Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

However, Hozuki Mangetsu could ignore his slashes, but he dared not underestimate Hozuki Mangetsu's attacks. The previous water gun shot came too fast and too suddenly, and he did not have time to completely dodge it. Half of his left ear was directly blown off, and the blood stained half of his cheek. The pain that pierced his brain had not yet subsided.

Seeing that Kamanosuke was beaten half to a pulp, with even his right leg broken, I was shocked.

He wanted to use Earth Release to escape, but the injury to his right leg severely hampered the circulation of chakra within his body, slowing down his casting speed. Before he could complete the chakra conversion, Jiraiya's pursuit had already caught up, and he unleashed his strongest attack without holding back.

【Welcome - Immovable King Sword】

An invisible, colorless yet tangible sword fell.

The ground was cut open by a sword mark that was about fifty centimeters deep at its deepest point. With this sword mark as the boundary, Kamanosuke's head and body were separated on either side of the sword mark. Blood gushed out from the cut on the corpse's neck and poured into the sword mark.

Kamanosuke is dead!

Kogitsunemaru looked at the corpse that hadn't turned into white smoke or disappeared into clods of earth, realizing that Kamanosuke was truly dead. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the flashing lightning not far away, and saw that Yun Guang's usually expressionless, coffin-like face was now filled with helplessness and despair.

This is bad!

Even Kogitsunemaru, a battle maniac, felt a slight urge to retreat upon seeing the current situation.

He was not afraid of death.

However, he didn't want to go down a dead end knowing he was going to die, and he couldn't even take someone down with him.

only--

"Hey! Getting distracted during battle? Who are you underestimating?"

The sound came from behind.

Kogitsunemaru jolted awake. Hozuki Mangetsu, who was still wielding his whip and fighting him, hadn't disappeared from his sight, but the voice from behind reminded him that the danger wasn't just in front of him. "A clone? When?" He had been staring at Hozuki Mangetsu the whole time and hadn't seen him use any clone technique.

"Of course, it was when that guy smashed it just now!"

Hozuki Mangetsu replied with a smile.

Simultaneously,

The index finger, already aimed at Kogitsunemaru's heart, fired a bullet-like stream of liquid that pierced through his back and then shot out from Kogitsunemaru's chest, demonstrating the reliable lethality of the Hozuki clan's Water Gun Technique.

Kogitsunemaru stared blankly at the drop of crimson liquid that flew into his field of vision, then the light before his eyes dimmed, the color faded, and he returned to endless darkness.

He fell to the ground with a "thud".

Even in death, he never let go of the famous sword, Kogitsunemaru.

"Crack—" Amidst the thunder, Ringo Ameyuri arrived beside Hozuki Mangetsu, carrying a severed head. She glanced regretfully at Kamanosuke and Kogitsunemaru lying on the ground. "One of them escaped. Should we chase after them?" Needless to say, the one who escaped was Tenmoku, who had been playing a minor role the whole time.

After Kamanosuke was defeated, Tenmoku ran away.

The timing of their choice was so clever, and their escape so swift... that they were impossible to catch.

"Need not."

Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head.

Just deal with the immediate problem; there's no need to keep pursuing it. There's a limit to how much you can do to selling well. Sometimes, doing too much not only doesn't bring any benefits but can also cause unnecessary trouble.

"White Cloud Jonin, Earthly Cleric, I think we should probably have a good discussion about what to do next."

Hozuki Mangetsu looked at Shirokumo Hayama and Chirai.

"That's how it should be."

The land should respond to the way.

Although he really wanted to return to their previous hideout to see if he could catch Kazuma in the act, he also understood that if he didn't give Shirakumo Hayama and Hozuki Mangetsu a detailed explanation, he definitely wouldn't be able to get them to act with him.

"Sigh! It's time to say something."

Having failed to find an opportunity to steal a kill throughout the entire event, Baiyun Yeshan, who had watched the excitement from beginning to end, sighed with a headache. This trouble was far from over; there was likely more to come. Not only did he have to worry about the escaped guy potentially attracting more and more troublesome enemies, but he also had to figure out what to do next.

“Master Dilu, and this… old gentleman, please tell us the details of the matter!”

Baiyun Yeshan brought Jiriku and Dunbei over.

Previously, the situation was urgent, and there was no time to find out the details. Now that we have the time, we naturally want to find out the truth. Without figuring out what trouble Jiraiya and the others have encountered, and without figuring out whether this matter is related to the Hokage's assistant, it will be difficult to decide what to do next.

Should we continue towards Konoha?

Should we detour to the Daimyo's residence first to visit the Hokage and seek his assistance?

"This matter... let me start from the beginning!" Jiraiya hesitated for two seconds before slowly speaking, "As I mentioned before, I am a ninja monk from the Fire Temple. However, not long ago, I was a 'Guardian Ninja' serving the Daimyo. The person who just chased me was also a Guardian Ninja serving the Daimyo..."

Di Lu explained the whole story in detail.

However, he mainly explained the situation of Kamanosuke and the others, and the reason why they were attacked by Kamanosuke and the others. He also expressed his deep gratitude to Shirakumo Hayama and Hozuki Mangetsu for their rescue. Oh, and he didn't expose his lie.

He saw it clearly.

Both Shirakumo Hayama and Hozuki Mangetsu were moved by the name "Hokage's assistant" and extended a helping hand to them.

If you take the initiative to expose the lie at this time,

Getting beaten up is a minor matter.

His concern was that without the help of Shirakumo Hayama and Hozuki Mangetsu, if Kazuma himself came to kill him, he alone would not be able to withstand the combined forces of Kazuma, Murasaki, and Tenmoku. Moreover, these were the opponents in the open; who knew how many more people were secretly involved?

