Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

An unreliable thought popped into Zongxian's mind, so he personally brewed two cups of tea and then sat down opposite Yagura.

The battle on the chessboard began silently.

"Clan Chief Uchiha, how do you feel about coming to Kirigakure?"

After placing his piece, Yagura asked a question.

"It's pretty much as bad as I imagined." Zongxian said bluntly, the jet-black chess piece dancing between his pale fingers. "Honestly, with you guys looking like this, how can you even get a mission? I don't think any client would dare to come to Kirigakure."

The mission system is the foundation of the ninja village's existence.

The client posts a mission, and the ninjas accept the mission based on its difficulty and their own strength. They receive corresponding rewards for completing the mission. No missions mean no income for the ninjas, and it's easy to imagine what kind of things a ninja would do to survive without income.

As for why ninjas didn't directly control the country with force, but instead had to obtain benefits indirectly through 'missions', the reasons are complex. Among them is the influence of traditions that have continued since the Warring States period. Ninja families in the Warring States period were hired by various countries to wage war, which can be regarded as the prototype of the mission system.

During the Warring States period, there were instances where ninja clans killed powerful nobles and directly dominated a region by force. However, these clans ultimately met with bad ends, as they were attacked by other nobles who joined forces and hired many powerful ninja clans, thus erasing them from history.

Unless the ninjas can unite as one, or at least the majority of them can stand on the same side, only then can they truly replace the ruling position of the nobles.

For example,

If the Uchiha clan were to defeat the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and take his place, they would not receive blessings from other countries. Instead, the nobles and lords of those countries would spare no expense in hiring ninjas to wage war and annihilate the Uchiha clan.

At this moment,

The Uchiha clan either possessed unparalleled power or was able to win over most of the ninjas in the ninja world to their side instead of being employed by noble lords. The former goes without saying; if Hashirama Senju had been willing, he could have wiped out all the old nobles, buried the past rulers, and established a unified empire.

However, his limited perspective and overly kind nature prevented him from ever considering such a thing. In the end, he only managed to transform the chaotic and warlike state of the Warring States period into the orderly war between the five great nations and the five ninja villages of today!

As for the latter situation...

Can ninjas who harbor deep-seated hatred for each other put aside their old grudges and work together to usher in a better tomorrow for all of them?

Almost impossible!

To put it simply, being a ninja is an industry, an extremely competitive one. Ninjas who lack a sense of the whole don't care about things like raising the overall standards of the industry; they only care about the interests of their own clans, and at most, the village.

Like the ninjas of the Cloud Ninja, who would only laugh loudly when they saw the ninjas of the Leaf Village being treated like dogs by noble lords, they would never say anything of sympathy for their kind.

This is what a ninja is like.

Due to a combination of factors,

This has led to the current situation.

The nobles and lords do not interfere in the internal affairs of the ninjas. They only spend money to hire ninjas to do things, that is, to issue commissioned missions. The ninjas will not attack or harm the nobles and lords on their own initiative. Instead, they will accept missions to receive rewards. This is the dual-track system of one country and one village created by Hashirama Senju.

The task system is the core of this system, serving as a hub and bridge connecting the country and the village.

"There are still some. There are quite a few nobles in the Land of Water, and the conflicts and frictions between the various minor lords on the islands have never stopped. These are all regular customers. As long as the mission is completed well, they won't care about the situation in the village. In addition, the village will also issue some missions from time to time. It can only be said that we are barely maintaining it! However, now the morale in the village is unstable, and to be honest, it is uncertain how long this precarious situation can be maintained."

Yagura sighed softly, making no attempt to hide the dire situation of the Mist Ninja.

"Seeing your miserable state, I almost can't bear to ask you for compensation anymore." Zongxian pressed his finger on the chess piece and placed it on the chessboard.

Yagura looked down at the Go board and said, "You can't bear to? What a pity, I thought it would lighten the burden a bit!"

The regret conveyed in those words was no exaggeration.

"If it were a matter concerning myself or the Uchiha clan, I could decide to reduce or waive some of the burden for the sake of our chess friendship. However, this is a major matter for the village. Even though the Hokage has granted me the power to make the decision, I dare not arbitrarily abandon the interests of the village. What was agreed upon at the time must be the amount, not a single bit less."

