Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The moment Obito Uchiha put on the mask and agreed to walk on the ground in place of Madara Uchiha...

With Zetsu's help, Madara Uchiha cleaned up all the traces he left in Kirigakure and then decisively abandoned Kirigakure as a pawn. However, Obito Uchiha's resentment towards the Kirigakure ninja was hard to let go, so he came to Kirigakure and took over Madara Uchiha's job to continue tormenting the Kirigakure ninja.

Therefore,

Since Obito Uchiha has made up his mind, let him do it.

After all, he is now merely the embodiment of Madara Uchiha's will, an assistant rather than a commander. Offering advice is sufficient; doing anything more would be inconsistent with his role.

at this time,

A white Zetsu peeked out from the rooftop, grinning and shouting, "Obito, they're coming! The guest you've been waiting for is about to arrive!"

In order to accurately track Uchiha Sogen's movements, Uchiha Obito mobilized a large number of White Zetsu to monitor the army departing from Konoha. With these informants who could blend into the grass and trees, he was able to arrange such a good show at just the right time.

At an opportune moment, they launched a surprise attack on the command center of the border defense forces, which already possessed specific intelligence. Coincidentally, several patrol squads of ninja escaped during the operation, and these Konoha ninjas eventually encountered Uchiha Mugen, who was on his way to the front lines.

All of this,

All of this was an arrangement made to lure Uchiha Sogen to his arrival!

Strictly speaking, such a plan is not particularly clever. Too many coincidences are bound to arouse suspicion. However, Obito Uchiha is not afraid of having his flaws exposed. This is an open scheme, unless Sogen Uchiha can completely disregard the safety of the command center of the border guard force located in the Black Tide Mountain.

otherwise,

They'll inevitably have to come and scout out the situation.

Moreover, given that the longer the time drags on, the greater the possibility that the command center of the border defense forces will encounter misfortune, Uchiha Munegen also does not have time to gather enough manpower to act together!

"So you've finally arrived? You're pretty quick!" Obito Uchiha raised his head, squinted his one eye, and peered into the distance. He saw Uchiha Sogen walking unhurriedly down the flat, gentle slope in front of the castle. His crimson armor and black battle suit made Obito's half-disfigured face under his mask reveal a rather strange expression.

If I remember correctly,

Madara Uchiha also had such an outfit, and in addition, he left behind many of the weapons he used, such as scythes and fans.

"Interesting! Is this an imitation of Madara?" Obito Uchiha let out a hoarse, low laugh, the single eye behind the mask gleaming with an eerie crimson light. "But... let me see! Sogen Uchiha, do you have Madara's power?"

Before the words were finished,

His body vanished into the void as if he had never existed. As for the pitcher plant-shaped Zetsu beside him, he had used the 'Mayfly Technique' to escape even earlier than Obito Uchiha. At this moment, he was probably hiding in some corner, waiting to watch the show!

Inside the castle,

The Fourth Mizukage, who was carrying a corpse, suddenly stopped. He dropped the corpse as if it were trash and looked up in the direction of the castle's main gate.

"Prepare to meet the enemy!"

"A new prey has arrived!"

The order has been issued.

Upon hearing the commotion, the remaining fourteen members of the Shadow Guard immediately sprang into action.

The Fourth Mizukage's Shadow Guard originally consisted of twenty men, but they encountered extremely fierce resistance when attacking the castle. Even with the Fourth Mizukage personally leading the charge, losses could not be avoided. Six elite Jonin, who would unconditionally obey the Mizukage's orders, were taken down by the desperate Konoha ninja in a suicide attack.

This loss,

To be honest, it's enough to make any movie star feel the pinch.

However, the Fourth Mizukage was now powerless to control his own destiny, with his life in the hands of others. He had no time to care about the fate of his Shadow Guard. To be precise, the Fourth Mizukage, who was deeply trapped in Obito Uchiha's genjutsu, had no idea that six of his trusted men, whom he had painstakingly cultivated, had been lost.

Led by the ruthless Fourth Mizukage, who was as cold as an iceberg, the group quickly arrived at the main gate of the castle and saw Uchiha Sogen standing outside the gate.

[Chapter 91. The Black Box on Yagura's Body (Thanks to Qingheyue_ for the generous donation!)]

This is a trap.

Based on his memories and a comprehensive assessment of the current situation, Zongxian concluded that Mount Kuroshio was a trap. Perhaps when he rescued Uchiha Akifusa and the others, the command center of Mount Kuroshio had already been wiped out by Uchiha Obito.

If we cannot break the eye technique of the 'Kamui' Mangekyou Sharingan.

In the current ninja world, according to Sogen, Obito Uchiha is almost invincible in a one-on-one fight, or at least undefeated.

With only the limited manpower of the border guard forces at the Kuroshio Mountain command center, Zongxian doubted that even if they exerted all their strength, they might not be able to tear even a single sleeve of Uchiha Obito's clothes.

but--

"So they've come after all!"

Standing in front of the main gate of Kuroshio Castle,

Zongxian looked up at the ancient castle, which had a history of nearly a hundred years. It was said to have been built by the daimyo of a small country during the Warring States period, who poured all the resources of his country into its construction. The castle's original owners were wiped out by Sarutobi Sasuke, along with the three ninja clans and the country that served this small nation, when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha joined forces to sweep away the ninja world and end the Warring States period.

To be honest, seeing Sarutobi Sasuke's name in the documents made Sogen feel quite strange. The brilliance of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha was so dazzling that it made the strong people of their era pale in comparison.

