Chapter 62: Chapter 62
"Uzumaki-sama." Mui knelt before Naruto, his head bowed. "The Daimyo of the Land of Grass has sent a request for aid. How should I respond?"
It had taken Jiro Suzuki three days to reach Hozuki Castle, which was just enough time for news of Kusagakure's disappearance to spread. Mui was no fool. A man who could become the Warden of Hozuki Castle and navigate the politics of the great nations was anything but average.
It didn't take much thought to connect 'Uzumaki-sama' to the events in the Land of Grass. The girl by his side, Karin, only confirmed his suspicions. Even with her face masked and her head hooded, Mui's experienced eyes could tell she had ties to the Grass village.
And so, he had proactively pledged his allegiance.
Though he was a former Kusa-jonin, he had left the village over a decade ago to manage Hozuki Castle. In that time, his entire focus had been on researching the Box of Ultimate Bliss, an obsession for which he had even sacrificed his own son six years prior. This meant he hadn't been there when Karin and her mother arrived in Kusagakure, and he'd had no part in their suffering. If he had kept his past to himself, Karin would never have even known his connection to her old home.
If not for that, Naruto would have eliminated him without a second thought. With Kusa already gone, adding Hozuki Castle to the list would have meant nothing.
Naruto had accepted his surrender. More subordinates wouldn't hurt, especially for the scale of what he planned to do next. The grander the stage, the better.
He gave a slight nod. "You're the Warden of Hozuki Castle. Handle it as you see fit."
Of course the Grass Daimyo was anxious. With Kusagakure gone, the Land of Grass had effectively lost its entire military. And without an army, the country was little more than a juicy piece of meat ready for the carving. The Daimyo's personal forces were a joke, only good for intimidating commoners.
The neighboring Land of Waterfall was content to keep to itself, but the Land of Rain was a different story. Led by the ambitious Hanzo of the Salamander, they had long dreamed of becoming the sixth great nation, a dream they had acted on more than once, as far as everyone outside Amegakure knows. The Second Great Ninja War had started precisely because Rain had tried to annex the Land of Grass.
Now, with Kusagakure destroyed, Hozuki Castle was the largest power left in the country. If the Daimyo wanted to continue his life of luxury, he had no choice but to rebuild his ninja village, and he couldn't do that without Mui's support.
"The Daimyo wishes to rebuild Kusagakure, my lord," Mui pressed gently. "What are your thoughts?" He knew how to handle the situation, but he wouldn't dare move without Naruto's approval, especially not when he knew the real reason the village had been erased.
Naruto didn't give a direct answer. "I don't want to hear the name 'Kusagakure' again."
"Understood." A wave of relief washed over Mui. The words were simple, but for an intelligent man, the meaning was perfectly clear.
'If he doesn't want to hear 'Kusagakure', then we'll just call it something else.' After all, the Land of Rice Paddies had Otogakure, not some simple 'Rice Ninja Village.'
'Naekagure,' he thought. 'The Village Hidden in Saplings. That has a nice ring to it.'
Naruto clapped his hands, signaling to Karin, who was training in the plaza below. Drenched in sweat, she heard his call and immediately stopped, a happy grin spreading across her face. She ran over, shrugging off her training weights before grabbing a bottle and chugging water.
A few days earlier, Naruto had officially started overseeing her training. An Uzumaki couldn't be weak, he'd decided. Besides, Karin was eager to grow stronger and be of use to him, so she embraced his guidance.
His methods were predictable enough. Beyond basic chakra control, the only ninjutsu Naruto really knew was Wind Release, which was useless to Karin for now, with her Water and Earth affinities. So, that left one other option: pure, unadulterated Turtle School martial arts.
Karin had begun her weighted training immediately. Since it might look a bit odd for a girl to be lugging a giant turtle shell, Karin wore a snail shell of equivalent weight on her back.
"Tomie... how do you feel today?" Naruto asked Karin.
Naruto had named his own codename 'Uzumaki,' and on a whim, he'd given Karin the codename 'Tomie.'
"It's tough, but I'm getting used to it!" she said, spinning around to show off. The feeling of getting a little stronger every day was incredible, and with Naruto there to watch over her, she was starting to fall in love with training.
He praised her, and the simple words made her beam. It had only taken her three days to match a week of Sasuke's progress back in Konoha, and that was while she was still recovering.
'The Uzumaki clan's massive chakra reserves mean they have a powerful life force,' Naruto mused. 'That makes them perfect for Yang Release, and Yang Release is the foundation of physical strength. The clan's true calling isn't some flashy fuinjutsu, it's taijutsu.'
He pictured it: an army of tireless taijutsu specialists. A clan of fighters who, if injured, could just bite down on their own arm, or a teammate's, to heal instantly. They would be the ninja world's version of an undying legion. Even if they couldn't all reach Guy's level, a force of ninja who could open the first four gates like Rock Lee would be unstoppable. Who would dare provoke the Land of Whirlpools then? The thought of a hundred screaming Rock Lees charging at you was enough to terrify anyone.
A few days later, Naruto summoned Mui again. "Mui."
"I am here, Uzumaki-sama." he replied, appearing instantly. After Naruto had used his power to summon a shade of Muku, Mui's deceased son, and grant the man some closure, his loyalty had become absolute.
"I'm leaving," Naruto said. He had been away from Konoha for a while now, and he needed to check if the clone he'd left in his place was holding up. "I'll be sending some of my people here soon."
He paused, his gaze hardening slightly. "They may be... unusual. I want a total information lockdown. Not a single detail about them leaves this castle. Do you understand?"
He was planning to move a portion of the Uchiha clan here.
"Yes, Uzumaki-sama," Mui said without hesitation. A good subordinate knew not to ask what shouldn't be asked, and not to say what shouldn't be said.
Hozuki Castle's barrier system was highly robust, in no way inferior to the Land of Whirlpools, protected by the Minato's fuinjutsu and barriers. As long as it wasn't a personal invasion by Obito, an attack by Akatsuki, or a concerted effort from the Five Great Nations, the ninja world's top forces, it could generally cope.
It wasn't good for the Uchiha to remain cooped up in one place, they needed to get out and gain some experience. Besides, Naruto had another country in mind for them to visit, one with some interesting technology he wanted to acquire. He had no intention of going himself, at his current level of strength, it would be a waste of time. The Uchiha were the perfect candidates.
That is, if they could earn his approval.
At the very least, they would have to be able to take half of his punch.
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