Aside from Senju Hashirama's Wood Release, no one else could contend with him.
To think that such eyes had appeared again today?
Thinking of this, the Third Raikage felt a faint boiling in his blood.
"Father, I have disappointed you."
Seeing the usually proud and arrogant A looking so beaten down, the Third Raikage suddenly punched him in the face, sending him flying heavily.
"Father?"
"Hmph!"
The Third Raikage snorted coldly and raged, "Has a little setback turned you into this? Do you think the Mangekyo Sharingan is just anything? That is an existence even I itch to fight!"
"Losing to a powerhouse with the Mangekyo Sharingan isn't terrifying. Losing the courage to fight them again is what's truly pathetic."
"A, take this failure as fuel to become stronger. Don't let me look down on you."
A clenched his fists and stood up, shouting loudly, "Father, I will! One day, I will defeat Uchiha Yuzuru and become the strongest ninja in the world!"
"Very good! You and Bee go rest first. Leave the rest to me."
After A and Killer Bee left, the Third Raikage looked out the window with burning eyes.
The Uchiha clan was indeed the strongest shinobi clan. Kumogakure had to obtain such a Kekkai Genkai.
At any cost!
Late at night.
Kumogakure.
Towering peaks pierced the clouds, imposing like rainbows.
Clouds floated halfway up the mountains, shrouding the entire village in a layer of mist that obscured vision.
In a simple, ancient house at the highest point of the village center, the doors were tightly shut.
The Third Raikage sat cross-legged, eyes closed, refining Chakra.
A breeze blew past, and a voice shattered the silence of the night, exploding in the Third Raikage's ear: "The moonlight is quite nice tonight."
Boom!
Before the voice even faded, the Third Raikage's fist had already smashed through the window and the wall.
However, the target of his attack seemed unaffected, standing quietly under the moonlight without moving a muscle.
"You are Uchiha Yuzuru?"
Looking at the special crimson patterns in the eyes, the Third Raikage spoke coldly.
Just then, dozens of Lightning Release jutsu instantly swallowed Uchiha Yuzuru.
Immediately after, four giant stone pillars burst from the ground, surrounding Uchiha Yuzuru.
Lightning crackled and connected between the pillars, forming a lightning cage that trapped Uchiha Yuzuru inside.
Dozens of Cloud ninjas walked slowly out of the darkness, continuously pouring Chakra into the pillars.
But to their astonishment, Uchiha Yuzuru was like a phantom; he simply took a step and walked right out of the lightning pillar seal.
"Don't be nervous. I'm just here to have a heart-to-heart with you."
"Heart-to-heart?"
"Although your ability to defeat A and Killer Bee surprised me, that is all it amounts to."
"If Kumogakure sends out its army, you cannot protect the Uchiha."
Uchiha Yuzuru shrugged noncommittally and said calmly, "Likewise, if I move against Kumogakure, you cannot protect the other ninjas of your village."
"A, Killer Bee, the geniuses who haven't grown up yet, the old and the weak..."
Uchiha Yuzuru rubbed his chin as if troubled. "If war starts, who do you think I should kill first?"
"Oh right, if I use these eyes to control the Tailed Beasts, I won't have to struggle with such choices."
Hearing this, the Third Raikage's pupils shrank. "Are you threatening me?"
"What do you think?"
The Third Raikage fell silent.
If Uchiha Yuzuru were merely strong, he wouldn't fear him at all.
From its founding until now, Kumogakure had never feared anyone.
But Uchiha Yuzuru's abilities were too eerie.
Not only did he possess the power to defeat A, but he could also pass through Kumogakure's Barrier without anyone noticing.
Even he, the Raikage, only detected the other party's presence after he spoke up voluntarily.
Physical attacks were ineffective, sealing jutsu was useless...
Most terrifying of all, as Uchiha Yuzuru said, the Mangekyo Sharingan possessed the power to control Tailed Beasts.
If he really controlled Two-Tails or Eight-Tails and fired off a few Tailed Beast Bombs, Kumogakure would likely be reduced to ruins, wouldn't it?
Thinking it through, the Third Raikage felt immense pressure spreading in his heart, and cold sweat began to pour from his body.
He would rather go through another Shinobi World War than provoke such an enemy.
"Well..."
"Perhaps we really should have a good heart-to-heart."
"The moonlight tonight is indeed beautiful, ha, haha, hahahaha..."
Seeing the smile on the Third Raikage's face, Uchiha Yuzuru smiled too.
He had anticipated this result.
Facing a ghost who could deliver a fatal blow to the village at any time, unless one chose mutual destruction, the losses would far outweigh the gains.
And the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Kumogakure was far from tense enough to warrant that.
