Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

As a result,

There are indeed some things that can be prepared for.

The Sixth Hokage... Sogen is determined to become the Hokage, and Konoha doesn't seem to have any other strong contenders at the moment. Akimichi Torifu's illness has been recurring in recent years, and this isn't the first time he has acted as the Hokage's assistant. All of this seems to suggest that the selection of the Sixth Hokage is already predetermined.

However, in Zongxian's view,

Variables exist.

Putting everything else aside, if Tsunade were to return to the village and try to compete for the position of Sixth Hokage, who knows how many supporters would emerge with a single call to arms? No one knows how profound the legacy left by the First and Second Hokage truly is until it comes into play.

Anyway,

Caution is the boat.

However, there was no need to tell Yakushi Nonou about these things. Although Yakushi Hospital was built with money from the Uchiha clan, Yakushi Nonou firmly stated that it was a loan, not a donation. Clearly, Yakushi Nonou had learned her lesson after being taken advantage of by Danzo.

They were afraid of falling into some kind of scheme again.

Her past career as a spy has left Yakushi Nono exhausted, both physically and mentally, and she has no desire to get involved in the village's conflicts anymore.

For this,

Zongxian didn't care.

The reason for sponsoring Yakushi Nonou was a suggestion made by his current secretary, Yakushi Kabuto. He believed that if the Uchiha clan funded the construction of a new hospital, it could significantly improve the clan's reputation in the village, even though he knew that his suggestion was largely for Yakushi Nonou's benefit.

However, it must be admitted that Kabuto Yakushi is indeed very capable. He managed to persuade the elders of the Uchiha clan without making any attempt to hide his intention to help his adoptive mother.

That's how the pharmacist hospital came to be.

However, Kabuto Yakushi was not lying.

The profits from the pharmacist's hospital were more than enough to support a small orphanage. Meanwhile, information about the Uchiha clan's significant role in the construction of the pharmacist's hospital was gradually spread through the hospital staff, which greatly improved the Uchiha's reputation.

"Izumi, have you made any progress in your studies with Dean Yakushi lately?" Zongxian turned his gaze to the girl beside Yakushi Nonou. The sixteen-year-old Uchiha Izumi had blossomed into a graceful beauty. Not only was she beautiful, but her gentle, water-like nature had captivated countless young men in the clan.

Unfortunately,

The beautiful flower already has an owner.

This meant that most people could only curse that lucky bastard in their hearts, but dared not openly provoke him, because that lucky bastard was very strong, and apart from a few people in the family, no one dared to say that he was his match.

"It feels... alright!"

Uchiha Izumi answered without much confidence, and while speaking, she secretly glanced at Yakushi Nono U beside her.

"Although Izumi started learning medical ninjutsu late, her talent is quite good. She studies very diligently and has the power of the Sharingan... It is indeed very useful in the medical field. I can guarantee that she will definitely become a qualified medical ninja before she turns eighteen."

Unlike the lack of confidence of his apprentices,

Yakushi Nonou, on the other hand, was full of confidence.

They believe that Uchiha Izumi will eventually become a qualified medical ninja.

"very good."

After finishing his comment, Zongxian felt that it might be a bit weak, so he added, "That's good. Medical ninjas are also a good choice. Not every Uchiha has to be able to fight and kill. Healing and saving lives in the rear is also a very good thing. If anyone in the clan dares to say anything strange again, beat them to death as long as you can't kill them. If you can't beat them, ask Itachi to help you."

Most trees have dead branches.

Moreover, it's such a large family.

Not every member of the clan would think that becoming a medical ninja is a good choice. In the eyes of some members, the Uchiha should be fighting on the battlefield. Even the clan leader, Sogen, could not eliminate such prejudices from the root. He could only suppress them by force through his authority.

I'll try my best.

Uchiha Izumi blushed slightly and answered softly.

"It's not 'try to,' it's 'definitely.' Unless it's an old man over sixty or sixty-five years old, no matter who it is, if he dares to talk nonsense, we'll deal with him. Just say it's what I said, and tell Itachi not to have any reservations."

"Yes, clan chief."

This time, Uchiha Izumi readily agreed.

“That’s it… This is the place. Dean Yakushi, Izumi, I’ll be going now.” Zongxian waved goodbye to the two of them, turned to the left and continued walking towards the Hokage Building. Yakushi Nonou and Uchiha Izumi continued north, as both the Yakushi Hospital and the new orphanage were located on the north side of the village.

Return to the Hokage Building,

Zongxian arrived at his office as the Hokage's assistant. Although he still held the position of head of the police department, the work of the police department had been basically handed over to Uchiha Arashiyama, who was the vice head. His focus had shifted to the role of the Hokage's assistant, and he spent at least 25 days a month working in the Hokage Building.

and,

In addition to serving as the Hokage's assistant and the head of the police department, he now holds another position.

Just as Zongxian settled into his seat, a knock sounded at the door.

"Please come in!"

Zongxian put down the document he had just glanced at the title of and looked up to see the white-haired young man who had pushed open the door and walked in. "Manyue, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing serious, it's my personal matter."

With white hair, purple eyes, and sharp teeth, the young man's identity was obvious. He was none other than Hozuki Mangetsu, the "prodigy beloved by the ninja swords" from Kirigakure. Of course, the title of "prodigy" was now a thing of the past for Hozuki Mangetsu.

"Personal matters? Need to take leave again?"

"Hehe, Minister, you're quite astute."

"You... you're always taking leave every other day. What happened this time? Forget it, don't bother telling me, just tell me, how many days do you want to take?"

"At least twenty days."

"Twenty days? You really dare to say that."

