In the Land of Wind, within the Sunagakure:
"This is sour plum soup, this is grass jelly, and this is herbal tea."
He handed one plan after another to Rasa.
"Here are desserts, peach gum, glutinous rice, cough suppressants, Poria..."
"These are detailed recipes for making them."
Rasa, being the Kazekage, possessed strategic insight. He quickly identified the commercial value of the plans.
"I've selected items that are more suitable for the climate of your land. You can find someone you trust to run them, and we'll split the profits in the end."
He furrowed his brows: "What's your motive?"
Natsuki smiled and explained, "You are the Kazekage of a village. If you promote these products, Uchiha can earn more money."
"It's like finding an ally for us Uchiha."
Natsuki emphasized the words "Uchiha."
Rasa suddenly realized that Uchiha now held a dominant position in Konoha, ranking first in terms of economy and high-end combat power.
However, their overall strength was still slightly inferior to Konoha, where all major ninja clans gathered.
What Uchiha lacked most now was development.
Even though Fugaku had resigned from the post of guard captain, as long as Uchiha had money, they could provide resources to various ninja clans.
In the selection of a Hokage, having the right qualifications is crucial.
Providing sufficient benefits can even allow a commoner to become the Kage of a Village.
Rasa was elected based on his excellent service during the Third Ninja War.
Fugaku, with his powerful Mangekyō Sharingan, demonstrated his strength, and despite being suppressed in power by the Third Hokage, he aimed to save the village and contribute economically to run for the position of Hokage.
Natsuki, the deputy chief of the Uchiha clan, offered substantial benefits when he came to Sunagakure Village.
He resolved the sealing problem plaguing the entire Sunagakure, earning the trust of Rasa.
He thoroughly investigated his sealing technique and confirmed its uniqueness and good intentions.
Gaara, under this new technique, gained control over communicating with Shukaku without the risk of going berserk.
It also facilitated reconciliation between Rasa and Gaara, with Rasa realizing the errors in his actions.
Although the process made him uncomfortable, he recognized the strength of Natsuki and the rules set by the powerful.
Additionally, Natsuki sought only one ally, ensuring a win-win situation that he couldn't find a reason to refuse.
"Okay! I agree. As long as I, Rasa, am in power, I will be your Uchiha's strongest ally," declared Rasa, producing a smile from Natsuki.
"Now that the official business is settled, let's move on to private matters," He agreed, adopting a more relaxed posture.
Natsuki elaborated, "Although the ninja world has endured three wars, there are still many opportunists. While Gaara's seal is currently secure, being a jinchuriki makes him a target."
Rasa, attentive to Natsuki's words, knew that the Land of Wind faced financial challenges, and he, as the Kazekage of the village, had to seek opportunities to supplement Sunagakure's funds.
The scarcity of talents in Sunagakure, especially those proficient in sealing techniques, hindered the effective utilization of Shukaku.
Despite Bunpuku's skill in controlling Shukaku, internal power struggles led to missed opportunities, and Shukaku was left unused until his old age.
Natsuki shared a piece of crucial information: "We, the Uchiha, possess reliable intelligence indicating a formidable force plotting against the tailed beasts. Their strength is substantial enough to impact more villages than just Konoha and Sunagakure. Gaara is also part of their plan."
Rasa refrained from prying into the source of the information, recognizing its sensitive nature.
The idea of confronting a force targeting tailed beasts, especially with Gaara being a jinchuriki, left him with a sense of unease.
As it is well-known, extracting a tailed beast often results in the death of the jinchuriki, effectively killing Gaara.
Rasa, concerned about the danger Gaara will face, inquired, "What do you propose, Natsuki?"
Natsuki expressed optimism about Gaara's potential, recognizing that Gaara's early life lacked proper guidance.
He suggested, "Over the past few years, the Kazekage should focus on training Gaara to avert the inevitable disaster in the future. With Gaara's potential, he could grow into the best candidate for the next Kazekage."
Moved by the acknowledgment of his child's potential, Rasa pledged, "Rest assured. I will ensure Gaara receives proper training."
In addition to their business collaboration, Natsuki emphasized that he came to share this information to help them prepare.
Although Rasa felt a sense of unease, being the deputy chief of the Uchiha clan and a master of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he understood that those standing at such heights did not provide instructions without purpose.
However, since the mysterious organization had not yet revealed itself, he could only harbor his concerns silently.
Having conveyed the information, Natsuki departed swiftly.
His visit to the Sunagakure was primarily for Gaara, aiming to foster a positive relationship now for potential influence in the future.
Aware of Obito's disturbances in Kirigakure, Natsuki recognized the urgency of the situation.
He studied the map, identifying the individuals to be abducted, and distributed across the Kusagakure and the Takigakure.
The Land of Water, known for its wealth and talented individuals, stands isolated overseas.
Taking a boat from the Land of Hot Water, even with an ordinary merchant ship, the journey would span several months.
Unpredictable factors like wind and waves could extend this duration further.
In contrast, boats from Kumogakure and Kirigakure are much faster, completing the journey in just over a month.
However, these boats may not always be readily available.
Moreover, he doesn't want to expose his whereabouts at the moment.
While Konoha and Sunagakure have a relatively convenient alliance, other countries may not offer such accessible routes.
Natsuki sighed, contemplating the situation. It seemed better to have Itachi handle the mission to the Land of Water.
Surrounded by vast expanses of yellow sand with no one in sight, Natsuki swiftly inscribed words on a scroll, detailing instructions for Itachi.
His mission involved abducting Karin in the Kusagakure and Jugo in the Takigakure, both crucial players in Orochimaru's research.
He extended his hand, forming a seal.
A burst of smoke dispersed, revealing a crow.
"Give this message to Itachi," Natsuki instructed.
With a series of croaks, the smart crow vanished.
The Uchiha clan maintained favorable connections with ninja cats and ninja crows.
Natsuki chose the latter for its communication and information-sharing capabilities.
He didn't set specific requirements for psychic beasts, deeming communication and reverse psychic techniques as the most useful attributes.
In the later stages, he viewed psychic beasts mostly as ornamental additions.
Within the clan, they used Yaoya's Ninja Cat for communication, while Natsuki used Ninja Crow to exchange news with Itachi.