Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The two teams are roughly the same length.

Thanks to the fact that the roads in the Land of Fire were well-maintained, wide and spacious, the two groups did not feel crowded as they traveled in the same direction.

but--

The atmosphere is terrible!

Especially the Cloud Village team, the Cloud Ninja were all filled with murderous intent. If it weren't for the Fourth Raikage A suppressing them, the two teams would probably have started fighting as soon as they met. Fortunately, A was clear-headed and realized that now was not the time to take revenge on those shameless Iwa Ninja.

Fighting outside Konoha Village, even if you win, is not a good thing.

That brat Uchiha Sogen... he's not someone to mess with.

The Cloud Ninja refrained from making a move, and Onoki wouldn't deliberately provoke these brainless Cloud Ninja at this moment. If he were to fight the Cloud Ninja here... he'd probably make the Konoha Ninja, Sand Ninja, and Mist Ninja laugh to death. He didn't want to make himself or the Iwa Ninja a laughing stock to amuse others.

but,

Thinking back to those awful Chunin Exams,

Onoki's mood kept plummeting; it was just too awful.

None of those good-for-nothings made it to the finals. He could already imagine how that dark-skinned brat in the cage next to him would mock him when the Chunin Exams finals started... Maybe he should just have a match here first?

This idea was fleeting.

He extinguished it directly.

Ultimately, they couldn't bring themselves to do something that would harm the village's interests for personal reasons; the village's interests... are above all else.

"Kurotsuchi, speed up! Don't let those guys get ahead of us." Onoki lifted a corner of the curtain and saw the gate of Konoha Village not far away. He immediately gave the order, intending to get into Konoha before the Cloud Ninja.

However, just as the Iwa ninja team began to accelerate,

The Cloud Ninja have also sped up their pace.

Clearly, A shared the same thought and didn't want to be outmaneuvered by those shameless Iwa ninjas.

The two teams seemed to be racing, neither giving way to the other. If it weren't for maintaining their composure, the Cloud Ninja and Rock Ninja leading the way would have already taken off running. But they didn't dare to run, so they could only walk briskly like this... But the problem was that walking so briskly didn't create any gap between them.

So much so that in the end, the Iwa ninja and the Kumo ninja teams passed through the main gate of Konoha side by side.

If it's still about the same, it's fortunate that Konoha's main gate is built tall and wide enough that it doesn't become a laughing stock where no one can get in due to overcrowding at the entrance... Of course, the fact that these two teams seem to be racing is already quite amusing.

The villagers and ninjas who had gathered to watch the spectacle were abuzz with discussion.

Perhaps realizing that this was really inappropriate, both teams slowed down their pace without prior arrangement... In the end, they still walked side by side. Fortunately, the road through Konoha was wide enough, and the teams from Kirigakure and Sunagakure had already passed ahead. The idle people on the road stood obediently on both sides to watch the show, without affecting the progress of the two teams.

Although the appearance of the Iwa ninja and Kumo ninja was somewhat unexpected,

But no matter what

The five Kage are now all gathered in Konoha Village.

[460. Nothing tonight]

As the title suggests, I'm in a bad mood and can't write...

"Saving the Uchiha Starts with Becoming the Clan Chief" will end tonight.

[Chapter 461 Wind Shadow and Water Shadow]

It has been more than 30 years since the construction of the Konoha Grand Arena. It was built during the height of Hiruzen Sarutobi's glory. At that time, the First Shinobi World War had ended long ago, and the Second Shinobi World War had not yet begun. Hiruzen Sarutobi, in his prime, was still the 'Shinobi Hero' who was famous throughout the shinobi world. That period can almost be considered the best time of Hiruzen Sarutobi's reign.

At that time, Konoha's economy was booming, and its culture and entertainment had also developed to an unprecedented level.

This grand arena came into being at that time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi invited daimyo and nobles from various countries to Konoha to watch the matches of Konoha's genin, showcasing Konoha's strength in a less cruel and dangerous way. Many people knew that Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were given the title of the Legendary Sannin when they fought against the 'demigod' Hanzo of the Salamander on the battlefield of the Land of Rain, thus making their mark in the ninja world.

but,

This grand arena was the stage where Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade first rose to fame.

