Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

It was clear that the woman opposite him, Ryoma Aburame, would not say anything on her own initiative, so Shoji naturally didn't bother to argue with her.

A figure striding forward.

Sharingan!

Facing the utterly defenseless Aburame Ryoma.

Shoji easily controlled Aburame Ryoma using his Sharingan.

"call out!"

"boom!"

Then he pulled a signal flare straight out of his pocket.

It was launched towards the sky.

As a dazzling light burst forth high in the sky, Ogigata and the other Iwa ninjas, who were quite a distance away from Shoji's location, were present.

"on!"

They immediately surrounded the central position. Under the guidance of the chief, the three remaining Root members were captured or killed by the Iwa ninja. Whether they lived or died, the Iwa ninja had a way to extract the information that Iwagakure wanted from the brains of these Root members!

Aburame Ryoma's sole purpose was because, as a member of the insect-controlling clan, if he died, the parasites within his body would also die, greatly reducing his research value. Although it was still a decent gift, since he was going to give it away anyway, he wanted to make it as perfect as possible. This was why Shoji went to such great lengths.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

During the short time that Jiang Si stayed in the same spot, the remaining members of the Root were also dealt with one by one.

Then.

Ogata also arrived at the location of Shoji with several Iwa ninja.

"Jiangji-kun!"

Upon seeing Shoji, the interrogation chief of Iwagakure also showed a look of joy. He had originally thought that this spy investigation was going to fail completely and that he would have no face to face the Tsuchikage. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. Not only was the whereabouts of the wandering priestess firmly grasped, but now he could also obtain a group of elite members of the Root organization from Konohagakure!

These are all real achievements!

The biggest contributor to this result is naturally Shoji. Ogata, who had already taken a liking to Shoji, is now even more satisfied. He is indeed an outstanding young man!

No wonder our Tsuchikage values ​​it so much!

Most importantly, it's not just about their methods and strength; their magnanimity and mindset are equally outstanding!

At that moment, Ogata couldn't help but think deep down that the future Shoji might very well become the leader of his village.

Although it was only for a moment, it was enough to illustrate the point.

This is exactly the development that Onoki wanted to see: to gradually let Shoji's heroic image penetrate deep into the hearts of everyone in the village. This would be beneficial for Onoki to arrange for Shoji to take over. After all, although the Kage has great power, he cannot really be a dictator and act arbitrarily, especially on issues such as the selection of a successor.

When the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was covering the rear, he named Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage. This may seem like a unilateral decision by Tobirama Senju, but in essence, it depends on two things: one is that Hiruzen Sarutobi has the corresponding strength, and the other is that Hiruzen Sarutobi has the corresponding prestige, that is, he has the support of others!

Why not Danzo?

He always thought that he was a step too slow in making that choice, which caused him to miss out on the position of Hokage.

But in reality, this is only one of the reasons, and it is not the main reason at all. Ultimately, it is because Danzo's personal strength is not as good as Hiruzen Sarutobi's, and his popularity and prestige in the village are not as good as Hiruzen Sarutobi's. These two are the fundamental reasons!

However, Danzo himself had entered a dead end, or even if he had figured it out, he was still constantly hypnotizing himself.

This is Danzo's most foolish and tragic act.

If Onoki wanted to train Shoji to become the Tsuchikage, he naturally needed the approval of the entire village, or at least most of them.

There's a saying that goes, "You don't get the recognition of others just by sitting in this position; you only have the right to sit in it if you get the recognition of others!"

"Hehe, Ogata-san, thank you for your hard work in guarding the perimeter. This is the commander of this Root operation. He is one of Shimura Danzo's trusted subordinates and a Jonin of the Aburame clan. He is of great value and significance to our village, so I deliberately kept a backup plan."

Smart people don't need to explain themselves.

It can be made clear in just a sentence or two.

328. Next Steps

Ogata understood the meaning behind Shoji's words in an instant.

Oil-loving women.

