I'm retrieving corpses in Konoha.

Before and after the incident, only two people lost their lives: Itachi Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha, a mother and son.

Inside the room, a group of people stood around, and in the center of the floor was a white sheet covering the body of Uchiha Mikoto.

Fugaku looked haggard and stood to one side with three-year-old Sasuke by his side.

Sasuke's eyes were already red and swollen from crying, and he pouted without saying a word.

Uchiha Natsu already knew what had happened in the Uchiha clan during this time, and stood aside with a gloomy face.

The priestess beside her hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke:

“Mr. Xia, in fact, our lineage of witches has a secret technique that can bring people back to life.”

"Resurrection?!"

Uchiha Natsu suddenly turned his head, and everyone else looked at the priestess as well.

The guard, Inaho, instinctively took a half-step forward, subtly protecting the shrine maiden behind him.

Uchiha Natsu thought for a moment and said, "Is there any condition for this secret technique?"

Generally speaking, if this kind of secret technique has no conditions, then the priestess doesn't need to worry about demons and the undead army.

Sure enough, the priestess then whispered, "This secret technique can only be performed by me, and it requires the soul of the deceased's blood relative as a sacrifice."

"The soul of a blood relative?" Uchiha Natsu frowned; this condition was indeed somewhat demanding.

“Yes, that’s right.” The priestess nodded and continued, “This blood relative must be a direct blood relative, and the sacrificed soul will be forever destroyed and unable to return to the Pure Land.”

Uchiha Natsu was speechless; it was basically the same as saying nothing at all.

The souls of blood relatives—those who have died have already gone to the Pure Land—are not worth using to exchange for the lives of those who are still alive.

Moreover, Uchiha Natsu's first reaction was to give himself a resurrection coin.

But he has no blood relatives.

As a lone survivor, this technique is utterly useless to me.

"I, I'll do it!"

Just then, a childlike voice rang out.

All eyes were on Sasuke, who was raising his little hand.

Even Fugaku was stunned on the spot.

Sasuke, seeing everyone looking at him, remained fearless and firmly stated:

"To live in this world, one must play one's own role and have a sense of existence. My mother was killed by my brother, but my brother... Itachi is also gone, unable to atone for his sins. So let me do it; I will use my soul to save my mother."

Fugaku immediately exclaimed, "Sasuke, what are you saying? I won't allow anything else to happen to you!"

Although Sasuke was young, he was quite stubborn, so after thinking for a moment, he continued:

"My mother was a Jonin, and I was just a child, so let me revive my mother. This is my wish."

Although her voice trembled slightly, her expression was very firm, and her red and swollen eyes looked pleadingly at Uchiha Natsu.

In young Sasuke's mind, he had already concluded that Uchiha Natsu was the one who could override his father's decision.

Chapter 96 Senior Advisors

"My lady, are there any other limitations to this secret technique?"

Uchiha Natsu did not respond to Sasuke's gaze, but instead asked the shrine maiden.

To think that Sasuke would be sacrificed for a Jonin is simply out of the question.

Characters like Sasuke and Naruto are those who will play a significant role later on.

However, we cannot rely entirely on these few people.

From the very beginning, Uchiha Natsu chose to become stronger instead of waiting for the plot to unfold on its own.

One reason is the survival of the Uchiha clan. Another is the fear that the butterfly effect might cause the future to go astray.

Just like this time, the night of genocide came four years earlier.

No one can guarantee that those beings who are capable of destroying the world at any moment won't arrive ahead of schedule.

There is also no guarantee that these people from the original timeline will continue to develop along the predetermined path.

What if these two kids, due to the butterfly effect, can't defeat the Otsutsuki? Wouldn't they all be doomed then?

Now, things have already deviated significantly, and we don't know what the future holds; everything has become uncertain.

However, we should still try our best to make the most of the key people.

Only by completely eliminating the threat posed by the Otsutsuki clan can they live in peace.

To achieve the stable life we ​​dream of, we must first become stronger ourselves, and then ensure that the main characters meet our expectations; this is the long-term goal.

Upon hearing this, the priestess replied:

"The soul to be sacrificed must be willing and cannot resist. Moreover, the resurrection must be performed within three days of the death; if more than three days have passed, the soul cannot be brought back."

