Konoha: I have a clone in One Piece.

Chapter 171 The Last Nine-Tails Jinchuriki

"Chieftain!"

A member of the Uchiha clan looked at his clan leader, hoping he could do something.

However, looking at his clansmen who had suffered heavy casualties on the battlefield, Fugaku Uchiha gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and looked conflicted.

Perhaps out of concern that Konoha would become more wary of the Uchiha clan after learning about the Mangekyou Sharingan, or perhaps due to his own indecisive nature, the Uchiha clan leader ultimately did not use his Mangekyou Sharingan.

"retreat!"

"Uchiha Fugaku shouted."

In fact, although Fugaku Uchiha seemed to have made a wrong decision.

He will definitely be reprimanded by Konoha Village when he returns. Unauthorized withdrawal during battle is a major taboo on the battlefield, and many Uchiha clan members will certainly have doubts about his leadership abilities.

but.

However, this Uchiha clan leader inadvertently escaped two plots that were very detrimental to the Uchiha clan.

……

Mist Ninja Camp.

"What a pity, we couldn't kill more Uchiha."

When the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, received news of the Uchiha clan's retreat, his initial joy faded considerably, and a look of regret appeared on his young face.

Long ago, because of the clues left by Suzuki when he stole the ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan and killed Raiga Kurosuki in the Land of Water, the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure mistakenly believed that the Uchiha clan had produced a new Mangekyou Sharingan and that it was a conspiracy by Konoha!

Yagura even lost some of the rights that should have belonged to him as the Fourth Mizukage because of this.

Good guy.

Decades ago, the Uchiha forced them to go to sea and live on this island far from the mainland. Now they are bullying them again.

Leaving aside World War I, Kirigakure didn't attack Konoha during World War II.

Thus, with both old and new grudges settled, Yagura and a group of Kirigakure leaders, harboring hatred for the Uchiha clan and Konoha, frantically developed Kirigakure, hoping to retaliate in the future!

Yagura did it.

After the mutated creatures revived, sea monsters, some reaching hundreds of meters in size, became as numerous as carp crossing a river.

While most of them are fish that cannot survive on land, there are also quite a few sea monsters that can move on land for a period of time.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, immediately ordered the capture and taming of the Sea Kings!

At the same time, before the war began, he also held a meeting with the major ninja clans of Kirigakure, the main topic of which was how to arouse the fighting spirit and will to fight of the Kirigakure ninja.

After all, war always needs a reason, even if it's a high-sounding one.

The final result of the discussion was that the Uchiha clan would be chosen!

Yagura and a group of Kirigakure leaders targeted the Uchiha clan, spreading rumors about how these envious people had bullied Kirigakure in the past, leading to their current dire situation.

In addition, there was the loss of Kiba, one of the Seven Ninja Swords, caused by Suzuki; the theft of ninja clan scriptures; and the incident of a summoning beast injuring people.

Even numerous crimes within the Land of Water, including some that were entirely fabricated.

For example, the wife of a Chunin from Kirigakure had an affair, the forest where fish were grilled year-round was burned down by flames, and the mystery of the early death of the Third Mizukage—from top to bottom, from small to large, all these were attributed to the Uchiha clan.

And everything was indeed as Yagura and the higher-ups of Kirigakure had imagined.

The fighting spirit and will to fight of the Mist Ninja were successfully ignited, and they fought bravely in the war against Konoha Village.

"Oh well, this result is already pretty good."

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, sighed, then put his thoughts aside and continued to read the casualty reports from various battlefields.

……

Meanwhile, at the Konoha ninja camp.

Beneath the commander's tent, in a dimly lit, hastily dug basement.

On a cabinet resembling a bookshelf, there were various bottles and jars, all containing scarlet Sharingan eyes—one-tomoe, two-tomoe, three-tomoe, and there were over a hundred of them.

"That's really great."

"With such a bountiful harvest, we should have no shortage of experimental materials for the future."

Root leader Danzo Shimura looked at the bookshelf in front of him with a satisfied expression.

"Hehe, this is all thanks to your roots."

"If you hadn't suggested sending Root to the battlefield, and even specifically sent them to the Uchiha clan, we probably wouldn't have obtained so many Sharingan."

"But what if we lose this war..."

Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin and the commander-in-chief of Konoha's ninja forces in Kirigakure, flicked his tongue, his smile chilling:

"That responsibility also rests on your shoulders, Danzo."

