Chapter 169 Imaging

This night was destined to be a sleepless night for the Konoha Village. The Jonin meeting hastily convened by the Hokage ended quickly, followed by a chaos.

War came suddenly. Although the ninjas of Konoha never slacked off on weekdays, they still couldn't avoid panic at this time. However, this disorderly state soon returned to normal under the organization of big and small leaders. From this moment on, Konoha Village officially entered the war mode. Carts of food were transported out of the village overnight, bundles of detonating tags were distributed, piles of ninja tools were moved out of the warehouse and placed on the open ground, flashing with a faint light. Of course, there were also registered ninjas who were summoned and waiting for the battle.

In just a few hours, Konoha was completely transformed into a war machine, operating according to Sarutobi Hiruzen's will. Many merchants with a keen sense of smell wanted to leave the village to make money, but were all driven back.

Even though war seems inevitable, and even though news of the war will sooner or later be known to other ninja villages, Konoha still needs to do its best to block the news. Time means chance of victory, means fewer casualties, and naturally they must be wary of spies passing on intelligence.

After the meeting, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the clan without any delay and immediately summoned the most powerful ninjas in the family. His purpose was of course to discuss the Ninja World War.

Now that Yeshan is detained in Kikyo Castle, Uchiha Fugaku is not used to life without him. Over the years, Fugaku has become accustomed to asking the other party's thoughts before making decisions, and even developed a dependent mentality.

This is exactly the brilliance of Ye Shan. He will not actively seek for a position, nor will he think about holding power. For him, strong strength plus a smart mind are the basis for his survival. Facts have proved that Ye Shan has succeeded.

The Uchiha clan's ninjas have a serious xenophobia and are very wary of ninjas from other clans. Ye Shan does not occupy any important position among them, so naturally he will not arouse their disgust. In addition, the Uchiha clan respects the strong, so Ye Shan has lived a very comfortable life over the years.

Some time ago, there was a rumor that Bai Yunyeshan was the executive deputy chief of the Uchiha clan. To be honest, it was very bad, but most Uchiha ninjas acquiesced to this statement and even agreed with it from the bottom of their hearts.

It is true that the Uchiha clan's ninjas are not very smart, and their personalities are extreme, but that does not mean they are brainless and have no vision. Baiyun Yeshan has been firmly bound to the Fugaku family, and both sides share honor and disgrace. If nothing unexpected happens, he can at least be in the Uchiha clan for 30 years, so naturally no one will be stupid enough to clamor to drive him away.

Uchiha Fugaku sat on a chair with a solemn expression, and next to him was Uchiha Keiji with the same expression. As for the current clan leader, he stayed in the Hokage Building and did not show up. It can be said that these two are the most powerful people in the huge Uchiha clan.

When most of the clan's ninjas had arrived, Uchiha Fugaku winked at Uchiha Keiji beside him. Keiji understood and immediately coughed a few times and said, "I called you here so late because something big happened in the village."

"According to reliable intelligence, the Third Ninja World War is about to break out. The Uchiha clan's future in this war still needs to be carefully discussed."

The faces of the hundreds of Uchiha ninjas who were sitting in silence changed drastically. The Ninja World War was a great disaster for them. No one dared to guarantee that they could survive it safely, so naturally they changed color when they heard about it.

"Why didn't Lord Ye Shan come?"

Sure enough, many people asked this question, and they were used to Ye Shan participating in all the meetings of the Uchiha clan.

Uchiha Keiji glanced at Uchiha Fugaku's face, and after seeing that he was not displeased at all, he said in a deep voice: "Yayama is currently stationed in Kikyo Castle and cannot participate in the meeting."

"You are all elites in the Uchiha clan. The thousand-year glory of the Uchiha clan is in your hands. It is unreasonable to rely on others when encountering problems."

"The Hokage requires the clan to send elites to help Kikyo Castle. Who among you is willing to go?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, the deputy captain of the patrol team, Uchiha Duanmu, gritted his teeth and stood up: "I'm willing to go!"

Uchiha Fugaku showed a hint of appreciation. He had previously worried that the comfortable life had eroded the martial spirit of his clansmen, but now it seemed that they were still not afraid of tough battles, showing the ferocity of the Uchiha clan.

Seeing that Uchiha Duanmu took the lead and volunteered, many ninjas spoke up to express their willingness to go to Kikyo Castle, which was in stark contrast to the situation when no one spoke in the Hokage's meeting room.

Uchiha Fugaku said with a smile: "You are all elites of the Uchiha clan. If you all rush into Kikyo Castle, wouldn't you be able to defeat the Sand Village in one fell swoop?"

"This operation will be led by Uchiha Keiji himself, with Uchiha Duanmu assisting. However, after arriving at Kikyo Castle, how to act will be entirely up to Ye Shan. Do you understand?"

Uchiha Duanmu was overjoyed. With his resume and reputation, he was not qualified to be the deputy captain. He took advantage of being the first to express his opinion.

"The remaining candidates will be chosen by Keiji. I have only one request, and that is to overpower the other ninja clans and demonstrate the strength of the Uchiha!"

"From now on, the Uchiha Commercial Street will be temporarily closed. Don't worry about those bottles and jars. The wealth of ninjas has always been obtained through strength."

"Notify the barracks to send more personnel to the security department. Increase patrols on weekdays and arrest anyone who dares to cause trouble!"

"Okay, Qizhi and Duanmu stay, and the others go down and get ready."

