The Uchiha Clan's Sun

"This time, it seems the Uchiha clan took the initiative to approach the daimyo, and the daimyo didn't have to give anything else besides handing over the money he was going to give to someone else. So, the two sides reached a cooperation agreement!"

"As for why the Uchiha clan approached the Daimyo... it's naturally to increase their bargaining power to contend with us!"

It has to be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite capable to have served as Hokage for so many years. Even without much information, he was able to analyze the events in great detail.

"Hmph, the Uchiha clan's intentions are despicable!"

Mitokado Homura snorted coldly upon hearing this, his eyes flashing with chilling killing intent!

Cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents. This time, the Uchiha clan cut off an important source of income for the finance department, and Mitokado Homura also harbored murderous intentions towards the Uchiha clan!

Putting aside everything else, just the 3 billion ryo subsidy provided by the daimyo this time, Mitomon En could easily transfer at least 300 million ryo to the Mitomon clan's account with a little effort, which would be enough for the Mitomon clan to do a lot of things!

Now that this money is gone, and who knows how much more they will lose in the future, how can Mitokado Homura not have murderous intent towards the Uchiha clan!

Chapter 228 Betting on Both Sides!

"The Uchiha clan has indeed been too active lately and should be curbed!"

Koharu Utatane also spoke up: Mitokado Haru suffered heavy losses, and naturally, she suffered just as much!

Of the 3 billion taels given by the Daimyo this time, after deducting the pensions and disability subsidies, there should be at least 2 billion taels left to rebuild Konoha, develop Konoha, and allow it to recuperate.

But how to rebuild and develop Konoha is entirely up to the few leaders in charge!

The Cloud Village delegation damaged many houses in Konoha Village. If the Konoha government simply waved its hand and selected a few specific construction teams to contract for the repair work, a large sum of money could be legitimately transferred to the accounts of the Mitomon, Utatane, and Sarutobi clans.

With so many wounded in this war, a lot of medical supplies will definitely be consumed. As long as the medical department submits an application and the political department signs it, a large sum of money will be legitimately transferred to the accounts of several families!

They have countless similar excuses, and they've done similar things many times before! Everyone above and below them is one of their own, so there's basically no risk involved!

But now the money is in the hands of the Uchiha clan, and they can't decide who gets it!

"The Uchiha clan must be contained, but not now!" Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a smoke ring and said, "Don't forget that the Battle of Kikyo Mountain has resulted in another five thousand casualties for Konoha. If we can't pay the compensation, it will be a major disaster!"

"So even if we want to take action against the Uchiha clan, we should wait until they hand over the 3 billion ryo they have!"

Mitokado Homura snorted and said, "That's easy. We just need to spread the word that the Daimyo handed over the subsidy funds to the Uchiha clan for distribution!"

"When the time comes, we'll slam the bill in front of Uchiha clan leader Uchiha Jin in front of everyone. I don't believe the Uchiha clan would dare to defy the world and pocket 3 billion ryo!"

Koharu Utatane chimed in, "We can even keep the exact figure from being revealed, inflate the number in the rumors, and then make the bill seem bigger. If the Uchiha clan can't come up with the money, let's see how they'll save face!"

Because their own interests were involved, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both showed a very aggressive attitude this time!

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned upon hearing this and said, "Both of you calm down! The Uchiha clan today is not the same as the Uchiha clan of the past. These underhanded tricks are easy for them to use against us! Don't forget the consequences of our previous attempts to use rumors against the Uchiha clan!"

"Moreover, the Uchiha clan has already prepared an escape route!"

"If they overturn the table, their entire clan might move to Daming Prefecture!"

"Then our Konoha Village will truly become a laughing stock!"

"Moreover, the village has just experienced a major battle, and the situation both inside and outside the village is unstable. Now is definitely not the best time to deal with the Uchiha clan!"

Compared to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Sarutobi Hiruzen had to consider things more carefully. He understood that the Uchiha clan was no longer what it used to be, and it was best not to make a move unless he could kill them outright!

