Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

To be able to infiltrate the village without alerting the local authorities and all the defense forces, and even get close to Naruto and the others without the Anbu protecting Naruto noticing a single clue, frankly... only Yakumo could say such a thing. It would be hard to believe if someone else said it, but Yakumo, who is eleven years old this year, is no longer the child who can only lie in a hospital bed or a wheelchair.

With Samehada continuously providing her with refined physical energy, she not only shed her frail appearance but also gradually became able to utilize her unique talent!

That was a vast amount of spiritual energy that even surprised Zongxian when they first met.

The current Yakumo,

It's hard to say how strong she really is, but what she said carries a high degree of credibility with Zongxian.

"Could it be... that they're after the Nine-Tails? Cloud Ninja? Iwa Ninja? Or perhaps Sand Ninja?"

Among the list of names provided by Yakumo, Uchiha Arashiyama naturally chose the one most likely to be targeted. After all, there was precedent; the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was almost kidnapped by the Cloud Ninja, so it wasn't surprising that he was being targeted now.

"Is it that idiot Naruto?"

"Are they here for Naruto?"

The girls stared wide-eyed at the man sitting behind his desk, looking completely unfazed, as if he wouldn't be surprised even if the sky were to fall. Well, if the sky were to really fall, he would definitely be dumbfounded, but this little thing wasn't enough to throw him off balance.

"not necessarily."

Zongxian shook his head.

After correcting my initial misguided thinking caused by the vine flowers, two names immediately came to mind: Uchiha Obito and Orochimaru. There are very few people in the ninja world who can come and go from Konoha as freely as if it were a public toilet, and these two are the most restless among them.

However, Orochimaru was quickly eliminated, leaving Obito Uchiha as the most likely candidate.

As for whether the target is Naruto...

It's highly likely!

The Nine-Tails is an essential part, but... besides the Nine-Tails, it's not impossible that it could be someone else. Is it Fujika? Is it Yakumo? Or Hotaru? Is she planning to use her own sister and disciple to threaten me? Surely she wouldn't resort to such a low-level tactic?

but,

It's hard to say.

The methods are neither sophisticated nor low-level; practicality is the most important thing.

If necessary, Obito Uchiha, who had already gone mad, probably wouldn't care if he dragged the entire world into hell, right? No, that's not right, he's already doing that! Isn't the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan a plan to drag this world into the deepest hell?

"Alright, Yakumo, Fujika, Hotaru, I already know about this. I'll handle it. If you don't have anything else to do, go home first!" Sogen didn't discuss the matter further, but instead sent the girls home.

"Huh? Brother, you haven't..."

"Yes, Master."

"Master, we're leaving now!"

The obedient disciples, one on each side, took Teng Hua, who still intended to linger there, away from the office and gently closed the door behind them.

"Zongxian? This matter?"

After the girls left, Uchiha Arashiyama looked at Sogen and asked, "What you said might not mean what you really mean?"

"It's just a baseless guess, it's not important. But... it seems necessary to raise the village's security level. There's not much need for overt changes, but the covert defenses must be strengthened. Also, the Ninja Academy, send more skilled people to keep an eye on it recently. Arashiyama, I'm counting on you."

“It is possible, but to be honest, you know that while the people in the department are excellent at fighting tough battles, there aren’t many experts in covert surveillance… The Anbu guys are better at it, so it’s hard to say how effective this will be,” Uchiha Arashiyama said truthfully.

"Now is not the time to deal with the Dark Side."

Zongxian shook his head. He understood what Uchiha Arashiyama was saying, but as he said, the Anbu was the most important trump card in the Hokage's hands. Akimichi Torifu was willing to entrust most of the power and responsibility to Zongxian, but the Anbu was the only one that Akimichi Torifu had held onto from beginning to end without letting go.

Zongxian tapped the table with his fingers.

Will this work?

It was not Uchiha Arashiyama who raised the objection, but Yakushi Kabuto.

However, both Sogen and Uchiha Arashiyama seemed used to it and didn't seem to mind Kabuto's interruption at all. As for why...

the reason is simple,

Because he was Zongxian's confidant.

Kabuto Yakushi's talent needs no further explanation. In terms of strategic wisdom alone, he is not much inferior to the Nara family. In addition, he is also a highly skilled medical ninja. His own strength is also considerable. He climbed up from the bottom of the police department step by step at the fastest speed and became Sogen's confidant.

Moreover, Yakushi Nonou is there.

Zongxian isn't afraid of Yakushi Kabuto playing any kind of spy game.

It was precisely because of the need to use Kabuto Yakushi with greater peace of mind that the Yakushi Hospital was built so quickly. To be honest, if Yakushi Nonou hadn't insisted on refusing, it would have been worthwhile for Sogen to even write off the loan just for Kabuto.

after all,

Ninety percent of the geniuses in the Uchiha clan put all their points into combat talent.

Even still water,

If this guy were even slightly politically astute, he wouldn't have been so easily fooled by the Third Hokage.

Therefore, there are very few capable confidants like Kabuto Yakushi, which is why he was able to climb to such a high position so quickly and become Sogen's confidant.

"It's probably not very useful! With Konoha's current defensive strength, it's more than enough to guard against the spying of some small fry, but if it's a top-tier ninja in the ninja world, to be honest, even the highest level of vigilance might not be of much use."

Zongxian said casually.

"So this is just for show?"

"It's about half and half! It's hard to say how long the Hokage can maintain this state. There's never a shortage of greedy people in this world. Of course, you're not wrong either. This is also for show. It's true that Yakumo has sharp senses, but to say that he can detect the secret attention of a top ninja in the ninja world... is hard to say."