Zongxian said with absolute certainty.

Yagura's intentions were clear: it was all about the huge war reparations. It wasn't that Yagura wanted to break the agreement; he simply told Sogen that Kirigakure was currently unable to pay such a large sum, and even if it were to be paid in installments, it would be a long and uncertain process.

Perhaps Zongxian will soften his stance or find it troublesome and reduce the amount. This is Yagura's intention. He does not intend to breach the contract voluntarily, but if Konoha takes the initiative to reduce the amount of compensation, then it will not be considered a breach of the agreement between the two parties.

Therefore,

That's why Zongxian firmly told Yagura Karatachi not to expect him to voluntarily reduce the compensation for the Mist Ninja, because doing so would be tantamount to betraying Konoha's interests.

"Snapped!"

The chess pieces made a crisp sound as they landed on the chessboard.

A look of helplessness appeared on Yagura's baby face.

He asked in a consultative tone, "Is there really no way?"

“Lord Mizukage, there is no room for negotiation on this matter. If I dare to back down here, it will become a stain that I can never wash away for the rest of my life.” Zongxian held the chess piece, his gaze wandering back and forth on the chessboard. “I represent not only myself, but also the head of the Uchiha clan. If I am stigmatized, it will be a disgrace to the clan as well.”

Upon hearing this, Yagura sighed again.

Although he was mentally prepared for this outcome, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed at this point.

"However, it's not like there's absolutely no way out."

Zongxian toyed with the chess piece in his hand, and before Yagura Karatachi could completely despair, he let down a thin spider silk that symbolized a way out.

Yagura suddenly raised his head, his purple eyes flashing with two piercing gazes as he stared intently at Sogen. "Clan Chief Uchiha, please tell me your solution. As long as it's within reasonable limits, I don't care if it costs me my life."

"I'll spare your life. If I were interested in your life, it would have been over in a single strike back then. As for my method... Lord Mizukage, ninjas have value too." A meaningful smile appeared on Zongxian's face as he placed a chess piece in his hand.

Yagura frowned.

Are ninjas also valuable?

What's the point of this nonsense? Ninjas certainly have value, the question is, can't he just sell the entire Mist Ninja clan to Konoha...?

"The situation in Kirigakure is not optimistic, and the situation in Konoha is also quite tense. The Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja are both getting restless, seemingly thinking that Konoha is easier to bully now. However, the village is indeed short of troops. If it is just a standoff, it is fine, but if a real battle breaks out, the troops will most likely be in short supply."

Leaving the village doesn't mean you've lost touch with it.

Any news from the village would be relayed to him, though there would always be delays. For example, the letter about the hermit of Mount Myōboku returning to the village had just been sent and had not yet reached Sōgen's hands, but the previous letters were enough for Sōgen to keep track of the situation in the village.

For example, he was well aware of the constant underhanded actions by the Cloud Ninja and the Rock Ninja on the border.

In front of Yagura, Sogen didn't mind exposing his weaknesses. He had the Three-Tails under his control and wasn't worried at all that the Kirigakure ninja would do anything irrational. Otherwise, with the Three-Tails working together, wiping out Kirigakure wouldn't have been difficult at all.

"I can't make a decision about this matter right now." Yagura did not immediately give Sogen a clear answer.

What Zongxian said is not impossible. Currently, Konoha and Kirigakure are no longer enemies, and they will cooperate in the future based on that one-eyed bastard. The two villages can be considered allies, so it is feasible to mobilize manpower under the guise of supporting allies.

only,

As Sogen said, ninjas have value.

The revival of Kirigakure also depends on the support of its precious human resources. Konoha's military strength is stretched thin, and so is Kirigakure's. Aside from the casualties of the previous war, the port incident resulted in even more deaths and injuries, coupled with the population loss that Kirigakure has experienced in recent years.

"It's alright. The situation in Konoha isn't critical enough to warrant immediate action. We still have time to discuss this properly."

Zongxian tapped the chessboard, indicating to Yagura to place his piece.

Yagura shook his head, suppressing the various thoughts in his mind. This was not a matter that could be decided in a short time. He needed to discuss it with Master Yuan and the village's leaders. For now, he should focus on the chessboard.

