'Mangekyō Sharingan?!'
Jiraiya's face changed, his expression becoming more serious. As a Kage-level powerhouse, he naturally could sense the opponent's aura and immediately recognized them as a formidable enemy. But Mangekyō Sharingan...
'Isn't that an ability only possessed by Uchiha Itachi? Could this person really be Uchiha Itachi? I clearly noticed traces of Transformation Technique on him... Could it be that I'm getting old, and my eyes are deceiving me?'
However...
"Do you think that with just your eyes, you can defeat me?"
Jiraiya remained fearless, facing him directly.
"Being an Uchiha doesn't mean you're invincible. When I let my troops against the Shinobi of Iwagakure, there were no shortage of Uchiha clan members among my subordinates."
He subtly moved his posture, showing the confidence that a Sannin should have. In reality, the Sannin were undoubtedly the top powerhouses in the Shinobi World.
In the Naruto series, when Uchiha Itachi and Kisame tried to capture Naruto while he was traveling with Jiraiya, they only acted when they managed to get the latter away from Naruto. In fact, Itachi and Kisame commented that in a fight against Jiraiya they would at best kill him but end up dead as well.
Even Pain admitted that his victory over Jiraiya was largely due to his ability to summon multiple bodies through the Six Paths Technique. This gave him a crucial advantage over Jiraiya during their confrontation otherwise he would not have been able to defeat Jiraiya.
This shows how powerful the Sannin really are.
If Orochimaru had not been with his health deteriorating and his body beginning to fail due to his experiments and continuous use of forbidden techniques, which made him much more vulnerable in combat; he could have defeated the young Uchiha Itachi and taken the Mangekyō Sharingan from him.
So facing Natsuo, Jiraiya naturally had no fear and proudly said: "I participated in two of the three Great Shinobi Wars. I've seen all kinds of grand scenes!"
"So what if you're an Uchiha?"
"You're just a coward!"
"Let me measure your worth!"
"Don't underestimate me!"
Even if this plan to destroy Konoha was probably orchestrated by Orochimaru, this person in front of me is either Orochimaru's subordinate or an ally brought in by Orochimaru. But even if Orochimaru personally made a move, I am confident that I can hold him off!
The next second...
[Crack!]
The surrounding space suddenly fell silent, turning into black and white. Then, a series of cracks and breaks appeared... The monotonous and cold aura of the Tsukuyomi world came forth... Jiraiya was directly bound to a cross, unable to move... He had never seen this scene before...
Jiraiya was a bit dumbfounded. 'Did I just fall into a genjutsu?'
[Splatter!]
Natsuo calmly stabbed Jiraiya, then turned his head to look at him. "Jiraiya-sama, what did you just say?"
"Oh my god, it hurts!"
At the same time...
Konoha Village, Uchiha residence.
Among the Uchiha clan today, aside from the young children, the remaining wives are all skilled kunoichi.
Additionally, some of the most trusted wives have received information from Natsuo.
When the alarm sounded in Konoha, the Uchiha residence immediately reacted.
A large number of rogue and wandering shinobi recruited by Akatsuki appeared and firmly protected the Uchiha residence.
They were not protecting Natsuo's wives, but rather the ordinary customers.
After explaining the current situation in a friendly manner, all customers, merchants, and service personnel calmly sought shelter and constructed temporary defensive structures using Earth Release.
Due to Natsuo's presence, Orochimaru deliberately did not allow the giant snakes to break into the Uchiha residence and even deliberately arranged for the shinobi of Sunagakure and Otogakure to avoid that direction.
Of course, during the chaos of war, it was inevitable that some shinobi would get out of control. However, they were quickly killed by shinobi brought by Akatsuki.
Grandpa Kakuzu sat firmly in the main house, and several masked creatures had already been summoned, giving off a murderous aura, giving a feeling of invincibility.
In coordination with the shinobi brought by Akatsuki who came and went, the Uchiha clan's residential area, which was of considerable size, surprisingly gave the feeling of a paradise amidst the chaos of war.
Many Konoha residents who were near the Uchiha clan's residential area also gathered there, hoping to seek refuge.
