Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Even though Shikaku gave the order as quickly as possible, some Konoha ninja were still unable to evacuate in time. They were either caught up in Shoji's Takemikazuchi Technique or affected by the Tailed Beast Ball Wave released by Han.

"boom!"

"Boom!"

The ground was shattered.

The extremely shrill wails resounded throughout the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold at this moment, and even some Iwa ninja who were unable to retreat in time were caught in the spell!

Comrades who were forced to sacrifice themselves.

But the gaps that were clearly created.

"retreat!"

"Hansang!"

Han immediately deactivated his tailed beast form.

Jiang Si rushed to Han's side, supporting Han who was clearly at his limit. He shouted and joined Huang Tu and the others who had turned back to a nearby position. They quickly retreated to the northwest. The remaining Iwa ninja followed closely behind Jiang Si, Huang Tu, and Han, and quickly left the area.

When the thunder subsided and the roar ceased.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation.

The scene was beyond human capability to match. More than a year later, this scene reappeared. Even though he had experienced it once before, it must be said that Shoji's technique of building and controlling the capital still greatly shocked Shikaku.

Compared to the technique of General Si.

The so-called strongest Lightning Release technique in ninja history is child's play. If Shikaku was like this, then the Konoha ninja below were even more so. They all looked at the corpses of their comrades who had not been able to escape in time and had fallen into the technique, turning into charred remains.

Jiraiya stood atop Gamaken's head, shaking his head gently with a touch of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).

'What an extraordinary young man! He can unleash such a terrifying technique; it must be the power of his eyes!'

This was not a difficult thing to guess. It could be said that ever since Shoji first used this technique, the Konoha high-ranking officials, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, could easily guess this.

This is already beyond the power range of ordinary Lightning Release techniques. Even S-rank Lightning Release techniques pale in comparison. Moreover, the people of Konoha are not blind to the series of actions and changes that Shoji made before using this technique.

And it is precisely because of this that the people of Konoha are increasingly wary of the Uchiha clan.

Susanoo aside, the Mangekyou Sharingan can now be imbued with such powerful techniques. This is truly refreshing their understanding of the Uchiha clan time and time again. They realized that their previous theory of the Uchiha threat had underestimated this strongest and most powerful ninja clan in the ninja world!

The Tailed Beast Ball combined with Takemikazuchi's technique, while not causing significant damage to Konoha, was not Shoji's original objective. This forcibly separated battle situation prevented Konoha from launching a second pursuit.

The space for escape that is presented.

It was enough to allow Jiang Si and Huang Tu's group to retreat, even though it came at a considerable cost. Almost half of the Iwa ninja who stayed behind to cover the retreat were killed, and Huang Tu, Han, and Jiang Si all suffered injuries of varying degrees. Fortunately, they still managed to cover the safe retreat of the main force, and their own group was able to leave the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold safely.

This is already a very good result.

Moreover, they also dealt a significant blow to Konoha, the attacking party. In a fair assessment, it could be considered an equal exchange.

Jiraiya possesses the ability to pursue.

However, the core objective of this war is to protect the fundamental interests of our own ninja village and the Land of Fire; everything else will have to take a backseat!

Even Lu Jiu showed no intention of pursuing them. His main objective was to retake the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold, and everything else was secondary. Lu Jiu was also a cautious person.

'If only the Uchiha clan hadn't left Konoha.'

As Jiraiya dispelled the summoning jutsu and headed towards Shikaku's location, a thought that seemed utterly absurd at this time began to sprout in the depths of his mind.

However, these things only exist in the realm of "what if".

There is no such thing as a second chance in any world.

Without mentioning abandoning the pursuit, the Konoha army immediately turned to cleaning up the battlefield.

On the other side, Huang Tu and his group were rapidly leaving their stronghold in Wuyuan Mountain and retreating from the territory of the Fire Kingdom.

Only after confirming that Konoha had not sent any pursuing forces did they relax slightly and slow their pace.

