Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

In this way, as long as Iwagakure takes advantage of the situation to defeat Kumogakure, it can use this as a springboard to invade the Land of Fire from the south. Unfortunately, both tactical objectives failed. Although Higashi no Shijin's hundreds of elite troops successfully defeated the defense forces that Konohagakure had arranged in the border area, they were blocked by Namikaze Minato who came from behind!

The elite Iwagakure ninja force, led by Higashi no Shiren, was almost entirely wiped out by Minato Namikaze alone. Only a small number of those left to guard the supplies managed to escape back. The attempt to seize the bridgehead failed, and the Land of Grass did not enter the range of Iwagakure's influence as expected. On the main battlefield, although the Third Raikage A was killed, Iwagakure also paid the price of three to four thousand Iwagakure ninja casualties, which had already damaged its strength to some extent!

The southward expansion strategy was never mentioned, which is why Iwagakure, despite being the victor in the Third Shinobi World War, remained stagnant and did not further expand its sphere of influence.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't!

From this, it is clear how important the strategic value of the Grass Country's geographical location is. Moreover, if the Grass Village can become a staunch supporter of the Rock Village, our own ninja village will not need to mobilize too much power to form a local suppressive advantage over the Leaf Village in the southeast.

However, achieving this is extremely difficult. As mentioned earlier, the reason why Kusagakure is so important is because it possesses considerable power. But precisely because of this, Kusagakure can also maintain a relatively high degree of autonomy. Neither Konoha nor Iwagakure dares to push it too far, as they are somewhat worried that if they go too far, Kusagakure might end up siding with the other side, which would be the most undesirable outcome!

Ever since Tsukasa led the Uchiha clan to break away from Konoha and join Iwagakure, he has been plotting to make Iwagakure replace Konoha and become the overlord of the ninja world. He even has further ambitions. Therefore, the strategic points in the surrounding area are of paramount importance. The previous Snow Country can be said to be for the future war with Kumogakure. Hoshigakure is indeed a bit weak.

But it can still provide assistance to the Sand Village!

And now, the most important enemy is Konoha Village!

They naturally won't mention the internal affairs of Iwagakure, as that's the most basic and important point. But externally, the country of grass and Kusagakure are the factors to consider!

This trip to Xingyin Village has just happened to yield a useful pawn, so Jiang Si naturally has to make the trip. If it's effective, then everyone will be happy; if it's useless, then it's just taking a longer route and wasting some time, without having to pay any price. This kind of risk-free deal is exactly what Jiang Si is most willing to do.

Although Shoji didn't say much to Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara, the three of them were intelligent enough to guess some of what was going on.

As for the mammoth involved, it was deeply shocked under the 'earnest teachings' of the general. The group of five traveled eastward without stopping, crossing the border of the Bear Country, passing through the Bird Country, and then entering the Grass Country.

Although it is a small country, it is a relatively prosperous country overall. Located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, the country's economy and trade are naturally excellent. Moreover, due to its fertile land and suitable climate, its agricultural development is also very stable. As long as it is not a time of war, the happiness index of the people of the Land of Grass is not very low. The village of ninja is built in such a country.

Kusagakure Village also benefited from this.

It can obtain considerable support at the national level.

This is also the main reason why the standing army of Kusagakure can always be maintained at around two thousand. The strength of a ninja village depends on its own strength and the strength of its country. Under the dual-track system established by the First Hokage, both of these factors are indispensable.

308. Hidden Grass Village (Third Update)

It can be said that the former Hoshigakure is vastly different from the present Kusagakure. Leaving aside the internal affairs of the village, at least from the outside of the main gate of Kusagakure, Kusagakure can be considered a prosperous ninja village.

Kurotsuchi's face also showed an expression of 'that's how it should be'. You know, when she left the village to go to other ninja villages in other countries, Kurotsuchi felt that it was reasonable for the ninja villages in the ninja world to be smaller than the five great ninja villages like hers, but it shouldn't be too outrageous, right?

The size of Kusagakure was within what Kurotsuchi considered a 'reasonable range'. In Kurotsuchi's opinion, Hoshigakure was truly indescribable; she genuinely felt that such a ninja village had no reason to exist.

