Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

After dispelling the summoning jutsu, Samehada returned to the Konoha Police Department. Sogen had already instructed his subordinates to regularly take Samehada to the Konoha prison to 'feed'. Although the quality of chakra there was average, it was abundant and the supply was stable, which could effectively replenish Samehada's chakra consumption.

Samehada is not a tailed beast.

Its chakra is not self-generated, but plundered from the outside. If it only gives out and does not take in, even Samehada will be drained sooner or later.

"Yagura Karatachi!"

The backlight cast a shadow on the desolate land, enveloping Yagura Karatachi.

After being crushed by the massive, hill-like body of the Three-Tails, nothing remained. After reverting to its tailed beast form, Yagura Karatachi fell onto the desolate ground and remained unattended for a long time. Black Zetsu had only rescued Obito Uchiha and had no time to pay attention to a mere Three-Tails Jinchuriki and Fourth Mizukage.

Or rather,

Fearing the power of Sogen, they dared not come and take away Yagura Karatachi.

"The second trophy."

Zongxian reached out and picked up Yagura Karatachi, then walked quickly toward the direction of the Kuroshio Mountain Castle. To be honest, even he himself felt that the current situation was like a tangled mess, and he couldn't make sense of it. This war with the Mist Ninja felt like it had become extremely strange!

Before the ninja armies below could even engage in large-scale combat, their commanders-in-chief first started fighting each other.

To be reasonable,

With the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, who also served as the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails and a weapon of war in the Mist Village, falling into the hands of Sogen, the outcome of the war was no longer in doubt. The Mist Village could not possibly be a match for Konoha, but the war might not end just like that.

How to leverage the Yagura clan of the tachibana tree is not an area of ​​expertise for Sogen.

It was the work of his staff officers.

It doesn't make sense for him, as the head coach, to shoulder all the work while his subordinates are left idle and have nothing to do.

Therefore,

After a final search of the surrounding area to ensure nothing was missed, he headed to Black Tide Mountain Castle to rejoin his men. Judging by the time, the main force should be arriving soon. It was a troublesome situation; the entire command center of the eastern border defense forces had been wiped out, and that was a problem he needed to deal with…

Thinking about these troublesome matters, Zongxian couldn't help but feel a headache.

He returned along the same 'path' he had come from—the irregular path violently carved out during his fight with the half-tailed beast Yagura Karatachi—and returned to the old Kuroshio Mountain Castle. Unlike when he left, the Kuroshio Mountain Castle, which was originally deserted with only the dead and vultures, was now bustling with people and a lively atmosphere.

Looking around,

Konoha ninjas in green vests were everywhere. They cleared away the rubble from the collapsed main gate, collected the bodies of their fallen comrades from the border defense force, and placed them in a corner of the open space, covering them with white cloth, as if preparing to give them a collective burial at some time.

He also saw his only disciple sitting in the shade under a tree reading a book.

"Master!"

Kurama Yakumo felt the light dim in front of him, looked up from his book, and after seeing who was standing in front of him, he was first stunned, then a happy smile appeared on his face.

"Why are you sitting here reading? Where's the wisteria? Isn't it with you?"

Zongxian asked in a gentle voice.

"It's a bit stuffy in the room, so I came out for some fresh air. As for Fujika, she should have gone to the training ground to practice swordsmanship with Chihaya-neechan. She asked me to go with her, but I'm feeling a bit too tired today, so I didn't go!" Although she was still young, she spoke clearly and logically.

He answered Zongxian's questions one by one.

"Oh, I see! Don't worry, it won't be long before you can learn swordsmanship with Teng Hua. I'll personally teach you how to use your swords." Zong Xian rubbed the little girl's head. At that moment, he heard a noisy and hurried sound of footsteps. He turned his head and, as expected, saw a large group of people walking towards him.

Leading the way was Sogen's second-in-command, the deputy commander of this army of thousands of ninjas, Hyuga Masayuki, the head elder of the Hyuga clan, an old man in his sixties with long gray hair and wearing the traditional Hyuga clan kimono.

