Of course I brought you back to the village.
Puff...
Xu Fan almost laughed when he heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.
Believe me, you'll regret saying that once you meet Jiraiya's disciples.
But Xu Fan only muttered this in his heart, keeping his expression neutral.
Not to mention Sarutobi Hiruzen—even Jiraiya himself would struggle to accept what Nagato had become.
"Wait…"
Xu Fan suddenly frowned as a memory surfaced.
Yahiko died because Danzo Shimura discovered the Akatsuki organization and sought to eliminate it before it became a threat. He secretly collaborated with Hanzo of the Salamander to orchestrate an ambush, manipulating Nagato and Yahiko into a tragic confrontation.
Of course…
Most of the blame in the Naruto world really can be dumped on Danzo.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing Xu Fan's silence, Hiruzen asked.
"It's nothing."
Xu Fan snapped back to reality. He glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen and redirected the topic.
"So, the Land of Earth isn't the issue right now. The concern is Sunagakure, in the Land of Wind."
Though Konohagakure and Sunagakure had maintained an alliance, the living conditions in Suna were harsh and unforgiving. Even with the Fourth Kazekage's ability to extract gold dust for trade, improving the village's infrastructure remained difficult.
Water scarcity remained a persistent problem.
Given the chance, they'd gladly tear up any treaty if it meant survival. The alliance contract would become just a piece of paper.
In fact, the Fourth Kazekage had always harbored ambitions of attacking Konoha—just waiting for the right moment.
"Indeed."
Hiruzen nodded solemnly, understanding the danger.
The Land of Fire had always been the political and geographical center of the Five Great Nations. If they didn't manage these alliances carefully, Konoha could easily become the target of a coalition.
"Let's return to the village first," Hiruzen said after a moment of thought. He felt this issue should be discussed with the village council.
But that wasn't all—they had more pressing issues to address.
Like the Uchiha clan's growing dissent and the looming threat of a coup.
Of course, Hiruzen wasn't about to discuss that here.
Perhaps he could trust Xu Fan, but the matter was too sensitive.
And then there was Yugito Nii.
She may have appeared unconscious, but with a Tailed Beast inside her, there was no guarantee she hadn't regained awareness and was simply waiting for the right moment to act.
If Yugito learned about the internal strife with the Uchiha, it could greatly jeopardize the village.
So Hiruzen didn't bring it up.
Xu Fan understood.
"Let me handle this situation," he said calmly, speaking with implied meaning.
He didn't mention the Uchiha by name, but it was clear what he meant.
After all, his system's next sign-in task had prompted him to visit the Naka Shrine.
He might as well tackle both issues at once.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Xu Fan and eventually gave a nod of approval.
But he made one thing clear: he didn't want Xu Fan to follow Danzo's path.
For all of Danzo's methods, Hiruzen still cared deeply about the Uchiha clan.
If there was a way to resolve the situation peacefully, it would be ideal.
"I understand," Xu Fan replied.
But deep down, he wasn't so naïve.
A large part of the Uchiha clan already harbored resentment toward the village.
Convincing them to develop a true sense of loyalty to Konoha would not be easy.
Kotoamatsukami was a powerful tool—used by Danzo through Shisui's eye.
But without Hashirama's cells to stabilize the Sharingan, such power would be unusable within a few years.
Itachi's own Kotoamatsukami likely had the same limitation.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to slaughtering the entire clan.
What Xu Fan needed was a list—an understanding of who in the Uchiha clan had already crossed the point of no return.
To complete this mission, I'll need Fugaku's help.
Xu Fan thought to himself.
Despite being the clan head, many in the Uchiha distrusted Fugaku due to his cooperation with the ANBU.
Expecting him to lead the change was unrealistic—unless he had already been convinced.
I should talk to Fugaku.
Has Itachi already revealed the truth to him?
If so, and Fugaku had agreed to help, then everything would go much more smoothly.
"You guys…"
As Xu Fan ran back toward the village, lost in thought, Yugito slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry, and her limbs were bound in an unfamiliar posture.
Traveling at high speed alongside her were Sarutobi Hiruzen and Xu Fan.
The familiar faces of A, C, and Darui were nowhere to be seen. Even her connection with Matatabi—the Two-Tails—was cut off.
She quickly concluded: she was no longer in the Land of Iron.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked coldly.
She tried to attack, but found her arms and legs immobilized.
Not only that—her chakra felt sealed off. She couldn't even sense Matatabi's presence.
"Don't bother struggling," Xu Fan replied, noticing she had woken up. "My Wood Release has sealing properties. It can suppress Tailed Beast chakra."
This was one of the unique strengths of Wood Release.
Even Yamato's version could subdue the Nine-Tails to some extent.
Suppressing the Two-Tails was no big deal in comparison.
"As for where we're taking you… isn't it obvious? Back to Konohagakure." Xu Fan added with a smirk. "You guys kidnapped our Hyuga. Consider this… fair compensation."
"Heh."
Yugito couldn't help but scoff.
Her memory and awareness were returning fast.
She had expected something like this.
But in her view, Xu Fan was making a critical mistake.
She wasn't just any ninja—she was a Jinchūriki.
As long as she could regain control of her chakra, she could unleash Matatabi.
And if that happened in the middle of Konoha, it could mean another catastrophic night.
"Don't flatter yourself. You're no Nine-Tails."
Xu Fan rolled his eyes. "And right now, you can't even access your chakra."
"There's always a chance," Yugito said firmly, locking eyes with him. "So… is Konoha declaring war on Kumogakure?"
"That depends on the Fourth Raikage," Xu Fan replied. "We're open to renewing the alliance—if your village shows enough sincerity."
But even as he answered, a new idea formed in his mind.
Yugito, despite being a Jinchūriki, wasn't malicious.
She was actually kindhearted and well-intentioned.
She was also a perfect Jinchūriki—someone in harmony with her Tailed Beast.
If she met Naruto Uzumaki… it might influence him in the right direction.
If Naruto could master the Nine-Tails' power earlier, it would be a tremendous benefit to the village.
Yes—this could work.
A road to heaven.
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