Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 177 The Encounter Between the Main Body and the Clone (12) 5200

The next evening, at a barbecue restaurant.

Whirlpool Sora wrapped the freshly grilled meat in lettuce and stuffed it into her mouth in one bite.

Konan, who was standing nearby, glanced at the grill and asked, "It's been two days, and Konoha hasn't given a response yet. Is it because they don't want Uchiha Kumo to fight you?"

Sora swallowed the grilled meat, smiled, and replied, "In Konoha's eyes, although I am mysterious, I have no foundation. The sudden demand to fight Uchiha Yun will naturally raise some questions for them."

"The reason why Iwagakure issued such a mission was to test Uchiha Kumo's true strength. And the purpose of spreading the news of the recent killing of the Third Raikage's body through spies from other villages who were unaware of it was also Konoha's goal."

Konan paused for a moment, then replied, "In the previous battle between Konoha and Kumogakure, the performance of Konoha's high-level combatants aroused the apprehension of the other four great ninja villages, so..."

Sora picked up the meat he had just wrapped, glanced at Konan, and then stuffed it into his own mouth: "You guessed right. Once the fear has appeared, it won't be easily eliminated. After all, there are three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan from the Uchiha clan, plus Kakashi, the Yellow Flash who is the Hokage, and the Hokage's wife who is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

"Orochimaru defected, but Jiraiya and Tsunade, two of the Legendary Sannin, although they are often away from home, are still Konoha ninjas..."

"Furthermore... Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, who was once known as a ninja hero, is old, but he's not dead yet."

"With so many high-level combatants, the other four major ninja villages realized after their defeat at Kumogakure that perhaps only by uniting, as they had done in the past, could they fight against Konoha."

Sora picked up the sake next to him and took a sip. The feeling of drinking sake was something that his original self, who was only thirteen years old, could not enjoy.

"In this situation, even though Konoha knows my purpose is to help other ninja villages test Uchiha Kumo, they will still agree. Because they... have unwavering faith in Uchiha Kumo's power!"

As he spoke, Sora looked at Konan and said, "Having also obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan through a transaction, I know clearly how terrifying that guy's ocular power is. Every time the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan is used, it causes irreparable damage to one's eyesight."

"With Uchiha Yun's eye power, it's clear he doesn't have any problems with his eyesight. Therefore, his power is naturally equated with Uchiha Madara by Onoki of Iwagakure."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uzumaki Sora looked out the curtain of the private room and teased, "Since the Hokage is here, why don't you come in and sit down? If you haven't eaten, you can join us."

Hokage?

These words startled Xiao Nan, who was on the other side, and then she looked over.

Minato, beaming, lifted the curtain and walked in: "I just came from the Hokage Building, and I haven't eaten yet, so I'll have to bother you!"

Sora smiled and said, "It's unbelievable that the Hokage would eavesdrop and freeload, but it's our honor."

Ignoring Sora's taunts, Minato calmly sat down.

This scene, however, felt very surreal to Xiao Nan on the other side.

After assigning the task of probing Uchiha Cloud to Uzumaki Sora, she originally thought it would involve sneaking in and then finding Uchiha Cloud to fight him.

The best-case scenario is to complete the mission and retreat before Konoha's reinforcements arrive. If that doesn't work, Uzumaki Sora will revive after a while, and Obito can take him away.

but now……

Konan looked at the man opposite her who was still wearing the Fourth Hokage's trench coat. Had he just finished a day's work?

What started as a confrontation has now turned into sharing a barbecue table with the Hokage...

It's simply...magical.

Minato casually ate a piece of grilled meat from the grill pan, then narrowed his eyes and said, "I used to often go on missions outside the village, but no matter where I was, none of the grilled meat in Konoha tasted as good."

Sora shook his head slightly: "It's not that the barbecue tastes good, but only in Konoha can you only think about the taste of the barbecue without having to be wary of the danger that may appear at any time."

Minato nodded at these words: "So, what's your decision, Sora? Do you want to come back to Konoha?"

Uzumaki looked at Minato with a nonchalant expression: "I never said I was considering joining Konoha, and besides, 'coming back' isn't a very appropriate word, is it?"

