Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Rena, sitting to the side, also beamed with joy upon hearing Shoji's promise. If her daughter could become Shoji's direct subordinate or even disciple in the future, her status in the village would surely rise. For Rena, this was undoubtedly the best news!

"Thank you so much, Lord General!"

At this moment, Rena Uzumaki also bowed deeply to express her gratitude.

"No, Rena-san, you don't need to be so polite. I already had similar plans. Well then, I have other things to attend to, so I'll have to trouble you a lot in the future, Rena-san!"

"Yes, Sir General!"

Shoji nodded in agreement, and then, with Rena, Karin, and Neji bowing respectfully, he flashed away and sped off in another direction.

In the northeast of Iwagakure, at the eighth training ground exclusively for the Iwa ninja.

At this very moment, in the flat area directly south of one of the largest training grounds in Iwagakure, there were three slightly short figures. These three were none other than Itachi Uchiha, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi, the three members of Team One, personally led by Shoji.

"It's so slow, Brother Jiang Si! We agreed on three o'clock, but it's almost four o'clock now. Why hasn't Brother Jiang Si come yet?"

Heitu sat on a pile of stacked tree stumps, swinging her legs, pouting her little mouth, and complaining with a clear 'baby is very unhappy' expression on her pretty face.

"You're so annoying, Heitu! You've muttered this dozens of times already. It's just a little longer, isn't it? If you really can't wait, just go home!"

Deidara, with his shimmering blonde hair, snorted and flicked his flowing locks. Almost instinctively, he charged straight at Kurotsuchi.

"What do you mean by dozens of times? It's only been four times, okay! And who said they couldn't wait? Believe me or not, I'll beat you up, you damn Deidara!"

Hei Tu raised her willow-leaf eyebrows, and a look of annoyance appeared on her small face. Her little fist, which she deliberately raised in a show of defiance, made a 'crack' sound at that moment.

"cut!"

Deidara showed no fear whatsoever, and his face revealed a look of disdain.

"Come on, try it if you dare!"

The 'mockery' is absolutely blatant!

In fact, Kurotsuchi really didn't dare to make a move. Unlike in the past when the two fought each other almost evenly, since Deidara made rapid progress in his art under Shoji's guidance, and was even able to create flying clay creatures several years ahead of schedule, Kurotsuchi's current strength meant she could only take a beating one-sidedly!

From a 50/50 situation to an almost 100/10 situation now.

Not to mention how furious Heitu was behind his back.

"You! You bastard, if you're so capable, why don't you just not fly!"

"Tch, why don't you fly if you're so capable?"

"Damn it! Do you even have the guts to come down and settle this with us?!"

"Hehe, so do you actually have the ability to fly up here and fight it out?"

"Damn it! Once I learn the Light and Heavy Rock Technique, I'll beat you to a pulp! Deidara!"

"Hehe, let's talk about that when you're capable. Who knows, you might never learn it in your entire life!"

These aggressively sarcastic words sent Kurotsuchi's blood pressure soaring. Her frantic state and Deidara's extremely irritating expression created a striking symmetry at that moment!

Itachi, sitting on the other side, shook his head with amusement.

My two teammates are probably just destined to never change their personalities! But in a way, isn't that a manifestation of friendship?

Itachi couldn't help but recall a time when Kurotsuchi and Deidara were bickering and arguing, and his older brother Shoji had said something amusing.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child; if there's no beating or scolding, there's no love!"

At that moment, Itachi's lips curled up slightly, forming a beautiful arc.

"Hehe, why is our little black earth so sullen again? Girls should smile more to look prettier, Deidara. Can't you, a man, give in to Black Earth a little!"

And it was at this very moment.

Suddenly.

A clear voice then rang in the ears of the three.

Take a closer look.

"Brother Jiang Si!"

"Jiang Sisang!"

A tall and slender figure appeared before Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi. Upon closer inspection, the three recognized their captain and a look of varying degrees of joy appeared on their faces.

Kurotsuchi also leaped down from the tree stump, and even Deidara, who was always the best representative of 'unruly', showed respect at this moment, bowing to the general who had just appeared on the opposite side.

It can be said that in the vast village of Iwagakure, the only people Deidara truly admires and respects, besides his own Tsuchikage teacher, are Shoji. Others, no matter how outstanding or excellent, are at most only worthy of Deidara's attention.

"It's all because our captain is late! Brother Jiang Si, don't you know what time it is!"

After the initial joy.

Hei Tu then put her hands on her hips, pouted, and 'complained' to Jiang Si!

"Haha, um, I was wrong this time. I was a little delayed by something, so I apologize. Tonight it's my treat. You can choose whatever you want to eat, as long as you can eat it!"

Jiang Si laughed heartily, gently patted Hei Tu's little head, and said with a smile.

"Yes, you said it! Brother Jiang Si!"

Hei Tu tilted his head back slightly, squinted his eyes as if in some comfort, and said with a grin.

"Yes, I said it!"

Jiang Si nodded and said.

"Alright, let's get down to business. The reason I called you all here today is to make further arrangements for your upcoming training and tasks. With your current strength, you no longer need to repeat the previous tasks and training. It's time for you to move on to the next stage!"

Let's get down to business.

Jiang Si also suppressed his smile, his face turning solemn as he spoke in a very serious tone: Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi are undoubtedly the most outstanding members of the next generation of Iwagakure. Currently, all three of them are at the Chunin to Elite Chunin level, and if they were to unleash their full potential, they could certainly go toe-to-toe with Jonin!