This is a ninja clan that is second only to the Uchiha and Hyuga in the ninja world. It is a famous insect-controlling clan. For a long time, it was a powerful ninja clan that existed on par with the Kamisumi clan in its own village. As soon as Shoji pointed it out, Ogata immediately understood. It was at that moment that Ogata began to appreciate Shoji even more.

As a near-high-ranking member of the village, Ogata was well aware of the attitude of the village's ninja clans, led by the Kamisumiryu clan, towards the Uchiha clan before and after their arrival. While not exactly hostile, it was certainly not friendly. This underlying hostility was something that anyone with a certain status in Iwagakure could clearly sense.

Although the Uchiha clan gradually gained a foothold in the village, especially after Shoji brought a lot of benefits to the village and defeated the Fourth Kazekage in a direct battle a year ago, capturing the most important fortress in the south for Iwagakure and expanding its territory, the hostility of the Kamisumi clan and other ninja clans gradually subsided.

But this does not mean that everything that happened before did not exist.

Logically speaking, it would be perfectly reasonable for the Uchiha clan, led by Shoji, to suppress the Kamisumi clan and other ninja clans when they were in a difficult situation. However, not only did they not do so, they also took the initiative to offer a "gift," which shows a magnanimity that is worthy of praise!

Ogata certainly didn't think that this was Shoji or the Uchiha clan trying to curry favor with the Mizuryu clan. It might be considered flattery if the weak were to show goodwill to the strong, but it was a sign of good manners if the strong took the initiative to show goodwill to the weak!

At least that's how it appears from the tail shape.

"Yes, I understand. Don't worry, Mr. Jiang Si!"

Ogata smiled and nodded in response.

"Yes, of course I trust Mr. Ogata. So, I'll leave the people here to you, Mr. Ogata!"

Shoji said with a smile.

"Ok!"

After nodding, Ogata ordered his Iwa ninja subordinates to physically restrain and take away Ryoma Aburame, who was already completely under control.

"So!"

Until he left, Ogata tacitly avoided mentioning Nonou, clearly understanding his responsibilities.

Not to mention that Ogata already trusted Shoji very much, just the fact that Onoki's initial orders were based on Shoji's wishes meant that Ogata would never interfere with anything else.

Watching the Ogata and the other Iwa ninjas disappear into the distance.

Jiang Si stretched and looked to the other side.

"Well, with so much time, we should be done talking by now. Although the chances are very, very low, I hope you two won't let me down, Nono-san and Kabuto-kun?"

Jiang Si placed his hands behind his head and slowly walked back to the spot he had left earlier. However, a chilling aura emanated from his seemingly light steps. Although Jiang Si highly valued Yakushi Kabuto's potential!

In particular, they want to leverage its scientific research capabilities.

The fact that even a research fanatic like Orochimaru relies heavily on Kabuto Yakushi proves this point, but that doesn't mean that Shoji would necessarily indulge Kabuto. If he really couldn't get him, then Shoji would completely destroy him!

In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi actually became a villain with considerable influence towards the end, which is enough to show his threat level. If he can't be used for his own sake or for the Hidden Stone Village, then such a person needs to be eliminated as soon as possible!

This is the most beneficial and correct approach.

A figure taking light, quick steps forward.

Just as Shoji himself had predicted, Nono and Kabuto did not make any irrational judgments. The aura that could be clearly sensed was also the moment Shoji reappeared, and Nono and Kabuto's gazes shifted to Shoji.

Looking at the calm expression on Nonou's face, and Kabuto's still slightly wary expression sitting next to her, Shoji slowly asked, "So? Nonou-san, have you made up your mind?"

"Yes, Mr. Shi, I agree to your proposal to join Iwagakure. I am willing to provide the village with all the information I know. However, I also hope that the village can grant me two small requests. One is about my and Kabuto's identities. I hope that your village can declare us dead. The other is about my children in Konoha. I hope the village can provide some assistance to help me ascertain their current situation. If possible, I hope to rescue them as much as possible!"

Nono looked at Shoji with a very serious tone and said.