Danzo Shimura did not respond to Orochimaru's taunts. He stepped forward and reached out to stroke the bottle containing the scarlet eye, his smile growing wider.

With Konoha now besieged by the four great ninja villages, Danzo Shimura, a powerful high-ranking member of Konoha, naturally had to go to the battlefield.

However, when it came to the question of which battlefield to go to, he deliberately chose Kirigakure.

For no other reason than that the Uchiha clan was here, the clan that Shimura Danzo was most jealous of and hated.

He longed to become Hokage, and to become Hokage, he needed power, and the Uchiha clan could be the source of that power.

Furthermore, Danzo Shimura never forgot the teachings of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

The Uchiha clan is born evil!

He wholeheartedly agrees with this point.

After his teacher's death, Danzo Shimura, who was managing Konoha Village with his old friend, became increasingly angry with the Uchiha clan members who would occasionally jump out and disobey his orders and disrespect him.

Perfect timing! Orochimaru was later also sent to Kirigakure, which made things even better.

As for the defeat in the war...

"Heh." Shimura Danzo scoffed, grabbing a glass bottle and sneering, "Don't talk nonsense. Even if we fail, what does it have to do with me? Isn't this all because the Uchiha clan withdrew without permission?"

"..."

Orochimaru gained a new understanding of Danzo Shimura's shamelessness.

but……

Yeah, even if he loses, what does he have to care about?

Orochimaru's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty as he recalled Minato Namikaze's time with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Teacher, is this your choice? So, you don't trust me anymore.

A hint of melancholy flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, but he quickly concealed his disappointment.

On the battlefield, screams and wails echoed endlessly.

Meanwhile, in the dark basement, experiments involving Wood Release and Sharingan, stained with blood, continued silently.

……

Loulan, the land of wind.

The chakra of all eight tails has been gathered, and the chakra of the two-tailed Matatabi was just fed to the ten-tailed one.

Seeing the little ten-tailed fox become greedy and excited once again, wildly waving its tentacles, Suzuki smiled.

"My lord, there's still the Nine-Tails left. Shall we all go and capture it?"

Miya Shiro tentatively asked from the side.

The strength of tailed beasts is generally classified according to the number of tailed beasts they possess; this is the understanding of the vast majority of ninjas in the ninja world.

Therefore, even after his strength increased to the Kage level, Oyajo En, the strongest tailed beast, was very cautious about the Nine-Tails.

"No need." Suzuki shook his head. "You guys should practice your Devil Fruit abilities. I'll go to Kurama's place."

"Yes, sir!"

Shennong, Kakuzu, Miyajo En, and the others all bowed their heads in response.

"Keep an eye on it."

After giving the little ten-tailed fox one last glance and leaving a simple command, Suzuki's figure disappeared from the Dragon Vein Seal.

……

The Land of Fire, Konoha Village.

Perhaps it was because they had lost too many wars in a row, resulting in the deaths of a large number of ninjas, or perhaps they had never experienced such a major blow before.

At this moment, Konoha Village appeared somewhat quiet and desolate.

The once bustling food street is now sparsely populated, with few people buying anything and even fewer vendors setting up stalls.

"Sakeko, let's leave together."

"Yeah, it seems like Konoha is really going to lose this time. If other ninja villages manage to get here, ugh..."

"Really? I..."

At Ichiraku Ramen, several middle-aged men and women carrying large and small bags were trying to persuade their former acquaintances.

Just then, the ramen shop owner walked over with a bowl of ramen in hand and slammed it down on their table, spilling a lot of the broth.

Several middle-aged men and women immediately stood up, their faces filled with anger:

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"You've stained my clothes! Let me tell you, this outfit is very expensive. You'll have to pay me a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver..."

"Heh." Handty, a rare honest man, let out a sneer: "You've been spreading rumors in my shop, affecting my business, and I haven't even said anything to you yet!"

"Who's spreading rumors? That's what everyone's saying. And so far in this war, has the village ever won a single victory?"

"Exactly, exactly! Look how many people around here have left! And besides, you have to pay compensation..."

"Hmph, if you don't want to eat, then leave. I don't want the money for the noodles, okay...?"

The man was arguing loudly with several middle-aged men and women.

The argument went on for a long time, and finally ended when Shouda came out with a rolling pin.

"Sigh, really... sigh~"

Watching the departing figures of the group, and then looking at the deserted street outside the shop, Shou Da sighed deeply, his face full of sorrow.

