Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The pharmacist was somewhat uneasy.

The once cold and brilliant spy boy gradually concealed his former sharpness through his interactions with his adoptive mother. Now, studying forbidden techniques has even made him feel somewhat uncomfortable and resistant.

“Power itself is neither good nor bad, good nor evil. The key lies in how the person wielding the power uses it. Of course, it is undeniable that some forbidden techniques do go against common sense and morality, but Kabuto, I believe you can definitely do it.”

Zongxian's shadow clone reached out and gently patted Yakushi Kabuto's shoulder, smiling as he gave his secretary a rather difficult order.

"We can talk about the forbidden technique later when we have time. What you need to do now is help me get through the next three days. I don't want anyone to find out too soon that my true body is no longer in the village. If people find out, it might alert them, and all our efforts will be wasted."

"This is no easy task!"

Kabuto scratched his head in distress.

He already had a premonition that he would be extremely busy for the next few days. You see, keeping energy to a minimum not only means not getting into fights, but also means trying not to strain your brain. If you squander too much mental energy, your shadow clones will be dispelled.

That is,

Until the Hokage returns, he will have to manage the entire village under the supervision of the Hokage's shadow clones. Just thinking about this job gives him a headache!

"Lord Hokage, you're making things too difficult for me."

"Haha! Jade must be carved to become a useful object. Dou, this is also a test for you."

[Chapter 345. A Disheveled Scene]

Majestic peaks stand tall in the wilderness. Unlike the Land of Lightning or the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire is not characterized by continuous mountain ranges. Plains and forests occupy most of the land. Peaks like Mount Katsuragi are truly rare sights. As the saying goes, rarity makes things valuable. Peaks that are worthless in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth are priceless treasures in the Land of Fire.

The fact that the Tsuchigumo clan was able to turn the scenic Katsuragi Mountain into their own territory clearly indicates that their ancestors were once quite wealthy.

You can't get such a good spot without some skills.

The mountain wind howled, and the big trees on the cliff swayed their branches and leaves in the wind, making a rustling sound. Looking up, the dense branches and leaves intertwined and overlapped, and the emerald green color was so lovely and endearing, blocking the scorching sun and leaving this small shady place.

The young man with short purple hair stood in the shade under the tree, but his mood was anything but cool. He didn't know if his plan could be realized, and he couldn't think of anything else he could do. Waiting was the only thing he could do at the moment.

"Boss, we have news!"

The jubilant shouts arrived like a timely rain. Although the details of the news were not yet known, the undisguised excitement of the subordinates was evident; this news was definitely good news.

"Well? Benten, tell me quickly."

Seeing his subordinates rushing towards him, the young man couldn't help but urge them on.

"They've left the village! They've already left the village! Tsuchigumo Hotaru has left Konoha and is heading towards Katsuragi Mountain." The man with reddish-brown temples excitedly brought the good news. "If nothing unexpected happens, they should arrive at Katsuragi Mountain as early as this evening. Even if there are delays, they should arrive by tomorrow."

"it is good!"

A smile couldn't help but appear on the purple-haired youth's face.

"Will they arrive by this evening? Great, great!"

really,

Waiting passively for a windfall is not a viable strategy.

You still need to take the initiative to reap the rewards.

To be honest, it was just a whim of his.

After learning about the massacre of many ninja clans in the Land of Fire, I suddenly wondered what would happen if the Tsuchigumo clan were also wiped out? Would it attract Hotaru Tsuchigumo, who had been circling around Konoha Village, to Mount Katsuragi?

Once this idea takes root...

It grew and spread wildly, like a poisonous weed that even a wildfire could not extinguish, ultimately shattering the last remaining traces of affection he had for his family.

He secretly left Konoha.

Their actions were so stealthy that they even fooled the ANBU who were monitoring them. Although they didn't realize that anyone was watching them, after leaving Konoha, they immediately rushed to Mount Katsuragi and slaughtered the Tsuchigumo clan, who had no decent experts left, in the shortest possible time.

He only let a group of young people escape to Konoha to report the news, though he wasn't sure if it would attract Hotaru Tsuchigumo.

Fortunately,

His luck seems to be pretty good.

"Benten, tell Dahei, Bishamon, and Hotei to prepare to welcome the guests... Who's underground?" Suddenly, the purple-haired youth noticed some abnormal movement coming from the ground beneath his feet. His expression changed instantly, and he raised his right palm towards the ground.

In the palm of your hand,

The jet-black character "雷" (Lei) appeared.

The Earth Spider Clan's Binding Technique is not 'written' with a pen, but rather generated by secretly refining chakra. This is not a rare thing; for example, when using Summoning Technique, dense and complex spells appear, and all kinds of sealing techniques are based on this method.

"Kara!"

A thunderous roar erupted.

A bright bolt of lightning struck the ground, creating a deep crater.

"The Earth Spider Clan's Word Binding Technique... No matter how many times I've seen it, I have to admit that this secret technique is quite powerful!" An exclamation came from afar. The purple-haired youth, who had missed his first attack, frowned and did not rush to make another move. Instead, he turned his gaze to the direction from which the voice came.

