Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Rather than letting Uchiha Sogen carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan, it would be better to have Madara do it... This thought uncontrollably surfaced in his mind. Although, in theory, the Eye of the Moon Plan shouldn't differ based on who carries it out, but...

He simply refused to let that bastard Uchiha Sogen succeed!

"spot······"

Obito Uchiha took a deep breath of the cold air and said in a deep voice, "I have gained some insights into the study of the Outer Path these past two days, and I think... perhaps I can give it a try."

[Chapter 458. The Day Before the Final]

"Everything is perfectly fine now, let's call it a day!"

"Huh? It's not even noon yet?"

Naruto looked up in confusion. The sky was overcast and the sun was nowhere to be seen, but based on the not-so-strong feeling of hunger in his stomach, he could roughly judge the time. He estimated it was around eleven o'clock. According to past experience, his stomach should start to rumble in a little while.

"The final is tomorrow."

Jiraiya reached out and patted Naruto's head.

"There's no need to stay up until tonight. With your current level, as long as you don't let your guard down, that Mist Ninja will be no match for you. Besides, you've been training for so many days, it's time to take a breather! Don't keep your mind too tense, proper relaxation is necessary. Besides, I'm tired even if you're not!"

Since the end of the qualifiers,

The contestants who secured their tickets to the finals all started their own special training programs, and the three members of Team 7 were no exception. Interestingly, none of them were actually training under Kakashi Hatake, a Jonin. Naruto was receiving special training from Jiraiya, Sasuke was training with his older brother Itachi Uchiha, and even Sakura had Utama, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki from Kirigakure, as her teacher.

Kakashi Hatake, the Jonin instructor, was actually quite relaxed and had nothing to do.

For nearly a month, Naruto underwent intensive training under Jiraiya's guidance. To be honest, Jiraiya had already taught Naruto almost everything he could over the years. Apart from his last trump card, which he felt was too early to pass on to Naruto, there was nothing else he could teach him.

The so-called intensive training refers to his personal participation in one-on-one sparring sessions with Naruto.

"All right!"

Naruto followed Jiraiya's advice.

Jiraiya breathed a huge sigh of relief.

It has to be said that training with Naruto is really not easy. Naruto's chakra is unfathomable, and he doesn't waste it by creating hundreds or thousands of shadow clones at the drop of a hat. His stamina is so strong that he seems to know no fatigue. Furthermore, Naruto's strength has already undergone a complete transformation, so sparring with Naruto is quite stressful.

Looking back on the past twenty-odd days, Jiraiya held his forehead and let out a deep breath.

It's finally over.

He would never do such a chore again, no matter what. Once he passes on his secret techniques to Naruto, he can finally relax, leave the village, and go off to collect folk materials at his own pace.

"Let's go! Let's get something good to eat today, and stop talking about ramen to me."

"What to eat?"

"Let's go eat eel! Replenish our energy, and then we can relax properly." Jiraiya's face showed an extremely smug smile, which made Naruto scratch his head helplessly, sigh inwardly, and wonder if he should practice some more after eating.

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.

"Clang!"

The blades clashed in mid-air, producing a crisp clang.

Sasuke staggered a couple of steps after passing his older brother, his legs buckling and he almost collapsed.

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

Itachi quickly turned around and helped Sasuke up.

"That's enough for today! Tomorrow is the final, and overworking yourself will only make things worse."

"I...I...huff...I can still do it."

Sasuke was panting heavily, not wanting to stop just like that.

“No, continuing to train will only do you harm.” This time, Itachi resolutely rejected Sasuke’s request. “I know you want to further master the nature transformation of Lightning Release before the finals, but this is not something you can achieve by torturing yourself. Your body is already close to its limit. If you continue to push yourself, you will miss tomorrow’s finals.”

Having said that,

Sasuke finally stopped struggling, but clenched his fists with some resentment.

He was almost there. He could already sense the existence of that barrier. If he could break through that barrier and significantly improve his understanding of the nature transformation of Lightning Release, his mastery of Lightning Release would reach a new level, and he would be more confident in the upcoming finals.

after all,

His opponent was Hyuga Neji.

The most dazzling genius of the Hyuga branch family.

The Hyuga clan's Byakugan and Gentle Fist techniques are not easy to deal with. Even someone as confident as Sasuke doesn't think he can gain any advantage in close combat. Furthermore, genjutsu is not very useful against the Hyuga clan unless there is a huge difference in strength between the two sides. Otherwise, don't expect to take down a Hyuga clan member with genjutsu.

Therefore,

To defeat Hyuga Neji,

They could only pin their hopes on ninjutsu.

Sasuke's forte is Fire Release and Lightning Release. Fire Release is the Uchiha clan's signature technique, and he has reached a bottleneck in his training that makes it difficult to make further progress. Unless he can further develop his Sharingan with two tomoe, he will not be able to continue his studies for the time being, so he can only focus on Lightning Release.

He was born with both fire and lightning chakra natures.

Like fire jutsu, lightning jutsu has its own inherent advantages.

"I understand." Sasuke caught his breath and said slowly, "That's enough for today! Big brother, you don't need to help me, I can stand on my own."

Upon hearing this, Itachi slowly released his grip.

Seeing that Sasuke was indeed walking without any problems, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, after staring at Sasuke for two seconds, he still said, "Sasuke, how about... going to the hospital? Let Izumi use Healing Jutsu to heal the accumulated damage. You've been using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate your cells lately..."

