Chapter Forty-Four - The Siren's Call of War
It has been a week since the invasion and Uzushio has finally been rebuilt completely. Mourning has passed for the deceased and Naruto allowed his people to slowly come to terms with everything. However, it took only four days before there were more volunteers for a number of the military academies, whether it be the Visored or Onmitsukido or the Spellsword Academy, and over two-thirds of the populace between the ages of 16-28 had joined a number of the various branches. It was such a large influx that Naruto had to dedicate more people to facilitating the training and assimilation of the recruits' information.
Naruto himself has been spending time with his children as they had been shaken up from the attack and he wanted to ease their fears as much as possible before moving on to his duties. His wives had rarely left his side while home and it wasn't for any extreme intimacy but to just be in each other's embrace. It pained him to see the fear in the eyes of his loved ones and that only made him pour more effort into the reforms.
Onmitsukido will continue with Sui Feng as its Commander but it will not just be a military police restricted to the capital. While they will be in Whirlpool, they will now police all of the Uzumaki territories. To accomplish this, the Whirling Tide and Charybdis Unit will be dissolved into her control. From now on, all shinobi-trained individuals will be moved to Onmitsukido, or the Visored, where they will further be trained as a covert military police force.
Naruto decided that he will do away with the Enforcers and reform them into separate forces. It just wasn't smart to keep an elite group restricted to four divisions, and they served only him and his interests. He needed something that will protect his people and make sure their safety is met without violating their rights.
The First Division will be reformed into the Uzumaki Royal Guard and they will be separated into branches where any of his children are. That means that there will be a branch in Uzushio, Roran, Spring, and soon Konoha and Fire, and Iwa if he can just get the Tsuchikage to sit and talk to him. Either way, he felt it best to have them maintain the safety of his family while not having to worry about anyone else, as his wives and children are the most precious to him and if his enemies got ahold of them then he would see the world bathed in blood in his vengeance.
The Second Division will be reorganised with most of the force going to other divisions. They will still be in charge of protecting and maintaining the Ancient Beast realm seal but Naruto saw that such a large amount of Visored for such a role as pointless. Kirio will have, at most, thirty Visored under her control. Hiyori will be moved to the Uzumaki Royal Guard as the Captain of the future Konoha branch.
The Third Division will still serve their ambassadorial roles but instead will be more of a security force. They will reform into the Royal Ambassadorial Security Service, headed by Kyoraku Shunsui as he enjoys being the first face and impression any foreigner sees. His top two agents, as he will have no second in command, will be Nanao and the freshly graduated Zeref Dragneel. Both are strong people and also have good conduct when around others so he has no fear with them.
As for the Fourth Division, Naruto had a private conversation with Sosuke that gained some interesting revelations. It was a topic long overdue, and one he is glad he had finally.
"I've arrived, Prince-sama."
Aizen entered the office of his leader and his eyes landed on the blonde man. He sat at his desk with his chin resting behind his closed hands, his usual blue eyes now golden and staring at a spot on his desk with unfocused eyes. His face and ears twitched occasionally, easing the thought of petrification or paralysis from Aizen's mind, but he still did not acknowledge his presence.
"Prince-sama," Aizen said again but louder, and this time he got a reaction.
Naruto's eyes flashed to Aizen's face and within a second had eased his posture and sat back in his chair. "Oh, sorry about that, Aizen. I was focusing on something."
Aizen did not pry and instead stood beside the chair for guests meeting the Uzumaki Prince. "Do not apologise, Naruto-sama. I will wait if I have to."
"No, no, I won't do that to any of my loyal people," Naruto waved his hand to dismiss the statement before motioning to the chair. "Sit."
Aizen did so, gracefully sitting in front of his god, making sure to keep his posture completely open to the man. "What is this about?"
"Before we start, I want your oath on a blood seal that everything you say and answer will be the truth and nothing but," Naruto told the man, presenting a blood seal with his blood print already on it.
