Of course, this was something Hiruzen Sarutobi was very happy to see.
As the Hokage of Konoha, he hoped the village would become better and better under his leadership.
Li Anshi, Sakumo Hatake, and Tsunade were all ninjas he held in high regard, all possessing the "Will of Fire."
The difference was that Li Anshi's "Will of Fire" was simply too appalling. Even Hiruzen couldn't handle it.
Therefore, he had adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards Li Anshi's "slacking."
But this also made him worry that, due to his lack of interaction with the other ninjas of Konoha, Li Anshi would become estranged from the village, or even drift away from it.
If he were to leave Konoha one day, it would be a great loss.
Fortunately, what put Hiruzen at ease was that both Sakumo and Tsunade had established significant bonds with him, making him willing to use his strength for their sake.
This was Konoha's good fortune!
However, Hiruzen did not want to point this out.
Otherwise, what if one day Konoha needed him to act, but he refused because he was too thin-skinned?
"Alright."
Hiruzen smiled and casually covered the documents.
Since Li Anshi had appeared, the opinions of the Jonin meeting were no longer important.
"Then, Anshi, is your visit this time related to the matter of the Land of Whirlpools?"
"Yes."
Hiruzen was direct, and Li Anshi didn't beat around the bush either.
"Lord Hokage, from Tsunade, I have also learned about the relationship between the Uzumaki clan of the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha."
"Back then, because of some members of the Uzumaki clan, Lord Ashina led them away from Konoha, sparing the village from much strife…"
The Senju and Uchiha clans were super-ninja clans that had endured since the Warring States period. In both numbers and strength, they surpassed the others by a considerable margin.
Although the Uzumaki clan was slightly inferior, they were still a great clan, not inferior to the Hyuga or Kaguya.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, with their invincible strength, could suppress all dissatisfaction within their clans.
Ashina Uzumaki did not possess such an ability.
If the Uzumaki clan had not left, there would surely have been large-scale friction between their ninjas and those of the Uchiha.
As allies for decades, or even centuries, if the Uzumaki acted, the Senju would surely have helped.
At that time, this ninja village, founded by Hashirama and Madara, might have fallen apart.
"I know about this as well."
Hiruzen nodded.
When Konoha was founded, he was already eleven years old. Although he didn't understand why the Uzumaki had to leave back then, after becoming Hokage and understanding the relationships between the various clans, he could understand.
Therefore, even though the Uzumaki had broken the treaty first, Hiruzen still held a great deal of respect for Ashina.
"This time, Lord Ashina's visit to Konoha was not really to ask for aid, but to bring two children of the Uzumaki clan, to have them represent the clan and integrate into Konoha."
"So that's how it is."
Li Anshi had also learned this from Tsunade. Ashina had said that these two were the hope of the Uzumaki clan.
As for their names, he didn't remember the boy's, but if he remembered correctly, the girl was the mother of the future Nagato Uzumaki.
Judging from Nagato's red hair, the concentration of his Uzumaki blood was very high. If nothing unexpected happened, both of his parents were members of the Uzumaki clan.
The father was Michio Uzumaki, and the mother was Fusō Uzumaki!
It was no wonder Ashina considered them the hope of the clan. Li Anshi didn't know their potential yet.
But their child, Nagato, indeed had the potential to become a "Kage-level" powerhouse.
To be chosen by Madara Uchiha to nurture the Rinnegan was a testament to his extraordinariness.
Even before the Rinnegan had revealed its power, under Jiraiya's tutelage, Nagato's strength was the greatest of the three Ame orphans.
"Lord Hokage, then what is your opinion on the matter of the Uzumaki clan?"
"Anshi, in my position, I cannot have the ninjas of Konoha risk their lives to protect those who have abandoned us."
"Even if these people were once meritorious retainers who founded Konoha."
"On this point, I agree with your approach, Lord Hokage."
"If Konoha were to provide aid to the Land of Whirlpools, it might send the wrong message to the outside world, that one can freely break a treaty with Konoha without facing any sanctions."
"On the contrary, when they face a crisis, they can still ask Konoha for help."
"If this is the case, in the future, when Konoha is in crisis, which ally will extend a helping hand?"
"Then what is the point of Konoha's alliances?"
"Hahaha…"
Hearing Li Anshi's words, Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh.
Although his visit was not unrelated to the matter of the Land of Whirlpools, the fact that he could say these words showed that he could still distinguish what was most important for Konoha.
