The Uchiha Clan's Little Scheme

Thunder roared like a waterfall, its destructive force sinking half the beach and creating a crescent-shaped gap.

It's like a pancake that's been bitten off.

The crashing waves surged into the breach, washing away the charred marks, carrying away the charred corpses, and quickly clearing the battlefield. Even the stench of burning flesh in the air was quickly swallowed up by the salty sea breeze.

"There are still too many small fry."

Katsuki squinted. Fewer than a hundred Mist Ninja remained on the beach, but nearly four or five hundred Mist Ninja retreated to the sea, and none of them were peaceful.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"

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Above the sea, hundreds of Mist Ninja Hand Seals spells, and huge water dragons, each dozens of meters long and complete with claws and teeth, soared into the air. Because a large amount of seawater was drained, the sea level near the shore sank three or four meters in an instant. A second later, the surging currents from all around rushed in and filled the suddenly formed hole.

A huge whirlpool appeared on the sea surface, its immense pull even causing the nearest ship to tilt violently with a creaking sound.

However, the Mist Ninja, being experts in water manipulation, likely anticipated this situation before making their move. Jonin immediately intervened to suppress the still-growing vortex, averting this potential disaster.

A hundred or so water dragons, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, twisted their bodies in the air and slammed heavily onto the beach and onto the Katsuki with tremendous force.

"A boring trick... Earth Release, Earth Tremor Core."

With a gentle pat of his palm on the rock pillar beneath his feet, the earth trembled and rose, sending up a cloud of dust that mingled with the wind and snow.

An entire piece of Chiriku was forcibly pulled up by Katsuki, and the beach on the coast was directly transformed into a high cliff. The cliff, more than fifty meters high, stood abruptly in front of the waves. Hundreds of water dragons crashed heavily against the cliff wall, and large chunks of rocks rolled down. The heavy weight of the water dragons was transformed into a huge shock wave, which collapsed half of the cliff. The stone pillar under Katsuki's feet also broke in the violent tremors.

The rock plunged into the sea with a splash, creating a ripple, but quickly disappeared in the crashing waves.

The Third Mizukage also stood on this newly formed cliff, his gaze towards Katsuki filled with awe.

He unleashed Ninjutsu without using any seals.

He then noticed that both the previous Lightning Release Technique and the current Earth Release were executed without hand seals.

As a Kage, the Third Mizukage could also forgo Hand Seals to perform Ninjutsu, but that was limited to C-rank Ninjutsu and a few extremely proficient B-rank Ninjutsu. However, the previous Lightning Waterfall was definitely an A-rank or higher Ninjutsu, and to be precise, it was probably S-rank Ninjutsu.

However, Katsuki did not Hand Seals; she only charged up for two seconds before launching such a terrifying attack.

The current Earth Release is only a B-rank Ninjutsu, yet it also abandons Hand Seals. The Third Mizukage's mood suddenly became even heavier, and the sense of powerlessness almost made it hard for him to breathe. The more he saw, the greater the pressure became, and the smaller his chances of winning became.

"... Is Konoha truly poised to climb back to its peak?"

The whispered words, barely audible, were known only to him.

"Come, this cliff is the burial ground prepared for you. Third Mizukage, you will stay here today!"

With a long roar, Katsuki charged out like an arrow, riding on lightning. He was too lazy to linger any longer; it seemed that this Lord Mizukage didn't have any other interesting trump cards up his sleeve.

"Rush."

On the other side, Yuki Hatsuzuki's orders were so precise and straightforward that, leading the Jonin of the Yuki and Kaguya families, they pounced down the mountain like tigers, their target being the thirty-odd Kirigakure ninja who had survived the Lightning Waterfall, Mist Ninja to beat them while they were down.

"... Considering all the above reasons, we hope that the Uzumaki, Yuki, Kaguya clans can be relocated to Konoha as a whole."

After Katsuki's clone finished its statement, it sat down.

"Ahem, that's the gist of it. Please feel free to voice your opinions!" The Third Hokage sat at the head of the table, looking around at the elders and representatives of the various ninja clans seated on either side.

An expanded meeting of the Elder Council of Konoha.

This meeting was convened specifically at Katsuki's request, as the influx of three powerful families would inevitably disrupt the balance of the entire village. The aim was to resolve this issue peacefully through discussion.

At least, that's how it appears on the surface.

"The Senju Clan agrees."

The Senju Clan's Great Elder sat to the left of the Third Hokage. Even the two Hokage Advisor, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Danzo, the Hokage's Assistant, couldn't get past him. The old man was old and of high seniority; the Third Hokage and his brothers would always bow and greet him when they met.

The elderly man, with his snow-white beard and eyebrows, was full of energy and spoke in a loud voice. The word "agree" he uttered echoed throughout the room.

The elders and representatives of various families looked at each other, no one uttering a sound. The Senju Clan had been in seclusion for a long time, and usually just watched these kinds of meetings from the sidelines without getting involved. However, they were the first to speak out now. What were they up to? It was hard not to think about it carefully.

The Senju of the Forest has retired, but they haven't declined to the point of being negligible. Tsunade, who is active outside the village, enjoys a great reputation. This clan doesn't speak up unless absolutely necessary, and once they do, they must be dealt with seriously.

Then, someone else spoke up.

"The Uchiha Clan supports the Uzumaki, Yuki, and Kaguya clans joining the village, and the Police Force hopes to recruit new blood from these three clans."

This was Uchiha Fugaku's first time attending such a meeting, and he still wore a fierce expression. His deep voice was completely calm and composed, unlike that of a young man. He casually dropped a bombshell.

Everyone was blasted to a crisp, and Katsuki looked at Fugaku with surprise.

Supporting his request would be fine, but... the idea of recruiting members of the three clans into the Police Force was something Katsuki hadn't anticipated. She glanced at Fugaku's coffin-like face but couldn't glean any useful information.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons of the matter in his mind. The Second Hokage's strategy of dividing the Uchiha Clan and gradually stripping them from the center of power was to allow the Uchiha to control the Police Force alone. It seems that after so many years, the Uchiha Clan has realized this and is actually willing to share the power of the Police Force to win over allies.

There are intelligent people among the Uchiha!

The Uzumaki, Yuki, and Kaguya clans, having joined Konoha, are naturally not content with mediocrity and are bound to reach out to the higher-ups. Although the Police Force cannot interfere in major village affairs, it still enjoys considerable power in village security management. Such an invitation is very tempting for the three clans. Once they join the Police Force, at least they won't have to worry about conflicts with other clans in the early stages.

Once the three clans are brought into the Police Force, the Uchiha Clan can escape its isolated state and use the two Kekkei Genkai clan to Teuchi the excessive arrogance of its members, thus eradicating the restless elements of the Uchiha Clan from the root.