Naruto: The rise of Uzumaki Kingdom

Uzumaki Jun looked at the letter from Uzumaki Mito with a strange expression, sighing helplessly in his heart.

As expected, Grandma Mito still could not let go of Konoha. The letter pleaded for Uzushiogakure to help Konoha resist the three great shinobi villages and Amegakure. Then followed a long passage about the First Hokage's ideals of peace, how Konoha always strived for peace and protected the world's peace, and how this time they were forced into it. After that came a bunch of nonsense about Konoha and Uzushiogakure supporting each other.

It gave Uzumaki Jun a headache. This kind of motivational talk made him nauseous. Anyone could see that the First's ideals of peace were toxic. Whoever followed them would fail.

Did he really think peace could be achieved by everyone showing a little love?

No matter how you looked at it, Madara's plan for a hacker empire was more realistic and had a better chance of achieving peace than the First's ideals of love.

It wasn't that Uzumaki Jun looked down on the First's saintly thinking, but...

Most people in the shinobi world were ordinary and had desires.

Of course, this time Mito-sama wasn't asking Uzushiogakure to support Konoha for free. They would pay, but the reward was really...

The First Hokage did three foolish things in his life. The first was establishing the one-nation-one-village policy, successfully turning small-scale clan fights into large-scale wars between nations. The second was selling the tailed beasts. Thinking of a man with long black hair and a non-mainstream style embarking on a journey to collect tailed beasts made Uzumaki Jun's liver ache. While shouting "Become my Pokémon," he sold them off like livestock. The third was...

Turning clan secret techniques into village property. His brother, the Second Hokage, also selflessly contributed all the jutsu he spent his life researching to Konoha. Then...

A certain monkey used these two sets of forbidden jutsu to buy people's loyalty. Later, Konoha had the Uchiha clan's secret techniques and the Uzumaki clan's secret techniques, but not the Sarutobi clan's or the Shimura clan's secret techniques.

So starting from the Third Hokage, Konoha always coveted other clans' secret techniques. As for the jutsu he created as the Professor...

He felt they weren't qualified to be included.

What made Uzumaki Jun's liver ache was that Uzumaki Mito actually offered the First's Wood Release jutsu and the Second's Water Release jutsu as rewards this time, but none of the forbidden jutsu were included.

Sigh.

He didn't know if this was Mito's decision or the work of Konoha's scheming quartet.

It perfectly targeted Uzushiogakure's current problem: a lack of jutsu.

When establishing the academy, Uzumaki Jun and the others discovered a major issue: there were too few elemental jutsu available. And the Uzumaki clan...

They specialized in sealing techniques.

They only knew one or two Water Release jutsu.

In the end, they managed to scrape together enough by exchanging some through the system and gathering bits from here and there.

But it was still too little.

It wasn't that Uzumaki Jun was stingy and didn't want to exchange for a complete set from the system, but...

There were too many, and they were too expensive.

A full set of Wood Release aside, that set of Water Release would really help Uzushiogakure.

Uzumaki Jun narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Not enough, this isn't enough." He handed Mito's letter to the clan leader. At the very least, they needed a complete set of five elemental C-rank jutsu.

The Uzumaki clan leader took the letter from Uzumaki Jun, glanced at it, and also narrowed his eyes. He understood Jun's meaning.

"Sigh, Mito-sama..." The clan leader sighed, his face showing a nostalgic expression. "I still remember how close the Senju and Uzumaki clans were when I was young."

"Konoha and Uzushiogakure are still very close now." Nara Shikazo didn't know why, but hearing this made him uneasy. Were they still not agreeing to Konoha's terms?

"Yes." The Uzumaki clan leader nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Konoha and Uzushiogakure share a generations-long friendship."

"Then..." Nara Shikazo felt a surge of excitement. Could his mission be accomplished?

But...

"Uzushiogakure is currently too weak and too poor." The clan leader forced a bitter smile and said helplessly, "I'm afraid we can't..."

Hearing this, Nara Shikazo's heart tightened again. This was why he hated dealing with troublesome matters like this.

"State your conditions." Nara Shikazo said with a headache. "If Konoha can agree, we will."

He understood—Uzushiogakure wasn't satisfied with the offer.

"A complete set of five elemental jutsu and one billion ryo." The Uzumaki clan leader immediately said righteously. "Uzushiogakure is poor right now."

"..."

Damn it.

Nara Shikazo cursed inwardly. This demand was way too harsh.

"This price is too..." Nara Shikazo said helplessly. "Konoha may not be able to agree."

"Bargaining is normal." The Uzumaki clan leader said casually. "Ask your Hokage first."

"Uzushiogakure isn't in a hurry. We can wait slowly."

But we are in a hurry, damn it.

Nara Shikazo cursed inwardly again and said, "Please wait. I will report Uzushiogakure's conditions to the Hokage."

"Good. Then please rest in Uzushiogakure for now." The Uzumaki clan leader nodded. "Hibiki."

"Yes, Clan Leader." Uzumaki Hibiki closed his notebook and stepped forward. "Your orders?"

"Arrange accommodations for our future allies." The Uzumaki clan leader waved his hand. "Make sure they are treated well."

Uzumaki Hibiki narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded. "Understood."

He knew the clan leader's meaning—they were to be placed in...

The prisoner camp, to prevent them from wandering around.

...

Konoha...

"What do you think?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe. "Should we agree to Uzushiogakure's conditions?"

He sighed inwardly. They had been holding meetings very frequently lately.

"Uzushiogakure's demands are really..." Utatane Koharu frowned as she put down the document. "Konoha absolutely cannot agree."

"We shouldn't have offered the First and Second's jutsu scrolls as conditions in the first place."

Otherwise, Uzushiogakure wouldn't be making such outrageous demands.

Last time, they extorted money because of Danzo. Now they were doing it again?

What did they take Konoha for?

"Hah." Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed bitterly and shook his head. He had wanted the same, but when he went to see Mito-sama, it was her demand. Otherwise, she wouldn't have written the letter. As for the Senju clan...

"The Senju clan." Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flashed with a complicated light. "There's no time left. According to intelligence, Kumo's main forces are already heading toward the Land of Rain."

"This..." Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances and sighed. "This demand is too harsh."

"Sigh. In that case..." Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep puff of his pipe, his gaze firm. "Konoha can only give them C-rank five elemental jutsu, and the money will be reduced to 500 million. But..."

"Uzushiogakure must at least hold back two of the enemy villages."

As for the remaining two villages...

Konoha fighting one against two—they could win this.