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After the priestess finished speaking, everyone present fell silent.

Everyone knows that, apart from Sasuke, no one fits this criterion.

But it's clearly impossible to exchange Sasuke for Mikoto Uchiha's life.

Uchiha Natsu, however, had an idea.

He walked over to Uchiha Mikoto's body, sealed the body with a scroll, and said to everyone, "I'll seal the body for now. I have three days. I'll figure something out."

Then, he looked at the priestess and said, "I'll have to trouble you then, priestess."

"Not at all, not at all, it's no trouble at all." The shrine maiden waved her hand with a smile, but in her mind, she was thinking about the grand scene when Uchiha Natsu wiped out the Ghost Army.

When Fugaku heard Uchiha Natsu say that they needed to find a solution, a glimmer of hope was rekindled within him.

However, he couldn't figure out what other way there was besides Sasuke.

Mikoto Uchiha's parents had both died on the battlefield, so Sasuke was her only blood relative.

Although Fugaku and Mikoto were husband and wife, they were not related by blood.

After sealing the corpse, Uchiha Natsu returned to his home.

Seeing that no one was around, he used earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of escape technique) to descend underground.

At the same time, form a mudra with both hands.

"Wood Release Technique!"

The wooden branches on his face wriggled and eventually formed a mask, while a suit of armor condensed on his body.

Uchiha Natsu's true form transformed into the appearance of Senju Kamima.

After completing the transformation, Uchiha Natsu found his direction and used Earth Release from underground to head towards the location of the Hokage Building.

Meanwhile, in the small conference room of the Hokage Building.

As always, four high-ranking officials from Konoha sat around a small table and held a high-level meeting.

With a grim face, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Danzo, "Did you do the Uchiha Itachi incident?"

Danzo squinted: "The Uchiha clan is about to stage a coup. This is the only way to stop them."

Danzo believed that Itachi Uchiha, along with his helper, could handle the massacre of the clan.

To his surprise, so many clans were paying attention to the Uchiha clan and even offered timely assistance.

Another surprise to him was that, besides Shisui, the Uchiha clan also had two pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan.

The strength of the Uchiha clan has now far exceeded Danzo's expectations.

If they are not eliminated, these Mangekyou Sharingan users will eventually become the Uchiha Madara of history.

The Uchiha clan had several "Madara" members, but they had no "Hashirama".

With three kaleidoscopes, controlling the Nine-Tails would be a piece of cake.

Moreover, if that's the case, the Nine-Tails' rampage three years ago was very likely also the work of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan must not be allowed to live!

Thinking of this, Danzo continued:

"The Uchiha clan currently possesses three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan, but two of them are being kept secret from us. What is their purpose in hiding their Mangekyou Sharingan? It's very likely that they are afraid of being discovered about the Nine-Tails' attack three years ago."

"The Uchiha are already planning to rebel. If we don't use force now, we'll only be raising a tiger to cause trouble later. Moreover, Uchiha Natsu has already returned. Their original plan was to wait for Uchiha Natsu to return. It's conceivable that the Uchiha are not far from rebelling."

Upon hearing this, both consultants looked serious and nodded in agreement.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, forming a "川" (river) shape.

Even if Danzo didn't say it, he already knew the current situation.

In any case, the Uchiha clan cannot be allowed to live, but he does not want to resolve the issue all at once.

A large-scale war would only result in heavy losses for both sides, far less effective than gradually dismantling their forces.

By taking a long-term view, we can minimize the losses.

If the Uchiha's power is suppressed to a certain extent, the rebellion plan will naturally fall apart.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "I still insist on a peaceful resolution. Give me some time, and I will naturally find a way."

After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.

The high-level meetings in Konoha are not solely controlled by the Hokage.

If the other three agree, even the Hokage cannot object.

It's equivalent to a vote, since all four people are qualified to participate in the Daimyo Council and express their opinions.

The two advisors exchanged glances, pondered for a moment, and could only nod in agreement.

"The Uchiha clan's reputation is not what it used to be, so the threat they pose has been greatly reduced."

"Hiruzen, I hope you will take action as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to control once the Uchiha truly betrays us."