Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

He was as nervous as a duck whose nest had been hit by firecrackers thrown by a naughty child, extremely anxious and uneasy.

He originally thought that Kazuma's strongest trump card was the forbidden technique passed down through generations of their Tsuchigumo clan, "Raging Hair Heaven." So when Uchiha Chihaya blocked the attack of this forbidden technique, he was completely desperate. Then, the next second, Kazuma pulled out a new trick.

However, this new trick did not make Tsuchigumo Shirou feel at ease.

because,

He was also within the attack range of this forbidden technique.

"Forbidden Lightning Release Technique: Lightning Dream, Lightning Man".

This forbidden technique,

Kazuma readily revealed the name. This forbidden technique originated from his former colleagues in the Twelve Guardian Ninja. They abandoned their fight against Jiraiya to deal with the other four members of the more conservative faction because of this forbidden Lightning Release technique, a powerful technique capable of turning the entire Hidden Leaf Village to ashes.

Of course, it's the same as the forbidden technique, "Raging Hair Heaven"

These destructive forbidden techniques each have their own limitations and are not so easy to perform. The 'Thunder Dream Thunder Man' technique requires four highly coordinated ninjas to perform. Not only is it extremely difficult to train, but it is also very risky to perform. If even one person makes a mistake, the technique cannot be completed.

"The destructive power of this move is enough to annihilate everything tangible within the range of the thundercloud in an instant. Even if you can kill me with one strike, I only need to give one order before I die, and you and your disciples will have to be buried with me."

As he spoke, he looked at Uchiha Chihaya, who was holding a blade aloft, with a mocking and crazed gaze.

Mocking was the only thing he could do at this moment. He had the courage to die together with others, but... how could he speak lightly of life and death until the very last moment? If he were to die after realizing his ambitions, he would naturally have no regrets. But now that his ambitions could not be fulfilled, he was unwilling to die like this.

even,

He was plotting how to trick Uchiha Chihaya into staying here to die. Once he was out of the destructive range of 'Raimono Raimono,' he could unleash the forbidden technique attack without any restraint. It would be worth it to leave Tenmoku and Fuka behind to die with Uchiha Chihaya.

Even if I end up all alone after that.

But as long as he doesn't lose heart, he can continue to fight.

"Where are Wisteria and Firefly?"

Uchiha Chihaya did not swing the blade in her hand.

Even though she knew this was likely a trick by Ma to buy time, she couldn't bring herself to swing the blade as long as there was even a sliver of a possibility. As for the threat of mutual destruction... well, that might have worked for her before, but now... maybe not.

"they·······"

"They are in a very safe place."

The sudden sound interrupted Kazuma's conversation.

"Zong Xian?"

Uchiha Chihaya looked at the man who had appeared beside her with surprise.

"How did you... how come you've been following us?"

"Everyone can see that this place at Katsuragi Mountain is a trap, so naturally we have to be prepared. However... we thought there was a big fish hiding behind this, but in the end there were only a few small fish and shrimps, which made us have high expectations for nothing."

"Those wisteria flowers and fireflies?"

"This is a test for them. I only took them away at the last moment. To be honest, it's not a good thing. It will leave them with the wrong mindset. I can't always be there for them when they are in danger, so... don't tell them I was here. They were already unconscious when I rescued them."

"They're not stupid."

"There's no harm in giving it a try! It doesn't matter if I fail."

The two talked as if no one else was around. Uchiha Chihaya even put down the Vacuum Blade in her hand. This arrogant attitude completely enraged Kazuma. So... in a fit of rage, Kazuma hardened his heart. Even if he couldn't destroy Konoha on his own, he could at least take a Hokage down with him.

He truly hadn't expected that the hidden third party would be the Sixth Hokage, but the arrival of the Sixth Hokage was tantamount to completely severing his last hope. He dared to try to deceive Uchiha Chihaya only because the hidden third party was an enemy of Konoha.

However, Zongxian's appearance shattered his last shred of hope.

Leave alive

It's no longer possible.

To escape from the Sixth Hokage... is nothing short of a pipe dream.

However... it's not so bad. To have a Hokage fall into hell with you makes this life worthwhile.

Why didn't it fall?

He Ma was bewildered.

He had already resolved to perish together with the Sixth Hokage and Uchiha Chihaya, and had even used the Soil of the Dead technique to control his former colleagues, the Lightning Release Four, to unleash the Lightning Dream Technique, which was already poised to strike. But—

The destructive lightning did not strike.

"Idiot! Look at the sky!"

Zongxian sneered when he saw this.

Sky?

What's wrong with the sky?

Kazuma instinctively looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting. The originally pitch-black clouds, which contained endless thunder, were dispersed. The mighty demonic wind dispersed the clouds, and the bright moon quietly poured down its flowing light, sprinkling it on all things.

"This...this...how is this possible? The lightning, the lightning pillar is still there, why is this happening?"

The four pillars of lightning connecting heaven and earth are still there.

but,

The forbidden technique 'Thunder Dream Thunder Man' could not land because the thunderclouds were dispelled. Without the thunderclouds, the destructive thunder could not fall.

"Is this also the power of your eye technique?"

Sogen, however, was too lazy to pay attention to Kazuma, whose fate was already sealed, and turned to ask Uchiha Chihaya, whose left eye was bleeding.

"【Shinatohiko】, this is the name of my eye technique. However, the abilities of my left and right eyes are not entirely the same. I used the right eye's ability before, which was close-range manipulation of the wind. This one belongs to the power of my left eye, which is long-range control of storms... I was overconfident. The right eye's eye technique doesn't consume much power, but the left eye's eye power consumption is a bit beyond my expectations."