Kabuto frowned, lost in thought. "If that's the case, the other party might be deliberately leaking their aura, but if that's true, why would they do that? To confuse the real target? To divert the village's defenses, or is there some other purpose..."

After about ten seconds, he sighed and said helplessly, "No, Lord Zongxian, there is too little information. We can't deduce more possibilities, and even if we could, we can't be sure what the enemy wants to do, nor can we be sure of the enemy's identity... It seems that we can only wait passively for now."

"It's alright. If you're interested, I'll leave this to you. Go investigate and see if you can find anything." Zong Xian wasn't too concerned. Some things can't be prevented. If a guy who plays with space-time techniques wanted to plot against him, Zong Xian himself wouldn't be afraid, but not all the people he cared about had the ability to stop him.

Therefore, he has never made a move against Amegakure over the years.

Either don't do it at all, or if you do it, make a final decision.

"But the Rinnegan... it's really difficult!"

Zongxian sighed inwardly. The Rinnegan was more troublesome than he could have imagined. He had glimpsed the magnificent scenery, but he could never reach it. No wonder people say that looking at a mountain makes you want to die. This 'immortal mountain' is indeed hard to climb!

Fortunately,

He hadn't wasted the past five years. Although he hadn't acquired the Rinnegan, it didn't mean he was stuck at a bottleneck.

"I understand. I'll try to see if I can find anything."

Kabuto agreed.

Full of enthusiasm.

He was also a restless person; otherwise, he wouldn't have joined the police department in the first place. Although protecting his adoptive mother was his greatest wish, people change, and it's only natural that new wishes would arise once old ones are fulfilled.

"In short, everyone needs to be more vigilant lately, and keep a close eye on the village. Since someone has their eyes on Naruto and his friends, trouble might come knocking at any time." As Zongxian said this, he turned his head and looked out the window at the setting sun. His intuition told him that trouble might already be brewing in the darkness.

But it's about time it arrived.

After about five years of peace, it's not hard to understand why there would be any movement at this point in time. After all, the future has changed. Yes, the future is different now. No one said that the 'story' would only officially begin after Naruto and the others graduated.

everything,

Things are different now.

[Chapter 294. Why is it the Second Hokage again?]

Deep in the Milou Mountains.

In a small room within that magnificent palace, Kazuma, having removed his outer garments and lying shirtless on the operating table, had a seemingly black, dull object embedded in the center of his chest, resembling a pearl. In stark contrast to this object was an unnatural, pale ring of skin surrounding it, the skin of a dead person.

and also,

The fleshy tendons, resembling small snakes hidden beneath the skin, spread outwards from the 'pearl' as the core, covering the surrounding pale skin and even extending into the normal flesh.

The situation is deteriorating.

The barely maintained balance was nearing its limit, and it began to slide towards the abyss.

"So? Is there any way?"

Seeing that Hiruko, who had been examining him, had not yet given a result, Kazuma took the initiative to ask.

"I never imagined that the forbidden techniques of the Earth Spider Clan would be passed down in this way. A materialized forbidden technique... It's truly a genius idea. The most important thing is that it was actually done. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable."

Hiruko gazed at the black 'pearl' with a mesmerized look, completely absorbed, and unconsciously blurted out what was on his mind.

Then--

He Ma's face twitched.

Once again, I couldn't help but wonder if I shouldn't have believed that 'Uchiha Madara' this time. Putting aside whether this guy actually had the ability to solve my problem, I had a feeling that I would be dissected by him before the problem was solved.

"Hiruko, I'm asking if you have a way to resolve this 'conflict' for me."

He emphasized his tone.

"Stop arguing, this isn't that simple."

Disturbed from his thoughts, Hiruko looked displeased and glared at Kazuma. "I know nothing about the power of forbidden techniques or the other power used to suppress them. It's not something that can be resolved quickly. I need time."

"Time? I'm not stingy with time, but... the key question is how long? If you say it will take three to five years, then our cooperation may have to end here."

He Ma said in a deep voice.

The sharp pain and dullness in his chest constantly reminded him that the forbidden techniques of the Earth Spider Clan were not so easy to digest.

Precisely,

Even now, he has not been able to fully integrate the forbidden techniques of the Earth Spider clan with himself, because the forbidden techniques of the Earth Spider clan are materialized based on the bloodline of the clan and can be passed down from generation to generation within the family. Simply put, this forbidden technique is bound to the Earth Spider clan.

Kazuma, who did not possess the bloodline of the Tsuchigumo clan, originally had no chance of inheriting the forbidden technique.

It was only because that guy who claimed to be Uchiha Madara got involved.

A piece of flesh with extremely strong vitality was transplanted into Kazuma's body, thereby forcibly seizing the forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo clan. At the time, the situation seemed fine, and it seemed that all the problems had been solved. All that was needed was to patiently spend more time familiarizing himself with and mastering this power.

however,

Dreams are beautiful, but the journey is full of twists and turns.

The forbidden techniques of the Tsuchigumo clan are not easy to digest. As Kazuma repeatedly explored and used the forbidden techniques of the Tsuchigumo clan, he gradually strengthened and nourished the power of this materialized forbidden technique. At first, it was not obvious, but as he frequently tested this power, one day three years ago, he suddenly felt a suffocating feeling that almost killed him.

Fortunately, Murasaki was nearby and used medical ninjutsu to temporarily snatch him back from the clutches of death.