Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

324. Coercion and Enticement

P.S.: If you see any typos or other errors, please point them out directly, and I will definitely correct them. It's best to publish the chapter within three days of its release, because after three days, the author no longer has the authority to modify VIP chapters and must obtain permission from the editor.

Looking at the black-haired boy in front of me with a faint smile.

Nono was filled with bitterness.

She truly hadn't expected that there would be such a famous person among her pursuers. As the highest-ranking spy specially arranged by Danzo to enter Iwagakure, Nono knew all too well the weight that the name Uchiha Shoji represented. Leaving aside his past achievements, just the faint aura emanating from the young man standing in front at this moment was enough.

That alone was enough to make Nono tremble. Even though Nono was not very strong, having spent many years infiltrating the darkness, she was still more sensitive to this kind of aura than many ordinary ninjas. Her identities as a Root member and a spy made her very familiar with this special aura on Shoji.

It is precisely because of this that we can fully understand the strength of Uchiha Shoji.

At this moment, Nono's heart was filled with despair. She knew very well that she had no chance of survival or escape in front of Shoji. Even an ordinary Jonin was enough to put Nono in a difficult situation, let alone someone of Shoji's level!

To put it bluntly, Nono would rather face dozens of Iwa ninja pursuing her than face Shoji. The former still offers a sliver of hope, at least Nono would try to fight back, but the latter offers absolutely no hope.

It was at this very moment.

'Sigh... Is this the end? Kabuto, Ursy, and everyone else, I'm sorry, I have to break my promise...'

Instead, a resolute look appeared on Nono's face, completely different from what she had in mind. Her palms clenched tighter and tighter, and a resolute look appeared in her eyes. Even though she knew very well that she was facing a situation where she would die, she was still determined to fight to the death. This was not for herself, but for the children in the orphanage!

"Hehe, there's no need to be so nervous, Nonou-san. Now that you've recognized me, you should be well aware of the vast difference in our strength. Any resistance is pointless. Besides, I have no ill intentions, or to be more precise, neither does our Iwagakure village. All we need you to do is make a choice and cooperate with our village!"

Shoji wasn't surprised that Nono recognized him and was on high alert. To put it bluntly, in the ninja world today, unless you're a complete novice with absolutely no intelligence gathering ability, everyone knows him.

Not to mention intelligence agents like Nono.

Gathering intelligence on people like Shoji is one of their main tasks, and Nono is very familiar with Shoji's words. These are common phrases used by various ninja villages when dealing with spies from other ninja villages. Of course, some spies are simply captured and their information is thoroughly searched, but that is almost always the treatment given to low-level spies.

Even setting aside the intelligence in their minds, slightly more sophisticated spies are of immense value in themselves. Turning these spies against their own ninja village can bring even greater benefits. On this point, Nono understands perfectly well. She is not one of those naive young girls. Having been in the ninja world for twenty years and having even been a member of Root, Nono is not someone who can be swayed by Shoji's words!

Even setting aside her own sense of belonging to Konoha, the children in the orphanage alone were enough to make Nonoyu completely unmoved by these words.

Although she was very concerned about why Iwagakure was able to track her down so quickly, and even find out her real name, at this moment, Nono had no intention of doing anything more. This was her final battlefield, and dying at the hands of a strongman like Uchiha Shoji would be a 'good ending'!

Nonou still maintained a cold, silent expression.

Shoji patted his head in exasperation, then shook his head and looked at Nonou across from him, saying, "You're really stubborn, Nonou. Even if you don't think about yourself, at least think about Kabuto and the little ones in the orphanage, right? Do you really think Shimura Danzo is a trustworthy person? It's pointless for you to die here!"

This time, however, his words did not leave no room for ripples.

It's one thing for my name to be discovered, but how did the other side obtain this further intelligence?

Finally, his expression changed slightly, and a hint of surprise and doubt appeared in his pale green pupils, clearly indicating that his mindset was beginning to waver.

"Heh, don't think I'm bluffing, Nono-san, and don't think I'm threatening you. The Uchiha clan wouldn't do such despicable things. I just want to tell you that Shimura Danzo is a completely untrustworthy scumbag. I believe that when you sensed something was wrong, you must have sent a message back to Konoha, asking Shimura Danzo to send someone to pick you up, right? Based on my understanding of Shimura Danzo, that guy will indeed send someone to pick you up, but definitely not to protect you and bring you back to Konoha, but to kill you and silence you!"

"You yourself come from the Roots, so don't tell me you've never considered this possibility!"

These words, like a sharp blade piercing her heart, made Nono tremble slightly. She knew very well that Shoji wasn't trying to scare her, but that these were things that Danzo Shimura could actually do. Otherwise, Nono wouldn't have considered obtaining Uzumaki Reina's cells from the hospital to increase her value before leaving Iwagakure, and wouldn't have tried to contact the Third Hokage to reduce the chances of being eliminated.