The blood seal of this type is much more enhanced than the interrogation truth seal. While the latter is compulsive and can be given half-truths should one understand the seal enough - or break out of it if they were strong enough. The blood seal was a mix of magic and chakra, binding two individuals to an agreement that left none who had any alternative source of energy to interfere with. Should one choose to consciously and deliberately break the agreement, they will suffer a horrible death.
Aizen glanced at the man before staring at the paper in front of him. He sliced his thumb on his zanpakuto before pressing his finger on the seal, watching as it pulsed a few times before fading.
"Thank you," Naruto said as he put the paper aside. "Now, I want to state that I know of what you did during my Chunin Exams five years ago, and how you gave Orochimaru information on how and when to enter Konoha. I learned this from Tayuya-chan when she was captured and it was under the truth seal."
Naruto watched the older man not react but he knew he was feeling anything but nothing. Aizen was a very calculative and cunning man but he was not apathetic, especially when confronted by someone he respected. Luckily for him, he respected very few people. Unluckily for him, Naruto was at the top of that list. "Why have you never said anything? You haven't treated me differently either."
"Because I know that you never sought to hurt me," Naruto told the man honestly. "I cannot say I know your motives completely, but I know that you are the only person who will support me even if I wish to destroy the world. It's endearing, really, but also the reason I know that you are the most loyal person in Uzushio."
It was quiet as Sosuke had no idea how to respond to this, but Naruto was also thinking before he continued speaking.
"Why did you help Orochimaru try to destroy Konoha?"
Sosuke did not answer immediately, instead staring at the desk for a long moment. "I wanted you to have a reason to leave the village. If that meant allowing the destruction of the village, then I wished that you would seek out your true home. Evidently, it was a drastic measure that had no impact on your choice to leave that village but I cannot say I regret it either. That village had a hand in our destruction, even if it was by a small radical group, and ever since meeting you and seeing what they had done to the heir of our people… I wished them to suffer."
Naruto sighed and rubbed his face. "I am not grilling you to have you see if what you did was right or wrong. I just wanted to know your thoughts on the reasons why. I will say, however, that if Orochimaru had succeeded in killing Hiruzen, the man I had seen as a grandfather no matter our differences, you and I would be having a very different conversation - if one at all."
Aizen felt a weight fall on him as his Prince's golden eyes stared at him. He knew this to be a weight greater than affecting his physical body, but almost as if his soul was being dragged down. A part of him was proud of his leader for being this way, but another part of him understood that he was not being let off the hook so easily. He will not always get this treatment, and he would desire nothing less.
"I will do anything to make it up to you, Uzumaki-sama." Aizen bowed his head towards his lap, his hands on his knees, and did not make eye contact with the blonde man.
Naruto just stared as he sat back in his chair before grabbing a paper he had prepared for this. He could sense that Sosuke was not against him, and held no hidden double meanings or any other unseen intent. He knew now that Sosuke was the only one to do the job he wanted done, a task that will reshape the future of the Uzumaki clan.
"Here," Naruto slid the paper towards Aizen. "Read this."
Sosuke looked up at the paper and grabbed it, glancing at the heading.
Royal Family Disciplinary Guard
Commander:
The Disciplinary Guard will have sole autonomy with dealing with the royal heirs and families, solely answering to the Prince Who Mantles the Wills of the Heavens, from now on referred to as the Divine Prince. They are to make sure every Uzumaki descendant adheres to the Royal Laws and the tenets laid forth by the Divine Prince.
Such measures taken must follow protocol, not automatically going to the conclusion that an heir/heiress or their family must be killed. Chances will be allowed and re-education is the top priority for the Guard. This does not mean that the Disciplinary Guard must be light handed or incapable of handling threats should events escalate faster than able to possibly contain. The safety and stability of the Empire and the royal families is the top priority.
To make sure all members of the Disciplinary Guard follow their tasks, indoctrination and seal contracts are to be made upon finishing training. They are compulsory, and prevent their true tasks from being told to anyone outside the Guard, but they do have free will to leave the Guard. If one leaves the Guard, their memories are locked behind Grade X seals and fake ones are given.