Using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate cells can enhance one's speed, strength, and even physical defense. The Cloud Village's [Lightning Release Chakra Mode] was developed based on this characteristic of Lightning Release chakra. However, every advantage has its disadvantages.

If this method is used well, everything will be fine, but if it goes wrong, it can cause big problems.

"······good."

Sasuke nodded reluctantly. If it weren't for the thought of going to the hospital so his older brother could meet with Izumi, he wouldn't want to go to the hospital at all!

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.

Konoha Village

At a training ground near the Fog Shadow Embassy.

Sakura was engrossed in practicing her Bubble Technique, completely absorbed in the moment. Even the clattering matches between Hozuki Suigetsu and Shimizu Mikan beside her couldn't distract her for a second. Her focused attention made Bubble, standing under a tree at the sidelines, nod in satisfaction, a smug smile on her lips.

Is this really a good idea?

Hozuki Mangetsu leaned lazily against a tree. "Hozuki, a lot of people in the embassy are having objections to what you're doing! If it were done secretly like before, that would be one thing, but to so openly instruct a Konoha genin like this makes everyone think you're aiding the enemy, planning to betray the village and join Konoha's side..."

"To forge an alliance with Konoha, isn't this a joint instruction from the Mizukage and Master Yuan? I am doing this to carry out the will of the Mizukage and Master Yuan."

"Foam said without turning his head."

"Hehe, that's true, but... we and Konoha are ultimately two separate families. It doesn't matter now in Konoha, but when we go back to the village, people might bring up old grievances!" Hozuki Mangetsu kindly reminded Hozuki.

"go back?"

Bubble sneered, "Can I really go back? I'm a hostage sent to Konoha by the village. When do you think I can go back? As long as Konoha continues to prosper, I think I'll probably have to stay in Konoha permanently."

"That makes sense."

Hozuki Mangetsu scratched his head.

It must be admitted that the idea of ​​a bubble is very likely to become a reality in the future.

As long as Konoha continues to prosper, even if Kirigakure emerges from its low point... they will still have to look up to the current Konoha, which is at its zenith. Whether Uta, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki who is being held hostage, can return to Konoha is not something that Kirigakure can decide on their own.

"Sigh! Forget it, let's not talk about this nonsense." Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head vigorously, swatting away a large puddle of water, and changed the subject, saying, "The finals are tomorrow, the Mizukage should be on his way right now, I wonder where he is."

The four great figures—the Mizukage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage—have not yet arrived in Konoha. Only the leaders of the smaller ninja villages have all arrived.

"According to the rules, the Mizukage should arrive early tomorrow morning and will likely rest in some town outside Konoha tonight."

In the past, there have been instances where major ninja villages in the ninja world jointly held the Chunin Exams. Although in the past, it was usually just two major ninja villages leading a dozen smaller ninja villages, some rules seemed to be applicable. For example, the Kage would arrive at the village where the Chunin Exams were being held on the day of the finals, rather than arriving a day in advance.

This was done not only to highlight 'Shadow's' extraordinary status.

At the same time, it is also to ensure the safety of both parties as much as possible.

Just like this Chunin Exam, Konoha isn't entirely trustworthy for the Mizukage and others. What if they come to Konoha early and get tricked by them? Conversely, the organizers might worry that the visiting Kage might cause trouble in their own village. This isn't like holding the Five Kage Summit in a neutral country.

The Second Hokage and the Second Raikage are the most typical examples.

Although not the Chunin Exams, they were similar in nature. To show his sincerity, the Second Hokage personally went to Kumogakure to sign an alliance agreement with the Second Raikage. However, the Ginkaku and Kinkaku brothers seized upon this, resulting in the Second Raikage's immediate death, and the Second Hokage also passing away shortly afterward…

Having learned such a painful lesson, everyone became even more cautious.

To put everyone at ease, the invited film crew members would usually arrive an hour or two before the start of the finals to scout the location, and then leave as quickly as possible after the finals ended, thus minimizing the possibility of any unexpected events.

"Speaking of which... Bubble, do you really think that Konoha is holding this Chunin Exam just for Chunin Exams? Tomorrow... could something unexpected happen? I have a feeling that the Sixth Hokage has a different plan!" Hozuki Mangetsu's mind was racing, and he quietly brought up this topic that had been discussed countless times.

"do not know."

The foam replied stiffly.

He turned his head and glanced at Hozuki Mangetsu. "Regardless of Konoha's other plans, what can we do besides accept our fate? Even if Konoha has its eye on the Six-Tails inside me, what can we do but hand it over obediently? Mangetsu, stop thinking about it. It's no use no matter how much you think about it."

"Hey! Bubble, don't be so pessimistic! Although Konoha is ridiculously strong right now, as long as the Sixth Hokage doesn't personally take action, we can still put up a fight!" Hozuki Mangetsu muttered to himself, but Bubble was too lazy to say anything more.

There's no point in talking about these things.

Whether Konoha has ulterior motives for holding this Chunin Exams will be fully revealed tomorrow.

"...Sigh! What exactly is the Sixth Hokage planning to do?"

Even when the bubble ignored him, Hozuki Mangetsu kept pondering.

"Clap!"

Foam gently clapped her hands. "Sakura, you can rest now. Don't stay up until tonight. You should conserve your energy to prepare for tomorrow's final."

"Yes."

Sakura agreed, snapping out of her dazed state.

beside,

Hozuki Suigetsu, who was locked in combat with Shimizu Mikan, shouted upon seeing this, "Hey, bro, can I take a break now?"

"No."

Hozuki Mangetsu, whose train of thought had been interrupted, vehemently denied it.