Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Yagura Karatachi moved his residence from the depths of the dungeon to the floor below the castle tower, becoming neighbors with Sogen. After all, he was the Fourth Mizukage, and even though the experts from the sealing team had placed the most powerful seals they knew on him, no one could be sure how much binding force those seals would have on a Jinchūriki.

Therefore,

Nara Suzaku cautiously inquired whether it was possible to arrange for Yagura Karatachi to live on the lower level of the castle tower. Sogen considered it for a moment and nodded in agreement. Although it felt a little strange to be a temporary neighbor of the Fourth Mizukage, he didn't care much about this new neighbor. If Yagura Karatachi really had any improper intentions, he wouldn't mind letting this Mizukage relive the feeling of being controlled by the Uchiha!

······

"Snapped!"

The bamboo knife struck her slender wrist.

The force was just right, causing Uchiha Fujika pain but not enough to truly injure her.

"Teng Hua, pick up the bamboo knife."

Uchiha Chihaya wore a traditional black robe of the Uchiha clan, her wooden clogs making a crisp sound as they stepped on the stone floor. She held a bamboo sword in one hand, and her beautiful, white face was serious and imposing, like a war god stepping onto the battlefield.

Touching her wrist, which already bore seven or eight red marks, Uchiha Fujika silently picked up the bamboo sword that had fallen to the ground and assumed a fighting stance.

The practice continues.

If it were in the past, even if I had continued to persevere, I probably would have already shed a lot of tears.

However, after witnessing what a battlefield was like under the guidance of Uchiha Chihaya, she became... much stronger!

"Is that your younger sister? Five or six years old?"

Five years old.

"Isn't it a bit too early for someone so young to go to the battlefield?" Under the eaves, Zongxian and Yagura Kujiri sat facing each other. On the chessboard between them, black and white pieces were crisscrossed, making it seem like a fierce battle was underway... In reality, the two were just playing Gomoku.

Shogi is undoubtedly the most popular board game in the ninja world.

However, Zongxian wasn't very interested in shogi, which is time-consuming and has a high barrier to entry. So he found a famous jade craftsman to make a set of black and white chess pieces. When he felt tired of training or was in a bad mood, he would take them out and find someone to play Gomoku with him for a while.

Unlike Shogi, which has a high learning curve, Gomoku (Five in a Row) doesn't require much brainpower or time, and it's very easy to learn, so you don't have to worry about not finding someone to play against.

This is not,

Today, on my first try, Yagura Karatachi was already able to fight Sogen to a standstill.

"Then, Lord Mizukage, may I ask how old you were when you learned to kill?" The black jade chess pieces twirled between Zongxian's fingers as he pondered where to place them, chatting idly with Yagura Karatachi.

“Me?” Yagura Karatachi paused for a moment, his expression becoming complicated. “It was probably when I was five years old. My father took me to kill a group of bandits who were committing atrocities all over the Land of Water. That was the first time I used a kunai to cut a human’s throat. Since then, I have lost count of how many people I have killed.”

He looked down at his palms; his fair and clean fingers showed no trace of dirt.

just,

In Yagura's own eyes, it was as if he were holding an inexhaustible spring of blood in his palm, with endless blood flowing between his fingers, and the only clean thing was that pure white chess piece.

"I also stepped onto the battlefield when I was five years old. I'm not young anymore. In this terrible world, if you don't realize its cruelty sooner, you'll be swallowed up without even bones!" After weighing his options, Zongxian finally put down the chess piece in his hand.

"Hearing you say that, our world seems so terrible and hopeless!"

Yagura sighed with a wry smile.

"Isn't that right? Sending kids who aren't even as tall as a katana to the battlefield, do you really think this is some kind of happy home? I understood when I stepped onto the battlefield at the age of five that this world is a pile of dog shit!"

Yagura, who was playing with the chess pieces, stopped.

He was disgusted!

