Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"They are spies from other villages."

The third generation corrected Koharu's slip of the tongue.

"Spies from other villages..." Koharu Utatane glanced at the Third Hokage and changed her tune: "Then, can you explain why these spies from other villages attacked the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Did they think they had a chance to steal the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"It's faster to ask the person involved in these kinds of things."

The third generation put down his pipe and used a soft silk cloth to cover the crystal ball in the box.

Then he stood up.

He reached out and ripped off the loose white casual clothes, revealing the black, tight-fitting combat suit underneath.

"Sarutobi, are you going to go yourself? Wouldn't it be better to stay here and oversee things? Besides, we still don't have enough information about what's going on in the northeastern forest..." Koharu Utatane raised her objection.

"It involves Naruto and the Uchiha clan, so I have no choice but to go!"

The third generation sighed.

Mitokado Homura glanced at his old friend's combat uniform, which he had already put on, and thought to himself, "They were well-prepared! And that crystal ball... they might not really be completely unaware of what's happening in the forest."

“We’ll go together too,” he suddenly said.

"Alright."

The Third Hokage considered for a few seconds and nodded. "Danzo might go too. Don't let him lose control then."

"Leave it to us!"

Mitokado agreed, and Koharu nodded gently, also indicating her agreement.

The third generation then reached out and opened the window, leaping out with incredible agility, showing no signs of being over sixty years old.

The two elders who were not yet old and were using canes also caught up with them. When they came, they had changed into clothes that were more suitable for fighting, considering that they might have to go to the scene of the incident.

Surrounding them were a large number of shadowy figures following closely behind.

The Third Hokage moved with incredible speed, saying as he traveled, "But if you ask me, it's probably revenge. [Flame Demon] Uchiha Sogen once slaughtered hundreds of Kirigakure ninja on the eastern battlefield. These Kirigakure spies attacked Uchiha Sogen to retaliate against him, and Naruto is most likely implicated."

"...In that case, it seems the Uchiha clan was short-sighted, knowing they would be in deep trouble yet still going to make contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

Mitomon En pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but applaud him in his heart.

Sarutobi's move was truly ingenious. Instead of accusing the Uchiha of having ulterior motives in contacting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, it was better to hold them accountable for improperly protecting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. This seemed to lighten the charge, but it would also reduce the likelihood of the Uchiha clan's backlash. As the saying goes, "constant dripping wears away a stone" and "a rope can saw through wood," boiling the frog in lukewarm water is the most suitable way to deal with the Uchiha clan.

Little by little, slowly, they gradually weakened the Uchiha clan through a slow and insidious process.

This was originally the general policy they had agreed upon.

really,

Danzo was never as good as Sarutobi. He only knew how to use violence and even coerced his clan members to join Root. How could he compare to Sarutobi?

"Alright, let's talk about that later."

The Third Hokage stopped Mitokado Homura's accusations, saying, "The most urgent task is to rescue Naruto. Naruto's safety is the most important thing. Everything else must come later." His worried expression resembled that of an elder concerned for a child's safety.

The Hokage personally went to the scene of the fire in the northeast corner of the village.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching many people at lightning speed. Beneath the calm surface, turbulent undercurrents began to surge and flow again, shattering the peaceful night. One after another, the news flew over rooftops, terraces, the tops of telephone poles, and the treetops.

In addition, police forces filed out in droves.

Even the drunkards on the street realized that something serious had happened and dared not wander the streets any longer, scrambling home as if they were stumbling.

Crowds,

They converged towards the forest in the northeast corner of the village.

······

"The last one."

A flaming blade flashed past, and the attacker, whose body was bound by illusion, was instantly decapitated. The headless corpse slumped limply onto the grass. Zongxian shook the long sword in his hand, and the flames went out, the clear, water-like blade reflecting the shimmering firelight.

Naruto, tucked under his left arm, was still fast asleep.

It's normal to fall into a deep sleep for a while after being struck by the spiritual techniques of the mountain tribe.

"Twelve attackers, four elite combat squads, they really went all out!" Zong Xuan used his knife to pry open the man's mouth. In the firelight, he could see the black curse mark on the tongue, a sealing technique called the [Tongue Calamity Root-Severing Seal].

"As expected, it was that bastard Danzo! But that old man Third Hokage was definitely in the know too..."

The curse mark on the tongue is fading over time, and the brain was destroyed by the power of the curse mark the moment the body died. Putting everything else aside, Root's methods of secrecy are really good. Not only the brain, but even the corpse is self-destructing.

Although he knew that preserving the body to identify Danzo was highly unlikely, and capturing him alive was even more impossible,

but,

The sealing techniques Danzo possessed were incredibly powerful. It was unclear whether he inherited them from the Second Hokage, a master of forbidden techniques, or from the legacy of the Uzumaki clan, or whether he developed them himself. Regardless of the reason, it made Sogen somewhat envious.

Sealing techniques are a good thing.

It can be used not only to control subordinates, but also, if used well, to be of great use in combat.