Minato shook his head slightly: "When Konoha was first established, the Uzumaki clan would definitely have joined Konoha if it weren't for the existence of the Land of Whirlpools. The First Hokage's wife, my wife, was from the Uzumaki clan."

After a moment's thought, Sora looked at Minato with a puzzled expression and said, "It seems the Hokage has grand ambitions... Having the Uchiha Cloud, whose power rivals that of Madara Uchiha, isn't enough. If you successfully recruit me, what are your next plans? To unify the ninja world?"

"call……"

Minato exhaled: "Your intelligence capabilities are still so strong... to know the current level of Yun's power, what are you relying on?"

"Perhaps your purpose in challenging Kumo this time is to test the waters. In that case, it must be one of the other four great ninja villages that issued you this mission... Is Kumo now... a hired organization?"

Konan, standing nearby, looked at Minato and said, "As the Hokage, it's one thing to freeload and eavesdrop, but now you're openly trying to extract information?"

Uzumaki Sora raised his hand to stop Konan, then said with a smile, "If we're talking about relying on... does surviving count?!"

???

A single, simple word, with absolutely no explanation regarding the origin of the mission...

But the word "immortal" made Minato pause for a moment.

"Information about your immortality has been circulating in the black market for a long time. But I don't believe that true immortality exists in this world. Immortality is just a matter of not finding the right tactics."

Minato smiled and continued, "Of course, this duel between you and Yun is not a life-or-death struggle, so Konoha will not implement any specific tactics against you."

Sora slightly raised his head, looked at Minato and smiled: "There seem to be some very interesting changes within Uchiha Yun's body, and it seems that the Hokage has given him some interesting powers in order to give him a better chance of winning in the upcoming battle."

A slight jolt ran through me. Was it really an ability similar to foreseeing the future?

The fact that a portion of the Nine-Tails' power was cut from Kushina's seal and given to Yun happened only last night.

Today, under Kakashi's surveillance, Uzumaki Sora spent the whole day playing with the woman opposite him and did not meet with any suspicious persons.

The four people—Kushina, Rin, and Kumo—were the ones who experienced yesterday firsthand, and had not met Sora Uzumaki in the day before this moment.

"Kong's intelligence capabilities always amaze me. It was only last night, yet you already know about it."

As he spoke, Minato stared directly at Sora Uzumaki: "So Sora's intelligence abilities... are they precognition?!"

For a moment, the scene fell silent.

However, Minato didn't glean anything from the other person's expression, and for a moment, he was also unsure of what to do.

However... his words at this moment made Xiao Nan, who was standing to the side, think about the ability to foresee the future.

Xiao Nan frowned slightly as she pondered. If such an ability had no limitations, it would be truly terrifying.

"call……"

Minato relaxed his previously serious gaze and looked at Sora with a smile, saying, "Regardless of whether Sora's purpose this time is a mission from another country's ninja village, Konoha has agreed to this duel."

Uzumaki Sora smiled: "So, in order to turn the other villages' initial apprehension into fear, Konoha can avoid being gradually targeted?"

"After all, when Hashirama Senju was still alive, Konoha had two heroes in the ninja world, and no one dared to offend it. This decision is indeed beneficial to Konoha."

Minato glanced at Sora and Konan: "With your strength, even Konoha might not be able to withstand the aftershocks of the collision. Take your girlfriends and play for another two days. I'll choose a venue for the duel in two days."

Two days?

Yun thought for a moment and replied, "The Valley of the End... how about this location?"

Minato shook his head: "As the site of the duel between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, it's already a landmark of the Land of Fire. Impossible..."

Thinking about this, Minato was also in a dilemma. If the two's strength was compared to that of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, then it was clear that there was nowhere in the entire Hidden Leaf Village for them to fight.

One of the original purposes was to demonstrate their strength to other ninja villages, so it couldn't be a small-scale operation.

So...

"We'll set off tomorrow at the Land of Fire's coast. Kakashi will give you the address tomorrow."

seaside?

Kong smiled and nodded, saying that only the seaside was the right place.

