Projection magicians starting from the Uchiha clan

After the funeral, no one left, but followed Iori to the basement of the Hokage Building.

Here, a massive summoning circle is ready.

Iori slowly stepped forward and channeled his magic into it. The magic flowed from his hand into the summoning circle, and the azure light gradually expanded, illuminating the entire basement.

He stepped into the center of the summoning circle, stretched out his hand, and, in the guise of Alaya, issued a command to the Throne of Heroes: "Declare that your body is under my command, and your destiny is in my sword."

"If anyone is willing to answer my call and protect Konoha, then answer."

"From the Wheel of Restraint, guardian of Libra—!"

As Iori chanted, the light on the summoning circle gradually intensified.

With a flash of blue light, the Third Hokage, now young again, appeared before Iori. He knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Ninja Hiruzen Sarutobi is willing to serve you."

"Fight for Konoha!"

Iori looked at him and said, "Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you have redeemed yourself from your mistakes. Now, fight for Konoha once again!"

"Understood, all for Konoha!" The Third Hokage said firmly, head bowed.

Afterwards, the group discussed again their plan to lure the snake out that night.

Iori had originally given up on letting the Third Hokage handle the Sarutobi clan's affairs and planned to hand them over to the Second Hokage.

As both the Third Hokage's mentor and the former Hokage of Konoha, Iori's handling of the Sarutobi clan was both in accordance with the rules and demonstrated his impartiality and fairness.

Given Tobirama's upright and incorruptible character, Iori has no worries that he might act out of favoritism, making him arguably the most suitable candidate.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected the proposal. He did not want the survivors of the Sarutobi clan to hold a grudge against the second generation, as that would pose no threat to the second generation and would only lead to their self-destruction.

He resolved to personally deal with the traitors within the clan, directing all discontent toward himself in order to protect them.

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Jiraiya walked over, and looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's tearful expression, he said in a low voice, "The others have all been captured."

"The traitors were mainly members of the Sarutobi clan and ninjas who had been close to the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitomon, and Utatane clans in the past. In addition, some members of the Nara and Yamanaka clans were also purged."

"Teacher, would you like to go and take a look?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly wiped away the tears that hadn't yet fallen from his eyes and said, "No need. Let's give them a quick death. After they die, Konoha will be completely cleansed of its remaining poison and become the place the Fifth Hokage wanted."

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before saying, "Teacher, is this really a good idea? Although they do have ill intentions towards Konoha, this is also the result of our guidance, isn't it?"

The Third Hokage calmly said, "Aren't there still many people who haven't been tempted? Of course, there are problems with such methods, but Konoha is currently in the final stage of reform, and even if it's an overcorrection, there's no other way."

He stared at Jiraiya and said seriously, "Do you think Konoha is the strongest now? No, the strongest is that man, Uchiha Iori."

"He needs a power to rule the world for him... and that power doesn't necessarily have to be Konoha, understand?"

"It is Konoha that needs him, not the other way around! We have no right to make mistakes; we can only obey him."

"Everything is for Konoha. You must remember that clearly, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya remembered the news from Mount Myōboku. Although he was unwilling, he still agreed with the Third Hokage's idea.

The world has welcomed a new master, and since they are already on the ship, they absolutely cannot anger the master and be thrown overboard.

The Third Generation continued, "Don't feel resentful. We used to obey the Daimyo, and now it's just that we have a different supreme leader."

"Although the daimyo doesn't have the power to directly rule us, how long will that man stay in this world?"

"As long as our development meets his needs, he will not destroy me."

"Konoha will exist, forever."

The Third Hokage saw it clearly: Iori's needs did not conflict with Konoha's. Konoha could, and indeed could, develop and grow stronger through his power, and exist forever.

The price paid is nothing more than a fleeting freedom, which is negligible.

After saying this, the Third Hokage turned and left. Not all members of the Sarutobi clan had participated in the rebellion; he had to appease the remaining clansmen and get them to direct their hatred towards him.

After he left, Sarutobi Asuma walked out from the side and stared blankly at the corpse on the ground.

Even though he had become estranged from his clan, all the Sarutobi ninjas he died with were people he knew.

They were either his uncles or his brothers.

But since they had chosen the path of rebellion, death was to be expected.

With tears in his eyes, he walked towards his brother's body and collected it.

From now on, his nephew will have to rely on him for care.

Chapter 355 The Beautiful Woman's Revenge

Just as Konoha was purging its internal traitors, Iori had already left Konoha with Pakura.

The wind and sand swirled, and the outline of Sunagakure Village appeared and disappeared in the distance, like a mirage.

"How does it feel to revisit this place?" Iori's voice drifted in the wind, tinged with a hint of teasing.

"I can't wait any longer. I hope they're all still alive so I can kill them with my own hands!" Ye Cang sneered, her eyebrows raised, her eyes flashing with vengeful light, her killing intent overflowing.

In the previous Third Shinobi World War, in order to make peace with the Mist Village and focus on dealing with the Leaf Village, the Sunagakure leadership secretly compromised with the Mist Village and betrayed her to the Mist Village.

It is an utter disgrace that Pakura, a renowned Kazekage candidate and a master of the Scorching Release technique, was killed by a barrage of kunai.

This way of dying made it impossible for Yekura to rest in peace.

That's why, after being resurrected by Iori, she only needed a brief understanding of the current situation in the ninja world before she unhesitatingly sided with Iori.

Whether for revenge or for the future of Sunagakure, joining forces with Iori was the best choice. In order to succeed, she offered up her own future as a bargaining chip.

