Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

However, unlike physical attack-type eye techniques, illusion-type eye techniques are subject to extremely strong suppression by rank. As a high-level existence after the advancement of the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Rinnegan has extremely high resistance to eye technique-type illusions, especially Sharingan-type illusions, which it is directly immune to.

Black Zetsu didn't actually know this knowledge at first; it was all figured out by Madara Uchiha through trial and error.

"If all else fails, we'll have to let Nagato do it."

"Now is not the time to reveal the Rinnegan. If we fail to defeat Uchiha Munegen in one fell swoop and expose the Rinnegan, Nagato will likely face relentless pursuit from the entire ninja world. We are not prepared to make an enemy of the entire ninja world. We cannot afford to lose sight of the bigger picture; that would not be in line with our plan..."

After thinking for a moment, Obito Uchiha chose to suppress his anger for the time being and said, "Black Zetsu, don't rush to attack Mugen Uchiha for now. His eye technique is troublesome, but it won't hinder our plan at the moment. What we need to do next is to help Nagato strengthen the Akatsuki organization as planned."

"As for Uchiha Mugen, keep an eye on him. If you have the chance, kill him. If you don't find the chance, wait until the plan is put into action to kill him!"

After all,

Their targeting of the Uchiha clan is merely a precautionary measure. In fact, neither the Uchiha clan nor Uchiha Sogen are currently related to their plans, so there is no need for them to fight the Uchiha clan to the death.

"If this is your decision, I think I understand."

Black Jue readily agreed.

Then both of them shut their mouths.

A long silence fell over the room.

Obito Uchiha leaned against the stone wall, closed his single eye, and began to slowly regulate the chaotic chakra within his body. The empty socket of his left eye sent chills down one's spine. Black Zetsu stared at the empty socket for a few seconds, then looked away, breaking the silence.

He asked, "Obito, do you still have any of the Sharingan you stored away?"

"There should be two more couples!"

Obito Uchiha answered uncertainly with his eyes closed.

"Then let's find time to put the eye back on. Izanagi is still useful; this time it was just bad luck."

"I know this without you telling me. If there's nothing else, let me have some peace and quiet." Obito Uchiha waved him away.

Black Zetsu didn't say anything more. The large pitcher plant slowly merged into the ground, leaving only Uchiha Obito sitting on the stone bed in the room. He leaned against the stone wall like a stone statue, and only by getting close to his chest could one hear his steady heartbeat, proving that he was a living person with flesh and blood.

For that wonderful new world, he was already prepared to gamble everything, his life and his soul.

Therefore,

No one can stop him from moving forward.

Whoever that person is.

Anyone who dares to stand in his way will be crushed to pieces by any means necessary.

[Chapter 102. The Deal with Yagura Karatachi]

The war is far from over; it has only just begun.

Even the capture of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, did not affect the progress of the war. The Kirigakure side seemed completely unaware that their Mizukage had become a prisoner of the Konoha ninja, and launched wave after wave of fierce attacks as always, trying to break through the iron wall of defense that the Konoha ninja had set up along the long coastline.

Unfortunately, momentum alone cannot reverse the gap in strength between the two sides.

If they initially gained some advantage by destroying the command center of the border guards, the Mist Ninja did not gain any further advantage after the Konoha reinforcements established a new command system and brought the brainless border guards back under their control.

Kuroshio Castle.

castle,

"Yagura still won't budge?" Zongxian sat cross-legged on the futon with his eyes closed, a long flame fan resting on his knees. Since the last meeting in the castle tower, he found himself quite fond of this place, which offered a commanding view, a wide field of vision, and a peaceful tranquility.

So this place became his bedroom and office.

The castle tower itself wasn't small; it was simply divided into different spaces by a ring of screens.

"Yes, he resolutely refuses to betray the interests of Kirigakure, even after I lowered my demands, he still refuses to agree. Lord Sogen, I am very sorry, this is my dereliction of duty." Nara Suzaku's voice was quite bitter. He and his think tank had discussed for two days and two nights and unanimously agreed that the way to maximize the interests of the Mizukage was to awaken the Mizukage and make a direct deal with him.

just,

Yagura's resolute attitude was somewhat beyond the expectations of the strategists.