Watching the Third Raikage and Uchiha Yuzuru chatting and laughing, all the Cloud ninjas present stood frozen in place like idiots.
Everyone in Kumogakure knew the Third Raikage had a stubborn, violent temper—a man who dared to clash head-on with Eight-Tails using only his human body.
Anyone who dared go against his wishes would be met with a head-on strike.
Faced with any problem, this Third Raikage was incredibly domineering, as if the word "compromise" didn't exist in his dictionary.
Yet such a man had compromised now?
And he was laughing with the invading enemy?
Everything felt like a dream.
But no matter how incredulous the Kumogakure ninjas felt, facts were facts.
At the Third Raikage's invitation, Uchiha Yuzuru walked side-by-side with him into the Raikage Building.
"Truly a hero from a young age. Aside from my son, I've never seen a young man as outstanding as you."
"Yuzuru, correct? The previous events were all misunderstandings. I hope you won't take them to heart."
Facing the Third Raikage's active goodwill, Uchiha Yuzuru was somewhat surprised.
He had thought Kumogakure was full of brainless brutes, but he hadn't expected them to have this side.
However, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't put on airs. He smiled and said, "Since the misunderstanding is resolved, I'll be taking my leave."
"Wait a moment."
The Third Raikage suddenly called out to Uchiha Yuzuru. "Yuzuru, now that the Uchiha clan has left Konoha, do you plan to stay in the Land of Rice Fields forever?"
"A small country like that has nothing. For a noble clan like the Uchiha to settle there is simply a reckless waste of god's gifts."
"Moreover, Konoha has already branded you as rogue ninjas and will absolutely not let this go."
"Other shinobi villages will also covet your Sharingan, watching your every move."
"Even for you, fighting the entire shinobi world is a bit unrealistic, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru said calmly, "Not long ago, Kitsuchi from Iwagakure came to talk to us. They offered us many generous conditions."
"Iwagakure?"
The Third Raikage's face changed, and a sudden sense of crisis arose.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure were sworn enemies!
If Uchiha Yuzuru really led the Uchiha clan to join Iwagakure, Kumogakure would be in danger!
If war broke out, just Uchiha Yuzuru alone would make them suffer immensely, right?
Thinking of this, the Third Raikage immediately said, "Yuzuru, whatever that old thing Onoki promised you, Kumogakure is willing to pay double!"
The corners of Uchiha Yuzuru's mouth tilted up slightly.
Hooked at last.
"If we join Iwagakure, Onoki will provide land and a portion of industries to help the Uchiha clan settle and develop. He also allowed the Uchiha clan a certain degree of autonomy and the right to participate in Iwagakure's core decision-making."
After listening to Uchiha Yuzuru, the Third Raikage fell silent for a while, then said, "No problem. Kumogakure can agree to these conditions too."
"However..."
The Third Raikage stared tightly at Uchiha Yuzuru. "How can we ensure that the Uchiha clan is sincerely settling in Kumogakure?"
Although the Uchiha clan possessed an extremely powerful Kekkai Genkai and now had a powerhouse like Uchiha Yuzuru, for a shinobi village, strength didn't represent everything.
If the other party wasn't sincerely settling in Kumogakure, this power would become a hidden danger instead.
Regarding the Third Raikage's concern, Uchiha Yuzuru chuckled lightly and said, "That is simple."
"Our Uchiha clan has no rule against intermarrying with other ninjas."
"Really?!"
In his excitement, the Third Raikage slapped the office desk before him into powder.
In his original plan, it would have been enough if the Uchiha clan just settled peacefully in Kumogakure.
Even if they didn't contribute to the village, at least they wouldn't cause trouble.
But now, Uchiha Yuzuru said they were willing to intermarry with Kumogakure ninjas!
"Let me be clear first. Although I allow the Uchiha clan to intermarry with your ninjas, any man who wants to marry an Uchiha woman must marry into our family."
Uchiha Yuzuru stated his requirement.
The system's rewards were closely tied to the Uchiha clan's population count.
Intermarriage was fine, but the Uchiha women could not be married off to other families.
"What does that matter? No problem."
The Third Raikage waved his hand, not caring about such things in the slightest.
As long as there was a blood connection with the people of the village, the bond would become unbreakable.
As for the child's surname...
Did it matter?
"Also, the orphans of the Uzumaki clan will join Kumogakure with us."
"As long as it fits the principle of equivalent exchange, I think Uchiha jutsu and Uzumaki sealing jutsu can both become aids for the cultivation of Kumogakure ninjas."
Kumogakure's Lightning Release and body tempering methods were all excellent. For many Uchiha clansmen who possessed the lightning affinity, such an exchange would not be a loss.
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