Uchiha's personal opinion

Chitu and Dongsiren also breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Speaker of the Senate is the head of the Uchiha clan, who oversees the affairs of all the ninja clans in Konoha. He holds a high position and wields considerable power. His status may even be above that of Hatake Sakumo. When you meet with him, be careful not to mention military affairs or border conflicts. You can discuss other matters."

After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ninjas left, Akatsuchi, still deeply worried, said this to Higashi no Shijin.

Why is that?

The dead man in the east is a bit strange.

"Because that is Uchiha Tokumitsu's Achilles' heel."

……

While the Iwagakure "Knowledge Faction" envoys were constantly meeting with various figures in Konoha, trying to find out Konoha's true intentions, Hatake Sakumo had already arrived at the border of the Land of Rain and joined up with the secretly assembled anti-terrorism force and the Hidden Gate Shogunate's ninja army.

Even at this point, apart from the Jonin serving in the Ninja Army, the lower-ranking Konoha ninjas still did not receive specific combat orders.

Although Hanzo the Salamander and his Rain Ninja army did not know their own combat objectives, this did not hinder their eagerness to try.

The Iwagakure's initiative to decline was interpreted by the Amegakure as cowardice, and they took it as a sign of their own and their allies' military might and publicized it extensively.

Neither Sakumo Hatake nor Hanzo of the Salamander intended to stop their subordinates' optimistic mindset; in fact, they deliberately encouraged it to create the illusion that the Konoha Alliance was targeting Iwagakure, thereby lulling the Akatsuki's secret base hidden within the Land of Birds into a false sense of security.

When will Deguang arrive?

After discussing the details of the ninja army's concealment and mobilization, Hanzo the Salamander asked Sakumo Hatake.

"He will go directly to the western border defense forces and then take over the ninja army to attack the Akatsuki base."

Sakumo Hatake said, "And he will launch the attack ahead of time."

"If that's the case, then why bother mobilizing so many ninja troops?"

"Hanzo the Salamander asked in a muffled voice."

"in case."

Sakumo Hatake replied.

……

"Notify the rank of Jonin in each department, distribute the battle plan to them, and then the ninja army will retreat south in a withdrawal state."

After receiving the information from the Ninja Cat Clan, Fugaku Uchiha ordered his adjutant, Shisui Uchiha: "Also, have the sealing team assemble here using the Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"

"As ordered!"

Uchiha Shisui immediately accepted the order and went to notify the various departments.

"Extermination of alien species..."

Although he had not been in charge of the western border defense forces for very long, Fugaku Uchiha was very happy there and did not miss Konoha.

Although he served in the northern border defense forces during the Second Shinobi World War, he was only the deputy commander in charge of a few squads, and his subordinates were only clan ninjas. He did not enjoy the feeling of having real power.

After returning to the village after the war, Fugaku Uchiha took various positions in the police department. Although he rose through the ranks smoothly, it was still less interesting than his current high position and great power.

"Being transferred to a higher position is a perfect thing... It seems I need to demonstrate my command skills as much as possible to secure my position!"

Fugaku Uchiha licked his lips and made a decision against his father's will.

……

Under the command of the Jonin in each unit, the western border defense forces withdrew southward one by one, organized into detachments. Meanwhile, Iwagakure in the north and the Akatsuki intelligence frog in the shadows were keeping an eye on the ninja army's movements.

The previously anxious Iwagakure immediately breathed a sigh of relief, believing that the village's envoy had successfully mediated between Konoha and Iwagakure.

Jiraiya, who had been monitoring and analyzing the information relayed back by the intelligence frog, was greatly disappointed.

"They didn't even start fighting, they're utterly incompetent!"

Jiraiya said with a hint of resentment.

"Those Uchiha clan members are all envious. They talk about unifying the ninja world and bringing peace to the four seas, but in reality, they are all cowards!"

"Iwagakure is utterly useless!"

"The will to return the stone! Bah!"

"They came to Konoha's doorstep to bully you, and they didn't even have the courage to stand up to them, let alone fight back! Trash!"

"Onoki is a bastard! He sent some envoy to mediate for no reason! He doesn't even have the courage to start a war, yet he calls himself the strongest Tsuchikage! He's a piece of trash!"

Jiraiya gulped down bottles of sake, muttering curses under his breath.

Princess Ichikishima of Ryuchi Cave still hangs upside down above the cave, watching Jiraiya drown his sorrows in alcohol with great interest.

"In the ninja world today, only I, Jiraiya, am a true hero! I swear to fight the Uchiha clan to the very end!"

After finishing the last bottle of sake on the table, Jiraiya shook the empty bottle in his hand and shouted at Ichikishima-hime.

"you're right."

Princess Ichikishima smiled broadly, looking at Jiraiya as if he were an absolute idiot.

"Speaking of which, Ryuchi Cave is also one of the three sacred sites..."

