Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Keep up with the pace.

They went straight to the Hokage's office building.

Those members of the delegation below were assigned to the lowest positions.

Only Shoji and Ogata were allowed to meet the Third Hokage, which was the standard meeting procedure in various countries. The two of them were naturally familiar with it. They stepped up the high-rise building and went straight to a brand-new office. The reason it was brand-new was because a year and a half ago, Shoji's uncontrollable anger led to the Susanoo that erupted in his impulsiveness, which almost destroyed half of the Hokage's office building.

Even the Hokage's private office was rebuilt later.

This is Shoji's return to this place after a year and a half, and this time as a Jonin from Iwagakure. It has to be said that fate is unpredictable; this is a path that Shoji never imagined when he first came to this world.

can only say.

'You're the one who caused all of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi!'

The door was pushed open.

The steps taken in stride.

As the aged face of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated in the front seat came into view, a faint glimmer of light appeared in Tsukasa's peaceful eyes, and a sentence involuntarily surfaced in the depths of his mind.

"Iwagakure Jonin, Uchiha Shoji, pays his respects to His Hokage!"

His figure stepped forward.

At least some superficial courtesy is necessary.

At the same time, Shoji and Ogata bowed slightly to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was in the head seat, and greeted him. This was the unspoken rule among the five great nations, even if they were fighting to the death on the battlefield, and even if the two countries were filled with hatred!

However, in normal situations, when facing the Kage of the Five Nations, the ninjas of each nation must still maintain standard etiquette.

This is a way to safeguard the interests of the five major powers.

It was also a blatant declaration to the entire ninja world that only the leaders of the five great nations were qualified to be called Kage!

"Mr. Shoji and Mr. Ogata have come all this way on behalf of Lord Tsuchikage. It must have been hard for you two. Please, have a seat."

An old fox is an old fox.

While Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly had some fatal flaws, in these aspects, he truly lived up to his reputation as one of the longest-reigning Kage, demonstrating impeccable control over his attitude and words.

There was absolutely no indication that there had been any deep-seated hatred between them, the higher-ups, and the Uchiha clan.

'It's really easy to fake it in this aspect!'

Shoji sneered inwardly, but outwardly he still observed the proper etiquette, offered a brief thank you, and then sat down on the guest sofa. Ogata glanced at the Third Hokage again. To be honest, putting aside all objective factors and past facts, based solely on his first subjective impression, Ogata really thought that this Third Hokage was quite kind and benevolent.

He seems to be a leader with a mild personality.

Yet, it was precisely this 'Kage' who forced the largest and most powerful ninja clan in his own village to secede from the village.

This is a historic act!

Before the Uchiha clan left Konoha, rogue ninjas were common in the ninja world, but there had never been such a large-scale defection.

"So, this is what they mean by 'don't judge a book by its cover'? Well, it makes sense. This Third Hokage, who lived in the same era as our Tsuchikage and ruled Konoha for over thirty years, must have been putting on a facade!"

While silently contemplating the situation, Ogata maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. He would remain silent for the rest of the journey, as he entrusted all the decision-making power to Shoji. Ogata trusted that Shoji knew exactly what to do and when to make the right judgment, as his Tsuchikage had given him instructions before the departure.

All I need to do is fill in the gaps and make up for any deficiencies.

A simple greeting.

Then they got straight to the point. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to be a little more subtle and make some roundabout attempts, Shoji obviously wouldn't be so long-winded.

He got straight to the point: "Your Hokage should already understand the purpose of our trip, right? After all, traveling back and forth with documents is too inconvenient, so we have come on the orders of the Tsuchikage to inquire about your village's attitude towards the fact that your organized ninjas have penetrated deep into our territory and even clashed with our village's ninjas, causing bloodshed. How exactly does Your Hokage intend to handle this situation?"

Jiang Si said calmly.

Upon hearing these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi dropped his formulaic smile and looked at Shoji with a slightly cold expression, but he did not say anything.

"Handle it? I think there's probably some misunderstanding on your part. As far as we know, our Konoha ninjas have no missions that require them to enter the Land of Earth recently, let alone venture deep into the outskirts of your village. Has your village made a mistake in its judgment?"

