Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

Instead, it's "The Will of Fire Heirs - by Hiruzen Sarutobi"!

Indeed, this book is a masterpiece personally written by Hiruzen Sarutobi during his reign.

"Even though the Uchiha clan is so prosperous now, in the hearts of the future generations of the village, there is still a place for me, Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Upon seeing this book, even Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback for a moment, and then a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

This book is one of his proudest masterpieces during his reign. In fact, he believed that the reason Konoha was able to win the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars was because this book embodied the hearts of countless Konoha ninjas!

"What an outstanding young man... Wait, why does this kid look so familiar!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.

If he remembered correctly, this child was none other than Fugaku Uchiha's son, Itachi Uchiha!

Good heavens, the son of the Uchiha clan patriarch is actually holding his Will of Fire and watching it with great interest. Is this kid for real?

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared wide-eyed at Itachi Uchiha inside the crystal ball. After a long while, he nodded emphatically.

It's true, absolutely true!

That fanatical expression, that gaze of faith—aren't these the inheritors of the Will of Fire in the Pure Ninja Academy, those mindless shouts of "I want to be Hokage!"?

"If I use this kid, can I find Fugaku's weakness?"

"There's an explanation! There really is an explanation!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the crystal ball, and after confirming that Fugaku was still campaigning there, his figure instantly disappeared from the Hokage's office.

……

Itachi Uchiha studied the book in his hands with a face full of admiration, deeply revering and agreeing with the Third Hokage's ideals.

Sacrifice yourself to pass on the torch to the future.

This is Konoha, this is Hokage!

"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout..."

"This means that the leaves are like flames, ever-renewing. As long as there are leaves dancing in the air, the fire will burn, the fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and new leaves will sprout. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."

The abrupt sound interrupted Itachi's thoughts. Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the robes of the Third Hokage, stepped out from behind the bushes while speaking.

Looking at the somewhat stunned Uchiha Itachi, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, appearing as approachable and harmless as an ordinary old neighbor, exuding a friendly aura.

"You must be Itachi. You've grown into a big young man in the blink of an eye. I remember holding you when you were born."

"The Third, Third Generation Lord?!"

Itachi Uchiha's face was full of excitement. Although he hadn't activated his Sharingan, his eyes shone even brighter than those of someone with Sharingan, as if he were seeing his idol.

This is not surprising.

This situation is like a fangirl who is daydreaming about her idol's work and related products one moment, and then her idol suddenly appears in front of her and greets her the next.

Some people who are not mentally strong may even faint from excitement on the spot!

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "What Third Hokage? I'm just the acting Hokage now. Just call me Grandpa Sarutobi."

Itachi's face flushed with excitement, and he even stammered, "Grandpa Sarutobi..."

Aspiration is the furthest distance from understanding, and also the easiest distance to be controlled and manipulated.

With just a few words, the relationship between the two was brought infinitely closer by Hiruzen Sarutobi. At this moment, Itachi Uchiha even felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi was closer than his own father!

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled broadly and patted Itachi's head affectionately before saying softly, "The Will of Fire is the will of the Leaf Village ninjas. It's truly remarkable that you, at your age, can read such a book."

"No la……"

Uchiha Itachi said somewhat shyly, "Actually, my father never let me read these books. He only wanted me to train and become stronger. I borrowed these books from my classmates."

"You actually found this yourself?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi is astonishing! What kind of guy has the Uchiha clan produced?!

I originally thought that the Uchiha loser who loved helping old ladies cross the street and kept shouting that he wanted to become Hokage was already a freak of the Uchiha clan a few years ago, but now an even more explosive one has emerged.

As expected, Heaven never forbids those without a path. If we make good use of this kid, he can definitely cause the Uchiha a lot of trouble!

The two talked at length about the will to ignite a fire, like close friends despite their age difference.

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke eloquently, and Itachi Uchiha was deeply moved. Chatting with Grandpa Hiruzen was like meeting a kindred spirit.

Who understands him? Grandpa Hiruzen understands him!

"Unfortunately, Konoha has been plagued by constant wars over the years, and it is no longer what it used to be. Moreover, we have a rather important matter to attend to during this time."

"Something quite important?" Itachi Uchiha showed a hint of curiosity, then his expression changed and he said seriously, "I'm sorry, Grandpa Hiruzen, it's definitely confidential. I didn't ask on purpose!"