Jiraiya let out a burp, and a fermented, sour smell immediately filled the cave.

"So, does the prestigious Ryuchi Cave have any secret methods that can eliminate people's troubles?"

"There are no secret techniques or anything like that."

Princess Ichikishima chuckled, completely unfazed by Jiraiya's sour stench. "We believe the best way to eliminate trouble is not to argue with an idiot about right and wrong, but to encourage him, support him, let him become the biggest idiot in the world, and then devour him in one bite~"

"...I think what you said is wrong, and it's still somewhat one-sided."

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "For example, there are many factors that cause trouble, and many of them are annoying from a distance, especially those Uchiha who are jealous..."

"you're right!"

Princess Ichikishima grinned from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly, feeling that her intelligence had reached an absolute pinnacle.

"It seems there's a reason why this holy land is holy. Even Ryuchi Cave has a humble attitude and tries to learn from the wise. That's good!"

Jiraiya, drunk, continued to boast, oblivious to Ichikishima-hime's mocking expression as she watched him perform a monkey show.

"Xiao Nan!"

He poured the last few drops of liquor from the bottle into his mouth, then shouted outside, "Bring me some liquor! Bring me my best liquor!"

Upon hearing the news, Xiao Nan immediately ran to the supply warehouse, grabbed two cases of sake, and delivered them over.

"teacher……"

As soon as Konan lifted the curtain of the cave where Jiraiya lived, she was almost overwhelmed by the strong, sour smell of alcohol mixed with stomach odor.

After holding her breath and placing the sake under the table next to Jiraiya, Konan didn't bother to advise her teacher to drink less as usual. She simply gave a perfunctory bow to Jiraiya and Ichikishima-hime hanging upside down above before fleeing.

At this moment, Konan felt that Princess Ichikishima was indeed quite amazing, as she remained completely unperturbed even in such an environment.

"The child is still quite young and doesn't know much about etiquette, so I hope the goddess won't mind..."

Jiraiya took out a bottle of sake, flicked the cork off with his thumb, poured half a glass into it, and began to savor it.

"How could that be? Such a clever and bright little girl, I can't even cherish her enough!"

Princess Ichikishima smiled sweeter than honey.

Moreover, she sensed that Konan possessed a new type of bloodline limit power that she had never seen before and that was completely different from the five elemental chakra attributes, which made Ichikishima-hime eager for more.

With its clever and delicate skin and tender flesh, it must taste amazing!

Thinking of this, Princess Ichikishima couldn't help but lick her lips.

"How about this, you make her my contractor?"

Princess Ichikishima seduced her, "Ryuchi Cave has abandoned its former ground walkers in order to help you accomplish your great cause. But I think this little girl is quite nice, and I really like her..."

"Furthermore, if I were to sign a summoning contract with her, not only would the Akatsuki be able to better utilize the power of Ryuchi Cave, but she would also have a brighter future."

"Especially since the contract won't interfere with her status as a disciple..."

Princess Ichikishima rambled on and on, and seeing that Jiraiya didn't react, she assumed he had agreed, so she prepared to swim out of the cave.

"No."

Jiraiya, who had been shaking the bottle silently, suddenly spoke.

"Why!"

Princess Ichikishima found it all very strange.

"Ryuchi Cave is no place of peace... The power created by endless mutual devouring and killing is not suitable for Konan..."

Jiraiya shook his head.

Although he still reeked of alcohol, it did not affect his basic judgment at this moment.

Moreover, the alluring charm that Princess Ichikishima unintentionally revealed when she spoke immediately put him on alert.

"If Ryuchi Cave could abandon Orochimaru, then it will also abandon others at some point in the future."

Jiraiya let out a burp. "Evil is evil after all. Even with cooperation, evil won't suddenly transform into justice and goodness!"

"...If you say that, aren't you worried that I'll just withdraw all the ninja snakes right now?!"

Princess Ichikishima's face was devoid of its usual sweet smile, now filled with a chilling gaze as she stared at Jiraiya, who was beginning to gulp down his drink.

"You wouldn't dare..."

Jiraiya threw down the sake bottle in his hand, "The cooperation between the two holy lands is the will of the two great immortals, how could you, a freak with a human face and a snake's heart, possibly sway it!"

"This is really interesting..."

Princess Ichikishima's expression immediately changed from cold to smiling as she looked at Jiraiya, whose face was full of righteous indignation.

"What you just said was actually calling me stupid, but I was too lazy to argue with you..."

Jiraiya said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't matter. I won't lose anything by saying it anyway. Consider it a reward for Ryuchi Cave."

"But Xiao Nan is different!"

"If you dare to lay a hand on my disciples, whether it's Konan, Yahiko, or anyone else, don't blame me for being ruthless and merciless!"

Princess Ichikishima paused, staring at Jiraiya who was still drinking heavily, without saying a word.

"That's quite surprising..."