Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

"Welcome everyone from Iwagakure. I have been busy with many matters and have not been able to greet you. Please do not mind."

As the four of them—Shoji, Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi—stepped into the Star Shadow Pavilion, what came into view was a slightly hunched, white-haired, and aged figure. Although they could still sense a considerable amount of chakra fluctuations within this old man, his age was undeniable, and his body exuded a sense of decay.

All of this proves that the leader of the Hidden Star Village has entered his weakest period.

"You're too kind. We're here to complete our mission, so there's no need to worry about formalities."

They were just being polite.

Shoji didn't take it seriously. The group of people who went straight to sit down on the left side, including the Third Hokage who was in the main seat, was initially surprised by Shoji, especially by the young, even childlike, faces of Kurotsuchi, Deidara, and Itachi. However, he didn't show any extra emotion on his face.

He still wore a gentle smile and said, "That would be best, but may I ask who you are?"

Although the mission issued by their own village was a B-rank mission, the key point was that it could be upgraded to an A-rank mission at any time. It required Iwagakure to send an elite Jonin to lead the mission. Although they didn't think that Iwagakure, one of the five great ninja villages, would do such tricks, Shoji's face was too young. Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi looked to be at most ten years old, or even younger. The Third Hoshikage couldn't help but ask as soon as they met.

Shoji could certainly understand the deeper meaning in the words of the leader of Hoshigakure. He smiled slightly and said, "Excuse me, leader. My name is Uchiha Shoji. I will be in charge of this mission from start to finish. You don't need to worry!"

"What?! Uchiha Shoji!?"

"Insolent scoundrel! What leader? This is our Lord Hoshikage! Please watch your words and attitude! He's from Iwagakure!"

It was just as Jiang Si finished speaking.

Above the main seat.

The shocked words of the Third Hokage, followed by a stern voice filled with anger from the opposite side, fell in succession.

Leaving aside the former, the latter sentence came from another black-haired young man who had been in this Star Shadow Tower from the beginning. Chi Xing, who had been sitting next to him, also looked at Jiang Si with an angry expression at this moment.

Fireflies!

The Third Hoshikage, seated at the head of the table, changed his expression upon hearing the words of the black-haired young man, and was about to say something.

"Huh? Lord Hoshigage? Don't joke around, you idiot! I was just about to say that Kage is a title only the Five Great Ninja Villages are qualified to use. What right does your mere Hoshigakure Village have to use the title of Kage? My master is already giving your leader a lot of face by calling him 'Your Excellency'! You're really asking for it! You should know that my master is a figure who is famous throughout the ninja world. You better understand your place! Don't be so ungrateful! You fools!"

Behind Shoji, Deidara stood up first, his expression fierce, and with an extremely sarcastic tone, he looked at Akahoshi opposite him, as well as the black-haired man named Hotaru who had just spoken those words, and said with an air of superiority.

These words revealed an undisguised and blatant contempt.

"you!?"

This instantly enraged the two young Star Ninjas, Akahoshi and Hotaru.

Just as the two men's pupils burned with rage, seemingly preparing to attack each other directly.

"Red Star! Firefly!"

In the head seat.

The third-generation Star Shadow also instantly darkened his face, and his stern words brought the two of them to their senses.

"It was my rudeness, please forgive me, Lord Xingying!"

He quickly turned around and bowed to the Third Hoshikage in the head seat.

Although he appeared to be apologizing, the bulging veins on his forehead and the obvious air of anger still lingered.

Jiang Si could see right through him at a glance, but he still acted as if he didn't care at all.

As Deidara said, what is there to care about in a mere Hidden Star Village? With Shoji's current strength, although there are indeed some people and special beings who can threaten or even kill Shoji, Hidden Star Village is clearly not qualified.

As I just mentioned, you can refer to yourselves internally, and Jiang Si won't mind. But if you want to interfere with them? Sorry, Jiang Si won't give you that kind of face.

This is why, despite Deidara's extremely rude and even obnoxious behavior, Shoji didn't react at all.

I even wanted to give Deidara a thumbs up in my heart.

289. The Problem

After all, given General Si's current status and position.

It's indeed inconvenient for them to lower themselves to argue with 'little guys' like Akahira and Hotaru, even though they are a few years older than Shoji. The ninja world is a place that values ​​status and strength. Even if the two of them are together, they are not qualified to be compared with Shoji.

