Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Nara Shikaku nodded and said, "The envoys from Kirigakure are causing trouble again, shouting that we must give them an explanation today, or else war will be the only thing waiting for us."

Akimichi Torifu frowned. He wasn't there to enjoy peace and quiet as the acting Hokage. Not to mention the internal conflicts and disputes within the village, there was also the threat of war from the Kirigakure.

That's how it is right now.

The Mist Ninja envoys remaining in the village issued a threat of war!

"When the Third Shinobi World War ended, I opposed Sarutobi's decision to waive war reparations. Those ungrateful wretches won't appreciate our mercy; they'll only think we're weak and easy to bully! Now even these sea bumpkins dare to come to Konoha and bark. Let's tell them, since they want war, then we'll give them war!!!"

Akimichi Torifu said with a murderous aura.

Despite his round appearance that gives him a kind and approachable impression, his personality is anything but gentle. Just like the Akimichi clan's fighting style of charging into battle, their clan's character is mostly brave and fearless.

only--

After making those harsh remarks, came the dilemma and inner conflict!

"The biggest problem now is where will the troops come from?"

Akimichi Torifu felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but furrow his brow deeply.

It's only been five or six years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War. To be honest, that's not enough time to generate enough new blood to replenish the losses from the war. Not to mention, the Nine-Tails' attack during that period not only killed the Fourth Hokage but also cost a significant number of ninjas their lives.

Konoha Village still faces a severe shortage of human resources!

After taking office, Akimichi Torifu's first task was to seize control of personnel. After taking stock, he discovered that as the acting Hokage, he could currently freely mobilize less than two thousand troops.

This doesn't mean that Konoha is so strapped for cash, but rather that Konoha has always maintained a large number of border defense troops. As a place of constant warfare, it needs to be wary of the Cloud Ninja in the northeast, the Iwa Ninja in the northwest, the Sand Ninja in the west, and a group of troops stationed along the eastern coast to guard against the Mist Ninja... This group of people can also be counted in the available forces.

In addition to preserving the village's defenses, Konoha was able to spare nearly two thousand troops, which shows how strong its resources were.

"Shikaku, gather all the clan leaders!"

Qiu Dao instructed Feng.

Without the support of the major clans in the village, this war with the Mist Ninja could not have started!

[Chapter 72. Losing on one front, gaining on another (Seeking votes! Seeking investment!)]

Konoha Police Department.

Minister's Office.

Zongxian took a deep breath and untied the sack in front of him.

Inside the sack was an unconscious man with short black hair, no eyebrows, a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, and red stripes painted on the lower half of his face... It was a face that felt familiar, like it had been seen somewhere before.

He rummaged through the memories in his mind.

I quickly remembered the man's name.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the master of the Executioner's Blade... I never expected it to be you." Zongxian chuckled softly, looking up at Uchiha Akitarou, who was covered in dust and looked weary. "Biwa Juzo, I never expected you to bring me such a gift, Akitarou."

"It can only be described as a coincidence!"

Uchiha Akitarou perked up and said respectfully, "When I found him, he was being chased by the Kirigakure ANBU. He killed the ANBU who was chasing him, but he was also seriously injured. I subdued him with genjutsu without much effort."

He knew that Zongxian possessed the great sword Samehada.

Thinking that Sogen really liked the ninja swords of the Mist Ninja, he simply brought back Juzo Biwa, sword and all, as a gift.

"I see. In that case, Akitaro, you're quite lucky."

"This is nothing. I failed to complete the task you entrusted to me. This is my incompetence!" Uchiha Akitarou lowered his head in deep shame. His pride did not allow him to make excuses for himself. A mission failure is a failure. Even capturing a single Juzo Biwa could not cover up his failure!

"Didn't the Country of Fields discover any trace of that snake?"

"I've traveled all over the Land of Rice Fields and found nothing suspicious. I've even tried to deliberately reveal my identity, but I haven't been able to catch any prey." Uchiha Akitarou was entrusted with a secret mission by Sogen to go to the Land of Rice Fields to find Orochimaru, the rogue ninja of Konoha.

Please don't misunderstand.

Zongxian wasn't very interested in Orochimaru's advanced technology. He had his own path to follow and didn't need to take any detours. What he valued was Orochimaru himself. He was a peerless sword used to kill his master. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was once the Hokage. If he died at the hands of the Uchiha, it would only bring endless trouble to the Uchiha.

to this end,

It's not surprising that they've set their sights on Orochimaru.

Whether it's using Kotoamatsukami to control Orochimaru or using a deal to manipulate him... as long as we can eventually get rid of Hiruzen Sarutobi, this persistent troublemaker, then either way is fine!

only--

"Was I too presumptuous after all?"

Zongxian sighed softly, not much disappointed.

He himself knew that this matter was very difficult from the beginning, but he just wanted to try his luck first. Now it seems that this attempt has failed. Orochimaru does not seem to be in the Land of Rice Fields. Does that mean that the Hidden Sound Village is still just a bubble that exists in the future?

"Akitaro, this isn't your fault. As I've already said, the information I received wasn't entirely accurate. Missions like this, like finding a needle in a haystack, are essentially a matter of luck. Besides, you haven't come away empty-handed, Juzo Biwa..."

Zongxian looked at the still unconscious Pipa Juzo in the sack, his mind racing with thoughts as fast as lightning, and a bold idea suddenly came to mind.

perhaps,

Loquat can also be put to use?

