Chapter 137 Don't Say You Weren't Warning
Soon, Konoha's somewhat domineering declaration spread throughout the entire ninja world. A week later, Uchiha Touhuan even arranged a political show.
Uchiha Touhuan and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the two Hokage, along with Naruto, a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, made a grand trip to the former site of Uzushiogakure Village. The once prosperous Uzushiogakure Village was now a scene of ruins, with moss covering the crumbling walls.
"Is this where my ancestors once lived?" Naruto stared blankly at his surroundings, looking around, and said in a daze, "But why did it become like this?"
Hearing Naruto's question, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say something, but the old man's lips twitched and he couldn't utter a word.
Why did it become like this? That would require asking what he, Danzo, and those two advisors were thinking back then.
Although Konoha was mired in war at the time, they could still muster a force to support Uzumaki Village. However, the four of them witnessed the annihilation of the Uzumaki clan, and even the last pure-blooded Uzumaki descendant in the village was lost.
"Uzumaki Village bears undeniable responsibility for what happened," said Uchiha Touhuan. "The past cannot be undone, but I can guarantee that such a tragedy will never be repeated." Uchiha Touhuan led Naruto
to the Uzumaki Village shrine, placed a bouquet of flowers before it, and bowed deeply.
Hiruzen Sarutobi followed suit, offering flowers and bowing.
"Come, Naruto, offer flowers to your ancestors," Uchiha Touhuan said, turning back to pat Naruto's head.
Naruto imitated Uchiha Touhuan, placing the flowers before the shrine, bowing deeply, and then staring blankly at the dilapidated shrine before him. In a moment of realization, he seemed to feel the gaze of his ancestors.
"Protect this place. If any descendants of the Uzumaki clan want to rebuild Uzushiogakure Village in the future, return this ancestral land to them," Uchiha Touhuan instructed Uchiha Inahime.
"Understood," Uchiha Inahime nodded, sighing as he looked at the surrounding ruins.
As a child raised in a large clan, he had heard many stories of the Warring States period.
Although in their clan's tales, the Uzumaki clan was portrayed as villains, not much better than the Senju clan, often the very people their Uchiha heroes fought tirelessly to defeat, seeing this clan, once comparable to theirs in the Warring States period, reduced to this state still filled him with sorrow.
"Sensei, I want to rebuild this place someday," Naruto said solemnly to Uchiha Touhuan after a while.
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately turned to look at Naruto, then at Touhuan Uchiha. Naruto was the village's Jinchūriki; if he came to rebuild Uzushiogakure Village, what would happen to the village?
And it had only been a few days! Had the dream he had instilled in Naruto since childhood—to become Hokage—become nothing more than rebuilding Uzushiogakure Village?
"This is something you should have done," Touhuan Uchiha said, ignoring Hiruzen's gaze and patting Naruto's head. "You are now the head of the Uzumaki clan."
"The head?" Naruto lowered his head again. "But I don't know what to do."
"Don't rush," Uchiha Touhuan said. "I'll teach you all of this slowly, and Sasuke and the others will help you too, because you're comrades."
"Okay!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"However, before that, you should learn the most basic Ryōgi Seal first, otherwise, the head of the Uzumaki clan will be laughed at if he doesn't even know sealing techniques." Uchiha Touhuan laughed.
"But, teacher, as the head of the Uchiha clan, don't you even know genjutsu?" Naruto suddenly said.
"Who told you that?" Uchiha Touhuan's eyes narrowed, and he said angrily.
"Uh, when Sasuke, Neji, and I were playing in the Uchiha clan's territory, an old man from the Uchiha clan told us about it." Naruto said.
Uchiha Touhuan: ...
Ever since he became Hokage and fulfilled the long-held wishes of these clan elders, these old guys have really been quite idle lately.
They've even stopped holding their beloved clan meetings, spending their days wandering around the clan grounds playing with the children.
They're even casually leaking their Uchiha clan's secrets. It seems we need to find them something to do.