Itachi and Deidara, like Shoji, had indifferent expressions, but Mammoth, who was standing beside Shoji, had a very complicated expression. Returning to the ninja village in this way was a great humiliation for Mammoth.

Perhaps it was because he had returned to his own ninja village that Mammoth's courage seemed to have increased a little, and a tiny bit of dangerous thoughts sprouted in his mind. He slightly raised his eyelids, but only when he met Shoji's calm gaze did this Kusagakure Jonin subconsciously tremble all over, and the courage that had finally emerged completely vanished in that moment.

"Let's go!"

Shoji led the way, heading towards the main gate of Kusagakure.

Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi followed behind. After twitching his face twice, Mammoth could only sigh silently and follow Shoji's steps with a completely resigned expression.

Although there was no evidence, the moment Mammoth's eyes met Shoji's, a very dangerous premonition told him deep down that if he dared to carry out his inner intentions, not only would he suffer, but he might even bring annihilation to his own ninja village!

It must be said that Mammoth's intuition at least saved him, because Shoji is indeed powerful enough that if he doesn't care about the consumption of his eye power, he could really wipe out the entire Kusagakure village by himself. Although Shoji wouldn't do that, he could easily kill a group of Kusagakure ninja, including Mammoth, and then leave with Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara.

However, this would make things very complicated. That's why, just now, when Jiang Si sensed that the Kusagakure Jonin next to him had ulterior motives, he deliberately intimidated him with his eyes. Jiang Si believed that this Kusagakure Jonin was a smart person, otherwise, he would have killed him back in Hoshigakure.

A group of people approached step by step.

The Grass Ninja guarding the main gate also noticed Shoji and his group in advance. First, they saw that Shoji and the others were clearly dressed as Iwa Ninja, and then when they saw the dejected Mammoth in the queue, the Grass Ninja looked at each other with a hint of doubt.

As the most frequently seen and highly visible member of Kusagakure, and the only son of their leader, Mammoth is a household name in the village. It's said that everyone knows him. They had heard that their Mammoth had taken on a special A-rank mission and had brought three or four squads with him. Although there were no other Jonin in the squads, there were quite a few Chunin. Now, only Mammoth has returned, accompanied by several Iwa ninja.

This left the grass ninja completely baffled.

At that moment, the grass ninjas, filled with doubt, stepped forward and went straight to Shoji and Mammoth's group.

"Lord Mammoth, what brings you here? And who are these gentlemen?"

The middle-aged man leading the group was clearly the leader in charge of guarding the main gate. Although he was only a Chunin, the chakra fluctuations emanating from him were not weak, and he could be considered one of the best among Chunin.

"Ah? It's Yan. Well, there were some problems with this mission, so I came back early to report to the leader. These are friends from Iwagakure. They've come to visit the leader as well. I'll show them the way. You can send someone to inform the leader in advance. Leave the rest to me!"

As the leader of the Kusagakure Chunin approached, Mammoth had already adjusted his mindset.

Mammoth, who at least appeared to have returned to normal mode, looked at the green-haired middle-aged man in front of him and spoke in a very calm voice.

Although Flame was still full of doubts, Mammoth said that he would take care of everything, and Flame, who knew Mammoth's identity very well, naturally did not say anything more.

"Yes, I understand!"

Even the most basic inquiries were omitted. While ordering his subordinates to contact the leader of Kusagakure through special channels, he also made way for them.

Throughout the entire process, Shoji remained silent and calm. In any case, his only target this time was the leader of Kusagakure. He didn't need to care about anything else.

They proceeded straight ahead, with Mammoth leading the way, and no one would suspect anything about Jiang Si and his group. This was the special thing about Mammoth's identity.

The reason the general spared this guy's life was because of this.

Furthermore, outsiders frequently come and go in a ninja village. Although ninjas from other countries' ninja villages rarely appear, it doesn't mean they don't exist. The people in Kusagakure are not surprised by this.