If I remember correctly, this guy was also a formidable assassin who tried to kill the Mizukage. In a way, he's a repeat offender. Since he's already assassinated the Mizukage, it's not surprising that he would try to assassinate the retired Hokage again... But speaking of which, why didn't the Akatsuki recruit him this time? Or were they held back by something?

Zongxian pinched his chin, lost in thought.

In fact, he was right; the Akatsuki organization was distracted by something else.

That's right,

It's all this mess in Konoha.

Compared to the insignificant Juzo Biwa, Obito Uchiha and Zetsu naturally focused their energy on Konoha and the Uchiha clan. Whether or not a small Juzo Biwa was recruited into Akatsuki was of little importance; a tool of that level was hardly valuable.

Anyway,

By a twist of fate, Juzo Biwa, who was supposed to join the Akatsuki organization, was captured by Akitarou Uchiha and brought back to Konoha as a gift.

"Akitaro, who knows that you brought this guy back to the village?" Sogen asked.

Uchiha Akitarou scratched his head and replied, "Because it was inconvenient to bring Biwa Juzo into the village, I contacted Arashiyama-nii. Arashiyama-nii led a group of people to escort me here. However, they only knew that I brought back one person and did not know Biwa Juzo's identity."

"As for the journey back... from the village entrance to the police station, I didn't notice any conspicuous figures along the way. However, the Hyuga clan's field of vision is too far, and the Yamanaka clan's sensory ninjutsu is also quite troublesome..."

"It's alright, as long as there is no overt contact between Pipa Juzo and my clan, that's enough."

Zongxian waved his hand.

Since Juzo Biwa was secretly sent into the village, his bold idea could indeed be tried. However, the problem is that compared to Orochimaru, Juzo Biwa, this tool, seems to be a bit weak. Don't underestimate Hiruzen Sarutobi just because he's an old man; he should still be able to beat up a guy like Juzo Biwa!

A dull knife is ineffective at killing.

We need to find a way to sharpen this dull knife.

"Akitaro, well done. Although we didn't find Orochimaru, I'll accept the gift of Pipa Juzo without hesitation. When you go out later, tell Arashiyama to keep the matter of the gift you brought to yourself and not to tell anyone."

Is this guy even useful?

Uchiha Akitarou became somewhat pleased.

"That's right, this guy might come in very handy."

Uchiha Akitaro left in a good mood. He didn't care what use Pipa Juzo was, as long as he didn't disappoint Sogen... who should be called the clan leader now. As long as he didn't disappoint the clan leader's expectations, that would be the highest praise for him!

Pipa Juzo was dragged out of the sack.

He's not in good condition.

He was first wounded in a battle with the Kirigakure Anbu, and then captured alive by Uchiha Akitarou. If he hadn't been thinking of bringing back a living gift, he might have cut off Biwa Juzo's head on the spot. Bringing back only the corpse and the Executioner's Blade would have been very convenient.

The bandage wrapped around Pipa Juzo's abdomen had a dark red hue, indicating that the wound had reopened!

His gaze shifted to the somewhat unnaturally twisted left arm, which appeared to be broken, along with several other minor wounds. There were no major problems, but it seemed rather troublesome. Zongxian sighed and tossed the still-sleepy, illusory Pipa Juzo onto the sofa.

then,

He began using medical ninjutsu to heal Biwa Juzo's wounds, while also pondering how to sharpen the sword to be sharp enough to cut off Hiruzen Sarutobi's head. After much thought, he realized there wasn't a good way; forcing growth is an extremely difficult task.

Taking it a step further after reaching a certain height is even more difficult.

Expecting that Juzo Biwa could become strong enough to overwhelm Hiruzen Sarutobi in a short period of time is unrealistic and nothing short of wishful thinking.

"This is a bit tricky!"

Zongxian set Biwa Juzo's broken bones. Seeing that Biwa Juzo was showing signs of regaining consciousness, he simply pried open the guy's eyelids and projected his pupil power into them, covering Uchiha Akitarou's genjutsu with a stronger genjutsu, causing Biwa Juzo to fall into a deeper illusion.

Unless you are a master of illusions stronger than Sogen, don't think you can easily wake up Hibiki Juzo.

at this time,

There was a knock on the door.

"Minister, it's the Hokage's messenger." A somewhat familiar voice came from outside the door.

"Is there a problem?"

After about two seconds of silence, another unfamiliar voice said, "Clan Head Uchiha, the Hokage has ordered me to invite you to the Hokage Building for an emergency meeting. This emergency meeting is being held because of the Hidden Mist Village, and we hope you can arrive at the venue as soon as possible."

"I understand. Please tell the Hokage that the Uchiha clan will not disappoint him."

"Yes!"

The messenger's presence vanished from the doorway.

Zongxian glanced at the unconscious Biwa Juzo with some regret. He had originally planned to spend the rest of his time figuring out how to make Biwa Juzo useful, but it seemed that this matter had to be postponed for the time being, as he couldn't disrespect the acting Hokage.

Furthermore, the Mist Ninja were mentioned.

He couldn't help but take it seriously.

He knew very well that the conflict between Konoha and Kirigakure was just a facade, and that Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu were the masterminds behind it all, manipulating everything from the shadows. Even if it was just to be wary of Obito Uchiha, this dangerous madman, he still had to be concerned about the situation in Kirigakure.

Speaking of,

There must be a lot of information about Kirigakure in Biwa Juzo's mind.

"Chihaya."

Zongxian called out.

In less than a second, his secretary, Uchiha Chihaya, used the Body Flicker Technique to burst into the office.

"Go find Arashiyama and have him come over."