Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

"So we've succeeded in this coup?" Temari asked, looking at the messenger snake with disbelief.

"Do you think that a coup is something that requires a long time to prepare, a meticulous plan, and a process where you are on the verge of death?" Uchiha Touko couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

Temari nodded.

“The more you try to ensure a coup is foolproof, the more unpredictable things will happen,” Uchiha Touko said. “On the contrary, if you prepare well in advance and act decisively when the opportunity arises, the success rate will be much higher.”

"The foundation your father left you in Sunagakure is so deep that when your opponent makes a mistake, you don't even need to prepare. You can just strike and take him down," Uchiha Touko laughed. Compared to his coup in Konoha, this coup in Sunagakure was a piece of cake. First of all, Temari's coup team was all left to her by her father. She just needed to inherit the team he left behind. In addition, her opponent was a complete idiot who didn't understand the situation, which gave Temari the illusion that the coup was easy.

"However, isn't it a bit too early for you to think everything is settled? Arresting Shi Yixi Yue is just the simplest part of your coup. Don't forget, whose credit is it that he was able to become the acting Kazekage?" Uchiha Touko reminded him.

"The two elders..." Temari finally realized that compared to capturing the fool Ishii Nishigake, Chiyo and Ebizo were the most troublesome part of this coup. Their influence in the village was deeply entrenched. In the past, even her father, the Fourth Kazekage, sometimes couldn't do anything about them. If they couldn't...

"Hokage, what should I do?" Temari asked humbly as she thought of this.

“The two elders in your village are nominally the assistants of the Kazekage, but over the years, the power they have cultivated in the village has become too great to control. Without them openly violating the laws of Sunagakure, the possibility of getting rid of them like you did with Ishiichi Seigaku is very low,” Uchiha Touko said.

Compared to those old scoundrels in Konoha, Chiyo and Ebizo can be considered qualified elders of the ninja village. Although they have some selfish motives, they at least do things for the good of their own village. Apart from Chiyo hiding some things for her beloved grandson, they have not done anything to enrich themselves at the expense of the public. Therefore, it is still quite difficult to take them down directly.

“However, you can slowly erode their power, and the reason for doing so is readily available,” Uchiha Touko said. “In your Sunagakure, the person with the most exquisite puppetry skills should be your Elder Chiyo, right?”

“Yes.” Temari nodded, quickly understanding Uchiha Touko’s meaning, “Could it be…”

"Shi Yixi Yue was just a Jonin before, so where did he get the technology to create human puppets? Now that you're the Kazekage candidate favored by the people of Sunagakure, you should investigate this matter thoroughly, don't you think?"

"Then take the opportunity to strip them of their power?" Temari understood what Uchiha Touko meant, but still asked with some doubt.

“If it were really that easy to strip them of their power, your father would have sent them back to retire long ago,” Uchiha Touko said, shaking his head. “Even if Shi Yixi Yue really had some kind of deal with these two old guys, they could easily explain it away and pin the blame on Shi Yixi Yue.”

“So,” Uchiha Touko said meaningfully, “what you need to do is set up a special task force to investigate this matter thoroughly, and then investigate it until the very end…”

Chapter 244 The Dust Settles

In fact, given the current situation in Sunagakure, the best option at this time would be to exchange some benefits with Chiyo and Ebizo, and then stabilize the situation.

Using the forbidden puppet technique of Shi Yixi Yue to attack the two now is not a good choice. With Sunagakure's finances in dire straits, letting the situation continue to develop out of control could easily lead to the entire village exploding.

But as I said before, Uchiha Tokō wasn't really there to govern Sunagakure. Temari's goal was to become Kazekage, so naturally, she wanted to do it as quickly as possible.

As for what to do if Sunagakure explodes? That's something the Kazekage should worry about. What does it have to do with him, the Hokage?

Before long, Temari in the Kazekage's office was greeted by the arrival of Chiyo and Ebizo.

Ebizo barged into the Kazekage's office, and when he saw Temari swaggering into the Kazekage's office chair, he was immediately enraged and reprimanded her, "Temari, do you know what you're doing? This is not a seat for you!"

"He, Shi Yixi, a madman who knows the village's ban on puppetry, still insists on sitting in this seat, but I, the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage and the Sand Village Princess whom the villagers all hope for, cannot sit here?" After hearing Uchiha Touko's plan, Temari, who was already prepared to confront the two elders, faced Ebizo's questioning without the slightest fear and leaned back in the Kazekage's office chair to say this directly.

"You!" Ebizo was furious that Temari would show him no respect at all. Fortunately, Chiyo stepped forward and made Ebizo step back, then came to Temari's side.

"Temari, where is the Kazekage?" Chiyo asked expressionlessly.

