Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 181 One wave subsides, another rises (4000 words)

After this battle, Uchiha Gen's reputation in Kumogakure soared, with some calling him the Fire Dragon Knight and others the Fearful Asura.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Gen Uchiha also gained considerable prestige among the Konoha ninja on the front lines.

Orochimaru already had a high level of prestige, and the prestige he gained in this battle was merely icing on the cake.

Uchiha Gen went from being somewhat famous to being extremely well-known.

The image of riding a fire dragon, wielding flames and lightning across the sky, was deeply etched in the minds of the Konoha ninjas, inspiring both admiration and pride!

The saying goes, "There is no harm without comparison."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the contemporary Ino-Shika-Cho trio racked their brains, devised all sorts of ingenious schemes and devious plans, and used all their strength to barely manage a draw against Kumogakure.

Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen arrived at the front lines and defeated Kumogakure in a direct confrontation within three days, achieving a significant victory.

This comparison made all the Konoha ninjas on the Cloud Village frontline, from top to bottom, understand the gap between the two sides.

What soldier wouldn't like to follow a general who can win battles?

Because of their victory, Orochimaru and Gen Uchiha easily sorted out the situation on the front lines of Kumogakure and effortlessly took control of the Konoha ninjas.

Victory can cover up all contradictions!

On the other side, Kumogakure retreated directly to the border of the Land of Rice Fields, relying on the large Kumogakure forces stationed in the Land of Hot Springs to deter Konoha and force Konoha not to pursue their victory.

This action was exactly what Orochimaru and Gen Uchiha wanted, giving them a reason to maintain restraint and not expand their gains.

The Fourth Raikage, A, was furious upon learning of the news from the front lines and wanted to go there himself to get revenge, but was dissuaded by his trusted confidants.

Poor Raikage's office desk became his punching bag again, as the Fourth Raikage, A, slapped it to pieces.

After venting his anger and calming down, the Fourth Raikage began to mobilize troops to support the front lines.

There's not much to say about troop deployment; it's simply a matter of drawing a portion of the junior and junior ninja from the Cloud Village border forces stationed in the Land of Hot Water to fill the gaps. The key is the dispatch of generals.

Realizing that Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen's strength was somewhat beyond their capabilities, and that it was inappropriate for him and his brother to go in person, as this could easily escalate the war and allow other ninja villages to ultimately benefit.

To compensate for the lack of high-end combat power and increase the chances of victory, the Fourth Raikage, full of ambition, directly dispatched twenty Jonin to provide support.

In the current ninja world, if we're talking about which village has the most Jonin, besides Konoha, it's Kumogakure.

The battle in which the Third Raikage sacrificed himself preserved a large amount of the Cloud Village's foundation and elite forces.

When the Third Shinobi World War ended, the major ninja villages calculated that the military strength of Kumogakure had surpassed that of Konoha, even reaching a level that rivaled that of Konoha.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, A, the Fourth Raikage, was able to become the supreme commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces not only because of his own strength, but also because of the military strength of Kumogakure, which surpassed that of Konoha.

After the Fourth Shinobi World War, their military strength, which surpassed Konoha's, was nothing.

The twenty Jonin were given to Tsuchisho, and Yukito and other high-ranking officials on the Kumogakure front felt that "the rain has stopped, the sky has cleared, and I'm back to normal," and began to plan a large-scale counterattack.

Konoha spies, who were hiding in Kumogakure, sensed that Kumogakure was about to launch a major operation and sent the intelligence back to Konoha's camp.

After receiving the message, Orochimaru summoned Uchiha Gen to discuss countermeasures.

Inside the tent, Uchiha Gen stretched after reading the intelligence and said, "Since the high-ranking officials at the Cloud Village front can't contain their enthusiasm, let's just give them a reality check."

"What do you want to do?" Orochimaru asked with a faint smile.

"Assassination, to reduce the number of Jonin in Kumogakure," Uchiha Gen laughed.

The Fourth Raikage is such a kind person, actually offering him an extra Jonin soul.

Only by eliminating the excess Jonin can the Cloud Village frontline and Cloud Village headquarters be forced to change their tactics.

"You plan to use spiritification techniques to assassinate me?"

Orochimaru couldn't think of any other method to repeatedly assassinate the Cloud Village Jonin who was in the Cloud Village camp.

"That's right."

"Then I'll leave it to you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, if I had to say something, then I'd like to prepare a lavish victory celebration."

"There must be good wine."

"Hehe...no problem."

……

Late that night, Uchiha Gen began using his Spirit Transformation Technique to assassinate a Jonin from Kumogakure.

The method of entering the Cloud Village camp is the same as before: by having a Cloud Village ninja possessing someone outside, sneaking into the Cloud Village camp unnoticed.

Then find the tent of your target, and finally, take the hit.

Kato Dan had many concerns when using the Spirit Transformation Technique. Putting aside everything else, every invasion of the enemy's consciousness space was a gamble.

