After entering the secret room, Naruto finally learned the truth about the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan from Elder Genji.
The fall of the Uzumaki Country could be summed up in four words: "possessing treasures invites disaster."
It wasn't only because other nations coveted the Uzumaki Clan's powerful sealing techniques, but it also had a lot to do with Konohagakure.
Back in the era of the First Hokage, distributing the Tailed Beasts among the great nations seemed like a clever move to balance power across the ninja world. In reality, however, it turned out to be a massive headache.
For the villages that received a Tailed Beast, life wasn't peaceful at all. Not only did they constantly worry about their Jinchūriki getting kidnapped, but they also had to pray every day that the damn host wouldn't lose control and go on a rampage.
And during the First Shinobi World War, everyone discovered a harsh truth:
Jinchūriki were not easy to control at all.
An uncontrolled Jinchūriki was basically a walking natural disaster—
kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred allies… and maybe half your village while you're at it.
Compared to that mess, the performance of Uzumaki Mito, the first Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was simply legendary. She controlled the Kurama so well that Hashirama Senju's political gamble actually worked.
During the First Shinobi World War, her power allowed Konohagakure to survive being surrounded by multiple enemy nations.
The war ended largely because of that overwhelming power.
After witnessing Mito's terrifying strength, villages like Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure all developed the same brilliant idea:
"If Uzumaki sealing techniques are this powerful… why the hell don't we steal them?"
So while Konoha was too busy dealing with post-war chaos, several great nations secretly launched an attack on Uzumaki Country.
After paying an enormous price in blood, they succeeded in stealing parts of the Uzumaki sealing legacy.
Naruto listened quietly, then asked with a raised eyebrow,
"So Konoha just watched their ally get wiped out? They didn't send help?"
Elder Genji shook his head.
"They did send some ninja… but they arrived when Kirigakure was already withdrawing."
He paused, then added slowly,
"It looked less like rescue… and more like they wanted to sell the Uzumaki Clan a favor after everything was already over."
Naruto stared at the old man for a long time. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And how do I know you're not just talking bullshit to drive a wedge between the Uzumaki and Konoha?"
"No matter what you say, allies should be more reliable than former enemies."
Genji didn't flinch.
"I have no reason to lie to you."
"If revealing Kirigakure's actions back then makes you angry… you can kill this old man to vent your anger."
The old man stood there calmly, looking like someone who had already made peace with death.
Naruto snorted.
"Trying to gamble your life as a bargaining chip, huh?"
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not stupid enough to fall for that."
He waved his sleeve dismissively.
"I won't cancel cooperation with Kirigakure, but you'd better start worrying about how to deal with the masked lunatic's revenge."
"I'm not planning to babysit this village forever."
"And your Fourth Mizukage probably won't live very long either."
With that, Naruto turned and walked out of the secret room, leaving only Genji behind.
The old man sighed heavily.
He could already see Kirigakure's future.
Either they became a subsidized puppet ally of the Uzumaki Country…
or they got their heads smashed in by the masked man.
Neither outcome was something past Mizukage would be happy about.
After meeting the Fourth Mizukage and Elder Genji, Naruto didn't stay long in Kirigakure.
He had already achieved everything he came for:
Obtained Three-Tails chakra
Secured political benefits for the Uzumaki Country
Saved Jūzō Biwa from being killed by Obito Uchiha
Even snagged an Akatsuki ring
At this point, there was no reason to hang around.
Before boarding the ship leaving the village, Naruto noticed two figures standing behind him.
Zabuza Momochi and Haku.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Well well… the Demon of the Mist himself."
"You couldn't assassinate the Mizukage, so now you're here to assassinate me instead?"
Zabuza shook his head.
"I'm not suicidal."
"The Fourth Mizukage treats me well. I got promoted, received the Executioner's Blade, and joined the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Naruto grinned.
"Promotion and salary increase, huh? Not bad."
"But you still haven't told me why the hell you're here."
Zabuza scratched his head.
"Mizukage's orders."
"The alliance agreement says both sides should exchange jōnin to share ninjutsu knowledge."
"I'm the poor bastard sent over."
Then he jerked his thumb toward Haku.
"As for this kid… people in Kirigakure still hate bloodline users."
"You Uzumaki already accepted the Uchiha, so accepting a survivor of the Yuki Clan shouldn't be a big deal."
Naruto glanced at Haku.
The boy hid behind Zabuza while secretly peeking at Naruto with curious eyes.
According to Zabuza, Menma-sama—Naruto's alias—was one of the strongest people in the ninja world. Stronger even than the Mizukage.
And the giant artificial lake outside Kirigakure?
Apparently this guy made it.
Naruto looked at Haku and smiled mischievously.
"You're ridiculously pretty."
"You're a boy, right?"
Haku froze.
"I… I'm male…"
He originally wanted to explain his gender… but the fact that Naruto saw through it instantly completely confused him.
Was he really that pretty?
Seeing the poor kid short-circuiting, Naruto decided to stop teasing.
Even though cute boys existed…
his orientation was still firmly toward girls.
Especially the kind of girl who looked shy and fragile but could stand up bravely when it mattered.
Like…
Naruto's thoughts drifted toward Hinata Hyuga.
He wondered how she was doing back in Konoha.
Had she become stronger since he left?
Shaking off the thought, Naruto allowed Zabuza and Haku to follow him.
Soon, the three boarded a ship heading toward the Land of Fire, planning to transfer later to the Uzumaki Country.
One week later, they arrived at a transit port in the Land of Fire.
Since the ship needed half a day to dock, Naruto decided to buy educational books about the Land of Fire.
He dragged Haku along with him.
On the way, Naruto flipped through several textbooks—and immediately frowned.
"These are garbage…"
It was the ninja village era, yet these books still pushed propaganda about nobles and daimyo being superior.
The content felt like it was decades outdated.
"If you're going to claim power comes from gods, it should be ninja bloodlines ruling—not some lazy daimyo sitting on his fat ass."
The ninja world's political system really was… weird as hell.
Still, aside from the political nonsense, the other textbooks were decent.
So Naruto bought a huge stack and dumped them into Haku's arms.
Haku staggered under the weight.
At lunchtime, Naruto brought Haku into an izakaya.
Eating wasn't the main goal.
Places like this were information hubs where travelers, merchants, and ninja gathered to brag, gossip, and spill secrets over drinks.
After ordering some snacks and sake, Naruto quietly started listening.
Soon, his attention locked onto a white-haired uncle sitting in the corner.
The man looked relaxed and sloppy… but he was clearly listening to everything around him.
Definitely a ninja.
The man suddenly glanced over.
Their eyes met for a moment before both casually looked away.
Naruto then noticed something interesting:
A frog-shaped wallet.
White hair. Perverted vibe. Frog theme.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched.
No way…
He silently asked inside his mind,
"Fourth Hokage… am I crazy, or is that guy Jiraiya?"
After sharing Naruto's perception, Minato Namikaze nodded.
"Very likely."
"It's quite a coincidence you met Jiraiya-sensei here."
Naruto chuckled.
"Or maybe it's not a coincidence."
"There's another possibility…"
"Maybe he noticed the Uchiha activity around the Uzumaki Country."
Minato sighed softly.
"If possible… don't fight Jiraiya-sensei."
"He's my teacher."
"Even your name came from a character in his novel."
Naruto shrugged.
"Whether we fight or not isn't up to me."
"It depends on him."
"And honestly…"
Naruto took a sip of sake.
"I'd rather not fight one of the Sannin unless absolutely necessary."
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