Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

In the Land of Rivers, in a mountain forest, Juzo Biwa, dressed in black robes with red clouds, and Kisame Hoshigaki emerged from a cave.

Juzo looked at Kisame, who nodded slightly and quickly formed hand seals, using the Dark Curtain Perception Technique.

After a moment, Kisame nodded again.

Seeing this, Juzo knelt down on one knee, took out a blank scroll, a brush, and a bottle of ink, and began to write quickly, while Kisame kept casting spells to keep watch.

After writing the scroll, Juzo bit his finger, formed hand seals, and pressed them to the ground. The black magic spread, and with a bang, a white snake emerged from the smoke.

The white snake nodded slightly, opened its mouth and swallowed the scroll. With a bang, it turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared.

After everything was settled, Kisame and Juzo left together as if nothing had happened.

Half a day later, in the back garden of the Uchiha clan's residence.

Uchiha Gen, having achieved initial mastery of his cultivation, lay on a recliner, eyes closed, lazily basking in the sun...

A white snake emerged from the grass, climbed up the chair leg, and gently rubbed its head against Uchiha Gen's hand.

Uchiha Gen opened his eyes and gently patted the white snake's head. The white snake comfortably squinted its eyes.

After a moment, the white snake opened its mouth wide and spat out a scroll.

A ball of blue chakra held it in place, and the slime on the scroll was quickly dried. Uchiha Gen took the scroll, opened it, and began to read. The white snake also slipped away.

"After so long of silence, is it finally time to make a move?"

"Obito, you've practically delivered yourself to my doorstep."

"Things are different now. Even if Black Zetsu isn't with you, I'm still going to make my move against you."

"I'm absolutely certain that neither you nor Black Zetsu can escape my grasp!" Uchiha Gen muttered to himself.

Then, with a thought, Uchiha Gen enveloped the scroll with a ball of blue chakra, absorbing all the ink on it and turning it back into a blank scroll.

Blue chakra writhed, and the ink within transformed into various characters, which were then reprinted onto a blank scroll, revealing a new intelligence report.

Uchiha Gen bit his finger, formed hand seals, and casually pressed his hands into the void beside him. Black magic spread out, and with a bang, a cloud of white smoke appeared.

"Master, I miss you so much."

Before the smoke had cleared, a clear, lively, sweet and charming voice rang out, and before the words were finished, a streak of bluish-white light rushed into Uchiha Gen's arms.

This is a strange beast with a body shaped like a mandarin duck, two large bluish-white wings, feathers that shimmer with a bluish-white light, a streamlined body, a head held high, and three legs. It is quite adorable.

This is a high-level wind-attribute Homie created by Uchiha Gen two years ago. It is made from sea tornado gel and named Fuugo.

Considering that the previous three high-level Homies were all male, Uchiha Gen specifically changed Fuugo to be female.

As the only female among the four Homies and the youngest, Fuugo is deeply loved by her brothers.

Sensing Feng Wu's aura, Wu Sheng, whose body had been refined by Uchiha Gen into something akin to a natal magic weapon, couldn't help but urge him on...

"I miss you as well."

"Your brother Wusheng misses you too."

Uchiha Gen stroked Fuugo's little head, his tone both helpless and happy, as if he were facing his somewhat mischievous and willful precious daughter.

With Uchiha Gen's permission, Wusheng immediately flew out from Uchiha Gen's lower dantian and happily greeted him.

"Kaze-go, it's been so long! Did you miss your brother?"

"think."

I miss you, little sister.

After the two high-ranking Homies finished speaking, they started chasing and playing in the garden. Since the matter was not urgent, Uchiha Gen did not stop them and let them play for a while.

"Alright, stop playing around, we have serious business to discuss."

Wusheng and Fengwu, who were chasing and playing around, immediately stopped and flew towards Uchiha Gen.

"Give this to Yekura."

Since Fengwu usually stays in the Land of Wind and at sea, it's most convenient for her to deliver messages.

"Yes, Master."

"See you next time, Brother Wusheng."

Feng Wu took the scroll, said a sweet goodbye to Wu Sheng, and then disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

Wusheng returned to his dantian, which was filled with magical power, while Uchiha Gen continued to bask in the sun leisurely, humming a cheerful tune.

……

Half an hour later, in the Land of Wind, in Sunagakure.

A three-legged bluebird glided effortlessly across the sky above Sunagakure, precisely landing through the window on the Kazekage's desk, preening its feathers...

"Fugo is here."

Wearing a Wind Shadow Hat and a Wind Shadow God Robe, Ye Cang put down his pen, smiled, and gently patted the Blue Bird's head.

"Madam, this is what my master asked me to give you."

Feng Wu opened his beak, and a scroll fell onto the table with a thud.

