Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"...It's okay, Lao Lan, I've made up my mind."

Zheng Jing smiled at Aizen, then slightly raised the tip of his staff, looking down at Uchiha Itachi.

"Kid, you really should kowtow to Kirei."

Before Itachi could even think about who Kirei was, the stick Zheng Jing had just raised landed on Itachi's shoulder.

"Well?!"

The sudden, heavy pressure from his shoulder spread throughout his body in an instant, catching the unsettled Itachi completely off guard.

He stumbled and knelt on one knee.

"Kneel properly."

The pressure intensified, forcing him to kneel down completely.

"Kid, I'll give you two choices."

Zheng Jing crouched down, his golden eyes fixed on Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.

"First, let him take a beating from me, Old Zheng, now. The sooner he dies, the sooner he'll be free from trouble."

"Secondly, stay by my side, Old Zheng, and cultivate yourself honestly. When the time comes, I will release you back home."

"Of course, you can try your kaleidoscope again. If that doesn't work, you can even use the Kotoamatsukami that your brother Shisui entrusted to you. But let me make this clear: for someone like you, I, Old Zheng, only offer my prayers once."

Itachi lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and remained silent for a moment before letting out a hoarse sound.

"I...choose option two..."

"to make."

Zheng Jing put away the stick.

The heavy pressure on his body suddenly dissipated, allowing Itachi to catch his breath.

Then, a ball of rope was thrown into his arms.

Itachi looked at the rope with a slightly bewildered expression.

"What are you standing there for? Start tying them up!"

As he spoke, Zheng Jing picked up another member of the secret service, whose limbs were bound together, and walked towards the woods by the official road.

"..."

Looking at the rope in his hand and then at his teammates who were still unable to move, Itachi was momentarily dazed.

Having been immobilized by Zheng Jing's spell, Itachi knew very well that although his teammates couldn't move, their minds were absolutely clear.

In other words, his teammates heard every word Zheng Jing said to him.

And just a moment ago...

He even had the idea of ​​silencing them.

It really only lasted a moment.

But when Itachi realized what had happened in that instant, he felt a chill run down his spine.

...So, after you have actually killed your father, mother, and exterminated your clan and relatives, what kind of torment will you feel when you think back on it?

He shook his head violently, then began to tie up his teammates.

The three of them worked together, and soon all seven members of the secret service were hanging from the tree.

"Good good."

Zheng Jing patted Kakuzu on the shoulder with satisfaction and laughed as he watched several Anbu members being tied up and hung on the tree using his own method.

"Little Duzi, this is what they call learning until you're old."

Kakuzu glanced at Zheng Jing.

He remained silent, and it seems he had no objection to no longer being addressed as "Old Deng" or "Old Boy."

"Come on, everyone, come here. We need to hurry on our way."

Upon hearing this, Itachi focused his attention.

He couldn't help but pay attention to the mysterious Zheng Jing's sudden appearance in the Land of Fire, wondering what his purpose was.

"On the move? Where to?"

Kakuzu asked.

"A question you already know the answer to."

While taking Urahara A-Meng's magical gadgets out of his backpack, Zheng Jing replied with a grin.

"Of course, Konoha."

Chapter 180: Oh no, Fourth Generation! A monk has broken in!

That's about it.

Sitting cross-legged on the flying carpet, Zheng Jing gave Aizen a general explanation of the ins and outs of the ill-fated relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

Kakuzu listened with great interest.

Although he lived a long time, he knew very little about these "family scandals" of Konoha.

"Kid, anything to add?"

Zheng Jing looked at Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi lowered his eyes, avoiding Zheng Jing's gaze, and remained silent.

"It seems there are no omissions or deviations."

Kakuzu, who was listening to the gossip with his arms crossed, first looked at Itachi, then glanced at Zheng Jing.

He became increasingly curious about Zheng Jing's identity.

Who exactly is this person who knows so much about these family scandals that Konoha would never want to air?

Monster slayer, huh...?

Unlike Kakuzu, Aizen seemed completely unconcerned about why Zheng Jing knew so much about the past between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

"So, Lao Lan, what's your opinion?"

Hearing Zheng Jing's question, he smiled and asked in return, "Old Zheng, do you really want to help him?"

“I’ve already taken care of Qili, so one more won’t make a difference.”

