Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"...The border guards sent a message saying that a group of Konoha ninjas had infiltrated the country. The border guards suffered heavy losses at the hands of those people, losing many men. Were these people here to pick up that spy?"

Inside the tent,

Onoki sat upright behind the low table, looking up at Wenya, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Tell me! Who did Konoha send that made you return empty-handed?"

"Konoha's reinforcements number four. The leader is Hatake Kakashi, son of Konoha's White Fang. Another is an Uchiha, whose exact identity is unknown, but he is skilled in Wind Release and swordsmanship, and with his Sharingan genjutsu, he is quite troublesome. The third person has not shown himself, but he used a very special secret technique to manipulate ink-formed insects to fight the Kamisui Ryuu Kabe Bees to a standstill. And there is a fourth person..."

"White Fang's son? Uchiha? The secret technique of manipulating ink... No wonder!"

Onoki remained calm. "So what's so special about the fourth person? What makes you hesitate and unable to speak?"

"...The fourth person is a Mist Ninja!" Wen Ya answered in a low voice.

"Mist Ninja?"

Onoki raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you sure it's really a Kirigakure ninja, or not a trick by Konoha?"

"I'm not entirely sure if it's really Kirigakure, but I can be certain that it's definitely one of the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure, the Lightning Blade Kiba."

Even if you put the Seven Ninja Swords to your neck, most Iwa ninja probably wouldn't recognize what they are. However, Wenya is a high-ranking member of Iwagakure and holds an important position in the Anbu. He has access to many secrets, which is one of the reasons why he chose to retreat when he saw the situation was unfavorable. It would be one thing if the mission failed, but if his body fell into the hands of Konoha ninja, it would be a complete loss.

then,

Wenya decisively chose to retreat at that time.

They reunited with Phosphorus Leaf and Kurotsuchi on the way back, and the group returned along the same route. However, the next morning, they encountered a large army heading south and were led to the Tsuchikage's tent to pay their respects. They were then forced to tell the elderly Tsuchikage the bad news.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

Muttering the unfamiliar name to himself, Ohnoki frowned deeply.

He didn't take the mission failure to heart. In fact, he didn't care whether he caught the spy or not. Even if all the intelligence about the southward army's troop composition, marching route, and logistics was leaked, so what? At most, it would just be another defeat!

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need to send Heitu along to see for himself.

Huang Tu, that foolish son, thought that his training of Kurotsuchi was a bit too much, but he never thought that Onoki never took it to heart from the beginning. At most, the leak of information would only make the already small chances of the Iwa ninjas even smaller.

but,

The fact that the Mist Ninja have gotten involved is truly a headache.

"The Mist Ninja, the Mist Ninja... What kind of tricks are the Mist Ninja playing? Why are they getting involved with Konoha?" No one could answer the Tsuchikage's question, because the people in the tent, including Kyoto, were just as surprised and puzzled as Onoki.

"Don't our spies in Konoha have any intelligence?"

Onoki looked around and asked.

"We have not received any relevant information yet."

Seeing the speechless crowd, Huang Tu had no choice but to step forward and answer his father's question. "A few days ago, Konoha was in some chaos due to the Hokage change. Our spies took the opportunity to gather a lot of intelligence, including a list of Konoha spies planted in our Iwagakure village. However, this also led to several purges in Konoha, making it more difficult for our spies to operate now."

In everything, there are gains and losses.

The spies from Iwagakure... no, from various villages and different organizations, took advantage of the transition between the two Hokage to become very active. At the time, the Fifth Hokage, who was busy with various handover matters and consolidating his power, did not have time to pay attention to these jumping grasshoppers. But when everything that needed to be dealt with was almost done, it was time to settle accounts later.

Round after round of purges captured and killed those spies hiding in Konoha. Although they weren't completely eradicated, the combined efforts of the Uchiha and Yamanaka clans ensured that few escaped. The more active the spies were before, the more silent they became afterward.

Therefore,

Ōnoki has yet to receive any information about an alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure.

"Wenya, go and rest! Write a report detailing the events and send it up. Huangtu, you all go and do your work, let this old man rest for a while."

Onoki did not get angry.

He dismissed everyone, not even his most beloved granddaughter, and drove them all out of the tent, leaving him alone to sit there. He seemed to have forgotten his back pain and was not worried about the upcoming battle as everyone had imagined.