"Okay, go have fun."

"Alright, goodbye, madam."

Perhaps because she was born relatively recently, Fengwu still had the mind of a little girl, and she flew away happily as soon as she was given permission.

Despite having the mindset of a little girl, Feng Wu possesses considerable power. Even though he was born not long ago, his strength is not much weaker than Zhu Rong and Qiang Liang.

Ye Cang smiled, picked up the scroll, and began to read. His expression quickly became serious, but he soon relaxed again.

"As the Kage of a village, it wouldn't have been appropriate for me to go to Konoha to reunite with him, but now I have a reasonable excuse."

"Elder Chiyo is not suited for long journeys, and even if she went, she might not be a match for those two. I will have to go myself."

"I need to hide my tracks and ambush the enemy," Ye Cang muttered to himself.

Having made up his mind, Ye Cang stopped thinking about it and buried himself in his work again.

……

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the Akatsuki's operation yielded results.

The Four-Tails and Six-Tails were successfully and secretly captured by the Akatsuki, but the Eight-Tails attempt failed.

Kakuzu and Hidan were badly beaten by Killer Bee. Kakuzu's four hearts were shattered, and Hidan was almost blasted into dust by the Tailed Beast Ball. The two almost died at Killer Bee's hands.

Hidan's immortality is not true immortality, because the so-called evil god is not a particularly powerful existence in the ninja world.

The so-called evil gods are just evil shikigami cultivated by generations of Onmyoji who disappeared into the long river of history. Although their abilities are strange and powerful, they are not enough to ignore the Tailed Beast Ball.

If Hidan were hit head-on by a Tailed Beast Ball and blasted to pieces, he would not be able to revive.

Hidan's self-regeneration ability is too weak; even after his head and limbs are cut off, he still needs Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear to stitch them back together.

This level of immortality is nowhere near as good as the legendary immortality that can regenerate from a drop of blood.

The failure to capture the Eight-Tails was obviously bad news for the Akatsuki organization; the only good news was that the identities of the two individuals had not yet been exposed...

During this capture of the Tailed Beasts, the Akatsuki members did not wear black robes with red clouds, nor did they reveal their identities.

However, one can only hide the truth for a time, not forever. After this incident, the Hidden Cloud Village will inevitably launch an investigation.

Hidan isn't very famous in the ninja world, but Kakuzu is different; the Hidden Cloud Village will eventually be able to trace his background.

Because of the failure to capture the Eight-Tails, the Akatsuki organization placed even greater emphasis on the One-Tails and Nine-Tails, and made more careful and thorough preparations.

While the Akatsuki was taking action, Konoha was not idle either, sending invitations to all the prominent ninja villages in the ninja world to participate in the joint Chunin Exams.

Sunagakure replied that they accepted the invitation, as did Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Amegakure.

The Sound Village that appeared in the original work is impossible to exist in this world; Orochimaru simply doesn't have the time or inclination for it.

Although Orochimaru did not found the Sound Village, he generally adhered to the principle of "never leaving empty-handed" while wandering the ninja world.

All the talented people he deemed worthy were recruited, including many familiar faces from the original work.

Those who follow Orochimaru in this life are much luckier than those in the original story.

Because Orochimaru's work went relatively smoothly and he didn't encounter many troubles, he not only treated his subordinates better but also avoided many dangers.

The three ninja villages' agreement was within Konoha's expectations, as these three villages had been getting closer to Konoha in recent years; it would have been strange if they hadn't agreed.

However, to Konoha's surprise, Kirigakure also replied, indicating that they accepted the invitation...

This completely surprised many of Konoha's high-ranking officials!

Because of Gen Uchiha's intervention, Kirigakure was unable to break free from Obito's control.

In recent years, Kirigakure has become increasingly bloody and closed off due to Obito's policies and internal strife, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere. The number of defecting ninjas is the highest among all ninja villages!

The relationship between Kirigakure and Konoha is rather strained, and this unusual behavior has led Konoha's higher-ups to suspect that Kirigakure might be plotting something...

Despite the suspicions, it was difficult to refuse since they had accepted the invitation. The only option was to be vigilant and handle the situation carefully to avoid causing any losses to Konoha.

The Konoha leadership isn't worried about anything major happening because Konoha has more than one powerful figure in charge, so external forces can't cause any real trouble.

In recent years, Uchiha Gen has rarely refrained from interfering in Konoha's political affairs, which has reassured the Konoha leadership considerably.

The fact that Sunagakure and Kirigakure had agreed to participate in the joint Chunin Exams held by Konoha made Iwagakure and Kumogakure somewhat uneasy.

Furthermore, this was a good opportunity for reconnaissance, and it was estimated that it was a good chance for other ninja villages. Iwagakure and Kumogakure also replied to express their acceptance of the invitation.

