Under the warm winter sun,

The thick layer of snow absorbs the heat brought by the sun and slowly melts, making the environment that should be warmed up by the appearance of the sun even more chilly.

And in this deep winter, there is a group of ninjas dressed in thin clothes, striding forward in the dense forest.

They weren't very fast, they were walking on the snow as if they were on flat ground, they didn't sink into it, they didn't leave footprints on the snow.

"Itachi, this should be your second trip out of the village, right?"

Several ninjas wearing animal masks surrounded the old and the young in the middle, and firmly protected them.

Inside, the old man was kindly asking the child beside him, "How do you feel about this journey?" Compared to the cruelty experienced when I went to the battlefield for the first time. ”

"Dangerous and rewarding."

Itachi Uchiha's meaningful reply, as it had been at the beginning, was as frank as it had been, as if he had blurted it out without thinking.

However, how could he answer the question of Ape Fei Sun Slash without thinking.

It's just that along the way, he is extremely focused, and he has achieved a faster and more sensitive thinking in a very short time.

And this process is extremely draining.

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have spoken to Artoria for a long time, and it was the first time since he had known her that the two hadn't communicated well.

"It's really dangerous."

Ape Fei Ri nodded thoughtfully, "Who would have thought that in the shadows, there was actually a person with a kaleidoscope and a wooden escape, eyeing Konoha fiercely. ”

"But it's also because of him that the friendly relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha is confirmed."

Speaking of this, he paused, and asked in a deep and serious voice, "Itachi, what do you think of the current situation of Konoha?" ”

In the end, they still didn't succeed in capturing the masked man, whose space-time spell was too weird to be sucked in by the vortex, and never appeared.

But the haze left by the masked man has not stopped.

The question is very general.

Itachi didn't blurt out again this time.

This kind of general question, if he blurted out again, it would inevitably seem a little perfunctory.

After thinking seriously for a moment, Itachi replied softly:

"It's dangerous."

"From the masked man's dress, his tracking, his speech...... There should be a force behind it, not an individual's retaliation. ”

"A force that hides deep in the shadows, has a grudge against Konoha, and is bent on provoking disputes and destroying Konoha, and whose strength is difficult to assess, is enough to become a threat that can threaten Konoha's existence or not."

In his answer, he pointed out the danger of this force and the significant impact it would have on Konoha.

As for whether the identity of the masked man is from the Uchiha, and for the Uchiha to act as a 'family', 'ally' and 'enemy'...... What role, Itachi didn't mention a word.

Beside him, Ape Feiri's eyes narrowed half-narrowed.

He knew all of what Itachi said.

Even in addition to the cognition of 'Itachi', there are also external troubles from other large countries.

In addition to the relatively stable land country that has just signed a peace treaty, the country of thunder, the country of water, the country of wind, and even some small and medium-sized countries such as the country of rain may pounce on it and bite when Konoha shows the image of emptiness.

And even if the external troubles are eliminated, Konoha still has internal troubles......

Alas......

Ape Feiri sighed, there are still too few people around him who can use it.

"It sounds like Konoha's current situation is worrying."

He didn't talk too much about the secrets with Itachi, and instead continued to ask, "Is there any good way for Itachi to solve this situation?" ”

"Stay steady."

Itachi pondered and replied, "Konoha is very rigorous and perfect in education, from the initial study of the ninja school, to the run-in of the team system of the lower ninja, and the promotion route above the middle ninja. ”

"Whether it's the interrogation department, the medical department, the sealing squad, or the combat squad...... From the second generation of Hokage to the present day, various departments have developed very maturely. ”

"Every year passes, the village reaps the rewards of these perfect systems."

"Although at the moment, because of the shortly after the end of the war and other events, the morale in the village is quite low."

"But if it can be precipitated for a few years, the leaves will soon be able to be injected with batches of fresh blood as nutrients, so that the tree can be rejuvenated."

"Although the forces hidden in the shadows are difficult, as long as we develop steadily and continuously, they can only become rats that have been hiding in the shadows, and they will never see the light of day."

It's the truth.

If he were to take charge of Konoha and face a situation of internal troubles, the path he would choose would be to avoid and delay large-scale conflicts, and not give up an inch of territory in small-scale conflicts.

Avoidance and procrastination are for the sake of survival and development, and not giving up an inch of territory is the tough attitude that a big country should have.

“…… You can see this, that's good! ”

Sarutobi looked at Itachi with complicated eyes, and he didn't know what he was thinking, so he suddenly asked, "When the Ninja School opened, Mizuto told you new children about the 'Will of Fire', I don't know...... How do you feel about this idea? ”

When these words were asked, the other dark ninjas next to him were stunned.

Then, they also set their sights on Itachi.

"It should be inheritance and continuation."

Once again, Itachi blurted out, "A generation will continue the goals and ideas of a generation." ”

"Accomplish old goals and set new goals."

"Make the most of the time advantage and reduce the risk ......"

Speaking of which, he can say a lot.

And the more things in this regard, the more it is said, the more beneficial it will be for the current Uchiha.

"Did you think of all these ideas yourself?"

Ape Fei Ri listened to Itachi's words, and the more he understood, the more pity he felt in his heart.

"Some of them were told to me by the water stop."

Itachi didn't hide it, "Shisui had a good relationship with my father before, and he often told me about Konoha. ”

"And then there's the one I thought of myself."

As for what Uchiha Shisui had instructed him, he didn't reveal it.

Judging from Sarutobi's attitude towards himself along the way, Uchiha Shisui kept his promise and never reported his affairs to the other party.

Even so, it is impossible for him to say anything that would make Ape Fei Ri Slash doubt his loyalty.

Itachi was surprised and regretted that Sarutobi would ask him for his opinion on the Will of Fire.

The reason for his surprise was that he finally 'once again' decided that Konoha and Uchiha should not sacrifice one or the other, but should coexist.

It seems that the emergence of the masked man and the forces behind it has really made Ape Feiri have a lot of scruples, at least ...... He doesn't want to be too stiff with the Uchiha at the moment.

Unfortunately, this is also the case.

Some mustards are born and there is no going back.

Even at this moment, Konoha really wants to seek coexistence with the Uchiha again from the bottom of his heart, and the Uchiha will not stand still waiting for them.

What's more, they don't have to be sincere.

Just referring to the fact that Konoha changed his attitude overnight since the night of the Nine-Tails, Itachi has long stopped putting hope on Konoha.

As his parents said, who can guarantee that Konoha's unpredictable attitude is as always always?

Instead of pinning your hopes on outsiders, you should try your best to make the family stronger.

Only if you are strong enough can you have a foothold in this ninja world, instead of relying on people to snort and send people under the fence.