Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

Chapter 298 Mei Terumi, you don't want this either.

Mei Terumi snapped out of her daze. Realizing her predicament, her ninja instincts kicked in, and she began gathering all the information she could find in her surroundings.

[There's no smell of sea breeze, so is this no longer the land of water? And with these vast fields of farmland, is this the land of fire?]

Seeing this, Mei Terumi felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. As a prisoner, she had been sent to the heart of an enemy country. Could she possibly have a good ending?

But now, with her hands and feet bound and her chakra sealed, she couldn't even commit suicide. She could only helplessly lean against the prison van and follow it into the unknown future.

Soon, Mei Terumi was taken to Konoha Village and imprisoned. However, to Mei Terumi's surprise, the first person she saw after arriving in Konoha was a pink-haired girl wearing a white coat and leading a group of children. The girl's features looked very delicate, but her heavy dark circles and large forehead exposed by her receding hairline completely ruined the beauty.

After the girl arrived, she immediately began to treat his wounds.

"Look closely, this patient has a penetrating wound. Although the medical ninjas on the front lines have already given him some basic treatment, this temporary approach is not suitable for his future recovery. Therefore, he needs further treatment from the medical ninjas in the rear. The situation in the war has eased somewhat, and a large number of similar wounded soldiers will be sent back to the village during this period. You all need to study this carefully."

"Yes, Ms. Sakura!" the students behind them replied in unison.

"Hey...you!" Mei Terumi was about to speak when Sakura pushed her down onto the hospital bed.

[Where does this little girl get such strength?] Terumi tried to struggle, but found that she was completely powerless against Sakura.

Soon, Mei Terumi fell into a coma under the influence of the anesthetic. When she woke up again in a daze, she found that her wounds had been properly treated. The medical ninja who did it was very skilled in the Palm Healing Technique, and there wasn't even a scar left.

Mei Terumi then discovered that she was not in the prison she had imagined, but in a beautifully furnished room. Apart from the chakra seal on her body, all the restraints on her body had been removed.

Terumi Mei wanted to scout out her surroundings, but as soon as she opened the door, she saw two fully armed ninja guards. Normally, Terumi Mei could have tried to deal with them and escape, but now that her chakra was sealed, she was helpless against these guards who looked quite strong. Not to mention, their combat uniforms were embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest.

"You're awake." One of the Uchiha clan members guarding Mei Terumi said upon seeing this, "Please wait a moment. The Hokage said to report to him as soon as you wake up."

After saying that, the Uchiha clan member picked up the walkie-talkie and said a few words.

Before long, Uchiha Inahime arrived. After gesturing for the two clansmen to leave, she said, "Miss Terumi Mei, the Hokage requests your presence."

"What does Uchiha Touko want with me?" Mei Terumi asked coldly.

"Miss Mei Terumi, please watch your words and don't address the Hokage by his given name directly," Uchiha Inaho said, her eyes turning cold.

"Hmph, lead the way," Mei Terumi said with a cold snort.

Soon, Mei Terumi was taken to the Hokage's office by Inahi Uchiha. Only then did Mei Terumi realize that she seemed to have been in the Hokage building the whole time.

"Lord Hokage, Mei Terumi has arrived," Uchiha Inahi said respectfully outside the office.

"Come in." Uchiha Touko's voice rang out from inside the door, while Uchiha Inahisa waited by the door, gesturing for Terumi Mei to enter.

Mei Terumi snorted coldly and then pushed open the door to her office.

The first thing that caught Mei Terumi's eye was a calligraphy scroll with the four characters "政清和人和" (meaning "peaceful government and harmonious people"), placed on a sword rack directly below the characters. The sword that Kirigakure once hated and feared the most lay there quietly.

Not far away, on a desk, Uchiha Touko was flipping through some documents one by one, while there were also many papers covered with writing scattered on the desk.

[Wait a minute, why do these documents look so familiar?] The more Mei Terumi looked at the papers in Uchiha Touko's hand, the more familiar they seemed. Upon closer inspection, she realized that these were the notes she had made when she was studying Uchiha Touko's intentions.

Almost instantly, Mei Terumi's face flushed red and then turned pale. Her notes on studying other people's intentions had been discovered by the people themselves. Was there anything more horrible than this?

“Miss Terumi Mei seems to enjoy studying me.” At this moment, Uchiha Touko put down his notebook, looked up at her with a half-smile, and said, “To be honest, even I didn’t know that some of my actions sometimes had such a deep purpose.”