A week has passed since Yagura was awakened. Many strategists skilled in negotiation have been talking themselves hoarse, but they still can't reach an agreement. As time drags on, Suzaku Nara's expression grows worse day by day.

"I was the one who agreed to your plan and made the decision. It's not your place to take responsibility. Besides... your plan wasn't wrong. It just seems that our Lord Mizukage hasn't seen reality clearly yet."

Zongxian opened his eyes, and a flash of crimson light appeared in them.

However, even those dark, inky eyes exerted an indescribable pressure on Suzaku Nara. Since returning from capturing the Fourth Mizukage, Sogen's image in their eyes had grown increasingly lofty. Whether it was respect or fear, they all showed the utmost reverence for Sogen's power.

"Let's go!"

He stood up and hung the flame fan next to the armor rack.

Since capturing Yagura, Munezan has not gone into battle for a week. The old man, Masayuki Hyuga, kept nagging him about how a general should not take risks. He did not argue back or make any boastful claims that he was unparalleled in battle and that no one in the Mist Village could withstand his attacks.

Masayuki Hinata is right.

He is not the sword of the army, but the hand that wields the sword.

As a commander, it's not enough to always be the first to charge into battle. His duty is to wield his sword and command these thousands of Konoha ninjas in battle. He also needs time to study and master the Flame Fan he just acquired.

"Go and see our Lord Mizukage. It's been dragging on for so long; it's time for a decision."

Zongxian walked ahead, the hem of his black robe billowing in the air currents, surging up and down like a raging tide.

Suzaku Nara hurriedly followed.

It's quite normal for Kuroshio Mountain Castle to have a dungeon. It would be strange if a castle built by daimyo didn't have a dungeon. Nobles and daimyo always need some secluded space to resolve troubles or grudges.

Descending the narrow staircase, oil lamps hung high on the rock walls on both sides, their dim light barely dispelling the dense darkness and illuminating the steps beneath our feet. After traversing three almost identical narrow and cramped staircases, we arrived at the lowest level of the dungeon.

The scene before me suddenly changed. The air was damp and cold, and carried an indescribable smell of decay. To be honest, I had smelled this smell since I came down, but it wasn't as strong and pungent before.

Unlike the two floors above, which are quite spacious,

The space here is much narrower, with only one cell. The bars of the upper cell are only as thick as the mouth of a cup, while the bars of this cell are almost as thick as the mouth of a bowl. In addition, there are strong barriers set up all around. This is where serious criminals are imprisoned.

High-ranking and extremely dangerous targets like the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, are imprisoned here.

Zongxian stopped outside the cell and squinted as he surveyed the surroundings.

The empty cell contained only a simple wooden bed, with a somewhat dirty blanket piled in the corner. Yagura sat cross-legged on the bare wooden bed, only opening his eyes when he heard footsteps outside, his gaze meeting the gaze that had entered.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

"Lord Mizukage, we meet again."

Zongxian's voice broke the cold silence of the dark space.

"Clan Chief Uchiha."

Yagura looked up at Sogen, who was standing outside the cell, and said, "You're later than I expected! Doesn't Konoha want the war to end sooner?"

"No one likes war, Lord Mizukage. You have the freedom to start a war, but the decision on when to end it is in our hands. We do not like war, but we are not afraid of it either. If we can use this war to make those ambitious schemers understand that Konoha is still the inviolable Konoha, that would be even better!"

The dungeon supervisor quickly brought over a clean stool.

Zongxian sat down outside the cell, looking at Yagura Karatachi with a leisurely air.

Suzaku Nara dismissed the manager and stood silently beside Sogen. The conversation that was about to begin was not for anyone to hear.

"To make an example of someone, is the Mist Ninja the 'chicken' that Konoha chose?" Yagura's voice was particularly bitter.

"No, you ran right into us!"

Zongxian said frankly, "In fact, if you hadn't made the first move, we would never have considered launching a war against foreign powers at this time."