Aizen's eyes widened as he read the short document and he had to reread it a second and third time to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding. This document laid out something he had always thought about but never spoke out, the only difference was he wanted the group to be able to handle everyone within the upper echelons of Uzushio society, not just the family line.
Finally, he looked up at his leader and set the paper down. "Did you create this?"
"Yes," Naruto answered with a nod. "My only problem is that the Commander will have to be the most loyal and will have to remain loyal to me and my laws without as many compulsory seals. No one is more loyal to you, and anyone you trust I know can carry out what I desire."
"You want me to leave the Fourth Division?"
"I was getting rid of the four divisions anyway," Naruto told the man and looked at the stacks of papers he had been working on to make sure everything he envisioned would come to be. "I was going to either have you lead this new military group, or lead the Fourth Division replacement branch. If you want to continue leading the Uzushio expansion, you can name someone you know will follow my words to the letter with no hesitation."
Sosuke needed little time to think of an answer. "My place is the battlefield. I will continue being your sword until my death. My suggestion for the Disciplinary Guard would be Gin Ichimaru. He is much more patient than my other Lieutenants and his loyalty rivals mine. He would be the best suited."
Naruto grinned and his golden eyes sparkled. "Perfect."
And so the new military branches were finished. Gin was informed of his new duties as Commander of the Disciplinary Guard and he accepted it very fervently. He was given his choice to pick fifty individuals to start as the first generation, and the seals and indoctrination lessons were set up for when he was ready.
As for Sosuke, he became the Captain of the Alpha Legion with Izuru Kira taking place as his Sergeant. The Alpha Legion is the first of five legions under the new branch, Divine Reaper Legions. Beta Legion is captained by Kaname Tosen with his Sergeant being Erza Scarlet, who is newly graduated and already a mage of substantial skill. Gamma Legion will be led by Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and his Sergeant will remain as Yachiru Kusajishi. Delta Legion will have Tier Harribel as its Captain and her Sergeant is Nielliel Tu Odelschwanck. The last legion is Epsilon, and Ichigo got his promotion to Captain with Renji as his Sergeant.
Now that the militaries had been organised into specialised branches, he set after organising his government and territories. During this process, he found out in blatant terms how large his territories have grown. Under his nation's direct control is the Uzushio Archipelago islands, of course, but beyond that he now had rights to Wave through mercantile negotiations between Tazuna - the new Wave Lord - and Ciel, through marriages with Koyuki and Sara he now was the Protectorate of Spring and Roran, and through conquest he now controlled Sky.
Through alliances he has embassies in Konoha, Kiri, Suna, and Taki. If he could set up meetings with the Raikage and maybe even the Tsuchikage, then he can also put some ripples into those villages as well. Ai seems very agreeable to Uzumaki ambassadors, but because of his station as the leader of his village he wants more in it for his people as well. Onoki, on the other hand, is just a grouchy old man with a populace still hurt over the Third Shinobi War.
That did not count his ties with ruling families across various nations. Koyuki up in Snow, Nobunaga should she succeed in usurping the Daimyo, Witch Queen Anat in Swamp, and many new possible lovers if his plans for the future are to be realised. The Uzumaki will be the sole blood to inherit the world and keep it from succumbing to evil.
One of the necessary tasks to achieve his vision of the future included the two women he has kept as prisoners. He knew the two for the only ones willing to communicate with him on behalf of Amegakure and Rain, and for their participation in the Chunin Exams. Konan turned out to be a former student of his godfather, her and two other boys named Yahiko and Nagato, and they were trained long after Naruto's father.
So that had begged the question; since Naruto was not the first to be proclaimed by Jiraiya as the Child of Prophecy, was the prophecy actually a true thing to believe? He knows that he is a true god and not just a prophecy child but is the Child of Prophecy a true idea? The monks seem to think so.
