Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The problem is that doing it this way is a huge waste of time!

It will slow down his research progress.

[Chapter 295. During the Hunt]

"The first target...is in Kumogakure? Are you sure you're not joking? I have a feeling that cooperating with you isn't the right choice. What I want to destroy is Konoha. Provoking Kumogakure is not a good thing for me."

Sitting in the room with a sign that reads 'Laboratory' hanging on the door, Kazuma grumbled, somewhat dissatisfied with the task entrusted to him by Hiruko.

Although we are now allies and partners.

However, he felt that Hiruko was treating him like a subordinate and using him, which made him a little unhappy!

"Even if you don't provoke the Cloud Ninja now, after destroying Konoha, the Land of Fire will still have to face the covetous eyes of the Cloud Ninja, Iwa Ninja, Kirigakure Ninja, and Sunagakure Ninja, won't it? They are the enemies of the Land of Fire, and they are destined to be your enemies as well. Would taking action against them really cause you any burden?"

"Hiruko said slowly and deliberately."

It would have been more convincing if he hadn't been staring so intently at the vial of blood that had just been drawn from Kazuma while he was speaking. It's really hard to believe what he's saying when he's clearly distracted.

but--

Kazuma reluctantly accepted this explanation.

All he did was to ensure that the Land of Fire had only one 'Jade'. Regardless of how others viewed it, he firmly believed that he was fighting to make the Land of Fire stronger, and he wouldn't mind killing a few Cloud Ninja for the sake of the Land of Fire.

"I hope you won't forget what you said."

Kazuma lowered his rolled-up sleeves to cover his arm, which had just had blood drawn.

Just now,

He injected the inhibitor he had developed over four days into Kazuma's body, and then, after waiting ten minutes, drew a tube of fresh blood for research.

Time will prove my good reputation.

Hiruko smiled and placed the test tube in his hand on the shelf.

"Hmph! I hope so."

Six days have passed since their first meeting. During this time, they have had several exchanges and reached a cooperative relationship. Kazuma gave Hiruko a White Zetsu and will help Hiruko collect 'materials'. In return, Hiruko promised to help Kazuma solve his problems within a year and will take action against Konoha after completing his plan.

Whether such exchange terms are fair or not is hard to say; different people will certainly have different opinions.

But this kind of thing,

Ultimately, it's enough as long as both parties involved have no objections.

"Are we leaving already?"

Hiruko looked at Kazuma, who was packing his things, and asked.

"Or should I just spend my spring break here? I have no interest in vacationing in such a desolate place. I'd rather get to work than waste my time here. By the way, how long will your inhibitor allow me to move around freely?"

"It's expected to take a month. If we use the power of that forbidden technique during this period, the time will be shortened further. I originally planned to observe for a while, but... it seems you don't intend to cooperate with me!"

"No need for that. A month is enough. I'll be back before it expires."

Kazuma still chose to refuse.

He has already wasted a very, very long time. Five years have passed since he left Daming Prefecture. Of course, his life is not yet over. As long as Hiruko can really help him solve his problems, and as long as he is not killed, it should not be difficult for him to live for another thirty or forty years.

but,

His patience is not limitless.

The problems brought about by seizing the forbidden technique of the Earth Spider Clan made him realize the urgency of time. If possible, he should not place his hopes on the distant future. The longer time drags on, the more variables there will be, especially since he has clearly realized that he probably cannot continue to become stronger.

He couldn't become stronger, while Konoha was constantly recovering the energy it had lost in the Third Shinobi World War and the Nine-Tails' attack. In the past two years, a new generation of geniuses had emerged in Konoha. In comparison, the power he had gathered was not as strong as he had imagined.

Since Hiruko is willing to clash with Konoha,

Then,

Let's help him out.

Anyway, that pale thing wasn't his. All he was offering was some manpower. He thought the deal with Hiruko was quite worthwhile. Besides, after seeing some of Hiruko's 'power,' he felt that Hiruko might actually have a way to cause trouble for Konoha.

He and Ma left Milou Mountain.

He met up with his waiting companions outside the mountains, and without explaining anything, he led them directly northeast, towards the Land of Lightning.

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.

Time flies, spring has passed and summer has arrived.

End of June.

At a teahouse by the main road leading from the Land of Water to Kirigakure, guests wearing straw hats were taking a break. For the past two months, they had been traveling non-stop, witnessing the magnificent scenery of the Land of Lightning with its towering peaks and incessant thunder, visiting the vast, desolate mountains, and experiencing the local 'rock rain'.

Then--

They traveled thousands of miles to reach the archipelago nation located at sea.

"The fog here is so annoying."

While eating the simple snacks offered by the teahouse, Murasaki complained about the environment of the Land of Water.

Having grown accustomed to the distinct seasons of the Land of Fire, a country like the Land of Water, shrouded in fog and with ambiguous seasonal changes, was quite unfriendly to her.

