Due to exhaustion, Ryun Uchiha fell into a deep sleep. Ju Uchiha, despite her body having recovered, was still unable to get up because of immense mental fatigue from the excessive consumption.
Only Itachi Uchiha and Tsunade were left in this house, and these two were also responsible for taking care of the father and daughter pair. During this period, Fugaku Uchiha had come to the Hokage's villa.
Because Itachi Uchiha had not returned home the entire previous day, Fugaku and Mikoto were very worried. After many inquiries, they learned that Itachi had gone to the Hokage's villa.
At that time, he wanted to go to the Hokage's villa to check the situation. When Itachi Uchiha saw him arrive, he instantly appeared before him. Before Fugaku could speak, Itachi pulled him into the Tsukuyomi space.
This left Fugaku utterly confused. Inside the Tsukuyomi space, Itachi Uchiha explained the reason for his actions. Fugaku, who was initially angry at Itachi's rude behavior, relaxed his expression after hearing the explanation and sighed.
In the Tsukuyomi space, Fugaku Uchiha looked at him and then slowly spoke, 'You must treat Ju Uchiha well from now on, understand. If I find out you've let her down, forget about sensei, I will beat you until you're unrecognizable.'
Listening to his father's words, Itachi Uchiha nodded. Then, his father walked up to him and hugged him. "Actually, I would rather you not get hurt. But I am not surprised by the decision you made."
"Because if your mother were in danger, I, your father, would also push her aside and die myself." A faint smile appeared on Fugaku Uchiha's stern face.
It is natural for parents in the world to prioritize their own children and then their children's partners. But when danger comes, no one has the right, no one is qualified to judge whether their child should save the woman they love.
Itachi Uchiha's eyes reddened slightly. He nodded, then released the Tsukuyomi space and jumped back onto the roof, almost silently keeping watch over the surroundings.
Seeing his son like this, Fugaku could only sigh and head home. However, he was not disappointed, because at this moment, he saw responsibility in Itachi.
The responsibility of a man.
After returning, Fugaku Uchiha told his wife, Mikoto Uchiha, about this matter. At first, Mikoto Uchiha felt very distressed for Itachi Uchiha. Later, she felt even more distressed for Ju Uchiha.
"Husband, I think we should go see Rourou." Mikoto Uchiha looked at Fugaku Uchiha with gentle eyes.
Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "We should go see her. But not now. At least wait until Ju Uchiha wakes up. Otherwise, disturbing sensei while he's treating Rourou would not be good."
When faced with major right and wrong, Fugaku Uchiha had always been able to distinguish the importance of matters. He was not the original Fugaku, who clearly had the Dove Faction and the Hawk Faction, yet he sat on the fence as the neutral faction.
That was the most frustrating part. He managed to offend both sides at once. His indecisiveness was even appalling. If he had just sided with the Dove Faction and then demonstrated absolute loyalty, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, even if wary of him, would not have tacitly approved Danzo's clan extermination plan.
If he had joined the Hawk Faction, that would have been even better. With the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan and the Hawk Faction's hardline style, the elderly Hiruzen Sarutobi would have had to concede step by step. Then the Uchiha clan would not have been completely wiped out.
The most interesting part was that he sent his young son to the Anbu for training. His son was fooled by the Third Hokage until he lost his bearings and finally, standing on the village's side, slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan.
The current Fugaku Uchiha was the Fugaku taught by Ryun Uchiha. He still remembered when he was a child, if he showed even a little hesitation, Ryun Uchiha would hang him up and beat him.
This made him never dare to be indecisive again. Even if the situation was bad, no matter how unclear things were, he would firmly take a stand, choose a direction, and stick to it resolutely, even if it was wrong.
Because heaven never seals off all exits. As long as you are willing to walk, the path is under your feet.
Mikoto Uchiha nodded, then made plans with her good friend Kushina Uzumaki to go shopping on the street tomorrow to buy some delicious food and hairpins for girls, to give to Ju Uchiha later.
Although Itachi Uchiha was willing to die to exchange for Ju Uchiha's chance to live, Ju Uchiha not only awakened the Mangekyō because of Itachi Uchiha, but also forcibly activated it immediately after awakening, unleashing the Complete Body Susano'o and Mangekyō ocular techniques.
She was willing to harm her own body to get revenge for Itachi Uchiha. This level of determination, this level of willpower, was not something an ordinary young girl could achieve.
Therefore, she naturally wanted to buy some things for Ju Uchiha to thank her.
Moreover, looking at the situation, it was possible that Ju Uchiha would become her daughter-in-law in the future. Of course, she should be generous to her future daughter-in-law.
Midnight
Upon hearing that Ju Uchiha was injured, Madara Uchiha left a shadow clone with 90 percent of his own strength in Iwagakure to handle special situations. After resting for half a day, he set off for Konoha under cover of night.
