Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

After finishing this long speech, Shisui immediately took a deep breath to replenish the oxygen that was about to run out in her lungs.

And Zongxian,

After a two-second pause,

He reached out and scratched his head, looking quite helpless.

Orochimaru?

This guy really never stops!

Having abandoned their plan to destroy Konoha, another malicious scheme has emerged, truly embodying the motto of "as long as there's life, there's trouble."

"Zongxian, what are you planning to do about this?" Shisui asked softly after catching her breath.

"Hmm, it's hard to say."

Zongxian shook his head.

"We don't have enough information right now. Let's wait until we rescue Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno before we talk about anything else... So, Shisui, I'm asking you to make a trip there. You should have a token with the northeastern border guards, right? Remember, rescuing them is the most important thing, especially Kakashi. Don't let him die. If the medical resources there aren't enough, bring him back to the village for treatment immediately."

"I'll go right away."

He nodded decisively.

next second,

Zongxian felt a blur before his eyes, and Zhishui, a living, breathing person, simply vanished. In the dimly lit corridor, only his lonely shadow remained, swaying with the flickering lamplight.

"Orochimaru! That guy really knows how to cause trouble. It's one thing to capture Naruto, but he even took Sasuke away. Isn't he just asking for trouble?" Thinking of that genius junior whom he once disliked and even considered eliminating beforehand, he couldn't imagine the chaos that would ensue if Sasuke's disappearance became known.

[Chapter 357. The Fifth Pair of Mangekyou Sharingan]

News of the abduction of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki spread among the high-ranking officials of Konoha Village.

this matter,

It can't be hidden.

Kakashi Hatake, lying in the intensive care unit of the pharmacist's hospital, attracted a lot of attention. Anyone with a bit of status knew that he was responsible for taking care of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Now, instead of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki returning to the village, Kakashi Hatake was lying in the intensive care unit of the pharmacist's hospital.

The reasoning behind this is not hard to guess.

Furthermore, many members of the northeastern border defense forces also possessed details of the matter. It wasn't impossible to conceal it, but it would be extremely difficult, and once exposed, it would cause even greater trouble. Although the Sixth Hokage, Sogen, did not oppose Danzo, unless he intended to be a tyrannical ruler who acted unilaterally, he would not ignore the voices from below.

Therefore,

Rather than letting everyone speculate, it's better to release the information in a limited way to control public opinion in the village and prevent rumors from spreading.

Under Sogen's instructions, the Anbu and the police department worked together to develop a meticulous and detailed strategy, successfully limiting the spread of the news of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's abduction to a limited area, rather than letting rumors spread throughout the village and cause widespread panic. Therefore, it was truly absurd that the rumor that Naruto was a demon fox had spread to the point of being known by everyone.

To know,

Rumors tend to become increasingly unreliable the more they are spread.

It's a miracle that the rumor about Naruto being a demon fox has remained unchanged throughout its spread!

One has to admire the Third Generation's control over the village.

"...Lord Hokage, we must retrieve the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki as soon as possible. Regardless of what kind of conspiracy the Akatsuki organization is plotting, Konoha absolutely cannot be without its own Jinchuriki." The speaker was Hyuga Masayuki, one of the two advisor elders. This elderly fellow had experienced a second spring in his life thanks to the taste of power, and his booming voice pulled Sogen's somewhat off-track thoughts back to reality.

"Yes, that's right, we absolutely must save them."

Zongxian nodded in agreement.

"Elder Hyuga, don't think it's too simple. This Akatsuki organization is no small fry. It's not a shallow pond that can accommodate a giant like Orochimaru. Acting rashly is too risky. This matter needs to be carefully considered."

The one who disagreed was another advisor elder, Mumu Kōdō.

"Plan for the long term? Where do we have so much time to plan slowly? By then, let alone bringing back the Nine-Tails, we might not even be able to find Naruto's bones."

"That's better than losing the lives of the rescue team in vain."

"Konoha ninjas are not afraid of sacrifice. As long as the mission can be completed, it is not unacceptable to make some sacrifices."

"Not necessarily? You mean those fellow villagers died a worthy death?"

"Isn't that right? Mokumo, don't be so naive. We are ninjas, and our job is to live on the edge. Sacrifice is inevitable. Rather than waiting for the Akatsuki to use the Nine-Tails and bring more sacrifices to the village in the future, it is obviously more appropriate to pay a certain price to recover the Nine-Tails."

The two elders argued back and forth, getting into a heated debate.

Compared to the two advisor elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who were once closely allied and shared weal and woe, Hyuga Masayuki and Kōto Mokume are now completely at odds. One is an elder of the Hyuga main family, representing the interests of the powerful clans headed by the Hyuga clan, while the other comes from a small or medium-sized family, representing the interests of those small families and commoner ninjas.

Furthermore,

The two also have completely different ideas, and they always end up arguing whenever something happens.