"That's enough foreplay, shall we move on to the main course?"

Zongxian looked up at the sky. When the battle started, he had felt a faint sense of being watched from the sky. He didn't need to use his brain much to figure out who was watching the battle. Just a few minutes ago, that sense of being watched disappeared.

presumably,

That important person is already moving this way.

[Chapter 11: The Crew]

The fire is still burning.

The forest nearby was incredibly unlucky to have encountered Zongxian.

His Fire Release technique, enhanced by his unique skill called [Magic Release (Flame)], is arguably the strongest even among the current Uchiha clan. His 'Great Fire Annihilation' not only burned down a large forest and took two lives, but the remaining flames continued to devour the surrounding vegetation.

Zongxian laid the unconscious Naruto flat on the grass.

He chopped out a tree stump with his own knife, not caring about the dirt, and sat down. He was too lazy to stand there and wait for those important figures to arrive late. And to be honest, even though he didn't suffer any injuries, he took down twelve attackers as easily as chopping vegetables, as if it were as easy as cooking.

In fact, he was on edge the entire time during the battle, not daring to relax for even a second.

To be honest, my chakra consumption is still above the warning line, but mental fatigue is the most exhausting.

"My kaleidoscope! Why isn't it activated yet?! Even if it's a trash eye technique, I'll accept it..." Zongxian sat on a tree stump, resting while muttering resentfully about his unattainable kaleidoscope.

If you have the Mangekyou Sharingan, it doesn't matter if the eye technique is a bit trashy; Susanoo is the real deal!

but,

next second,

"Bah bah bah!"

Zongxian spat several times; he had changed his mind.

It's definitely better to have a powerful eye technique. If you give him a trash eye technique like Sunny Pillar's 'Kagoto no Miki', you'll be the one crying later.

"Is the response that slow? Why hasn't anyone come yet?"

Zongxian looked down at the sleeping Naruto, wondering if he should wake the kid up so the two of them could chat for a while. Just before he could do it, he sensed a commotion from behind and turned around to see Shisui carrying a small dachi in his field of vision.

"They've finally arrived."

"Zongxian, what... what's going on?"

"Shisui, you're too slow! Even the name of Shisui of the Body Flicker Technique is crying out in despair!"

"Stop talking nonsense, Zongxian, what exactly is going on? How can such a large-scale fire jutsu be used in the village?" Shisui, who had rushed over, stared blankly at the scene before him. When he came to his senses, he immediately shouted anxiously, "What are you doing? The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... Wait, is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki alright?"

"Hey, that's incredibly rude, Shisui."

Zongxian stopped Shisui from approaching Naruto. "Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... That's too rude of you to call him that. This child has a name too. It's the name his parents left him. What Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? That's not his name."

"Uh--"

Shisui's momentum faltered. He opened his mouth, looked at Naruto lying unconscious on the grass, and took a step back. "Um, sorry, it was my... it was my rudeness."

"That's more like it!"

Zongxian nodded in satisfaction.

"..." Shisui frowned suspiciously, looking at Sogen's smug face. Something felt off. Why was he apologizing? No, apologizing was the right thing to do. Calling someone the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was indeed very impolite.

The problem lies with Sogen. He and Kurama... no, what was his name again... Uzumaki, Uzumaki Naruto. Right, he apologized to Naruto-kun, and it had nothing to do with Sogen, yet Sogen brazenly accepted his apology...

It really is—

This is a headache!

"Zongxian, stop fooling around, what exactly happened here?"

"what's up?"

Zongxian sneered: "Zhishui, can't you see it yet? Don't deceive yourself! I'll look down on you if you do."

"..."

Still waters, silent.

His gaze swept around, spotting scattered shuriken and kunai in the grass, traces of ninjutsu attacks on the ground, and headless corpses whose original appearances were no longer discernible due to self-destruction caused by sealing techniques.

As the only remaining member of the Uchiha clan's Anbu,

He knew perfectly well what those strange corpses were all about; only those assassins who had been implanted with a self-destruction sealing technique would turn into that inhuman form after death.

"On my way to escort Naruto home, right here, I was attacked by twelve attackers, all of them top-notch fighters. Based on my assessment, there were four Jonin and eight Special Jonin... They launched a surprise attack together, and some of them even possessed secret techniques. I had no choice but to use all my strength to kill them."

"Secret technique?"

Shisui looked up.

"A pig, a deer, and a nest of insects."

"Are you sure there's no mistake?" Shisui asked with considerable difficulty.

"Hmph! Do you think my eyes are blind? Naruto was knocked unconscious by that pig's Mind Transfer Jutsu, and I was also frozen in place by that deer. If I hadn't reacted quickly... Shisui, by the time you arrived, you probably wouldn't even be able to find my body."

Shisui's expression turned blank.

He knew that Zongxian sometimes said strange things and sometimes told lies that even a child could see through, but as a comrade-in-arms who could rely on each other on the battlefield, he could tell that Zongxian was not joking.