Especially Deidara's Clay Burst Release.

At this stage, in terms of attack methods and strength alone, Itachi and Kurotsuchi combined are no match for Deidara.

Of course, in a one-on-one situation, Itachi, whose Sharingan has unknowingly advanced to the two-tomoe level, would still have a certain advantage. Deidara is good in every way, but he is too weak in resisting genjutsu.

Both of them possess strength that easily ranges from elite Chunin to special Jonin. Kurotsuchi is slightly weaker, but she is still close to the level of an elite Chunin. When the three of them work together, an ordinary Jonin is no match for them. Therefore, their training and mission arrangements definitely need to move to the next stage.

"Yes, Brother Jiang Si!"

The three of them also turned serious. Even though Kurotsuchi could usually act a little spoiled, she would take things seriously when it came to serious matters. Smart girls often know when they can act cute and charming and when they should be serious.

"These are the number of missions and their difficulty levels that the three of you will need to perform next. Although you are all still only genin, your individual strength has undoubtedly reached the chunin level. I want you to accumulate enough mission completions in the next six months and then be promoted to chunin. Remember, I will not accompany you on any of the missions from now on. You will need to make your own judgments. When I am not around, Itachi will be the temporary captain of the team. You should know what the captain is supposed to do!"

As he spoke, Jiang Si took out a scroll from his pocket and tossed it to Itachi, who was sitting opposite him. Geniuses can never be measured by common sense. Even though the three of them were only in their early twenties and had graduated from the Ninja Academy less than half a year ago, Jiang Si believed it was time for them to truly grow up independently!

The transition from Chunin to Jonin is a qualitative leap.

This refers not only to strength, but also to magnanimity and mindset.

The more these three are geniuses, the higher the standards and requirements should be placed on them.

"Yes, I understand, Brother Jiang Si!"

After catching the scroll with his backhand, Itachi replied very seriously.

"You two need to understand this too!"

"Yes!"

Deidara and Kurotsuchi responded in unison.

"Very good. Now let me take a comprehensive look at your current strength. I will revise your individual training plans based on your growth. During this process, you can raise any questions you may have!"

"Itachi, I'll start with you!"

"Yes!"

His own growth and the training of his subordinates are not things that can be accomplished overnight. Shoji needs to make the most reasonable arrangements. Unlike Neji, Karin, and Sasuke, who are still very young, Itachi, Deidara, Kurotsuchi, and the older Kabuto will undoubtedly become his most important helpers in just a few years!

What the commander needs to do is to accelerate this process as quickly as possible within reasonable limits.

When, years from now, he restarts his plans that showcase his ultimate ambitions, he will have enough power to use.

No matter how powerful a person is, there are still limits. Even if Shishin can suppress the entire ninja world by himself.

After all, his approach was completely different from Kaguya Otsutsuki's practice of treating all humans on Earth as 'livestock'. He wanted to bring about a true transformation of the ninja world and create a nation that truly had hope and a future.

Therefore, he needs a capable helper!

The Four Great Ninja Villages.

Akatsuki!

Enemies on the moon.

And lurking in the shadows are Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara.

There are also the real masterminds behind the scenes—Black Zetsu, Kaguya Otsutsuki, and the three holy lands, who have a certain probability of becoming enemies, the Sage of Six Paths, and so on!

These enemies are all those who need to be eliminated one by one on the road ahead!

378. Orderly and meticulous steps

All matters, big and small, in the village.

In other words, it is acceptable to handle it according to the general rules.

As Huang Tu had said, most of the work that was originally Jiang Si's responsibility was delegated to his subordinates. They only needed to review it beforehand. After confirming that it would not delay any of the village's work, Jiang Si truly focused on the issues that needed his attention. He spent most of the day arranging the 'itinerary plan' that Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara should follow for at least the next six months!

It's time for my 'stay-at-home dad' career to come to an end. Even though the three of them are still very young, their overall strength has reached the level of elite Chunin, or even approaching the level of special Jonin. There is absolutely no need for me to continue to 'protect' them the whole time. For geniuses, it is enough to guide them when they have just come out of the 'beginner village'.

That's exactly right. In the past few months, Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi have grown rapidly under Shoji's guidance and accumulated a lot of basic experience. It's time to let them grow independently!

Moreover, given the current strength of the three of them.

In the vast ninja world, it's rare to encounter someone who can easily crush and kill three people. At least, ordinary Jonin can't do that. As for elite Jonin and Kage-level powerhouses, don't be fooled by the fact that Shoji seems to have encountered many such powerhouses all the time. In reality, Jonin are extremely rare in the entire ninja world. The number of Jonin in the five great ninja villages can reach several hundred, or even over a thousand.

In general, small and medium-sized ninja villages only have a few dozen Jonin. This includes special Jonin. If we're talking about truly Jonin-level people, then we'd have to cut that number even further. Do you really think Jonin are as common as Genin?

This is why, in the previous war between Konoha and Iwagakure, although the number of casualties in Konoha did not seem to reach a truly terrifying level, the losses were still quite heavy. It was because Shoji killed too many Konoha Jonin during that period!

Including Ryoma Aburame and others who infiltrated earlier, and the pursuit force sent by Danzo after the first negotiation ended, the number of Konoha Jonin who died at the hands of Shoji has exceeded 30!

Even if more than half of them are special Jonin.

But this number is still extremely exaggerated!