Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The battlefields between Iwagakure and Konoha were either in the Land of Grass or the Land of Rain. However, the Rain Ninja were stubborn and did not listen to Konoha or Iwagakure. The Sand Ninja's envoy was also driven out. No matter how bad the Land of Rain was under Hanzo's rule, after the Second Shinobi World War, both Iwagakure and Sand Ninja tacitly avoided the Land of Rain during the Third Shinobi World War.

right now,

The Land of Grass is the battlefield between Konoha and Iwagakure.

Therefore, before Jiraiya's army arrived, a messenger had already gone to Kirigakure, met with the dwarf Puji, and conveyed the orders from Konoha, instructing them to assist the border guards in keeping watch on the border to prevent Iwa ninja from launching a surprise attack, and to prepare food and supplies for the army's resupply.

"We have gathered as many supplies as possible, but we are unsure of your exact needs..."

"Just do your best to procure supplies. Don't ask questions about things that aren't your concern. Do you think Konoha would just eat and drink for free?"

Suzaku Nara's attitude could be described as arrogant; he showed no leniency whatsoever because of the old man, Kuma-no-Kashi.

"Besides supplies, where are your people? The border guards say they haven't seen a single Grass Ninja. I want to know where your people are?"

"this······"

A genuine embarrassment and shame appeared on Dwarf Puwei's wrinkled old face. "Lord Jiraiya, it's not that we're unwilling to help, but it's only been six years since the last war ended, and the village still hasn't recovered. Almost all the able-bodied elders died in the last Shinobi World War, and the young people nowadays are useless. Even if they were sent to the front lines, they would only be a burden. So I thought it best to let them do the hard labor in the rear and make a greater contribution."

Jilai remained silent.

"Snapped!"

Suzaku slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Stop talking nonsense, you shorty! Don't think that just because Lord Jiraiya is kind-hearted, you can spout this nonsense. Whether the Grass Ninja Faction is useful or not is not up to you. How to decide on the use of manpower is not something you need to overstep your bounds for."

"Zhuque, don't get so angry. Speak properly. Everyone makes mistakes at work."

"It was my rudeness, Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Kuroko, and said in a gentle tone, "Kuroko, Suzaku is young and impetuous, don't take it to heart. Just send the person over as soon as you get back. Anyway, we haven't officially started the war with Iwagakure yet, and there hasn't been any irreparable loss because of your mistakes, so... send the person over as soon as possible, and we can let bygones be bygones for your previous mistakes."

Sitting to Jiraiya's left, Hozuki Mangetsu watched the simple yet timeless piece of music with great interest.

Even a young man like Hozuki Mangetsu could see through Jiraiya and Nara Suzaku's blatant red-and-white cop act, so how could an old and shrewd guy like Ayame not see it? But what could he do even if he did see it? When he realized that the kind-hearted Jiraiya from his past memories wouldn't be moved by his sob story, he understood that his hopes were completely dashed.

Kusanagi Shinobu could not remain uninvolved in the end.

"I understand. When I get back... I will send some capable people over as soon as possible." Dwarf Reed bent down and agreed to Konoha's domineering order in his old and hoarse voice.

The dwarf reeds have left.

He dragged his heavy steps out of the tent, just as he had come.

"Man-wol, I'm sorry you had to see this."

Jiraiya turned around and spoke to Hozuki Mangetsu.

"It's alright! This kind of thing... is quite interesting! I've only seen similar scenes in movies before, but unfortunately, there aren't any vassal states around our Land of Water." Hozuki Mangetsu sighed with regret.

The reason why small countries like the Land of Grass, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Rivers can exist is because they serve as buffer zones between large countries. The Land of Water, located on the open sea, is far from the mainland, and the vast ocean is a natural barrier, so it does not need small countries as buffers. Therefore, the Land of Water has no small countries around it.

There used to be a country called the Land of Whirlpools. It was a nail that the Second Hokage planted in the sea to defend against the Mist Ninja. Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi failed to protect the Land of Whirlpools, and the Mist Ninja removed this nail.

If the Land of Whirlpools still existed

The Third Shinobi World War should never have happened. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist infiltrated the area around Konoha Village, only to be utterly defeated by Might Guy, who made a stunning debut. Konoha would not have needed to defend its long coastline. As long as they protected the Land of Whirlpools, the largest island in the near sea, the Mist Ninja would never have spread the flames of war to the Land of Fire.

"Does the Grass Ninja seem a bit slippery?"

Hozuki Mangetsu asked curiously.

"A bunch of opportunists," Nara Suzaku said bluntly, making no attempt to hide his dislike for the Grass Ninja. "These idiots can't see their own worth, nor do they know where they stand. They only know how to show off those low-level tricks. Don't they ever think about who the Iwa Ninja would wipe out first if we, Konoha, didn't intervene?"

The Iwa ninja went south;

The Grass Ninja have no choice but to either join Konoha or Iwa Ninja. As I've already said, neutrality isn't something everyone can do. If the Grass Ninja dared to choose neutrality, Konoha wouldn't even need to intervene; the Iwa Ninja would wipe them out in order to clear the way for their attack on the Land of Fire.

