Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

He wouldn't dare to scheme against Hotaru Tsuchigumo, a disciple of the Sixth Hokage.

Of course, there is another premise: he believes that after obtaining the forbidden technique of "Rage of Heaven," he can completely dominate the ninja world with this power.

"I want to destroy Konoha."

He frankly told Ma about his ultimate goal.

"Of course, I understand that this goal is difficult to achieve, so... from your conversation, you are planning to capture Tsuchigumo Hotaru and interrogate her to find out how the Tsuchigumo clan transfers the forbidden technique, right? If I remember correctly, one of Tsuchigumo Hotaru's teammates is the Sixth Hokage's sister. Hand her over to me, and if you hand her over to me, it's not impossible to return this forbidden technique to you."

What guarantees you're not lying to me?

The purple-haired youth did not trust Ma.

He's not the kind of idiot who would easily trust a stranger.

"Lying to you? There's no need for that. From the moment you slaughtered the Tsuchigumo clan, leaving only a handful of survivors, whether you like it or not, you and I have become Konoha's targets. Especially now that you're planning to attack the Sixth Hokage's disciple and sister, this is a fight to the death."

He said with a smile.

He looked at the purple-haired youth in front of him as if he were looking at a clueless fool. These brats didn't understand what they were doing at all. Just like him before, these brats were probably full of forbidden techniques, thinking that they could shape the world according to their own will by obtaining powerful forbidden techniques.

but--

Setbacks help people grow.

Forbidden techniques are powerful, but not as formidable as one might imagine.

"I swear, if I'm lying to you, may I never achieve my wish in my entire life." This oath sounded rather frivolous, but the purple-haired youth didn't take it seriously. He stared at Kazuma for more than ten seconds, then slowly nodded. "Cooperation is fine, but after we capture Tsuchigumo Hotaru and that... Sixth Hokage's sister, you must first hand them over to me for safekeeping. You need to transfer the forbidden technique out first before I can hand them over to you."

"can."

He and Ma were too lazy to negotiate terms.

We haven't even caught him yet!

Once we catch him... as long as he's still alive, it won't hurt to hand over the forbidden technique, Rage of the Heavens. He's figured it out; it's unrealistic to think that the Rage of the Heavens can destroy Konoha. If this forbidden technique were really that powerful, wouldn't the Tsuchigumo clan have already dominated the ninja world with it?

The principle is simple and easy to understand.

However, he also understood that when people get stuck on a rut, even the simplest truths may not make sense.

But that's just right.

Normal people might not have the courage to go against Konoha. It's only young, arrogant, and conceited people who can be fooled into helping them take the fall. A shrewd guy would probably already be thinking about how to tip off Konoha.

"I am the Earth Spider Shiro."

The purple-haired youth then introduced himself.

"Wa-ma".

Kazuma gave a brief response.

"So this counts as a cooperative relationship? May I ask how you plan to deal with our prey? If my intelligence is correct, those kids are not simple characters, and the Jonin leading the team seems to be a well-known expert in Konoha. Dealing with them will not be an easy task."

Kazuma lost four of his companions, who were also from the Twelve Guardian Ninjas.

However, he also had other subordinates who had been serving him by transmitting intelligence. These people were all developed when he was still one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Strictly speaking, they should have been the intelligence unit of the Daimyo's Oniwaban, but when Kazuma defected, he burned down part of the Oniwaban's archives, causing these intelligence units to lose contact with the Oniwaban and become Kazuma's private retinue.

"It's just one Jonin and three Genin... is there anything to worry about?"

Tsuchigumo Hakuro glanced at Kazuma with suspicion. "Our clan's secret technique is enough to sweep away such a small number of opponents." As he spoke, he began to doubt whether Kazuma's status as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas was exaggerated. The forbidden technique, "Raging Hair Heaven," was truly a waste of talent on such a cowardly rat. That old man, En no Gyoza, was also useless, as the forbidden technique was actually taken away by such a person. It can only be said that he is really getting old!

