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"Hey—I hear the Uzumaki compound is just up ahead. Should we go pay them a visit? Who knows, we might need their help someday."
"I think that's a good idea. I hear that Advisor Gojo really likes them. We can use this chance to get on his good side."
"Alright, let's go."
'Uzumaki?'
Konan was alerted by the keyword, and she pretended to be a casual passerby, tailing them.
A few moments later.
Staring at the imposing mansion before her, Konan's mouth agape, she wondered, "This is the Uzumaki clan's compound? In a place like this? The people of Konoha are so generous?"
The clan leader, Uzumaki Shūkan, personally stood at the entrance to welcome guests, his smile so wide it seemed permanent.
He wasn't sure what was going on—but these past few days, there had been a constant stream of people bringing gifts to visit the Uzumaki clan.
Initially, Uzumaki Shūkan was unsure whether he should accept these gifts, but under his daughter Uzumaki Reina's urging, he accepted this bounty of nature without hesitation.
Uzumaki Reina's reasoning was straightforward: "If you're feeling embarrassed, how can Advisor Gojo feel at ease? If you don't express your intention clearly, doesn't that imply that the Uzumaki clan and Advisor Gojo aren't aligned? When it's time to express yourself, you have to do it openly! Otherwise, it's just awkward for everyone."
"I've lived long enough to see this day," Uzumaki Shūkan murmured, finally grasping the underlying meaning behind these visits.
Uzumaki Shūkan was not naive. With his daughter's insightful prompting, he immediately understood the unspoken expectations.
Facing the endless stream of gift-bearing guests, he accepted everything offered, without exception.
The once-empty Uzumaki clan treasury was rapidly overflowing.
The Uchiha clan sent kunai and cash; the Hyuga clan sent cash and a few deeds from the old commercial district; the Nara clan sent deer antlers—
The Uzumaki clan's roots were rapidly taking hold in Konoha's soil.
These gifts, whether intended for the clan's own development or as offerings to Advisor Gojo, were proving to be incredibly valuable and versatile.
Just then, Uzumaki Shūkan noticed Konan standing somewhat apart, looking slightly lost and hesitant. He gestured to his daughter. "Reina, that lady over there seems a little lost. Go and see if she needs assistance."
Having just finished work at the hospital, Uzumaki Reina immediately walked towards Konan. "Hello, can I help you? I noticed you've been standing here for a while?"
"I—" Konan was caught off guard and quickly improvised, "I have a friend who is also red-haired."
"Huh?!" Uzumaki Reina's eyes lit up, and she eagerly took Konan's hand, pulling her into the compound, chattering, "If they're red-haired, they must be part of our Uzumaki clan. Since you're their friend, you're a friend of the Uzumaki clan too. Come on in!"
--
Konan couldn't resist the enthusiasm and was half-pushed, half-pulled by Uzumaki Reina into the front hall for entertaining guests.
"So, about your red-haired friend, are they doing alright now? Where are they currently residing?" Reina inquired with genuine concern.
"They're far away," Konan hedged. "He's lost the use of his legs and can't move around anymore. He has to rely on assistive devices to get around."
"That's terrible" Uzumaki Reina's expression turned somber. She understood the vitality of her own bloodline. Under normal circumstances, losing the use of one's legs shouldn't happen. He must have suffered greatly over the years.
Konan felt a pang of bitterness, seeing the few red-haired Shinobi busy in the compound.
If Nagato had only relinquished his consuming hatred, if he hadn't been so determined to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he might now be walking freely among his own kin, just like these Uzumaki clan members.
Konan took a deep breath and got straight to the point. "My friend despite losing his mobility, has become a very wealthy and influential figure, and he has many powerful Shinobi as his guards."
"Because he heard that the Uzumaki clan had returned to Konoha, but also that the Uzumaki clan had suffered Konoha's betrayal in the past, he isn't sure if Konoha is the best choice. I'm here to ask, on behalf of my immobile friend,"
"If—I mean, hypothetically speaking, if they were to extend an invitation, would you be willing to visit them?"