“Elder Chiyo, please watch your wording. It’s the former Kazekage, a potential rogue ninja who has violated the Sand Village’s prohibitions, Ishiichi Seigaku.” Temari corrected Chiyo’s choice of words. In the scheme devised for her by Uchiha Touko, pinning down Ishiichi Seigaku’s crimes and leaving him no chance to recover was an indispensable part. “He is currently being investigated and interrogated by the Jonin team. I believe that soon, the truth about his involvement in the Sand Village’s forbidden puppet technique will come to light.”

"Temari! Watch your position. Don't be fooled by the fact that you are the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage. According to the village's ninja organization, you are just an ordinary Jonin! Even if the Acting Kazekage is guilty, it's not your place to judge him! Who gave you the authority to lead people to storm the Kazekage building and imprison the Acting Kazekage?" Chiyo frowned as she looked at Temari sitting in the Kazekage's office chair and questioned her.

"This is naturally a collective decision made by all the colleagues in the Sand Village Jonin Team." Temari stood up, leaned slightly forward, and placed her hands on the desk, speaking firmly, "The Jonin Team has the right to supervise the Kage of a village, especially since it is a substitute Kazekage forcibly appointed by two elders, bypassing the entire Jonin Team. That's why we acted decisively after discovering the evidence of Ishiichi Seigaku's research into forbidden techniques! As members of Sand Village, all of us in the Jonin Team cannot allow Ishiichi Seigaku, who has tarnished the Will of the Wind and the glory of the Kazekage's hat, to continue sitting in this office!"

As soon as Temari finished speaking, the atmosphere in the Kazekage's office became extremely tense.

Chiyo and Ebizo took a deep breath. Their process of pushing Ishii Nishigaku to the top yesterday was indeed a bit too hasty. The main reason why the Jonin team did not stand up to oppose it yesterday was because Temari's safety was still uncertain. With Temari's life hanging in the balance, these former subordinates of the Fourth Kazekage would naturally have concerns. After all, if they stood up to oppose it directly, they would inevitably face the most severe retribution once Temari could not return to the village and Ishii Nishigaku took the throne.

That's why Chiyo and Ebizo faced so little resistance yesterday when they pushed Ishii Seigaku to become the acting Kazekage. But now that Temari has returned, the former members of the Fourth Kazekage, who now have a leader, will naturally not give up the position of Kazekage so easily. What's even more unacceptable is that Ishii Seigaku, that idiot, has given the other side a handle to use against him!

“However, no matter what, your attack on the Kazekage Building will unsettle the villagers,” Chiyo said, trying to put pressure on Temari from another angle. “Have you not considered the current situation of the village?”

"So that's what the elders think?" Temari snorted. "But I think that if Shi Yixi's crimes hadn't been exposed, and his actions had only come to light after he became the village's leader, the damage to the villagers' morale would have been far more immeasurable."

"Furthermore," Temari said, meeting Chiyo's gaze with a meaningful look, "I wonder how Shiichi Niisharu, this former puppet-like elite Jonin, came into contact with the Puppet Technique, a forbidden technique among the sealing arts that has been sealed within the village for many years? Elder Chiyo, as the number one puppeteer of Sunagakure, do you have any clues?"

"I know nothing about this matter." A hint of panic flashed across Granny Chiyo's eyes, but her years of experience allowed her to hide it well.

"Hehe," Temari chuckled easily at this moment, "I'm sorry, Elder Chiyo, I was overthinking it. I knew it. A highly respected elder like you who has dedicated your life to Sunagakure would naturally not get involved in these matters."

Chiyo looked at Temari in silence for a long time before finally speaking: "So, what do you think should be done about this? You should know how terrible the consequences would be if the fact that Shi Yixi Yue touched a forbidden technique were exposed."

"Of course, that's why I didn't reveal Shi Yixi Yue's crimes just now. However, given the potentially serious consequences of this matter, the Jonin team, after joint research, decided to establish a special task force to investigate this case and get to the bottom of everything."

"You—" Granny Chiyo took a deep breath. Only now did she realize that the rhythm of this conversation had unknowingly fallen into Temari's hands. This girl's father had once taken power from Sunagakure little by little, just like this.

Temari has already gained momentum, and after today's events, there are few obstacles to her becoming the Fifth Kazekage.

In fact, according to their original plan, the two elders intended to temper Temari's temperament, divide up Rasa's former power, and then push her to the position of the Fifth Kazekage. At that time, the two of them could also take the opportunity to obtain considerable power and become the supreme rulers of Sunagakure.

However, after Temari and Gaara were taken away by that unknown Jinchuriki yesterday, they originally thought that Temari and Gaara would not return, so they pushed Ishii Nishigaku out to stabilize the situation. But who knew that Temari not only returned, but also changed completely after returning. She seized power with swift and decisive means, turning the situation in Sunagakure into what it is now.

