Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

These are words that can express their ethnic stance.

To reverse the family's predicament.

Let's start from this point, from this one thing.

This was the resolve deep within Uchiha Shisui's heart at this moment.

Jiang Si was left standing there, watching Zhi Shui's departing figure, a hint of regret and guilt showing deep in his eyes.

The truth is almost a lie.

In his explanation just now, Jiang Si did not deceive Zhi Shui with a single word, but he also held back. Those thoughts and plans were indeed methods that Jiang Si devised to save the clan from crisis, but these were only preliminary measures. If the crisis of the clan's annihilation could be eliminated without resorting to violence, Jiang Si would naturally be unwilling and unable to incite internal strife. There was no question of whether he was heartless or not; he was simply looking at the issue from the perspective of the level of risk.

Although the Uchiha clan is strong.

Even though he had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, he still couldn't withstand the power of Konoha as a whole. The Anbu directly under the Third Hokage and the Root controlled by Danzo alone were enough to give the Uchiha clan a hard time. In addition, if the Uchiha clan really started a rebellion, it would put him in the position of the common enemy of the entire village.

Shoji didn't believe that his Uchiha clan could stand against the entire ninja village.

Even if Shisui and Fugaku firmly stood by the clan, and even if Itachi Uchiha didn't become a traitor after awakening his Mangekyou Sharingan, the result of a head-on confrontation would at most be a severe blow to Konoha's strength, and the Uchiha clan would still be wiped out.

Don't really think that the Mangekyou Sharingan is invincible.

Not everyone possesses the power and strength of Madara Uchiha.

There are also significant differences between different Mangekyou Sharingan, and between different Uchiha clans!

Not to mention the freckles after obtaining the Eternal Eye or even the Rinnegan.

Even among ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan of the same level, Fugaku, Shisui, and Shoji, who have awakened their Sharingan in the clan, are not even half as strong as their ancestor, Uchiha Madara.

To put it bluntly, Fugaku, Shisui, and Shoji can only be considered ordinary Kage-level ninjas at present. Shoji might even be a little lacking. While the Mangekyou Sharingan is a symbol of strength, it doesn't mean that you are necessarily a Kage-level ninja just because you have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. A ninja's strength is measured by a combination of factors, including physical strength, speed, chakra limits, and mental strength.

This is why it happened so easily.

The reason why the commander would never consider a 'coup' as the primary plan is that the commander would never consider it.

The risks are too high, and the chances of survival are terrifyingly low. Seeking the understanding and trust of the various ninja clans, and then letting Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and others see the 'sincerity' and 'courage' of the Uchiha clan, is the best solution in the current situation.

Of course, we should also prepare for the worst.

Jiang Si is never the kind of person who would choose to give up when someone has a knife to his throat.

It's really going to get to the worst possible situation.

The general will surely spare no effort to destroy everything!

Ultimately, unlike the conservative Fugaku and the peace-loving Shisui, Shoji harbored two plans deep in his heart from the very first night he arrived.

My resolve will not waver!

Next.

It all comes down to the individual's ability to take action!

After taking a deep look at the spot where Shisui had left, Jiang Si glanced at it.

He turned and leaped back to his own position.

19. Opinions

They volunteered to send a main force of their clan to the border region to guard against a possible invasion by Kumogakure!

The clan meeting ended on that day.

After a final discussion with the eight elders, Fugaku...

This conclusion was reached nonetheless.

Opinions within the Uchiha clan were divided regarding Shoji's proposal and the final decision made by their clan head, Fugaku Uchiha. While many opposed it, it was equally difficult to say that many agreed with it. This was the current internal predicament of the Uchiha clan, and it was one of the important reasons why they were destined for destruction in the original story. The clan was divided, and it was difficult to succeed in anything they did. In addition, there was heavy external pressure and internal treachery. It would be a miracle if the Uchiha clan could turn the tide.

It's just that, in the end...

The overall strength of the Uchiha clan is still undeniable.

Once this clan makes a decision, everyone in Konoha will have to think it over carefully.

therefore.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage who had returned to power, received news of Fugaku Uchiha's volunteering, a hint of surprise appeared on his aged face. It wasn't that he hadn't anticipated such a possibility; as a Hokage who had ruled Konoha for over thirty years, he certainly had the magnanimity to accept that the Uchiha clan would make such a decision.

This was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi had predicted.

It's just a matter of timing and efficiency.

This was something Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't anticipated.

Ultimately, just as Shoji had thought, this was a test set up by Hiruzen Sarutobi to see what the Uchiha clan's current mentality and mindset were like.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's prediction.

There is an over 80% chance that the Uchiha clan will choose to remain silent. To put it bluntly, they will neither take the initiative, resist, acknowledge, nor oppose the decision unless the village issues a direct order. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan will most likely make this passive choice. This judgment is based on an analysis of the current situation of the Uchiha clan and the personality of Fugaku Uchiha, the clan leader.

The remaining 20% ​​probability is that the Uchiha clan will choose a more proactive approach.

However, it was a choice made in accordance with the will of the crowd after other ninja clans had expressed their opinions one by one.

This point in time.

It will have to be postponed for at least three or four days.

After all, the border situation is still acceptable, and the Hidden Cloud Village is not really sending in a large army.

There is still some room for maneuver.

That was the original plan, but it all happened too fast, like a tornado. The meeting was just over yesterday morning, and this morning, Uchiha Fugaku came to volunteer on behalf of the clan.

It looks a little strange no matter how you look at it.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning to investigate and confirm the matter further through various means.

The timely arrival of Zhishui was reported as intelligence.