"Hahaha, it's alright to talk to you. Only when chatting with you can this old man feel so relaxed and happy." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hands repeatedly with a casual smile on his face, but when he talked about what was going to happen next, the smile on his face gradually faded and he became serious.

"You may not know this, but Sunagakure and Kirigakure have a cooperative project that has to pass through our Land of Fire. This will not only cause enormous damage to our Land of Fire's ecological environment and impact our local commerce and construction, but it will also allow spies and agents from enemy countries to infiltrate our Land of Fire..."

"Can't we just refuse them?!" Itachi Uchiha asked anxiously.

“Indeed, Konoha could have refused, but because…” Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated, then sighed deeply, “The Hokage is not just one person’s Hokage. I need to consider the interests of the entire village. Besides, this negotiation was actually negotiated by your father and the Fourth Hokage in the Land of Iron.”

"Father?!"

Itachi Uchiha's expression changed drastically.

Chapter 181 Fugaku: "Hiruzen Sarutobi, I think you're getting senile!"

"I never expected that the Hokage would personally greet me. I am truly honored."

"Your Excellency is too kind. It is an honor for an old man like me to meet such talented young people as you."

Looking at the full moon before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face beamed with a smile as bright as a chrysanthemum: "Your Excellency has come from afar and must be tired from your journey. You must have a good time in Konoha for a couple of days!"

Acting Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted the Kirigakure delegation with a broad smile.

As the only force in the ninja world to have defeated Konoha on the main battlefield and forced Konoha to surrender and pay reparations, Kirigakure holds an extremely special position in the ninja world.

The Sand Village closed itself off from the world, the Iwagakure Rebellion occurred, the Nine-Tails Rebellion took place in Konoha, and the Cloud Village was defeated and surrendered.

Under the leadership of Mizukiyo, Kirigakure has become the undisputed number one power in the ninja world!

At this particular juncture, if Hiruzen Sarutobi can win over Kirigakure, it will undoubtedly be of great help in his succession election and in suppressing the Uchiha clan!

Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with the Hokage leadership, warmly welcomed the Kirigakure delegation led by Mangetsu. As the Hokage, he not only personally guided Mangetsu and his group to experience the local customs and culture of Konoha, but also hosted a banquet for the Kirigakure members at the Sarutobi clan's residence.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

With a slight hint of drunkenness on his face, Hozuki Mangetsu smiled broadly at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "The Hokage is truly enthusiastic, and the people of Konoha are also very hospitable and harmonious. It seems that our cooperation in the future will be very smooth."

"That's for sure. The Feng Shui alliance and the East-to-West water diversion project are good things for the country and the people, and a great benefit to the entire ninja world. As the Hokage, I will naturally give my full support if Konoha can help in this regard."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and addressed Mangetsu Hozuki, but in a corner of the Sarutobi clan's territory, a short figure stared intently at Mangetsu Hozuki, his eyes bloodshot and filled with hatred.

This person is none other than Uchiha Itachi!

As someone who personally participated in the Third Shinobi World War, although he did not clash with Kirigakure, the wounds inflicted on Konoha ninja by Kirigakure were greater than those inflicted by the other three ninja villages combined.

Higashimatsuyama, Misawa Bridge, Ooman Shirai Mining Area, Jinan Town, Kazama and Yagaya.

During the three wars, Konoha's five camps facing Kirigakure were all turned into glaciers, and the corpses of countless Konoha ninjas were buried there, never to be returned.

Now, Kirigakure is actually using its power to coerce Konoha into joining this contractual alliance that is extremely harmful to Konoha!

Uchiha Itachi clenched his fists, the words Hiruzen Sarutobi had spoken to him echoing in his mind.

"Itachi, back then, Konoha was weak in the Third Shinobi World War. In order to fight against Iwagakure and Kumogakure, we were forced to form an alliance with Kirigakure."

"Now that the war is over, Fugaku has awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan and successfully defeated the formidable Cloud Village."

"Our Konoha has finally regained the power to stand up again, but some things that have already been agreed to are not something I can refuse just because I want to."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face was filled with helplessness and bitterness, forming a stark contrast to the smiling, even somewhat obsequious, Hiruzen Sarutobi before him.

Where leaves dance in the air, the fire burns eternally, its light continuing to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout.