Joining the Iwagakure ninja would mean becoming an enemy of Konoha... and Dwarf Reed didn't have that courage.

Since the death of the First Hokage, Konoha has won all three Shinobi World Wars. No matter what price they paid for victory, Konoha was ultimately victorious. Therefore, no matter how weak Konoha may seem now, the short-statured Pagoda has never had the confidence to side with the Iwagakure.

If the Iwa ninja lose, wouldn't the Kusanagi ninja face Konoha's purge?

As for whether Konoha will lose, to be honest, this old man, Dwarf Puwei, is more confident than many Konoha ninjas that Konoha will never lose. Whether they can win or not is hard to say, but Konoha is highly likely to win. As an old man who has witnessed the terror of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, he firmly believes that Konoha with the Uchiha clan will not lose.

The reason for resorting to such underhanded tactics was to minimize the number of Grass Ninja casualties.

"It's only natural for people to protect themselves."

Jiraiya said softly, "Suzaku, don't be too demanding of them! Anyway, we never expected them to be of any use in the first place!"

"Lord Jiraiya, it's not that I'm being merciless, but the Grass Ninja are a bunch of fools who never learn from their mistakes. The Third Hokage's methods were too gentle, which made them take advantage of the situation and forget what boundaries are..." Before he could finish speaking, Suzaku Nara blurted out and then remembered that Jiraiya was a disciple of the Third Hokage.

Fortunately, Jiraiya had no intention of holding a grudge against him. He simply sighed, "Ah! War! It's truly an unpleasant thing!"

at this time,

Someone rushed into the tent and reported, "Lord Jiraiya, Kakashi Hatake requests an audience."

[Chapter 182. Only the stronger can control the strong!]

Like Kusagakure's leader, the short, short Pu-Wei, when Yakushi Nonou stepped into the Konoha army's camp and saw the Mist Ninja, even though she already knew from Kakashi that Konoha and the Mist Ninja had formed an alliance, she couldn't help but show deep surprise on her face.

After Kakashi's team defeated Wenya's tracking team, they escorted Yakushi Nonou to immediately retreat, evading the relentless pursuit and search by the Iwagakure border guards while searching for a safe route out of the Land of Earth.

For the past two days, the pharmacist Nono has temporarily lost her mobility due to the aftereffects of taking too many soldier pills. Kakashi, who is carrying the burden of the child, does not want to fight his way out of the Iwa ninja as he did when he arrived. Instead, he wants to find a safe route to leave.

However, before they could find a loophole in the Iwa ninja's defenses, the Iwa ninja suddenly tightened their defenses, concentrating the forces that had been guarding the long border. The once formidable defenses were suddenly completely breached, and Kakashi and his group left the Land of Earth peacefully without much effort.

They took a slightly longer route, and the Iwa ninja built a much stronger defensive line in the area bordering the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass.

Kakashi and his group had no choice but to detour through the Land of Rain, and then enter the Land of Grass from there. After setting foot on the land of the Land of Grass, they found their contact and learned that Jiraiya's army had arrived in the Land of Grass. Then, for some reason, they did not return to Konoha, but instead went to find Jiraiya.

Inside the main tent, only Raiya and Suzaku Nara remained to welcome Kakashi and the others.

With his political acumen constantly improving, Hozuki Mangetsu didn't need Jiraiya to speak; he took the initiative to lead Ringo Ameyuri out of the tent, leaving the space for the Konoha ninjas to communicate.

"Kakashi."

Jiraiya, seated in the main seat, looked at Kakashi, who appeared before him unharmed, and a happy expression appeared on his face. He glanced past Kakashi at Yakushi Nonou, whom he didn't recognize, but he had seen her picture before. "Well done!"

"You flatter me."

Kakashi scratched his head.

He felt no sense of pride, but rather a somewhat indescribable embarrassment.

"Um... Lord Jiraiya, because Yakushi-senpai isn't planning to return to the village for the time being, saying she wants to stay on the front lines to contribute, this matter... I can't make a decision." Kakashi said, forcing himself to speak, clearly feeling quite helpless.

However, there was nothing that could be done about it. Having grasped all the causes and consequences, he understood Yakushi Nonou's request emotionally. Of course, from a sense of responsibility, as a spy sent by the village to Iwagakure, Yakushi Nonou should have returned to Konoha immediately after the mission was completed.

"Stay on the front lines?"

Jiraiya blinked in confusion, "Why not go back to Konoha?"

"It's because of that [Yakushi Kabuto]."

"······I see."

Jiraiya paused for a moment, looking at Yakushi Nonou who was standing there quietly without saying a word, and suddenly felt a headache coming on. Jiraiya was also clear about the cause and effect of this matter. Danzo, that old guy, had caused a lot of trouble, and in the end, he kicked the bucket and left everyone else with a mess.

"Yakushi Nonou, are you staying on the front lines to save that child?"

