After sensing the Tailed Beast's chakra, the Uzumaki ninja looked at Naruto with fear and confusion.
First, this guy had sneaked into his office and attacked without explanation. Then, after defeating him, he casually released that heavy, malicious chakra like he was showing off a party trick.
What exactly did he want?
When Naruto realized the other party didn't even recognize the Nine-Tails' chakra, he felt slightly awkward.
Well… that was embarrassing.
He cleared his throat, released the Uzumaki ninja's bindings, and introduced himself.
"I'm Mianma. An Uzumaki who's been traveling the shinobi world. And you are…?"
Once freed, Uzumaki Honōmon looked at Naruto with deep suspicion.
After the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, many clansmen had scattered across the world. Some had become shinobi, sure—but very few possessed the kind of strength that could completely crush him like this.
More importantly, what kind of Uzumaki didn't prioritize sealing techniques in battle?
And why was he hanging around with an Uchiha?
That combination alone sounded like the beginning of a disaster.
Still, considering the overwhelming difference in strength, Honōmon answered honestly. When you're the defeated side, dignity becomes a luxury.
Naruto noticed the doubt in his eyes. Without hesitation, he raised a kunai and sliced his own forearm.
Honōmon's eyes widened.
Under the Uzumaki clan's powerful vitality, the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within seconds, even the scar disappeared completely.
Honōmon's suspicion vanished.
"I believe you are Uzumaki," he said in a low voice. "But the Land of Whirlpools has been destroyed for decades. Why return now?"
Naruto smiled lightly.
"To give shelter to some homeless wanderers. And while I'm at it… rebuild the Land of Whirlpools."
"Rebuild the Land of Whirlpools?!"
Honōmon abruptly raised his head, hope flashing in his eyes.
But just as quickly, that hope dimmed.
"There are barely a dozen Uzumaki left in the entire shinobi world," he said bitterly. "Even if you're stronger than me, rebuilding the country is impossible. Uzushiogakure was far more powerful than you can imagine."
"Yeah, I don't think so."
Naruto casually sat on the desk, looking at him with a playful expression.
"Besides, rebuilding a country doesn't require only Uzumaki. Other shinobi—and even ordinary people—can help."
Honōmon opened his mouth. He wanted to argue.
He also very much didn't want to argue.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Forget those grand ambitions. Let's talk about why you're really here. My identity in Uzushio is still a secret. If it gets exposed, I can't help you."
Naruto dropped the teasing tone.
"I need you to cooperate with a group of Uchiha and their families. Over a hundred people. And this must remain confidential."
"More than a hundred Uchiha?!"
Honōmon stiffened.
Was this some Konoha invasion scheme?
Seeing through his thoughts, Naruto explained calmly,
"They're wanderers now. Just like the Uzumaki back then, the Uchiha have suffered near annihilation."
Honōmon fell silent.
Naruto left the office and brought Shisui in.
The general direction had already been decided. The details were Shisui's responsibility. As clan head, he understood best what the Uchiha needed.
After leaving Honōmon's office, Naruto wandered through the ruins of Uzushiogakure like he was treasure hunting.
He memorized the terrain, assessed the environment, and began planning the future development of the Land of Whirlpools.
If he wanted to grow stronger quickly, he needed the support of a major power.
Konoha?
That place already smelled rotten from the inside out.
Reforming a decaying system was far harder than building something new from scratch.
He didn't want to fix Konoha.
He wanted to build his own country.
A few hours later, Naruto returned to Honōmon's office.
Shisui and Honōmon had finished negotiating the placement of the Uchiha.
In truth, Honōmon didn't have much room to object. Even weakened, the Uchiha still possessed combat power surpassing most small hidden villages. On this chaotic island, they were undeniably a major force.
Naruto had revealed his Uzumaki identity mainly to prevent Honōmon from panicking and running off to inform other villages that both Uzumaki and Uchiha were active in the Land of Whirlpools.
Using Sharingan genjutsu to forcibly control him?
That would only happen if negotiations failed.
After the agreement was reached, Shisui summoned the Uchiha temporarily hiding in the wilderness and arranged for them to live in the ruined houses of Uzushiogakure.
At least now they had roofs over their heads.
Looking at the noticeably thinner Uchiha clansmen, Namikaze Minato softly called out their names one by one.
Naruto glanced at him suspiciously.
"I didn't expect you to remember every Uchiha's name. Were you planning to wipe them out during your tenure or something?"
Minato's expression stiffened.
"No. I memorized their names while dealing with the Military Police Force. Given their personalities, leaving them in that position long-term would eventually cause problems… but I didn't have enough time."
"What a pity," Naruto replied casually. "If you hadn't died, maybe the Uchiha wouldn't have turned against Konoha. But honestly? I don't think you could've solved the Police Force issue anytime soon."
"There were too many Uchiha jōnin. If you removed them from the Police Force, where would you place them?"
"If you let them serve in other key departments, the Third Hokage and the elders wouldn't feel at ease. And you couldn't just ignore their opinions."
Naruto's words struck directly at Minato's heart.
During his time as Hokage, he had been constrained at every turn.
Many of his capable subordinates were never promoted and remained chūnin.
He wondered how they were doing now.
Naruto lowered his voice.
"You're worried about your old subordinates? They're not doing great. One of them—Amakazunin—tried to kill me. If Kurama hadn't warned me, I'd be dead already."
Minato fell silent.
He had thought that even if he failed as a father, he had at least been a decent Hokage.
But now?
In the eyes of some former subordinates, he had become a villain worth taking revenge on.
The Third Hokage's concealment.
The villagers' hostility.
The assassination attempt by his own subordinate.
All of it piled up—
And in the end, it pushed Naruto to abandon Konoha and start over from scratch.
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