"But to be honest, I also have to thank you. Thanks to the actions of your Kirigakure, which exacerbated some of the internal conflicts in Konoha, we were able to seize the opportunity to remove the Third Hokage from power. Otherwise, I don't know how much effort it would have taken to resolve the internal conflicts and troubles in Konoha."

He expressed his sincere gratitude.

The reasons for the Third Hokage's downfall are complex and cannot be explained in a single sentence, but there is no doubt that the war threat from the Mist Ninja was the trigger for that series of events.

Yagura's face was somewhat pale. "Clan head Uchiha, you should be well aware that it was not us Kirigakure who started this war. That mysterious person is our common enemy, and continuing this war will not benefit us."

"But whether it's the Mist Ninja or the Konoha Ninja, almost everyone now knows that the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, started this war!" Sogen spread his hands.

"Or are you going to tell everyone now that you didn't start this war, but that a mysterious person claiming to be Uchiha Madara, whose actual identity is unknown, controlled you and started the war between Kirigakure and Konoha?"

"Come on! Lord Mizukage, let's not even talk about whether these things are suitable for widespread dissemination. The question is, how many people do you think will believe this story?"

Faced with Zongxian's sharp questioning, Yagura Karatachi was speechless.

Yes!

Everyone knows that it was Yagura Karatachi who started the war. Who would believe it if he framed all of this for a mysterious person whose existence cannot be verified?

Zongxian's testimony?

Considering the Flame Fan and the Nine-Tails' rampage five years ago, the people of Konoha might believe this explanation, but the question is, would the Mist Ninja believe it? The Mist Ninja, who have suffered greatly under Yagura's rule, are unlikely to believe it.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to mention. We extracted some very interesting information from the minds of the captured Mist Ninja. It's said that the Fourth Mizukage is personally commanding the Mist Ninja's battles on the front lines." Zongxian added as if he had just remembered.

Yagura's expression suddenly changed.

There's another Fourth Mizukage? How is that possible?

Could he be a puppet put forward by the Jonin in the army? No, that shouldn't be the case. Knowing those ambitious guys as he does, if he were discovered to have been missing for a long time, Momochi Zabuza and those other ambitious people would find a way to elect a competing successor, the Fifth Mizukage, rather than creating a fake to fool their subordinates.

However, he didn't think Uchiha Sogen would deliberately deceive him with such false information. Doing so would not bring any benefit other than damaging the trust between the two parties.

A bold conjecture came to his mind.

Could it be that that damned one-eyed man still has the guts to impersonate him and go back to the Mist Ninja?

"There's something else. The Kirigakure's offensive has been fierce lately, but their commander seems to be out of his mind, allowing my men to achieve great victories. It feels like the Fourth Mizukage on the other side is deliberately giving my men credit. Luckily, I'm not the Hokage, so I don't have to worry about the rewards after the battle." As if worried that Yagura Karatachi might not be able to judge the situation clearly, Muneaki continued to add weight to the argument.

This time, Yagura Karatachi finally couldn't sit still any longer.

He misjudged Uchiha Sogen's intentions. Konoha still intended to use the attack on Kirigakure to intimidate other villages, so they might not be in a hurry to end the war. And that one-eyed man of unknown identity still dared to go back to Kirigakure to stir up trouble. Kirigakure really can't afford to be treated like this anymore.

He stood up, walked to the cell door, and looked at Zongxian sitting on the stool through the sturdy cage.

“I agree to your conditions. The Byakugan of the Hyuga main family will be returned to you, and war reparations will be paid according to the agreed price. However, Kirigakure's financial situation is very bad right now, and we don't have that much money. We need to repay it in installments. Also, Kirigakure will fully cooperate with Konoha's actions in the investigation and dealing with that one-eyed man.”

"I wonder if I can find another place to stay? To be honest, the smell here is so awful it makes me want to vomit." Yagura waved his hand and gently fanned his nose.

"By the way, Uchiha clan leader, I hope you can act quickly. If the village strips me of my position as Mizukage, my promise will have no effect or value."

"Thank you for reminding us, we will be careful." Zongxian nodded with a smile.

[Chapter 103. If only I were really the Fourth Hokage's child!]