He then returned to the kitchen.

A short while later, Teji came out again with a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of the female ninja with blood-red hair.

"Here you are, Kushina, your noodles."

"Okay, thank you, typist."

Kushina Uzumaki took the bowl of noodles and gently placed it on the table, but did not touch her chopsticks.

She looked at the man typing with a worried expression and asked:

"Boss, have a lot of people left recently?"

"Did they say what the situation is on the battlefield now? How is Minato doing?"

Even though Kushina Uzumaki, as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, had mastered the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques and would no longer run rampant, the Konoha leadership still wouldn't allow her to leave the village for the battlefield.

Kushina Uzumaki didn't know what Konoha was worried about, perhaps because she wasn't a native of the village.

In any case, she was very worried about Minato Namikaze.

Since the start of the war, a series of defeats gradually caused panic in Konoha Village, and many villagers even chose to flee the village.

Although Kushina Uzumaki's special status allowed her to learn about the battlefield news immediately, she was a little afraid that Konoha would deceive her, so she chose to come to Ichiraku Ramen to see what the other villagers had to say.

"Sigh, what else can I do? I keep losing."

He sighed and continued:

"As for Minato, I think he was transferred to Iwagakure? I'm not really sure, it's just what some customers at the shop are saying, so it's not very reliable."

"But Kushina, don't worry too much, Minato will definitely be alright."

"Really? I understand."

"Thank you, boss."

Kushina Uzumaki said with some disappointment.

This was no different from the information Konoha Village had given her, and it was even less detailed. Of course, at least it confirmed its authenticity.

Then, the man with the bright red pepper head lowered his head and started eating noodles.

Not long after, Ichiraku Ramen welcomed a new customer.

"Boss, one bowl of ramen, with two eggs."

Suzuki walked over to Kushina Uzumaki's noodle table and sat down.

"Alright, please wait a moment, guest." Hande replied with a smile, then hurried off to the kitchen.

Seeing the red-haired upperclassman engrossed in eating noodles, Suzuki smiled and politely greeted her.

"Kushina-senpai, it's been a long time."

"Huh?" Kushina Uzumaki quickly finished her noodles, looked up, and after sizing up Suzuki, a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes: "Who are you?"

Although he looked somewhat familiar, she thought for a while but still couldn't recognize her junior classmate whom she had met three times.

"Hehe." Suzuki chuckled, skipping any self-introduction and getting straight to the point:

"I need to speak with Nine-Tailed Buddha about something. Could you please take a nap for a while?"

"Huh? What?"

Kushina Uzumaki could hardly believe what she was hearing, and stared at Suzuki in shock with wide eyes.

However, the next moment, a finger suddenly appeared and accurately touched her forehead.

"you……"

Kushina Uzumaki's eyes showed resentment, but she still fainted.

"Bang!"

Before her head hit the table, Suzuki quickly moved the bowl of noodles away, as a basic courtesy to his senior, to prevent her from plunging headfirst into the soup.

Then, Suzuki glanced at the kitchen and snapped his fingers.

The owner of Ichiraku Ramen, who was making noodles, suddenly froze, his face blank, and stood there dumbfounded.

"Captain, Mr. Iguchi, thank you for your help."

Suzuki turned his head to look outside the store.

Two figures from the Anbu appeared silently at the doorway; they were his former ninja squad captain, Shin'i Nagayama, and squad member Goro Iguchi.

"Yes, sir!"

The two men bowed respectfully and then stood guard at the door.

Suzuki smiled as he looked at the two of them.

Shin'i Nagayama and Goro Iguchi did not leave with him, but stayed in Konoha as inside agents. Because they were among his earlier subordinates, he even had researchers at the base enhance their strength.

Currently, squad leader Shin'i Nagayama is a Jonin of Konoha, and Goro Iguchi has become a Special Jonin.

After their skills improved, the two even managed to infiltrate the Dark Guard.

Perhaps because of the modifications they underwent, their straightforward and obedient personality was well-liked by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and even the future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was very fond of the two of them.

The task of caring for and guarding the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is now being carried out by the two of them.

"Kushina-senpai, I'm sorry to bother you."

Suzuki stood up, walked to Kushina Uzumaki's side, and then gently pressed his right hand down on her abdomen.

In the dark, sealed space.

"roar--"

The strongest tailed beast, Kurama the Nine-Tailed, instantly bristled, baring its teeth at the monster that had suddenly appeared before it.

(End of this chapter)