Naruto wanted to question Konan on everything, hear it from her mouth directly, and that way he can understand more of a history that is older than him. He couldn't just leave her and Ajisai in their prison seals when they can serve a greater purpose; they can get him Amegakure and the Akatsuki.
He had wanted to give his cousin every chance he could, if only because they share a close family member; both of them share a great-great-grandfather. Naruto always valued family, even the ones he had to eliminate because they had been brainwashed into being loyal to their village, and he never wanted to resort to killing. But he was not above it, and he will do it if it means protecting his people and his lineage.
Knock knock
"Enter," Naruto said as he sat at an interrogation table with the appropriate seals for a safe and seamless questioning.
The door opened and Byakuya moved to the side to let Konan and Ajisai enter the room. He sent one last stare into the room before shutting it and locking the bolt.
"Good to see you two," Naruto smiled and motioned to the chairs in front of him. "Please, take a seat so we can get started."
Konan did so with slight hesitation but Ajisai did not move at all, instead watching the blonde with a calculating stare. She nor Konan were bound in any type of restraints, but she had felt the change in pressure the moment they entered the room. She caught the sight of seals etched along the corners of the room, designed to restrict the use of chakra and another unknown energy she was unfamiliar with but could see the seal for it. On top of that, the man in front of her looks unrestrained of such limitations. She was unsure if it was because he was able to keep the seals on certain individuals or if there was more to it than just that.
"Something wrong, Ajisai?"
The girl blinked as she realised she had spaced out and turned to look at the blonde man, seeing his golden eyes looking at her with concern. "No, sorry."
Naruto watched as she sat next to Konan and knew from a file he gained from Kakashi, intelligence gathered by Jiraiya so it was reliable if anything, that Ajisai was a up and coming seal expert. She used to use weapons more similar in the way Tenten fights, but that stopped a year after the Chunin Exams and ever since then she had been climbing in power just with seals.
From Sasuke's remittance of his fight with her, Naruto recognized the telltale signs of Uzumaki sealship and he felt that the girl had a master of some sort. Definitely not Nagato as he never showed the use of seals, and he had the Rinnegan so it was only natural most would lean on the easily accessed power instead of hard earned skills.
"Some disclaimers before we start," Naruto decided to put the thought away for now and begin the interrogation. "As we do with many of our important prisoners, you will not face physical abuse or any demeaning conditions. You will not be touched by anyone under my service and you are free to try to not cooperate with us. However, should I ever need to, you will be interrogated like this but with the use of truth compulsion seals which will force you to give up anything and everything I ask.
"Should you resist with violence to me or any of my subordinates, you will lose any hope of gaining your freedom. Should that ever be revoked, so will your guaranteed safety from our harsh interrogation techniques. From this point forward, everything you say and do will impact your future under my care. Do you understand everything I have said?"
"Yes," Konan answered and Ajisai nodded.
"Good!" Naruto grinned. "We have some topics lined up and as I bring them up you can speak about it. Is that alright?"
Konan didn't bother to answer and watched as a paper was brought out with weird calligraphy written on it.
"First topic," Naruto announced as he read the encrypted paper. "It's the Second Shinobi World War and Rain has been ravaged by the war between Konoha and Iwa. Many are left without families and are surviving or dying alone across the country. Our focus is on three children in particular."
Konan's eye twitched at this but refused to react to the man's words.
"The first child is you, Konan," Naruto glanced up at the woman. "You had met and survived with a boy named Yahiko. The third is Nagato, a boy of Uzumaki descent and related to the Royal line."
"Allegedly," Konan commented stoically.
"Right, because I'm the only one who acknowledges it anymore." Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed. "Anything to say or would you like me to continue?"
"Please continue with you story, Uzumaki-dono," Konan waved her hand.
Naruto smirked at that and chuckled at her attempt to be nonchalant. "These three kids approached the Three Sannin and asked to be taught how to be ninja; while rebuffed harshly by Orochimaru, they instead were taught by Jiraiya because of Nagato's eyes. The Rinnegan, which is thought to have been the very eyes owned by the Sage, the forefather of all ninja."
