Chatting with Jiraiya was actually pretty pleasant. Naruto even felt like he was sitting with an old man in a bar listening to exaggerated war stories—half truth, half bragging, and maybe ten percent complete nonsense.
Still, through their conversation, Naruto could tell one thing very clearly: Jiraiya's trip to the Uzumaki Country was definitely not for tourism.
However, as long as Naruto's real identity wasn't exposed, it wasn't a big problem.
After all, unless the Uzumaki Country suddenly decided to imitate Amegakure and shut its borders like a paranoid hermit, the fact that the Uchiha Clan had settled in Uzushiogakure would eventually become public knowledge.
That was also one of the reasons Naruto had signed an alliance agreement with Kirigakure.
The world might not fully understand how powerful the Uzumaki were, but they definitely understood the weight of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. If Kirigakure stood behind them, people would think twice before causing trouble.
Even so, Jiraiya's presence still gave Naruto a headache. For now, he had no perfect way to deal with this slippery old toad sage.
After returning to the room, Zabuza Momochi asked curiously,
"Master Menma… that ninja uncle earlier—was he pretending to be some small fry? I feel like he's not simple."
Naruto glanced at him and smiled lightly.
"He's pretty strong. Almost as strong as the Five Kage."
"Comparable to the Five Kage…?"
Zabuza's eyelid twitched violently.
If he had attacked that guy earlier, he might have ended up dead, buried, and turned into fish food before lunch. Thankfully Menma was there, otherwise his career might have ended with his head rolling across the deck.
At that moment, Haku seemed to think of something.
"Master Menma… could such a powerful person have come to the Uzumaki Country specifically for you? Otherwise, there's no reason for him to be here."
Naruto nodded with a faint smile.
"Most likely he came because of me. What, are you scared?"
Haku shook his head.
"I'm a little scared… but Mr. Zabuza and I are more worried about your safety. If something happens to you, we'll find a way to escape with you."
Naruto looked at Haku's serious expression and couldn't help laughing.
"He can't threaten me. If he wants to kill me, he'd need at least two Kage-level fighters working together. Otherwise, he'd better think twice before trying."
"Two or more Kage-level fighters…"
Zabuza inhaled sharply.
He suddenly had a brand-new understanding of Naruto's strength.
Naruto wasn't bragging. His combat power was already beyond ordinary Kage-level fighters. Against elite jonin, he could crush them like stepping on ants.
And the scary part?
He was still young.
Give him a few more years, and he might be able to challenge Nagato head-on.
Most ninjas would already be at their peak with Naruto's current weaknesses in ninjutsu and taijutsu. For him, those were just things he hadn't bothered polishing yet.
After a peaceful night at sea, the ship finally arrived at the port of the Uzumaki Country.
The port was newly built and extremely simple—honestly, it looked like it had been assembled by a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs with hammers. But despite that, it had already become one of the docking points for ships from the Land of Fire.
After getting off the ship, Haku looked around at the buildings and residents and sighed with emotion.
"So this is your homeland, Master Menma… It's much better than the Land of Water. The atmosphere isn't depressing at all."
Hearing that, Zabuza fell silent.
He had to admit something unpleasant.
Even this outer port looked better than most places in the Land of Water. The atmosphere here was far more lively than the gloomy environment of Kirigakure.
Honestly… it made him a little jealous.
In fact, investigating Uzushiogakure and learning from its development was also one of the missions assigned to him by the Mei Terumi, the Mizukage.
Naruto, however, didn't pay much attention to Zabuza and Haku's reactions.
His attention was focused entirely on Jiraiya.
After all, one of the Sannin deserved far more attention than scenery.
In a way, Jiraiya's presence could even represent the attitude of Konohagakure.
Since landing in the Uzumaki Country, Jiraiya's expression had become strange. He looked unusually alert, as if he were guarding against something unseen.
Naruto frowned.
Was Jiraiya wary of the Uchiha in Uzushiogakure?
Or something else entirely?
Before he could think further, Naruto suddenly received a message from the old patriarch of the Uzumaki clan.
After hearing the report, his expression immediately turned serious.
Besides Jiraiya… there were other powerful uninvited guests in the Uzumaki Country.
That might explain Jiraiya's sudden vigilance after landing.
After all, the number of ninjas in the entire world who could make Jiraiya cautious probably didn't exceed twenty.
Apart from the Kage and elders of the major ninja villages…
Only one group remained.
The Akatsuki.
Meanwhile…
In the forest outside Uzushiogakure.
Orochimaru and Sasori stood on a small hillside, looking down at the village under construction in the distance.
Their eyes gleamed with interest.
Their goals were simple:
Sharingan… and human puppets.
Before arriving here, they thought it would be extremely difficult to find the Uchiha.
After all, the clan had defected from Konoha. They should have been hiding like rats in the shadows.
But after reaching Uzushiogakure, they were shocked to discover something absurd.
The Uchiha were actually helping build the village.
Working.
Like normal people.
It completely shattered the image they had of the clan.
After all, the traditional Uchiha personality consisted of:
• Arrogance
• Looking down on everyone
• Nostrils pointed permanently toward the sky
So what kind of magical power did Uzushiogakure possess to make those arrogant bastards behave like obedient construction workers?
Was it simply because they had found a place to rebuild their clan?
Or was there something far more terrifying hidden behind this village?
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Orochimaru glanced at Sasori and said with a sly smile,
"Sasori… the materials for your human puppets are right in front of you. Aren't you tempted to snatch those Sharingan?"
"If you don't act soon… they'll all become mine."
Sasori snorted coldly.
"If it's that easy, why don't you make the first move?"
Clearly, Sasori also sensed something strange.
Why would the Uchiha choose to build a clan base in the Uzumaki Country instead of joining another powerful nation?
Unless…
They believed Uzushiogakure was safer than those big countries.
And that was exactly what made Orochimaru and Sasori cautious.
They were afraid of whatever—or whoever—was giving the Uchiha that sense of security.
After observing for a while, they still found nothing suspicious.
However, they did spot two familiar figures working at the construction site:
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Tekka.
Tekka was just a minor character.
But Shisui?
That immediately caught their attention.
According to their information, Shisui was currently the strongest ninja in Uzushiogakure.
If they captured him, the rest of the Uchiha would be easy prey.
Once that happened, they could slowly investigate whatever secrets the village was hiding.
Decision made.
Sasori pulled several puppets out of a scroll.
The puppets silently burrowed underground and rushed toward Shisui at lightning speed.
Suddenly—
They burst out of the ground.
Sharp tail blades shot straight toward Shisui.
At the same moment, Orochimaru moved.
Using the Orochimaru-style body technique, he instantly closed the distance and shouted:
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
In an instant, dozens of poisonous snakes burst from his sleeves—
And lunged straight toward Tekka beside Shisui.
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