking down at He Ma and his group who were standing on the roof ridge.

"Asuma!"

Kazuma looked up at the man who appeared in front of them, somewhat surprised, but quickly felt it was only natural. Sure enough, this guy couldn't sit still. However, it was too late for him to show up now. Everything had already been settled, and he couldn't change anything anymore.

"Asma, are you here to join us?" he asked with a smile.

"Why did you kill Beigen and the others, Kazuma?"

Sarutobi Asuma ignored Kazuma's pointless question, staring intently at him and demanding an explanation.

Upon hearing this, Kazuma's smile faded. He tilted his head back and met Sarutobi Asuma's gaze without fear. "What does this have to do with you? You told me yourself that as long as we don't bother you, you won't interfere in our affairs... Are you planning to go back on your word?"

“Begun and his friends are my friends.”

Sarutobi Asuma's expression was icy.

"Ah!"

Kazuma let out a disdainful laugh. "Only now do you realize they're your friends? If that's the case, why did you betray them? From the moment you chose to leave them, you were no longer friends. Or do you think they'll still consider you a friend?"

"Stop talking nonsense. According to our previous agreement, we won't bother you, and you can't interfere in our affairs. Don't talk to me about friends. I'm just asking you what you plan to do? Do you want to fight me here? If so, then do it now. If not, then get lost and make way."

Kazuma assumed a fighting stance.

Of course, he was just putting on airs.

He didn't think Sarutobi Asuma would actually make a move. If he intended to, he should have been with Hokane and the others from the beginning, instead of waiting for someone to die and then jumping out to talk about friends. To put it bluntly, it was just the guilt of betrayal that was making him unable to settle down.

"...Next time we meet, I will avenge Beigen and the others."

After a moment of silence, Sarutobi Asuma uttered these words, then turned and left, his heart filled with pain.

"Next time? Humph!"

Kazuma watched Sarutobi Asuma's disappearing figure, shook his head, and didn't take Sarutobi Asuma's threat to heart at all. Who knows when they will meet again? And what the situation will be like then? Such harsh words are just words to be heard and ignored; they are not worth worrying about.

Sarutobi Asuma left.

With no obstacles ahead, Kazuma stood on the rooftop, gazing back at the Imperial Palace for a final moment, his resolve hardening once more. "Let's go! Let's take a chance and usher in a new era for this country."

Under the moonlight, the group of six set off again.

Under the same moonlight, both groups were on their way. However, Zongxian's group was rushing towards Daming Prefecture, while Kazuma and his group were leaving Daming Prefecture, which had become a place of trouble, as quickly as possible.

[Chapter 273. Meeting with Huo Daming]

"A step too late?"

Zongxian sighed regretfully.

Even traveling day and night, they still couldn't keep up with the speed at which Ma and the others were running. When they arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire, the entire city was under martial law, and the Oniwaban ninjas, along with a large number of guards, were conducting a pointless mass search.

In Zongxian's opinion,

This so-called martial law and search operation seem rather pointless; they're far too performative.

If they really wanted to capture someone, there was no need to make such a big fuss. Sending seventeen or eighteen sensory ninjas would have been much better than this noisy mess.

"Sir, what should we do next?"

Moonlight and Swift Wind asked in a voice.

Their purpose in coming to the daimyo prefecture was to eliminate the source of the chaos. However, the very people they considered the source of the chaos, including Kazuma, had betrayed the daimyo first and fled after killing four of their companions. It felt like they had gathered all their strength to deliver a fatal blow, but just as they were about to throw their punch, the target had vanished.

"No rush, let's go pay our respects to His Excellency the Great."

Zongxian said with a smile.

While Kazuma and the others' actions were somewhat unexpected, it wasn't a big problem. Kazuma had run away, so be it. They could deal with him later when they had the chance. Anyway, the Fire Lord couldn't escape. They could decide what to do next after they met the Fire Lord.

Moreover, there was another problem to deal with before that.

"How could this happen? How dare they? How could they..."

Di Lu stood there, dejected and listless, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself, emanating an aura that kept strangers at bay. Clearly, the sudden bad news had dealt him a heavy blow; he never imagined that his brief separation from his friend would turn into a final farewell.

How dare they?