Everyone took the order and left, leaving only three people in the huge conference room: two sitting and one standing.

Uchiha Fugaku picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, then said softly, "I'm really sorry to bother you this time. I can't leave the security department, and I also need to be assigned to many matters within the clan."

Uchiha Keiji knew that this was directed at him. Hearing this, he smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No, I'm just sitting around doing nothing. There's nothing going on at the Root for now, so it's good to go out and move around."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, half-closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said meaningfully: "I'm afraid the sky of Konoha will change after this war."

"Ye Shan once said that the Uchiha clan didn't need to fight for the position of Hokage. He believed that the problems within the clan could not be solved by becoming Hokage. In the final analysis, the clan should actively integrate into the village and make the village inseparable from the Uchiha, rather than the Uchiha being inseparable from the village."

"In the past few years, I have been under great pressure to open up the commercial street and rectify the law enforcement style of the police department. So far, the effect is good. In ten years at most, the Uchiha clan will be completely integrated into the village. By then, Itachi will take over a thriving Uchiha clan, which is much better than me, the young clan leader who is half sitting on the fire."

Uchiha Keiji agreed continuously. He had a very high opinion of Ye Shan in his heart. Since Ye Shan joined the Uchiha clan, the situation within the clan had indeed improved greatly.

"With the Young Clan Leader's tireless efforts and Ye Shan's counsel, it will be hard for the Uchiha clan not to prosper."

Uchiha Fugaku showed a reserved smile on his face, and then said in a deep voice: "But who doesn't want to sit in the position of Hokage? I didn't dare to dream about it before, but now the time has come!"

Uchiha Keiji's heart skipped a beat. Even though he had been through a lot, he still felt his whole body was hot with excitement. "Are you saying that Uchiha can produce a Hokage?"

"Why not?"

"War is the best opportunity. As long as the family continues to make achievements on the battlefield, it won't be surprising if a Hokage is born."

Uchiha Keiji suppressed his excitement and said hesitantly, "The Hokage family still has Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Namikaze Minato as the three pillars. I'm afraid the family's wish will not be realized."

What he said was very pertinent. Although the overall strength of the Uchiha clan was superior to that of the Konohagakure, it lacked strong men who could make the final decision on the battlefield, which determined that the upper limit of the clan would not be too high.

Uchiha Fugaku took a sip of tea slowly and narrowed his eyes: "The Hokage clan has its pillars, and the Uchiha clan has the same!"

"I intend to hand over all leadership of the Uchiha clan on the battlefield to Ye Shan!"

"With Yeshan's strength and the large number of Uchiha elites, we will undoubtedly make the greatest contribution. By then, it is not impossible for Yeshan to become the new Hokage."

"Wonderful!"

Uchiha Keiji praised Uchiha Fugaku's strategy: "As long as Hayama becomes the Hokage, it will be equivalent to the Uchiha clan becoming the Hokage. At that time, the power of the village will be decided by us!"

"The young patriarch's idea was a stroke of genius. He turned the war into a good thing in a simple way."

Uchiha Fugaku could no longer contain his pride and laughed loudly: "Hayama is the Fourth Hokage, so my son will naturally be the Fifth Hokage. The Senju clan will be surpassed by us sooner or later."

This is a bit of an overstatement. How could Yeshan be comparable to the First Hokage, a hero who only appears once in a thousand years? However, in terms of the number of Hokage, the Uchiha clan is indeed on par with the Thousand Hands.

Uchiha Keiji was also delighted. If Hayama really became the Hokage, then based on his friendship over the years, he would definitely be a true Anbu chief.

Even though he is now the leader of the Root, he actually holds very little power. Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's deliberate targeting, the Root is almost becoming a new pension department, and is not as glorious as the deputy chief of the Security Department.

The taste of power is so wonderful that anyone who has tasted it will be addicted to it and cannot extricate themselves. It is enough to change a person's original intention. Sarutobi Hiruzen in relation to the Senju clan is the best example.

Uchiha Fugaku calmed down his joy and became serious again: "So this mission to rescue Kikyo Castle must not fail. This will be the first step in the rise of Uchiha!"

"You can choose any ninja in the clan, and we will provide you with all the necessary supplies. I only have one request, and that is to fight the first battle well!"

Uchiha Keiji knew the importance of this, and his face became much more solemn after hearing this, as if he was shouldering the future of the Uchiha clan: "Young clan leader, don't worry, I will fight this first battle well even if I risk my life."

"It is my duty to restore the glory of the Uchiha clan!"

Uchiha Duanmu blushed, not knowing what to say to express his opinion. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Me too..."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded in satisfaction, and after a few words of encouragement, he let the two of them go and prepare. He sat there sipping tea with a flickering look in his eyes, and what was filled with was ambition.

The sound of stumbling footsteps interrupted his reverie. A small figure crawled into his arms, and the white and tender hands grabbed his clothes: "Father, can you play with me?"

Uchiha Fugaku was in a good mood and picked up his son, pinched his little cheek and said with a smile: "I don't have time to play with you now."

Young Uchiha Itachi was a little disappointed: "What is father busy with every day?"

"I am busy leaving you a great legacy."

"What is Jiye? Is it delicious?"

"Hahaha, Jiye can be eaten, but it can't be eaten."

Uchiha Itachi became even more confused, and grabbed his father's clothes and shouted that he wanted to eat the foundation, which made Uchiha Fugaku laugh.