Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 444 Great! Communication really works!

On the outskirts of the Uchiha clan's territory, atop the trunk of a large tree, Black Zetsu poked half his body out, gazing at the distant flames and the sounds of screams echoing through the air, cursing under his breath.

"Useless...a bunch of useless trash..."

The plan was clearly not like that. Shisui Uchiha was supposed to use Kotoamatsukami to subtly control the hawks, thereby maximizing his control over the Uchiha's power.

It wasn't like this before. Uchiha Shisui died inexplicably, and Danzo came along and interfered.

It's one thing for you to interfere, but you've messed things up by only controlling half of the Uchiha clan, and not even permanently.

It shouldn't be like this, where they're fighting like this, you idiot!

The toxic racists even insulted the classic Chinese cultural elements.

"These guys are good for nothing but causing trouble. No, I have to find a way to stop them and minimize the losses." Black Zetsu muttered to himself as he was about to dive underground when he suddenly saw a figure wearing an orange mask frantically harvesting Sharingan eyes in an alley not far away.

Obito's hand pierced through the chest of an Uchiha Jonin, precisely scooping out two three-tomoe gems and stuffing them into the pouch at his waist. His movements were as practiced as picking cabbages at a market.

"Hahaha! Great eyes! They're all great eyes!"

Black Zetsu's face instantly turned ashen. He walked behind Obito and said in a low voice, "That's enough."

Obito stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked at him, only a scarlet Sharingan was visible under the mask.

"Hey, isn't this Black Zetsu? What, you want his eyes too? I'll give you half?"

"Uchiha Obito!" Black Zetsu practically roared, "Why are you going against me? We've always kept to ourselves, why—"

"Go against you?" Obito interrupted him, his tone as casual as if he were chatting. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm just causing chaos."

"confusion?"

"Yes, chaos." Obito Uchiha spread his hands. "The more chaos, the better. I want to turn this ninja world into a river of blood, hahahaha. As for your plan, what do I care!"

He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, which was covered with explosive tags.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, I need to continue harvesting."

Just as Black Zetsu was about to speak, Obito suddenly threw a kunai at him.

"boom--!"

The detonator exploded, sending flames shooting into the sky.

Black Zetsu burrowed underground a second before the explosion, narrowly avoiding the shockwave. He resurfaced from the ground a short distance away, several leaves on his body charred.

"madman……"

He cursed, but he had no time to argue with Obito. He turned and disappeared underground, speeding off in another direction.

It's all a mess, a complete mess.

We must find Hiruzen Sarutobi and get him to clean up this mess, even at the risk of being exposed.

Although they didn't want to expose their relationship at this time, they couldn't care less now.

Outside Konoha Village, in a secluded tavern.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fugaku Uchiha sat facing each other, the atmosphere was very tense, and the boss had tactfully moved away early on.

The two had been talking for almost an hour, but had not reached any consensus.

Uchiha Mori stood behind Fugaku, and Sarutobi Asuma stood behind Hiruzen; neither of them had a pleasant expression.

The meeting was arranged by the two of them, but now it seems that the conversation only deepened the conflict and misunderstanding, and had no other purpose.

"Fugaku, what exactly do you want?" Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, staring directly at Fugaku Uchiha. "Just name your name, and I can—"

"What I want, Hokage-sama cannot give me," Fugaku Uchiha interrupted him, his tone indifferent. "Talking about it would just be a waste of time."

"How do you know I can't give it to you if you don't tell me?"

Fugaku Uchiha was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Hokage-sama, it's no longer a question of whether or not to give it. The rift between Konoha and the Uchiha has deepened beyond repair."

He paused, then revealed his true intentions: "In my opinion, it's better to leave than to continue fighting amongst ourselves in Konoha. I've heard that the Land of Waterfall has been developing quite well recently. They don't lack top-tier fighters, but they lack core strength. Moreover, the Land of Waterfall doesn't care about lineage, only ability. If the Uchiha clan moves there, they will be highly valued."

"What?!" Asuma couldn't help but exclaim, "You're going to defect!"

"It's not defection," Fugaku corrected. "It's leaving. Let's part ways amicably and go our separate ways."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened, and he said threateningly, "Fugaku, have you considered the wishes of your clansmen? Not everyone wants to leave their homeland."

"Homeland?" Fugaku gave a bitter smile. "What did this homeland give the Uchiha clan? Discrimination, suspicion, distrust, and being driven to the edge of the village's territory. Hokage-sama, tell me, what kind of homeland is this?"

Upon hearing these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless, and the tavern fell into a deathly silence.

Finally, Uchiha Mamoru couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, saying, "Clan Head, Hokage, can you please stop with these roundabout ways? We're here today to resolve this issue, aren't we? If you won't even speak the truth, then we might as well not talk at all!"

As a disciple of the Hokage lineage, Uchiha Mamoru was the best link between Itachi, a genius of the Uchiha clan.

However, his seemingly impartial words deeply saddened Fugaku Uchiha, since he had risked his life to save Mamoru Uchiha, which led to a complete break with the Third Hokage.

Before he could respond, Hiruzen Sarutobi seized the opportunity to say, "Mori is right!"

His attitude changed again, and he began to adopt a conciliatory policy. "Fugaku, I won't hide it from you. The village is indeed studying how to deal with the Uchiha. Some high-ranking officials, including Danzo, have been advocating for a hardline approach. But I've kept them in check and haven't agreed. Because I believe the Uchiha won't go that far."

Fugaku Uchiha sighed, finally revealing his bitterness: "Hokage-sama, I won't hide it from you. The hawks within the clan are indeed plotting a coup, and I know about it. But I have neither agreed nor completely stopped it. Leaving Konoha was a last resort."

Konoha was founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans, so who would want to leave unless absolutely necessary?

"Right now, I'm observing. I want to see how Konoha will treat the Uchiha. If the village is willing to give the Uchiha a way out, I'll suppress the hawks and prevent them from causing trouble. But if the village is determined to exterminate them..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two sides had eased somewhat, Uchiha Mori felt a slight weight lifted from his heart.

That's great! Jiraiya-sama didn't lie to me. Communication really works.