He kept repeating it over and over.

How dare Kazuma and his men commit violence and murder in the Imperial Palace? Among the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, Kazuma was the one who revered the Daimyo the most. This whole thing felt like a nightmare from which there was no end in sight!

"Land".

Zongxian called out, and Jilu seemed to be startled, his body trembling violently. He bowed his head to Zongxian and apologized repeatedly: "Hokage, please forgive me, I... I was impolite. I didn't expect them to dare to do this. It's really... I made you come all this way for nothing. It's my fault. I'm so sorry."

His incoherent language revealed his current state of confusion and unease.

“It’s alright, this isn’t your fault. I understand you must be feeling bad right now. But the daimyo’s envoy has arrived. Would you like to come with me to pay our respects to the daimyo, or would you like to rest for a bit first?” Zongxian asked considerately.

They did not conceal their identities when they arrived.

Especially since there was a 'local celebrity' in the group, Jiraiya, who was easily recognizable, a ninja from the Oniwaban went up to talk to him. After he introduced himself, someone immediately went back to report to the Fire Lord. They also casually asked what was going on and learned the unfortunate news.

"...After returning from leave, I should first go and report back to His Excellency the Great."

Di Lu tried his best to suppress the surging emotions in his chest.

Once his overheated mind calmed down and he regained control of his thinking, he quickly sorted out his chaotic thoughts. He decided to accompany the Hokage's assistant to see the Daimyo, since he had personally invited him. After meeting the Daimyo, he would then begin investigating the incident of Hokage and the others being murdered.

"Then let's go together."

Zongxian nodded indifferently.

He gazed at the magnificent city before him. Although it was under martial law and there were no pedestrians on the streets, the rows of buildings were enough to give a glimpse of how bustling the Daimyo's city was on ordinary days. Unlike the chaotic Konoha, the buildings in the Daimyo's city were quite orderly, and in addition to their grandeur, they also gave people a sense of solemnity.

really,

As the capital of a country, it has a completely different feel from Konoha.

Following the envoy sent by the Fire Lord, they arrived at the Imperial Palace located in the heart of the Daimyo Prefecture. However, this Imperial Palace was not as exciting as what they had seen outside. It was just that it was larger in area and had more guards. To be honest, the scenery was nothing special and not much different from the former residence of the Uchiha clan or the main residence of the Hyuga clan.

quickly,

They met Huo Daming.

This was a man who looked somewhat older than his age. It wasn't that he was very old, but rather that he gave off a sense of 'aged' and lacked the imposing presence and authority of a head of state that I had imagined. "Di Lu, you're back! And this one..."

As he spoke, his eyes were sizing up Zongxian.

"Nice to meet you, Lord Daimyo. I am Uchiha Sogen." Sogen looked at the nominal number one in the Land of Fire and calmly gave a simple self-introduction.

"Oh! I know you, the youngest clan leader of the Uchiha clan, and the youngest Hokage's assistant in Konoha. That's wonderful! When I heard the news of the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, I was worried about the future of Konoha. If Konoha cannot be stable, the Land of Fire will also fall into turmoil. But seeing such an outstanding young man as you, there is no need to worry anymore."

"You flatter me. I am just a novice scholar."

Zongxian said with a smile.

"Haha! Humility is a good virtue, but young people shouldn't lose their vigor! So, Zongxian-kun?" The daimyo looked over.

"Please feel free to do as you please. That's how the Hokage addresses me too."

"Very well, Zongxian-kun, let's not beat around the bush anymore. Is there something you need for this sudden visit to Daming Prefecture?"

"Oh, I heard that there was a group of lawless elements in Daimyo Prefecture trying to sow discord between Daimyo Prefecture and Konoha. Their behavior was so rampant that it was almost blatant. In order to ensure the stability of the country and the village, the Hokage authorized me to handle this matter, so I came. Unfortunately, it seems that I am a step too late. It seems that the group of lawless elements have already escaped!"

While speaking,

He stared intently at the name.

Unexpectedly, the man showed no panic. Instead, he revealed a hint of distress, as if his unspeakable secret had been brought up. He sighed deeply, "So this is what you came for? As for Ma, Kamanosuke and the others... how should I put it? I am not completely unaware of their views."