Mitomon Homura said unwillingly, "But if they confirm this through this distribution of compensation, it will be difficult for us to regain the right to allocate the funds in the future!"

The easiest way to stop something is before it starts, and the second easiest is when it just begins!

Just like in this incident, if they had received advance notice, they could have used some means to put pressure on the Daimyo and the Uchiha clan, causing the matter to be aborted.

The Uchiha clan has now secured the funds, but the news has not yet spread, meaning that the matter is only half completed!

If we wait until the Uchiha clan starts distributing these funds and uses them to gather a group of people with shared interests, then the resistance we will face in stopping this will be much more difficult than dealing with just the Uchiha clan alone!

Moreover, the aftermath of the 5,000 casualties is a great opportunity to win people's hearts!

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly upon hearing this, and after a moment of thought, he looked at Danzo Shimura, who was silently pondering something, and said, "Danzo, you're a professional at dealing with the Uchiha clan. What do you think about this?"

Although this incident did not significantly affect Shimura Danzo's interests, he has always been the vanguard in dealing with the Uchiha clan among them. However, he has remained silent except for saying a few words to the daimyo, which is very unusual!

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Danzo Shimura partly because he was indeed undecided, and partly because he wanted to probe Danzo's thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he said calmly, "I think it's a bit premature to discuss whether or not to deal with the Uchiha clan, or how to deal with them!"

"The most important thing now is to figure out what the Uchiha clan's attitude is!"

"If their demands aren't too high, then there's no need for us to make a big fuss!"

Upon hearing this, all three people in the Hokage's office looked at Shimura Danzo with surprise.

There's nothing wrong with what Shimura Danzo said, but it would have been fine if Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, or Homura Mitokado had said it. The only thing that felt strange coming from Shimura Danzo was that it was just so.

Danzo Shimura, however, didn't think that far ahead. What he wanted to confirm most right now was whether the agreement he had reached with King Uchiha still counted!

If it counts, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the Uchiha clan to control this money. But if it doesn't count, he naturally can't just sit idly by and watch the Uchiha clan control such a large sum of money!

So before figuring out the Uchiha clan's attitude, Danzo Shimura could only stall for time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Danzo Shimura a deep look, already guessing that Danzo Shimura might have reached some kind of agreement with the Uchiha clan in private, and his heart couldn't help but waver a little!

He also had Minato Namikaze talk to King Uchiha, and a preliminary agreement was reached.

Minato Namikaze and Danzo Shimura were rivals in the election for the Fourth Hokage.

What exactly is the Uchiha clan trying to do? Are they hedging their bets?

"Let's find out the Uchiha clan's attitude first! The war on the front lines isn't over yet, so there's no rush!"

After much deliberation, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally decided to put the matter aside for the time being and made a final decision.

Chapter 229 Ohnoki!

That night, in the jungle where the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass meet.

"Fire Release·Ittou Style·Song Ming!"

"what!!!"

With a single swing of his sword, Uchiha Jin unleashed a massive fiery tornado. The last three Iwagakure ninja on the battlefield let out a bloodcurdling scream before collapsing into the inferno!

"Which batch is this?"

Uchiha Jin stood up and looked at Hyuga Hizashi, who was panting heavily, and asked him a question.

"The fifth batch," Hyuga Hizashi said after a moment of contemplation, "This time we killed about 150 enemies. Adding the 24 from the first batch, 19 from the second, 33 from the third, and 87 from the fourth, we have wiped out more than 300 people!"

After a pause, Hyuga Hizashi continued, "The other pursuit teams should have achieved similar results, but judging from the movement of the Iwagakure ninjas, their remaining members should have all gathered together. It's probably impossible to take them out in small groups from now on!"

After the Battle of Kikyo Mountain Fortress, Nara Shikaku immediately formed four pursuit teams led by Uchiha Jin, Uchiha Obito, Orochimaru, and Namikaze Minato. Each team, consisting of 300 men, followed the fleeing Iwagakure army to intercept and kill the Iwagakure ninjas who had been separated from the main force, and drove the main force of Iwagakure towards the border of the Land of Grass.