For the sake of Konoha, the Third Hokage was able to show such an expression, completely disregarding himself, and even sacrificing his dignity and face entirely for the sake of the entire village.

Little Itachi watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi endured humiliation and constantly smiled apologetically at the Hidden Mist ninja. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his bloodshot eyes suddenly took on a new crimson hue.

Single-tomoe Sharingan!

When his most cherished Will of Fire was insulted, this genius boy from the Uchiha clan awakened his Sharingan!

"I won't let you down, Grandpa Hiruzen! I will definitely not let the evil Kirigakure continue to destroy Konoha!"

Itachi muttered to himself, and after a moment, he decisively turned around and ran towards the Uchiha camp.

He was precocious, but he was also self-aware.

The cooperation agreement between Kirigakure and Konoha was signed long ago, and under the current circumstances, even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could not break it due to various reasons.

But there is one person who, if he were to step in, could absolutely end this collaboration.

That was his father, the head of the Uchiha clan, the living dance king of Konoha, Uchiha Fugaku!

"Father!"

"Weasel?"

Having just finished a full day of relief work, Fugaku returned home, but before he could even step into his residence, Itachi, panting heavily, called out to him.

Fugaku looked at his most proud son with some doubt, then smiled and picked him up: "Why are you panting so much? Even when you're training, you need to balance work and rest."

"No, Father..." Itachi pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and opened them again, revealing a pair of blood-red single-tomoe Sharingan eyes quietly rotating in their sockets.

Staring at those blood-red eyes, Fugaku froze on the spot, his eyes filled with disbelief, his heart pounding with indescribable excitement.

"Itachi, you've awakened your Sharingan?! When did you awaken your Sharingan?!"

"This, this! Itachi truly is my child!"

Fugaku was overwhelmed with excitement.

For the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan is the best proof of their talent.

While awakening one's Sharingan earlier does not necessarily mean greater talent, there has never been a mediocre individual among those who awakened their Sharingan early in the history of the Uchiha clan!

And Itachi is only six years old now!

Fugaku knew his child was incredibly talented, but this was just too incredible! Awakening his Sharingan at the age of six—this record had never been set even in the thousand-year history of the Uchiha clan!

But Fugaku quickly calmed down.

Awakening the Sharingan requires experiencing tremendous emotional fluctuations, a fact that Fugaku, as the clan leader, is well aware of.

Could it be that while he was campaigning for votes and helping with disaster relief, something happened to Itachi, who was training alone?

"What happened, Itachi?" Fugaku suppressed his excitement and looked at Itachi in front of him, saying softly, "If it's something, you must tell me."

"I……"

Itachi Uchiha took a deep breath: "Father, do we really have to cooperate with Kirigakure?"

Kirigakure?

Fugaku Uchiha frowned sharply, his gaze fixed on an open space to the side. The Uchiha elites in the open space immediately transmitted their voices through chakra: "The Kirigakure delegation arrived in Konoha around noon today. As for Itachi... we don't know the specifics. His protectors, Tonghu and Kintsuchi, were knocked unconscious by taijutsu."

Upon hearing this, the solemnity in Fugaku's eyes deepened even further.

Copperfire and Goldear are both elites of the Uchiha clan, genuine three-tomoe jade, possessing Jonin-level strength.

To be able to defeat someone of this level so silently, and using physical techniques at that, the person who made the move must be a Kage-level powerhouse.

But who could it be?

Also, why did Itachi suddenly mention Kirigakure? Could it be...?

Fugaku Uchiha did not make any rash moves, but instead looked at Itachi.

"Why do you think that way, Itachi? We are allies with Kirigakure, aren't we? Cooperation between allies is a perfectly normal thing."

"But, but!" Itachi shouted, "Isn't our so-called alliance with Kirigakure forced upon us?!"

"During the Third Shinobi World War, Kirigakure killed so many of our people, and we still surrendered to them. They still haven't paid the reparations. What kind of allies are we to them?!"

"Besides, this matter is between Sunagakure and Kirigakure. For Konoha, it's basically all harm and no benefit. Why should we agree to them and cooperate with them?"

"..."

Faced with his son's questioning, Fugaku not only looked somewhat dazed, but the Uchiha in the shadows was completely stunned, staring blankly at Itachi's figure.