Sign in From Naruto

stopping the Hyuga Clan's plan to sacrifice Hinata and presenting a viable solution to the Third Hokage, Xu Fan's sign-in system still hadn't marked the mission as complete.

"It seems the Third Hokage is still negotiating with the Konoha higher-ups and hasn't convinced them yet," Xu Fan mused, glancing out the window.

It was now evening.

Although Xu Fan was confident in handling the conflict between Konoha and the Cloud Ninja Village, this was still a war between two major ninja villages.

Moreover, Konoha's geographical location was different from the Cloud Ninja Village's.

In the original story, the Cloud Ninja Village's isolationist policy was largely due to its geography.

It was located in the upper right corner of the world map, surrounded by the sea and connected to the Land of Fire by land.

Around the Land of Fire, however, were not only the Land of Lightning but also the three major powers of Wind, Earth, and Water.

But this wasn't a significant problem in Xu Fan's view.

The Land of Water was a small nation, and in this era without an industrial revolution, ninja movements relied heavily on foot travel.

The Land of Water was also politically unstable, with Zabuza likely plotting to assassinate the Mizukage at this very moment.

It wasn't a major concern.

The real threats were the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.

But while Xu Fan wasn't a military strategist, he possessed historical knowledge unmatched in the Naruto world.

The Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Seven Warring States, the Chu-Han Contention, the Three Kingdoms—any one of these historical strategies, when applied to this world, could be considered S-rank tactics.

Additionally, in ninja warfare, intelligence played a crucial role.

"As of now, in this timeline, ordinary intelligence experts can't do me any good," Xu Fan chuckled to himself.

This wasn't arrogance.

Although he hadn't left the Land of Fire in the past five years to gather intelligence, he had read the script!

For example, between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, there were three small buffer nations: Taki, Kusagakure, and Amegakure.

Taki and Kusagakure had always maintained alliances with Konoha, as evidenced by the Chunin Exams.

By releasing information and supporting them, Konoha could secure key entry points.

The Land of Earth, as a major power, would likely overlook Amegakure, making it an ideal location for a surprise attack.

If they tried, they'd walk right into a trap.

As for the Land of Wind, Konoha could use this opportunity to forge an alliance.

The Land of Wind was a desert region with barren land and scarce water resources.

To solve this, the Kazekage had even been willing to trade gold.

If Xu Fan proposed helping them with greening and planting trees, ensuring future generations of Sand ninja could enjoy shade and abundant water, the Sand Village would have no reason to refuse.

This strategy, known as "befriending the distant to attack the near," was one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

This was why Xu Fan was confident in planning this war.

While Naruto had impressive fight scenes, its political and military strategies were often one-dimensional.

This wasn't the author's fault—Xu Fan believed the author was an excellent manga artist.

But the country Xu Fan came from had a far richer history of warfare.

Every era of chaos produced countless talented strategists and generals.

Copying their strategies would be more than enough.

"Well, it's time to meet the man."

After finalizing his plans, Xu Fan stood up, changed his clothes, and left the Senju compound.

The Uchiha Clan had become a major concern for Konoha's leadership.

Uchiha Itachi, as a double agent, spent most of his time monitoring the Uchiha Clan's movements for the Third Hokage.

Finding him wouldn't be difficult.

"Even though we don't need Uchiha Itachi to deal with the Cloud Ninja Village, it's a shame to let the Uchiha Clan be exterminated like this.

They're a significant fighting force for Konoha."

With this in mind, Xu Fan made his way to the outskirts of the Uchiha compound.

According to the original story, Itachi often observed his clan from a nearby forest.

The Uchiha Clan also held nightly meetings at the Naka Shrine.

Using this information, Xu Fan finally found Itachi.

Soon, Itachi noticed Xu Fan's presence.

After all, Xu Fan hadn't bothered to hide—he had come here specifically to meet Itachi.

"Who sent you?"

Under the moonlight, Uchiha Itachi's sharp eyes focused on Xu Fan.

To facilitate the meeting, Xu Fan had donned an ANBU uniform and mask.

Hearing Itachi's question, he removed the mask.

"Hello, Uchiha Itachi."

Xu Fan got straight to the point, extending an invitation.

However, there was another person hiding in the shadows: Kakashi, whom the Third Hokage had assigned to watch over Xu Fan.

Kakashi hadn't expected Xu Fan to leave the Senju compound and seek out Itachi. A bad feeling crept over him.

But he trusted that Itachi wouldn't do anything to harm the village.

"I am Senju Xu Fan."

Seeing Itachi's indifferent expression, Xu Fan introduced himself.

"The Senju Clan?"

Itachi frowned.

It was well-known that the Senju and Uchiha Clans had founded Konoha together.

But times had changed. The Senju Clan's influence had waned, and the Uchiha Clan had been ostracized, even plotting a coup.

The decline of the Senju Clan was tied to Hashirama's philosophy.

Born in a time of chaos, Hashirama wanted the village to foster bonds, ensuring children wouldn't have to kill each other and could live as brothers.

The existence of clans was seen as a hindrance to this vision.

Thus, Hashirama ordered his clan members to intermarry with other clans and integrate fully into the village.

Even Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, had followed this path.

However, everyone had the right to make their own choices, and some Senju members, like Xu Fan's family, had chosen to preserve their clan name.

Itachi, understanding this, felt a subtle mix of emotions.

If the Uchiha Clan had chosen a similar path, perhaps they wouldn't be in this situation now.

"What do you want?"

Itachi remained perched on a tree branch, looking down at Xu Fan.

If this man was here to ally with the Uchiha and stage a coup, Itachi would have no choice but to eliminate him.

"I came here for the village."

Xu Fan smiled, ready to deliver his pitch.