It was because Nonou foresaw that such a possibility that she did these things.

She couldn't deny what Shoji said, but at the same time, she would never change her stance because of such words. If her death could really bring peace to the orphanage and safety to the child Yakushi Kabuto, Nono would have been prepared to die long ago!

However, this awareness is also based on the premise that the children in those orphanages, including Yakushi Kabuto, must grow up safely and healthily.

Jiang Si saw through this, and that's what he said next.

"And do you really think someone like Danzo would let that orphanage run so smoothly and normally? If you die here meaninglessly today, Danzo could very well take over the entire orphanage tomorrow and groom the children as his future members for Root. Kabuto Yakushi is a good example. And to put it even more drastically, there might be Kabuto Yakushi among the people Danzo sent to meet you this time. What if you were asked to kill Kabuto Yakushi, or Kabuto Yakushi killed you? Nonou, do you think that scenario would be very much in line with Danzo's personality?"

This truly caused Nono's expression to change drastically on the opposite side.

Those eyes widened unconsciously, and those hands trembled noticeably.

"What are you talking about?! What do you know?!"

Unable to remain calm and silent any longer, Nono suddenly exuded a dangerous aura, shouting sharply at Shoji opposite her.

"I know some things? I know a lot, Nonou-san. Never underestimate the name Uchiha. The establishment of Konoha owes half of its success to our Uchiha clan. We made many efforts to resolve the crises facing the Uchiha clan. As for Shimura Danzo and his Root group, the things we need to know far exceed what others can imagine."

"And if I'm not mistaken, you're definitely wary of Danzo, and your backup plan must be relying on the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi, right? Nono, as an intelligence agent, others may not know, but don't you know what happened between our Uchiha clan and Konoha?!"

"To place such expectations on such a shadow? Don't you find it ridiculous? When you die, the children in the orphanage will become the darkest part of Danzo's forces, just like Kabuto Yakushi. Is this the future you want to see?"

With a hint of sarcasm, Jiang Si spoke in an extremely low voice.

have to say.

Shoji's words truly touched the softest part of Nono's heart. She could not care about her own life or death, but she could never ignore Kabuto Yakushi and the future of the children in the orphanage. The thought that after her death, those children might become Danzo's henchmen, one by one, mingling in the darkness like herself, and then one day they would all die one after another.

Nono felt a chill run down her spine.

In particular, when Shoji mentioned that there might be a Yakushi Kabuto in the support team who was arranged by Danzo to kill him, or that he himself might kill Yakushi Kabuto, a feeling of panic welled up deep in Nono's heart.

Previously, she hadn't thought of it, but now that Shoji had pointed it out, Nonou, thinking about Danzo's personality, suddenly realized that it wasn't impossible.

A dilemma!

This is the best word to describe Nono's current situation.

She was confused and unsure how to handle these situations.

"So, join us, Nonou. Only Iwagakure has the ability to protect you, and there's even a chance you can protect the children in your orphanage. I won't lie to you here and promise to protect every child in the orphanage with absolute certainty—that's impossible, and you certainly wouldn't believe it. But I can promise that if you do your best to assist Iwagakure, I can ask the Tsuchikage to allow our village's spies in Konoha to observe the situation at the orphanage. If possible, we will bring those children out."

"Even if Danzo recruits all the children from the orphanage into Root in the future, we will do our best to help you save those children. Of course, the premise is that the benefits you bring to our village are enough to offset this cost. Moreover, we will definitely give you the opportunity to take revenge on Danzo in the future. How about that? These conditions are already quite good, aren't they?"

This was a condition that was hard to refuse, and Nono knew that this was the highest level of sincerity that the strongest member of the Uchiha clan on the other side could offer!

The extreme struggle and hesitation that appeared on her delicate face at this moment.

"Furthermore, you don't need to rush into a decision. I think it will make it easier for you to make a choice if you meet with the person Danzo sent to meet you, right? Nonou-san!"

It seems like it's still a little short of being perfect.

Shoji then added fuel to the fire, making the flames burn even more fiercely. At this moment, Nono suddenly looked up at Shoji opposite her and said, "Are you sure my child, Kabuto, is also in this support unit?"

These words sounded very firm, but were clearly trembling slightly.

"Hehe, I'm not entirely sure about that. While our village can deduce with a high probability that Danzo will send out reinforcements, we certainly can't get information on the specific personnel and routes. But just because we can't do it doesn't mean you can't. You also want to thoroughly expose Danzo's true colors, don't you? At least in my opinion, that shady guy is very likely to do so!"

If everything unfolds as he predicted, he will at least temporarily subdue Nono and Kabuto here. To put it bluntly, that would be enough and would meet his expectations. However, if his arrival causes a significant change in the plot, and Kabuto is not among the reinforcements Danzo sent this time, and Nono ultimately decides not to cooperate, then Shoji will have no choice but to regretfully abandon his plan.