Later, when the Land of Fire and Konoha were established, during the Second Hokage's era, this abandoned castle was reused by Konoha's ninjas as one of the bases for the eastern border defense forces.

then,

It was breached once again today.

The blood of the corpses piled up at the entrance flowed into a small, crimson river, staining the ground in front of the main gate red, and then meandered down the gentle slope.

"Tsk! I knew I was late."

Such a tragic scene... When Zongxian saw the vultures circling overhead at the foot of the mountain, he was already mentally prepared. However, when he saw the situation with his own eyes, he was still a little disappointed. The command center of the eastern border defense forces had been wiped out. He would probably have a hard time just reorganizing the defense line that relied on the long coastline.

"You're really asking for trouble!"

Zongxian was in a very bad mood, and his gaze shifted to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, who had come into view.

this,

They are not strangers.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Yagura Karatachi, who was not yet the Fourth Mizukage, was already one of the high-ranking commanders on the Kirigakure front. At that time, Yagura Karatachi was not yet a Jinchuriki, but that did not affect his strength. Relying on his superb Water Release techniques and a unique technique called "Coral Palm" that originated from Kirigakure's research and development of the Three-Tails, he made the Konoha ninja suffer a lot.

Kujira Shikura was the most troublesome Mist Ninja shinobi in Konoha at the time.

none of them.

At that time, Sogen, who had recently acquired the name "Flame Demon," teamed up with Shisui, who had also just risen to fame with "Shunshin," and fought a fierce battle against Yagura Karatachi. In the end, Sogen and Shisui escaped unscathed.

If we join forces and still can't win, it's the same as losing!

Beneath that childlike, delicate, and adorable appearance lies the heart of a true strongman.

"Long time no see! Yagura Karatachi, or should I call you Mizukage?"

"Uchiha... Sogen?"

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, looked at Sogen in his red armor and black clothes, and his gaze subtly shifted as if he were recalling something.

This is certainly not to say that Sogen and Yagura Karatachi have any unspeakable past!

Instead, the battle had already begun silently.

Zongxian's eyes turned crimson, and the three black tomoe swirled. Just as he was speaking, he activated an illusion, projecting his eye power onto Kujira Shikura. As expected, he encountered the black box, and his probing eye power was swallowed up by the deep, bottomless abyss.

"sharp!!!"

Zongxian gave a heartfelt compliment.

Putting aside his character and other such things for the moment, and just talking about his talent, Zongxian had to admit that Uchiha Obito was truly a monster. When he was a teenager, he manipulated the Nine-Tails as easily as playing with his own pet, and even the Fourth Mizukage became a large puppet in his hands.

This mastery of illusion magic has truly reached a terrifying level.

Before Zongxian could change his methods,

He noticed a slight tremor in the ground beneath his feet and instinctively shifted his position, narrowly avoiding the attack aimed at his abdominal organs. A sharp blade from the ground grazed his right rib, but his crimson armor withstood the passing wind-swept blade, failing to even leave a mark on Zongxian's armor. The sheer sturdiness of the armor caused a hint of confusion to appear on the face beneath the mask of the ninja who had drawn the sword.

As the best swordsman among the Fourth Mizukage's Shadow Guard, he once cleaved through his colleague's Water Dragon Bullet Technique with a single slash, and even split a huge boulder in two with a single blow. But now, his blade was blocked by armor that was not even as thick as a thumb.

This left him feeling deeply puzzled.

but,

He didn't dwell on this confusion for long; he hadn't forgotten that they were still in the middle of a battle!

The longsword in his right hand had been used up, and it would be too wasteful to sheathe it and attack again. So he swung his left arm and the kunai slipped out of his sleeve. He grabbed it, wrapped it with a wind blade, and threw it toward Zongxian's face. The failure of his right-hand attack made him realize that Zongxian's armor seemed to have amazing defensive capabilities.

to this end,

He abandoned the larger chest area and chose to attack the unprotected face.

Moreover, he was not fighting alone.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear".

The ground behind Zongxian swayed gently up and down like a carpet, and rock spears rose up one after another, piercing towards Zongxian's feet. At the same time, attacks came from the left and right simultaneously. This time, at least it wasn't a wind-style or earth-style technique.

Instead, it's the Water Release technique that the Mist Ninja are best at.

"Water Escape: Water Whip".

Two Mist Ninja wielded long whips powerful enough to shatter rocks, lashing out at Sogen.

To deal with an Uchiha who has awakened his Sharingan, it takes at least two people of similar skill working together—this is an ironclad rule in Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, and the members of the Shadow Guard, who are seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience, naturally keep it in mind.

Therefore,

In order to capture Uchiha Mugen as safely as possible,

They even chose to have four people act at the same time.

It turns out that

Their caution and prudence are absolutely necessary.

Although their caution did not change their ultimate fate, the huge gap could not be easily bridged by being careful.

Zongxian looked down at the kunai that was being thrown at him, formed a 'Tiger' hand seal with his left hand, and gently spat it out.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

A powerful fireball at close range not only knocked away and burned the kunai red-hot, but the huge fireball also burned the person and the blood-stained land when it hit the ground, leaving a deep, irregular circular crater.

"The first one."

Zongxian counted softly.

Having dealt with the Mist Ninja who was still trying to cause him trouble, he stomped his feet and leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack from the sprawling rock spear pillars behind him. In mid-air, he glanced at the Mist Ninja who was using Earth Release.

of course,

His troubles are not over yet.