"I'll leave once I'm done with my business. I won't stay here for too long." Kazuma took a sip of the bitter and astringent tea, his face twitching. The taste was really not pleasant, but what could one expect from a roadside teahouse like this?

Rather than saying that being able to sit in this remote place with no village or shop in sight is already a very good condition.

"Hey, Tianmu, hasn't our target arrived yet?"

Zizi turned her gaze to Tianmu beside her.

"No."

Tenmoku said weakly, "I will definitely tell you if I find anything. And Zizi, please be patient. According to the intelligence, the target will probably not arrive until two or three in the afternoon. Please stop asking me over and over again, let me rest for a while!"

"Tch! Fine, I won't ask then."

Zizi gave a disgruntled snort.

Kazuma slowly sipped his awful tea, ignoring Murasaki and Tenmoku's bickering, and pondered the future. Once they had collected the materials for their target, according to Hiruko's plan, they should make their move on Konoha. Then they could see how Konoha had developed.

Time passed by,

Although the sun never rises or sets on this land, the hour hand on the clock has already passed the number '2', it's past two o'clock. If the intelligence is correct, they should be arriving soon. At this moment, Tenmoku, who was resting on the table, raised his head and said softly:

"coming."

"They've finally arrived!"

Zizi took a breath, stood up, and used her transformation magic to become the appearance of the teahouse owner—a little old man with gray hair. As for the real teahouse owner, Zizi knocked him unconscious, gagged him, tied him up, and threw him into the bushes more than 20 meters behind the teahouse. This was not because she was soft-hearted.

It's simply because killing someone is easy, but dealing with the scene is very troublesome.

Even the slightest trace of blood could be a clue, as ninjas are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. Besides, she hadn't been idle; she had been observing the teahouse owner's every move.

As for the other customers in the teahouse

They received the same treatment as the boss. Apart from Ma and the others, the two guests were also tied up and thrown into the bushes behind the house along with the boss.

that's it,

The trick of usurping someone else's place was successfully completed. Murasaki suddenly became the owner of the teahouse, while Kazuma and Tenmoku continued to drink tea in a corner. Even while sitting and drinking tea, they still wore straw hats and trench coats, making them look suspicious no matter how you looked at them.

······

"Brother Manyue, let's rest here for a bit! Have some tea before continuing our journey."

"Take a break if you're tired."

The voices reached the ears of the three people in the teahouse.

Zizi, who had transformed into the appearance of a little old man, laughed. The ideal situation was that the target would take the bait willingly. Of course, they had also considered that the target might not choose to stop and rest in such a place. If that happened, they would have no choice but to use force.

However, it seems they were quite lucky.

The group of people who were the target lifted the curtain and walked in. There were four people in the group, men and women, but they were all young. They wore headbands of the Mist Ninja and vests of the Mist Ninja. The leader among them was Hozuki Mangetsu, who had asked Sogen for leave to return to his hometown.

"Welcome, please have a seat."

"Guests, what would you like to order?"

"I'm in the form of a little old man," Zizi asked in a hoarse voice.

"This is the best tea you have. If you have any food, please feel free to give me some."

Hozuki Mangetsu casually remarked, glancing around the shop. He noticed two mysterious-looking guys wearing straw hats and black trench coats sitting in the corner. He raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing, simply sitting down near the door.

"Brother Manyue, are you really not planning to stay?"

The speaker was a young man who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with short, curly brown hair. He sat opposite Hozuki Mangetsu, looking longingly at the former prodigy of Kirigakure. "Can't you stay in the village? Konoha can just send a few people. It would be so much better if you stayed in the village, Mangetsu-nii!"

"Alright, Hirosaki, I'll be leaving once we get back to the village this time."

Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head.

I don't want to say much more about this.

"See those two people sitting over there? They seem a bit strange." He changed the subject, steering the conversation towards Kazuma and Tenmoku, who were sitting in the corner.

"Judging from their demeanor... they certainly don't seem like ordinary people. They're probably not from the village either, more like members of some ninja clan, right?" The young man named Hirosaki glanced at Kazuma and Tenmoku, then looked away, not taking it to heart.

On the land of the Land of Water, the only people the Mist Ninja need to be wary of are themselves. As for the ninja clans, ninja villages, and wandering ninjas within the country, the Mist Ninja don't take them seriously.

The Kaguya clan, once hailed as the strongest ninja clan outside of Kirigakure, was defeated by the Kirigakure ninja.

Let alone the others?

"No, I feel they are unusual."

Hozuki Mangetsu, however, expressed his disagreement. He picked up the tea the shopkeeper had brought him, took a sip, and then... frowned slightly, looking down at the yellowish-green tea. "This taste... feels a bit strange?"

"It tastes pretty bad, but that's how it is in these kinds of small shops."

Hirosaki also took a sip, grinned, and picked up a soy sauce senbei from the plate, crunching it down.

The other two Mist Ninjas beside them didn't show anything unusual either.

but--

"No, there's something wrong with this tea."