Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Because the Sand Village can no longer afford another crushing defeat. If it were to repeat last year's experience, or even worse, the Sand Village would truly be removed from the list of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

347. The Approaching Pace of War

The same applies to Sunagakure Village, which is also undergoing intensive preparations.

This at least showed the composure that the Five Great Ninja Villages should have. However, in contrast, Kirigakure, the last of the Five Great Ninja Villages across the sea, remained completely unmoved by the turmoil in the ninja world.

Unlike last year's Rock Sand War, when some members of Kirigakure still expressed their opinions openly or covertly, Kirigakure is now in its darkest and most chaotic period. Indeed, Kirigakure is now too preoccupied to care about anything happening on the continent.

Starting with the purge of minor ninja clans initiated by the Fourth Mizukage last year, over the past year, there have been no fewer than dozens of chaotic internal conflicts within Kirigakure. The Mizukage's direct forces suppressed and exterminated some bloodline clans, and there was suspicion and fighting between the major ninja clans. In addition, there were several assassination attempts against the Fourth Mizukage, all of which pushed the internal strife in Kirigakure to a climax!

Kirigakure, which had been completely closed off from the outside world, entered a bloody and brutal phase at this stage. Even though Kirigakure was originally known as the "Village of Blood Mist," and the cruelty and indifference of the Kirigakure ninja throughout the ages were unparalleled among all the countries, and the internal struggles were unmatched by the other four great nations, it was still within a relatively "reasonable" limit!

This restriction has now been completely abandoned.

When the Fourth Mizukage took the lead in trampling on the rules, Kirigakure completely entered a state of chaos. The only person with the ability and qualifications to stop this chaos, the 'Elder Master', chose to remain silent for some unknown reason!

"What did you say? Konoha is going to war with Kumogakure and Iwagakure?"

In the Mizukage's office in Kirigakure.

Still dressed in Akatsuki attire, wearing an orange spiral mask with only one Sharingan eye visible, Obito stood behind the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, who had become a puppet with a numb expression. Looking at Black Zetsu who appeared before him, he asked with a slightly surprised tone.

During this period, Obito was completely immersed in his revenge mission of 'destroying Kirigakure'. Apart from necessary contact with Nagato, he had not moved around the ninja world for a long time. Moreover, this period was also a time when the Akatsuki organization needed to accumulate strength and funds. Staying stable was in the best interests of the Akatsuki organization.

In terms of personnel recruitment alone, only two or three more people were recruited in the past year, which is still far from the configuration planned by his organization. Obito, who considers himself the real mastermind, is also very concerned about the personnel configuration of Akatsuki. He also targeted some talents in Kirigakure to cause trouble.

The plan was to force these people to betray the village in this way, so that the Akatsuki could have the opportunity to subdue them. As for these rogue ninjas being unruly, so what? Whether it was Obito or Nagato, all they wanted were tools to help the organization achieve its plans.

As long as the established plans and goals can be successfully implemented and completed, nothing else matters. Moreover, both of them have extremely confident self-assurance and are not worried about any unexpected situations. They truly believe that they can handle it.

After all, they all claim to be gods of the new world, so what is there that they wouldn't dare to think about or do?

Therefore, Obito hasn't really paid much attention to the changes in the ninja world during this period. However, as long as there is a large group of White Zetsu, Obito will never lack sources of information.

The previous minor skirmishes could be ignored, but this time, with the three major ninja villages openly declaring war and the Sand Village also showing signs of being ready to act, potentially triggering the Fourth Shinobi World War at any moment, the situation is quite different.

"Yes, both Iwagakure and Kumogakure have dispatched armies of about five thousand men each to gather on the eastern and western borders of the Land of Fire. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki have also appeared. Konoha has also made corresponding deployments based on the troop deployments of the two major ninja villages. The reinforcements that were just sent ahead should be arriving at the border soon!"

Black Zetsu replied in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Hmph, interesting, really interesting. I was thinking of prioritizing the recruitment of organization members during this period, and then finding an opportunity to weaken the four great ninja villages later. I didn't expect them to come to us on their own initiative. This is a very good opportunity. Black Zetsu, immediately dispatch more White Zetsu to the two border areas of the Land of Fire. I need more accurate information. Ideally, we should be able to severely weaken these three great ninja villages in this new round of the Shinobi World War, especially Konoha. That way, we can lay the groundwork for us to seize the Tailed Beasts in the future!"