This was his great-granddaughter. How could he be in the mood to deal with the messy affairs of Iwagakure when his great-granddaughter was in trouble. Besides, with his shadow clone there, nothing would go wrong.
In Kumogakure, Itachi Uchiha, who was currently playing political games, dividing the major ninja clans and shinobi, and intensifying conflicts between the original Kumogakure ninja clans and the original noble class, suddenly frowned. After receiving news from his elder brother, he left a shadow clone with half of his chakra to continue handling affairs.
He also had Pakura guard his shadow clone, while he himself set off for Konoha. The distance from Kumogakure to Konoha was relatively short. If he left now, he could return to Konoha by tomorrow.
Hashirama Senju frowned. He was even more extreme. He directly said to Chiron and Chiyo, "I need to return to Konoha for a while. I'll be back soon. If there's nothing major during this time, don't look for me."
"If there are matters, report them to my advisors. If the situation is urgent, you can call me. That's it." Hashirama Senju's face now carried seriousness and urgency.
This made Chiron and Chiyo look at each other before they both spoke, "First Hokage-sama, do you need provisions for this trip back to Konoha? We will prepare them immediately."
Chiyo said with a smile. It had to be said that although Sunagakure had changed from a village to the Konoha Sand Department, it had gained enormous benefits. The Land of Wind's desert, which originally suffered from land desertification leading to water and food shortages, had now become woodland.
With trees stabilizing the shifting sands and locking in water, in just over ten, twenty years, the Land of Wind would become a plain. Then, they could store water and open up wasteland for farming.
If they could live peacefully, who would want to live that life of licking blood from a blade's edge? When the First Kazekage, Retto, first chose this place, his initial purpose was to give the ninja clans of the Land of Wind a home.
A place that could shelter them from wind and rain, where they could eat their fill and dress warmly. However, he struggled his whole life without achieving this, including the later Kage, the Second Kazekage, the Third Kazekage.
It wasn't that they didn't think about not starting wars and being self-sufficient. But no matter how hard they tried, planting trees and afforesting, if one tree survived a year, it was a miracle.
This outcome made them realize that for Sunagakure to live, they could only rely on plunder, only rely on war. This harsh environment dictated their way of life.
But now it was different. Hashirama Senju clapped his hands together, and a large area of desert turned into forest. What human power couldn't achieve, he could easily do.
This made the villagers and shinobi of Sunagakure's resistance to Konoha's occupation of their village weaken. They even began to accept it. Many people even praised the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's benevolence at home.
"Forget it. Sunagakure has just started to get a little better now. Resources are still scarce. It's just traveling. I can get from Sunagakure to Konoha in just half a day. I'll eat when I get there." After saying that, Hashirama Senju immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and left Sunagakure.
Chiron looked at Chiyo. "Mother, should we." Chiron raised his hand in a chopping motion, then brought it down. He meant, take advantage of Hashirama Senju's absence to kill the shinobi he brought to Sunagakure.
Grandmother Chiyo glared at him. "Isn't living well good enough? Moreover, Sunagakure is also slowly getting better now. Soon, everyone won't have to live that life of licking blood from a blade's edge anymore."
"Don't forget, what was your father's purpose when he founded Sunagakure? It was to give the shinobi of the Land of Wind a safe, resource-rich home." After saying that, Chiyo turned and walked away.
Ebizō raised his chin at Chiron, signaling him to apologize quickly and not make Chiyo angry.
Understanding Chiyo's intention, Chiron immediately apologized to his mother and admitted his mistake. Chiyo stopped, sighed, then turned around. "I know you want Sunagakure to return to the control of our line again."
"But, I hope you will remember, the purpose of founding Sunagakure was never war, but for peace, for life. If you only think about power and control, then the Third Kazekage and Rasa are cautionary tales." In the end, Chiyo couldn't bear to let her son feel wronged.
So, Grandmother Chiyo told Chiron what she was thinking and the purpose of the village's founding. After listening, Chiron nodded. "I will definitely live up to mother's hopes, and live up to father's will back then."
Chiyo smiled. "Let's go. Take Sasori. Our grandfather, grandson trio will go see that forest, that forest carrying the future hope of our Sunagakure."
Saying that, she walked outside, preparing to go see the forest created by Hashirama Senju.
Kirigakure
Tobirama Senju currently sat on the Mizukage's seat with a grim expression. He looked at his two disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo. "Hiruzen, Danzo, you tell me, how should we handle this matter of Takigakure in the Land of Rivers."
He already had a plan in mind. But looking at his two disciples, he wanted to test them, to see if his judgment back then was correct. He first looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his gaze carrying expectation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered. He was now in his fifties, having moved from youth to old age. Ryun Uchiha had not given him the qualification for eternal life, because the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, displeased him.
Beside him, Danzo was in his prime, a handsome appearance in his twenties. Tobirama Senju had no dissatisfaction with this. That was Ryun Uchiha's ninjutsu after all. He could give it to whoever he wanted.