After a long silence, he placed a chess piece down and changed the subject, "Clan Chief Uchiha, when will this pointless war finally end?"

"This is a big deal."

Zongxian picked up a chess piece from the chess jar. "It involves the relationship between two villages and requires the Hokage's approval before we can take action. If it weren't for the fact that I am unable to leave as the frontline commander, you might have to go to Konoha, Mizukage."

"The Fifth Hokage is acting as Hokage? ... I hope you can act quickly. A dilapidated Kirigakure is no match for you in pursuing that one-eyed bastard."

"is it?"

Zongxian smiled, seemingly unconcerned.

With a "snap," the four black stones form a straight line with no obstruction at either end.

The outcome is decided.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When the torrential rain fell from the sky and covered the entire village, Naruto Uzumaki had not yet returned home. He sat alone on the narrow platform of the park slide, hugging his knees. The mushroom-shaped canopy above his head blocked the rain, but it could not stop the cold wind and rain from coming from all directions, nor could it soothe the confusion and bewilderment in his heart.

He just hugged his knees like that.

Sitting on the slide.

His slightly pale face showed no change in expression. His azure eyes opened, and his gaze pierced through the thick rain curtain, looking at the somewhat blurry Hokage Rock in the distance, lingering for a long time on the rock where the youngest Fourth Hokage once stood.

recent,

He heard a rumor.

They say he is the son of the Fourth Hokage.

It was an absurd and laughable rumor. How could a "fox spirit" be the child of a "hero"? The gossipy aunties looked disgusted and said "impossible" repeatedly. People just thought it was another rumor, a kind of low-quality and uninteresting story.

But Naruto himself didn't take it as a joke!

The throbbing in his heart made it impossible for him to forget it after a good night's sleep. When he was alone, he would always think of this absurd rumor, especially in his not-so-small but empty home, which made him feel even more lonely. Under the nourishment of loneliness, the delusions in his heart would grow wildly like weeds.

in case,

How wonderful it would be if I were really the Fourth Hokage's child!

With a father who is a 'hero', people won't despise or hate him, right?

Such delusions kept surfacing in his mind, only to be constantly extinguished by him. Delusions are always unrealistic delusions; if he were to truly take them as reality, he would probably be unable to control his tears any longer.

But at this very moment,

His only friend wasn't home.

They couldn't even find a single person to confide in about their inner turmoil.

······

"Has Naruto's unusual behavior lasted for almost a week now?"

Akimichi Torifu reached out and tugged at his raincoat. His figure was too plump, and even the largest size raincoat was a bit tight on him, making him uncomfortable. He regretted it a little, thinking that he would rather continue wearing his faded old straw raincoat than wear this damn raincoat.

On the rooftop of a residential building not far from the park, a dense crowd of people moved about.

From this vantage point, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the park, including the small slide and Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, sitting on the slide platform.

As a weapon of war in Konoha, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's every move is monitored and protected by the Anbu around the clock. His strange changes over the past week could not possibly have escaped the eyes of the Anbu.

The Anbu submitted a report regarding Naruto Uzumaki's unusual behavior.

The Fifth Acting Hokage, who was in the middle of a meeting, couldn't sit still when he saw this. If something happened to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, it would definitely be another big problem, especially at this time when the village was at war with the Hidden Mist Village.

Eight days ago, I received news from the front lines that Madara Uchiha might not be dead, and that the war between the village and the Hidden Mist Village was likely instigated by a schemer claiming to be Madara. They also said that the Fourth Mizukage had been captured and they were trying to communicate with him to end the war…

A barrage of dazzling information nearly drove Akimichi Torifu crazy, leaving him feeling utterly exhausted. The Hokage position may seem glamorous, but it's incredibly grueling.

He genuinely didn't want anything to happen to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at this time.

Braving the torrential rain, the Konoha village leaders, led by the Fifth Acting Hokage, took action and squatted down to observe the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who appeared to be in a mentally unstable state.