Behind this strong and agile old man followed a group of high-ranking military officers, including Shiro Aburame, Koren Yamanaka, Touya Akimichi, Jacques Inuzuka, Suzaku Nara, and Yomaki Mimura.

"Lord Zongxian!"

Hyuga approached and bowed to Uchiha Mugen in greeting.

However, his tone did not sound very friendly; it was rather angry.

In truth, Hyuga Masayuki was not in a good mood. While traveling, he first received intelligence that Uchiha Sogen, the supreme commander of the army, was acting recklessly and had apparently walked alone into a trap set by the Kirigakure ninja. He then learned that the command center of the eastern border defense forces located at Kuroshio Mountain had been completely wiped out…

If it weren't for the Uchiha clan's Jonin who swore that their clan leader would not encounter any accidents, to be honest, Hyuga Masayuki would have been prepared to give up the rest and directly mobilize a large army to track down Uchiha Mugen's whereabouts!

The loss of the command center of the eastern border defense forces is already an unimaginable problem.

What if the army's supreme commander also disappears and never returns...?

What's the point of fighting?!

As the deputy commander, he has no ability to command those arrogant Uchiha clan members. In that case, even without the Mist Ninja attacking, Konoha itself would probably be in chaos.

Thankfully, Uchiha Sogen returned safely and appeared to be unharmed, which finally put his mind at ease. However, he still wanted to have a talk with Uchiha Sogen. Even though he was confident in his personal strength, as the supreme commander of the army, every move he made affected the morale of thousands of soldiers, and he could not act arbitrarily... etc.

Just as Hyuga Masayuki was composing his words, he caught a glimpse of a corpse lying at Sogen's feet? No, it was a living person! And if he wasn't mistaken, that face seemed to be... the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Yagura Karatachi?

Ever since they suffered a major setback at the hands of the Mist Ninja,

The Hyuga clan paid special attention to information about Kirigakure. Although the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had never actually met him, he had seen his portrait. Moreover, such a naturally 'baby face' was quite rare. He remembered it after seeing it once, and now that he saw the real person, he immediately recalled it.

"Lord Zongxuan, is that the Fourth Mizukage?"

Just as Hinata Masayuki was about to speak, Nara Suzaku spoke first, saying what he wanted to say.

Obviously,

Hinata Masayuki wasn't the only one who noticed Yagura.

This Jonin from the Nara clan is the cousin of clan leader Nara Shikaku. He was appointed as the chief strategist and participated in this war against the Mist Ninja. Interestingly, if you look closely, you will find that not only Hyuga Masayuki and Nara Suzaku, but also Sogen's subordinates such as Aburame Shiguro, Yamanaka Koren, Akimichi Tou, Inuzuka Gaku, and others are basically top experts from various clans in the village.

but,

There wasn't a single clan leader among them!

Even Kurama Murakumo, a staunch ally of the Uchiha clan, did not come. Instead, his younger brother Kurama Unkai was present, currently mingling behind Akimichi Toudou, Inuzuka Gaku, and others.

After looking around at everyone, Zongxian nodded slightly, "That's right, he is indeed the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi!"

As they were speaking,

He stepped to the side of Kurama Yakumo, revealing the enchanted Yagura Karatachi to everyone's view.

[Chapter 100: Depth Charge]

It really is—

Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi!

Everyone fell silent. No one had expected to see the Fourth Mizukage here. Was this a dream? Shouldn't the Mizukage be stationed in Kirigakure at this time? Even if he were to personally lead an expedition, shouldn't he be under the heavy protection of the Kirigakure army?

Why would they appear here, at the headquarters of the Konoha ninja?

Hyuga Masayuki had already activated his Byakugan, Yamanaka Koren used his clan's secret technique, and the others also displayed their own abilities. Anyone with even a modicum of sensory ability, seeing Sogen's tacit approval, extended their sensory tentacles towards the seemingly powerless Fourth Mizukage, and then—

They 'saw' the immense and terrifying power dormant within Yagura Karatachi!

That's the genuine aura of a tailed beast!

"Lord Zongxian, what exactly is going on?"

Hyuga Masayuki's eyes were bulging with veins, and he spoke quickly and urgently, unable to hide the turbulent emotions in his heart!