Back then, as teenagers, they brazenly trampled all their opponents underfoot here, using overwhelming power to proclaim Konoha's prosperity to the outside world.

Over the years,

Newcomers have been constantly stepping onto this stage to flaunt their power, and now, another batch of newcomers is about to take the stage.

"Is the first match a clash between Sunagakure and Kirigakure? This Sixth Hokage's style is completely different from the Third and Fifth Hokage! I remember that even if the first match wasn't an internal battle between Konoha ninjas, one side would definitely be a Konoha ninja, and the final winner would always be Konoha."

An elderly nobleman, sitting in the VIP section, was making a great deal of noise, commenting on the various Hokage of Konoha. "This Sixth Hokage is truly impressive! He's much more interesting than those two old men, the Third and Fifth Hokage."

"Ahem! Sir, keep your voice down, keep your voice down! You can't just say things like that!"

The old man had the audacity to speak, but the group of minor nobles surrounding him were too scared to listen. They were terrified by his outrageous words and wished they could cover his mouth with their hands. In the old days of Konoha, such words would have been acceptable. Whether it was the Third Hokage or the Fifth Hokage, these two Hokage only cared about Konoha and did not like to interfere in the affairs of the nobles.

but,

This sixth generation leader doesn't seem to follow the rules very well.

They had no desire to attract the attention of the Sixth Hokage unless absolutely necessary.

"You..." The old nobleman glared helplessly at the group of cowardly fellows around him. "You bunch of good-for-nothings, the Sixth Hokage wasn't that narrow-minded... Never mind, never mind, you bunch of bastards are just a spoilsport."

Such liveliness was only a small part of the VIP section. Today, most of the nobles of the ninja world had gathered in the VIP section. Due to the lack of seats, the Konoha construction team had rushed to build two new watchtowers. Originally, the Great Arena only had three watchtowers serving as spectator seats.

However, this time the number of guests invited far exceeded that of previous years, and the original seating capacity was simply insufficient to accommodate so many spectators. We couldn't very well drive the villagers out just to entertain the nobles, could we?

Therefore,

An additional watchtower of the same specifications was built on each of the three existing watchtowers, large enough to accommodate all the arriving nobles and the villagers who managed to snag tickets.

"Here they come, here they come, the contestants are taking the stage."

"Where? Where? Let me see."

As soon as the young men and women stepped into the arena, it immediately triggered waves of excitement. The audience in the stands erupted with great enthusiasm, especially the villagers of Konoha, who craned their necks to look down, and many even took out binoculars to watch.

"Is that dark-skinned one a Cloud Ninja? He's really dark-skinned; it's the first time I've ever seen one like that."

"The fox spirit is here too... cough cough, no, that child's name is Naruto, right?"

"...Seven, eight, nine, ten, ten, haha, sixteen contestants, and we from Konoha have a full ten of them."

While the villagers of Konoha were gossiping, the daimyo and nobles sitting in the VIP seats stopped chatting and began to carefully examine the young men and women standing there. Unlike the Konoha villagers who were just there to watch the excitement and have fun, they had a clear purpose.

They would predict the future changes in the strength of various villages based on the process and results of the Chunin Exams finals, and thus adjust the targets for future missions. They were especially serious about the minor nobles, while the major nobles were somewhat indifferent.

However, this is a normal phenomenon.

When nobles from various countries entrust missions, they generally try to assign them to their own ninja villages. This is due to their status and position, and these nobles can afford the losses caused by the failure of ordinary missions. In fact, these nobles may even forge closer relationships with a ninja clan within a ninja village.