...
Soon, news of Uchiha Touhuan's pilgrimage to the old site
of Uzushiogakure Village spread throughout the ninja world.
At this time, various forces in the ninja world realized that Uchiha Touhuan's previous statement didn't seem to be a joke. Inside the tower of Amegakure, Uzumaki Nagato's expression shifted slightly after learning the news.
"Nagato, what do you think of Konoha's new Hokage?" At this moment, Konan walked in and asked, looking at the gaunt-faced Nagato.
"Ignore him." Nagato said slowly, "No matter what his purpose is, our Akatsuki will one day confront them."
"I understand." Konan nodded.
"By the way, speaking of Konoha, any news about that traitor Orochimaru?" Nagato asked.
"No, after that assassination attempt on a daimyo, he seems to have simply vanished from the ninja world," Konan said.
"I see." Nagato nodded, his Rinnegan gleaming with a profound light.
Compared to the Land of Rain, the situation in Kusagakure, which also has descendants of the Uzumaki clan, is far from peaceful.
They belong to the faction that Uchiha Touhuan mentioned—those who have harmed Uzumaki descendants and will be pursued relentlessly by Konoha.
Karin and her mother are currently imprisoned in the village, used as blood packs to heal their injuries at any time. If Konoha finds out, who knows what they will do?
Therefore, the higher-ups of Kusagakure are in a heated debate about how to deal with the mother and daughter.
Releasing Karin and her daughter was too much for these people. For years, it was the existence of this "blood pack" (a metaphor for a powerful ninja) that allowed the village's Jonin to take on dangerous missions, leading to the village's development.
Moreover, their actions over the years had already fallen under Konoha's purview, and Konoha wouldn't let them off the hook just because they released Karin and her daughter.
"Hmph, I don't believe Konoha would really start a war over two women!" said a radical from Kusagakure. "Those two women are Kusagakure's property! What right does Konoha have to interfere?"
"That's hard to say," the leader of Kusagakure said gravely. "The current Fifth Hokage of Konoha is from the renowned Uchiha clan."
"Are we really going to release those two women?" someone protested.
"Releasing them is impossible! Their blood is more effective than any medical ninjutsu."
The leader of Kusagakure pondered for a moment before saying, "Give the order: this matter is a village secret. No one is to divulge it. And lock those two women up. Don't let anyone know they're in our village."
"Yes!" The Kusagakure leaders present acknowledged the order and left.
However, while they thought they could keep Karin and her daughter a secret, Uchiha Touhuan, back in the Hokage's office, had already obtained the information.
"Damn Kusagakure! How dare they treat the descendants of the Uzumaki clan like this? I think they don't even respect me, the Hokage!"
In the Hokage's office, Kakashi, Fugaku, Inuzuka Jacques, and Shizuka Aburame—the current power center of Konoha—gathered together, listening to Uchiha Touhuan slamming his fist on the table and cursing.
On the desk, a report detailing how the Land of Grass was torturing the descendants of the Uzumaki clan like blood bags lay untouched.
"Hokage-sama, this matter can't be left like this," Kakashi said. "If the village hadn't issued a statement, it would have been one thing, but now that the village has declared it will protect all Uzumaki descendants, these people from Grass Village still dare to do this. It seems they truly don't take Konoha seriously."
"So, should we declare war on Grass Village?" Fugaku Uchiha asked.
"Declare war? They don't deserve it!" Uchiha Touhuan sneered. "Send two people over and tell them that either they release the people now and make those who harmed the Uzumaki descendants pay the price, or I will personally go to their door to seek justice for the Uzumaki descendants."
"Understood. Then, I'll go myself." Kakashi said at this moment. "If negotiations break down, I can safely leave."
"Alright." Uchiha Touhuan nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you."
...
Inside Kusagakure, if Karin and her daughter had been living in hell before, then in the past few days, they had undoubtedly been thrown into a new level of hell.
