Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Upon reaching the location of the two original gates of Konoha Village, he deliberately slowed down, raised his captured prey high, and shouted at the Konoha ninjas who were still fighting the remaining monsters: "The attackers have been brought to justice!!! Gentlemen, please wipe out the last remnants!"

Countless burning gazes looked up at the sky.

Seeing Hiruko being held in Zongxian's hand, the crowd was silent for a few seconds, then a deafening roar resounded through the sky: "Long live the Hokage's assistant! Long live the Hokage's assistant! Long live the Hokage's assistant!"

Cheers echoed across the sky.

Under the clear sky, it sounded like bursts of thunder.

This craze,

It's intoxicating.

Power... it really is a wonderful thing!

Zongxian didn't linger in that state of bliss for long; he forced himself to pull himself out of that lighthearted state of mind.

Defeating Hiruko was just the beginning; other troubles awaited him. Obito Uchiha and Kazuma... both of them were quite troublesome. Obito Uchiha, not to mention, possessed the Kamui eye technique, making it difficult to stop him if he was determined to escape.

Even with horses,

It would be difficult to win with just a shadow clone.

The forbidden technique, "Raging Heaven," gave Kazuma the means to go all out. To be on the safe side, he decided to go head-to-head to have a sure chance of taking down the guy. Just then... Zongxian raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes darting around, his crimson pupils looking in a direction that was off-center from the village.

there--

It is the ancestral home of the Uchiha clan.

Just now, the barrier he personally set up underground at the Nanga Shrine was broken.

"Still not giving up? And of all times... You've got a trick up your sleeve, Scorpion!"

[Chapter 317. Scorpion, you've got some skills!]

Nanga Shrine.

The Uchiha clan's important buildings: the Uchiha clan has moved its territory countless times over the past thousand years, but there has always always been a Naga Shrine in the clan's territory. This is not a place built to satisfy the Uchiha clan's ninjas' penchant for holding gatherings.

Secret gatherings,

It was a product developed under the oppression of those two old men, the Third Hokage and Danzo.

In the past, the Nanga Shrine was just a place for the Uchiha to enshrine the relics of their ancestors. The so-called relics were the stone tablet that had to be deciphered in the order of Sharingan, Mangekyou Sharingan, and Rinnegan. Of course, most of the Uchiha clan members had no idea that there was anything special about the stone tablet. Only a small group of people, such as the clan head and elders, knew this secret.

But to be honest, this secret is useless. In the past, most of the powerful members of the Uchiha clan believed that the Mangekyou Sharingan was the limit, and they mostly scoffed at the contents recorded on it and didn't take it seriously. At that time, the world was chaotic, and the Uchiha were all brave and fierce. They had no interest in peace... to be honest.

The Rinnegan can also decipher stone tablets; this was discovered by Madara Uchiha, since he was the only one in the Uchiha clan to have awakened the Rinnegan in the past thousand years.

and,

He was also the only Uchiha who was fooled.

In short, ever since Sogen broke the Uchiha clan's predicament,

The secret gathering quickly became a memory of the past, and the Nanga Shrine became deserted as a result. Ordinary clansmen would never come back to stroll around if they had nothing to do. Now, instead of just staying in one police department and wasting their time, the clansmen all had their own jobs and were busy with nothing to do. There were no idle people in the clan.

then,

Zongxian made some modifications to the underground space of Nanga Shrine.

A hidden laboratory was set up.

Sasori was left inside to enjoy the unparalleled bliss of 007. Over the past few years, he had worked day and night and had indeed researched a lot of useful things. However, due to the source and purpose of these things, he couldn't openly use them for the time being. No matter how much power the Hokage had, he was still just the second-in-command.

If Scorpion's experimental research were to be exposed, it might not necessarily bring down Zongxian, but it would certainly be quite painful for him.

Therefore, for the past few years, the laboratory beneath the Nanga Shrine has been a black hole in the Uchiha clan's territory. Apart from a very few trusted confidants of Sogen, the rest of the clan members were completely unaware that a laboratory that had devoured countless criminals and bandits was hidden beneath the clan's territory.

"We can finally see the sun!"

Scorpion stood in front of the stone steps of the Nanga Shrine.

Looking up at the blazing sun in the sky, I felt as if I were in another world.

He was imprisoned underground for more than five years, during which time he never came out to bask in the sunlight. Although his puppet body had long since freed him from many of the needs that ordinary people would have, even for a shut-in like him who liked to stay at home playing with figurines, it was still impossible for him to go five years without seeing the light of day.

In the past five years,

He never gave up the idea of ​​escaping.

However, he never found a chance to escape. Uchiha Munen did not arrange for anyone to keep a close watch on him. Even though he had removed all the weapons from Sasori's puppet body, for a master like him who had mastered puppetry, killing people did not necessarily require a knife.

Even placing an ordinary Jonin next to Sasori wouldn't be safe, since Sogen needs Sasori for research and can't really tie him up.

Zongxian had only set up a monitoring barrier. As long as Sasori broke the barrier, he would immediately sense it. With Shisui, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, capturing Sasori would not be difficult.

but--

Nothing in this world is perfect.

As expected of a top-tier scientific research talent in the ninja world, Sasori bypassed the multiple barriers of the Naga Shrine, secretly assembled a signal receiving device, and even created a monitor. He received the transmitted signal without the detection of Konoha's surveillance department.