Deidara's words saved Shoji some trouble.

The Third Hoshikage, seated at the head of the table, clearly understood the thoughts of his two young subordinates and could also see through the attitude of Shoji and his group. Although he was indeed somewhat annoyed, after all, they were from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and the name 'Uchiha Shoji' was well-known to the Third Hoshikage!

The renowned chosen one of the Uchiha clan, possessing the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan, and who led the Iwa ninja to defeat the Fourth Kazekage on the battlefield just six months ago—such a ruthless individual, and the Third Hoshikage couldn't even muster a shred of temper at all.

While he was somewhat pleased that a mere B-rank mission could prompt Iwagakure to send out such a powerful expert, he also became slightly wary. After all, it was rather puzzling that someone of Shoji's caliber would accept such a B-rank mission.

"So it's you, Mr. Shoji. I've long admired your name, Mr. Shoji. You're a genius of the Uchiha clan, and just six months ago you even defeated the Fourth Kazekage. It's truly an honor for our village that our mission has attracted you!"

The Third Hoshikage seemed completely unconcerned about his previous 'rude behavior,' and spoke with a gentle smile.

The two young Star Ninjas, Akahoshi and Hotaru, who were in the lower positions, heard their Star Shadow Lord speaking with deliberate emphasis once again.

The two men seemed to awaken from a dream, their bodies trembling involuntarily. They slightly raised their eyelids and glanced at the general opposite them with a look of shock.

Having failed to recognize him before, and further enraged by Shoji's remarks, these two Star Ninja, who could be considered among the best of their generation in Star Village, were now being reminded by their own Star Shadow Lord. They could hardly hide the shock deep within their hearts.

Ordinary people may not understand the prestige of Shoji, but how could they not know what the name 'Uchiha Shoji' represents?

This is the most prominent young generation of Kage-level powerhouses in recent years.

He led his clan away from the most powerful Konoha, and later led the Iwa ninja to defeat the Sand Ninja army led by the Fourth Kazekage. When Hotaru and Akahoshi realized that the target of their attack was such a ruthless character, their expressions became very ugly and cold.

However, their deep-seated pride wouldn't allow them to truly bow their heads and admit their mistakes. In their eyes, Hoshigakure was comparable to the Five Great Ninja Villages; they were just a little less lucky!

"Hehe, Chief, you flatter me. My mere reputation is nothing to boast about. It is my subordinates who have been somewhat rude. Deidara, why don't you apologize to Chief and the people of Hoshigakure at once!"

Shoji smiled slightly, his indifference, even bordering on dismissive, which made the Third Hoshikage's lips twitch slightly. However, setting aside the fact that Iwagakure and Shoji's reputation were inherently so intimidating, the fact that they were currently in a position of needing his help meant that the Third Hoshikage could not afford to say anything unnecessary.

"Yes, General Sisang. I was rude just now. Please forgive me, Chief and all the lords of Hoshigakure!"

Deidara naturally understood the deeper meaning in his captain's words, and casually bowed slightly, apologizing to the three people from Hoshigakure opposite him in a tone that had no intention of apologizing at all.

"Haha, young people are bound to be lively, there's nothing wrong with that. Jiang Sijun, there's no need to be too harsh on him!"

Although I knew they were just being polite, I still had to say a few words. This is the most essential survival skill in life. This Third Hokage has witnessed many ups and downs in the ninja world, so he has the composure and magnanimity to do so.

"Well, thank you for your magnanimity, Chief. Getting back to the point, if it's alright, Chief, would you mind telling us the real objective of this mission now? If possible, I hope you can tell us every detail as much as possible, so that we can make the corresponding mission judgments and execute them."

"Well, Akahoshi, why don't you explain this to Shoji-kun?"

Now, let's get to the main topic.

The Third Hoshikage immediately spoke with a serious expression.

Akahoshi and Hotaru, who were in the lower positions, both became solemn.

This matter involves their village's treasure—'Star'! If it has any connection with Kusagakure, then Star Village really needs to take it seriously. This is why their village issued a mission to hire Iwa ninja to assist them.

"Yes, Lord Xingying!"