Iori readily agreed, as this was one of his purposes in reviving Yoruichi.

As a candidate for Kazekage, Pakura was not lacking in prestige. The fact that she was betrayed was not known to the public. The lower-ranking ninjas all believed that she was killed by Iwa ninjas and had nothing to do with the upper-level conspiracy.

To this day, she is still regarded as a hero of Sunagakure, and countless lower-ranking ninjas remember and support her.

She is both prestigious and disgusted with the current high-ranking officials, so supporting her to digest Sunagakure is the perfect solution.

However, Iori had one more question to clarify: "Is it possible that Chiyo was involved in betraying you?"

As the pillar of Sunagakure and the only surviving top-tier ninja, if Chiyo also participated in the betrayal of Pakura, she would inevitably oppose Pakura's rise to power, which would cause some trouble.

Once Chiyo is confirmed to be an enemy, Iori plans to quietly kill her at the hands of "Sasori of the Red Sand," since the Asura Path is the ultimate manifestation of puppetry.

"Impossible, how could Lady Chiyo do such a thing? This must have been done by those elders colluding with Rasa, who wants to take over."

Yekura shook her head, decisively rejecting Iori's guess.

In fact, between Rasa and her, Chiyo was more inclined towards her. In fact, if it weren't for Rasa's wife Karura, Chiyo might have openly supported her becoming the Fourth Kazekage.

Iori considered the subsequent plot and didn't doubt Yekura's judgment too much, since Chiyo and Ebizo were basically retired during the Fourth Kazekage's reign.

Whether it was simply due to old age and retirement or because of dissatisfaction with the Yekura incident, no one can say for sure.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the entrance to the Great Canyon of Sunagakure. The swirling sandstorm obscured their figures, preventing the Sunagakure guards from noticing the arrival of these two powerful figures.

"What do you plan to do?" Iori turned her head and looked at Yekura, still playing with the Flying Thunder God kunai in her hand.

He doesn't plan to take the initiative to deal with the Sunagakure incident unless Yekura asks him for help, which can be considered a test for Yekura.

“Of course, I will walk in with dignity and settle scores with dignity.” Ye Cang’s eyes flashed coldly, and his fingers cracked. “I am a hero of the Sand Village, one of only two, or even the only, Jonin qualified to become Kazekage. They have no right to stop me.”

"Then I look forward to your performance, my future wife. If you need any help, just say the word." Iori gathered the Six Paths Chakra in his hand and patted Yekura's fair back.

After removing his hand, a yin-yang mark appeared on Ye Cang's back, emitting a faint light.

Just as Naruto and Sasuke obtained the Sage of Six Paths' chakra, Pakura also received Iori's permission to borrow his chakra through a seal.

With its current dwindling number of powerful individuals, Sunagakure has no way to threaten Pakura, who is capable of entering Six Paths Sage Mode.

After giving away the cheat, Iori silently concealed herself and disappeared from Yekura's sight.

Yekura curiously sensed her surroundings, but couldn't find any trace of Iori. She couldn't help but marvel at Iori's excellent stealth abilities.

After gathering her thoughts, Yekura strode forward and arrived at the entrance of Sunagakure.

"Who goes there?" Several ninjas leaped out of the shadows of the canyon, eyeing the uninvited guest warily.

The Sand Village is currently in a period of transition, facing numerous challenges and is arguably the weakest Sand Village in history.

The ninjas guarding the gate dared not relax for a moment, fearing that their mistakes might allow suspicious individuals to escape, causing Sunagakure to suffer another heavy blow.

"It's me, Yekura, the Scorching Release." Removing the straw hat from her head, Yekura revealed her beautiful face.

"Lord Ye Cang?"

"Wasn't Lord Yekura killed in battle?"

"Is it really Lady Yekura?"

The guarding ninjas were shocked and began to whisper among themselves.

After a brief moment of surprise, the leading ninja quickly calmed down. The ninja world was not without ninjutsu that could change one's appearance. Even if she looked exactly like Lady Yekura, she might not be the real person.

He shouted, "I'm sorry, Lady Yekura, according to the Sunagakure intelligence, you died in the battle with the Iwa ninja. I can't let you in!"

"Please wait a moment, I will inform Lady Chiyo immediately and await her instructions."

As he spoke, he gestured to his teammates behind him, signaling that the fastest traveler should inform Acting Kazekage Chiyo of what was happening here, while the others should prepare for battle.

If Pakura is actually another ninja in disguise, there's a real possibility that they might turn on each other.

Fortunately, Yekura did not launch an attack, but instead stood obediently at the mouth of the canyon, without making any other moves, waiting for Chiyo to arrive.

The leading ninja breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and became more convinced of Yekura's identity.

While waiting, he asked Yekura curiously, "Lord Yekura, everyone in the village says you died in the battle against Iwagakure. Why are you still alive, and why did it take you so many years to come back?"

"Because of the severity of my injuries, I was unconscious for a long time and missed the entire Ninja World War. I only returned from the place that saved me after I had recovered," Yekura said casually.

She didn't intend to reveal her experience here; there were too few people around, and it would be pointless to talk about it, and might even arouse their suspicion.

Yekura didn't have to wait long. Soon, an elderly ninja rushed over from the village. It was none other than the acting Kazekage and former advisor, Chiyo.

Chapter 356 Chiyo and Yekura

When Chiyo heard that Yekura was still alive, she immediately put down what she was doing and rushed to the entrance of Sunagakure.

Despite being nearly seventy years old, she arrived so quickly that she left even the young man who came to deliver the message behind her.