Kazuma fell silent upon hearing this.

He also had some doubts about whether he had made a wrong decision.

Is it really reliable to cooperate with this kind of person?

[Chapter 346 Fertilizing]

Walking along the mountain paths of the Land of Waterfalls, emerging from the deep, dark forest, one is greeted by terraced fields carved out along the sloping hillside. At the foot of the mountain, on the flat land, houses are scattered about, and wisps of smoke can be faintly seen rising from their chimneys, creating a scene of idyllic tranquility.

"Finally, we've seen some signs of life. Obito-senpai, shall we find a place to have lunch here?"

Deidara asked.

His attitude was very gentle and polite.

After parting ways with Orochimaru, he formed a new duo with Obito Uchiha. At their first meeting, he was very critical of Obito Uchiha, a one-eyed man wearing a mask, and couldn't stand this pretentious guy. However, Obito Uchiha quickly taught this arrogant brat a lesson with his genjutsu.

Losing once can be attributed to momentary carelessness.

Losing twice can be excused by saying you were in bad form.

Losing three times isn't something you can't just brush off... What a load of crap! Deidara's inherent pride and arrogance prevented him from doing something like this—he admitted that Obito Uchiha was indeed very strong, and compared to Orochimaru, that weirdo, the indifferent Obito Uchiha seemed much more 'lovable'.

Of course, Deidara's arrogance was not extinguished. Even after being defeated, this arrogant young man only felt that just because he couldn't beat them now didn't mean he wouldn't be a match for them in the future. He mustered all his strength and waited for the next challenge.

But before that,

He got along fairly well with Obito Uchiha.

"It's all right."

Obito Uchiha nodded in agreement.

There was no need to take such a trivial matter to heart. The two followed the winding mountain road down the slope and found the only izakaya in this small village. Calling it an izakaya was really just an old-fashioned tavern. There were hardly any customers during the day. Only in the evening would villagers who were tired from the day come to drink a couple of cheap cups of sake and chat for a bit.

However, the tavern owner didn't react at all to Obito Uchiha and Deidara, who were dressed very strangely. In her eyes, all these strangers who occasionally passed by were strange. As long as they paid money, she didn't care what her customers looked like!

"I'm going to the restroom."

Obito Uchiha said something and walked out of the store.

The "going to the toilet" thing wasn't a lie. He walked to the bushes not far from the izakaya, took out his tools, and started fertilizing the old tree. At the same time, he said, "Zetsu, what's up?" As soon as he finished speaking, a pitcher plant-like, two-faced creature emerged from the tree.

"Obito, couldn't you have shot a little further away?"

As soon as it appeared, White Zetsu started complaining, expressing its disapproval of Obito Uchiha's act of fertilizing.

"What does it matter? It won't affect you anyway. Besides, I have limited time. If I take too long, it will be troublesome to explain to Deidara. Just say what you need to say quickly, and don't beat around the bush."

"You already know about what happened in the Land of Fire, right? It's been investigated and found out that it was that man, Kazuma. He seems to have mastered some kind of forbidden technique that utilizes the dead, and he's been relentlessly killing ninja clans within the Land of Fire to collect their corpses. What are your thoughts on that?"

Black Zetsu got straight to the point.

"Kazuma? That guy's still alive!"

Obito Uchiha subconsciously said, "I thought that piece of trash had already been killed by Konoha." He was utterly disappointed in Kazuma. Despite cooperating with Hiruko in the attack on Konoha, he couldn't even take down a few Konoha children; he was truly a piece of trash!

Therefore, he immediately abandoned his plan to recruit Kazuma into the Akatsuki organization.

Moreover, because his own situation was complicated at the time, and Madara Uchiha's disguise had been exposed, he was having a headache. So he simply let go of Kazuma and Kyuujiang. Anyway, his contact with Kazuma was always him going to Kazuma, and there was no deeper connection between the two. Even if Kazuma was captured alive by Konoha, he wouldn't care.

