Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Unfortunately, he ultimately succumbed to arrogance and failed to invest in the child early on, resulting in the child only having eyes for his granddaughter and completely ignoring him and the Uchiha clan.

Ultimately, the Uchiha clan lost to the Senju clan; he personally lost to Mito Uzumaki.

Fortunately, his granddaughter was quite capable and didn't lose to that idiot, Rope Tree.

"Hmph, at his age, he only managed to get the opportunity because of his granddaughter. How shameful."

Uchiha Homura chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned to look at Chizuru, who had appeared not far from the courtyard at some point...

When Chizuru saw Uchiha Homura looking over, she snorted coldly, turned her head away, and walked towards the Naga Shrine alone, refusing to look at her grandfather.

……

Soon after, the Jonin and Chunin of the Uchiha clan arrived at the open space in front of the Naga Shrine.

This time, Uchiha Homura did not take them into the secret chamber beneath the Naka Shrine, but instead met them directly here.

"Clan members, the Third Hokage has agreed to let us join this major operation in Konoha. Because of this operation, both Iwagakure and Kumogakure have mobilized large numbers of troops to approach the border of the Land of Fire, putting pressure on Konoha. Therefore, the Third Hokage hopes that we can go to the battlefield and the border as soon as possible to provide support..."

He briefly explained the Third Hokage's secret order, which immediately invigorated the Uchiha ninjas present, sweeping away their previous dissatisfaction with the village and the Third Hokage.

Moreover, upon hearing that they were to be transferred to the front lines and border defenses for support, many of them began to rub their hands together in anticipation, their faces showing excitement and joy, clearly very satisfied with the task that the Third Generation had entrusted to them.

That's for sure.

They watched as other ninjas in the village made great achievements on the battlefield, listening to them boast about their glorious exploits, while they themselves had to stay in the village as guards, and were secretly mocked for being cowardly by some people who didn't know the truth.

As members of the Uchiha clan, they had long harbored resentment and yearned to go to the battlefield to wash away the shame of being called cowards.

Now they finally have the opportunity to show their skills and let the villagers understand the strength and bravery of their Uchiha clan. This is wonderful.

"A bunch of arrogant idiots."

Standing in a corner of the crowd, Fugaku Uchiha watched as his clansmen showed great interest in the war, a cold smile creeping across his face as displeasure involuntarily crept in.

These people had never been on the battlefield and had no idea how terrifying it was.

It's incredibly stupid of them to be happy about being able to go to the battlefield.

For the first time, Fugaku Uchiha truly understood how arrogant his clan was, so arrogant that they lacked sufficient respect for war.

"If all members of the clan are like this, the Uchiha clan has no future."

This thought suddenly popped into Fugaku's mind, and then a feeling of sadness welled up in his heart.

Just as he was pondering how to save the Uchiha clan on his own, he suddenly realized that someone was watching him.

He followed his instincts and looked over, only to find that it was the clan leader looking at him. He immediately lowered his head, stood up straight, and nervously glanced at Uchiha Homura.

Like the other Jonin in the clan, he had also fallen into the clan leader's illusion.

That feeling of powerlessness made him realize just how terrifying the strength of his clan leader was.

In an instant, it trapped more than fifty Uchiha Jonin with three-tomoe Sharingan in a genjutsu, and they were unable to break free for a short time.

The power of this illusion technique is terrifying to even think about.

"This child is very special..."

Looking at the reserved Uchiha Fugaku, Homura Uchiha thought to himself.

On this stage, he kept an eye on the expressions of his people. Most of them showed excitement and joy, a few were expressionless or indifferent, while the inconspicuous child standing in the corner showed a sadness rarely seen among his people.

Chapter 115: Hidden Rocks

The Uchiha clan did not gather at the Naga Shrine for long. After Uchiha Homura announced the arrangements for each person, the Uchiha ninjas quickly dispersed and then rushed to complete various battlefield supplies and find familiar people to form ninja teams.

Meanwhile, deep within Konoha Prison, in the new office of the Root leader.

Danzo was staring angrily at a newly arrived intelligence report in his hand. The report was about the Uchiha clan mobilizing a large number of clan ninjas to provide support on the battlefield and at various borders.

"Idiot, idiot, big idiot, how could you make such a stupid decision? It's so stupid."

Danzo could no longer contain his rage. He tore the intelligence report in his hand into pieces, then kicked over the desk in front of him and began punching and kicking it, venting his burning anger.

He really didn't expect the Third Hokage to be so short-sighted, releasing the Uchiha clan, this beast, just for the sake of the mere pressure of the border defense.

Once this ferocious beast is released, it will be difficult to bring it back.

He was well aware of the Uchiha clan's strength. For other ninjas, war was extremely dangerous, but for the Uchiha clan, it was an accelerator for them to become stronger.

While war will certainly reduce the Uchiha clan's numbers significantly, if a Mangekyou Sharingan ninja is born from among them, then it will be a huge windfall.

Because every Mangekyou Sharingan user is bound to be a Kage-level ninja.

The influence of a Kage-level ninja is greater than that of a hundred Jonin, let alone a Kage-level ninja from the Uchiha clan. The power of his Mangekyou Sharingan is comparable to that of Wood Release, although it is not quite as powerful as Wood Release, it is almost the same.

Otherwise, Madara Uchiha wouldn't have been able to fight the God of Shinobi to a standstill with his Mangekyou Sharingan. Although he ultimately lost, in a sense, he could be considered to have fought the God of Shinobi to a draw.