Although his investigation did not find Kazuma's whereabouts some time ago, he did vaguely discover that Kazuma seemed to have secretly developed a considerable force.

Therefore,

The lie cannot be exposed yet.

An apology should only be issued when it is confirmed that the person is truly safe.

[Chapter 285. Patience is something that is forced out]

Tenmoku ran incredibly fast, especially after sensing that the chakra fluctuations of Kaminosuke, Unko, and Kogitsunemaru had all disappeared. He then unleashed all his strength, sprinting without a moment's pause, directly returning to the location where they had ambushed the ninja. And then—

"Tianmu, where are the others?"

Kazuma stood by the stream, next to a mysterious figure wearing a black robe and an orange swirling mask. The two were talking before the appearance of the Heavenly Eye, while Murasaki... did not join in, hiding under a tree to cool off.

When Tianmu arrived, everyone's attention was drawn to him.

Especially for Kazuma and Murasaki, seeing Tenmoku return alone, a bad premonition immediately arose in their hearts.

"They're all dead."

Tenmoku answered Kazuma's question briefly and directly, and before Kazuma could ask further, he continued, "Kamanosuke, Unko, and Kogitsunemaru were killed by Chirai and two Kirigakure ninja." His tone wasn't exactly calm, but there wasn't much sadness in it either.

"Mist Ninja?"

He Ma looked completely bewildered.

Damn it,

What's the situation?

If it were a Konoha ninja... that wouldn't be hard to understand, but what the hell is this Mist Ninja?

Like Tianmu, he didn't feel much sadness at the moment. From the beginning, their group wasn't formed by unbreakable bonds or sworn brotherhood. They were just madmen with their own ideas and pursuits who came together under the drive of different ideologies.

Kazuma's goal is to destroy Konoha and make the Fire Daimyo the sole and supreme ruler of the Land of Fire. He is willing to sacrifice himself for this 'noble' ideal and is mentally prepared for the deaths of his comrades.

Including the deceased Kamanosuke, Kumo, and Kogitsunemaru,

In reality, they each harbored their own ambitions and were prepared to risk their lives for them.

“Hmm…” Tenmoku paused for a few seconds, sorting out his somewhat chaotic thoughts, and slowly said, “To be honest, I have a lot of questions right now. We encountered that group of Mist Ninja while chasing Jiraiya and the others, and there were also a few Konoha Ninja mixed in.”

"Then why not retreat?"

Murasaki couldn't help but interject with a question.

As the only woman in the group, she still felt some... well! She didn't feel much sadness; rather, confusion was the main motivation that prompted her to ask questions. The reason she hung out with Kazuma and the others, becoming a member of the so-called radical faction, was...

The reason is simple and straightforward.

She felt that following Kazuma would give her more opportunities to test the various poisons she had developed in actual combat.

"Because initially, those Mist Ninja and Konoha Ninja didn't intend to help Jiraiya and the others. Also, although the other side had more people, the Jonin-level experts didn't have an overwhelming advantage over us. At least... that's what we thought before we actually fought."

"Based on these judgments, we were thinking of a quick and decisive victory."

At this point, Tenmoku paused and sighed, "But when we got closer, the Mist Ninja suddenly changed their minds. Not only did they protect Jiraiya and the others, they also trapped Kamanosuke and the others. However, what was most unexpected was that the two Mist Ninja who made the move were very strong, really strong. Kamanosuke and the others... were suppressed from the very beginning."

"Could you describe what those two Mist Ninja look like?"

The masked mystery man suddenly spoke at this moment.

"Um... who are you?"

Tenmoku stared warily at the mysterious man... Well, he wasn't really that mysterious. The so-called mysterious man was none other than Uchiha Obito, who was swindling people by using the name of Uchiha Madara. His outfit was practically unchanged for millennia. Of course, this doesn't mean he never changed his clothes, but rather that he had hundreds of spare masks and black robes in the Kamui dimension.

In short, as an excellent sensory ninja, Amemoku felt an extraordinary pressure from Obito Uchiha.

“This is my… ally, one of our own. Tenmoku, there’s nothing to worry about. Just answer his questions.” Kazuma’s attitude toward Uchiha Obito had changed considerably since their time at the Konoha embassy.

He remained vigilant and wary, and still did not accept Obito Uchiha's invitation.

However, they can cooperate before Konoha is destroyed. On this point, Ma and Uchiha Obito reached a consensus. Moreover, if it weren't for the sudden appearance of Uchiha Obito to help, he wouldn't have been able to obtain the forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo clan so easily.

Having received such a huge favor, even Kazuma couldn't immediately turn his back on Obito, even though he was very unhappy about being monitored by him.

Obito Uchiha understood that Kazuma, a guy with ideals, wouldn't be easily fooled before he hit a brick wall. He originally planned to wait until Kazuma had run into a wall before making contact, but the White Zetsu responsible for monitoring Kazuma sent back some very interesting information.

then,

He changed his mind.

At a crucial moment, they found Kazuma and helped him, allowing him to successfully acquire the forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo clan, which was originally difficult for him to control. As a result, with the forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo clan, plus another forbidden earth-escape technique, the value of Kazuma as a pawn has increased significantly.

"An ally?"

Tenmoku licked his lips, his guard still on, and said, "A man and a woman. The man has white hair and purple eyes, and his body can turn into flowing water. Even if Kamanosuke and Kogitsunemaru joined forces, they would not be a match for him. The woman has long brown-red hair and is holding two swords in her hands that look like seven-pointed swords used in rituals? Or are they knives? I'm not sure, but her lightning release technique surpasses even the Cloud Light technique."

"So it was them! No wonder!"

Obito Uchiha understood.

"What? You know him?" Kazuma asked.

"That's right, he's a celebrity."

"Oh?"