……

Minato then ate a little something and got up to leave, while Konan, who hadn't said much, didn't pay any attention to Minato's words about his girlfriend.

Instead, he looked at Kong and said, "To achieve your goal so easily, you must have already foreseen that Konoha would agree to this in order to intimidate the other four great ninja villages, right?"

Can you see it with your abilities?

Sora looked at Konan and smiled: "It seems that both you and the Hokage have always been fascinated by my intelligence-gathering abilities. However, this kind of probing is a bit too hasty..."

"Even if I told you now that I can indeed see the future, what could you do? Make me verify this ability before you and Nagato completely believe me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Nan, who had been exposed, showed no embarrassment whatsoever.

After a moment's thought, Konan replied earnestly, "If you really have that ability, and your will and purpose are the same, I might be able to help you persuade Nagato."

Sora shook his head slightly: "The future is not static. Minato Namikaze's fate should have been sealed seven years ago..."

The words, spoken without a clear answer, left Xiao Nan stunned.

Was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, destined to die seven years ago?

Seven years ago?

What caused his death?

How was it changed?

Uzumaki Sora's Flying Thunder God Technique was probably the result of a deal he made with the Fourth Hokage around that time, which changed the Fourth Hokage's inevitable fate of dying.

So... what about me and Nagato?

After we get back, we'll have to discuss this with Nagato separately. What if the Rinnegan wasn't Nagato's to begin with...?

That situation... is far too serious!

Konan's gaze gradually turned serious. As the only person Nagato trusted, Konan already possessed Nagato's Rinnegan when they first met.

I remember when Nagato's Rinnegan first erupted, he told Yahiko about the awakening of those eyes.

If the person behind this had already set up the scheme so early on, then the scheme is far too big!

……

Another day passed, and at noon the next day, at the gates of Konoha.

Because the location was chosen by the sea, the departure time was set for noon today due to the distance.

At this moment, Uchiha Yun and Uzumaki Sora met for the 'first time'. Beside Uchiha Yun, Shisui activated his Mangekyou Sharingan as soon as they met and looked at Uzumaki Sora.

Following closely behind were Uchiha Itachi and Kagami, while on Uzumaki Sora's side, there was only an indifferent Konan.

"Uzumaki Sora, how well is my Mangekyou Sharingan?" Itachi stared indifferently at Sora.

Kong chuckled. "It's just a fair trade. You signed the contract, which means you agreed to the deal. These eyes... to be honest, aren't very useful."

"After all, prolonged use will reduce eyesight. Speaking of which, I'm more interested in the abilities of Uchiha Kumo. However... it's not like there aren't alternatives."

These words made Itachi frown slightly, and the three-scythe kaleidoscope in his eyes quietly appeared.

However, Shisui stopped him: "Kakashi has already given you the coordinates of the duel location. If there are no problems, Itachi and Kou will accompany Yun on the journey."

Uzumaki Sora nodded, then looked at his own body. The little nine-tailed fox on his shoulder was also staring at him with wide eyes.

"Using the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails' chakra output, and then having Minato Namikaze solidify and seal it with a sealing technique. In this way, a small Nine-Tails can be obtained."

Sora smiled and said, "In the event of an explosion, it would be possible to recreate the battle at the Valley of the End, where Madara Uchiha used Susanoo to impersonate the Nine-Tails, right? That is indeed a pretty good idea. The only thing that can counter Wood Release is Susanoo impersonating the Nine-Tails."

Yun, who was opposite him, smiled and said, "Actually, I don't think we need the power of the Nine-Tails, but I couldn't refuse the Hokage's invitation, so I accepted."

"I heard you also have the ability to resurrect. Well then, this time, you'd better not let me kill you completely!"

Sora replied, "As far as we know, there is currently no being in this world that can completely kill me. Neither the Eight Gates that you rely on, nor Susanoo with the Nine-Tails ensnared within."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jia, who had been standing indifferently beside Yun, frowned.

Is this guy's intelligence-gathering ability really as the Hokage described—the ability to foresee the future? He even knows exactly what power the cloud is relying on this time.

As the Hokage, Minato cannot easily leave the village, and he will not personally go to this battle either.