[Chapter 135 The Crow and the Snake]

Lead-colored clouds blocked out the sunlight, and the cold mist dampened the hem of his trench coat. It was just past noon, but the gloomy sky gave people the illusion that night was about to fall. Uchiha Shisui walked along the sparsely populated street, tightened his trench coat, and looked around at the shops on the street. He walked half a street before he saw a set meal restaurant that was open for business.

At this point, there is clearly no room for criticism.

My stomach was rumbling.

After days of eating and sleeping outdoors, he was starting to miss the hot rice cake and red bean soup and stir-fried udon noodles.

The shop wasn't very big; there were probably less than ten seats. The dim yellow lighting brought a bit of warmth, the floor was very clean, and there was no noise. There were only two customers sitting in the innermost corner, quietly enjoying their lunch.

Zhi Shui pulled out a chair and sat down at an empty table at the shop entrance.

"Welcome! What would you like to order?"

The waitress was a short little girl with bright, dark eyes staring at Shisui. She was probably the owner's daughter. Small shops like this were often run by an entire family. Their income didn't allow them to spend more money hiring waitresses. Whether in the Land of Water or the Land of Fire, the lives of ordinary people were equally hard and difficult.

Not only was a little girl acting as a waitress, but an elderly man with completely white hair was also carefully wiping the actually very clean tables and chairs with a rag.

Zhishui took the menu and opened it to look at it. Luckily, she immediately saw stir-fried udon noodles and red bean soup with rice cakes. "Do you have all of these?"

"We have everything. What would you like to order?"

The little girl's voice was clear and melodious.

"Hmm... please give me stir-fried udon noodles and red bean soup with rice cakes." Shisui rubbed his rumbling stomach, deciding to treat himself well today. His eyes darted back and forth across the menu. "Also, give me a serving of roast pork and fried chicken cutlet."

He had only eaten a cold plum rice ball for breakfast today in order to get to his destination, and by this time he had already digested it all and had nothing left in his stomach.

This made him sigh at his own depravity.

Back when we were on the battlefield, sometimes we wouldn't get a hot meal for a day or two, and we'd eat military rations instead. Now, my stomach rumbles and I'm hungry as soon as I miss a meal. It just goes to show that a comfortable life can easily erode one's willpower.

The waiting time was so long.

Shisui's thoughts wandered aimlessly as he pondered the task of finding the Six Paths Ninja Tools. The information that Sogen had given him was indeed too brief, only roughly circling some islands of varying sizes on the map of the Land of Water. When Shisui actually arrived in the area, he realized that the area covered by those circles on the map was quite large.

Although it appears to be a tiny, barren island on the map, it actually takes more than half an hour to get from one end to the other.

This is still calculated based on the ninja's leg strength.

Moreover, finding a few Six Paths Ninja Tools that were lost in some unknown corner meant that he couldn't just run from one end of the island to the other and be done with it. He needed to traverse every inch of the island. After searching two small islands without finding anything, Shisui realized that he couldn't do it this way and had to think of another way.

However, he hasn't come up with a good solution yet.

After all, decades have passed, and if it were so easy to find, it wouldn't have remained undiscovered for so many years. Many islands are deserted and uninhabited, where you can't even ask someone about past legends and stories; you can only search inch by inch.

"Where exactly is it?"

Shisui rubbed his temples in distress.

The sooner we find the Six Paths Ninja Tools, the sooner we can return home. However, judging from the current situation, it seems unlikely that we can finish this mission quickly. We might not even gain anything by the time it's up. This needle-in-a-haystack mission is just too tedious.

Are you looking for someone? Or something?

The hoarse, deep voice that entered Shisui's ears sent a chill down his spine.

Greedy malice coiled around his ankle like a venomous snake.

but--

Shi Shui sat still.

"who are you?"

He simply asked a question.

In the deepest corner of the shop sat two figures, one tall and one short. Zhi Shui, who was sitting with his back to the shop door, could just see the little boy, who was about seven or eight years old, with white hair, emerald green eyes, and two red dots between his eyebrows. He was a handsome boy with delicate features.

As for the person opposite the boy, whose back was to Zhishui, most of his body was obscured by the protruding pillar, and only his long, black hair that fell to his waist could be seen.