"Uchiha..." Kurama Unkai furrowed his brows. "Will they be willing?"
Hearing this, Yūhi Kurenai let out a soft sigh.
The Uchiha clan could be considered the most powerful in the ninja world in the use of genjutsu. However, they have a high opinion of themselves and are very arrogant.
When Kurama Unkai encountered a problem, the Kurama clan immediately sought help from the Uchiha clan.
However, whether because they looked down on the Kurama clan or because they were dissatisfied with the Kurama clan's claim of 'surpassing Uchiha in genjutsu', they did not even consider the conditions proposed by the Kurama clan and flatly refused to provide support.
That's when the Kurama clan turned to Yūhi Kurenai.
Recalling the arrogance of the Uchiha clan in the past, Yūhi Kurenai also let out a soft sigh and said: "The current Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Natsuo, is not like the typical Uchiha, he doesn't have as much arrogance."
"As long as you communicate well and present your conditions, he will definitely accept."
Kurama Unkai nodded, he had also heard of Natsuo's reputation... well, actually, it was extremely well-known.
After all, Natsuo was the first Uchiha in history to take multiple wives and not want to do anything else except have children.
While countless shinobi mocked Natsuo for willingly falling from grace, he was also relieved that this guy was not like a typical Uchiha.
Natsuo, who lacked any Uchiha demeanor, might actually agree to the Kurama clan's request. But...
"Isn't Natsuo only a Chūnin in terms of strength? Can he really help Yakumo?" Kurama Unkai furrowed his brows.
"Natsuo is actually quite strong." Kurenai said: "Perhaps we can have some expectations."
Having spent so much time with the Uchiha clan, she had more or less discovered some of Natsuo's hidden strength.
Although he had not seen it personally, he believed that Natsuo was not just an 'embarrassment to the Jōnin'.
At the very least... He should also be at the Jōnin level, right? As for why he was hiding his true strength, that was easy to explain.
'He's worried about exposing his true strength and attracting retaliation from Itachi.' Kurenai thought to herself.
But she wouldn't reveal Natsuo's 'true strength' in front of others. She only expressed it tactfully.
"The Uchiha clan has a long history, so they might have a way to save Kurama Yakumo."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Natsuo looked at the latest news that had come in and let out a sigh.
"It seems that the conflict between the Five Great Nations has escalated again. Unexpectedly, there are even renegades occupying our Uchiha mine..."
He had originally thought that after impersonating Uchiha Itachi and dealing a heavy blow to all enemies of the Uchiha, no one would dare to lay a hand on the Uchiha clan again. But he didn't expect that there were still those who were not afraid of death.
"Kurosuki Raiga, huh..." Natsuo rubbed his chin as he looked at the intelligence.
Kurosuki Raiga, dissatisfied with the village's policies, decided to defect and later became the criminal boss of the Kurosuki family. He then used the Kurosuki criminal organization to take control of the Uchiha mine.
'He probably came here because of the conflict between the Five Great Nations.' Natsuo thought to himself.
Due to Natsuo's actions, Konohagakure entered a state of alert and preparation for war. And other ninja villages, fearing that Konoha would attack their own countries, also sent ninjas to protect their borders due to Konoha's mobilization.
Although a full-scale war had not broken out at the borders, there were countless hidden struggles and losses were not insignificant.
Under the state of mobilization in case of war between nations, Kurosuki Raiga, as a renegade who was not good at hiding, probably couldn't stay in other places and had no choice but to come here.
In reality, even the arrogant Kurosuki Raiga was not foolish enough to take on the Uchiha clan.
For this reason, once he gained control of the mine, he sent a message to negotiate with the Uchiha clan. He probably aims to seek stability and gain a foothold with the help of the Uchiha clan.
'He must have noticed that the Uchiha clan is lacking in manpower, so the conditions for negotiation may be to form an alliance with his own strength and the Uchiha clan.' Natsuo thought to himself.
Perhaps in his eyes, the Uchiha's deterrent power now relies solely on Uchiha Itachi.
The Uchiha itself is severely lacking in combat power, but they can use their business empire to help him conceal his whereabouts and resist pressure from other countries. On the other hand, he has considerable combat power and can provide protection to the Uchiha clan.