"There's nothing I can do about it! It's such a long distance from Konoha to Kirigakure! Aside from the travel time, I can't stay at home for more than a few days. But this time there's something really wrong. My father passed away, and that kid Suigetsu has been particularly restless lately. My mother said she wants me to go back for a visit because there are a lot of things she needs me to take care of."

My condolences.

Zongxian's expression immediately turned serious.

"Hehe, it's nothing. Anyway, I don't get along with that old man. If my mother hadn't written to me, to be honest, I wouldn't have planned to go back at all," Hozuki Mangetsu said nonchalantly, his face showing not a trace of sadness.

Zongxian didn't interrupt. He knew that Hozuki Mangetsu and his father had a very bad relationship, but it was a family matter, and he shouldn't meddle in other people's affairs if he didn't understand the details.

He simply said, "I'll give you a month's leave. If that's not enough, I can extend it. Anyway, it's not too late for you to come back after you've taken care of your family matters. There's nothing urgent in the department lately anyway. By the way, Yuri won't be taking leave with you, will she?"

"I'll go back alone."

"Be careful on the road."

This "department" is clearly not the police department. The department that Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri belong to is officially called the "Konoha-Kirigakure Joint Rogue Ninja Investigation Department." It claims to be an organization that unites the forces of Konoha and Kirigakure, capable of traveling between the two countries to jointly hunt down rogue ninja. However, in reality—

It's far more complicated than that.

This department was originally an idea proposed by Sogen to appease and win over the Kirigakure ninja. The idea was to use Uchiha Madara, a common enemy of Konoha and Kirigakure, as a target to establish a solid alliance between the two villages. The Kirigakure ninja, the master of the field, readily agreed.

After the Fourth Mizukage passed away, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, took over. Shortly after, she sent Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, and a group of strong Kirigakure ninja to Konoha. Sogen also selected Kakashi Hatake, Chihaya Uchiha, and others.

then,

The Konoha-Kirigakure Joint Rogue Ninja Investigation Department was thus established in Konoha, with Sogen personally serving as its first head.

It's quick to set up a department or organization, but it's not so easy to achieve results. In the past few years, a lot of rogue ninja from the two villages have been captured, but the investigation into 'Uchiha Madara' has made little progress so far, and no clues have been found.

Zongxian knew that Obito Uchiha probably went to Amegakure quite often.

With his forces gathered, Sogen was confident he could crush Amegakure in one fell swoop.

However, if they cannot subdue Uchiha Obito and Nagato in one blow, defeating Amegakure will only allow the enemy to hide even deeper. Furthermore, Sogen's strength has been continuously increasing over the years, and the longer the time drags on, the more advantageous it will be for Sogen.

Therefore,

Zongxian did not provide his subordinates with any additional assistance.

However, as time goes by, perhaps... things will change soon. After all, Naruto and his friends will graduate next spring. Although the future is completely different from what they remember, it is still a point in time that deserves attention.

It has some reference value.

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.

"Are there really people in a place like this?"

The speaker was a woman dressed in a smart, dark purple outfit, wearing a straw hat to shield her from the rain, but without a headband. She didn't seem to be a ninja from one of the five great ninja villages.

She stood on a rock that resembled fangs pointing diagonally towards the sky, looking around. She could clearly see that the surrounding landscape was much the same as what she was standing on, with jagged rocks piercing the sky and strange stones standing tall. In the distance, undulating peaks were hidden in the rain and mist.

This is also a characteristic of the ninja world.

Just as the Land of Rain experiences rainfall year-round, the Land of Iron is perpetually shrouded in winter. Whether this is due to natural causes or human intervention a thousand years ago is unknown, there are many places in the ninja world with similar abnormal climates. This [Miroyama], located at the border between the Land of Iron and the Land of Waterfall, is clearly influenced by the climate of the Land of Iron.

It's springtime, yet the cold wind is still howling.

Although it didn't snow, the cold rain was sometimes more cruel than the wind and snow.

"We need to go further in; the person we're looking for is right here." A man dressed like a wandering monk, wearing a straw hat and holding a tin staff, gazed into the depths of Milou Mountain. Unfortunately, the veil of rain and mist obscured his view, preventing him from seeing the scenery deep within the mountains.

"Tianmu, have you made any discoveries?"

The man holding the tin staff asked another companion a question.

"Yes, I have!"

Tenmoku, who was squatting on the ground, opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. "I didn't see anyone, but something strange is coming. Hema, Murasaki, be careful."

This trio is none other than Kazuma and his companions, who have been missing for a long time.

"Strange thing?"

Upon hearing this, Kazuma frowned and looked up at the sky in confusion, following Tenmu's gaze. He saw a hazy layer of clouds... No, that's not right. Something did come out, a... strange thing!

"What is this thing?"

Murasaki was shocked.

Breaking through the clouds and appearing in everyone's sight was a creature that was difficult to describe precisely with a standard term: a monster with a single horn on its head, two wings on its back, four legs, two tails, and a pale white body that looked like it was wearing a thick suit of armor. Its enormous size could easily crush a block of streets.

"Forget what it is, run!"

Tianmu let out a strange cry.

The monster in the air opened its mouth and spewed out a torrent of scorching fire at the three people below, like a waterfall of flames falling from the sky. Its ferocious aura seemed capable of melting the rocks below.

Tenmoku and Zizi ran wildly.

Even Ma, after thinking for half a second, chose to temporarily avoid confrontation. He came to find someone, not to fight. Moreover, flying monsters are not easy to fight. Even if he really had to fight, he would have to find a way to make the monster lower its altitude first.

Seeing that his flames had yielded no results.