It can be said,

Although he was in the underground laboratory of the Nanga Shrine, his vision covered every place in the entire village where surveillance cameras were installed.

So when Biluhu came knocking on his door today, he realized that the opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived.

then,

He seized the opportunity.

They easily broke through the layers of barriers and walked unimpeded to the ground. Because of Hiruko's attack, the Uchiha clan, under the leadership of the elders, chose to gather together for defense. Even the two injured clansmen who were usually responsible for guarding the Nanga Shrine returned to the center of the clan's territory.

"Uchiha Sogen... I will definitely repay the hospitality he has shown me over the past five years when I have the chance."

Beirukhu basked in the sunlight for a few seconds.

After taking one last deep look at the Nanga Shrine behind him, he made his way to the northeast corner of the village.

He really wanted to take this opportunity to get revenge on Uchiha Sogen. For example, while Uchiha Sogen was away from the clan, he could target the old, weak, sick, and young members of the Uchiha clan. Puppet masters never shied away from bullying the weak. Besides, being a ninja was never a respectable profession.

Besides guarding, ninjas often had to carry out missions such as assassinating important figures and stealing confidential documents.

If there were true world peace and tranquility.

The ninjas would probably really be out of a job then.

The reason Sasori gave up the idea of ​​revenge was not because he was soft-hearted, but because he felt the risk was too high. Even if Uchiha Mugen was not there, the Uchiha clan was by no means an easy nut to crack. If he was delayed for too long, he would definitely not have a good time when Uchiha Mugen returned. It was more important to run away for the time being.

He had had enough of that comfortable life of staying underground all year round, sheltered from the sun and rain.

Let's exchange 007's unparalleled good fortune for some 'lucky guy' to enjoy!

He's really had enough!

Therefore,

The scorpion ran away.

They ran away without looking back.

He arrived empty-handed, having brought nothing with him. The human puppets he had accumulated had long been confiscated by Uchiha Sogen. To be honest, he hadn't accumulated anything over the years, and he simply couldn't. Uchiha Sogen, that skinflint, would come to search every few days, urging him to get to work.

The signal receiving devices he assembled were installed only when needed, and disassembled to become parts for other devices when not in use.

but,

He didn't really work for Uchiha Mugen for five years for nothing.

He also gained a great deal from the White Zetsu corpse.

Next,

If they simply leave Konoha and slowly accumulate strength, they might be able to avenge their previous defeat one day.

However, after breaking free from the barrier surrounding the Uchiha clan, Sasori, who was focused on escaping, did not notice the white shadow peeking out from the bushes in the forest, staring at his departing back as if he had discovered some incredible treasure.

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.

"It ran really fast... and its timing was perfect. It's definitely not as honest as it looks." Zongxian muttered to himself, his expression calm and composed. He was not moved by Scorpion's escape, which was indeed unexpected.

But upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense.

It would be strange if a Scorpion were to behave himself and not cause trouble! He was well-behaved in the past because he couldn't find an opportunity to cause trouble, but now that he's finally got the chance, he's bound to be restless.

and,

They ran away.

So they just ran away!

Anyway, he has already achieved his initial goal, so it's fine to leave Scorpion's research results behind.

Of course, if we have the chance to meet again next time, I will definitely annihilate him humanely. It all depends on whether Sasori knows what's good for him! If he knows what's good for him, he will stay quietly in some corner of the ninja world. I'm too lazy to go looking for trouble. But if he doesn't know what's good for him and deliberately comes to provoke me, then he will be in trouble.

Then you can't blame Zongxian for turning his back on you.

Zongxian didn't bother with this matter. Riding on a black flying bird, he was heading towards the Barrier Team's base to support Shisui and see if they could join forces to take down Uchiha Obito, that crazy guy. Between the two options of Uchiha Obito and Kazuma, he ultimately chose the former.

The threat from horses exists.

But ultimately it's not a big deal.

It's just that the forbidden technique, "Raging Heaven," is fearsome, but expecting to destroy Konoha with just that one forbidden technique is only possible if all of Konoha's top ninjas are wiped out. In comparison, Obito Uchiha is a greater threat. To be honest, if Obito Uchiha could be dealt with in advance, it would be better to deal with him beforehand. Kamui is a really troublesome eye technique.

Obito Uchiha, who had mastered Kamui, was like a mosquito on a summer night. He would buzz incessantly when the lights were off, but would disappear as soon as the lights were on. To be honest, mosquitoes are mostly just annoying, but Obito Uchiha's destructive power was enough for Sogen to not underestimate him.

"Zhishui, give it your all!"

Zongxian gazed at the Barrier Team building, which was now clearly visible, took a breath, and his crimson eyes spun like a six-leaf windmill. Susanoo was not suitable for dealing with Obito Uchiha, who was as slippery as an eel; such a large and ineffective attack was almost impossible to be effective.

Rather than relying on that kind of wide-range attack method,

The success rate of using eye techniques is still higher.

高度，

It dropped quickly.

Zongxian saw the two figures still entangled.

They really were... two blurry shadows in the literal sense, and the kind of flickering light and shadow on a monitor with a poor signal. The two were moving so fast that Zongxian could only catch a glimpse of the blurry shadows.

Fortunately,