This is the only option.

Long before she saw Danzo's true colors, and even when she was further certain that Kabuto had come to kill her on orders, Nono had already made up her mind. She had no other choice. With both she and Kabuto choosing to join Iwagakure, the children in the orphanages left in Konoha were Nono's last concern!

Back then, it was because of these concerns that she resolutely agreed to Danzo's conditions and returned to Root. Now, she can also choose to abandon Konoha for these children. In the depths of Nonou's heart, the order is: children in the orphanage > Konoha > herself!

She was willing to sacrifice her life for the village, which was proof of her love for Konoha. However, she valued the children she had adopted and raised herself. In terms of closeness, Nono truly regarded the children from the orphanage, such as Kabuto and Urshi, as her own children!

Such psychological prioritization and selection is also the approach that best aligns with human emotions.

Moreover, it wasn't that Nono wanted to betray Konoha on her own initiative, but rather that Konoha deceived her and even prioritized abandoning her. In any case, Shimura Danzo was one of the high-ranking officials of Konoha, so it was perfectly reasonable for Nono to hold the entire village accountable for this!

Kabuto, Urcy, and other children are Nono's true Achilles' heel.

This is also the biggest reason why Nono was willing to join Iwagakure and serve after she saw the current situation clearly.

Of course, Nono was well aware of the risks of making this choice. Not to mention that the children in the orphanage might not be able to be saved, even she and Kabuto might become objects that the other side would use once and then abandon. But as I said before, Nono had no other choice. Whether she chose to join another ninja village or return to Konoha and choose to believe in the Third Hokage, both were even more unreliable choices!

Since both are extremely high-risk gambles.

Why not gamble on an option that has at least some degree of reliability?

At least from Nono's perspective, Shoji and the Iwagakure behind him are quite trustworthy, not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of magnanimity and character!

"Hehe, please rest assured about that, Nonou-san. I have never broken my promises. Of course, I must also make this clear upfront: the village and I will do everything in our power to help you save those children. However, this is not a goal that can be achieved with 100% certainty, because it involves not just one or two people, but a dozen or more. There are risks involved, and the final outcome is uncertain. Nonou-san, I think you should be mentally prepared for that, right?"

Willing to do it and definitely will do it are two different concepts.

Some things need to be made clear first.

However, Shoji believed that Nono would understand what he meant. When Nono and Kabuto heard Shoji's words, their expressions changed slightly. But they were both rational people. They knew very well that there was no deception in what Shoji said. In fact, the more he expressed himself, the more it proved his sincerity.

After taking a deep breath, Nono slowly nodded and said, "Yes, I understand, Shoji-kun!"

To be able to infiltrate another country as a high-level spy for years without being discovered requires immense perseverance and endurance. The determination of Nono and Kabuto is beyond the reach of ordinary people, and it is precisely because of this that they can be more resilient and tenacious than ordinary people!

“Very good. Now that you understand this, we have a basis for conversation. On behalf of the Uchiha clan, I assure you that as long as there is even the slightest possibility, we will fulfill your request. After returning this time, I will personally request permission from Lord Tsuchikage to travel south to Konoha Village in the coming days to ascertain the situation!”

Shoji nodded in satisfaction and then uttered words that shocked and delighted both Kabuto and Nono.

"Heading south to Konoha? Shoji-kun, what brings you here?"

Nonou looked puzzled. Could she really be that valuable? That enough to make this Uchiha clan genius, renowned throughout the ninja world, take such a risky step?

"Hehe, this is both a promise to you and part of our village's next operation. After all, Konoha has already extended its reach so far, how can we not hold them accountable?"

A faint, cold glint appeared between Jiang Si's brows.

Nonou also immediately showed a look of realization.

Even so.

At this moment, Nono was truly grateful to Shoji. She knew very well that he had already shown enough sincerity, and now it was up to her to take action.

"Then I'll trouble you. Mr. Shi, I will definitely inform you of all the information I know about the village!"

Nono nodded and said.