This is the Hokage's office.

now,

Besides the Sixth Hokage, Sogen, and the two advisors and elders, two guests with special identities were also gathered here: Fugaku Uchiha and his son Itachi Uchiha. This was because not only was Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, kidnapped, but his teammate Sasuke Uchiha was also taken away.

This wasn't exactly a proper meeting.

It was not a small-scale conversation.

Zongxian doesn't like meetings. Now that he has great power, he makes all the decisions himself. As long as the two advisors have no objections, his decisions will always be implemented. Even if the two advisors have any opinions, they can resolve them before leaving the office, and there will still be no problem.

Therefore,

He only consulted with two advisors and elders to discuss countermeasures; the other two guests were added as extras.

Listening absentmindedly to the argument between the two elders,

Zongxian pondered what to do next.

Orochimaru, that bastard, kidnapped Naruto and Sasuke... This was completely unexpected. If Sasuke had been taken away, it could have been explained by some kind of corrective force of world inertia, but the fact that Naruto was also kidnapped has made the situation a bit chaotic.

"Lord Hokage."

It was Itachi Uchiha who broke the deadlock in the argument between the two advisors and elders.

This low-key, reserved, and unassuming young expert from the Uchiha clan stood up. His expression was solemn and serious, and his usual humility and gentleness were gone. His cold and hard gaze was sharp and resolute. Just looking into his eyes felt like being cleaved in the face. The two advisor elders, Hyuga Masayuki and Mokume Kōtō, were stunned and speechless for a moment.

"Itachi, is there anything you want to say?"

Zongxian calmly looked at this junior whom he had once despised.

"I'd like to ask, where is the headquarters of the Akatsuki organization, which Orochimaru belongs to?"

"What? You're planning to charge in alone?"

"..."

Uchiha Itachi remained silent this time.

However, his jet-black eyes suddenly turned a deep crimson, and... the black tomoe that looked like fish swimming in a pool of blood slowly merged together, transforming into a three-leaf windmill pattern. This unusual Sharingan appearance proved that he had enough confidence.

"······This is?"

Hinata Masayuki stared at all of this in astonishment.

Another pair of Mangekyou Sharingan! Has the Uchiha clan been having a run of good fortune these past few years?

According to the records of the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha clan had never had more than three people who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan in the past thousand years. But now... the Hokage, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Itachi, that's four pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan!

Four pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan?

honestly,

Even if the First Hokage were resurrected, he probably wouldn't be a match for the current Uchiha clan, right?

Beside him, Mokumo Kōdō also gaped, seemingly unable to hide his shock. Of course, he might not have expected this at all. Surprise filled his heart. Unlike Hyuga Masayuki, who knew many of the secret histories of the Hyuga clan, his understanding of the Mangekyou Sharingan was limited to the information left behind by the Second Hokage.

of course,

This did not prevent him from understanding how terrifying the Mangekyou Sharingan was.

Not only did he witness firsthand the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan, but Tobirama Senju also meticulously described the terrifying nature of the Mangekyou Sharingan in the documents he left behind, clearly out of concern that his successors would suffer in the face of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

When did you open your eyes?

Looking into Itachi Uchiha's eyes, Zongxian wasn't surprised.

Itachi Uchiha's talent was undeniable; the Mangekyou Sharingan was not an unattainable realm for him. All he needed was a suitable occasion that triggered a violent emotional fluctuation, and activating the Mangekyou Sharingan would be a natural occurrence.

But now it seems

The news that Sasuke had been kidnapped by Orochimaru gave Itachi Uchiha a great deal of excitement.

next second,

Itachi Uchiha's answer confirmed Sogen's speculation.

"When I heard the news that Sasuke had been captured by Orochimaru."

"That means this morning?"

Zongxian tapped the table with his fingers.

What is a genius?

This is genius. Awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan sounds as simple as eating and drinking. If that guy Uchiha Arashiyama heard this... he would definitely be so angry that his face would be distorted.

"Around 7:06 in the morning!"

Itachi Uchiha gave a precise time.

"Now that even you have opened your eyes... then there's no need to consider plans anymore. Elder Fugaku, have you talked to Itachi about that?"

"Not yet. I haven't told anyone about that without your permission, Chief."

Fugaku Uchiha sat steadily on the sofa.

"Alright! Looks like we'll have to spend some time explaining things again." Zongxian glanced at Hyuga Masayuki and Koto Mokumo. It was better to keep the secrets of the Uchiha clan within the clan; some things couldn't be said here. "Let's find somewhere else to talk!"

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.

Below the Nanga Shrine.

Uchiha Itachi silently gazed at the scene before him, so different from what he remembered. After passing through the room where his clansmen had once held secret meetings, he found himself in a larger and more spacious underground space with deep corridors and flickering lights. It didn't look like a good place at all.

He glanced at his father, whose expression remained unchanged.

She realized that her father must have been here before.