Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

After thinking for about five minutes, Bai finally raised his head and said seriously, "This is indeed a method worth trying, Hokage-sama. Please feel free to order me around! I will help you try to see if this method is feasible."

The young man, who had always yearned for peace and tranquility from the bottom of his heart, made a resounding promise.

"I will."

Zongxian chuckled and patted Bai's shoulder. "I'll make you do whatever you want without any hesitation. Now... come with me to meet someone! If we're lucky, we might be able to get a new Jinchuriki without resorting to force."

[Chapter 457. Advancing Side by Side]

The boy, who had spent a lot of effort completing the task and then rushed back to the village, did not get a leisurely vacation to relax. Instead, he was given a pep talk by his new boss and, in high spirits, immediately promised to work like a slave, thus beginning his non-stop spinning career.

After the conversation in the snow forest ended,

The boy followed Sogen without stopping until they arrived at the Takigakure embassy in Konoha.

"here it is······"

Bai stared at the old man who hurriedly came out to greet him. He looked to be in his sixties, with gray hair, obvious age spots on his face, and a very thin figure. However, he stood up straight and walked with great vigor. He looked even more energetic than the young man in his twenties who was following behind the old man.

He didn't recognize the old man.

However, through the old man's conversation with the Hokage, he learned that the energetic old man was the leader of Takigakure, a position similar to the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages. The title of Kage was monopolized by the Five Great Ninja Villages, and no matter how powerful the leaders or chiefs of the other villages were, they could not be called Kage.

The reason why the leader of Takigakure would appear in Konoha is quite simple.

The final round of the Chunin Exams is about to begin.

There are only two days left until that special day.

The day after tomorrow,

On the date of the Chunin Exams finals, an unprecedented event in which all ninja villages in the entire ninja world participated, almost all the prominent figures in the ninja world received invitations. The leader of Takigakure was no exception, unlike the four Kage who would likely arrive as late as possible to demonstrate their status.

The leaders of small ninja villages like Takigakure didn't dare to put on airs during the Chunin Exams held in Konoha, so they arrived in Konoha two days early to show their respect.

only--

Regardless of his respectful attitude, he could not change the established order.

"...Lord Shiraishi, you should understand what I'm saying, right?"

Zongxian asked softly.

The old leader of Takigakure was named Shiraishi, the third leader of the village, roughly a contemporary of Hiruzen Sarutobi. The old man, pale-faced, looked at Sogen and stammered, "But, Hokage-sama, this… it was your village's first leader who assigned the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki to our village. You… you did this…"

"I've already said that."

Zongxian interrupted the old man's rambling, "Times change, and the world changes. It's that simple. Some of the rules established by the First Hokage are no longer relevant to the changing times. Changes are inevitable. Lord Shiraishi, stop beating around the bush and give me a straight answer! The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki... are you going to return it voluntarily, or are you going to force me to go to Takigakure to get it myself?"

The old man lowered his head and remained silent.

He had considered that the Chunin Exams might not be peaceful this time, and that Konoha might have other motives for holding such an unprecedented Chunin Exam. However, he never imagined that his own Takigakure village was also one of Konoha's targets. He had initially thought it was just another power struggle among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and as a neutral village, he only needed to be careful not to get dragged into their conflicts…

They hadn't considered what would happen if they became the target of Konoha's attack.

It's pitiful that at 67 years old, his mind is not as quick as it used to be. Right now, it's like he's turned into mush, all sticky and muddled. He can't think of any solutions at all, and his head is so dizzy that he can't even sort out his thoughts.

"Of course, Lord Shiraishi, please rest assured, I will not break the rules and attack you at this time. If you are not willing to return the Seven-Tails voluntarily, I will send someone to your village to retrieve it after the Chunin Exams. Now you just need to give me an answer."

Zongxian brazenly threatened the poor old man.

A hint of reluctance flashed across the pale face standing behind him, but he quickly suppressed this cheap pity. In order to change this hateful cycle of the Ninja World Wars, something had to be done, and Takigakure was an inescapable link.