The news, once released, immediately caused a sensation around the world...

The fact that the five great ninja villages jointly held the Chunin Exams was unprecedented since the existence of ninja villages, making it a rare and grand event for ninjas worldwide!

Influenced by this news, the two smaller ninja villages, Hoshi-nin and Takumi-nin, changed their minds and announced that they would also accept the invitation, adding insult to injury and making the situation even more complicated.

Konoha, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure are the five great ninja villages of the ninja world; Kusagakure, Takigakure, Kumogakure, Hoshigakure, and Takumigakure are the best among the smaller ninja villages of the ninja world.

The fact that ten ninja villages participated in the joint Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha is unprecedented and likely to remain so.

Such a grand event was not only for ninjas to participate in; upon receiving the news, daimyo, nobles, and wealthy merchants from various countries were also eager to participate.

Those who are decisive have already packed their bags and headed to Konoha.

The Konoha leadership was both pleased and worried upon receiving the news.

The good news is that hosting such a grand event can not only greatly increase Konoha's influence and strengthen its internal cohesion, but also greatly boost Konoha's economic development.

The worry is that if things aren't handled well, or if something goes wrong, Konoha will lose face in the whole world.

In order to cope with the upcoming surge of people and the grand event in the ninja world, the aging Hiruzen Sarutobi had to hold a series of meetings with his old buddies and the heads of various departments in Konoha to try to do everything perfectly.

The constant meetings, all-nighters, and work left Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane exhausted.

Let alone the three old guys, even the strong and capable department heads and other leaders were exhausted.

However, Uchiha Gen, the police chief and the prospective Fifth Hokage, remained as carefree as ever, showing no intention of taking charge.

Faced with this situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but consider resigning and letting Gen Uchiha take over...

Of course, these were just ideas. As Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two grew older, they became increasingly stubborn and unwilling to let Gen Uchiha take power unless absolutely necessary.

Fortunately, Jiraiya returned after receiving the news and persuaded Tsunade to relieve Hiruzen Sarutobi of a lot of the burden; otherwise, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have collapsed from exhaustion.

Orochimaru, having received the news, rushed back to join the fun, but showed no intention of helping at all.

After meeting with Uchiha Gen and Anko, he hid in a secret base in the back mountains of Konoha Village to concentrate on his research, as if he would only come out when a major event began.

The upcoming grand event naturally became the hottest topic in Konoha Village, with the entire village discussing it...

Of course, the most heated discussion was about this year's reference genin, who were both excited and nervous!

Excitement comes from the feeling of being famous and renowned in front of the whole world, while trepidation comes from the feeling of being humiliated and disgraced in front of the whole world.

I just wanted to voice my dilemma!

However, not all genin are conflicted...

Seeing such a grand scene, those genin who had a clear understanding of themselves and were calm and rational enough simply gave up participating in this year's chunin exam.

This was clearly a smart decision; otherwise, they might have gone in upright and come out sideways...

Uchiha Gen was not entirely detached from this grand event.

On this day, Uchiha Gen sent people to invite all the middle and high-ranking leaders of the police department to his home for dinner.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Uchiha Gen put down his cutlery and coughed lightly...

Whether it was the three elderly elders or the captains of the various squads who were in their prime, they all stopped what they were doing, sat up straight, held their breath, and kept their eyes straight ahead.

This is not only the position of police chief and Uchiha clan leader, but also the prestige of a renowned ninja powerhouse and the prospective Fifth Hokage.

Because of his unparalleled prestige, Uchiha Gen only handled affairs once a month, and no one could shake his position in the slightest.

Uchiha Gen remained expressionless and said casually, "With the Joint Chunin Exams approaching, countless people of all kinds will flood into Konoha Village, and the village's security situation will face an unprecedented test."

"I only have one request."

"Whether they are ordinary people, ninjas, or wealthy merchants and nobles, if they violate the rules of Konoha, they will all be treated equally and severely punished!"

"Don't try to talk to me about outsiders, foreigners, or the privileged status of nobles."

"Before the Uchiha Police Department, all beings are equal!"

"Even if there must be special privileges, they should only be granted to people from this village."

"Anyone who disgraces the Uchiha clan and the police department, I'll skin them alive!"

"Go for it! I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong, understand?"

Hearing Uchiha Gen's arrogant and domineering words, not only the young and strong core members like Shisui, but even the three elderly elders couldn't help but feel excited and proud!

Splash...

Everyone stood up, pushed back their chairs, bowed in unison, and shouted in deep voices, "Understood!"

Uchiha Gen smiled with satisfaction and said, "Alright, everyone sit down and continue eating."

Upon hearing this, everyone sat down, and the atmosphere quickly became pleasant and harmonious again.

(End of this chapter)