"I just want to find your weakness and then kill you," Mei Terumi said through gritted teeth.

Uchiha Touko didn't care about Terumi Mei's stubbornness and offense, and said to himself, "You want to find a way to save your Kirigakure by following my behavior, right? But unfortunately, those who learn from me live, and those who imitate me die. If you just follow my example, you will only lead your people further and further astray."

Mei Terumi's expression shifted several times, from initially gritting her teeth and trying to argue her point, to finally bowing her head in resignation and remaining silent. Uchiha Touko was right; she had indeed led her Kirigakure comrades further astray, and her comrades fell one by one in the battle, even she herself had become a prisoner.

"Is the Hokage trying to humiliate me by saying all this to my face? If so, you might as well just kill me." Mei Terumi remained silent for a while before raising her head and speaking.

“How could that be?” Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh. “After the war is over, I’d like you to help develop the Land of Water.”

"You want me to help develop the Land of Water?" Mei Terumi wondered if she had misheard. "Takagi Seiwan is already your dog. Haven't you already been able to manipulate our Land of Water at will?"

"Hehe, Miss Terumi Mei, what kind of person do you think Takagi Seiman is?" Uchiha Touko asked with a smile.

"Do you need to ask me who Takagi Seiman is?" Terumi Mei sneered. "A traitor with no bottom line, who would even betray his own country and his own people for his own benefit."

“That’s settled then,” Uchiha Touko smiled and shrugged. “I used to support him because he would sell the interests of your Kirigakure and the Land of Water to me, but now that the Land of Water is under my control, if I use him again, he will be selling my Land of Water.”

Mei Terumi was rendered speechless by Touko Uchiha's reasoning.

“The people of the Land of Water are already exhausted after the mismanagement of the previous generations of Mizukage and Daimyo. There is still a long way to go to restore their livelihoods. The policies I formulate in the future must be implemented by someone familiar with the Land of Water,” said Uchiha Touko.

"Why is that person me?" Mei Terumi asked, puzzled.

"Of course it's because you love that land enough, and the people who live on it." Uchiha Touko had a slight smile on his face, but to Terumi Mei, it was nothing short of the devil's whisper. "Ms. Terumi Mei, you don't want the people of your country to continue living in misery, do you?"

Mei Terumi left the Hokage's office with unknown feelings, but at the same time, in a secret room in Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village).

Beside the heavy stone table, in the dim light, Onoki's short body floated on a specially made chair, his hands crossed and his chin resting on them. The Fourth Raikage, A, stood like an iron tower, his arms crossed, his face filled with barely suppressed anger and impatience.

After a long silence, Ai slammed his fist on the heavy stone table, producing a dull thud and sending stone chips flying: "Damn it! Tsuchikage! We've sent out the elite forces from both villages, and we still suffered such a crushing defeat at the hands of Konoha!"

Onoki slowly raised his eyelids and spoke in a low, hoarse voice: "Hmph... Raikage, anger won't solve anything. I've lived for so long and I've suffered defeats before, but this time... it's truly different. It seems we have no chance of winning. Konoha is not what it was during the last Shinobi World War."

"Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?" Ai snorted and said, "Old man, stop beating around the bush! You didn't call me here to listen to your lamentations, did you? Tell me, what's your plan? As long as we can get rid of that guy, my Hidden Cloud Village is willing to pay the price!" Ai said.

After a moment of contemplation, Onoki's lips curled into a cold smile, and his voice lowered even further: "The price? Right now, there is an excellent opportunity for us to join forces 'legitimately' and eliminate this major threat at the lowest possible cost."

Upon hearing this, Ai frowned, his face filled with doubt.

Onoki nodded slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "Let's hold the Five Kage Summit. Uchiha Tokō has just won a great battle and his prestige is at its peak. This is the time when he is most complacent and most likely to let his guard down. He will definitely attend in person and take advantage of the victory to ask us for benefits. The Land of Iron is neutral and has limited protection... This is our only chance."

Ai grinned maliciously, his Lightning Release chakra unconsciously coursing through his body, making a sizzling sound: "Old man, have you finally made up your mind? I told you long ago, no matter how strange his eyes are, as long as your Dust Release can break through his Susanoo's shell, my One-Piercing Hand can pierce his heart."