After bowing slightly to his master, Lord Hoshikage, Akahoshi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger deep within his heart, and then turned to introduce the intelligence that his ninja village currently possessed to the four of them, including Shoji.

"The story begins ten days ago, on that day..."

Whether it's true or false, let's set aside that for now. The intelligence information that Hoshigakure currently possesses does indeed point entirely to Kusagakure.

It can be said that everything matched perfectly except for the lack of conclusive evidence. But it was precisely this high degree of 'match' that aroused the general's suspicion, but his suspicion was also completely unfounded.

On the surface, he appeared calm and collected, but Jiang Si was also secretly observing that Third Hokage. The probability was very low, almost zero, but as long as it wasn't 0% certain, Jiang Si wouldn't give up on any possibility.

Furthermore, due to some influences from the original plot, Shoji was quite concerned about the young star ninja named Akahoshi in front of him. Different judgments would lead to different results. Of course, from Shoji's perspective, he hoped it was an internal problem, because if so, he would have the opportunity to openly contact that mysterious 'star stone'.

'However, we'll have to wait and see what the next steps of the investigation show.'

Jiang Si thought to himself with a relaxed feeling.

After fully understanding the information provided by the Hidden Star Village, under the arrangement of the Third Hokage, Shoji and his group first went to their pre-arranged lodgings to rest, as it was already close to dusk.

If we really need to do anything, we'll talk about it tomorrow.

Moreover, the core of this mission is actually protection, which means staying in the area designated by Hoshigakure for a set period of time and providing armed protection.

According to the requirements of this mission, the general and his party do not need to do anything extra. If nothing happens within the specified time limit, the mission will be considered completed.

However, Jiang Siyi doesn't think this task will be that simple, nor will he make it that simple!

290. The Undercurrents Begin to Surge (Third Update)

"What do you think of this mission?"

Upon arriving at their lodgings, after Akahoshi, who had led the way, left, Si spread out his vast sensory power to confirm that there was indeed no one around. He then summoned his three subordinates to his presence, looked at them with a thoughtful expression, and said with a light smile.

Kurotsuchi, Deidara, and Itachi exchanged glances.

Itachi spoke first, saying, "The intelligence is still too little. Although the information provided by Hoshigakure seems to be pointing the finger at Kusagakure, I still feel that the problem is not so simple. The most important thing is that the Third Hoshikage seems too calm. Once this is confirmed, it involves a ninja village as strong as Kusagakure. Although Hoshigakure is arrogant to the point of internally calling their leader Hoshikage, and their Peacock Technique does have some unique features, I don't think they are confident that they can deal with the entire Kusagakure with the strength of their own ninja village!"

"That Third Hokage must be hiding some information. Either the Grass Village is a hoax, or this situation involves the Hoshigakure itself!"

It must be said that Itachi is Itachi. He was able to analyze so much from the limited information available, which is a performance far beyond his age. To be honest, in this respect, Shoji only has the advantage of experience and understanding of the original plot!

If we set aside these two points, Shoji might not be able to compare to Itachi. He is a true genius, not only in terms of his caliber and potential as a ninja, but also in terms of his comprehensive talent in all aspects!

Looking at the confident Itachi.

A hint of admiration also flashed in Jiang Si's eyes.

"Then why can't it be that knowing Jiang Sisang's identity makes him feel at ease, which is why he appears calm?"

Suddenly, Heitu, who was sitting to the side, spoke up.

"That's possible, but the inconsistency is still too strong. Ultimately, we're still lacking the necessary information!"

Itachi nodded first, then shook his head and said.

"Doesn't that mean we can't be sure about anything, Itachi-san!"

Hei Tu pouted and said.

Deidara remained nonchalant. To him, it didn't matter how things unfolded. His greatest desire was to develop his art as much as possible and prove it. Each mission was merely a training ground for him, and he didn't care about anything else.

"That's why I said that if we want to be more certain, we have to investigate it ourselves!"

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go tonight!"

Heitu's eyes lit up, and he said with a grin.

In terms of drive, Kurotsuchi is always the first in the team. Deidara only cares about his own art, while Itachi is the epitome of calm and rationality. In every mission before, Kurotsuchi has always been at the forefront, which is enough to prove this point.

"But this goes against our mission requirements, so, shall we..."