Even so, Huang Tu and Jiang Si did not completely stop to rest. Instead, after maintaining a safer distance, returning to the territory of the Grass Country, and re-establishing contact with the main force that had retreated ahead, they finally felt completely at ease and chose to rest for a while at a forward outpost.

362. This decision is very much like Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It can be said that among the Iwa ninja who were responsible for covering the rear, very few were unharmed. The vast majority of them suffered injuries of varying degrees. The most seriously injured of them was Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. In the battle where Jiraiya completely suppressed him, Han was covered in wounds in less than half an hour.

In other words, Jinchuriki are generally very durable and their self-repair ability is several levels stronger than that of ordinary ninjas. Otherwise, if it were just an ordinary ninja, it would have been game over long ago. Han was able to hold out until Shoji arrived, and later he even cooperated with Shoji to use the Tailed Beast Ball to forcibly clear an area and cover his comrades' retreat, which is commendable.

As a result, Han has almost lost his ability to fight. He will definitely need to rest and recuperate in the coming days. Let alone transforming into a tailed beast again, in Han's current state, he could probably be bullied by any Jonin!

Huang Tu also suffered some minor injuries during the attack by that group of Konoha ninjas, but fortunately there were no truly outstanding Jonin among them, otherwise Huang Tu would not have been able to escape so easily. Although Jiang Si did not suffer any obvious external or internal injuries, his chakra and mental energy were severely depleted.

Most importantly, Susanoo's reckless spending and the use of Takemikazuchi's technique once again meant that Shoji had used up almost as much of his Mangekyou Sharingan power in this battle as he had in the past. Unlike before when his vision was only slightly blurred, after this battle, Shoji could clearly feel that his vision had deteriorated quite severely.

If this level of combat continues, even once or twice more, Jiang Si estimates that his eyes will go completely blind!

While the Kaleidoscope is powerful, its side effects and limitations are still significant when there are no means to replenish eye power and before one has advanced to the Eternal Eye!

Just as they arrived at the outpost.

Jiang Si felt a sudden dizziness and instinctively stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, Huang Tu, who was in front of him, caught him quickly.

"Shoji? What happened? Was he seriously injured by that Jiraiya from Konoha just now!?"

Huang Tu asked with a hint of worry in his eyes.

After all, they had been quite far apart in the previous battles, and Huang Tu himself was surrounded by Konoha ninjas, so it was difficult for him to see what had happened to Jiang Si. He thought that Jiang Si, like Han, had been severely injured by that Konoha hero in the previous clash.

"No, it's nothing, Mr. Huang Tu. It's just that I overused my chakra and used Susanoo for too long, which made me feel more mentally fatigued."

Jiang Si took a deep breath, straightened up, shook his head slightly, and forced a smile as he spoke.

Even though he now trusts the Third Tsuchikage and Huangtu very much, he certainly cannot easily tell Huangtu the highest secrets of the Uchiha clan. Besides, if he did tell Huangtu, Huangtu would have to doubt himself. After all, in the ninja world, no ninja clan would tell the secrets of their own clan to someone outside their clan.

Seeing that Jiang Si's demeanor seemed genuine, and that Huang Tu indeed couldn't sense any injury on Jiang Si's part, Huang Tu relaxed his brow and nodded slightly, saying, "That's good. You should rest well for the next few days. Since Konoha hasn't sent any more troops to pursue us, they obviously intend to stop at the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold!"

"Ok!"

Jiang Si nodded slightly in reply.

Although the war will not end here and the relationship between Konoha and Iwagakure remains very tense, it is clear that as long as Iwagakure retreats even slightly, it will be difficult for the two great ninja villages to break out into a major war again.

Despite Konoha's apparent stabilization of Kumogakure, the thousands of Kumogakure troops are actually stationed in the Land of Hot Water near the border of the Land of Fire. Moreover, they have the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the Fourth Raikage, two formidable figures. Only a fool like Konoha would truly disregard the Kumogakure forces. Although Konoha currently holds the advantage on the western front, if they were truly determined to lead their army into the Land of Grass, they could further intimidate or even severely damage the Iwagakure ninja. However, that would also allow the Kumogakure to easily reap the benefits.