If the enemy's soul is stronger or their will is more tenacious than his, he will suffer varying degrees of backlash at best, and at worst, his own spirit will collapse and he will die.

Uchiha Gen no longer had any reservations. Faced with an absolute difference in soul strength, even the strongest willpower was useless.

As the night passed, ten Cloud Village Jonin and one Cloud Village Chunin never woke up again. They appeared to have died from mental breakdown, but in reality, their souls and lifespans had all been extracted.

The deaths of the Cloud Village Chunin didn't initially attract much attention until one by one, Cloud Village Jonin failed to attend the meeting on time, prompting Tsuchishi to send people to look for them and discover the anomaly.

Tsuchida acted decisively and immediately blocked the news to avoid causing panic among the entire staff.

However, although it did not cause panic among the entire staff, it did cause panic among the higher-ups of the Cloud Village.

It's perfectly normal for panic to arise from the sudden deaths of ten Cloud Village Jonin in their own camp, their own tents, the safest place on the front lines.

Because of this incident, the high-ranking officials at the Cloud Hidden Frontline had no intention of continuing the meeting and were all waiting for the joint autopsy results from the corpse disposal team and the medical team.

The professional ninjas of Kumogakure lacked the means to detect whether the soul of the deceased still existed, and the final conclusion was that they died of mental breakdown.

Tsuchishiro, being well-informed, quickly remembered the Hidden Leaf Village's secret S-rank soul ninjutsu, Spirit Transformation Technique.

Although the spiritification technique he remembered was far less powerful than this, Tsuchishiro still revealed the only clue he could think of, which sparked a heated discussion among the high-ranking officials at the Cloud Village front.

It must be said that the Hidden Cloud Village has quite a strong foundation. Not only does it have the Two-Tails Matatabi, a tailed beast that is related to the soul, but it can also set up a perception barrier that can sense the soul.

After discussion, the high-ranking officials of the Cloud Village decided to wait and ambush the despicable Konoha ninja who came to assassinate them.

That night, the Cloud Village Jonin slept fully clothed in a specially made large tent.

The tent was shrouded in an invisible barrier that sensed souls, and inside the tent, the two-tailed Matatabi, residing within the wooden body, remained vigilant, carefully sensing for any unfamiliar souls that might appear...

Cats are associated with death in many cultures, and in the culture of everyday life, they are also closely related to death and the soul.

It's perfectly normal for a cat demon like Matatabi, who possesses the nature of a tailed beast, to be able to sense souls, and it's not surprising that its attacks can damage souls.

Unfortunately, the Cloud Village Jonin were destined to be disappointed. Uchiha Gen had no intention of assassinating again and had already finished the job last night.

Gen Uchiha did not underestimate the hidden strength of Kumogakure, a village known for its cunning and plundering of ninjutsu, secret techniques, and bloodline limits, and gave Kumogakure no chance to retaliate.

The Cloud Village Jonin were disappointed after a night of fruitless work, but they did not give up and continued to persevere.

However, after seven days, there was still no movement, and the Cloud Village Jonin had no choice but to give up.

But I dare not let my guard down completely, for fear that if I fall asleep, I will never wake up again.

Therefore, everyone could only sleep fully clothed in a barrier set up with the ability to sense souls, which was neither comfortable nor convenient.

……

The Fourth Raikage was furious when he learned that ten Jonin had died overnight at the front lines. His hair and beard stood on end, and he was so enraged that he smashed a table and broke through a wall, determined to go to the front lines himself.

This time, even his trusted confidants couldn't stop him, so he could only notify the elders of Kumogakure and Killer Bee.

The elders sent men, along with Killer Bee, to bring the Fourth Raikage back from a distance of 120 miles from the village, using a combination of force and persuasion.

When he returned to Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage, A, had completely calmed down and convened a meeting with the elders and high-ranking officials of Kumogakure.

After the meeting, the Fourth Raikage did not send any more Jonin to the front lines, but instead sent out most of the village's ninjas who were skilled in barrier techniques and sealing techniques.

In order to deceive the eyes of Konoha spies, these ninjas all disguised themselves as ordinary support ninjas.

These ninjas, skilled in barrier and sealing techniques, began to set up barriers to sense souls without sparing any resources after arriving at the Cloud Village's front-line camp.

This time, the barrier was no small matter; it enveloped the entire Cloud Hidden Camp.

Fortunately, it was a small-scale war. If it had been a large-scale war, the Cloud Village would probably have either withdrawn its troops or gone all in.

The reason is simple: the barrier for sensing souls is too advanced for ordinary barrier and sealing ninjas to use. Therefore, they can only use special items to create a simplified version.

The previous deployment at the Fog Shadow Front was like this, and the current deployment is the same.

The simplified version of the barrier only has the function of sensing souls, and has no other functions. It also requires spending a lot of money to purchase the corresponding resources.

Although the entire ninja world is not very large, it has existed for countless years. Through the nurturing of nature and human creation, it has also cultivated some resources with miraculous effects.

With the special barrier covering the entire camp, the Cloud Village Jonin, while not entirely at ease, felt much more relaxed.