Uchiha Chihaya's voice was very weak.

Controlling the storm and dispersing the thunderclouds in the sky was no easy task for her. Her left eye was now stinging with pain, and if she didn't have extraordinary endurance, she probably would have already started to wail. But thinking about it, it was only natural. It would be abnormal if such a pupil technique that could reverse the celestial phenomena could be controlled so easily.

but,

She was very happy.

I've finally stopped standing still.

When Hiruko invaded Konoha last time, she and Kakashi and the others were outside tracking down clues and missed the battle. She was very annoyed about it afterwards, but after finding out what happened that day, she realized that even if she had been in the village at the time, she wouldn't have been of much use.

Compared to Zongxian and Shisui,

She is still too weak.

Fortunately, the feeling of being able to only watch from afar and not fight alongside them is finally over. Now she can stand on the same battlefield as Zongxian, Shisui and the others, right?

By the way, the fact that Fujika and Hotaru were safe and sound was also a major reason for her happiness.

So much so that the sharp, piercing pain in his eyes became insignificant, at least compared to the pleasure in his heart.

"Alright, Chihaya, that's enough." Sogen said, "Excessive consumption of eye power will cause serious damage to the eyes. Although it can be nurtured, it is quite troublesome... In short, do not use the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan rashly before you stabilize your eye power."

"I understand."

Chihaya Uchiha didn't argue, she just blinked.

His eyes turned black again.

The surging demonic winds in the sky instantly subsided, and the thunderclouds that had been dispersed by the demonic winds gathered together once again. However, this time, even He Ma's face showed no joy. His bewildered and dazed eyes proved that he had lost his ability to take the initiative.

The gathering thunderclouds churned and rolled, and standing on the ground one could fully feel the destructive power surging within them. Unfortunately, this power remained in a state of brewing; without the hand to pull the trigger, it could no longer fall.

and also,

Not far away, Tsuchigumo Shirou met the same fate as Kazuma.

Unbeknownst to them, both of them were controlled by Sogen's illusion. The only exception was Kazuma's subordinate named Fufu, an anomaly who was alive only with his hair. It seemed to be some kind of forbidden or secret technique, and it was a technique created by someone who, like Orochimaru, craved immortality.

The pursuit of immortality is not unique to Orochimaru.

Rather, this path is already littered with the bones of countless pioneers, and Orochimaru is just one of them, though perhaps the most gifted throughout history.

Although Bufeng evaded Zongxian's illusion, he ultimately could not escape being captured. Although he was weak and easily defeated, this secret technique, or rather forbidden technique, was still very valuable. It was not recorded in Konoha Village and had certain research value. Therefore, the Super Beast Imitation Painting: Tiger's Gaze Sealing Technique was used to temporarily seal it in the painting, and it will be handed over to professionals for slow research when they return to the village.

Having dealt with this outlier,

The remaining two are Ma and Tsuchigumo Shirou, who await further instructions.

"Although it's unlikely that someone is hiding nearby... I still don't want this secret to be known too soon." After moving Kazuma and Tsuchigumo Shiranami to his side, he released a high-level barrier to envelop the space around him.

Not only did it block the transmission of sound, but even the Sharingan could not see the details inside the barrier. Only the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan could see what was happening inside the barrier.

Inside the barrier,

Uchiha Chihaya wiped the blood off her face and carefully examined the unconscious Fujika and Hotaru. Only after personally confirming that the girls' faces were not even scratched did she completely relax. As for Yakumo, there was no need to worry at all. The girl's stamina was so great that even she, as her teacher, could not match it.

"Chihaya-sensei, what is Master doing?"

"I don't know either. Judging from the way it looks... it's a bit like a mountain tribe reading memories."

"Reading memories? Does the Sharingan have that ability?"

"Yes, they do, but rather than forcibly reading memories, it's more like using illusions to induce the other party to reveal certain memories. Strictly speaking, the Mountain Clan doesn't have the ability to forcibly read the other party's memories, so... I don't know either."

Uchiha Chihaya and Yakumo were talking in hushed tones.

Meanwhile, the central figure in their conversation, Zongxuan, had his hand on Kazuma's head as he knelt on the ground. He used the ability called "Heart Layer Submersion" from the "Human Path" to forcibly read the memories in Kazuma's mind. He had set up the barrier precisely because he did not want the White Zetsu, who might be nearby, to see the power of the Rinnegan.

"Have they already lost contact with 'Uchiha Madara'? How boring."

Memory reading complete.

Unfortunately, this incident had nothing to do with Obito Uchiha. It was all Kazuma's own decision. After thoroughly reading Kazuma's memories, they put them aside and then examined Shiranai Tsuchigumo's memories. However, Shiranai Tsuchigumo's memories were even cleaner than Kazuma's, with no trace of Madara Uchiha or Obito Uchiha at all.

"Tch, useless thing."

Zongxian showed no mercy and directly extracted the soul of Tsuchigumo Shirou. At the moment the soul was extracted, even Chihaya and Yakumo could see the faint humanoid radiance.

This thing,

There is indeed a need to cover it up.

"Come on! Here's something good for you to eat."

Zongxian activated another ability.

A huge, pitch-black mouth suddenly opened in mid-air, and a deep purple tongue, like a snake, bit into the soul in Zong Xian's hand, swallowed it, and then disappeared again.

"What exactly is this...?"