Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

[Chapter 198 Preparations Before the Persuasion]

"Is it still snowing?"

Hozuki Mangetsu peeked out from the tent. A cold wind howled past, and snowflakes swirled and danced before his eyes. He looked up at the sky, but the dark clouds showed no sign of dissipating. Although it was early morning, the world was as gloomy as if it were dusk about to fall.

Judging from the current situation, the battle with the Iwa ninja will have to stop for a couple of days.

He thought to himself silently.

Although ninjas have a high resistance to harsh environments and extreme weather, it is not without its effects. The elite troops may be able to ignore the snow and continue fighting, but most junior and middle-ranking ninjas cannot exert their full combat power in such weather, especially since this heavy snow has been falling for two days and two nights, and today is the third day!

Furthermore, judging from their recent battles with the Iwa ninja, the Iwa ninja don't seem to have any intention of directly confronting Konoha. They give the impression of waiting to reap the benefits.

This is understandable. Konoha is currently fighting on two fronts: the Land of Hot Springs and the Cloud Village, and the Land of Grass and the Rock Village. It can only be said that Konoha is truly a formidable force. At the same time, Hozuki Mangetsu has full confidence in Konoha's victory. With the Uchiha clan, Konoha cannot possibly lose!

Don't spout that nonsense about burning a candle at both ends.

The Konoha clan is large and powerful, with a deep foundation. Even if a one-meter-long candle is burned at both ends, it would take an extremely long time to burn out!

"Phew! It's so cold!"

Hozuki Mangetsu, who had just emerged from the tent, stamped his foot. Just by looking at his usual light and breezy attire, it was enough to tell that this prodigy from Kirigakure was not afraid of the cold. Compared to the bone-chilling cold of the Land of Water's winter, to be honest, the dry cold of the north was nothing to him.

After washing up and having breakfast.

As one of the leaders of the army, Hozuki Mangetsu had to go to the central tent every day to see the army commander and discuss the day's actions. When he arrived at the tent, he found that in addition to Jiraiya, Yakushi Nonou and Hatake Kakashi were also gathered there.

The reason why Yakushi Nonou is sitting here is...

It was because she subdued the medical ninjas in the camp with her superb medical ninjutsu, coupled with her equally unpredictable language skills, that somehow she transformed into the leader of all the medical ninjas in the army, and most importantly, Jiraiya actually acknowledged her!

This is an internal matter of Konoha.

Hozuki Mangetsu had no objections. In fact, he was more than happy to have another top-notch medical ninja like Yakushi Nonou to help. The more medical ninjas there were in the camp, the more skilled their medical ninjutsu would be, which would mean a lower mortality rate, which was a good thing!

There's also Kakashi Hatake, a young man highly regarded by Jiraiya, who unknowingly earned a place in this tent.

"Lord Jiraiya, I'm so sorry I'm late today."

"It's still early! I got up too early today, Zhuque hasn't arrived yet! Please sit down and wait a while."

Hozuki Mangetsu nodded. He knew he wasn't late, but he had to say some polite things. He sat down in his seat and glanced around the tent. Everyone looked calm, so it seemed there were no changes at the front.

It didn't take long.

Suzaku Nara arrived right on time.

This strategist from the Nara clan had deep dark circles under his eyes. As an advisor, his workload was even greater than that of Jiraiya, the commander-in-chief. Judging from those dark circles, he probably hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time!

but,

Nara Suzaku's dark circles and deep weariness could not conceal his joy.

"Lord Jiraiya, the Land of Hot has won a great victory!"

Nara Suzaku rushed into the tent with some exciting news.

"really?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

His eyes were full of anticipation.

"The intelligence just arrived, and that's why I'm a step late," Nara Suzaku said decisively. "The Hokage's assistant led a large army to a crushing defeat of the Cloud Ninja in the Kusatsu Mountains of the Land of Hot Springs. Not only did they reclaim the Kusatsu Mountains, but they also captured the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki alive!!!"