For example, the Hyuga clan of Konoha and the prestigious Taketori clan of the Land of Fire have an extremely close relationship, a friendship that has lasted since the Warring States period. One side provides military force and the other provides financial support. Their relationship is so good that the head of the Hyuga clan will personally visit the Taketori clan from time to time.

but,

There are only so many nobles, and not all nobles have the same deep-rooted foundation as the great nobles, not to mention the numerous merchants. The many small and medium-sized nobles and merchants have to think carefully before entrusting a mission to someone, because if they choose the wrong ninja village and the mission fails... some losses can be compensated, but not everything can be compensated.

For example, the task of protecting important people.

If the ninja village that accepts the request is unable to fulfill its duties, and the person dies, can they still be brought back to life?

so,

They need to use such occasions to judge the future rise and fall trends of each village, thereby helping them make the most accurate judgment possible.

"Just like the initial list, there's absolutely no sign of Iwa ninja!"

"The Third Tsuchikage is still not abdicating, it seems that the Iwa ninja really has no successor... The Sand ninja do have two, it seems that when we are active in places like the Land of Stone and the Land of Birds, we can consider asking the Sand ninja for help."

"Konoha is really getting more and more prosperous. Most of them are Konoha ninja, and there's that Sixth Hokage... If only we could establish a connection with the Uchiha clan."

Nobles, merchants... whispered and murmured among themselves, creating a somewhat furtive atmosphere in the VIP section, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere in the ordinary audience seats. Zongxian, sitting on the highest level of the central watchtower, found this quite interesting.

Nobles and commoners were truly separated in a clear-cut way!

"Zongxian, you're here!"

Uchiha Chihaya, who was standing behind the chair, said something.

Even without being reminded, Zongxian had already sensed the powerful aura approaching. He glanced to his left and saw a woman wearing a straw hat embroidered with the character "water," dressed in a white robe with a blue ninja outfit underneath, walking quickly toward them.

"Lord Shuiying, please forgive me for not greeting you sooner."

Zongxian greeted the arriving Fifth Mizukage with a smile. This Mizukage was no stranger to him; the two had interacted before, even when neither of them was yet a Kage. Although the Mizukage probably didn't feel as comfortable with him back then, they were now close allies.

"Lord Hokage, it's been a long time! You're still as dashing as ever!"

Mei Terumi gave a perfectly standard smile.

"Haha! You flatter me, you flatter me. The Mizukage is as beautiful as ever."

Zongxian responded with a smile.

"...These seats?" Mei Terumi remained unmoved by Sogen's emotionless flattery, her gaze falling on Sogen's sides. Looking around this floor, there were only five seats, five seemingly identical chairs lined up in a row. The Sixth Hokage was already seated in the middle seat, and the remaining four seats...it seemed to be reserved for the four Kage.

"Anything is fine, there are no strict rules."

Zongxian waved his hand and said frankly.

However, Mei Terumi frowned slightly, clearly not believing it at all. If there were no rules... why insist on occupying the very center seat? Wouldn't it be better to sit on the far right? Those who came later could simply sit in order.

Of course, he could think these things in his heart, but he couldn't say them out loud.

The Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Leaf Village are now close allies, so there is no need for her to stand up and find fault. On the contrary, unless there is a major event that will affect the safety of the Hidden Mist Village, she will firmly stand on the side of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"This is fine."

Mei Terumi sat down to the left of Sogen, while Mangetsu Hozuki and Ao, who no longer had Byakugan, stood behind her.

This leaves only the two seats on the right and the seat on the far left.

"Hokage-sama, besides the Chunin Exams, is there anything else at this meeting?" After sitting down, Mei Terumi skipped the meaningless pleasantries and nonsense and went straight to the point, clearly intending to try and get some information out of the other three Kage before they arrived, so she would have a better understanding of the situation.

"Indeed, there is something you need to say... However, Lord Mizukage, there is no need to rush. There will be plenty of time to talk later."

Sogen understood what Terumi Mei meant; it seemed that the other party was preparing to cheer for him... However, he knew very well that this would only happen if it did not affect the interests of Kirigakure. Once the gains and losses of Kirigakure were involved, it would definitely be a different story.

As for collecting the tailed beasts...

He wasn't sure what the Mist Ninja's attitude would be.