An alliance between the two would be mutually beneficial.
"Who do you think you are to make demands on the Uchiha clan?" Natsuo shook his head.
Not everyone among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist is at the level of a Kage.
Natsuo doesn't even need to personally take action to deal with him.
"Kakuzu, I have a task for you. Take care of this person." Natsuo pointed at Raiga. "The reward is an S-rank mission."
"I understand." Kakuzu nodded. "Coincidentally, I also have something to attend to. The organization has sent a message, and I will be recalled soon."
"We may not be able to continue with your mission for the time being."
Natsuo nodded to indicate his understanding.
In the ever-changing world of the ninja world, war could break out at any moment.
Akatsuki, as a mercenary group, it was only natural for them to gather their forces and complete the contracted war missions. Although the compensation that Natsuo offered was quite high, but compared to large-scale war missions, it was only average.
Natsuo didn't mind. His main purpose in hiring Akatsuki was to get through the initial weak period. And now that he had grown up, he didn't care if they protected him or not.
"Well, let's consider this our final cooperation." Natsuo said with a smile.
During the following time, Natsuo spent most of his time working hard on his wives. Occasionally, he would also go and see Sasuke's training.
It had to be said that as a avenger, Sasuke had a fearless attitude towards training.
"As long as he doesn't die, he will train to the death!"
With this belief, Sasuke ignored the many wounds on his body... Some of these wounds had not yet healed and were torn open again. Many of the injuries were quite serious. But Sasuke didn't seem to notice. In his mind, wounds that don't cause death are just scratches.
Even though Natsuo reminded him several times to rest, he would agree on the surface and then immediately start training. But there was one person who left Sasuke at a loss.
"Sasuke! We've come to find you!" Naruto laughed heartily.
"Hmph."
Sasuke snorted coldly, maintaining his aloof posture and continuing his training.
He gave a cold response. Causing the people behind Naruto to sigh.
Shikamaru: "Sigh, what a bother..."
Kiba: "So why did we come all the way here, Naruto?"
Chōji: "To eat potato chips?"
Sakura: "Naruto! Stop bothering Sasuke! He's working hard on his training, why are you disturbing him... Sasuke, are you thirsty? Do you want some water? I brought some refreshing lemon tea for you!"
Naruto casually ignored everyone's reactions, including Sasuke's. He squatted on the ground with great enthusiasm.
"It's snowing today, Sasuke. Let's play snowball fight!"
"Boring!" Sasuke coldly snorted and proudly said: "Naruto, I'm not a child anymore. This kind of game is more suitable for you guys!"
Ignoring Sasuke, Naruto picked up a snowball and threw it at Sasuke... Three minutes later...
"Naruto! If you have the guts, don't run!" Sasuke chased after Naruto, who was running ahead, shouting: "Take this, Uchiha Snowball Jutsu!"
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
Several snowballs, with a spiraling force, flew towards Naruto's back like shurikens, hitting him hard.
[Bang! Bang! Bang!]
"You coward, Sasuke! Can't you handle it?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Today, I'll make you realize the power of the Uchiha clan!"
'Indeed, you two are a perfect match, just like Ashura and Indra.'
Not far away, Natsuo calmly took a sip of tea while watching the children play.
A few days later...
Kakuzu's mission was completed.
The mere Raiga was no match for this old and still strong grandpa.
However, what Natsuo never expected was that Kakuzu, the old grandpa, actually brought him a valuable gift.
"Natsuo, I remember you paid a high price for a Kage-level female ninja, right?" A rare bright smile appeared on Kakuzu's old face as he pointed to a slender figure tied up with black threads.
"I encountered this person when I killed Raiga. She seems to be a kunoichi from the Kirigakure, trying to take the Lightning Blades..."
"Although her strength is not particularly strong, she can barely be considered a Kage-level kunoichi!"
"Natsuo, how much are you willing to pay?"
Kakuzu's eyes sparkled.
Natsuo fell silent for a moment, squatted down, and carefully looked at the resentful face of the kunoichi who has staring at him.
Well, Kakuzu was right. This person can indeed be considered a Kage-level...
"Ringo Ameyuri, I'll have to offer a good price for you!"
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