This also dispelled Hiruzen Sarutobi's doubts, but what followed was a slight interest in Uchiha Shoji, a genius among the younger generation of the Uchiha clan.

Is this yet another Uchiha boy who, like Shisui, has the village on his mind?

Or is he just a gloomy person pretending to be someone else?

Judging from his performance and age, Hiruzen Sarutobi is more inclined to believe the former. However, the Third Hokage will definitely need to discuss this further with his advisors and close friends, and will also need to conduct further tests on Shoji, just as Shisui did before.

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who had been hastily summoned by Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived at the Hokage's office. After hearing the information about the Uchiha clan that Hiruzen Sarutobi mentioned, the two fell into a brief silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't urge him at all.

He would sit quietly in his seat, take a deep drag on the pipe he held in his mouth, and slowly exhale a thick ring of smoke as it gradually spread out.

"Judging from this, this Shoji-kun is an Uchiha clan member who can be somewhat expected to succeed. I think we can give him a certain degree of trust. Of course, we'll have to see how he performs later. We can have Shisui-kun keep a close eye on him, but we must not reveal any more information to him. On the other hand, we need to pay more attention to Fugaku-kun and the other Uchiha clan members."

Mitokado Homura seemed to have sorted out his thoughts. He raised his eyelids again, looked directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi on his left, and said in a deep voice.

"I agree with Yan's opinion. We can put the matter of Uchiha Shoji on hold for a while and let Shisui make more contact with him. We can try to recruit another strong young Uchiha. While that would make our plans easier, we must not misjudge the key issue. The core issue is still Uchiha Fugaku and the other elders of the Uchiha clan. That mysterious person must be from the Uchiha clan, without a doubt. The key is to find out his identity and whether the Uchiha clan has penetrated deep into his territory. That is the issue we need to keep a close eye on now!"

Koharu, unusually, opened her slightly narrowed eyes and spoke in a somewhat low voice.

"There's no need to worry about Fugaku for now. Judging from Shisui's feedback, Fugaku is quite restrained and calm. The focus now should be on investigating the identity of that mysterious Uchiha clansman. This opportunity is just right. Since the Uchiha took the initiative to apply, we can just agree!"

"Hiruzen, what do you mean? But wouldn't that be too dangerous? If it's truly an internal problem within the Uchiha clan, such a choice would be very easy..."

Mitokado Yan frowned, seemingly somewhat unconvinced, and asked in return.

"If that's true, it's also an opportunity. We can't keep passively defending like this forever. We have to choose a more proactive approach. Besides, the pressure at the border is real. Sending some out and leaving some inside should help us figure things out. Moreover, this is the best opportunity to test that General Sijun, isn't it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, interrupting Homura Mitokado, and said softly.

"But..."

"Yan, on this point, I think Hiruzen's approach is correct. There will never be a risk-free option with no risk and no return. When it comes to the safety of the Nine-Tails and the village, the risk to the Uchiha clan is acceptable!"

Just as Mitokado Homura was about to say something more.

Koharu Utatane, sitting opposite Hiruzen Sarutobi, echoed his words and continued speaking.

20. Resolution

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"Let's settle on this. The Uchiha clan is, after all, part of the village. And our teacher once said that we need to be more cautious in dealing with the Uchiha clan. We all hope that the Uchiha clan can produce more members like Kagami, rather than dangerous figures like Madara Uchiha. This Shoji-kun, like Shisui, is a descendant of Kagami's lineage, so we can still place a certain degree of trust in him. Let's issue a general order to all the major ninja clans to finalize the list of dispatched personnel within three days."

"News has come from the Anbu that Kumogakure is planning a second mobilization. Although it's not a large-scale mobilization, if this batch is included, the number of Kumogakure ninja on the border will swell to more than two thousand, which is already a very dangerous number!"

Under normal circumstances.

The garrison posts established by the five great ninja villages in the border areas, with a combined number of Jonin, Chunin, and Genin, amount to at most five or six hundred people. This is already an extremely exaggerated number, basically enough to organize a small-scale war. During the Third Shinobi World War, the Iwagakure Jonin Hidari's Iwagakure ninja force, led by Higashi Shijin, had only about a thousand people. Now, Kumogakure has increased its military strength to nearly two thousand in the Land of Hot Springs region bordering the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. Konoha must be on guard!

Right now, it seems to be just harassment and sabotage operations in the border area and various logistics outposts.

However, a moment of carelessness could easily trigger further friction, and the possibility of a major war is not zero!

This was also the thing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was most worried about during this period.

In their own ninja village, hundreds of excellent ninjas died in one fell swoop during the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, and thousands more suffered injuries of varying degrees. Most importantly, the Fourth Hokage and his wife, both Kage-level fighters, were lost.

It is a price that Konoha cannot afford.

Over the past six months.

The Hidden Cloud Village has been constantly engaging in friction and probing.

They've been gradually increasing their troop strength, and now they're mobilizing troops a second time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's already tense nerves tightened even more at this moment.

Taking this into consideration.

Sending the Uchiha clan's forces to the front lines to resist for a while, and also to further test the Uchiha clan and examine Shoji, is a decision that achieves three goals at once. After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Homura Mitokado pondered for a few seconds and then slowly nodded.

"I understand. If that's the case, it's indeed safer. But what about Danzo? Should we..."

"I'll explain to Danzo. We haven't reached that point with the Uchiha clan yet. What we need to do is to adhere to our teacher's ideals and intentions. The best course of action is to have as many clansmen as Kagami as possible within the Uchiha clan. The worst outcome would be the same as what happened to our teacher back then!"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice."

"Ok!"

"Then let's do as you say, Hiruzen!"

Both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu approved of Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrangement.