The meeting, the Third's decision

Uchiha Sora knew exactly what Konoha's leaders were worried about.

The Sharingan, Impure World Reincarnation, Flying Thunder God...

Each was enough to inspire immense fear, yet all of them were concentrated in one person-and that person was still so young that he could practically be called a child.

Once he truly matured, how much change would he bring to the Shinobi World?

There was no way Konoha's leaders had not considered that.

Moreover, Uchiha Sora held far too much information about Konoha, forcing the Konoha High Command to tread carefully.

Uchiha Sora looked at Kakashi before him and said slowly, "Go back and tell the Third Hokage that I've taken Kusagakure. This is my territory now, and every unequal agreement Kusagakure previously had with Konoha is hereby null and void!"

"If Konoha wants to cooperate with me in the future, it had better offer terms worth my consideration. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss!" Uchiha Sora continued, "And tell the Third Hokage this as well: if he wants back the information on Ninjutsu and secret techniques in my possession, including the Scroll of Seals, he'd better bring a worthwhile offer to the negotiating table!"

After hearing this, Kakashi finally understood that Uchiha Sora was determined to build his own forces and rule his own territory. He had placed himself firmly outside Konoha's circle.

"All right. I'll relay everything you said to the Third Hokage." Kakashi nodded and left with a conflicted expression.

After Kakashi left, Uchiha Sora turned to Pakura, whose body had already recovered, and said, "Send word to the Land of Grass's Daimyo Mansion. Tell the Daimyo to come see me."

"Yes," Pakura replied with a nod.

That very night, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass hurried to Kusagakure and met Uchiha Sora.

The relationship between the Land of Grass and Kusagakure was essentially the same as that between the Land of Fire and Konoha.

The Daimyo controlled economic affairs, while the village handled military administration. The village relied on the Daimyo's funding to sustain itself, and the Daimyo relied on the village's military strength for protection.

Each side fulfilled its own duties, coexisting peacefully.

But in smaller nations, the Daimyo's power was actually quite limited.

Unlike the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who had a dedicated protective organization like the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass had, at most, only a few Jonin guards.

That level of strength could not compare with Uchiha Sora's.

Thus, ever since the dramatic upheaval in the village under his authority, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass had been deeply uneasy. When he met Uchiha Sora, its new leader, he showed great tolerance and understanding, expressing his intention to support Kusagakure's new leader just as he always had.

All Uchiha Sora had to do in return was offer token support for his position as the Daimyo of the Land of Grass.

With that, the Land of Grass's internal issues were more or less resolved.

Inside the Leader's Mansion in central Kusagakure.

Uchiha Sora sat at the head of the room, with Zabuza standing behind him. Below them, Kusagakure's elite leaders had assembled.

The other six elites summoned through Impure World Reincarnation stood in rows on either side.

This was the first general meeting Uchiha Sora had convened since taking control of Kusagakure.

He issued a series of orders to those assembled before him.

Besides instructing them to keep Kusagakure's various departments running smoothly, Uchiha Sora specifically selected some suitable Ninjutsu from Konoha's assorted Ninjutsu and secret technique scrolls and taught them to a portion of those present.

To shinobi from a small village like Kusagakure, these advanced Ninjutsu from Konoha were already prestigious techniques.

Those rewarded with Ninjutsu were all delighted and immediately professed their loyalty, leaving the other Grass Ninja watching with envy and jealousy.

Uchiha Sora declared that anyone who performed well in the future would have a chance to learn those advanced Ninjutsu.

With that, the concerns of Kusagakure's existing personnel were largely put to rest.

After winning over these Grass Ninja through a system of rewards, Uchiha Sora decided to establish a vast intelligence organization.

This was his true purpose in taking over Kusagakure.

What he valued was not the strength of Kusagakure's shinobi, but the village's population.

With these people at his disposal, he could establish an Intelligence and Espionage Organization to gather information of every kind throughout the Shinobi World.

Although Uchiha Sora had transmigrated and knew the entire plot, the Shinobi World was vast, and unexpected events could happen at any moment. If he acted recklessly based solely on his familiarity with the plot, he would likely run into plenty of trouble.

Thus, establishing an intelligence organization became his most urgent priority.

Only with adequate intelligence could he truly control how events unfolded.

White Zetsu deserved an enormous share of the credit for Obito Uchiha's ability to manipulate the Shinobi World.

"Building the intelligence organization will be the village's top priority. For now, Zabuza will take charge," Uchiha Sora said. "After a while, I'll find a professional Intelligence Agent to oversee it."

He thought of Konoha's Intelligence Agent, Yakushi Nonō, known as the Wandering Miko. She should still be alive, and if he had the chance, he could recruit her to run the intelligence department.

As for other matters, Uchiha Sora did not say much. He merely touched on a few points and offered everyone some encouragement.

Once the meeting ended, everyone dispersed.

Meanwhile, in Konoha's Naruto office, Kakashi had returned to the village and reported the outcome of his mission to the Third Hokage, relaying Uchiha Sora's words.

Besides the Third Hokage and the two advisers, Danzo was also present in the Naruto office.

After hearing Kakashi's report, Danzo slapped the desk in anger. "That Uchiha Sora is despicable! How dare he threaten us with Konoha's intelligence! We should send our elites to wipe out his Kusagakure! Leave him with nowhere to go!"

"Shut up, Danzo!" The Third Hokage glared at him upon hearing his angry outburst. "You're the leader of Root, yet you make such utterly irrational remarks! If Uchiha Sora were that easy to deal with, would we still need to sit here discussing him?"

"Sarutobi, Danzo's words may be a little extreme, but his suggestion is still an option," the adviser Utatane Koharu said from beside him. "Uchiha Sora must have occupied Kusagakure because he wants to build his own forces. As long as we stop his plans from succeeding, on his own, he's nothing more than an S-rank Missing-nin. Would he really dare attack all of Konoha alone? But once his forces are established, things will become much more troublesome!"

"Do you think I don't understand that?" The Third Hokage sighed. "But you should also understand that even if we can destroy his Kusagakure, we absolutely cannot kill him."

"If we truly do that, any chance of repairing our relationship with him will be gone. He might turn around and sell all that intelligence on Konoha to other nations."

"Now that he's proposed negotiating terms, however, that means there is no need to resolve this through force." Finally, the Third Hokage said, "The Uchiha Sora of today is no longer Konoha's Uchiha Sora. We must take him seriously and treat him as an equal."

"Otherwise, blindly opposing him will only give other nations and villages an opportunity to invade Konoha!"

PS: It's over! I messaged her after nine this morning, and she's not replying again! What's going on?! She starts work at ten-there's no way she didn't see the message!