Onoki let out a long sigh: "Don't underestimate him, Raikage! Even if the two of us join forces, I only have a 50% chance of winning. At the same time, we need to arrange for the elite ANBU from our two villages to disguise themselves as guards or servants of the Land of Iron to create chaos outside the venue and snipe his guard captain and those troublesome brats as soon as possible! Inside the venue, only the two of us will be left to do the work. Everyone else... is just a burden!"

A fierce fighting spirit and killing intent ignited in Ai's eyes: "Good! A pincer attack from both inside and outside! Old man, let's do it this way! After it's done, Konoha will be leaderless, and then we can..."

Upon hearing this, Onoki immediately raised his hand to stop A from continuing: "Raikage! Be careful what you say! We are only talking about 'eliminating the scourge' right now, nothing else! We are doing this for the 'balance' and 'safety' of the ninja world. Remember, this is just an accident, a legitimate act of self-defense against the ruthless Hokage who threatens the peace of the ninja world."

Ai snorted heavily, but understood Onoki's meaning. He suppressed his desire to discuss other interests and said, "Hmph! I understand! For the sake of peace in the ninja world... I'll play along with you this time! Uchiha Tokō... I've reserved his head! But, old man, what about the Land of Iron? Those samurai always claim to be neutral, so it won't be easy for us to place our people among them."

Onoki slowly descended from the hover chair: "Everything Konoha has done in the Land of Water has exposed their ambitions. Mifune should be able to see that Uchiha Toko is aiming to destroy other countries in the ninja world. Under these circumstances, can he still maintain a neutral stance?"

“That’s true.” Raikage nodded. “Well then, old man, see you at the Five Kage Summit.”

Soon, Uchiha Tokō received an invitation to the Five Kage Summit from the Land of Iron. Upon seeing the invitation, Uchiha Tokō coldly threw it on the table, saying, "This invitation is a bad invitation indeed."

However, Uchiha Touko still summoned Uchiha Inahisa and asked him to prepare the Hokage's ceremonial procession and to notify Neji, who was recuperating in the village, to come over and serve as the captain of his Shadow Guard this time.

In this respect, Uchiha Tokō is undoubtedly an anomaly among the Hokage of all time. Even someone as strong as Senju Hashirama had a Shadow Guard, but Uchiha Tokō, after becoming the Fifth Hokage, never established his own Shadow Guard. When he went to visit Iwagakure before, he simply used the Shadow Guard left behind by the Fourth Hokage to temporarily fill the gap.

Uchiha Touko didn't intend to rely on the Shadow Guard for anything. After all, the Shadow Guard he was temporarily forming would probably still need his protection if anyone other than Neji encountered any trouble. However, since it was a formal occasion like the Five Kage Summit, he, as the Hokage, should put on a show of respect.

Soon, Uchiha Inahisa made the arrangements. However, Kakashi and other high-ranking officials of Konoha approached them at this time and expressed their opposition to Uchiha Touko's plan to go to the Land of Iron.

Kakashi bluntly stated, "Given A and Onoki's reputation for requiring a deposit even to borrow a lighter, I don't believe they're not up to something."

Chapter 299 May you die because of your clumsy genjutsu skills, Uchiha Tokō!

“I know what you’re worried about,” Uchiha Touko smiled helplessly as he looked at the group of village leaders gathered in his office. “With my strength, they can’t do anything to me.”

"Lord Hokage, we are not questioning your strength," Fugaku Uchiha said from the side, "but who knows what kind of conspiracy Onoki and A have in store for you? To be frank, don't forget how the Second Hokage died."

Hidden in the shadows of the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju: ...

Although he wanted to dissuade Uchiha Tokō from taking risks, he still couldn't quite hold back when he heard Uchiha Fugaku use him as an example.

“Of course I know there might be an ambush here, but this is also a good opportunity to end the war directly,” Uchiha Touko said. “The current progress of the war is still too slow, and we don’t have enough time.”

"Are you in such a hurry?" Kakashi asked.

“If possible, I would even like to end the war today. The enemy that appeared on the battlefield in the Land of Earth that day was an extremely difficult opponent. We cannot waste our current strength on internal strife within the ninja world,” said Uchiha Touko.

"So, Lord Hokage, are you planning to negotiate with them?" Inuzuka Kotetsu asked.

"We can talk if they want to, but if they want to fight, then Konoha is ready to fight to the bitter end," said Uchiha Touko.

……

A day later, Uchiha Touko and his hastily formed Shadow Guard embarked on their journey to the Land of Iron.