"Would you be willing to visit him?" she repeated, her voice hanging in the air.
After saying this, Konan stared intently at Uzumaki Reina's expression.
The answer would undoubtedly be a firm refusal. Konan had already anticipated this.
After all, the Uzumaki clan had finally escaped their nomadic life and begun to take root in Konoha. Moreover, they had been placed in such a grand mansion by Konoha.
Konan didn't expect to persuade the Uzumaki clan on her first try. As long as—they showed a flicker of hesitation, a crack in their defenses, she could exploit that opening and keep chipping away until the Uzumaki clan changed sides!
Little by little, Konan would pry them away.
If they showed no hesitation at all, if they were completely loyal to Konoha, which had betrayed them in the past—Konan could use that as an excuse, claiming she was just joking, and casually brush it off.
Would there be? A flicker of hesitation?
Under Konan's hopeful gaze, Uzumaki Reina gave an answer that left Konan stunned—
Reina was taken aback, her face full of confusion as if she were seeing Konan for the first time. Then she stood up abruptly, pushed open her door and looked left and right, as if to make sure no one would overhear them.
Then, Uzumaki Reina retreated, took Konan's hand, and deliberately lowered her voice, speaking rapidly, "Konan-san—how could you say something like that so casually?"
"You were just asking if we, the Uzumaki clan, would be willing to betray Konoha and reunite with our scattered kin, correct?"
"I—no, I didn't mean—I was just speaking hypothetically," Konan stammered, backtracking and refusing to acknowledge such a dangerously treasonous topic directly.
--
"What if there are Anbu shinobi listening? Your careless words could get us both arrested!"
"Can I truly trust you, Konan-san?" Reina's unspoken question hung heavy in the air.
Konan felt like she was on a rollercoaster. She was getting dizzy from all the twists and turns. Originally, seeing the happy smiles on the Uzumaki clan members' faces, she had lost hope.
But who knew—
The tables had turned so dramatically?!
She hadn't expected the Uzumaki clan to be so eager to betray Konoha!
'Were they acting before? Were they just pretending to be happy?'
Konan was utterly bewildered.
"Of course not! You're overthinking it!" Konan vehemently denied, unwilling to admit to anything.
"It was just a hypothetical. Let's not talk about this anymore."
She decided to play it safe and retreat.
"Oh—" Uzumaki Reina let out a sigh, as if finally finding someone to confide in.
"Konan-san, if there really are Uzumaki clan members outside who have established a new force that belongs to us, we would definitely be willing to go and 'visit.'"
"But we've already joined Konoha. Every move we make is under the watchful eyes of the Konoha Military Police and Anbu. Leaving the village now would be considered treason. We—can't leave to investigate, so we can only ask Konoha to keep attracting our scattered clan members to join."
Konan's eyes were filled with tenderness as she consoled her.
"I understand the difficult position you are in. your concerns are valid."
"My visit to the Uzumaki clan today was primarily to ascertain the general attitude of the Uzumaki people. Rest assured, my friend will come to your rescue! I promise you that!"
--
Uzumaki Reina cautiously inquired, her voice barely above a whisper, "Konan-san, may I ask you something—is your friend truly a member of our Uzumaki clan?"
"Does he genuinely possess the power to protect us?"
"Even if we find a way to sneak out of Konoha, Konoha might follow our trail and track us down, bringing disaster to our Uzumaki Clan once again."
"He..." Konan began, about to reveal Nagato's information.
But she stopped herself, smiling instead.
"It's not—quite the right time yet. When the moment is ripe for him to lead the Uzumaki clan to glory, he will utilize a power unique to your Uzumaki lineage to—contact all of you."
With that enigmatic pronouncement, Konan stood to depart.
"I am, after all, merely a traveler, and my presence here for too long might attract unwanted attention to the Uzumaki clan. My current base of operations is in Yūkaku-jō. If the Uzumaki clan finds themselves in any difficulty, please, do not hesitate to contact me there!"
"Farewell, Reina."
Konan left, disappearing into the distance.
Reina sat there, lost in thought.
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