As Mammoth led Shoji and his group toward the leader's office building in the very center of Kusagakure, Mammoth's father, the current leader of Kusagakure, was stunned the moment he received the news.

Pulu was well aware of what mission his son was going to carry out. He had given special permission for it himself. In his opinion, with the help of an internal spy, the mission of Hoshigakure, a village with less than one-tenth the size of his own ninja village, was a sure thing. Just as Akahoshi was planning to use the Grass Ninja, Pulu and his son Mammoth were also planning to use Akahoshi to annex the entire Hoshigakure!

That's right, that's the real purpose of Kusagakure.

As a ninja village sandwiched between two great powers, Uryu was always thinking about strengthening his own village. The three Shinobi World Wars had brought such heavy damage to these small countries. Uryu was a grass ninja who had personally experienced the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

It also witnessed the scenes of Konoha ninjas and Iwa ninjas fighting and killing each other in their own country.

At that moment, Pulu truly realized that the so-called peace was a joke, and that small countries like theirs were merely objects that could be exploited and manipulated at will by larger powers. To escape this situation, they had to make themselves stronger!

Therefore, since becoming the leader of Kusagakure ten years ago, Uryu has been working diligently to make his village stronger!

It's not just about diligently training the ninjas in our own village; it's also about leveraging all external forces to make our village stronger!

One of the targets is the Star Stone of Hidden Star Village.

309. A straightforward conversation

Originally, it was thought that this plan would not have any problems. Supporting Akahoshi, the puppet leader, to take the throne, and then gradually eroding the entire Hoshigakure village should have been the safest step. However, now there are obviously extremely serious problems. Of the group of four or five small teams, more than twenty people, only his son returned, along with a small team of Iwa ninja.

This forced Pulu to consider the situation from the worst-case scenario.

'Hopefully, this isn't the worst-case scenario!'

The nearly fifty-year-old leader of Kusagakure revealed a cold glint in his eyes before striding toward the reception room.

After all, when Pulu arrived.

Shoji and his group, led by Mammoth and following orders from other Kusagakure ninja, arrived at the reception room ahead of time. It must be said that Kusagakure truly deserves its reputation as one of the most powerful ninja villages under the Five Great Nations. This is most evident in Kusagakure's military strength. As they entered the core office building of Kusagakure, Shoji's sensory abilities allowed him to detect the Kusagakure ninja guarding the surrounding area.

These people are at least ordinary Chunin, and there are several Jonin as well. It can be said that apart from the Five Great Nations, among the remaining ninja villages, only the three villages of Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Amegakure have such a foundation.

This is one of the few ninja villages in the ninja world that can retain a certain degree of autonomy when the five great nations break out in a ninja war. This is not for any other reason than that these three ninja villages have the strength and confidence to do so.

This further strengthened Jiang Si's resolve to execute his goals and plans; even if he failed this time, there would definitely be a next time and the time after that.

A force like Kusagakure must serve the ambitions of Iwagakure.

While maintaining a calm expression, Jiang Si was secretly thinking with a hint of ruthlessness in his heart.

Such a formidable force is already a grave sin to leave idle. If it were to side with other factions, especially Konoha, it would undoubtedly have a significant impact on Iwagakure's future southward expansion strategy.

+2000 and -2000 is a very easy number to calculate!

Having already reached the outside, Pu Lu had no idea that the commander inside had completely set his sights on their Kusagakure village. He briefly inquired about the attire of the Kusagakure leader, who was in charge of guarding the village today and was visiting Iwa ninja. Upon hearing that the group of four were all very young, with three of them likely to be children under ten years old, Pu Lu was slightly taken aback.

So young? Even if he's a genius, he's at most a Chunin, and most likely a Genin. Uru knows his son's personality best. If he brought these Iwa ninjas here in such a special way, then this team must be special!

This made Pulu feel uneasy and raised his guard. Putting aside everything else, the fact that the person who came was a Jonin from Iwagakure was enough to make Pulu act this way. However, Pulu clearly underestimated the identity of the person who came.

Just as the leader of Kusagakure had mentally prepared himself and opened the door to the reception room, entering the inner area...