In the past, the mother and daughter were still entitled to bask in the sun in the village, but since Kusagakure decided to hide them, the mother and daughter were quickly moved overnight to a dark basement in Kusagakure.
Furthermore, perhaps due to the need to vent their fear, these high-ranking members of Kusagakure became even more unscrupulous when absorbing Anri Uzumaki's life force, practically tearing chunks of flesh from her body.
And after each use of Anri, they would beat and kick her in a fit of rage.
"I warn you, Kusagakure gave you shelter. Your abilities are your only reason for living. You'd better not have any unrealistic ambitions," a Kusagakure Jonin said coldly to the dying Anri and trembling Karin after absorbing her life force. At that moment,
Kakashi arrived alone at the gates of Kusagakure.
"Who goes there?" The ninja at the gates immediately became alert upon seeing a stranger.
"Kakashi Hatake, Assistant to the Hokage of Konoha, has come to pay a visit," Kakashi said coldly.
"Konoha ninjas?" The guard ninja from Kusagakure frowned slightly. "What business do you have in Kusagakure?"
"Summon someone from your village who has influence. I'll only give you 15 minutes," Kakashi said.
The two guards at the entrance of Kusagakure exchanged a glance, then one of them hurried into the village.
Ten minutes later, a high-ranking official from Kusagakure arrived at the village gate with several Jonin.
"I wonder what brings the Hokage's assistant here today?" asked Yoshioka Shinzo, the leader of the Jonin squad from Kusagakure, trying to appear calm.
Konoha had just issued a statement recently, and now the Hokage's assistant had come in person; it seemed they were up to no good. However, Yoshioka Shinzo had received instructions from the leader of Kusagakure before coming: as long as they insisted that Kusagakure had no descendants of the Uzumaki clan, Konoha wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"Konoha has received intelligence that two former Konoha allies, descendants of the Uzumaki clan, are in your Kusagakure village and being mistreated. Can you explain this?" Kakashi said coldly.
"Heh, I don't know where the Hokage's assistant got this information. Kusagakure knows nothing about Uzumaki descendants," Yoshioka Shinzo said.
"I think you've misunderstood. I'm not asking if this happened. I trust our own intelligence channels more than your claims.
I just want an explanation from Kusagakure," Kakashi said coldly, glancing at Yoshioka Shinzo and the Kusagakure Jonin behind him.
"We really don't know anything about Uzumaki descendants," Yoshioka Shinzo said, forcing a smile. "And..."
"I'm giving you only 30 minutes to hand over the Uzumaki descendants from your village.
Then, those who harmed them, the mastermind, commit suicide, and the others cut off a finger as an apology. If you delay, don't say I didn't warn you." Kakashi directly interrupted Yoshioka Shinzo, who was trying to continue muddying the waters, and issued a final ultimatum.
"Isn't Konoha a bit too domineering?" Hearing this, Yoshioka Shinzo's face turned cold. "Do you really think our Kusagakure is afraid of Konoha?"
"It seems your Kusagakure doesn't appreciate the Hokage's mercy." Kakashi said, pulling up the headband covering his left eye.
The three tomoe in his left eye spun rapidly, transforming into a Mangekyou Sharingan pattern. He then summoned Pakkun using the Summoning Jutsu and then dispelled the summoning.
Seeing this, Yoshioka Shinzo immediately fired a signal flare and drew his kunai.
The Kusagakure ninja behind him also entered battle stance.
However, the next moment, with a spatial fluctuation, Yoshioka Shinzo's entire body was instantly severed at the waist by the distorted space, blood gushing out.
The other Kusagakure members, seeing this, showed expressions of horror; Kakashi's methods were too bizarre, completely stunning them.
"Does Konoha want to start a war?" At this moment, the leader of Kusagakure stepped forward with a grim face.
"You dare to talk about war with Konoha?" Kakashi sneered, taking out a special kunai and planting it into the ground in front of him.
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