Not to mention Nara Shikaku and Jiraiya, they wouldn't make such an unreliable judgment. Even the Konoha F4 wouldn't be this unreliable.

That would not just be a decision-making error, but a complete lapse in judgment. If it weren't for the fact that the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold was indeed important, the pressure from the Land of Fire's official authorities, and the fact that Konoha really needed a major victory to stabilize its mentality and intimidate its own ninja village's hostile forces, it would have been a mistake.

Otherwise, Shikaku might not have advised Jiraiya to actually launch this battle to retake the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold. In the end, it was all forced by circumstances. Now that the situation has finally eased up, Konoha can regain some of the initiative.

They will only make more prudent decisions, and will not engage in military adventurism!

Moreover, even if we take a step back and assume that Konoha really dares to take a risk and actively invade the Land of Grass, then the Hidden Stone Village would actually welcome them warmly!

It's one thing to back down at the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold, but quite another to fight back in the Land of Grass. This isn't just because the Land of Grass is already a piece of fat meat that Iwagakure has already secured, but also because the reason for withdrawing from the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold is that once Iwagakure decides to fight a decisive battle within the Land of Fire, they will inevitably have to deploy heavy troops in two areas. The Land of Grass cannot be completely left undefended. If that happens, Konoha can easily employ a flanking maneuver, which would put Iwagakure in a very difficult position.

If the battlefield were to return to the Land of Grass, the Iwa ninja could further amass a large force and wage war without hesitation. Unless Konoha has the ability and courage to fight the main force of the Iwa ninja here while simultaneously sending troops to bypass the Land of Grass and enter the heart of the Land of Earth, to put it bluntly, if Konoha truly had such confidence and courage, this war would never have escalated to this point.

Huang Tu and Jiang Si can confidently conclude that Konoha's pursuers will stop at the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold area, and what follows is the much-anticipated war of words, since the war is unlikely to end so easily.

Moreover, in the Three Kingdoms conflict, there was another important player – the Hidden Cloud Village, who had always been in spectator mode, reaping all the benefits without paying any price. This made the Iwagakure ninja, led by Hidari and Shoji, extremely angry!

But no matter how angry they were, it was their own mistake. However, they had learned from their mistake and would definitely not act until they saw the benefit!

However, those are all things for later. The most important thing for the Iwagakure side to do next is to take a good rest and then manage the newly acquired Land of Grass, which they haven't had much time to warm up to yet. Putting aside everything else, the internal situation of the Grass Village alone is a big problem. Destruction is impossible, but how to make effective use of it is the biggest test for the Iwagakure, or more accurately, the Third Tsuchikage!

The second battle for the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold.

The war ended with Konoha's victory, but Konoha also suffered considerable casualties in this war. Nearly two thousand people died in battle alone, and countless others were seriously or lightly wounded. However, these losses were worthwhile in order to repel the invasion of Iwagakure. Regardless of whether Iwagakure retreated voluntarily, at least from the appearance of the battlefield, Konoha won the final defensive battle. Even though experts could see that the complete loss of the Land of Grass was indeed a heavy loss for Konoha.

However, experts are a minority. Even the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Land of Fire only saw the fact that the Iwa Ninja Army was successfully defeated and that the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold, which had been lost, was recaptured in less than half a month!

If these people are like this, what about the common people? They will only feel that their own ninja village has won another victory, and other invisible things are either truly invisible or simply ignored.

Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha Village was well aware of the high price his village had paid in this war, but appearances still needed to be maintained. The Third Hokage, upon receiving news from the border, shamelessly declared within the village that his village had once again won the war.

Putting everything else aside, this news did indeed bring complete peace to the village. Iwagakure had been defeated by its own ninja village once again, and with only Kumogakure left, what was there to fear? Moreover, compared to Iwagakure, at least Kumogakure had invaded the Land of Fire.