The person in charge of the residential area, Yukino, of course, did not refuse. Warmly, she arranged for the residents to welcome people while quietly promoting the Uchiha clan.
At least they have obtained the protection of the Uchiha clan, and the residents of Konoha are grateful. Even the Konoha shinobi who lived nearby hesitated for a moment and chose not to go with their families to the Konoha shelter, which is a bit far away, but instead sent their loved ones to the Uchiha clan area.
The defensive power of the Uchiha clan is so strong that it may be safer than going to Konoha shelters!
It can be said that even though there is only one adult, Natsuo, left in the Uchiha clan, they have miraculously become the anchor for all the residents of Konoha.
Some merchants who have settled in the residential area of the Uchiha clan couldn't help but feel grateful for the protection provided when they saw this scene. Even the expensive rent they had to pay is no longer a reason for dissatisfaction.
However, there are still some internal problems within the Uchiha clan.
"I'm going to find Natsuo!" Kurenai said seriously. "According to intelligence, this Sunagakure and Otogakure operation is centered around the Chūnin Exam site, and Natsuo and Sasuke are inside the site!"
"What if something happens to them..."
"That's right!" Yūgao also said. "We have enough manpower here, so why not provide some support to Natsuo?"
Other wives also expressed: "Exactly, those women who are pregnant should not take risks, but those of us who do not have any physical impediments are still combat forces who can go and help our husband."
'The problem is that your husband doesn't need your help!' Anko thought to herself, but she persuaded everyone together with Yukino.
She couldn't directly mention Natsuo's strength, so she could only say: "Natsuo bears the great responsibility of the Uchiha clan's revival, and he definitely won't recklessly fight to the death with others. He will definitely be safe, so you can rest assured!"
But such statements are of no use at all...
Even the recognized elder sister, Yukino, couldn't suppress the emotions of her sisters. In the end, Ameyuri suddenly drew her sword and stabbed it at the door.
"Stop wasting time, whoever wants to go save Natsuo, if you can defeat me, I'll let you go!"
"Alright!" Kurenai, starting to get impatient, accepted Ameyuri's challenge.
Kurenai knows that Ameyuri is a kunoichi who has hidden her identity, she is clearly a wandering shinobi, who was lucky enough to meet Natsuo and was eventually accepted into the Uchiha clan.
'She's just a wandering shinobi, how could she be my opponent? Of course, she is also pregnant, so I should spare her...'
[Crackling!]
Kurenai was stunned when Ameyuri easily tackled her to the ground in three moves, despite Ameyuri's belly showing signs of pregnancy and preventing her from moving easily.
"With your appearance, it seems like you haven't seriously trained in a long time. Are you even qualified to participate in this kind of big battle?"
Ameyuri looked disdainful. "Are you asking for death?"
"Be a good girl and wait for your husband to come back. He's much safer than you!"
Ameyuri remembered the scene where Natsuo defeated her back then and her mouth couldn't help but twitch. Even though she had been training diligently since then, she did not feel the slightest chance of winning.
Although Natsuo was at the site of the Chūnin exam, facing many expert shinobi from various villages. But she still felt that she and the other women, who were being protected by the shinobi brought by Akatsuki, were in greater danger than Natsuo.
'With his strength, I'm afraid no one in the entire village can kill him, right?' Ameyuri thought in her heart, and without mercy, said: "If you can't beat me, just stay here!"
Then she mercilessly knocked to the ground another of the women who was screaming that she wanted to go save Natsuo.
They all began to doubt their lives.
As kunoichi who could marry Natsuo, even the weakest among them were Chūnin, and some even had Jōnin level strength. However, they were all defeated by Ameyuri, a pregnant woman.
'Could it be that I really haven't practiced well for too long and my strength has greatly declined?'
'No!'
'I have to work hard to train in the future. Otherwise, when a dangerous situation occurs again, I will only be able to stay at home honestly like now, and I will be of no use at all!'
Then, one by one, the women said goodbye to their quiet life, which had become idle due to the wealth of the Uchiha clan and began to work hard and practice again.
The strength of a shinobi can improve. A strong kunoichi can obviously give birth to more outstanding children. Natsuo has always encouraged his wives to practice hard, but unfortunately, the results were not significant. Except for a few like Ameyuri, most of them gave up on becoming stronger and became idle.
In short, under Ameyuri's suppression, the Uchiha clan stabilized.
On the other side...
Jiraiya collapsed weakly in the corner.
"Damn it, how did it end up like this!"
Of course, he wasn't directly overturned by Natsuo's Tsukuyomi.
In the Naruto series, even Kakashi, after being hit by the Tsukuyomi, was barely able to hold on until Might Guy arrived before finally collapsing due to letting his guard down.
Jiraiya is much stronger than Kakashi. Even if he was hit by Natsuo's Tsukuyomi, he managed to forcibly break free from the illusion and still maintained a certain level of combat power, able to counterattack. But the time he stayed in the illusion was enough for Natsuo.
In a Kage-level battle, even a small flaw can be seized by the enemy and become a crucial factor affecting the outcome. Furthermore, Jiraiya was attacked by the Tsukuyomi, which affected him, leaving him as if he had stayed awake for several days, exhausted and without strength...
Jiraiya gritted his teeth, supporting his tired body, he tried to summon the two Great Sage Toads. But Natsuo, who was familiar with Jiraiya's techniques, would never give him this chance.
Taking advantage of the fact that he was weakened, he quickly defeated him.
Of course, Natsuo didn't really intend to kill Jiraiya here, and Jiraiya also had some tricks up his sleeve.
So, with Natsuo's deliberate performance, Jiraiya finally managed to escape, but was unable to participate in the current Konoha battle.
"Damn it, who uses the Mangekyō Sharingan before even starting the battle?" Jiraiya leaned against the corner, panting heavily, with a helpless expression.
Normal shinobis would evaluate each other first and seize the opportunity before revealing their trump cards.
But Natsuo acted against common sense, starting with Tsukuyomi, and Jiraiya, who was unfamiliar with the Mangekyō Sharingan technique, fell into the trap and lost outright.
"Damn it, where did these Mangekyō Sharingan come from?"
"Could it really be Uchiha Itachi? Has he come to seek revenge on Konoha?"
Exam venue...
Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, the idle chatter between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage was already over.
In the eyes of others, the fierce attacks that could kill at any moment were not even worth a test for the two Kage-level individuals. They could only serve as 'idle chat' for them to play with.
The next second...
The two finally got serious!
The Third Hokage revealed his armor and Orochimaru took off the Kazekage robe he was wearing, revealing his usual attire.
And at that moment...
"Hmm, just in time."
Natsuo walked onto the roof in his regular attire, as if taking a leisurely stroll.
Looking at the two who were still not completely serious, he smiled immediately.
"This is really great. Luckily, I acted fast, otherwise it might have been too late...."
Orochimaru and the Third Hokage's eyes both narrowed at the same time.
"Hmm?!"
"Natsuo!"
"You're Uchiha Natsuo?" The shadow guards next to him saw Natsuo and were first stunned, then without hesitation said: "What are you doing here? This is not a place where a Jōnin like you can stay!"
"Hurry up and go down, find an opponent you can handle!"
"Leave this to us!"
Their words were full of impatience.
However, they didn't see the solemn look in the Third Hokage's eyes and the furrowed brow of Orochimaru.
"Natsuo, how did you end up here?" Orochimaru's eyes drooped slightly. "I remember I brought Jiraiya here. Didn't you run into him?"
"Oh? You mean him." Natsuo was taken aback, then laughed. "So, it was you who brought him here. I thought it was our Uchiha clan's clubhouse that was too attractive and made him go out of his way..."
"Come to think of it, even if he likes women, a shinobi of that level wouldn't be delayed by women when it comes to important matters."
"It seems I was being presumptuous."
Saying that, Natsuo laughed self-deprecatingly, as if mocking his own overestimation. He slowly walked up to the barrier and looked at the Four Violet Flames Formation.
He then looked at Tayuya, whom he found beautiful, and smiled, saying, "Miss, can you let me in?"
"To be honest, I've wanted to kill the Third Hokage for a long time. I really don't want to leave it to someone else!"
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