"Then wouldn't we basically be occupying their land?"
Sakura looked worried.
"It's not occupation."
Shikamaru shook his head.
"We're helping them rebuild."
"We can invite the surviving people of the Land of Whirlpools to participate in the project."
"How would they participate?"
Kankurō asked.
"Give them shares."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"If it's their land, then they should have a right to the profits."
"Shares?"
Advisor Tsuchida frowned.
"If we do that, our own returns will decrease."
"But it's the right thing to do."
Tsunade supported Naruto's idea.
"We can't make money on someone else's homeland while giving the original owners nothing in return."
"Then how many shares do they get?"
Darui asked.
"Twenty percent."
Naruto thought for a moment.
"That should be fair."
"Twenty percent?"
Kitsuchi quickly calculated the numbers.
"That's not a small amount."
"But it's a price we should be willing to pay."
Sasuke spoke coldly.
"If you think it isn't worth it, you're free to withdraw."
His words immediately made the atmosphere inside the meeting room tense again.
The representatives exchanged glances.
Clearly—
They were weighing the advantages and disadvantages.
"I think it's acceptable."
Ao was the first to speak.
"The Land of Water agrees to grant the surviving people of the Land of Whirlpools twenty percent of the shares."
"Sunagakure agrees as well."
Kankurō nodded.
"Iwagakure has no objections."
Kitsuchi also gave his approval.
Finally—
Everyone turned toward Darui.
"Tch."
Darui scratched his hair.
"What a pain."
"Fine."
"Lord Raikage probably won't object anyway."
"People from the Land of Lightning value loyalty, after all."
"Then it's settled."
Tsunade summarized the decision.
"The Five Great Nations will provide eighty percent of the investment."
"The surviving people of the Land of Whirlpools will hold the remaining twenty percent."
"Now the question is…"
Shikamaru looked around the room.
"How do we find these survivors?"
"Leave that to me!"
Naruto slapped his chest.
"I'll travel around and find them."
"Then I'll invite them to come back."
"How long will you need?"
Kakashi asked.
"One month."
Naruto thought for a moment.
"Within one month, I'll bring back every surviving person from the Land of Whirlpools that I can find."
"Good."
Tsunade made the final decision.
"Official construction begins one month from now."
"Until then, everyone can start preparing funds and materials."
After the meeting ended—
The representatives of the various nations gradually departed.
Soon—
Only Konoha's shinobi remained in the office.
"Naruto."
Sakura looked somewhat concerned.
"Can you really find those survivors?"
"I can only try."
Naruto's expression was firm.
"This was my mother's homeland."
"I can't just let it be forgotten."
"Need help?"
Sasuke asked.
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're willing to help?"
"I've got nothing better to do anyway."
Sasuke shrugged.
"And I'm somewhat interested in the sealing techniques of the Land of Whirlpools."
"That's great!"
Naruto practically jumped with excitement.
"Then we'll go together!"
"Don't celebrate too early."
Tsunade immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Finding the survivors is only the first step."
"The real challenge is the reconstruction itself."
"Are you ready to deal with all kinds of problems?"
"We'll worry about those when they happen."
Naruto waved it off carelessly.
"It can't be harder than fighting the Ten-Tails, right?"
"Not necessarily."
Shikamaru shook his head.
"Sometimes…"
"People's hearts are harder to deal with than enemies."
His words sent everyone into thought.
It was true.
The road ahead would not be smooth.
Conflicts of interest between the nations.
The resettlement of the survivors.
Questions and obstruction from outsiders…
Every single one was a massive challenge.
But at the very least—
They had already taken the first step.
From confrontation toward cooperation.
From conflict toward mutual benefit.
Perhaps—
This was the true meaning behind the "understanding" Naruto had always spoken about.
…
One week later.
Naruto and Sasuke set out on their journey to find the surviving people of the Land of Whirlpools.
Their first destination—
The Land of Hot Water.
According to intelligence provided by Tsunade, there was a girl there named Karin who possessed the bloodline of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Karin…"
Naruto thought as they walked.
"That name sounds really familiar."
"Have I heard it somewhere before?"
"Orochimaru's subordinate."
Sasuke answered concisely.
"The one I killed."
"What?!"
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.
He stared at Sasuke in horror.
"You killed the person we're trying to find?!"
"She didn't die."
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"She only passed out."
"And she should be in Konoha's prison right now."
"Then why are we still running around?!"
"We could just go back and find her!"
"Idiot."
Sasuke continued walking.
"She's only one person."
"The survivors of the Land of Whirlpools are scattered all over the world."
"We need to find as many of them as possible."
The hot-spring towns of the Land of Hot Water were still bustling.
Yet beneath that prosperous surface—
Countless secrets remained hidden.
They eventually found an inn called the Red Lotus Hot Springs.
According to the information they had gathered—
The proprietress was supposedly a descendant of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Welcome!"
A middle-aged woman greeted them enthusiastically.
"Are you two staying the night or here for the hot springs?"
"We're looking for someone."
Naruto went straight to the point.
"We heard you're a descendant of the Land of Whirlpools."
The woman's expression changed instantly.
She looked at them warily.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you asking about that?"
"I'm also descended from the Land of Whirlpools."
Naruto lifted the hair from his forehead, revealing the forehead protector bearing the spiral symbol.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki?"
The woman's eyes widened.
"You're really from the Uzumaki clan?"
"Absolutely."
Naruto nodded.
"My mother was Uzumaki Kushina."
The woman's entire body began trembling.
Tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.
"Kushina…"
"I remember her!"
"She was the most beautiful girl in our clan!"
"You knew my mother?!"
Naruto immediately became excited as well.
"Of course I knew her!"
The woman wiped at her tears.
"We used to play together all the time when we were children."
"My name is Uzumaki Mina."
"I was three years older than Kushina."
"Uzumaki Mina…"
Naruto repeated the name quietly.
"Aunt Mina…"
"Could you tell me some things about my mother?"
"Of course!"
Mina excitedly grabbed Naruto's hand.
"Come inside!"
"I have so much I want to tell you!"
Inside the inn's sitting room—
Mina brewed tea for the two of them.
Then—
She began telling stories from the past.
"Kushina was special from the time she was little."
A nostalgic light appeared in Mina's eyes.
"Her chakra reserves were unbelievably large."
"And she had an explosive temper."
"Most of the children in the village were a little afraid of her."
"An explosive temper?"
Naruto looked surprised.
"I always thought Mom was gentle."
"Gentle?"
Mina laughed.
"Kushina's nickname was the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.'"
"Does that sound gentle to you?"
Beside him—
Sasuke couldn't help snickering.
So Naruto's temper really was hereditary.
"But…"
Mina's expression softened.
"Kushina may have had a bad temper…"
"But she was incredibly kindhearted."
"Whenever someone in the village was in trouble…"
"She was always the first one to help."
"What happened after that?"
Naruto asked eagerly.
"Why was the Land of Whirlpools destroyed?"
Mina's expression darkened.
"War."
"The major nations all wanted the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques."
"But we refused to hand over our secret arts."
"So…"
"They joined forces and attacked us."
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