"With this power they created an organisation, a little club of sorts, to oppose war. This earned the ire of their village leader, however, and they were soon targets of the man's wrath. In a peace deal; they were trapped and betrayed…"
Konan's hands clenched anxiously but Naruto did not stop.
"Yahiko died in an attempt to protect his comrades, his friends, and from that loss it is said that a monster of Biju proportions was summoned. It slaughtered everyone and only Hanzo the Salamander escaped. You and Nagato are the only ones to survive, and from then on your organisation became a club for peace into another mercenary group. You slowly pushed out the original members that had stayed and replaced them with stronger and more dangerous members. You became the exact opposite of your intentions."
"Peace cannot be brought by peace," Konan whispered in defence, not letting her gaze rise from her hands. "Pain unites."
"No, pain unites select groups as they focus their anger on others. Love works, fear works, but pain is only a rod to drive someone into a target." Naruto leaned forward to stare down the woman. "But deep down you knew that, didn't you?"
Konan gripped her arm and grit her teeth, her eyes squeezing shut as she ignored the memories and thoughts she's kept at bay for years now. "Why are you bringing all this up? What's the point?"
"The point?" Naruto leaned back and cupped his chin. "The point of it is to remind you of the past. To bring up the start of your current path and remind you of who you used to be. If I am to work with you, I need to know that the person that wants the best for those around her and for the world is still there."
Konan shook her head and bit out a sigh. "I cannot be weak or my people will suffer for it. I wanted to avoid the bloodshed but now that I'm stuck here war will be inevitable."
"So it seems, but it doesn't have to be that way," Naruto told her. "My reach is further than any single organisation and nation. I have the capabilities to end Royal lines, to topple governments, but I stay my hand in the hopes I can unite everyone for a common goal. If you are willing to put in the work, we can avoid the death of your people and your last friend. But I need you to be dedicated to my will above all else."
"You want me to be a pawn to expand your reach without dirtying your hands? Count me out," Konan scoffed as she leaned back in her chair away from the blonde man.
"I have no reason to control other nations. I want allies and I want peace." Naruto shook his head and reached for the paper. "Whatever, you'll have plenty of time to think about the offer. We have plenty to talk about in the meantime."
Meanwhile, Konohagakure
Kakashi rapped his knuckles on the surface of his table, his mismatched gaze staring out his window. He had finished his paperwork at a good time and lunch wasn't for another two hours. That is mostly a product of the civilians getting less problems and partly due to the stability created in the last year and so.
The taxes had eased once the military and industrial reforms were finished, allowing much of the militant village to progress towards a more modern age. The walls were reinforced with the intent to handle the attack of A-rank techniques. The urban police division under Anko had an office in every district and their numbers were at an adequate enough state to perform twenty-four hour patrols every day of the week.
The Academy was shuffled about when it was learned that the curriculum was no longer up to par in making sure the students were properly prepared for their career. A lot of cries from civilians about "gatekeeping the profession" was shouted but Kakashi had every right to ignore it and have everything go according to his plans. He wanted a shinobi generation that did not die from needless mistakes or to weak teammates. If civilians were true to their desire to be strong shinobi, then he saw no problem in them using every available resource now in the school to excel.
He can feel it in the air; there is a war brewing. He can see the signs of tension and machinations that led to the previous war. He knows that the current state of things made it incredibly dangerous, from the reappearance of Roran under the Uzushio banner to the Blood Prison being managed by very dangerous individuals with questionable loyalties to Naruto.
Entire nations that housed the hidden villages were raising their own levies with the power of lead and gunsmoke on their side. These guns and cannons were dangerous, even by ninja standards and they wield chakra in the form of elements.
That's what brought him to his current state staring out the window. He could feel something happening.
Knock knock knock
"Come in."