"Not only are they alive, they're thriving. This time they've caused quite a stir, and judging from Kazuma's behavior, they might be targeting Konoha." Black Zetsu stared at Uchiha Obito, who was practicing gun-fu. "What do you think? This might be an opportunity!"

"I have no thoughts about it."

Obito Uchiha responded with a cold reply.

"Do you really think Kazuma can accomplish anything? You actually expect him to destroy Konoha?"

"If the Akatsuki organization cooperated, it's not impossible..."

"Stop dreaming. The Akatsuki has no reason to fight Konoha head-on right now. Nagato isn't ready yet, and he's unlikely to attack Konoha at this time. Besides, the Akatsuki might not be able to destroy Konoha right now. Uchiha Sogen and Uchiha Shisui alone are not people that can be defeated by sheer numbers. Unless Nagato personally takes action and uses the power of the Rinnegan to crush Konoha, and besides, I don't have any faith in Kazuma at all."

"Let's not talk about such boring things anymore. If Kazuma wants to die, let him do it himself. We don't need to get involved in this mess. We'll have a better chance of success if we wait until Nagato is ready. Taking action now will only make things more difficult in the future."

Obito Uchiha's attitude was very firm.

The crushing defeat he suffered last year while cooperating with Hiruko in the attack on Konoha left him with a rather painful memory. He almost lost his life there. It was that battle that made him feel deeply threatened once again after killing his master, the Fourth Hokage. To be honest, he didn't have much confidence in fighting Konoha head-on at this time.

The once unstoppable 'Kamui' is no longer an almost invincible technique. Uchiha Shisui, who has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, is not afraid to face him. Not to mention there is an even stronger Uchiha Mugen. Even if Nagato were to face him, he might only be able to win by relying on the power of the Rinnegan.

While Akatsuki has other skilled members, Konoha is currently thriving, teeming with powerful ninja. If a real battle were to break out… even if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Then there would be Mist Ninja, Sand Ninja, Cloud Ninja, and Iwa Ninja to deal with one by one, doubling the trouble. This is definitely not what Nagato wants to see.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to have lunch."

Obito Uchiha put his weapon into his pants.

He glanced at Jue sideways and said, "Looks like you're alright? If you're alright, then I'm going to eat."

After saying that, Obito Uchiha walked towards the tavern without looking back, leaving only Zetsu on the fertilized tree watching his departing figure.

"How to do?"

Bai Jue asked.

"That Obito guy... could he really have lost his nerve after being beaten?" Black Despaired as he watched the figure disappear into the tavern. "Well, since that's how it is, let's wait and see. Anyway, Kazuma is still in the preparation stage. Let's see what kind of hand he has."

The sound disappeared into the warm breeze.

The pitcher plant-like shape has also disappeared.

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.

As evening approached, the sky gradually darkened.

It is located in the southwest of Gecheng Mountain, more than 20 miles from the foot of the mountain.

The four members of Team One appeared on the empty road. Apart from the four members of Team One from Konoha, there were no other pedestrians on the road. They only encountered a few travelers along the way, and they were mostly itinerant merchants.

The reason why this situation occurs is that

The reason is also very simple.

Because the news of several ninja clans being wiped out recently has spread, and it's impossible to hide such things. You have to understand that not all ninja clans and ninja villages can be self-sufficient.

They had varying degrees of cooperative relationships with nobles and merchants.

after all,

Hiring Konoha ninjas is too expensive.

Moreover, most of the time it's a one-off deal; not just anyone is qualified to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Konoha.

In comparison, they were cheaper and could establish long-term partnerships... So when these ninja clans were wiped out, nobles and merchants quickly received the news and became alert, fearing that they too would be silently eliminated.

The phrase "feeling like the wind is blowing and the grass is like an enemy soldier" is not an exaggeration.

At this moment,

Everyone is truly on edge!

Shortly after the four members of the first group set off, the village even received a request from the Daimyo's mansion, hoping that Konoha could investigate the truth behind the massacre as soon as possible, find the culprit, and bring him to justice.