Team 7 roamed around Uzushiogakure for quite a while, moving through different streets and districts of the village as they explored the place at a relaxed pace. The more they walked, the more things they discovered, and before long they found themselves stopping at several small restaurants and food stalls along the streets.
Naturally, they did not miss the opportunity to try the unique delicacies of Uzushiogakure.
Many of those dishes were unfamiliar to them, both in appearance and taste. The flavors were distinct, and the cooking styles felt somewhat different from what they were used to in Konoha.
In truth, many of these delicacies existed because of Shanks.
They were dishes that originated from the memories of his previous life. Some recipes he had personally recreated after arriving in this world, while others he had simply remembered and taught to the cooks of Uzushiogakure, who then reproduced them with the ingredients available in this world.
Over time, those dishes had spread across the village and become quite popular.
Because of that, any restaurant that used Shanks's recipes—or any dish originally created by him—paid a small royalty to the Uzumaki clan for every sale.
And the restaurant owners paid that royalty quite happily.
After all, Uzushiogakure had provided them with a stable place to live and run their businesses. The taxes imposed by the village administration were relatively low, and the government of Uzushiogakure often provided helpful support whenever businesses faced difficulties.
Because of these benefits, the merchants and restaurant owners of the village were generally very satisfied with the system.
So the royalty fee was rarely seen as a burden.
Instead, many of them considered it something obvious—almost natural.
After all, the recipes had been created by the Uzumaki clan. Paying a small portion of the profit back to them simply felt fair.
After spending a long time exploring the village, eating different foods, and observing the prosperity of Uzushiogakure, Team 7 finally decided to return to their guest house.
The sun had begun to drift lower in the sky, casting a warmer glow over the village streets as they walked back.
As soon as they arrived near the guest house, they noticed someone standing quietly near the entrance.
A Shadow Guard.
The figure stood calmly, waiting for them.
Naruto immediately recognized him. This was the same Shadow Guard who had escorted them to the guest house earlier after they had made their purpose clear—that they had come as envoys from Konoha to meet the Uzukage.
The Shadow Guard's name was Navi.
Navi stepped forward and spoke in a calm, courteous tone.
"I hope that your visit throughout Uzushiogakure has been plentiful and enjoyable."
Naruto, being the loudest among them, immediately answered with visible enthusiasm.
"Yeah! We loved everything," he said with a wide grin. "We tried all kinds of different food."
Sakura nodded in agreement.
"Yes, we liked everything," she added politely.
Sasuke simply gave a quiet, "Hmm," while Kakashi, his left eye covered, offered Navi a small nod of acknowledgment.
Navi continued speaking.
"Uzukage has agreed to meet with you. As I mentioned earlier, the Uzukage generally does not meet envoys on the same day they arrive."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"However, the Uzukage is willing to make an exception this time. After all, his nephew has also come. Therefore, he has asked me to bring all of you to the meeting room where you can meet Lord Uzukage."
Kakashi nodded calmly after hearing this.
"We thank Lord Uzukage for granting us this exception," he said politely.
Navi inclined his head slightly.
"Then, please follow me."
With that, Navi turned and began guiding them through the village once again. The group soon headed toward the Uzumaki clan compound.
To be precise, the meeting hall they were being taken to had been constructed in the outer section of the Uzumaki compound. The inner core area of the compound was reserved for the Uzumaki clan members themselves, where their residences were located.
The outer perimeter, however, contained most of the administrative buildings used for governing Uzushiogakure.
As they walked deeper into the compound grounds, the buildings around them gradually shifted from residential structures to more formal and official-looking facilities.
Soon, Navi led them to a large administrative building.
This building served as the central hub where many of Uzushiogakure's important administrative decisions were made. It was also the place where Shanks regularly held meetings with his siblings and other key members of the Uzumaki clan.
Here, discussions about the development of Uzushiogakure often took place—plans regarding the village's growth, the progress of ongoing projects, and how far the village had advanced compared to previous years.
All such matters were handled within this administrative building.
After entering, Team 7 was guided into a spacious meeting room.
At the centre of the room stood a large round table surrounded by several seats. Navi gestured for them to sit, and the members of Team 7 took their places around the table while waiting for the Uzukage to arrive.
The room was quiet, the faint sounds of movement from outside barely reaching them.
Time passed slowly.
Almost fifteen minutes later, the doors opened.
Shanks entered the meeting room.