"Hokage-sama," Kakashi's secretary popped her head inside. "You, um, you have an important guest. They insist they meet with you and I don't think they will take a no as an answer."
Kakashi sighed and nodded his head. "That's okay, you can send them in."
"Yes, sir."
Kakashi leaned his head back in exasperation, and that feeling only increased as he heard the stomping of feet approaching his door. Without knocking, the door swung open, the secretary barely able to grab the handle to prevent it from slamming into the wall. The man that marched inside in front of the girl was none other than the Fire Daimyo's General of the Army, the same man that accompanied Ichijo to the village when Hiruzen was stepping down. His face is red as he huffed and puffed in the room, his dark eyes looking at Kakashi as if he was a mere peasant in his presence.
"Good day to you, General," Kakashi smiled at the man and sat forward in his desk. "What do I owe the pleasure of your arrival today?"
"An order from Ichijo-dono," The man pulled out a folded parchment and placed it on the desk before stepping back once more.
"An order, you say," Kakashi chuckled as he grabbed the paper. "That's cute of him to think he can just order us to do anything."
The General bristled at the lack of respect for his lord and he clenched his hand on his katana. "Listen here-!"
"Shhhh-shush," Kakashi shushed the man like he was a child, his mismatched eyes turning to the man and the Sharingan morphed into the Mangekyo. "I'm trying to read, so I will appreciate your silence."
The General swallowed thickly but did not continue, the only sound coming from the creak of his gloves tightening more around the handle of his katana.
Kakashi turned back to the paper and began reading. He chuckled a few times as he did as it looks like the Daimyo is trying to throw his weight around on the village, using previous funds delivered as him having a say in village functions. But what he wanted was for Kakashi to mobilise ninja teams into the central and eastern provinces and handle anyone that makes remarks or supports anyone questioning his rule. It seems that the central provinces and some of their lords are turning against Ichijo and siding with Lord Oda; meanwhile, the eastern provinces are siding with Naruto and Uzushio and have even begun funding and raising militia to help the Syndicate Legion.
"I think I understand now," Kakashi said as he placed the paper to the side on his desk. "One moment, General, I am going to write a response to Ichijo-dono."
Kakashi wrote out his response quickly and in a single word. No. He folded his response and put on a wax seal to prevent the General from glancing at it.
As he handed the paper to the General, he sat back and thought about the repercussions that will spawn from this now. It's a domino effect, he will admit, and he was sure that Ichijo will take great offence in being snuffed to the side or denied anything before ordering something stupid.
I guess it's time to seal the deal with Naruto sooner than later, Kakashi mused softly before writing up a paper for the Prince's future visit. Wonder if he will take just one Konoha wife? There are plenty of suitors.
Kakashi chuckled to himself at that thought.
Iwagakure
Onoki groaned in his seat, shifting slightly in the cushion that was set there by Akatsuchi. Ever since that Kage Summit with that damned Uzumaki, he had been feeling more and more pain in his back and even his bones were feeling rattled. He hadn't felt this way since fighting - if it can even be called that - against Madara Uchiha in his youth.
It is the fact that he was more like a child in front of these two different men. With Madara, he was young and inexperienced while barely having gotten the Dust Style up to par. With Naruto, however, he is a survivor of two Shinobi World Wars and a master of the Dust Style but still felt the chasm of strength between them! The boy did not even exercise any power with them. Yes, he got emotional and showed a skill with seals but he didn't even lift a finger when it came to them!
He wished that he could be confident in dealing with the blonde, one on one, but he could not. He didn't even feel like this with the boy's father, the same man that massacred his army single-handedly. Even the Legendary Three Sannin, who are feared for their power across the many ninja villages, did not weaken his resolve as much as the Prince does.
Sage, Onoki mumbled to himself as he rubbed his eyebrows to soothe the coming migraine. First a man with the Sage's eyes is said to live in Rain, then a boy no older than 22 has the power of gods, and now the push from the people for a more aggressive stance on foreign lands.