As he spoke,

Suzaku Nara quickly stepped forward and handed the victory report to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya received the news and skimmed through it. In just five or six seconds, he burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Amazing! Amazing! As expected of the Uchiha! Capturing the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki alive... This skill is truly remarkable!!!"

Unlike his teacher, Jiraiya did not discriminate against the Uchiha clan. Although he didn't particularly like those people with nostrils, he absolutely did not condone killing someone just because they liked to look down on others! The Uchiha were part of the village no matter what, and since they had shed blood and sacrificed for the village, they should receive appropriate rewards, not discrimination and suppression.

Upon seeing this report of good news...

He genuinely felt a deep sense of joy.

Konoha's great victory in the Land of Hot Springs and the setback of the Cloud Ninja's military might meant something he was well aware of. That old man Onoki was a master of changing his tune with the wind. As long as Onoki learned of the Cloud Ninja's defeat and realized that the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos was gone, the war in the Land of Grass might not be long before it ended.

The good news was circulated among the readers.

There were no secrets on it, just a brief account of the great battle in Kusatsu Mountain, mainly about the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki being captured alive, so there was nothing to hide... Hozuki Mangetsu looked at the short report of victory, praising it aloud, but his heart was calm.

Given the precedent of the Fourth Generation's defeat and capture,

It's not surprising that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was captured alive.

This news only reminded him of Master Yuan's warning once again. Konoha may seem to be struggling and in a difficult situation, but its top ninjas still stand at the top of the ninja world, and there are also many young masters. As long as Uchiha Munegen's generation is alive, Konoha is destined to be a place not to be trifled with!

but,

What a pity!

If he could, he wouldn't want to see a strong and prosperous Konoha. Even though he gets along fairly well with the Konoha ninjas now, he still can't bring himself to like Konoha. Unfortunately, it seems that even if he doesn't like it, he still has to continue to be close to Konoha.

"Lord Jiraiya, that plan... perhaps it's time to begin implementing it."

As everyone was reading the news of victory, Suzaku Nara stared intently at Jiraiya, who was sitting in the main seat.

You mean?

Jiraiya's smile faded, and his brow furrowed.

Are you confident?

"With such good news, the chances of success are quite high."

That plan?

Hozuki Mangetsu looked over with a somewhat blank expression. Yakushi Nono and Hatake Kakashi were equally puzzled. After exchanging glances, they both turned their gazes to Jiraiya and Nara Suzaku, hoping that the two would reveal the answer.

"Who do you think would be the most suitable candidate?"

"Myself."

"...Suzaku, do you know what you're saying?"

"This idea was originally mine. In addition, no one in the military is more eloquent than me. Also, if the person going is of too low a status, it may not be easy for them to even meet the Third Tsuchikage. As the Chief of Staff of the Army, my status is still somewhat useful."

Suzaku Nara listed his advantages as a lobbyist.

"Suzaku-kun, are you planning to persuade the Third Tsuchikage?" Yakushi Nonou gleaned the true nature of the so-called 'plan' from the conversation between Jiraiya and Nara Suzaku. Unable to contain her astonishment, she blurted out the guess that had been lingering in her mind.

"That's right!!"

Suzaku Nara nodded.

"Nonou-senpai, do you think the Third Tsuchikage can be persuaded to end the war with Konoha?"

"...The possibility is not small." Yakushi Nonou pondered for a moment before answering, "Based on my understanding of the Third Tsuchikage, that old guy is a complete profit-seeker. Everything he does is for the sake of Iwagakure. As long as we make him realize that continuing to fight with us will not only not bring any benefits, but may also bring trouble upon himself, there is a high probability that this war will end."

Hozuki Mangetsu and Hatake Kakashi understood by now.

Compared to Kakashi, whose face was covered by a mask, allowing only a glimpse of his turbulent emotions from his twitching eyebrows, Hozuki Mangetsu displayed all seven emotions. Unless one was blind or severely nearsighted, one could clearly see his surprise.

"Lord Jiraiya?"

