No Wavering!

When mentioning the Fuma Clan, the first impression for those who know of them is that they are a fallen ninja clan skilled in the use of large-scale ninja tools.

Since they are described as fallen, their ancestors must have certainly seen a time of prosperity.

During the Warring States period, their clan could be considered a mid-tier ninja clan, and at their peak, they even cooperated with the Uchiha Clan to oppose the Senju Clan.

The Warring States period in the Land of Fire was, to put it bluntly, just the Senju and Uchiha leading groups of underlings to fight each other.

Therefore, after both sides united, all the notable ninja clans joined Konoha.

The Fuma Clan belonged to the more unfortunate group; they were eliminated during the selection phase, resulting in them lacking the qualifications to join Konoha.

Hashirama was a benevolent man, but Tobirama, who was responsible for handling affairs, was not; he wanted ninja clans with secret techniques or civilians who were blank slates.

He would never want a clan that lacked strength yet held onto heavy-handed, clan-centric ideologies.

So much so that today, the Fuma Clan is not even as famous as the Fuma Shuriken often used by the Uchiha.

--

The Land of Fields.

Compared to the Land of Hot Water, famous for its hot spring tourism, or the Land of Iron, rich in iron ore, the Land of Fields is a true reflection of most small nations in the ninja world.

With inconvenient transportation, a low economic level, and almost non-existent military power, it holds no status in the ninja world.

It was only later, when Orochimaru established the Village Hidden in the Sound here, that the status of this small nation improved.

Truly stepping onto this land, Uchiha Sora realized that he had likely been mistaken about one thing.

The Land of Fields had no wealth for Orochimaru to squeeze; in fact, it was likely that Orochimaru would have to pay out of his own pocket to build infrastructure for the Land of Fields later on.

If this small nation were auctioned off in its entirety, it wouldn't even be worth as much as a single town in the Land of Fire.

Thinking about it this way, the claims of people like Sasori and Chiyo destroying a small nation single-handedly were just intimidating talk.

Watching a woman on the street selling her own child just to fill her stomach, Shisui's face revealed a look of unbearable pity.

"Sora, do you still have food in your bag?"

Uchiha Sora also saw the tragic scene over there and said indifferently, "You will kill her, Shisui."

"If you give her food in a place like this, she won't be able to keep it."

Shisui frowned deeply, "How could she not keep it? Can't she just eat it right away?"

"Do you see that group of people in the alley? They have already set their sights on you."

"They wouldn't dare attack us while we are dressed as ninjas, but the moment you give that woman anything, they will pounce..."

"Eat it and keep it? You underestimate them. They would cut open her stomach to retrieve the food, and they'd get a meal of meat as a bonus."

"How could that be..."

Uchiha Sora remained expressionless and continued, "Although I don't like Konoha, Konoha has a deep, dark side."

"But I grew up in Cat Village, and I am very clear about one thing."

"Compared to the outside world, Konoha is practically a paradise."

"Even orphans there won't starve to death; there are orphanages to take them in, and at worst, they are just thrown into Root to receive training."

Even the children Orochimaru used for experiments were only obtained outside of Konoha.

"You have also killed several Root ninjas; why would they be so fearless of death for someone like Danzo..."

"Because, to them, Danzo is the savior who rescued them from hell."

Uchiha Sora looked at the people on the street who were like walking corpses and said slowly, "When people are extremely hungry, so-called emotions and ethics can all be discarded."

"I remember Orochimaru once said that he had seen many orphans, and compared to their fates, dying was actually a good ending."

Uchiha Sora loathed Uchiha Itachi for the act of wiping out his clan, but he did not think it was an entirely irrational act of madness.

He had witnessed war and knew well what a wonderful place Konoha was; he would protect Konoha at all costs and wanted Sasuke to live in Konoha.

It was just that his ability was insufficient, and when faced with choices, Sasuke outweighed the village, and the village outweighed the clan, which is why he did what he did.

Shisui's footsteps were heavy. He was not a naive young master, and under Uchiha Sora's reminder, he quickly understood the root of everything.

"Sora... why do you think... the ninja world cannot have true peace."

"Can war really not be stopped?"

Uchiha Sora smiled faintly, "Don't think about that question; it was unsolvable to begin with."

"What we must do is simply ensure that in every war, we are the ones standing in the position of the victor!"

Shisui looked at Uchiha Sora's retreating back.

It took a good while for him to snap out of it, and then he followed.

For a Uchiha Jonin to come to a place like the Land of Fields was no different from a Celestial Dragon descending to the countryside.

Uchiha Sora went straight to the steward of the Daimyo Residence, ordered him to find the Fuma Clan to meet with him, and then kicked the Daimyo out of the mansion so that he and Shisui could move in.

Calling it the Land of Fields Daimyo Residence was a stretch; it wasn't even as luxurious as Shisui's old family home.

The next day, a group of plainly dressed ninjas gathered in front of the Daimyo Residence; it was the Fuma Clan.

Only two people entered the residence to pay their respects to their former masters.

One was the current Leader of the Fuma Clan, a hunched and ugly middle-aged man, accompanied by an extremely beautiful young girl with cyan hair.

"Greetings to the Uchiha lords. This Humble One is Fuma Kage, and this is my daughter, Fuma Kageya."

The girl's gray-blue eyes were somewhat dazed as she looked at the youth sitting in the high seat.

He looked even younger than she was, yet he accepted the kneeling of her father—a Jonin—with such composure...

"Kageya, do not look up!"

Her father's reprimand brought Kageya back to her senses, and she hurriedly followed his lead and prostrated herself.

Uchiha Sora saw through Fuma Kage's intentions at a glance.

It was the survival strategy of a small clan: offer tribute to a great clan and seek their protection.

The Fuma Clan had nothing of value to offer, so they could only bring the most beautiful girl in the clan, hoping to gain the pity of their superior.

"Clan Leader Kage, I have come a long way to find you. You should be able to guess the reason why."

Kage was slightly stunned, then hurriedly prostrated again: "The Fuma Clan is willing to be at your beck and call, and we shall not refuse even if it means death!"

No matter how he looked at it, the Fuma Clan didn't have the qualifications to be hunted down by a powerhouse of the Uchiha, so recruitment was the only possibility.

The Fuma Clan's most glorious era was during the Warring States period, when they served as subordinates to the Uchiha.

The lifelong wish of every generation of Fuma leaders was to revitalize the clan.

Now was the chance to ascend to the heavens in a single step; even if the next order was for Kage to die, he would execute it without hesitation!

Uchiha Sora nodded and said slowly: "To tell you the truth, the Uchiha Clan has now broken away from Konoha. I intend to recruit several ninja clans to establish a ninja village belonging to the Uchiha."

"So, if your intention was to join Konoha, then you are going to be disappointed."

After a brief pause, Kage bowed and said: "That... is even better!"

"Generation after generation, our ancestors told us that the Uchiha are the strongest clan in the ninja world. The Senju only briefly surpassed the Uchiha by relying on the strength of the God of Shinobi; they never had the ambition to rule a nation!"

"I believe that under the leadership of the Uchiha, we will certainly be able to build a ninja village comparable to the Five Great Nations!"

Uchiha Sora smiled slightly: "There is no need to gild the lily. Our recorded history shows that the Uchiha and Senju fought for a thousand years, and at best, it was a draw."

"I don't like to make empty promises. Follow us, and you can gain wealth, fame, and power."

"Of course, you must understand the dangers that come with it."

"If your clan perishes because of me, I will not feel any guilt. Have you thought it through?"

Without hesitation, Fuma Kage bowed his head to the ground.

"Our belief in following you shall never waver!"