Now that Temari has completely taken over Rasa's former power and forcibly overthrown Ishiichi Seigaku, those forces in the village who were still observing will likely side with her after today because of her strength. In this way, their plans will completely fall into vain. Now, let alone being the supreme rulers of Sunagakure, she and Ebizo are lucky if they can even retain the power they had during Rasa's reign, given Temari's political skills that surpass even her predecessors.

"I think, given the village's current situation, it's best to play it safe as much as possible," Chiyo said calmly after taking a deep breath.

“That’s right, the village can’t withstand any more turmoil.” At this moment, Ebizo also said from the side, “We will hold another Jonin meeting in a couple of days to officially determine your position as the Fifth Hokage.”

Through the communication snake hidden in Temari's ninja tool pouch, after hearing the words of these two old bastards, a regretful expression appeared on their faces. Were these two old bastards already preparing to back down? It seems that in the matter of Shi Yixi Yue, perhaps because of the urgency of the situation, the two old bastards did not clean up their mess very well and could not withstand scrutiny.

Therefore, they have no choice but to back down now, otherwise if Temari really finds out something, it will be really difficult to handle the situation.

"It's a pity we won't be able to see the explosion of Sunagakure." In the Hokage's office, Uchiha Touko shook his head with some regret, then brewed some tea.

"Do the two elders intend to just watch the evil lurking in the village continue to fester?" Temari pressed her advantage.

“That can’t be calculated like that.” Ebizo wiped the sweat from his forehead, his attitude no longer as forceful as before. “Now that we’ve discovered the clues, we should naturally eradicate the evils hidden in the village one by one, but that will have to wait until the situation in the village stabilizes.”

“What the two elders say makes sense,” Temari nodded. “Now that the village’s Jinchuriki is missing, we must also start searching for the One-Tailed Beast as soon as possible. However, if we can find the One-Tailed Beast, do the two elders have any recommendations for a new Jinchuriki?”

Upon hearing this, Chiyo sighed inwardly. She knew that this was Temari's offer to leniently handle the matter of Ishiichi Seigaku.

"Given the current situation, if Gaara is safe and sound, I think it's best to let him continue as the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast. After all, the village needs to prioritize stability right now." Chiyo mentioned the word "stability" again at this point.

“This isn’t a good idea. Gaara has already gone berserk twice, and each time he caused huge losses to the village. My father, the Fourth Hokage, also died during the Tailed Beast’s rampage. If we let him continue to be the Jinchuriki, what if he goes berserk again? Although I am Gaara’s older sister, I think we need to reconsider this matter,” Temari said.

This was also one of the details that Uchiha Touko taught her. If she became Kazekage, it would be best if someone else proposed a solution for dealing with Gaara. Originally, Temari had planned to have Baki persuade him, but now that she had the opportunity to have these two elders speak for themselves, Temari did not want to let it go.

Chiyo sighed upon seeing this. Temari, like her father, really didn't want to get involved in any issues. When she sealed the One-Tailed Beast into Gaara, Rasa had also subtly hinted at it. Although Rasa really wanted to control the Jinchuriki, he held a long meeting to discuss the final choice of the Jinchuriki.

At the time, Rasa repeatedly declined, but in the end, the One-Tailed Beast was sealed inside Gaara's body. As a result, Rasa left an image in the village of sacrificing his own family for the benefit of the village after struggling repeatedly. He decided to sacrifice his youngest son for the greater good. This earned Rasa a lot of prestige.

[Well, it's alright. This child has matured quite a bit now. It's not a bad thing that she resembles her father; at least the village will be maintained under her care.]

Chiyo sighed inwardly, then spoke:

“Didn’t we already say that what the village needs right now is stability? If the One-Tailed Beast can be retrieved and Gaara continues to serve as its jinchūriki, although there is a possibility that the tailed beast might go berserk, if we rashly change the jinchūriki, it is almost certain that the One-Tailed Beast will take the opportunity to cause trouble during the process of extracting and resealing the tailed beast,” Chiyo said. “Therefore, we think it’s best to keep things as they are.”

“Alright, since both elders have said so, let’s do it that way.” Temari nodded.

After the two elders relented, the farcical martial law in Sunagakure finally came to a complete end.

The country of ghosts.

After resting for a night and replenishing their energy, Sasuke and Neji, along with Shion, embarked on their journey to the sealed land of the demon.

Although Shion seemed reluctant to go along, repeatedly reminding the others of the prophetic visions he had seen before setting off, Sasuke ignored them all.

Neji, as the leader of the mission team, couldn't help but put pressure on Ashiho, the priestess guard who was traveling with them, after Shion repeated the prophetic scenes she had seen several times:

"Are you from the Land of Demons just making fun of Konoha?" Neji said with a frosty expression. "You were the ones who issued the mission to Konoha, but now you're making excuses. After this mission is over, I will report your performance to the Hokage. We will also re-evaluate any future requests from your country."