At least when staying in the camp, I don't have to worry about the unpredictable spirit transformation magic anymore.

Although the problem was barely resolved, the ten lost Jonin were ultimately gone.

The high command at the Cloud Hidden Front lacked the confidence to organize a large-scale counterattack and could only decide the outcome through other means.

A head-on confrontation is undoubtedly the most direct and fastest way to determine the winner; other methods are much slower.

Both Orochimaru and Tsuchishiro are seasoned veterans and cunning individuals; ordinary schemes are unlikely to be effective against them.

Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen only issued orders, reluctant to engage in direct combat, inevitably leading the war into a protracted stalemate...

While the fighting below was in full swing, Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen were relatively idle.

The former was engrossed in research, while the latter preferred to wander around when he had nothing else to do besides handling military affairs and cultivating himself.

For example, he would treat himself to bustling towns in the Land of Rice Fields or hot spring resorts in the Land of Hot Springs, and even occasionally disguise himself and wander back to Konoha, living a very enjoyable life.

Uchiha Gen did not forget to harvest souls and lifespans, and just like in Kirigakure, he devised a plan to slowly and steadily grow stronger...

Time flies, and 52 years have passed in Konoha. Now it's 53 years of Konoha.

After suffering heavy losses in the Land of Whirlpools and seeing no hope of victory, Kirigakure began withdrawing its troops from the Land of Whirlpools after reaching an agreement with Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

The agreement was simple: neither side was allowed to station troops in the Land of Whirlpools, just like before.

The Konoha leadership, eager for peace, had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to retaliate against Kirigakure. Fearing that any demands would trigger a large-scale war, they readily agreed.

Obito couldn't do anything about it, since he had made an agreement with the elders, including Master Yuan, and couldn't go back on his word.

After the war ended, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his companions returned to Konoha in glory, and the village's leadership prepared a grand welcoming ceremony at the village entrance.

That's not all. Afterwards, the Sarutobi clan secretly spread rumors about Sarutobi Shinnosuke's achievements, exaggerating them to some extent.

The roles of Orochimaru, Gen Uchiha, and even Shikaku Nara were diminished, with the main credit going to Shinnosuke Sarutobi.

Although Orochimaru and Gen Uchiha were on the front lines, it did not mean they were unaware of what was happening in the village; they both had intelligence channels.

Upon hearing the news, the master and disciple both smiled disdainfully. "One must be strong to succeed. Can the position of Hokage be obtained by being supported?"

There's some truth to what Naruto said.

The title of Hokage doesn't mean that becoming Hokage guarantees recognition; rather, it means that only those recognized by everyone can become Hokage.

Will Sarutobi Shinnosuke be able to gain everyone's approval?

Let's not talk about everyone else; let's first gain the approval of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and more than half of the Jonin of Konoha.

The reason why it is said to have some merit rather than complete merit is mainly because Uchiha Gen believed that power could also lead to becoming Hokage.

Without Hashirama Senju and Naruto Uzumaki, how many Konoha ninjas would dare to oppose Madara Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha, given their combined power?

Few Konoha ninjas would dare to object, as most ninjas are not alone; they have family, friends, and other ties.

The master and disciple now treat what happened in Konoha as a joke, not taking it to heart, and continue living their lives according to their established rhythm.

But the peaceful days didn't last long. Five days later, war broke out again, this time caused by Iwagakure.

In the original story, this was the year when Kabuto Yakushi was sent to Iwagakure as a spy.

Afterwards, Kabuto was sent to various villages as a spy, where he remained for several years, directly leading to a bloody conflict with Nono Yakushi.

The reason Iwagakure intervened was because Onoki felt that Konoha should not be allowed to take action, and that they should concentrate their forces on dealing with Kumogakure before recuperating.

Therefore, Iwagakure decisively took over the mantle from Kirigakure.

However, Onoki still exercised restraint, and the ninja army he dispatched was still only a thousand strong.

To put it bluntly, it was still mainly a test, with the idea of ​​having everyone take turns to slow down Konoha's recovery.

If there's an unexpected surprise, that would be even better.

However, what makes Onoki more impressive than Kumogakure and Kirigakure is that he somehow managed to persuade the fickle Kusagakure to join him.

The combined forces of Iwagakure and Kusagakure have an even stronger assault force than the initial assault force of Kumogakure.

The only good news for Konoha was that they received Iwagakure's plan ahead of schedule.

It wasn't that Onoki and the leaders of Kusagakure were incompetent, but rather that the ace spy, Yakushi Nonou, the "walking witch," was too capable of stealing information.

With a bit of luck, the information was successfully obtained by Yakushi Nonou and sent back to Konoha.

The Konoha leadership held an emergency meeting.

As a result, Orochimaru and Gen Uchiha were transferred to deal with the combined forces of Iwagakure and Kusagakure, while Shinsuke Sarutobi, Shikaku Nara, and others were transferred to the Land of Rice Fields...

(End of this chapter)