Onoki didn't want another war. He had enough of it, even if he was a staunch patriot of his village. There was just so much death you can commit, blood that you can taste, before it all weighs you down like a bog. It was hard to share experiences with a generation that has been taught to seek retribution for the acts of the Fourth Hokage, to seek death of their enemies across all battlefields, and the only one that seems to not want to fight Konoha and Uzushio is his own granddaughter.
She was always on top of whatever news came out about the Prince, most calling her their Uzumaki Expert in a way to credit her with preparing them to face the clan in the future. But he can see the strain in her eyes anytime she hears that, as if she was queasy about the thought of fighting Uzushio. It wasn't fear, either, but hesitance.
Just the thought that his granddaughter may be being corrupted by the Prince's honeyed ideals and promises of peace made his back hurt and skin crawl with goosebumps. He prayed to the Sage that it wasn't true, that she was still loyal as a stone to the village, but it pained him in ways he couldn't describe.
"And people wondered why I wanted to become immortal," a hissy voice interrupted the old Tsuchikage's thoughts. "I can't foresee myself falling into such a decrepit state."
The elderly man startled back and his narrowed gaze met the intruder in his office and he was on edge upon seeing Orochimaru of the Sannin.
"What are you doing here, snake," Onoki sat up, moulding earth chakra along his spine to strengthen his weak muscles.
"An offer," Orochimaru placated the man with a placating smile. "Three boons of guaranteed power on the level of the Prince, beyond that of any Biju. More powerful than the Demon Masks of Konoha."
Onoki settled back at the man's words but his gaze remained narrowed. "What are your demands?"
"Oh, nothing too expensive," Orochimaru waved his hand and produced three rings of bland appearance; one black, one red, and one green. "Use these powers on your neighbours. Whether you go after them one after the other does not bother me, but wage war with this power. That is all I ask, accept and I will give them to you with no other comments. Agreed?"
"No one specific?" Onoki asked and got a shake of the head in response.
"Give it to your granddaughter for all I care," Orochimaru set the rings on the table. "What do you say?"
Onoki did not say anything as he stared at the rings. With the kind of power mentioned, maybe he did not have to fear the Uzushio-Konoha-Suna alliance that dominated the continent. Maybe he can expand as his predecessors desired, and even right the wrongs he faced under his time as Tsuchikage.
Kurotsuchi will get power to kill the Uzumaki she has been studying and then she will be ready to take the hat from him. If he could get her that, then he can finally be hopeful for the future of his people. But was it worth trusting the words from someone that betrayed their own village?
All Orochimaru wanted from him was to start the next Shinobi World War that is currently building. Without their Biju Onoki knew that this would have been a fruitless and suicidal task to carry out. But something greater than the demon masks..?
Onoki did not have to give a verbal answer.
Orochimaru already disappeared with a cackle in the wind.
Hello :D
This one took a while longer because I had a scare with cancer. Thankfully I'm fine, but it really took the enjoyment and motivation out of writing and thinking.
Hope everyone is having a good time and are taking good care of their physical and mental health 3
volcasiron30: Hope the chapter was worth the wait :)
Krieger Techpreist: No, no, its not entirely about keeping the royal branches safe its about making sure they're compliant with the Uzumaki Tenets lmao xD
Ichi no Kata: Uzumaki blood remains entirely pure for reasons unknown just yet, as Naruto technically has pure Uzumaki blood as the genome he gained from Minato has been completely adapted to that of the Uzumaki. There is a mix of magic and seals that is the reason for this, as we know by the existence of the loyal Uzushio families that have Uzumaki heritage that ties them to the village. Pure Uzumaki blood grants unique abilities to their offspring and that's why Naruto makes sure that no Uzumaki is loyal to another village - or reproduces in another village - and that was what was given to the loyal families to ensure their continued service. As for the "main wife" that would be Isane and her child, who will become the next Prince but as I am showing all branches will be equal under Naruto as he brings his own type of peace.