Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

I never thought about it this way before, so everything seemed normal, but now the thought has crossed my mind.

Naturally, they noticed something strange about it.

"This time, when the Mizukage launched the war against Konoha, I originally hoped that you would accompany that girl to hone your skills. However, for some reason, the Mizukage rejected your name and changed it to Bi." Yuan Shi revealed something that Qing did not know.

"It seems that our Mizukage may indeed be under someone's control."

Master Yuan sighed again.

Qing was immediately uneasy, afraid that this matter would affect Yuan Shi's health. What if he got angry? Yuan Shi was getting on in years and couldn't take any more stress. For a moment, he even put the matter of the Water Shadow being manipulated by others out of his mind.

"Master, please don't be angry. Your health is the most important thing..."

"Qing, don't worry, I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect that the Mizukage could be controlled by the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. No wonder his behavior has become more and more extreme in recent years. I was too careless. I thought that Madara Uchiha alone had exhausted the spiritual essence of the Uchiha clan for a hundred years, but I didn't expect that someone else could control the tailed beast."

Master Yuan sighed again as he spoke, which made Qing very uneasy. She racked her brains trying to think of a way to distract Master Yuan.

"Master, do you think the Mizukage being manipulated might be orchestrated by Konoha? After all, to be honest, I've never heard of any Uchiha clan member defecting from Konoha, and besides the Uchiha clan, no one else can afford the cost of the Sharingan," Ao speculated.

"Not Konoha."

This time, Master Yuan shook his head decisively.

"If Konoha manipulated the Mizukage, then they would have no reason to start such a war. Even if it was to divert internal conflicts, they could have used the Mizukage to join forces against the Cloud Ninja or the Iwa Ninja, which would undoubtedly be more in Konoha's interest."

"Moreover, when I met the Mizukage, I sensed his undisguised malice towards Konoha, or rather, the hostility of the person manipulating the Mizukage behind the scenes towards Konoha. It was definitely not a pretense." As Master Yuan spoke, he closed his eyes and recalled his memories of meeting the Mizukage, nodding with great certainty.

Qing wasn't discouraged by the denial of his conjecture, as long as Master Yuan stopped sighing like that.

"Then, Master Yuan, what should we do next? According to the battle report, it seems that the ninjas from Konoha will also come to Kirigakure. Should we?" He gestured with his hand as if making a decapitation gesture.

This time,

Master Yuan did not answer his question immediately.

Instead, they fell into a long silence.

[Chapter 124 Assassination]

Maintaining one posture for a long time is tiring. Naruto had been hunched over his desk drawing for two hours. His wrists were so sore that he could barely hold the brush, and his back ached so much that he groaned. Naruto gritted his teeth and, relying on his willpower, resolutely finished the last stroke. Only then did he carefully place the brush on the brush holder, jump off the small stool he used for tiptoeing, and immediately lie sprawled out on the deck.

"So tired! So comfortable!"

Naruto stretched out his arms as wide as he could, and the bones in his body made a crisp cracking sound.

He opened his eyes, his azure pupils reflecting the drifting clouds in the sky. His mood at this moment was as peaceful as the drifting clouds. Although his elder brother Zongxian did not agree to take him as a disciple, he did say that he would teach him a very powerful ninjutsu.

Then--

He started learning to draw.

"Not bad! Naruto, you might have a talent for artistic creation!"

Zongxian walked over and leaned down to look at the drawing on the table. It wasn't a complicated landscape, just some birds and snakes without any decoration. It has to be said that Naruto does seem to have a certain talent in this area; the birds and snakes in the drawing have already reached the standard of being lifelike.

That is,

Next, as long as Naruto masters the application of Yang Release chakra, he will have essentially entered the realm of the Yang Release secret technique, [Super Beast Imitation Drawing].

Previously, Sogen had considered what to teach Naruto. Genjutsu was the first option to be eliminated because the Uchiha clan's genjutsu relied too much on the Sharingan, which was impossible for outsiders to learn. The common five nature ninjutsu was the second option to be eliminated because simple ninjutsu was not impressive, and complex ninjutsu was too difficult for Naruto to learn at his current level.

finally,

He chose the sealing technique over the super beast imitation painting technique.

The reason for excluding sealing techniques, which should be a perfect fit for the Uzumaki clan's bloodline, is simple: Sogen has mastered too few sealing techniques. Moreover, sealing techniques are a rather vast concept, facing the same dilemma as teaching the five natures of ninjutsu. Simple sealing techniques feel somewhat perfunctory, and even the complex and profound Sogen himself hasn't mastered many.

In contrast, the Super Beast Imitation Drawing, a Yang Release secret technique, combines multiple functions such as reconnaissance, combat, flight, and sealing. Moreover, it might even allow Naruto to experience the development and application of Yang Release power.

After careful consideration, Naruto began learning to draw under the tutelage of Sogen.

It is called teaching,

All Zongxian did was let Naruto copy the paintings on his own. His own painting skills came from the Sharingan's copying ability, so his paintings were said to have form but no spirit. Fortunately, the Super Beast Imitation Painting technique does not require the paintings to have both form and spirit.

As long as it looks similar, that's enough.

So Sogen wasn't worried that his half-baked skills would lead him astray in teaching Naruto, since from the beginning his goal was to make the characters look like the real thing.

However, Sogen discovered that Naruto seemed to have a good talent for art.

It not only achieved a resemblance in form, but is also striving for an even higher level.

"Hehe! Really?"

Naruto sprang to his feet with a bang, scratched his head a little embarrassedly, and flashed a bright smile that was both slightly silly and as dazzling as the sun.

