Projection magicians starting from the Uchiha clan

"Iori, you're up! I heard that in last night's mission, you not only severely damaged the Iwa ninja's supply base, but also killed their commander. You did a fantastic job!"

Her voice was full of joy, and her eyes sparkled with adoration.

As a teammate, she was proud of Iori's achievements, which made her secret feelings for him even more intense.

In the camp, Iori's reputation was already approaching that of Minato Namikaze.

He severely damaged the Iwa ninja camp, killed the enemy commander, and turned the tide for Konoha, which was at a disadvantage.

To the ninjas on the front lines, he was in no way inferior to the Yellow Flash who defeated the Cloud Ninja in the Land of Lightning.

Some of the ninjas who had witnessed Iori's battles before had begun calling him the Crimson Meteor.

"That's a Jinchūriki! Iori, how did you do that? It's incredible!"

Kurama Takumi also rushed over, and even he, who was usually calm, could not hide his excitement at this moment.

As a declining, old-fashioned ninja clan, the Kurama clan has always maintained ancient records.

The fact that the tailed beasts are invincible natural disasters has always been recorded in their family's history.

The last time this way of thinking was broken was by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, who founded Konoha.

Seeing that his teammates were safe and sound, Iori breathed a sigh of relief.

The Iwa ninja have been constantly encroaching on the Konoha ninja's operational space, and news of reconnaissance units being killed in action continues to arrive.

Iori also worries that one day her teammates will become one of them.

“Of course, it’s because of these eyes,” Iori said, pointing to her eyes.

"I have awakened the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan, the eye of Madara Uchiha who founded Konoha with the First Hokage."

"The Mangekyou Sharingan?" Kaori Uzuki asked in confusion. As a member of a minor ninja clan, she was not familiar with these secrets.

After Madara Uchiha returned to the village, he engaged in an earth-shattering battle with the First Hokage, which led to the First Hokage's death not long afterward.

Since then, everything about Madara Uchiha has been downplayed. Although the official warrant for his arrest as a rogue ninja has not been issued, his contributions have been largely erased.

In Konoha, the Mangekyou Sharingan has become a legend among the older generation; the younger generation has no idea about it.

"So it's the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan? Then when you defeated the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, did you use the legendary Susanoo?"

Kurama Takumi asked excitedly, having seen the record in his family's archives.

The head of the Kurama clan at that time had awakened the clan's bloodline limit, and his strength was no less than that of powerful figures such as the Third Hokage.

But one day, he encountered the strongest member of the Uchiha clan at the time, and the two fought. As a result, the genjutsu had no effect on the Sharingan.

The Kurama clan's prized bloodline limit, which allows them to control their five senses and bring illusions to life, is utterly powerless against the blue giant.

After that battle, the Kurama clan would avoid the Uchiha clan whenever they encountered them on missions.

“That’s right, it’s Susanoo,” Iori said reservedly, but the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than AK’s.

[It's only when you encounter someone knowledgeable that you feel pleasure. Someone like Kaori, who knows nothing, reacts too blandly.]

"May I witness it?" Kurama Takumi was even more excited, his hands clenched tightly, almost jumping up. This was his first time having close contact with the legendary power.

"Well, it's not suitable for short-term use. Susanoo can damage the eyes and cannot be used frequently."

Iori subconsciously left herself some room for maneuver; she couldn't reveal all her cards at once.

Not everyone in Konoha is a friend; it's wise to keep some cards up your sleeve.

"Never mind then. Remember to call me next time you need to do an experiment." Takumi Kurama looked disappointed.

"Never mind him, Iori. You shouldn't have any missions lately. Could you give me some pointers on taijutsu? Just the two of us."

Kaori Uzuki blushed, her eyes darting away, unable to look Iori directly in the eye.

She gently bit her lower lip, her hands constantly fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

Her body trembled slightly; asking that question had taken all her courage.

After experiencing the brutality of war, she no longer wanted to wait.

"Sure, you can come anytime. Oh, by the way, I'll organize my martial arts insights and give you a copy."

Iori scratched her head and responded casually, as if she hadn't caught the subtext in her words.

But he hasn't made any plans for marriage yet, so he has to postpone everything for now.

[Besides, my goal is to unify the ninja world and then be crowned, so marriage would be a troublesome matter.] Iori thought to himself.

Unless one intends to single-handedly defeat the entire world, it's difficult to avoid political marriages.

[It's not just Konoha; every ninja village will probably need one. To maintain their rule, they must be politically impartial.]

"Things will work themselves out; we can only let nature take its course."

"Okay, let's go train now. See you later, Takumi."

Kaori Uzuki's words broke Iori's thoughts and pulled him back to reality.