Obito gave a cold laugh and said.

The Eye of the Moon Project was originally designed to be a series of interconnected steps.

Despite Obito's arrogant demeanor, he was well aware of the immense difficulty of forcibly seizing the nine tailed beasts from the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The power of the nine tailed beasts themselves was the first hurdle, while the foundation of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was the second. Once the tailed beast capture plan was launched, even if the Akatsuki organization was extremely efficient, they would only be able to capture four or five tailed beasts at most. Even the most foolish and slow-reacting leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages would eventually realize what was happening!

At that time, the Akatsuki organization would most likely face a joint attack from the five great ninja villages. Even considering such a scenario, Obito, or more accurately, Madara Uchiha, had already made some targeted arrangements in advance, but the risk was still extremely high. It was a situation where one wrong move could lead to total defeat.

Therefore, while strengthening their own power, weakening the five great ninja villages as much as possible is the most direct and effective method. The once most powerful Konoha has declined in one war after another. Now, Obito intends to give Konoha another blow, ensuring that it will be unable to recover for at least the next few years. He also wants to suppress the rising power of Kumogakure and Iwagakure as much as possible. Only in this way can they make more arrangements when the 'Eye of the Moon Plan' officially begins several years later!

The weaker the five great ninja villages are, the smoother and easier the execution of the plan will be.

"Yes, I understand. Do you need to go there in person? That Uchiha Shoji seems to have grown much faster than expected, and he may very well become one of the key obstacles to our plans in the future!"

Black Zetsu's almost human-like face seemed to show a solemn and wary expression as he spoke. It has to be said that this is truly worthy of being an old fox who has been lurking in the ninja world for a thousand years and can easily fool Indra and Madara Uchiha. You should know that at this moment, Shoji is already strong enough in the eyes of ordinary ninjas, but if you really compare them in the long history of the ninja world, Shoji still cannot be ranked!

Although there is no direct evidence to clarify the exact strength of the First Kage of the other four ninja villages, the fact that they were able to quell the chaos in their respective regions and establish such a vast empire suggests that even if these four First Kage were not as strong as Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, they would definitely be a cut above the current Shoji.

Black Zetsu didn't take those people seriously, but at this moment he showed his fear of Shoji. Although there were factors of 'Uchiha' and 'Mangekyou Sharingan' involved, it was enough to show Black Zetsu's keenness. After all, not counting Obito, there are still two other pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan in the Uchiha clan, but Black Zetsu didn't seem to care much about Shisui and Fugaku.

"Hmph, what's there to fear about a mere Uchiha Shoji? His eye techniques are indeed strong, but that's about it. Besides, over the past two or three years, although not very frequently, his eye power has been significantly depleted. With the Three Kingdoms War coming up, how much eye power will he have left when our plan officially begins? Even if he has a younger brother, does that brat think he can still awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan? A little vigilance and caution are necessary, but we don't need to take it too seriously!"

Obito snorted coldly, speaking with a disdainful tone.

It was just a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan, not the Eternal Eyes, that wasn't enough to make Obito wary. Obito knew better than anyone how severe the consumption of ocular power was for the Mangekyou Sharingan. If his body hadn't been completely modified long ago and he had a different way to replenish ocular power, if Obito had used Kamui Technique so recklessly, that Mangekyou Sharingan would have gone blind long ago!

Uchiha Shoji's eyes will go blind sooner or later. At that time, he will be a near-Kage level powerhouse who is slightly stronger than an elite Jonin. In the face of the overwhelming power, he is not worth paying attention to. Moreover, even now, Obito does not think that Shoji is someone he needs to be wary of.

As Obito himself said a long time ago, there are big differences between Mangekyou Sharingan. The enemy is in the open, while he is in the dark. If one day he needs to deal with Uchiha Shoji in advance, Obito has full confidence in his strength!

"Alright, as long as you're confident in your abilities!"