"Very good! Very good, really very good! Naruto, this secret technique seems to suit you even better than I imagined!" Zongxian praised without reservation, his mind surging with memories of the past. It seemed that in the original history, when Naruto was training with Jiraiya, he even ghostwrote for Jiraiya, and the book he wrote eventually became a bestseller!

I don't know if it's because Jiraiya is too famous?

Or is Naruto's writing so good that it's indistinguishable from the real thing?

He shook his head.

Shaking off these irrelevant memories, he reached out and patted Naruto's head. "Keep it up. When you can draw ten different animals in one minute, we can start the next stage of training." The only requirement for the Super Beast Imitation Drawing technique is resemblance.

As for the time limit

That was added by Zongxian.

This is, after all, a secret technique that can be used in battle. The speed of drawing is extremely important, just like the speed of hand seals is important to ordinary ninjas. If you are fast, you can strike first; if you are slow, you can only strike later.

"I will try my best, Zongxian-nii."

Naruto puffed out his chest and said confidently.

He himself realized that, for some reason, he felt that drawing was not very difficult. Drawing ten animals was easy, and the only challenge was the one-minute time limit.

"Master."

"Yakumo? Come and take a look. This was drawn by Naruto. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Zongxian looked at the disciple who was walking over, beckoned him to his side, and pointed to the painting on the table for Yakumo to see, "Speaking of which, Yakumo, you can also paint, although it's not ink painting." That's right, Yakumo likes to paint, but she studies oil painting.

"It's not bad! It's not just similar in appearance, but it also captures the spirit of your painting even better than yours, Master."

Zongxian didn't know if ink painting and oil painting shared the same definition of beauty, but he knew that his disciple seemed to be in a bad mood. She even made a rare sarcastic remark to him. Looking at the little girl's puffed-up face, Zongxian was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant.

"Haha! How old are you, and you've already learned to be jealous!"

Zongxian chuckled softly, placing his palm on the little girl's head and rubbing it gently. "It's not that I don't want to teach you Super Beast Imitation Painting, but this technique isn't suitable for you. And to be honest, you don't need these things, Yakumo. What's most important for you right now is to improve your physical fitness, and then to discover your own talent. In the future, you will definitely become a very powerful expert."

There are always some people in this world who are favored by God.

Kurama Yakumo is one of them.

That innate, immense spiritual energy was something even the Uchiha who inherited the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths could hardly match. It was only after Sogen awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan that he was able to seal and suppress this excessive spiritual energy, which placed a huge burden on Yakumo's body.

As long as he can make up for the weakness in the strength of his body, he will have almost no obstacles in securing a place among the strongest ninjas in the world.

"Alright! Go pack your things! Naruto too, you two go to your rooms and pack your things, we're going ashore."

distance,

The dark outline and shadow gradually emerged at the line where the water met the sky.

······

The Land of Water is an archipelago nation, isolated from the mainland, consisting of hundreds of islands. The largest island is called the main island of the Land of Water, whose real name is 'Kirishima'. The Daimyo's residence and Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) of the Land of Water are located on this main island.

eastern Kirishima

The largest port,

The army from Kirigakure and the delegation from Konoha arrived here today. The Kirigakure ninja from Kirigakure have sealed off the port and implemented the highest level of martial law to welcome the Mizukage and the Konoha delegation. However, since they had suffered a defeat, they did not hold any welcoming ceremony.

"Kirishima... that name really wasn't wrong!"

Uchiha Akitarou couldn't wait to jump off the gangway. Stepping onto solid ground, he looked around. Good heavens, the white mist all around him made him feel like he was in a dream. He waved his hand, and the wispy mist was stirred and dispersed, but it quickly gathered together again.

This naturally formed fog is not so easily dispersed by humans.

"Fujika, don't wander off. If you get lost here, you'll never be able to find your way home. Yakumo, Naruto, you two stay close too. This terrible environment is really unpleasant." Zongxian stepped off the boat and looked back at the little ones behind him, giving them instructions.

This was also his first time visiting the Land of Water.

Although I did my research on the ship and learned that Kirishima is called Kirishima because the thick fog on the island never dissipates, and even typhoons can only briefly disperse the fog near the sea, the deep fog inside the island has never receded.

But after seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that some things really need to be understood through the most direct methods, other than words.

In this kind of weather,

It's practically a natural form of concealment through mist; it seems one can't be careless at all when traveling in this country!

"Lord Mizukage, welcome back."

At this moment,

The ninja from the Mist stepped forward to greet them.

He appeared to be a seasoned Mist Ninja in his forties, wearing a headband and the standard uniform of a Mist Jonin. His weathered face showed little emotion, and although he said "Welcome," his tone betrayed no genuine welcome whatsoever!

"It's Meguro!"

Yagura did not take offense at the rude attitude.

He had expected this treatment, especially since Meguro was never on his side. This man, like Ao, Bi, and Quanbingwei, had all been trained and promoted by Master Yuan. "How has Master Yuan's health been lately? Is he alright?"

"Lord Mizukage, please rest assured, Master Yuan is in excellent health!"

Meguro answered Yagura's question in a curt tone.

Zongxian watched with amusement from the sidelines. It seemed that Yagura Karatachi was truly about to finish his reign as Mizukage. However... even if the Kirigakure ninja were still willing to acknowledge the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi could not continue in that role. He didn't have much time left!

just,

Suddenly, Zongxian frowned.

With lightning speed, he reached behind his back and pulled out the Flame Fan, channeling chakra into it. He swung it fiercely, and a fierce gust of wind howled out, blowing away the kunai with explosive tags hanging from them that flew out of the mist.

A deafening explosion rang out, and the bright, blazing flames dispelled the thick fog nearby, revealing the attackers' true identities.

Those were a group of Mist Ninja.

The ninja in charge of port security,