Kakashi calmly stepped aside, and Yakushi Nonou also stepped forward, facing Jiraiya directly.

"That's right, Kabuto, I never expected that bastard Danzo would actually... I must save him, at all costs."

"This is indeed Danzo's fault."

Jiraiya couldn't bring himself to speak ill of Sarutobi-sensei, but he didn't care about that bastard Danzo. He'd disliked Danzo, that sinister guy, from the beginning. In Jiraiya's eyes, Danzo was behind Orochimaru's betrayal of the village. Perhaps Orochimaru had always been somewhat paranoid, but after associating with Danzo, he became increasingly insane…

He pulled his wandering thoughts back and looked at the determined Yakushi Nono, his head throbbing even more. This was going to be tough!

Danzo initially threatened Yakushi Nonou with the children from the orphanage, especially a boy named Yakushi Kabuto. He said that if she was unwilling to continue working as a spy for the village, he would take Kabuto away and train him to be a new spy. Left with no other choice, Yakushi Nonou had to agree to continue working as a spy.

However, Yakushi Nonou overestimated Danzo's moral bottom line. This old bastard, who spoke like he was farting and had no regard for the spirit of contracts, took Yakushi Kabuto away from the orphanage as soon as Yakushi Nonou set off, and raised him as a spy. And that wasn't all.

After Kabuto Yakushi completed his spy training course, Danzo was sent out to work. It must be said that Danzo had excellent judgment. Kabuto Yakushi's talent in the spy industry was no less than that of his adoptive mother, Nono Yakushi. He moved around Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and the most dangerous Kirigakure, collecting intelligence and performing extremely well.

The most shameless thing was that Danzo said he was going to send photos of Yakushi Kabuto growing up to Yakushi Nonou, but he actually sent photos of other people who looked a bit like Yakushi Kabuto. To be honest, when everyone who could see the confidential documents of 'Root' saw the record of the whole process, they were all stunned!

This is absolutely outrageous!

Danzo's level of depravity is simply outrageous.

Yakushi Nonou, who is active in various countries as a spy, can definitely be called a hero of Konoha. However, such a hero was plotted against and targeted. You should know that at the end of that document, there was a cleanup plan to use Yakushi Kabuto to eliminate Yakushi Nonou, but this part has not yet been executed!

Of course, no matter what...

Danzo Shimura, the culprit behind all this trouble, is dead. The mess he left behind is giving the Fifth Hokage a real headache. Akimichi Torifu is a veteran who has been through many battles and is not a soft-hearted, indiscriminately kind person. However, he simply cannot continue to carry out Danzo Shimura's plan. He feels that Yakushi Nonou should not have such an ending.

However, they didn't have any good ideas on how to handle the situation. In the end, Akimichi Torifu decided to save people first and then take things one step at a time. Before Kakashi and the others set off, he also told Kakashi and Juri about the general situation. Juri already knew about it. In short, he told Kakashi that if Yakushi Nonou asked about Yakushi Kabuto, he should not hide it and should just tell Yakushi Nonou.

Then--

That's how the current situation came about.

After learning the cause and effect from Kakashi, Yakushi Nonou remained silent for a long time. Both of her hands were cut by her fingernails, and she had no idea how many times she had torn Danzo to pieces in her mind. Once she regained her mobility, she told Kakashi that she would not return to the village for the time being, but was going to see Jiraiya.

According to Kakashi, Kabuto Yakushi was sent to Iwagakure by Danzo Shimura at the beginning of this year.

perhaps,

They had encountered each other in Iwagakure more than once, but because the photos had been switched, she didn't recognize Kabuto... This caused Yakushi Nonou great distress. Recalling Iwagakure's previous large-scale operation to arrest spies, fear and self-blame prevented her from taking another step back towards Konoha.

She has to save Dou!

Save her child at all costs!

"There's no point in talking about Danzo now. In fact... you should know more about the situation in Iwagakure than we do. Because of the chaos that happened in the village before, the leak of information caused our spies outside to suffer heavy losses. It wasn't just Iwagakure; there were similar incidents in Kumogakure and Sunagakure as well."

“Most of the spies had lost contact, and those lost contacts had not been restored before I left the village. We were unsure whether they had been arrested or were just temporarily out of contact… Under these circumstances, talking about rescuing people was quite difficult.”

"I see!"

Yakushi Nonou's voice was very calm.

"It is precisely because I know better than anyone else that I will stay here. If I want to understand the situation in Iwagakure, I must start with the Iwagakure ninja. If necessary, I can infiltrate Iwagakure again." She spoke these words fluently, clearly having already considered her next move before meeting Jiraiya!

It will be very difficult to persuade her to go back to the village.

To be honest, Jiraiya was unwilling to force Yakushi Nonou to return to the village by order, because Danzo's actions were too outrageous! Jiraiya couldn't bear to do it.

"By the way, may I ask what the village's plans are regarding those arrested spies?"

Yakushi Nonou looked at the silent Jiraiya and suddenly asked again.