Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Uchiha Arashiyama licked his dry lips. The heavy pressure in his heart made it hard for him to breathe. Sogen's question was really difficult to answer!

[Chapter 406. Family and Village Carried on the Shoulders]

"Discussing what has already happened cannot change the past. It is meaningless to criticize the decisions and judgments made by our predecessors within the limitations of the past era. It has become a consensus that the Tailed Beasts are now held by the five great nations for the past sixty years."

"Zongxian, you need to think this through. If you really want to break this balance, I'm afraid... it won't be that easy."

After pondering for more than ten seconds, Uchiha Arashiyama subtly pointed out how insane Sogen's idea was.

He was being very tactful.

This is more than just difficult.

It's fraught with difficulties.

They would invite all the ninja villages to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams, and invite the other four Kage to watch the matches. When the five Kage met, they would say, "Konoha reneged on the First Hokage's allocation of the nine tailed beasts; you must now return them to Konoha," and so on...

If these words were to be uttered, they would surely cause a huge uproar, and it is not impossible that Konoha would once again be in a predicament of being besieged on all sides. Even though Konoha is now at its zenith and is no longer as weak as it was when the Nine-Tails' attack just ended.

However, such a crazy thing as making an enemy of the entire ninja world would likely face considerable opposition from the village.

At that time.

It's not just the ninjas who will have objections.

I'm afraid even the great leaders of various countries would be uneasy.

War-loving fanatics are ultimately a minority. War-mongers like Uchiha Chihaya and Ringo Ameyuri are rare and not the mainstream voice in the ninja world.

Compared to the brutality of war,

Most people prefer to enjoy the beauty of peace. From nobles to ordinary people, few people like war.

The First Hokage's distribution of the Tailed Beasts was not only to establish the first and, to date, only peace treaty signed by all five Kage, but also to solidify the system of one country, one village. With the five great nations and the Land of Waterfall, which was second only to the five great nations in power at the time, the six countries each possessed the Tailed Beasts, a strategic weapon with astonishing destructive power, thus establishing the ruling position of the five great nations and the permanent neutrality of the Land of Waterfall.

Although the three Shinobi World Wars that followed the death of the First Hokage thoroughly proved that the peace he achieved was only false and temporary.

but,

Not everything he did was lost with his death.

The one-country-one-village system and the situation of five great nations standing side by side have all been preserved and have become the new normal in the ninja world. Daimyo, nobles, commoners, and ninjas have all become accustomed to this situation. Even though the Ninja World War still breaks out time and time again, compared to the chaotic and disorderly era of the Warring States period, the current war with clear factions is actually an improvement.

At the very least.

Not every inch of land will be engulfed in war.

The main battlefields of the three Shinobi World Wars were not within the territory of the Five Great Nations. No matter how fierce the fighting was on the front lines, the territories of the Five Great Nations were generally peaceful. The last time that the Iwa ninja broke into the heart of the Land of Lightning was an extremely rare occurrence.

Therefore,

If anything were to happen that threatens this system and situation, the backlash would be immense, a raging storm capable of crushing many people to pieces.

"The distribution of the Tailed Beasts is directly linked to the international situation of the Five Great Nations. If the Tailed Beasts are concentrated in one place, not only will the other villages have objections, but even the Daimyo of the various countries will not turn a blind eye as they do in other matters."

Uchiha Arashiyama expressed his concerns as much as possible.

"So this was just a large-scale Chunin Exam."

Zongxian answered calmly.

"As for what you said, it's nothing but needless worry!"

"...Zongxian, have you made up your mind?" As a close friend and the most steadfast follower, he knew very well how resolute the clan leader's will was. Once he made up his mind, nothing could pull him back. He would not give up until he hit a wall.

Zongxian's indirect response,

This already demonstrates that they have made up their minds.

"Arashiyama, you can put the police department's work aside for now and hand it over to your deputy. Starting today, the preparations for the Chunin Exams will be your responsibility. As for manpower, you can draw on any available resources as long as it doesn't interfere with the normal operation of other departments. Don't worry about funding; I'll give you the necessary documents later. If you need more later, just come to me." Sogen instructed in a rambling manner.

determination,

It is obvious.

He had already made up his mind to push it through, and no amount of words could sway his will.

"As for time, I'll say it again: take it slow, there's no need to rush. Even if we have to wait until next spring when the flowers bloom, it's fine. We don't lack time right now." Zongxian smiled as he entrusted this important task to his most trusted friend.

For this,

Uchiha Arashiyama's eyes twitched, and the muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably twice. He had a bellyful of complaints but didn't know how to express them. In the end, all his frustration turned into deep helplessness. He could only sigh deeply and say weakly, "Nara Shikaku, make him my deputy."

Since it's already beyond repair,

Therefore, we should try our best to obtain the greatest convenience.

If it were just a regular Chunin Exam, then following the old rules would suffice. With nearly a hundred experiences from the past sixty years, everything would be well-organized. However, if Sogen wanted to hold an unprecedentedly large-scale Chunin Exam, then past experience could only be used as a reference, and the workload would be unimaginably enormous.

Therefore,

A shrewd and capable deputy is indispensable.

Nara Shikaku, a notorious tool within the Konoha Village administrative system, was undoubtedly the first target to be considered.