What's there to think about in the upcoming battle? There's nothing to worry about. If we can win, we'll fight; if we can't, we'll admit defeat. It's not worth worrying about at all. With those idiots from the Cloud Ninja taking the blame, they won't be in too much trouble. This is the judgment he made based on all the intelligence he had gathered.

just,

I can't achieve true inner peace, and I'm too impatient to talk nonsense with people, so I just sit there doing nothing.

Wen Ya walked outside the tent with his head down, his dejected and disappointed expression almost impossible to hide. He had failed in his mission but had not been punished. Most people would probably feel relieved, but Wen Ya was not like that. This highly responsible man firmly believed in the principle of "rewarding those who have made contributions and punishing those who have made mistakes".

The failure of this mission brought him no punishment, but instead left him feeling uneasy.

In his opinion,

This is not right.

However, if he were to go to the Tsuchikage again to request punishment, wouldn't that be questioning the Tsuchikage's decision?

"Wenya."

Huang Tu quickly walked to his friend's side. "What exactly happened with the Mist Ninja?" In the eyes of many Iwa Ninja who knew Huang Tu, this son of the Tsuchikage was highly skilled, steady, and honest, making him a very good boss. Only a very few friends knew that Huang Tu was not as calm and collected as everyone imagined.

"That's exactly what I said."

Wen Ya casually replied, still immersed in her low mood.

"What I want to ask is, in your opinion, what exactly is the relationship between Kirigakure and Konoha?"

"That's a question for our spies planted in Konoha," Wenya said, still not in high spirits.

"But the spies haven't sent back any intelligence yet. If the Mist Ninja and Konoha have truly colluded, I'm worried that this war with Konoha will not go smoothly. We are attacking Konoha at this time because we have our eyes on the fact that Konoha is in an unprecedented period of weakness due to the abnormal change of Hokage. At the same time, the Cloud Ninja has already started a war with Konoha and has won many battles."

"Based on these premises, we formulated an action plan to attack Konoha... However, if Kirigakure and Konoha form an alliance, then our plan will have been greatly flawed from the very beginning, and this will have fatal consequences for us."

At this point, Huang Tu's intentions became quite clear.

He had always opposed the decision to go to war with Konoha, but he couldn't fight against the majority. The group opposing the war with Konoha was ultimately a small group in Iwagakure. They couldn't change the mainstream opinion in the village and had to cooperate with it.

However, this does not mean that Huang Tu has given up. He will still try his best to seize the opportunity if given the chance.

at the moment,

He saw this as a good opportunity. If Konoha and Kirigakure really formed an alliance, then when Konoha went to war, it wouldn't just be Konoha that would be facing them, but also Kirigakure. In that case, even those radicals in the village who were clamoring to go to the Land of Fire to make a fortune would have to think carefully.

Konoha alone has caused the Iwa ninja to suffer countless defeats over the decades. If we add Kirigakure, who have old grudges against us, as our opponent, even our chances of winning on paper will be much smaller!

"······I have no idea."

Wen Ya forced himself to stay alert, pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.

“Huang Tu, I know what you’re thinking, but to be honest, at this point, we have no choice but to act. The army has come out in such great numbers, we can’t just retreat without throwing a single shuriken. If we did, morale would collapse and chaos would definitely break out in the village.”

"I know! I know everything you're saying!"

Huang Tu sighed deeply, a helpless and bitter smile appearing on his face. "I just find it hard to accept! Our own strength hasn't even recovered yet, and to start a war with Konoha at this time... the chances of winning are too small."

"...This is the first time I've said this, but honestly, Huangtu, aren't you exaggerating Konoha's strength too much? I know Konoha is strong; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to occupy such fertile land as the Land of Fire. But after the three Shinobi World Wars, even with Konoha's strong foundation, it shouldn't be able to hold out, right? Aren't the Cloud Ninja winning victory after victory in the Land of Hot Springs?"

Huang Tu stared in astonishment at Wen Ya's rebuttal, his smile growing increasingly bitter. "Wen Ya, I didn't expect you to think the same way? You also believe we have a significant advantage over Konoha?"

"That's not a given. Both Old Purple and Han have been mobilized this time, and with the Tsuchikage in charge, the Cloud Ninja are also going all out, with the Fourth Raikage and two Jinchuriki on the battlefield... How can Konoha win against this two-pronged attack?"

Wenya's rebuttal was so sharp.

