"What a strange country!" A person hidden in the shadows, covering his chin and leaning against a tree, watched the situation in the Land of Whirlpools with curiosity and murmured, "To think it still hasn't been destroyed despite all this!"
"As expected of a clan rivaling the Senju and Uchiha!"
"But..."
Kakuzu frowned as he observed the peaceful scene. "Ninjas working together with ordinary people?"
These Uzu-nin are really disgracing the name of shinobi!!
Using ninjutsu to build houses? Chop trees? Burn things??
And...
"What a shame." Kakuzu's face showed a regretful expression as he said, "If the Land of Whirlpools hasn't been destroyed, then I won't be able to inherit its assets, will I?"
Then what was the point of rushing here so eagerly?
To watch the Land of Whirlpools engage in large-scale construction??
Don't joke around. He, Kakuzu, was a renowned assassin in the shinobi world. He didn't have time for such trivial matters.
After all, he was someone who made millions in the blink of an eye!
"Kirigakure is truly useless!" Kakuzu sneered. "They can't even destroy a small country, yet they call themselves one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"
"How laughable!"
"Even with a Kage, it's just a seven-year-old Kage."
"And they were still stopped by such a country..."
"Hmph!"
"But..."
"A seven-year-old Kage!" Kakuzu murmured. "It seems the next God of Shinobi is here." He pulled out a slightly worn...
Recruitment letter!!
A faint smile appeared on Kakuzu's face. "Perhaps this isn't so bad after all."
Peace...
What a desirable thing!!
But...
What on earth is written on that red banner...
...
"Komaki-sama, it seems someone is watching us from the shadows!" A Uzu-nin frowned and said, "The sensor ninjas have detected it."
"Hmm!" Uzumaki Komaki nodded solemnly. "I've already noticed. He doesn't seem to be trying to hide his presence."
"This is a strong opponent!"
"But..."
"We don't know if he's friend or foe."
"Then, Komaki-sama, should we..." The Uzu-nin, understanding the gravity of the situation, asked cautiously.
"No..." Uzumaki Komaki shook his head. "You are no match for him."
"Inform the clan head and have everyone evacuate. Also, notify the clan elders. Here..."
"We absolutely cannot afford any accidents!"
This was what he had promised Kai, what he had promised Jun-sama!!
"Yes!"
The Uzu-nin responded seriously and immediately went to prepare.
...
Uzumaki Jun had no idea Kakuzu had arrived at this time. If he had known, he would have waited until the situation with Kakuzu was resolved before coming to Konoha. After all...
Kakuzu was extremely powerful, and with his intentions unclear, the Land of Whirlpools was in great danger.
He had no idea how the Akatsuki organization would later recruit Kakuzu and make him work tirelessly for them. Was it because of Akatsuki's financial control? If so, the Land of Whirlpools had a good chance too!
If it was through force...
He wasn't sure if the clan elders could handle it.
If they couldn't defeat him, the Land of Whirlpools would face a disaster!
After all, the country was currently under construction. If a battle broke out, countless lives could be lost, and it would...
Affect his reputation collection. His reputation had been steadily increasing lately, and he didn't want any unexpected setbacks.
Of course...
Right now, Uzumaki Jun knew nothing. He was leisurely strolling through Konoha with Kai, curiously observing everything.
Konoha after the First Shinobi World War wasn't as prosperous as it was after Naruto's birth. The buildings were still low and simple, without the advanced technology of the future. But everything was well-equipped—weapon shops, pet shops, food stores—everything was complete, like a small nation unto itself!!
How enviable!
In comparison, the Land of Whirlpools, as a country, still had to import many things from Konoha...
"As expected of Konoha, the strongest shinobi village!" Uzumaki Jun sighed in admiration. "It's truly enviable."
The Konoha jōnin beside him, hearing someone praise his village, curled his lips slightly into a smile. His gaze drifted toward the Hokage Monument, looking at the faces of the past Hokages, and he couldn't help but feel emotional. After all, this was the village founded by the God of Shinobi, Hashirama-sama. Of course it was the strongest.
If he weren't familiar with the plot, Uzumaki Jun wouldn't believe that such a warm and peaceful village could harbor such darkness—forcing people to commit suicide or slaughtering entire families at the slightest provocation...
A place without legal restraints was truly terrifying!
Just one word from someone in power, and anyone deemed a potential threat would be crushed mercilessly. And it didn't matter if they were civilians or shinobi—if they were associated, they would...
The scariest part was how the higher-ups all nodded in agreement...
"Jun-sama, where should we go next?" Kai asked. He didn't care about Konoha's situation. He had been here on missions before and found nothing special about it. Besides...
Konoha's relationship with the Land of Whirlpools was tense right now!
They should finish their business quickly and leave!!
Otherwise, something unexpected might happen...
"No rush. It's good to look around a bit." Uzumaki Jun smiled. "If anything comes up, the Konoha people will notify us. And..."
"How can we come to Konoha without trying Ichiraku Ramen?"
"It's a specialty here!"
...
"What are the Uzumaki shinobi doing?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked the ANBU in front of him, frowning. "Anything unusual?"
"They're eating ramen."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, then asked again, "Nothing else?"
"No." The ANBU jōnin replied. "But there seems to be another group of ANBU monitoring the area."
Another group of ANBU??
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "Root?"
He hadn't sent a second ANBU team.
So, identical uniforms...
Could only mean Root.
"What is Danzō planning this time?" Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered. This was a critical moment. Nothing could go wrong! "Continue surveillance, and keep an eye on the other ANBU team. If they..."
"Yes!" The ANBU jōnin's expression sharpened.
Though the Hokage hadn't finished his sentence, he understood. It seemed the other team wasn't...
ANBU.
Just then...
"Hokage-sama!" A Konoha jōnin entered and bowed respectfully.
"What is it?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"Lady Mito requests to meet the Uzumaki clansmen."
"..."