"Hey, how can you be so ungrateful?" Ziyuan couldn't help but say at this moment. "I reminded you because I wanted to save your companion's life."

"Heh, thank you for your kindness, Miss Shrine Maiden, but as ninjas, we never believe in such unfounded things," Sasuke said coldly.

Chapter 245 The female imp priestess deserves to be brutally murdered!

"I just don't understand. The samurai of the Land of Demons are willing to die for me because I am their lord, but why do you ninjas of Konoha still insist on going your own way?" Shion asked Sasuke, who had a cold face, with a puzzled look.

However, the next second, Zidian was already around her neck.

Seeing the blade so close at hand, Shion swallowed hard, her face filled with fear as she looked at Sasuke, whose face was as cold as ice. Sasuke's killing intent was released without reservation, and Shion watched helplessly as Sasuke's eyes gradually turned red, and then three pairs of tomoe appeared one by one.

Under this mountain-like pressure, Shion wanted to say something, but she was shocked to find that under Sasuke's killing intent, she couldn't even speak.

"Since your prophecy is so accurate, Miss Shrine Maiden, then why not predict whether you will die by my hand?" Sasuke spoke slowly, his voice as cold as frost.

"Ninja-sama, please calm down." At this moment, Shion's guard, Ashiho, hurriedly stepped forward to persuade her.

"Hehe, just kidding." Sasuke smiled slightly after hearing Azusa's words, and sheathed his Purple Lightning sword. His frost-like killing intent vanished in an instant.

Having survived the ordeal, Shion gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently. She looked up at Sasuke, her mouth opening and closing several times, but ultimately, out of fear, she said nothing.

“However, there is one thing I must correct you on, Miss Shrine Maiden,” Sasuke said slowly. “I have no interest in dying in your place. The reason I insisted on this mission is because I am going to be Hokage in the future, so my mission record cannot have any blemishes. Since I have already accepted this mission, even if you do not cooperate, I will still tie you up and take you to the Land of Swamps to complete the seal.”

"Alright, Karin, Sakura, it might be easier for you two girls. Please, Miss Shrine Maiden, come with us." At this moment, Neji, as the squad leader of this mission, also gave the order.

Sakura and Karin approached Shion from the left and right respectively. Karin said expressionlessly, "Please, shrine maiden."

Judging from their posture, if Ziyuan didn't cooperate, they would probably just tie her up and take her away.

For Karin, this was her first S-rank mission in her ninja career, and she didn't want to suffer such a major setback right at the beginning. As for Sakura, Shion's dawdling was also very annoying, and she wanted to finish the mission as soon as possible and go back to study medical books.

The group's actions made Shion's companion, Ashiho, feel a little ashamed.

When did the ninjas of Konoha become like this?

In the past, the official government of the Land of Demons had hired Konoha ninjas before. After all, compared to Iwagakure, Konoha's reputation was undoubtedly more trustworthy. For the officials of these small countries, Konoha was a better partner. However, back then, Konoha ninjas were nothing like Sasuke and his group. They almost kidnapped their employers to complete their missions. If it weren't for the five people in front of him wearing Konoha headbands, Ashiho would have suspected that they were from some yakuza organization in the ninja world.

And so the group set off toward the Swamp Country, where the body of the demon was sealed.

Although there was a slight unpleasantness at the start of the journey, the group did not relax their protection of Shion at all. Neji and Karin took turns using their Byakugan and Kagura's Mind's Eye to detect their surroundings.

The first day passed in the blink of an eye. After the sun set, Neji chose a suitable place as their campsite, and the others took turns keeping watch.

In the dead of night, Sasuke, carrying Zidian, sat on a tree branch not far from the others, his eyes slightly closed and his ears twitching, listening to the sounds around him and guarding against any potential enemies.

However, not long after, Ziyuan, who had been sleeping under the protection of everyone, suddenly woke up with a look of fear on her face, and her hair was already soaked with cold sweat.

"Lady Shion, how are you?" Shiho, who was her personal bodyguard, was also awakened by the commotion and quickly went over to her.

"Ashiho." After recovering, Shion looked at the person who had protected her since childhood, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly said, "You don't need to participate in this mission. You can go back first."

Upon hearing Shion's words, Ashiho was taken aback at first, then reacted and asked in a low voice, "Did you see something again?"

“Yes.” Ziyuan nodded. “So, you should go back first.”

"Lady Shion, if this is my fate, then there's no use in trying to escape," Ashiho said with a calm smile.

"I told you to go back now, didn't you hear me?" Shion lost her temper after hearing Azusa's words and shouted, "It's one thing for these ninjas not to listen to me, but are you going to disobey my orders too?"