Zheng Jing muttered something, then took Aizen's hand.

"Aizen Aizen! Help me!"

"You..."

Shaking his head helplessly, Aizen adjusted his glasses.

"I have three strategies here: superior, middle, and inferior."

"That's amazing?"

Zheng Jing gasped.

Even Itachi secretly glanced at Aizen, who was smiling confidently.

"Quickly! Tell me, what methods do you have?"

Zheng Jing moved a few steps closer to Lao Lan.

"The worst option is to have the entire Uchiha clan relocate and leave Konoha. The difficulty lies in persuading the Uchiha leadership and potentially provoking Konoha to break off relations and directly attack the Uchiha clan. However, with the Kotoamatsukami that you mentioned, Old Zheng, and your own power, both of these problems can be solved."

As for how the Uchiha clan will establish themselves in the ninja world after leaving a major ninja village like Konoha, that is irrelevant to the main issue at hand.

This is a poor strategy.

"The middle strategy is to explain the advantages and disadvantages, and persuade the Uchiha clan to voluntarily relinquish their power in the police force and transform into businesses. They can even use their peripheral clan territories as a base and make real estate their main business in the early stages of the transformation. With such a long-standing foundation, they should be able to embark on a path of rapid development once they get through the initial growing pains of the transformation."

"In addition, actively forming marriage alliances with outsiders will serve as a link to deepen our connection with the internal power structure of Konoha. With the excellent Uchiha bloodline and proper practical exchanges, after the Uchiha voluntarily relinquished their power in the police department, there will inevitably be clans in Konoha that cannot resist the temptation."

"The difficulty with this method lies in persuading the pro-war faction within the Uchiha clan. My opinion is..."

Aizen smiled and used his hand as a sword, gently swinging it downwards.

"A short pain is worse than a long one. Uchiha-kun is capable of killing his father and mother and wiping out his clan. He won't hesitate to kill some insects that are not conducive to the development of the clan."

"..."

The weasel remained sitting there quietly.

But his somewhat absent-minded eyes betrayed the fact that he was indeed thinking about something at that moment.

Zheng Jing's gaze towards Lao Lan also changed.

He scratched his cheek, stared at Lao Lan, and twisted his body from side to side.

"Hiss, Lao Lan, you know about real estate?"

Aizen smiled, raised his hand, and gently tapped his head with his fingertip.

"Thank you for sending me so many books."

"Snapped."

Zheng Jing patted his forehead.

He knew that Lao Lan loved reading, so every time he met Lao Lan, he would give him the books he had bought and piled up in his backpack.

He bought so many books that he honestly couldn't say he knew what each one was.

After all, Lao Lan accepts all comers; he'll take a look if he gives it to someone.

"Then what's the best course of action?"

Zheng Jing asked.

When he asked about the best course of action, Itachi raised his face and looked intently at Aizen.

"The best course of action..."

Aizen glanced at Itachi.

That one glance made Itachi straighten his back abruptly.

The sudden, intense chill that shot up from his tailbone made him shiver involuntarily.

Fortunately, Aizen only glanced at him once before smilingly looking back at Zheng Jing.

"Old Zheng, are you interested in establishing the first branch of Qitian Prefecture here?"

-

Minato Namikaze gave a light push with his finger, causing the gold general to take a step forward.

"Well......"

Looking at the situation on the chessboard, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe.

"Your chess skills have improved, Minato."

"Thanks to your guidance."

The Fourth Hokage, with his familiar gentle smile, bowed respectfully to the Third Hokage.

"Hehe, it's because you've worked hard enough. Good, good..."

Taking another puff, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, still gazing at the chessboard, but suddenly asked, "Minato, do you have any ideas about the Uchiha problem?"

Minato's smile vanished.

The Uchiha clan intends to rebel.

This message was placed on his desk four days ago.

The person who provided the information was an elite Jonin who had distinguished himself in the Third Shinobi World War as a mercenary and was eventually recruited into the village by the Third Hokage after the war.

He was extremely skilled in infiltration, assassination, and intelligence gathering; Minato had witnessed his prowess in these areas.

In addition, there has always been some tension between the Uchiha clan and the village...

Therefore, when that intelligence came to his desk, it meant that regardless of whether the Uchiha had any intention of rebelling, it would be put on the table.