His Shadow Guard, led by the recovered Neji, is probably the youngest in terms of average age among all the Hokage. In this Shadow Guard, all 12 Konoha members except for the original Team 7 are present. Naruto is still wandering around the ninja world, Sasuke is still traveling in the heart of the Land of Lightning, and as for Sakura, with Tsunade and Shizune each in charge of a field hospital on a battlefield, the task of training medical students in the village falls on her frail shoulders.

Following Uchiha Touko's instructions, the group did not choose to travel quickly, but instead took their time traveling by carriage towards the Land of Iron. Regardless of the other party's motives, this approach would put immense pressure on them. After all, Konoha currently held the upper hand on the battlefield, and the longer Uchiha Touko dragged things out if they wanted to negotiate, the greater the pressure on them would be.

Of course, the same applies if this is a trap. You should know that when you ambush someone, especially an enemy who is stronger than you, the psychological pressure on the ambush party will increase as time goes by.

Five days later, Uchiha Tokō's Hokage chariot, carrying a full ceremonial procession, arrived at the border of the Land of Iron. As soon as they arrived, the border was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and hundreds of samurai dressed in their most formal ceremonial armor lined up to welcome Uchiha Tokō's convoy.

"The chakra fluctuations are unusually high; this shouldn't be an ordinary samurai," Karin warned from within the mental space constructed using the Yamanaka clan's secret technique.

"The shape and location of the calluses on their hands don't look like those of samurai who hold swords all year round. Instead, they look more like the calluses that grow on hands that hold kunai and ninja swords," Hinata said at this moment.

"This is troublesome. In other words, they're up to no good," Shikamaru said.

"Hehe, now we are the ones who have arrived," Neji said, while also getting ready.

"Your Excellency, Grand Minister of the Land of Fire, welcome to the Land of Iron. I am Kawamura Teruyuki, the Left Minister of the Land of Iron. My Lord Daimyo of the Land of Iron has prepared a banquet in the castle ahead. I humbly request Your Excellency to attend."

"Oh? A banquet hosted by the Daimyo?" Uchiha Touko keenly noticed that the other party was inviting him, the Grand Minister of Fire, not the Hokage. In other words, this was an invitation for him to attend the banquet alone.

"Even Mifune is involved with them? Is it our actions of annexing the Land of Water that made him uneasy?" Uchiha Touko thought to himself, but he still nodded without changing his expression.

However, this is just right. If the Land of Iron continues to remain neutral, then Uchiha Touko would have to bear some pressure from public opinion in the ninja world if he wanted to take action against the Land of Iron. After the war, it would also take a lot of time and effort to directly bring the craftsmen of the Land of Iron under his control. But now that Mifune has given up his neutrality, then he can't be blamed.

“Since it is His Highness the Daimyo who has invited me, then I will accept the invitation without hesitation,” Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

After Uchiha Touko finished speaking, he followed the other person's footsteps. Neji and the others saw this and were about to follow, but at this moment, the Left Minister of the Land of Iron named Kawamura Teruyu blocked their way. He then turned to Uchiha Touko and said, "Your Excellency, the banquet is attended by civil officials. Would you mind having your Shadow Guard wait a moment? Of course, His Majesty the Daimyo has also prepared a fine feast for them."

"Is it just a banquet for civil officials?" Uchiha Touko nodded, then looked at Neji, "Then you can all go over there for the banquet."

"Teacher?" Neji frowned upon hearing this, but after seeing Uchiha Touko's reassuring look, he said nothing more and followed the rest of the Shadow Guard.

"Wait a minute." Uchiha Touko suddenly called out to Neji.

"Could you please keep my sword for me for now?" Uchiha Touko tossed the Swift Lightning sword at his waist to Neji, then looked at Kawamura Teruyuki and chuckled, "After all, it's a daimyo's banquet, so it would be a bit impolite for me to bring my sword, wouldn't it, Minister of the Left?"

"It's wonderful that you think that way, Grand Minister of State." A fleeting hint of joy crossed Kawamura Teruyuki's face, but he quickly concealed it.

Uchiha Tokō swaggered in with Kawamura Teruyuki to the castle lord's mansion. When Uchiha Tokō arrived, Mifune was already waiting at the door.

"Hehe, thank you for gracing us with your presence, Grand Minister of State," Mifune said with a smile.

“Since His Highness the Daimyo has invited me, I naturally have no reason not to come,” Uchiha Touko replied with a smile.

"Grand Minister of State, please!"