A man carrying a tin staff, wearing a straw hat, and dressed like a wandering monk walked towards them step by step.

Who are you?

It was only then that Ben came to his senses and realized that enemies were approaching.

"I was just curious to see who was impersonating us... I didn't expect to find something so interesting when I came here." The man wearing a straw hat chuckled, and a chilling killing intent surged forth like sticky tentacles.

What do you mean?

Impersonation...

Benten wasn't stupid. After thinking about the sentence carefully, he immediately realized who the other person was.

"So... you were responsible for all those massacres?" The purple-haired youth stared intently at the man wearing a bamboo hat. For some reason, he felt the man looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Unfortunately, the hat completely concealed the man's face, so he couldn't see his true features.

"A massacre? No, no, I just turned those useless trash into useful things. The term 'massacre' makes no sense at all. I never torture people meaninglessly. Everything I do is necessary... Of course, now is not the time to talk about such things. I overheard your conversation when I got close. It sounds like you are preparing to become enemies with Konoha?"

"What? You want to join us?"

The purple-haired youth then noticed the other party's strange attitude.

initial,

He was worried that the ninjas were from Konoha.

But judging from this, they might not be Konoha ninjas, but perhaps even enemies of Konoha?

"I am quite interested in what you are doing."

"Then, take off your straw hat first!"

The purple-haired youth made a request.

Cooperation,

He doesn't mind.

He understands the simple truth that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." As long as there is no conflict of interest between the two sides, cooperation is not impossible.

The man wearing the straw hat remained silent for a few seconds before saying "Very well," and then reached out to remove the straw hat from his head, revealing his true appearance without any disguise. Upon seeing the man's appearance, the purple-haired youth and Benten's expressions changed drastically.

"You're Kazuma!!!"

Benten shouted.

correct,

The man holding a tin staff, wearing a straw hat, and dressed as a wandering monk was none other than Kazuma.

"Hahaha! Truly, what I sought was found without even looking for it..." The purple-haired youth couldn't help but burst into maniacal laughter. He stared intently at Kazuma, leaning forward in a fighting stance, "Give me back my clan's forbidden technique!"

He roared in anger.

Kazuma was stunned for two seconds. This development was a bit unexpected. He thought these guys were doing this because they hated Konoha, but now it seemed that he had misunderstood. Their target was the forbidden technique, "Raging Hair Heaven".

but--

It doesn't matter.

His mind raced, and a new idea instantly came to him.

"Don't rush to make a move."

He shook the tin staff in his hand.

"You want the forbidden technique, 'Raging Heaven,' right? I can give it back to you, but the question is, do you have a way to take it off my body and put it into your own?" Kazuma looked at the purple-haired youth and Benten, who were poised to attack, without the slightest panic.

“You’re also a member of the Earth Spider clan, and since you’ve come for this forbidden technique, you must have done your research. This forbidden technique can’t be removed from my body without special techniques.” As he spoke, Kazuma reached out and tore open his clothes, revealing the jet-black, pearl-like 'core' embedded in his chest, surrounded by a circle of visibly pale skin, as pale as a corpse, seemingly devoid of even warmth.

"I was able to take this forbidden technique from the En no Kyouja with the help of someone else. Even so, I suffered a great deal of torment. Moreover, that method cannot be replicated unless you can find that person... Unfortunately, since the failed attack on Konoha with Hiruko last year, that person has not appeared again. It is very likely that Konoha has already killed him."

Speaking of which,

Kazuma couldn't help but sigh.

He was not lying.

If it weren't for Obito Uchiha's help, he would have had almost no chance of obtaining the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden technique. Also, after the failed attack on Konoha with Hiruko last year, he never saw that masked man again.

He didn't know if the guy who claimed to be Uchiha Madara was dead or didn't intend to contact him anymore... In any case, he didn't give up on his goal. After escaping from Konoha, he rested for a while and then regrouped to pull off a big heist. He began to launch large-scale attacks on ninja clans within the Land of Fire to accumulate strength.

then,

When he was about to make his move against the Earth Spider clan, he discovered that someone had beaten him to it.

He immediately became interested and came to investigate personally... which led to the current situation.

"Boss?"

Benten turned his gaze to the purple-haired youth beside him, whose expression was uncertain.

Waiting for the leader to make a decision.

What do you want?

The purple-haired youth asked through gritted teeth.

He ultimately did not make a move.

As Kazuma said, as a member of the Tsuchigumo clan, he knew that the forbidden technique of "Rage of Heaven," passed down through generations, required special means to be inherited and reproduced. This was also the reason why he was so determined to deal with Tsuchigumo Hotaru, because according to the information he had, he speculated that this secret was likely hidden on Tsuchigumo Hotaru.

Especially now that Ma has appeared in person, the strange mark on his chest proves that he did not inherit the forbidden technique "Rage of Heaven" using the conventional method of the Tsuchigumo clan. In other words, the means of transferring the forbidden technique is still in the hands of the Tsuchigumo clan. After he slaughtered the entire Tsuchigumo clan, leaving only a group of children, and still did not find what he wanted, he is even more convinced that what he wants is on Tsuchigumo Hotaru.

If not,