The Seven-Tails is in the hands of Takigakure.

Gathering all the tailed beasts is inseparable from Takigakure. In fact, as the weakest link, Takigakure should be the easiest to deal with compared to the other four great ninja villages.

"..."

The old leader of Takigakure Village kept his head down and remained silent.

It seems they intend to protest Konoha's domineering attitude with this silent stance.

"The tea... will be finished soon." Zongxian picked up the teacup. "I will take my leave after I finish this cup of tea. If you intend to remain silent, Lord Shiraishi, you are welcome to do so. Just take it as a refusal of my request. I will send someone to visit you again after the Chunin Exams."

Having said that,

The old man helplessly raised his head, his face filled with deep pain and despair, and pleaded in a low voice, "Lord Hokage, can't you really make an exception? The Seven-Tails was given to our Takigakure by the First Hokage!"

Takigakure Village is undoubtedly lucky.

Compared to smaller villages like Amegakure, Kusagakure, Yugakure, and Shimogakure, Takigakure was fortunate enough to avoid being drawn into the various Shinobi World Wars. Instead, like the Land of Iron where samurai gathered, it maintained neutrality and comfortably enjoyed over sixty years of peace.

This is certainly due to its advantageous geographical location, unlike Amegakure and Yugakure which are situated between major powers. However, as the only village outside the Five Great Ninja Villages to possess a Tailed Beast, the Seven-Tails is also one of the important guarantees for Takigakure's peaceful and prosperous era.

I don't want to say the same thing a third time.

Zongxian, too lazy to waste words, drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, stood up and walked out.

"Wait, please wait a moment, we...we are willing to return the Seven-Tails." When Zai Zongxian reached the door, the old man finally couldn't bear the invisible pressure on his shoulders. The fighting strength of Takigakure, which had enjoyed sixty years of peace, had inevitably declined. Not to mention fighting against a behemoth like Konoha, without the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, they probably couldn't even defeat Kusagakure.

Rather than letting the Konoha ninjas come knocking on our door and forcibly take away the Seven-Tails,

It's better to agree now and avoid causing disaster for the village...

As for what to do after losing the Seven-Tailed Village, let's get through this crisis first and then think about it later!

"That's more like it!"

Zongxian turned around, smiling as he helped the old man up. "You don't need to think this is specifically targeting your Takigakure Village. It's okay to tell you now. It's not just the Seven-Tails; I plan to collect all the tailed beasts together."

"..."

The old man was stunned.

This... what a joke? Collect all the tailed beasts? Are they preparing to declare war on the four great ninja villages at the same time? Could it be that the Fourth Shinobi World War is about to begin? As if thinking of that terrifying future, the old man couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, and his breathing became rapid.

Regardless of what the old man thought, the matter was settled. Zongxian acted swiftly and decisively, immediately ordering Bai and the old man's confidants to set off together to Takigakure to bring the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki back to Konoha. If all went well, they could return to the village before the Chunin Exams finals began.

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.

at the same time,

In the northern part of the land of fields, in that still frozen, snowy landscape, new guests have arrived.

"The Yuki clan's ice-style techniques?"

Madara Uchiha stood on the ice, looking around at the magnificent scenery created by human hands. A look of admiration appeared in his eyes. "Very good. Such a level of ice release technique... Back then, no one in the Yuki clan could compare to it."

"Is this... a stone?"

Obito Uchiha broke free of his light purple Rinnegan and stared at the pitch-black stone frozen in ice. He recognized its true form: "Lava rock cooled by high temperature? And there's still residual chakra... So the one fighting Haku here is the Four-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"That should be it."

Black Zetsu responded.

His eyes darted around, and I wondered what mischief he was plotting.

The reason they were here was that White Zetsu, who was lurking in the Land of Rice Fields, discovered the battlefield ruins of White and Old Purple and passed the news to Black Zetsu. Obito Uchiha, who had been working in seclusion for a while, was feeling restless and came to investigate the situation.