However, we still need to capture Yakushi Nonou!

And they absolutely must stay alive!

With his strength, at this distance, he could completely stop Nono from committing suicide, or even easily capture her alive.

This is Jiang Si's confidence.

A living Nono is definitely more valuable than a dead Nono!

Nono was clearly in a state of confusion. Logically speaking, as an intelligence agent, especially one from the Root, her willpower should be unmatched by ordinary people. However, Shoji directly hit Nono's weakest point: the children in the orphanage, including Kabuto Yakushi, were Nono's biggest Achilles' heel!

She could disregard everything else, but she couldn't help but care about these children. The reason she agreed to Danzo's request to return to her role as an intelligence agent was for the sake of her children. But she never imagined that her efforts might all be in vain!

Therefore, she was no longer able to think about these issues calmly. At this point, a normal person would be completely led by Shoji step by step, but Nono was Nono after all. Her years of experience in espionage allowed her to barely calm down and quickly go through the pros and cons of what Shoji had said in her mind.

Especially considering that Yakushi Kabuto is involved.

"Alright! I can agree to that for now!"

Nono raised her head again, looked at Shoji in the opposite seat, nodded heavily, and said something that made Shoji's face show a slight joy.

Nono didn't care about the lives of the other backup personnel sent by Danzo; she only cared about the children. So she wanted to see for herself whether Shimura Danzo was really as ruthless as Shoji had said!

If so.

Then there's no need to hesitate.

In order to save those children, Nono is willing to cooperate with Shoji and Iwagakure!

If not, Nono would naturally still choose to die a heroic death. As an intelligence agent, her methods were beyond Shoji's expectations.

Shoji was confident that he could capture Nono alive, but little did he know that if Nono wanted to commit suicide, it would be very difficult for Shoji to stop her.

But that's a story for another time.

Now we need to determine whether the people sent to meet her really intended to kill her, and more importantly, whether her child—Yakushi Kabuto—is really among these people.

This is the most crucial point!

Seeing that Nono's attitude had changed significantly, Shoji's lips curled into a beautiful smile. Often, the power struggle between people is so direct and simple that there is no need to make it so complicated.

Moreover, this incident is still a risk-free business for Jiang Si. He won't lose much if he fails, but he can make a lot of money if he succeeds. This is why Jiang Si can remain so calm.

To put it bluntly, Shoji didn't expect that Nono would have some fatal contingency plans that could completely shatter his idea of ​​capturing her alive when necessary later. But even if that happened, Shoji would only feel regret at most.

As always, Si can clearly distinguish between what is primary and what is secondary!

"In that case, please cooperate fully, Nono-san. After all, without you, it would be very difficult for our Iwagakure to locate those people who have entered the country!"

Jiang Si smiled slightly and said.

The support force will almost certainly be a small, elite invasion force, with a maximum of ten or twenty people. For such a small force to pinpoint the location of Iwagakure is harder than climbing to heaven.

It's not that it's completely impossible, but the effort, time, and risks involved are completely disproportionate. However, it's different if there's an inside man. He can easily pinpoint the location, and with the general's personal strength, unless there's a bug like Matt Kai in these rescue teams, every few who come will die!

Even elite Jonin like Kakashi, despite having awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, only realized that one of his eyes had reached the Mangekyou Sharingan in the original story's "Shippuden" timeline. He didn't realize this for the first ten years or so. Otherwise, Kakashi would indeed be qualified to go toe-to-toe with the current Shoji.

Therefore, Shoji didn't need to care at all who Danzo would send to meet (kill) Nono. This was Shoji's confidence, and Nono had no doubt about it either. Now that she had made up her mind, she naturally wouldn't hesitate at all.

"I understand, I'll contact them right away!"

After taking a deep breath, Nono responded.

Jiang Si smiled slightly in response.

Immediately afterwards.

Shoji and Nonou walked in sync, speeding towards the other side. It was only a preliminary agreement, and Shoji didn't expect Nonou to believe him immediately. However, Shoji was quite certain that as long as nothing unexpected happened, everything would fall into place smoothly. As for Nonou, she hoped that everything Shoji said was false, but she also hoped to see her child, Yakushi Kabuto, and to let the children in the orphanage truly live a carefree life.

With her mind in constant flux and contradictions, Nono can only take things one step at a time now, at least she's prepared for the worst!

at the same time.

It was also after Shoji and Nono reached a preliminary agreement and decided to take the initiative to meet the support troops sent by Danzo.

Ogata, who had been hanging in the back, received accurate information from Shoji shortly afterward.

Upon seeing the information on the letter.

"it is good!"

This veteran Iwagakure ninja also showed great joy.