"Alright, Anshi. You surely didn't come here just to flatter me, did you?"
"It's not flattery."
"But my coming here is indeed related to this matter."
Li Anshi looked at Hiruzen and said in a deep voice, "Lord Hokage, I wonder what your thoughts are on the complete integration of the Uzumaki clan into Konoha?"
"Hm?"
Hiruzen's head snapped up, and he looked at him.
He had already said before that Lord Ashina had let two children of the Uzumaki clan represent their clan's return to Konoha, to become ninjas of the Leaf.
But he knew that what Li Anshi was talking about—the complete integration of the Uzumaki clan into Konoha—was a different matter entirely from just two children returning.
The former, although it was still a clan joining Konoha, a clan of only two people, Michio and Fusō, could only be considered a small clan, similar to the Hatake.
In fact, due to their strength, the Uzumaki clan of two was in no way comparable to Sakumo's Hatake clan. It would not cause the slightest ripple in the political landscape of Konoha.
But what Li Anshi was talking about, the complete integration of the Uzumaki clan, was not as simple as just one or two people.
It was likely the entire Uzumaki clan of the Land of Whirlpools, coming to completely join Konoha.
No matter how you put it, Uzushiogakure was a ninja village.
The number of Uzumaki ninjas in it was no less than that of the great clans of Konoha, the Uchiha and the Hyuga.
If the entire Uzumaki clan were to completely join Konoha, its strength would undoubtedly increase greatly in the eyes of the outside world.
But internally, the power structure of Konoha would probably undergo a violent upheaval.
Ninjas were a force of violence.
One's position was determined by one's strength.
If the Uzumaki clan were to completely integrate into Konoha, they would surely, due to their size, obtain a large amount of power. But the total amount of power was fixed. If you got more, I would naturally have less.
The disputes arising from power were the most cruel and dark.
No one wanted to hand over the power in their hands.
Sakumo Hatake could become the Anbu Commander because he possessed a strength that the other clans did not fear.
If the Uzumaki clan wanted to use force to obtain power, they would surely be targeted by the many clans of Konoha.
And there was no powerhouse like Sakumo Hatake in the Uzumaki clan to intimidate the others.
Although Ashina Uzumaki was a Kage-level powerhouse, he was old and his strength was declining. He could not intimidate the ninja clans of Konoha.
In fact, if he were to die in a few years, the Uzumaki clan might even face a reckoning.
Without a doubt, the complete integration of the Uzumaki clan into Konoha was not a good thing.
It might even plunge the village into an internal power struggle.
Hiruzen didn't believe that Li Anshi didn't know this.
"Anshi, are you serious?"
"Yes."
Li Anshi nodded.
"Lord Hokage, as I understand it, the reason the Uzumaki clan left back then was because many of its members could not let go of their grudge against the Uchiha."
As the closest allies of the Senju, the Uzumaki had suffered numerous attacks from the Uchiha during the Warring States period. The hatred between the two sides was no less than that between the Senju and the Uchiha.
Even Ashina Uzumaki could not suppress the hatred in his clansmen's hearts.
"This time, the Uzumaki clan's violation of the treaty with Konoha was also because this same faction of ninjas vetoed Lord Ashina."
"Therefore, the Jonin of the Uzumaki clan must pay the price for their choice."
"However, the lower-ranking ninjas and the children of the Uzumaki have not inherited their fathers' hatred for the Uchiha."
"On the contrary, under Lord Ashina's guidance, many of the children hope to return and integrate into Konoha, to become a part of it."
Li Anshi could understand this situation.
It was like the feeling of "I have a billionaire grandfather, so I hope to live in his house and become a member of the family."
Konoha was the number one ninja village in the world, while Uzushiogakure was just a backwater village.
After learning that they had once been a part of the number one village, the children of Uzushiogakure naturally longed to integrate into Konoha.
The Jonin of the Uzumaki all knew this, and they had all accepted that one day, their children would be able to integrate into Konoha.
Therefore, they had not passed on their grudge against the Uchiha to the next generation, forcing them to carry the burden of their elders' hatred.
"So, Lord Hokage, I would like to make a trip to the Land of Whirlpools and bring a portion of its ninjas and children to Konoha."
That's right. Only the Chunin, Genin, and the children of the Uzumaki.
As for the Jonin, let them die for their country!
If you do something wrong, you must pay the corresponding price!
And this time, the price they had to pay was the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, and the lives of all their Jonin…