"Oh, okay, goodbye Takumi. I'll write down my thoughts on illusion magic and give them to you then."

"Although it may not be as powerful as your family's secrets because it doesn't include clan insights, it should be good for applying them to other situations."

Iori waved goodbye to Kurama Takumi, and casually offered him a promise as well.

After all, we're all friends, so we can't show favoritism and abandon our friends when there's someone of the opposite sex.

Ah, the stench of love is intoxicating. I wonder when I'll finally find the right girl?

Kurama Takumi sighed and thought to himself as he slowly left.

"Let's go to the training ground first. There shouldn't be any missions these next few days, so I'll give you some intensive combat training."

Iori looked at Kaori Uzuki and said, "Purple hair, tall figure, delicate face."

Thinking back to when we first met, she was just a tiny little girl, and now she's a grown woman.

"Alright, let's go." Kaori Uzuki reached out her hand. Although she didn't get the answer she wanted most, agreeing to train alone was a good start.

Her hands were slightly cool and trembling, but she firmly grasped Iori's hand, and the two walked toward the training ground.

Chapter 28 Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura

Two days later

Konoha Village

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was staring intently at the battle reports from the front lines in the Hokage Building. His brow was slightly furrowed, and he tapped his pipe lightly on the table, his thoughts wandering amidst the swirling smoke.

"Might Guy, the Eight Gates is such a powerful ninjutsu. I never discovered it in the village before."

"Does his son Might Guy also know this technique? It seems we should focus on training him. If he also has the potential to open the Eighth Gate, he will become one of Konoha's important trump cards."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and muttered to himself.

"The Mistkage lost four Ninja Swordsmen in one fell swoop. It seems their attack is coming to an end."

"The Hyuga lost a member of the main branch, but the Uchiha produced two rising stars: Fugaku with the fierce eyes and Shisui with the body-flickering ability."

"Their power has become further unbalanced, and they can no longer be two balanced poles."

He sighed. The continuous war had once again disrupted the balance of power in Konoha. The village had suffered severe damage, and the survival rate of the ninja from the major clans was far higher than that of the common people.

The addition of the Uchiha clan, a ninja clan that grew stronger with each battle, further exacerbated the imbalance of power within the village.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and an ANBU ninja appeared on one knee in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, interrupting his thoughts.

"Lord Hokage, this is a battle report from Lord Jiraiya."

The ANBU ninja respectfully handed over the scroll and then quickly withdrew; he was not qualified to hear the battle reports from the front lines.

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll, which contained detailed information about Iori Uchiha's raid on the Iwa ninja camp and the killing of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.

“Uchiha Iori, I remember him. Isn’t that the Uchiha boy who just became a Jonin? He’s already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, his expression instantly turning serious. In just a few days, he had evolved from a single-magatama to a kaleidoscope; his talent was truly terrifying.

Killing the Five-Tails Jinchuriki also means that he was not a novice who only had power but didn't know how to use it.

He is no longer just a genius, but a strong person who has realized his talent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled himself out of his chaotic thoughts and continued to read the report in his hand.

"Yes, he has a good relationship with Minato, cares about his teachers and teammates, and will take the initiative to protect other comrades."

"He seems different from other Uchiha; he's a ninja who understands the Will of Fire."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows relaxed. If a strong-willed Uchiha Mangekyou Sharingan were added at this moment, the situation would become extremely complicated, and he might even have to make some unwilling compromises.

"It seems I should talk to Jiraiya and see if I can get him into Minato's camp."

"With his strength, he could easily win over a group of Uchiha clan members to the village."

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. "Perhaps Jing's wish can be fulfilled through him."

Just then, the door to the Hokage's office was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Danzo, what's the rush?"

The newcomer was none other than Shimura Danzo, the leader of the Root of Konoha Village.

His right hand and right eye were wrapped in bandages, which he had never removed since he was injured on a mission.

Everyone was used to his appearance and didn't delve into the specifics.

"Hiruzen, hand over Uchiha Iori to me. I will make him a sharp blade for Konoha."

Danzo Shimura gripped his cane tightly and said excitedly.

His research on Hashirama cells had stagnated for a long time. Since discovering that the Sharingan suppressed Hashirama cells, he had secretly collected several pairs of Sharingan, but the effect was not obvious.

Now that a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan have appeared in front of him, how can he possibly contain his excitement?

"Danzo, don't try to harm him. He's a ninja who understands the Will of Fire, and he's our comrade!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat up straight, tapped the table with his pipe, and said seriously.

"You should know that although the attacks by the Mist Ninja and the Iwa Ninja have been thwarted, it is not impossible for them to launch another attack."