Black Zetsu was only speaking out of caution, as is customary for thousands of years. What Obito said made a lot of sense to him. Unless it's the Eternal Eye, no matter how strong the Mangekyou Sharingan is, there will eventually be a day when its power is exhausted. This is why Uchiha Shoji seemed to have realized this very early on and was relatively restrained in using the Mangekyou Sharingan. But the power of the eye is ultimately limited. The moment when Uchiha Shoji truly lost his sight was the moment when this genius of the Uchiha clan completely fell from his peak.

The ninja world is in turmoil.

The atmosphere had become extremely cold and austere.

With the two great powers deploying their troops to the borders of the Land of Fire, the Land of Fire's trade development has been greatly disrupted. The economic losses are secondary; the main issue is the threat to the border, which is an outcome that the high-ranking nobles and politicians of the Land of Fire cannot accept.

It can be said that almost in the shortest possible time, the official order from the daimyo of the Land of Fire was issued, and he hoped that Konoha could resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

The double pressure also accelerated the operation of Konoha's war machine. Of course, the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire brought not only pressure, but also full support in terms of war resources!

Regardless of the internal conflicts between the Daimyo and the Kage of the ninja villages within the Five Great Nations, once it escalates to the level of a national war, none of these Daimyo are the kind of fools who would back down. Even the Sand Village, which has suffered repeated defeats, is still supported and helped by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind as much as possible, because they understand better than anyone what this ninja village in their country means to the entire nation!

Especially the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he knew very well that the reason why his family was able to sit firmly in the country that occupied the richest part of the entire continent and was the monarch of the strongest country was because of the greatest help from Konoha Village!

The victory in the three Shinobi World Wars propelled Konoha to the throne of the number one ninja village, and also allowed the Land of Fire to firmly stand above the other four great nations, becoming the only hegemonic power in the world today. Its military strength also made the Land of Fire stand out from the crowd in terms of politics, economy, and culture, overpowering all other nations.

Therefore, as long as Konoha has any needs, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has no reason not to support them. This is one of the key factors that allows Konoha to repeatedly suppress the major ninja villages, because behind Konoha stands the largest and richest country in the world.

They can receive comprehensive support.

Leaving aside the troops that the Third Hokage of Konoha could directly order to mobilize, dozens of ninja clans, large and small, also dispatched a corresponding number of clansmen to participate in the war after that high-level expanded meeting!

Some ninja clan leaders even had to personally go to the front lines to fight!

Firstly, it demonstrates their clan's stance to some extent. Secondly, having their own leader allows them to better protect their clansmen. Of course, the village's interests must be protected, as that also protects their own interests. However, at the same time, they do not want to see their clansmen overexerted. Many bloodline clans in the ninja world have already perished for similar reasons, and war is undoubtedly the first thing to be affected.

These ninja clan leaders had to consider relevant issues, but among this large group of ninja clan leaders, there was still one figure who stood out from the crowd. This figure was none other than the current head of the Hyuga clan—Hyuga Hiashi.

It can be said that ever since the Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura came to visit late at night the night before and then left, Hiashi has been in a daze since this morning. The reason is that his younger brother, Hizashi, has died!

That's right, just like in the original story. Not wanting to see a crisis of trust in their own ninja village, and even more so not wanting to see Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose Byakugan bloodline had leaked out, after communicating with the elders of the Hyuga clan's main branch, the conclusion reached was to have Hizashi Hyuga, who looks similar to Hiashi Hyuga and is now a member of the branch family, die as a substitute.

This shocking turn of events naturally led Hiashi to resolutely refuse, despite his usual disdain for his younger brother. After all, Hiashi was his own brother. He wasn't a truly heartless person; it was merely a matter of clan rules. In the original story, when he heard that his brother was going to die in his place, didn't Hiashi also resolutely refuse? Such genuine emotions were not feigned.

The same applies to this lifetime.

But the result is the same as in the original work.

Hizashi ultimately died for Hizashi, fulfilling his resolve.

Hiashi, who had failed to stop his younger brother and was knocked unconscious, woke up at dawn. Clinging to a last sliver of hope, he tried to stop his brother again, only to receive news that pierced his heart.

Konoha wouldn't allow him to be handed over to Kumogakure, and the Hyuga clan couldn't accept their clan leader being sent away as a 'sacrifice'. Under this so-called 'righteousness', Hiashi could only passively accept it, but deep down he harbored a deep resentment.