As for his opinion on Zongxian's thoughts... his words and actions have already shown it, haven't they?

Back then, he followed Sogen to save his clan from ruin, making the name of the Uchiha clan known throughout the ninja world once again. At that time, he silently made a vow in his heart that he would follow Sogen steadfastly for the rest of his life.

No matter what lies ahead, whether it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire,

He would wade across without hesitation, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

"no problem."

Zongxian nodded without any hesitation.

"I already said that as long as it doesn't affect the operation of each department, you can allocate manpower as you like."

then,

A temporary organization called the "Chunin Exam Preparation Command" was thus set up. Police Department Chief Uchiha Arashiyama served as the temporary chief, and Jonin Class Leader Nara Shikaku served as the vice chief. Members of the department were seconded from various departments.

Before leaving, Uchiha Arashiyama suddenly stopped and said:

"Finally, don't blame me for asking, but it's hard to keep some things bottled up inside... So, Zongxian, you know very well whether what I'm worried about is just unfounded. When you reveal your true intentions, there will definitely be a wave of opposition. What will you do then...? You don't need to answer me, but I think you should have an answer in your heart! Don't forget the family and village you carry on your shoulders."

that's it,

Uchiha Arashiyama came with nothing but a clean conscience, and left carrying the weight of the mountain on his shoulders.

Holding an unprecedentedly large-scale Chunin Exam is going to be a real brain drain.

Watching Uchiha Arashiyama's figure disappear through the office door, Zongxian put down his pen, stood up, took a few steps behind the desk, and finally stood by the window, gazing at the familiar scenery outside, which was already tinged with the colors of autumn, silently observing for a long time.

"Family... Village..."

The faint sound drifted away with the autumn wind, and no one but himself could hear what the Sixth Hokage was saying at that moment.

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The news of the unprecedented Chunin Exams spread as Uchiha Arashiyama went around recruiting people. Of course, it wasn't like you could grab any random passerby on the street and hear all the details. The news first spread among the various departments and organizations of the village, and then to the Jonin, the group that stood at the top of the village.

At last,

They are just middle- or lower-ranking ninjas in the village.

Especially for the genin, who constitute the largest group, the Chunin Exams were originally prepared for them. All the genin who aspired to participate in the exams began to prepare after hearing the news. However, the Chunin Exams were not something that anyone could participate in at will. One needed the recommendation of genin or even jonin to be eligible to participate.

That is,

Genin need to be recommended by their supervising ninja or the Chunin who leads the team, otherwise they cannot participate in the Chunin Exams.

As the lowest rank of the ninja profession, genin do not have the authority to act alone. They carry out missions under the leadership of jonin or chunin. Only chunin have the authority to carry out missions independently.

Grilled meat Q.

Claimed to be the best value-for-money barbecue restaurant in Konoha Village, the largest private room was booked by a group of young customers today.

Kurama Yakumo, Uchiha Fujika, Tsuchigumo Hotaru, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, and other former classmates rarely gathered together. Since graduation, everyone has been busy with their own ninja training missions and rarely had the chance to meet. This was the first time they had been able to get together like this.

"Only Sakura and her Class 7 are left."

Uchiha Fujika excitedly counted the number of people and found that only the three members of Team 7 had not yet arrived.

"Speaking of which, will Sakura and the others come?"

Nara Shikamaru sat languidly and said, "I haven't seen Naruto and Sasuke for quite a while now. Only Sakura has been around, and I remember Sakura wasn't feeling well a while ago..."

The news of Naruto and Sasuke being kidnapped was only spread among the village's upper echelons.

Nowadays, Konoha is not so poor that it cannot spare any manpower and can only send a group of genin to carry out high-difficulty missions. Even Shikamaru and his group, whose identities are mostly special, are no exception. Not only are they not allowed to get involved in such matters, but they don't even have the right to know about them.

Therefore,

To this day, they are unaware that Naruto and Sasuke were kidnapped.

"They'll definitely come!"

Fujika glared fiercely at Shikamaru, "I told Sakura yesterday that they would definitely come today."

This gathering,

It was hosted by Yakumo, Fujika, and Hotaru.

The gathering itself didn't have any particular purpose; it was just that everyone rarely had time, so we thought we'd have a lively get-together.

After news of the upcoming Chunin Exams spread, the Jonin leading the teams unanimously reduced the number of missions they were assigned, intending to save time to give their students extra tutoring. After all, this was an unprecedented, and probably unlikely-to-be-seen, large-scale Chunin Exam, and it would be truly embarrassing to lose face internationally if they were to suffer a crushing defeat against the Genin from other villages.

In order not to be too embarrassed, while there is still time, of course we should polish it properly.

Ok,

Of course, that's not the only reason.

There's no way that Yakumo and the others would lose so badly in the Chunin Exams. The reason they had time to organize gatherings was entirely because Uchiha Chihaya always practiced a laissez-faire management style. Unless they were on a mission, she wouldn't restrict the girls from burying themselves in hard training on ordinary days.

Anyway,

The time saved wasn't even enough to start the fire in the small stove.

The gatherings of teenagers have begun.

"I was just asking casually, why are you glaring at me!"

Shikamaru shrank back, feeling glared at, and muttered to himself, "Women are such a hassle! I really don't understand why so many idiots like to hang around women! It's utterly incomprehensible!"