This attracted everyone's attention.

Mammoth was overjoyed to see his father, and there was also curiosity in Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi. Only Shoji looked at Uryu with a calm expression. Uryu's gaze quickly swept over his 'silly son' and the three of them, including Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi. The gaze that landed on Shoji was first confused, then surprised, and finally shocked, before Shoji could even say a word of greeting.

The leader of Kusagakure had already spoken up, asking, "Could it be Uchiha Shoji, the Jonin of Iwagakure?"

These are words spoken unconsciously.

Jiang Si first showed a hint of surprise, then realized that he was indeed a well-known figure in the ninja world. As a ninja village sandwiched between Iwagakure and Konoha, it was only natural that Kusagakure would know more about other related information.

Thinking of this, Jiang Si quickly stepped forward and came to Pu Lu's side, saying with a faint smile, "I never expected that my humble name would be known to the leader of Kusagakure. It is my honor!"

"Haha, it really is Mr. Jiang Si! I've long admired your name and always looked forward to meeting you. I didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon. Oh, please take a seat!"

Although it was already 99% certain, when Shoji admitted it himself, Puru still couldn't hide the shock in his eyes. He really didn't expect that such a famous person would come to his ninja village. Even if the rumored combat strength was exaggerated, the battle record was real. This was a monster that his ninja village absolutely could not afford to offend!

Not to mention that he is here representing Iwagakure!

Pulu also adjusted his mindset as quickly as possible, trying to show a relaxed and happy expression at this moment.

But this was merely a facade. If the situation allowed, he really wanted to hang his foolish son up and give him a good beating, asking him what kind of mess he was making to attract the wrath of Uchiha Shoji!

At this moment, Pu Lu, the leader of Kusagakure, perfectly exemplified what it means to have a smiling face while cursing inwardly!

This seemingly casual glance that swept across his son's face again made Mammoth, who was very familiar with his father's personality, shudder uncontrollably. He knew all too well the raging anger beneath his father's seemingly calm face, but he was truly powerless to resist. At this moment, Mammoth couldn't help but force out a smile that was more like a grimace.

Seeing his son's expression, Pu Lü immediately understood. He took a deep breath, turned to Jiang Si with a smile, and asked, "I wonder what important matter brings you here from so far away, Mr. Jiang Si? And it's quite a coincidence that you're with my son!"

Pu Lu asked with a hint of probing.

Jiang Si chuckled softly, shifted to a more comfortable position, and then said directly, "This is not a matter of fate. The reason I came to visit your village to see the leader this time was because of Mammoth-kun's introduction. If we hadn't met by chance in Hoshigakure, it might have been several years before I came to visit you, leader!"

This statement caused Pulu's heart to sink slightly, and the expression on his face became somewhat subtle at this moment.

310. An aggressive stance

Pu Lu truly hadn't expected Jiang Si to be so direct and decisive.

Without even the slightest detour, they went straight to the main issue. Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi were all sitting upright and calmly, having neither the right nor the reason to speak in this setting.

Meanwhile, Mammoth, sitting to the side, seemed unfazed. In the past few days of their 'special interactions,' Mammoth had already realized what kind of existence this genius Jonin of the Uchiha clan was. This straightforward approach was typical of Uchiha Shoji's style.

After all, Pulu had been in charge of Kusagakure for ten years and had experienced two Shinobi World Wars, witnessing many great storms in the Shinobi world. After a moment of astonishment, he quickly recovered and looked at the general opposite him, suppressing the smile on his lips. Since the general was not even willing to do the polite 'pretense,' Pulu, as the elder and the head of the village, had no reason to continue to smile.

At that moment, Pu Lu also spoke solemnly: "It seems that Lord Jiang Si has some reservations about our village's actions in Xingyin Village? Did Lord Jiang Si come here to demand an explanation? However, our village's actions do not seem to have harmed the interests of Iwagakure Village, do they? May I ask who Lord Jiang Si is representing?"

This is not considered impolite. Given Pulu's status and position, it is within Pulu's right to use a slightly impolite tone when facing the general, since his age and position are higher than the general's.