The main force of Kumogakure has always been "blocked" in the Land of Hot Water by its own ninja army. The thinking of ordinary people is so simple and naive, but often what rulers need most is this kind of "ignorance" among the people!

This makes it easier for them to do some special things.

Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still a clear-headed and rational person. The expulsion of the Iwagakure army did not mean that the war with Iwagakure was over. The remaining troops, plus the garrison troops that had been sent to the Land of Grass, still numbered five thousand. As long as this force did not retreat, the war could not truly be said to have ended.

Not to mention the Cloud Ninja in the northeast, who are also eyeing us covetously!

This victory has given Konoha a bit more confidence, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi to proceed with his next actions more calmly, such as restarting negotiations with Iwagakure. Hiruzen Sarutobi believes that even if the Uchiha clan has unexpectedly gained an extraordinary and important position in Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage cannot really be so stubborn!

At this crucial moment after the victory, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that the Third Tsuchikage would not refuse the offer to restart negotiations on his own initiative. He figured that at worst, he could just offer some compensation in other areas.

In any case, ending the war as soon as possible is the most important thing.

The Cloud Ninja side also needs to readjust its strategy.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately summoned his most trusted friend, Homura Mitokado.

"Do you mean we should take the initiative to restart negotiations with Iwagakure? Wouldn't that seem a bit too direct?"

As a prudent and stable leader.

Mitokado Homura was not opposed to negotiating with Iwagakure, but at this point in time, he felt there was still some room for discussion.

"No, now is the perfect time. If we back down even slightly, the Iwa ninja will likely be willing to end the war. Since the start of the war, the Iwa ninja have suffered considerable losses. Most importantly, the Kumo ninja have been observing the war from the sidelines. The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure certainly doesn't want to continue watching the Kumo ninja stand by and watch while they fight us to the death. If we acknowledge all their interests in the Land of Grass and offer some compensation in terms of mission share and supplies, I believe the possibility of ending the war is quite high!"

It must be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi truly lives up to his name.

The previous confrontation was truly a matter of necessity. As long as the core interests of the village could be guaranteed, everything else was negotiable. It wouldn't be a big problem if his own village suffered a slight loss. In any case, this Third Hokage, who had long lost his ambition to be a ninja hero, was only thinking about stabilizing the situation and developing peacefully. That was his greatest wish.

Despite having the upper hand on the battlefield, the Third Hokage proactively sent a peace signal to the Iwa ninja, which is truly in line with his style.

"Should we cede all the interests of the Land of Grass? Could we try to negotiate at the border? Like with the Land of Hot Springs?"

Although he was a conservative leader, Mitokado Homura was still somewhat displeased with his village's excessive concessions. Moreover, putting himself in the village's shoes, if the Land of Grass were to fall completely into the influence of the Hidden Stone Village, the flames of war would ignite directly on the border of the Land of Fire should the two villages clash again in the future. The defense pressure that would be required would be far greater than before.

"No, Iwagakure probably won't agree to that. According to intelligence from the Anbu, the Third Tsuchikage seems to have personally led his direct Anbu to the Land of Grass. Fortunately, Iwagakure hasn't mobilized further, but this is already a very dangerous sign. We can't continue to drag this out. The northeast is ultimately an extremely unstable and dangerous factor. The most important thing is to resolve the western front as soon as possible so that we can shift all our focus to the northeast front!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head with a solemn expression and said.

"What? That Onoki from the Two-Day Plateau has come to the front lines of the Land of Grass in person?"

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Homura Mitokado's pupils constricted sharply. As the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, who was from the same era as Homura, Homura had the privilege of clashing with him once in his youth. Onoki, who had already mastered Dust Release and reached the Kage level, severely injured Homura. If it weren't for Koharu Utatane's support and the cover provided by other Konoha ninjas, Homura would probably have been killed on the spot.

Therefore, Mitokado Homura's impression of this Third Tsuchikage was quite profound.