The moment he stepped inside, an invisible pressure seemed to spread throughout the space. It pressed down upon the members of Team 7 like a heavy atmosphere settling over the room.
Naruto straightened slightly in his seat, Sakura instinctively stiffened, and even Sasuke's sharp eyes narrowed faintly.
Kakashi, despite his calm demeanour, immediately felt the weight of it as well.
It was not an attack.
It was simply presence.
A quiet but unmistakable display of power and authority—the strength and majesty of the Uzukage.
Shanks walked toward the head seat of the round table and calmly took his place.
The moment he entered, all the members of Team 7 had already stood up from their seats out of courtesy. For a brief moment, the room remained quiet.
Shanks looked at them and spoke in a composed tone.
"Please, be seated."
At his words, Team 7 sat back down in their respective seats.
Once everyone had settled, Shanks rested one arm lightly on the table and looked toward them.
"So," he began, his gaze calmly moving across the group, "what brings you all here? I was informed that you have arrived as envoys from Konoha."
As soon as Kakashi heard this, he leaned forward slightly and spoke respectfully.
"Lord Uzukage, we have been sent here by Lord Hokage."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"We have come to invite Uzushiogakure to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams. Konoha will be conducting a joint Chunin Examination, and invitations have been sent to all the major ninja villages."
Kakashi's visible eye remained focused and respectful as he continued explaining.
"Envoys from Konoha have also been dispatched to the other villages to deliver the invitations."
Shanks listened quietly and then gave a small nod.
"But you do realize that our system of education is slightly different from yours," Shanks said calmly.
"Our Ninja Academy students graduate at the age of fifteen. That creates quite a large gap compared to the graduation age of most ninja academies in the other villages."
His sharp eyes rested briefly on Kakashi.
"Are you all comfortable with that difference?"
Kakashi immediately nodded.
"This was naturally taken into consideration by Konoha," he replied.
"And to be honest, not every student participates in the Chunin Exams immediately after graduating from the Ninja Academy."
He continued explaining calmly.
"Many Genin teams wait one or even two years before attempting the exam. It is quite common for teams to gain experience through missions before applying."
Kakashi folded his hands lightly on the table as he finished his explanation.
"And not everyone passes on their first attempt either."
He gave a small nod.
"In fact, most of the participants in the Chunin Exams are generally between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. Because of that, the difference in age would not be very significant."
Shanks listened to Kakashi's explanation and then nodded slowly.
"Very well," he said calmly. "If Konoha does not have any issues with it, then we of Uzushiogakure will not have any issues either."
He leaned back slightly in his seat, his expression composed.
"Although we generally do not participate in the joint Chunin Exams conducted by other villages, it seems that we should start doing so now."
For a brief moment, his gaze shifted thoughtfully.
"Otherwise, the world might start forming the illusion that Uzushiogakure's younger generation is weakening. They might think that the village no longer produces powerful ninjas and that only the Uzumaki siblings and I hold any real strength."
A faint hint of amusement crossed his face.
"And that there is no strong future generation to carry the village forward."
Across the table, Kakashi remained completely calm-faced, giving no visible reaction to Shanks's words.
However, inside his mind, a very different reaction was taking place.
Who in the world would dare to believe something like that?
Kakashi's thoughts moved quickly as he recalled the intelligence reports Konoha had gathered about Uzushiogakure.
The Shadow Guard alone numbered more than a hundred members.
And according to the information Konoha had collected, each of those Shadow Guards possessed combat ability so formidable that only Jonin level could fight them in a one-on-one battle and hope to win.
Among them, it was said that around thirty were considered S-rank ninjas.
Even Navi—the Shadow Guard who had personally guided them through the village earlier—was reportedly one of those S-rank level shinobi.
And the Shadow Guard was only one part of Uzushiogakure's military strength.
Beyond them, there were also around fifty ninjas within Uzushiogakure's regular army who had already made significant names for themselves across the ninja world. Their abilities had been compared to some of the most elite Jonin and even S-rank ninjas from the major villages.
Weak younger generation? Kakashi thought quietly.
Even after excluding the Uzumaki siblings and the Uzukage himself—the very man currently sitting in front of him—the military strength of Uzushiogakure was still enormous.
In fact, it was so overwhelming that no major ninja village would dare to start a direct conflict with Uzushiogakure.
And if any village were foolish enough to even consider such a thing…
They certainly would not expect to remain unharmed.
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