Now, his good classmate Hiruzen Sarutobi has actually forgotten his teacher's teachings and has recklessly released the evil beast of the Uchiha clan. He is truly foolish.

As expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi, that idiot, was not fit to be Hokage.

The teacher was really confused back then.

The hidden ANBU ninjas watched Danzo fly into a rage, displaying an unusually outburst of composure. They were all extremely nervous, instinctively placing their hands on the hilts of their ninja swords behind their backs.

At the same time, anger welled up in their hearts.

They certainly didn't know who Danzo was referring to as a fool at that moment.

Therefore, they were furious that Danzo had spoken such disrespectful words at this moment.

Furthermore, Danzo's current irrational behavior is quite dangerous; he might get so angry that he rushes out of prison to confront the Third Hokage.

Their mission was to keep an eye on Danzo here and prevent him from going anywhere.

However, they were also well aware that with their strength, they were unlikely to be able to stop Danzo.

After all, they weren't the only ninjas watching over Danzo here; many Root ninjas who weren't quite right in the head had been secretly protecting him.

Fortunately, Danzo did not lose his mind in anger. After destroying the desk and many other things in the room, he stopped, sat on the floor, lowered his head, and remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

The only signs that the Root leader was still in a very bad mood were the powerful chakra fluctuations emanating from his body, his heavy breathing, and the oppressive atmosphere in the room.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this. And the Uchiha clan, you will never be able to turn the tables."

Danzo hid his entire face in the darkness, speaking in a low voice filled with hatred, his eyes revealing an extremely sinister look.

……

Late at night, in Chiyo's house in Sunagakure.

Chiyo had finally managed to coax her precious grandson to sleep, and she quietly left the room.

"Mom and Dad."

Before leaving, she suddenly heard her grandson Xie's babbling, and her heart felt as if it had been pierced by a needle.

"That damned Hattori Masashige..."

Chiyo gritted her teeth and whispered, a ferocious expression on her face.

Two days have passed since her son and daughter-in-law were captured, and the envoy sent by Sunagakure to Amegakure has arrived in Amegakure. However, Hattori Masanari is not in Amegakure at all, and he has not shown any trace of himself.

Therefore, whether her son and daughter-in-law are alive or dead remains unknown.

Chiyo returned to her room to rest, but with her mind preoccupied, she couldn't fall asleep at all, and it was destined to be another sleepless night.

She had no choice but to go to the underground puppet workshop, hoping to temporarily forget her troubles by creating puppets.

But as soon as she left the room, she suddenly said, "Why are you being so secretive at home, kid?"

The next moment, Ebizo emerged from the shadows behind her, and he smiled slightly, saying, "There's nothing I can do about it, I'm used to it."

Is there any news?

Chiyo had no interest in joking with her younger brother and immediately asked, a nervous expression on her face.

"Hattori Masanari has appeared."

Ebizo nodded.

"Where is he? How are Akasuna and Sunagakure?"

Chiyo excitedly pressed for an answer.

Ebizo paused for a moment, then said with a grim face, "He is still in the Land of Rain. As for Akasuna and Sunagakure, they should not be dead, but that Rain Ninja is in contact with the people of Iwagakure. It seems that he is preparing to make a deal with Iwagakure."

"Iwagakure!"

Chiyo's face instantly turned cold, and her eyes became dangerous.

"Calm down, sister, it's too late for you to go now."

Upon seeing this, Ebizo immediately understood what Chiyo was thinking and offered some words of advice.

"How can you expect me to stay calm? Iwagakure and Konoha are not the same. That old bastard Onoki will definitely be more than happy to get information from Akasuna and Sunagakure and then kill them. I can't just watch my son and daughter-in-law die."

Chiyo said coldly.

In her heart, Iwagakure was more hateful and dangerous than Konoha.

Unlike Konoha, which has occupied fertile lands but is not aggressive, Iwagakure has always shown a strong aggressiveness. Knowing that it cannot defeat Konoha, it has been eyeing the few fertile oases in the north of the Land of Wind for many years.

Over the years, although there have been no large-scale battles between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, small-scale battles have continued on the border. The hatred between the two sides has long been difficult to resolve, and both sides wish they could eliminate the other.

Among them, her son and daughter-in-law had made numerous outstanding contributions in the battles against Iwagakure. More than a dozen Iwagakure Jonin died at their hands, not to mention Chunin and Genin, the number of whom was simply too many to count.

Puppet masters, skilled in killing, are among the best in the ninja world at easily defeating weaker opponents. A single poison needle on their puppets can take the life of a ninja.

Therefore, her son and daughter-in-law, with their hands covered in Iwagakure's blood, were already on Iwagakure's kill list.

If the two of them fall into the hands of Iwagakure, they will surely die.

At this moment, she desperately wished that Hattori Masanari was negotiating with Konoha.

Compared to Iwagakure, Konoha is much easier to deal with. As long as Sunagakure shows a willingness to cease hostilities, her son and daughter-in-law will most likely not die, and may even be sent back safely as bargaining chips in peace talks.

"You still have to be patient. Going there now will only kill them both. Do you want them to die right now?"

Ebizo no longer gave his sister any face and reprimanded her to her face.

When Chiyo heard Ebizo say that, she was so angry that she stretched out her five fingers, wanting to use puppetry to teach her disobedient younger brother a lesson.

But she eventually let go, stomping her feet on the ground in a fit of impotent rage, cursing Hattori Masanari and Iwagakure incessantly.