The reason why Kagami, who possesses Wood Release, and Itachi Uchiha, who has the same ability, were arranged to go together was to guard against the Nine-Tails' rebellion.

The other... is that if Yun is defeated, he can temporarily restrain Uzumaki Sora, allowing the Hokage to instantly arrive on the battlefield using the Flying Thunder God Technique and bring them all back.

but……

Jia knew very well that if Yun were to be defeated, then his and Itachi's mission would be to ensure that Yun could return to the village, even if it meant risking their lives!

……

Three hours ago, at the Hokage Building.

"Lord Hokage, I can go in Itachi's place."

Shisui's voice rang out, but Minato shook his head and looked at him: "Shisui, your kaleidoscope... can you still see clearly?"

For a moment, Shisui froze on the spot.

On the day he took over as clan chief, one of his eyes naturally began to go blind.

The subsequent war with the Hidden Cloud Village further exacerbated his vision problems.

Minato sighed: "Your only ability is illusion, while your opponent possesses the same level of Mangekyou Sharingan as you. You can't even be sure if you can plant the seed."

"In this situation, Itachi, who also possesses the Amaterasu ability, is the best choice."

Itachi nodded and said indifferently, "Don't worry, if anything unexpected happens, I will make sure he comes back no matter what."

Minato's gaze turned grave as he said, "Last night's encounter revealed that their intelligence capabilities have once again exceeded my expectations. Based on this, it's quite clear that they likely know everything about both the Nine-Tails and the Death Gate of the Eight Inner Gates."

"Given such limited information, the fact that they still want to fight this battle suggests that the enemy is very likely to be complacent and even confident of victory."

"If Yun loses, I can't guarantee that the other party won't take the opportunity to completely eliminate Yun, who is still growing. Because what they said last night clearly shows that they already know about the changes in Yun's body."

Kakashi, who had also gone to the Nanga Shrine, nodded: "The fact that Yun possesses a bloodline that has reverted to its ancestral form, and whose ultimate power might even reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths, is perhaps their objective this time!"

These words made Minato sigh and nod: "Uzumaki Sora has my Flying Thunder God Technique, and he has no fixed abode, or perhaps we don't know his location yet. In that case... we won't even have any way to deal with him after we succeed."

Minato then looked at Kakashi and said, "After we set off, Kakashi, you and Guy will stay at the back of the group to provide support. Take my Flying Thunder God kunai with you, and use the reverse summoning of ninja dogs for communication."

Ah Kai?!

Seeing Kakashi's bewildered expression, Minato replied, "Gai's power has now surpassed that of his father Dai. The power of the Eight Gates' Death Gate is also the stake in this gamble. In fact, after last night, I already regretted agreeing to this duel."

These words made Shikaku frown slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Because if the true purpose of Vortex Sora is to kill the cloud that is still growing, then whether you agree or not, you cannot stop it.

"We don't know what Uzumaki Sora's future goals are, given his ability to foresee the future. But if Yun, who has the potential to become like the Sage of Six Paths, dies, then no one will be able to stop him in the future!"

"I hope you understand this, Kakashi!"

As Minato's voice faded, Kakashi's hands were already clenched tightly.

He understood the meaning behind his teacher's words perfectly, and if necessary, he would inform Kai about the matter; the decision ultimately rested with Kai.

Given Kai's personality, for the sake of the village and the future, death wouldn't matter to him, given his daily training that pushes the limits of human endurance...

But... is this sending your comrades to their deaths?

In an instant, under the stimulation of emotion, Kakashi's Sharingan under his forehead bandage connected, and the Mangekyou Sharingan appeared.

Is this the only way?

Seeing Kakashi's sorrowful face, Yun, who had been silent all along, felt a pang of embarrassment.

What a bunch of brain monsters...

The original body was killed by the clone? Nonsense!

He merely wanted to expose the combat power of his clone and his main body, thereby showcasing the clone's immortality.

Is it really necessary to think of so many schemes and tricks?

Hey……

This is outrageous! It's like they're making a life-or-death situation out of us!

……

I'm a little late, sorry...

(End of this chapter)