Having received support from Yakushi Nonou, Nara Suzaku once again looked at Jiraiya, who was sitting silently in the main seat.

"Suzaku, you understand, right? The risks of this kind of persuasion mission... That old man Onoki is notoriously shameless. If anything goes wrong, even I will have a hard time helping you. Even if we eventually defeat the Iwa ninja, we might not be able to save you."

"I see."

Suzaku Nara nodded solemnly.

"But as I said before, this was originally my proposal. Rather than letting others take this risk, I'd rather do it myself. And to be honest, as long as the Third Tsuchikage is still in his right mind, there's no reason for this trip to fail."

Jiraiya and Suzaku Nara looked at each other for a few seconds, confirming that Suzaku Nara's mind was made up.

"In that case, let's do it! It's better for everyone if we can end this war sooner." Jiraiya sighed softly. "Suzaku, thank you for your trouble."

"No, please leave it to me."

Having obtained Jiraiya's permission, Suzaku Nara did not set off rashly. Instead, he sat down, picked up a pen, and began to write and draw on paper, sorting out the complex thoughts in his mind. Unless forced to, members of the Nara clan prefer to make thorough preparations before taking any action.

Seeing Suzaku Nara lost in his own world, Jiraiya frowned slightly and turned his gaze to Kakashi. "By the way, Kakashi, go and choose an elite squad to escort Suzaku to see the Third Tsuchikage."

"Yes."

Kakashi agreed.

Just as he got up to leave, Hozuki Mangetsu suddenly stood up and said, "I'll come too, Jiraiya-sama!"

"I think we could include one or two Mist Ninja in the guards escorting the Vermilion Bird Advisor."

Jiraiya stared at Hozuki Mangetsu for two seconds, then nodded slightly. "That's true. Kakashi, Mangetsu-kun, you two go together."

then,

Kakashi and Hozuki Mangetsu left the main tent together, discussing the selection of personnel as they walked.

Only Jiraiya, Suzaku Nara, and the restless Yakushi Nonou remained in the tent.

Yakushi Nonou clenched her fists, her gaze shifting back and forth between Nara Suzaku and Jiraiya. A burning emotion surged within her, her throat bobbed, and her voice involuntarily escaped, "Lord Jiraiya!" She finally couldn't hold back any longer; she couldn't miss this opportunity no matter what.

Most of the spies currently stationed in Iwagakure are still out of contact.

Most of them were probably captured by the Iwa ninja, but it's hard to say whether any escaped. In any case, the spy Kabuto Yakushi happened to be one of the missing people. Nono Yakushi was determined to rescue Kabuto, and now this was an excellent opportunity.

"The matter of exchanging spies...is that possible?"

“If we can persuade the Third Tsuchikage to end this war, there is a chance to exchange spies.” Nara Suzaku raised his head. “The victory achieved by the Hokage’s assistant is truly dazzling beyond imagination. We can use the Hokage’s assistant to intimidate him, and exchanging spies shouldn’t be a problem. Nonou-senpai, please rest assured! You are a hero who has done great things for the village. The Hokage, Kabuto, has already sent a letter agreeing to exchange the Iwa ninja spies imprisoned with the Iwa ninja.”

“Suzaku is right. He has always planned to exchange spies. You can rest assured. Now that Danzo is gone, the village will never mistreat anyone who has made a contribution.” Jiraiya said with the same confidence.

To be honest, it's best not to know about the whole mess involving Yakushi Nonou and Yakushi Kabuto.

But now that we know...

Jiraiya couldn't just stand by and watch. He put in a lot of effort to get the village to agree to exchange spies with Iwagakure, personally writing letters to the Fifth Hokage and several old friends to bring about this outcome.

otherwise,

Since the establishment of the one-country-one-village system, there have been no instances of spies being exchanged between different ninja villages.

However, whether this will work out is still uncertain. After all, if Onoki doesn't agree... it will be quite difficult! We can only hope that Suzaku succeeds in one fell swoop! If Suzaku fails, there might be some more twists and turns!

"...Suzaku-kun, I'm begging you!"