Meanwhile, Konoha's main force cleaned up the battlefield at Kikyo Mountain Fortress, stabilized the defenses, and settled the wounded before providing reinforcements!

After leaving Kikyo Mountain Fortress, the pursuit team led by Uchiha Jin caught up with five groups of Iwagakure ninja and annihilated nearly three hundred of them.

However, the fact that the small groups of Iwagakure remnants have now become a large, organized Iwagakure ninja battalion shows that the fleeing Iwagakure ninja are also regrouping. It will probably be impossible to find any more small, isolated Iwagakure units after this!

“Three hundred men, four pursuit teams make twelve hundred, and the remaining Iwagakure army is roughly that many!” Uchiha Jin then asked, “How many ninja have we suffered casualties this time?”

Hyuga Hizashi replied, "There were almost no casualties in the first three annihilation battles. In the fourth level, two people were killed, four were seriously wounded, and the minor injuries did not affect the operation."

"This time the enemy had a much larger number of men. We lost eleven men and twenty-three were seriously wounded and unable to move, for a total of forty casualties."

Because the Konoha pursuit team already had an absolute numerical advantage, was led by a Kage-level expert, and was riding high on the momentum of a major victory, the battle against the small, routed Iwagakure army was essentially a crushing defeat, and it was unlikely that too many ninjas would be sacrificed.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Jin immediately said, "Leave ten men to clean up the battlefield, care for the wounded, and await reinforcements. The rest of you, continue pursuing the remnants of the Iwagakure army!"

"We don't need to push them too hard this time. Just drive them towards the Tiandi Bridge!"

After a pause, Uchiha Jin continued, "By the way, contact Minato and the others to see where they are now and whether they can enter their designated positions on time!"

According to Nara Shikaku's plan, Uchiha Jin and his four pursuit teams were like a large net, driving the remnants of Iwagakure towards the Land of Grass from four directions!

Once the Konoha border troops at the Tenchi Bridge in the Land of Grass have cut off the retreat route of the Iwagakure remnants, it will be time to close the net. At that time, Uchiha Jin and his four pursuit teams will launch a general attack on the Iwagakure remnants from four directions and wipe them out in one fell swoop!

Therefore, the location of Uchiha Jin and his four teams is extremely important!

If one of the squads fails to reach its designated position on time, it will create a gap in the encirclement, giving the remaining Iwagakure troops a chance to escape!

Hyuga Hizashi nodded upon hearing this and immediately went to carry out Uchiha Jin's orders.

Uchiha Jin's eyes flickered, and he looked at a large tree not far away, saying, "Any new developments in other areas?"

Tobi's figure emerged halfway from the tree trunk, and he spoke in a deliberately deep voice, "The situation is very bad. Two hours ago, the ninjas from Kumogakure escorted the Fourth Raikage out of the Land of Fire and into the Land of Waterfall. They're almost at the Land of Iron now!"

Uchiha Jin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and asked, "And then? What's the problem?"

Afei chuckled and said, "Of course it's the Fourth Raikage. He was already seriously injured, and when he found out that Orochimaru had led two thousand men to cut off their rear, he was so angry that he immediately exhaled and fainted!"

"His injuries have also been aggravated, and he is barely breathing; he hasn't woken up yet!"

"If this continues, I think the Hidden Cloud Village might have to elect the Fifth Raikage!"

Ah Fei was very gloating, as if he could already see the scene of Ai's death.

However, Uchiha Jin was not as optimistic as Tobi, shaking his head and saying, "It's not that simple. They dare not stop in the Land of Waterfalls, but it will be a different story in the Land of Iron!"

The Land of Iron is an anomaly in the current ninja world. Although they also learn chakra refinement, their application of chakra is very different from other countries in the ninja world. They train samurai instead of ninjas!

In terms of national strength alone, the Land of Iron is the strongest country after the Five Great Nations of the ninja world. However, the Land of Iron does not participate in the struggles of other countries and is considered a neutral country in the ninja world. Other countries are also wary of the strength of the Land of Iron and generally do not bring the struggles of the ninja world into the Land of Iron.

