Defending Second, Contending for Third, Aiming for Fourth, Targeting Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh

"Hikari, greetings.

It's been several days, and I miss you dearly.

I'm aware of the situation; there's no need for you to interfere. I have my own methods, so just observe.

How is your eye? How much longer can you hold on? Please tell me truthfully; I'm working on a solution.

Also, provided you can ensure your own safety, investigate 'Jigen' and the 'Kara' organization.

Be extremely careful, pay close attention, and if your identity is exposed, prioritize your own safety above all else."

His writing paused slightly. Uchiha Sōgetsu folded the letter he had written, sealed it with wax, and then applied a sealing jutsu.

After finishing the process, he casually handed the letter to the ninja cat that had been waiting by the corner of the desk.

"Thank you for your hard work, Rikimaru," Uchiha Sōgetsu gently petted the ninja cat, teasing it a little. "Be careful, and deliver this to that girl."

Meow~

The ninja cat let out a lazy meow, then lowered its head, picked up the letter, and vanished on the spot.

"It's a bit unsettling to suddenly have so much free time."

Uchiha Sōgetsu rubbed his teacup with his fingers, taking advantage of the rare leisure to ponder his next plan.

Overall, his arrangements for the Third Great Ninja War were about fifty percent complete.

The power he had accumulated so far was sufficient to alter the course of a localized war. Although it was still a bit unrefined, thankfully, there were still three to four years before the war began.

There was plenty of time, so there was no need to rush.

"Next are Danzo and the Uchiha."

Uchiha Sōgetsu pinched his brow. Both of these factions were quite sensitive. If he were to rashly use hypnosis on too many people, it would easily attract attention.

At this juncture, it was best not to reveal himself easily, otherwise, it would affect his subsequent plans.

The remaining crucial issue was... the ritual!

Extraordinaries of the 22 Divine Paths would undergo a true "metamorphosis" when they reached Sequence 4 from Sequence 5.

A literal "metamorphosis," officially stepping onto the path to godhood from being a mortal.

And those who reached Sequence 4 were also called "Demigods," belonging to the higher sequences of Extraordinaries.

Their life and spirit would undergo a qualitative change, and they would initially possess "Divinity." Their lifespan and all their abilities would completely surpass human limits, and they could activate their "Mythical Creature" form.

However, from Sequence 5 onwards, when advancing further, one needed to take a Potion along with a corresponding "ritual"!

Rituals were not mandatory; drinking the potion directly had a certain chance of promotion, but it could easily lead to loss of control.

Therefore, when it wasn't absolutely necessary, Uchiha Sōgetsu, who didn't consider himself particularly lucky, had abandoned this approach from the beginning.

The ritual for advancing on the Spectator Pathway to Sequence 4 was: in a specific setting with at least ten thousand people, consume the potion amidst their strong emotional resonance.

"There aren't many suitable opportunities for this."

His thoughts paused. A faint light flickered in the depths of Uchiha Sōgetsu's eyes as he muttered to himself, "Therefore, there are currently only two ritual timings that are most suitable for 'Sequence 4' for me to choose from."

He dipped his finger in some tea and drew two time points on the table.

This was a habit he carried from his previous life: when encountering problems, he would write down his thoughts sequentially to organize them better.

Konoha Year 49 and Konoha Year 51!

Two major events occurred at each of these time points.

First, Konoha Year 49.

The Third Great Ninja War officially broke out. The Stone Ninjas secretly gathered ten thousand ninjas to surround the Third Raikage. After fighting for three days and three nights, he eventually died from exhaustion.

The advantage of choosing this time point was obvious: it perfectly met the required number of people for the ritual. However, the problem was... how would he guide the emotional resonance of ten thousand Stone Ninjas?

While not exactly troublesome, he had several ideas, such as using tailed beasts or guiding localized wars.

But the issue was that the arrangements for the next few years would need to focus on the Stone Ninjas and the war.

In the short term, there would be no loss, but looking long-term, strategizing for Iwagakure had little significance and could potentially be a waste of resources.

Secondly, Konoha Year 51, which was his preferred choice.

Uchiha Obito's rebellion occurred. Taking advantage of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's weakness during childbirth, he instigated the Nine-Tails Rampage, leading to the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

The Nine-Tails Rampage occurred within Konohagakure, easily satisfying the ritual's requirement for numbers.

Furthermore, the emotional resonance would be easy to achieve. The only drawback was... it would be delayed by a full two years from the original plan.

Speed has its advantages; slowness naturally has its reasons.

Looking at the two paths before him, at this moment, there was no discernible difference.

"Focus on Konohagakure, but also prepare a backup plan."

Finally, Uchiha Sōgetsu made up his mind.

He would pursue both directions simultaneously, allocating some of his energy to strategize for Iwagakure.

Knock knock!

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Uchiha Sōgetsu frowned slightly, waved away the water stains on the table, and got up to answer.

"Uchiha Sōgetsu, someone is looking for you."

Outside the door stood a member of the Uchiha clan, his attitude quite rude, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust.

"I know."

Uchiha Sōgetsu replied indifferently.

"Tsk, traitor."

The person glared at him fiercely, muttered a few words under his breath, and turned to leave.

Watching the other person's retreating back, Uchiha Sōgetsu remained calm and couldn't be bothered to argue: "No wonder Fugaku failed. From the very beginning, it was impossible for the Uchiha to become Hokage."

In fact, his reputation within the Uchiha clan was almost as bad as Naruto Uzumaki's would be over a decade later.

While not quite universally hated, he was certainly deeply disliked!

The reason was that despite being one of the Uchiha's geniuses, he had refused the Uchiha Police Force's invitation and instead thrown his support behind the Hokage faction.

Originally, he wouldn't have been so unpopular, but the key issue was that the Hokage had recently released news that he planned to have Sōgetsu serve as one of the Chunin exam proctors.

This had made him quite the 'celebrity' within the Uchiha.

Don't ask why, just be jealous.

As everyone knew, the Uchiha's ambition for the Hokage position wasn't a recent development.

For decades, the clan had been clamoring daily, aiming to "protect second, contend for third, charge for fourth, and target fifth, sixth, and seventh."

And the result?

Decades have passed, and their swords are practically worn out.

The Uchiha clan, let alone becoming Hokage, hadn't even gotten their hands on the doorknob of any good position related to the Hokage.

Later facts proved that unless Sasuke Uchiha was gender-bent, the Uchiha would never have a chance in this lifetime.

"But it doesn't matter."

Uchiha Sōgetsu's lips curved upwards, and he adjusted his glasses: "I will use my way to help you achieve your wish. As for the final outcome, I hope you won't blame me."

He strode with steady steps, passing by a crowd of Uchiha clan members, whose gazes were uniformly filled with disgust, and arrived outside the mansion.

"Shikaku?"

The person looking for him was none other than the current heir of the Nara clan, and a deputy highly appreciated by the Hokage.

Shikaku Nara, with his spiky hair, had a calm demeanor. He said, "Sōgetsu, I am here on behalf of the Lord Hokage to discuss the Chunin exams with you. Do you have time now?"

A new week has begun. As usual, I'm asking for your support, dear readers, with monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and follow-up reads~ I have nothing to repay you with, so I'll stockpile more drafts during the new book period and give you a massive update when it goes on shelves!