Instead, it was a man standing to the side, dressed in the standard vest of a Konoha Jonin and with two obvious scars on his face, who spoke up at this moment.

This figure was the only person allowed to enter the Hokage's office at this moment, besides Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado. He was none other than Shikaku Nara, the head of the Nara clan whom the Third Hokage trusted most.

The reason why Nara Shikaku appeared in this situation was because Hiruzen Sarutobi deliberately summoned him after learning that the leader of Iwagakure was Uchiha Shoji.

This is a person whose abilities in every aspect are worthy of expectation and trust. Most importantly, he has an indelible hatred with Uchiha Shoji. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans were originally one, and Akimichi Torifu is the most respected elder among the three clans.

During the Uchiha clan's breakout battle, they sacrificed their lives to cover Shikaku and the others' safe escape from the 'World-Destroying Thunder' area. This kindness and hatred are etched in the hearts of Choza, Inoichi, and Shikaku.

Even though this is a common development and outcome in the ninja world, it still comes down to the fact that as long as one is human, one cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires. Nara Shikaku is undoubtedly a very rational and intelligent person. He will not gamble the future of his three clans for revenge, but he will also examine the relationship between his three clans and the Uchiha more deeply.

The most direct point is that the three clans must stand on the side of the current Konoha leadership, namely the Third Hokage, because it is very obvious that the Uchiha clan joined Iwagakure after that.

The overwhelming power would leave Konoha, already locked in a fierce battle with the Cloud Ninja, struggling to breathe. If Konoha were to decline and be completely suppressed by the Iwagakure, it would inevitably face the revenge and reckoning of the Uchiha clan. At that time, all three clans would face the crisis of being weakened or even destroyed.

Many ninja clans in the ninja world have perished step by step in this way!

Therefore, even for the sake of the future of their three major ninja clans, Nara Shikaku's judgment was that he had to firmly stand on the side of the current Konoha leadership, which was also the inevitable choice of the vast majority of ninja clans in Konoha.

Meeting the steady gaze of this person, who was considered outstanding even among the successive heads of the Nara clan.

Jiang Si chuckled lightly: "Misunderstanding? A high-ranking spy, two squads of Root elites, and even a Jonin from the Aburame clan among them, tsk tsk, I have no idea what kind of misunderstanding could lead to this situation. I've long heard that Shikaku-san is one of the most cunning strategists in the Nara clan, so why would he utter such low-level lies? Heh, there are no outsiders here, so Shikaku-san doesn't need to try to fob me off like this. Our Uchiha clan has only been away from Konoha for a year and a half; surely you can't mistake the identities of your former comrades?"

You want to practice Tai Chi?

Want to use a flanking maneuver?

Sorry, Jiang Si has absolutely no interest in that. As for so-called diplomatic negotiation skills, Jiang Si says he doesn't understand them at all. Getting straight to the point is his approach!

Moreover, one of the biggest goals of this trip to Konoha was to see how far Konoha would endure under the extreme pressure and provocation of their own ninja village, and what decision they would ultimately make.

Based on this, Jiang Si will naturally be aggressive in his words and will not make any concessions.

When Shikaku heard Shoji's words, his brows furrowed slightly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado's expressions darkened. Such intense words were rare in the diplomatic history of the five great powers. Who would start negotiations on the verge of breaking off relations right away? Isn't it always a step-by-step process of probing and gradual progress?

The negotiation tactics employed by the General were almost entirely uncompromising, aiming to reach a conclusion right here and now, either satisfying me or refusing to discuss the matter further, concluding that the two countries would go to war!

Even with his excellent composure, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned slightly cold at this moment.

The more Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that the evil Uchiha boy's attitude in front of him was all an act, designed to deceive him. At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen also felt the same hatred for the Third Tsuchikage who had accepted the Uchiha clan!

Generally speaking, it is a provocative act for one ninja village to accept a rogue ninja from another village, let alone the act of Iwagakure accepting thousands of members of the Uchiha clan.