In the original work, this resentment eventually faded away with time or changes in the political situation. However, in this life, it remains to be seen which path it will ultimately lead Hiashi and even the entire Hyuga clan onto, as the plot of this life is quite different from that of the original work.

Uchiha Shoji, this 'Singularity', has already stirred up his own frenzy throughout the entire ninja world. In order to protect the people he cherishes and to achieve his goals, Shoji will definitely exhaust everything and use everything that is worthwhile and available. Of course, these are all things to be discussed later. The Hyuga clan is not worth Shoji doing anything for now!

Value and significance are the only external standards by which the company is measured.

His tenderness was reserved only for his family.

Therefore, Jiang Si, who sped towards the western border of the Land of Fire, returned to the area where his main ninja village forces were gathered in just over a day, even with his firepower at full speed.

There was no deliberate attempt to conceal their presence; they were spotted almost immediately by Iwa ninja scouts scattered throughout the surrounding area as they approached the main camp.

"Ah? It's General Jiang Si!"

The moment these people saw the general, they all showed surprise and respect, stepped forward, bowed slightly, and greeted him.

"Alright, you all continue to be on guard and just send back news of my return!"

"Yes, Sir General!"

After giving a slight nod in greeting, Jiang Si walked straight to the main tent in the core area of ​​the main camp. Huang Tu, the commander-in-chief of this southward expedition, along with Chi Tu and other key Iwa ninja, all came to the tent to welcome Jiang Si's return.

Among this group of people, Jiang Si even spotted two members of his own clan, Yadai and Inahime. Undoubtedly, these two were the clan leaders who had been sent to join the southward-bound army.

The only important person who was not present was Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, which is quite common.

"Haha, Mr. Jiang Si, welcome back! You must be tired from your journey!"

As they approached Huang Tu's group head-on, Jiang Si quickened his pace slightly and stepped in front of Huang Tu, extending his hands to grasp them tightly.

"No, Huang Tusang is too kind!"

The general replied with a smile, still showing a hint of respect.

"Come in first. We're about to hold our next strategic meeting, and Lord Tsuchikage has given us some orders!"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries.

That is, to get straight to the point.

"Yes, I also happen to have some relevant intelligence to report to Huang Tusang!"

The general also spoke seriously.

"Then let's come in and discuss this in detail!"

The curtain of the large tent was lifted, and a group of people entered the inner area. Si shared with Huang Tu, Chi Tu and his group the information he had learned before leaving Konoha in the most concise way, focusing on the troop deployment of Konoha Village on the east and west sides of the defense line!

When Huang Tu and his men heard from Jiang Si that the initial reinforcements sent by Konoha to the western front numbered as many as 5,000, and that further mobilization was planned, their expressions changed slightly. When they heard that the reinforcements sent to the eastern front might be less than 2,000, Huang Tu's brows furrowed even more.

"Shoji-kun, are you sure that the Konoha reinforcements dispatched to the northeastern part of the Land of Fire number less than two thousand?"

Huang Tu looked at the general opposite him with a solemn expression and asked in a deep voice.

"Yes."

Jiang Si nodded and said, "Moreover, Konoha has decided to abandon the Land of Fire's territorial claims and almost entirely agree to the remaining demands made by Kumogakure in exchange for Kumogakure's withdrawal!"

Seeing Huang Tu's expression, Jiang Si naturally understood what his son, the Earth Shadow, was thinking. Without any hesitation, he spoke these words directly.

This information wasn't something Shoji guessed based on the original work. Given the significant changes in the current plot, it's difficult for Shoji to be absolutely certain that everything will still follow the original story.

Even if the probability is really high.

However, uncertainty still exists.

This is why, even though the three countries had clearly become enemies, Jiang Si still stayed in Konoha for two or three more days, in order to further investigate this intelligence. Konoha's attitude towards Kumogakure directly determined Iwagakure's next course of action!

With Shoji's current strength, as long as he doesn't intend to venture deep into areas of Konoha Village that are protected by special barriers, he can practically move through uninhabited areas!

Without a doubt, Konoha has chosen an attitude that will make Iwagakure relatively uncomfortable, while Kumogakure will be the most delighted!

Having ascertained this, and seeing the Konoha reinforcements begin their operation, Shoji decisively chose to retreat, as it would be time for Iwagakure to take action next.

He must return to the area where his army is located as quickly as possible!