After a few seconds of silence, Huang Tu said, "Don't forget Dong Siren. He almost completely annihilated Konoha's defense forces. At that time, we all thought Konoha was doomed to lose, but the Yellow Flash snatched away the victory we were about to win. Even if the Yellow Flash is dead, who knows if Konoha will produce another Red Flash? Or a Black Flash?"

"Wenya, although Konoha is in decline, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and besides, this starved camel of Konoha isn't dead yet! The legacy left to Konoha by that God of Shinobi is more substantial than you imagine... To defeat Konoha, you must join forces with the Cloud Ninja, Sand Ninja, and Mist Ninja, using the perseverance of water dripping on stone to gradually wear down Konoha's strength and potential, instead of fighting individually and ultimately being defeated piecemeal by Konoha..."

"That's just a possibility, isn't it? There's only one Yellow Flash in the ninja world; it's impossible for such figures to appear one after another."

Wenya did not agree with Huangtu's view.

The conversation ended there without any resolution. Of course, both of them were steady and down-to-earth. Even if they had different opinions on certain things, the conflict was not so intense as to lead to a complete break. At most, it would just be an unpleasant period of time, and after that, they would still have a drink together after get off work.

[Chapter 181: A Fence-Sitter]

Two days later,

The Land of Grass.

The current leader of Kusagakure, filled with unease, followed closely behind the Konoha ninja leading the way. However, no matter how cautious he was, his mood became even more depressed when he saw the Konoha ninjas mingling together in the camp and the Kirigakure ninjas whom he hadn't seen for decades.

Why did the war break out again when everything was fine?

The 65-year-old leader of Kusagakure, 'Short Reed', was filled with worries. He was born at the very end of the Warring States period and witnessed the end of the Warring States period and the birth of the Five Great Nations. He had longed for the peaceful world that the First Hokage envisioned, but with the passing of the First Hokage, the peaceful world he had built was also buried in his grave.

The three Shinobi World Wars completely shattered Pyugasa's illusions about peace.

He just hopes the next war won't come too soon.

However, his wish was not fulfilled. On the contrary, it was only a little over six years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, and a new war was about to break out. Whether the Land of Grass was willing or not, it was bound to be drawn into the conflict between the two great powers.

The Grass Ninja didn't have the luxury of having a choice. They couldn't declare neutrality like the Takigakure Ninja and the samurai of the Land of Iron. They could only continue to be vassals of Konoha and join the war.

"Lord Jiraiya, people from Kusagakure have arrived."

"Is he already here? Let him in."

Dwarf Reed stepped past the guards at the entrance and entered the tent, where he saw Jiraiya sitting at the head of the table. "Lord Jiraiya, it's nice to see you again!"

"Dwarf Reed, you're in good spirits too!"

Jiraiya replied with a smile.

The two were not strangers. Jiraiya had dealt with Kusabi during the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Of course, this relationship was only to the extent of exchanging pleasantries when they met. In reality, there was no deeper friendship. With the Kusabi's weak fighting strength, they were not qualified to develop any kind of camaraderie with the Konoha ninjas.

"I'm getting old! I'm not what I used to be. Now my legs hurt if I walk a short distance."

Sighing, Dwarf Reed sat down in the lowest empty seat at Jiraiya's pointing finger.

After taking his seat, the old man finally glanced at the two people sitting on either side of Jiraiya. One of them was a Nara clan ninja he had never seen before. The short, short man, who kept saying that he was old, immediately noticed the family crest on Suzaku's clothes with his sharp eyes.

As for the other person...

With white hair and purple eyes, he looked to be only in his early twenties. He wore a headband worn by a Mist Ninja and had sharp, shark-like teeth visible when he smiled.

"Since you're not feeling well, you should choose a successor sooner rather than later, so that if you pass away unexpectedly one day, you won't leave your descendants with a lot of trouble."

"I want to too! But the young people in the village are all so disappointing. Not a single one of them is any good. Each generation is worse than the last. The selection criteria for Jonin in the village have been lowered again and again. Instead of training hard, they're just doing crooked and evil things..."

Dwarf Reed sighed repeatedly, belittling the younger generation in his village to the point of practically calling them a bunch of good-for-nothings!

Jiraiya listened to the old man's rambling, smiling but not agreeing.

"Cough cough."

Sitting to Jiraiya's right, Suzaku Nara cleared his throat and rudely interrupted the dwarf pomegranate's incessant ramblings, "Dwarf pomegranate leader, enough of this nonsense! I didn't call you here to listen to your complaints. How's the preparation work you arranged going?"

It's common practice to get the grass ninja to do things!