"But why did Haku capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki? And even if Haku survived, shouldn't he be a prisoner of Konoha now?" Obito Uchiha frowned behind his mask. "There shouldn't be another member of the Yuki clan who has awakened Ice Release in the ninja world right now, right?"

"I think it's very likely that Haku has already been recruited by Uchiha Mugen."

Black Zetsu said something.

Unfortunately, it's really difficult to infiltrate Konoha now. The defenses are so tight that there's no room to slip through. The White Zetsu can only wander around the outskirts of Konoha or some unimportant places. The information they gather is very limited, and they don't know what happened to the White Zetsu after they were captured.

Without concrete information, we can only rely on speculation.

To be fair, Black Zetsu's speculation wasn't entirely baseless. Based on the information already gathered, it's known that Orochimaru has been resurrected. Given Orochimaru's shamelessness and nature, there's a good chance he'll return to Konoha's embrace. Furthermore, Uchiha Sogen has a precedent of imprisoning Sasori of the Red Sand, so Orochimaru is likely still alive. And since Haku and the others are loyal to Orochimaru, it's only natural that they would follow him to Konoha.

"So, the one who really had his eye on the Four-Tails Jinchuriki was that bastard Uchiha Sogen?"

Obito Uchiha's brows furrowed even more deeply beneath his mask.

"That should be it."

Black Zetsu gave a low reply, and his expression at that moment... well, how should I put it?

It's a subtle situation. Unlike Obito Uchiha, there's no trouble. Instead, there's a hint of joy. Sogen Uchiha is also capturing tailed beasts... Perhaps, like Madara, he's been fooled by the altered contents of the stone tablet. If that's the case, should we sit back and watch Sogen Uchiha act freely, or should we continue our actions?

For a time,

I'm caught in a strange mix of happiness and trouble.

"Ban, what do you plan to do?"

Obito Uchiha looked at his ancestor.

"Never mind him, whatever that brat does, even if he does collect the tailed beasts, it won't be easy. This four-tailed jinchuriki was a rogue ninja from Iwagakure, which is why he was easily captured. The other jinchuriki are still tied to their respective villages, so collecting those tailed beasts won't be so easy."

Madara Uchiha remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic or unease.

He turned his head and stared at Uchiha Obito.

"Also, you don't need to think about so much right now. Just focus on studying the power of heretics. I'll take care of the rest."

To be honest,

During this time, he was indeed worried about what Uchiha Sogen was trying to do. That brat had awakened the Rinnegan so early and even stole the Gedo Mazo... Heaven knows what kind of scheme that brat was plotting. Fortunately, what he saw and heard today put his mind at ease.

His feelings at this moment were remarkably similar to those of Black Zetsu.

Of course, the reasons vary.

Black Zetsu believed that even if Madara and Obito failed, there was still hope of reviving their mother.

Madara Uchiha couldn't help but wonder if Sogen Uchiha was also a kindred spirit? Did he also intend to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan like himself? This made him feel a little complicated. On one hand, he felt that this was good, as it proved that he was not the only one who was obsessed with the Eye of the Moon Plan. On the other hand, he was unwilling to just stand by and watch. He still hoped to create the permanent "peace" in the illusion with his own hands.

Then we can prove to that idiot Hashirama that we were right!

"Humph!"

Obito Uchiha stood in the icy snow with a gloomy face, coldly watching everything. He was filled with mixed feelings and a complex emotion that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He was unwilling to become a stepping stone for Madara Uchiha, even though he was Madara's chosen assistant from the very beginning.

He hoped to create that beautiful world with Lin by his own hands.

but--

This cruel world remains as unsatisfactory as ever. His small idea has gradually become an unattainable luxury. It's all because of that bastard Uchiha Sogen, who has destroyed his plans step by step. Now... it seems that he can no longer create that beautiful new world on his own.

What he found even more unacceptable was that Uchiha Sogen seemed to be planning to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan as well.

He couldn't accept it.