"Of all times... Are you sure it's because of that rumor? That Naruto Uzumaki is the Fourth Hokage's child?" Akimichi Torifu turned his head to ask Nara Shikaku, who was acting as his strategist, while glancing out of the corner of his eye at Uchiha Genji, who was wearing a straw raincoat.

When Sogen went to the eastern border of the Land of Fire to command the war against the Hidden Mist Village, Genji Uchiha filled in for his grandson and temporarily represented the Uchiha clan and the police department at important village meetings.

As for Fugaku Uchiha, the former clan head...

Nobody would hire him to do something like this unless they're completely out of their mind.

Anyway,

Fugaku Uchiha's political life is completely over. Even if it weren't Genji Uchiha, it would only be other elders in the clan who would step forward to participate in the village's affairs. Of course, there are no "what ifs" in this world. Genji Uchiha is standing here now.

That's enough to know.

Genji Uchiha remained expressionless after being glanced at by the Fifth Hokage, but inwardly he was thinking to himself that, as far as he knew, the rumor seemed to have come from his beloved grandson... After the Songzhu Pavilion incident, in front of so many people, he listed the many mistakes committed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of which happened to be the abuse of the Fourth Hokage's orphan.

That's when the rumors started.

Fortunately, such rumors didn't gain much traction. Most villagers didn't believe that the 'fox spirit' could be the 'hero's' child. Even the few clever ones couldn't change anything. Besides, there were many other big news stories in the village recently, so it was thought that these rumors would soon be buried in the dust of the 'past'.

But no one expected that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would happen to overhear the rumors, and that this would lead to some unsettling changes.

"This is the conclusion reached by the experts in the Anbu based on their research of Naruto Uzumaki's words and actions."

Nara Shikaku spoke a little louder than usual, a minor inconvenience caused by the noise of the downpour. "If nothing unexpected happens, their deduction should be correct." The Anbu was a magical place; originally an organization called the Assassination Tactics Special Forces, it had become an extremely bloated behemoth under the Third Hokage.

To prevent the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from going astray, Hiruzen Sarutobi assembled an anonymous research team comprised of psychology experts skilled in interrogation from various departments. This team was dedicated to studying the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's personality, preferences, words, and actions, and then providing Hiruzen with reasonable strategies to guide him towards genuine love for Konoha.

These people are true experts.

Even Nara Shikaku, after reviewing the documents and materials that he was not originally qualified to access, had to admit his admiration.

As he spoke,

He sighed softly.

He and the Fourth Hokage were friends. Although they weren't the kind of close friends who could entrust their wives and children to each other, they still had a good relationship on the battlefield. Seeing Naruto's current desolate and lonely state, he couldn't be so heartless as to be indifferent.

only--

That's ultimately a jinchūriki (human spirit vessel).

No one knows if the Jinchuriki will suddenly go berserk. No matter how reluctant they are, they dare not let their own children and families take risks. Moreover, getting too close to the Jinchuriki could be seen as having ulterior motives. This is a weapon of war belonging to the village, not the private property of any particular family.

Therefore,

Keeping a respectful distance is the unanimous choice made by these large families.

They wouldn't do something as shameless as bullying children, but don't expect them to be kind-hearted either. In particular, the Third Hokage has his own set of rules and doesn't need the various families to interfere. The current situation of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a result of a complex interplay of various factors.

The Konoha village left behind by the Third Hokage is rife with contradictions and endless troubles.

But without a doubt,

Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was definitely among the most troublesome.

This hot potato has now been handed over to Akimichi Torifu.

However, to be honest, Akimichi Torifu had no idea what to do at this moment. Should he continue the training plan for Sarutobi Hiruzen? The problem was that he was not Sarutobi Hiruzen, and that plan was too long-term. Akimichi Torifu knew he didn't have Sarutobi Hiruzen's patience.