After the Cloud Village ninjas brought A into the Land of Iron, they no longer needed to worry about pursuers and could focus on treating A's injuries. Therefore, A shouldn't die so easily.

After a pause, Uchiha Jin asked again, "What about the situation in Sunagakure? And what about Kirigakure? How are they doing?"

Afei replied, "The remnants of the Sunagakure army have retreated to the Land of River with the help of the Sunagakure ninja. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has awakened thanks to Elder Chiyo's follow-up treatment, but he is still somewhat weak and will not be able to engage in high-intensity exercise for a while!"

"As for Kirigakure... they never really intended to attack Konoha. Their Fourth Mizukage was still busy dealing with the mess Madara left them. They only sent a small group of Kirigakure to invade the southern coast of the Land of Fire, making it appear as if they were going to attack, in order to distract Konoha."

"The Hidden Mist Village has already withdrawn its troops after the battle at Kikyōyama Fortress!"

"but......"

Halfway through his sentence, Afei stopped talking and left Uchiha Jin in suspense, waiting for his question.

Uchiha Jin didn't seem to care and asked, "But what?"

Afei laughed and said, "While there's been little activity in Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure, there's been a big move in Iwagakure!"

"According to the latest intelligence, Iwagakure has assembled another army of two thousand men and is marching rapidly toward the Land of Grass. They are expected to cross the Kannabi Bridge and enter the Land of Grass in five hours!"

"And the leader of this Iwagakure army is none other than the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki!"

Chapter 230 The Bridge Between Heaven and Earth!

Uchiha Jin was not surprised to hear this, as they had anticipated this situation.

After all, those are five thousand Iwagakure ninja. It would be strange if Iwagakure just let them be eaten by Konoha!

Nara Shikaku was also prepared for Iwagakure to come and provide support.

It would be enough to wipe out the remnants of the Iwagakure army, including the 500 border guards from the Tenchi Bridge and the four pursuit squads led by Uchiha Jin. After Uchiha Jin and the others took action, Nara Shikaku organized another 1,000 troops from the Konoha ninjas who were cleaning up the battlefield to come and provide support. They are probably on their way now!

However, neither Nara Shikaku nor Uchiha Jin expected that Onoki would personally lead the team.

Generally speaking, the Kage of a village doesn't leave the village easily. For example, since taking office, the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has basically never left Konoha except to report to the Daimyo's residence!

As for Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure... those are just exceptions.

Sunagakure Village has too weak a foundation and too few strong individuals. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, not only has to personally go to the battlefield to stabilize the situation, but he is also said to have to go mining to subsidize the village's finances.

As for Kumogakure, their Raikage is basically a war maniac, and fighting outside the village is a common occurrence for them.

The reason why Kirigakure had so few people available was because the bloodline clan ninjas and ordinary ninjas in the village were fighting each other so fiercely that the Mizukage had to go to the battlefield himself.

So... well, when you think about it this way, Uchiha Jin suddenly realizes that the Hokage of Konoha is the exception, and it doesn't seem so strange that the Kage from other villages go to the battlefield.

Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, was a veteran of countless battles and had been on the battlefield before. It was only natural that he would personally go to the front lines to save the lives of thousands of Iwagakure ninja.

Uchiha Jin chatted with Tobi for a few more minutes, and after confirming that there was no other information, he refused to answer Tobi's question about what the urge to defecate felt like, and then sent Tobi away.

After Hyuga Hizashi had arranged all the trivial matters, Uchiha Jin led the pursuit team and rushed towards the Land of Grass without stopping.

The reinforcements from Iwagakure will arrive in the Land of Grass in a few hours. They must wipe out the remaining Iwagakure forces before the reinforcements arrive. They don't have much time left!

......

Several hours later, the sky began to lighten.

Within the Land of Grass, a disheveled and exhausted army of a thousand Iwagakure soldiers was fleeing rapidly through the jungle.