Not only was Hyuga Masayuki eager to know what had happened, but everyone else was also very curious and wanted to know why the Fourth Mizukage would be here at this time.

"Let's find somewhere else! This isn't the place to talk."

Zongxian gently shook his head.

He did not immediately answer the questions or help others resolve their doubts.

Hyuga Masayuki, who was still using his Byakugan, paused for a moment, then noticed the crowd of people coming and going in his 360-degree field of vision. This was the main entrance of the castle, and the ninjas coming and going couldn't help but look over with some curiosity. Fortunately, they were well-disciplined, and no one dared to come closer to listen to their conversation.

But Zongxian is right.

This is definitely not a good place to talk.

"Then why not go to Sky Keep?"

Hyuga Masayuki looked at Sogen and asked for his opinion.

Zongxian looked up at the highest point of Kuroshio Mountain Castle, which was the castle tower.

Kuroshio Castle was the intended forward command center. Even if the command center of the border guard forces was destroyed, it would not stop the execution of the original plan. On the contrary, it was necessary to rebuild the command center here so as to better replace the destroyed command center and reintegrate the border guard forces into the new command system as quickly as possible.

Arriving at the castle tower,

The place was completely empty except for a dozen or so prayer cushions.

Zongxian took off the Flame Fan, picked up a futon and sat down cross-legged. To everyone's astonishment, he placed the Flame Fan beside him. It wasn't that they were blind; it was just that their attention had been drawn to Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, and they hadn't noticed that what Zongxian was carrying on his back wasn't the Greatsword Samehada, but the Uchiha Fan, which had been lost by the Uchiha clan for decades.

until this moment-

When Zongxian took off the Flame Fan, everyone suddenly realized that it was the Uchiha Fan, not the Samehada sword. Their faces immediately showed expressions of disbelief.

"Lord Zongxian, that's... an Uchiha fan?"

At this moment, the first to speak was Mimura Yomi, a commoner ninja. This middle-aged man with a full beard seemed to have nothing special about him, and at this moment he was looking at the gourd-shaped fan with a simple and curious gaze.

During the Third Shinobi World War, he was the frontline commander of the northern battlefield against the Iwa ninja. He fought against the Iwa ninja with inferior forces, and even when only four people, including himself, were left in the end, he firmly believed that the 'Yellow Flash' would come to their aid.

He was one of the Fourth Hokage's staunch supporters.

After the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, he went into seclusion. Instead of staying in the village, he went to serve in the border defense force in the north. Not long ago, he was summoned back by the Fifth Hokage's acting Hokage and sent to assist Sogen. He was given the reason that he had served as a front-line commander several times and was very experienced.

Despite his impressive resume, his background clearly wasn't enough for him to understand what the Uchiha fan meant to the Uchiha clan. Others from various clans were speechless with shock.

"You can call it the Uchiha Fan, or you can call it the Flame Fan."

Zongxian reached out and gently brushed the long handle of the Flame Fan.

"Lord Sogen, wasn't the noble's fan taken away and lost by that person? What does this have to do with the Fourth Mizukage?" Hyuga Masayuki couldn't take it anymore. What was going on? First it was Yagura Karatachi, and now it was the Uchiha fan. What on earth was this young Uchiha clan leader doing?

While capturing Yagura Karatachi, they also found the Uchiha fan that had been lost for decades on their way back.

Are you kidding me?!

It would be more plausible to say that the Uchiha fan was found and hidden by the Mist Ninja.

"I will explain the details in detail. Yunhai, you will take the meeting minutes. This matter is very complicated. Once the minutes are done, make a copy and send it back to the village immediately to give to Lord Hokage." Zongxian called on Kurama Yunhai's name.

The old-looking Anma Yunhai quickly replied, "Yes."

He hurriedly fetched paper, pen, and a low table from downstairs, then knelt down in front of the table, pen in hand, ready to go.

"I won't waste time with pleasantries and small talk. We have a lot of trouble to deal with... Let's get straight to the point! The enemy that attacked the command center of the eastern border defense forces is the Fourth Mizukage and his Shadow Guard."

He wrote furiously amidst the clouds and saddle.