To put it bluntly, it would have been perfectly reasonable for the two countries to go to war back then!

"So? This is the Tsuchikage's intention? Are you planning to hold Konoha accountable?"

Just as Shikaku was about to say something to refute Shoji,

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up beforehand.

As those words fell, Hiruzen Sarutobi exuded an extremely chilling aura. This aura, unique to Kage, caused Ogata, who was sitting next to Shoji, to slightly change his expression upon sensing it.

Shoji chuckled nonchalantly, his deliberately slightly forward-leaning figure directly blocking the oppressive aura emanating from Hiruzen Sarutobi. He still spoke with a leisurely air, "Accountability? No, we, the Hidden Stone Village, are merely here as the invaded party to demand justice. Does the mighty Hidden Leaf Village really have to resort to such shameless tactics, Hokage?"

As he spoke, Jiang Si's tone grew increasingly cold, and the previously faint aura emanating from him became as solid as a tangible substance.

They collided within this space.

A chilling aura spread outwards.

At this moment, both Mitokado Homura and Nara Shikaku became increasingly tense.

You can never truly appreciate the power of a level you don't reach. If Jonin are the pinnacle of the ninja world, then Kage are almost like gods. While they are not invincible, even the weakest Kage would need three or four thousand members to achieve victory simply by sheer numbers!

This is all based on the premise that the Shadow is willing to fight to the death.

Therefore, for ordinary people, the existence of a shadow is a symbol of invincibility.

In other words, Mitokado Homura, Nara Shikaku, and Ogata were all survivors of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. If it were any weaker, younger generation ninja who had not experienced a real battle, they would all be intimidated by this aura without even having to actually fight.

The emotion called fear will completely take over their hearts and spread throughout their bodies. Those with a slightly smaller capacity for compassion and mentality may even choose suicide.

"justice!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to let out a cold laugh.

The sharp gaze fell on Jiang Si.

Shoji was not afraid at all, and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a slightly cold expression, as if he could make a move at any moment.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

"I understand what your Iwagakure means, but these things are never just talk, are they? If your village wants to make these claims, then you must provide corresponding evidence, and you also need to give Konoha some time to investigate. I think you can't deny this common sense, can you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi also changed the subject, as if he really wanted to have a serious discussion about the relevant issues.

"Of course, as Your Hokage said, this is our duty. We have brought everything that should be provided, nothing is missing. As for the issue of the time required for verification, well, we can stay in Konoha for another two or three days. I hope we can get a satisfactory answer this time! Is that alright, Your Hokage?"

Jiang Si's face seemed to be all smiles, but in reality, there was a hint of mockery and provocation hidden in his pupils.

This caused Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression to darken slightly for a moment.

But in the next second.

The nearly sixty-year-old Third Hokage, instead of being angry, laughed and replied, "Of course!"

The chilling intent conveyed in those words was so clear and so intense at that moment!

"Then I am relieved. It's getting late, so please excuse us!"

As if he had heard a very satisfactory answer, Jiang Si stood up straight, acting as if he were the master of the house.

In the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Shikaku Nara, he was as despicable as could be!

334. Investigation, ridicule, and arrangement

This was a completely controlled negotiation rhythm.

Although it lacked any skill and even appeared quite barbaric and crude, disregarding all rules, it must be admitted that this pace made Konoha very uncomfortable, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to wonder if Iwagakure was taking advantage of Konoha's preoccupation with fighting the Cloud Ninja and their inability to spare any strength to fight them, intending to seize this opportunity to launch an attack.

Is this so-called mission merely a pretext to start a war?

The reason for choosing Uchiha Shoji as the team leader is similar.

Upon considering this possibility, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado's expressions became extremely solemn. Nara Shikaku, who was not yet as mature as in the original work, also looked at Shoji with a hint of surprise and doubt.

If Iwagakure intended to start a war from the beginning, then Konoha would really have to make huge compromises to avoid the war. But there is also a very serious question: if it is confirmed that Iwagakure is going to start a war, what are their intentions?

To be more precise, what does Iwagakure want to achieve?