Chapter 616 - 22

Chapter 22: The Rebirth of the Uzumaki Clan! The Birth of Windmill Village!"Big Brother Naruto... Ah, no..."Cang Chao stood before Naruto, his tone tinged with a hint of bewilderment.The person before him clearly looked younger than himself, yet in terms of decisiveness and mental maturity, he far exceeded what one would expect from someone his age.He had spoken in a moment of haste, and now he felt so embarrassed that he was at a loss for what to do.Naruto saw through the embarrassment in the youth's eyes at a glance, chuckled, and waved his hand with a relaxed tone:"It's fine, Cang Chao, just call me Naruto. Is something the matter?"Having received permission, Cang Chao breathed a slight sigh of relief, immediately composed himself, and handed over a roll of parchment tied with coarse hemp twine, his tone becoming solemn:"It's like this, Big Brother Naruto...""The situation regarding the awakening of Chakraattributes among the Village children that you asked me to track last time has been fully tested over the past two days.""The test results are out... nearly two-thirds of the children do not have any Chakra attributes."As these words fell, Naruto merely nodded lightly, his face devoid of any surprise.Naturally, he knew the reason for this better than anyone.The vast majority of these children were war orphans, children from countless ordinary families on this continent.They had no bloodline from a Ninja clan, no innate Chakra talent, and had never even been exposed to the most basic methods of Ninjutsu.Those villains who trafficked and smuggled people only ever targeted these ordinary families who had no power to resist and no one to back them up.Plundering their descendants, trafficking, exploiting, and using them—it was the lowest cost, the lowest risk, and the most unscrupulous.For over a month now, Naruto had adjusted the Village's food supply to the best possible standard, with a steady stream of grains, meat, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The children, who used to be sallow and thin with fearful eyes, had long since shed the gaunt appearance of malnutrition.During this time, Naruto had also silently observed them; out of these six hundred and forty-eight children, not a single one looked ordinary.The girls were all pretty and spirited beauties in the making, and the boys were all handsome with well-defined features.It was obvious that those human traffickers had abducted them based on their appearance and potential.Seeing Naruto's calm expression, Cang Chaocontinued to report the most pressing issue at hand:"The majority of the children in the Village are over ten years old, so they can basically take care of their own daily life, cleaning, and training; there's no need to worry too much about that.""But... we can no longer sustain the finances."The youth's brows were tightly furrowed, his tone full of anxiety."Of the initial ten million ryo construction fund, we have already spent nearly seven million ryo just on building houses, purchasing supplies, and settling everyone in.""The remaining three million ryo seems like a lot, but with over six hundred mouths to feed every day, plus clothing, medicine, training equipment, and daily expenses... everything is constantly costing money.""At this rate, in less than two months, the remaining silver will be completely exhausted."By the time Cang Chao finished speaking, his voice had lowered, filled with a sense of powerlessness.He was only thirteen years old, having just become the male representative of the Village, full of determination to protect his companions and the Village.But the reality of daily necessities and financial consumption was like a heavy mountain, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.He looked up at Naruto, his eyes filled with both reliance and anticipation.In the hearts of all the children, Naruto was omnipotent.It was he who pulled them out of hell, it was he who gave them a home, and it was he who gave them hope to live once more.Now that the Village had encountered a difficulty, the only one they could rely on was still Naruto.Naruto looked down at the Chakra test report in his hand."I will think of a way to handle the money problem. But this report..."As his gaze swept to the bottom of the report, he noticed that in the column for hundreds of children, the name section was filled with a string of code names. He couldn't help but be stunned, and looking at Cang Chao, he asked:"Why are all these children referred to by code names?"Seeing this, Cang Chao scratched his cheek and explained softly:"Oh, you mean these... Most of them were abducted when they were one or two years old. After wandering for so many years, they have long forgotten their original names, and some don't even know their own surnames.""It didn't feel right for me to just arbitrarily give them names, so I let them think about it themselves. When they have thought it through and decided, they can come tell me, and I will officially register them."Naruto paused, and his gaze towards Cang Chaosoftened slightly.This child was not old, yet he was very thoughtful, understood respect, understood boundaries, and was more perceptive than many adults.He was silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and spoke softly:"By the way, I forgot to tell you. I decided yesterday that from now on, our Village will be called Windmill Village."Cang Chao was startled, then his eyes lit up: "Windmill Village... what a good name."Naruto's fingertips gently tapped on that long list of nameless code names, his gaze calm yet carrying an unquestionable weight."As for these children who don't even have names..."He paused, his voice softening, yet every word was clear."From now on, shall we emerge as—my clan... the Uzumaki Clan?""Uzumaki?"He withdrew his gaze, let it fall upon Cang Chao's face, and said, enunciating each word:"These children walked out of the darkness; they have no past, no roots. So, let us give them a new root.""From now on, they can all bear the name Uzumaki.""The Uzumaki Clan possesses tenacious vitality, firm will, and is best at protection and unity.""To tell you the truth, my clan is now also near extinction, with only a few scattered survivors left."Naruto looked at the list full of code names, his voice soft and slow, yet hiding a heaviness that others could not hear."Since we are to establish a new home here, let us use the name of my remaining clan so that they may have roots to rely on from now on. How about it?"Cang Chao stood rooted to the spot, his heart jolting violently.From Naruto's tone, he heard an unknown pain and isolation.To bestow the name of his own near-extinct clan upon this group of homeless children.This was not merely naming; this was truly treating them as kin, as the continuation of his own bloodline.A scorching hot current rushed straight into his chest, the youth's eyes grew slightly hot, and his originally tense shoulders completely relaxed at this moment, leaving only a heart full of solemnity and being moved.He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and nodded heavily at Naruto."I understand... Naruto.""From today on, in Windmill Village, all children who have lost their names and their pasts will share a common surname—Uzumaki."