Elric was eating quietly in his family's modest dining room when the door suddenly burst open. Renji rushed in, his face flushed with excitement, and threw a scroll onto the wooden table with such force that it made Elric's bowl of rice jump.
"All four villages agreed to our demands!" Renji exclaimed, barely able to contain himself as he collapsed into the chair across from Elric. "Including the Rock Shinobi Village, which was completely beyond our expectations!"
Elric paused mid-chew, chopsticks hovering near his mouth. He set them down carefully and reached for the scroll, unrolling it with deliberate slowness. As his eyes scanned the contents, his expression remained neutral, though internally his mind was racing.
It makes sense, he thought, setting the scroll aside. They don't want to stand out, it seems. Smart political maneuvering on their part. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Anyway, it's good for us.
"So when are they going to send the money and staff?" Elric asked, leaning back in his chair.
Renji pulled out several smaller scrolls from his pouch, spreading them across the table like a merchant displaying his wares. "Most of them asked for three to four months to gather the money and prepare their tailed beast contributions. Only Sunagakure said they need at least six to seven months to collect the funds."
Elric nodded slowly. "Sounds reasonable. It should be fine." His tone was measured, but there was an underlying current of satisfaction.
Then, remembering something important, Elric's expression shifted to one of eager anticipation. "But anyway, what about the staff I asked you to inquire about?"
Renji's face fell, and he let out a disappointed sigh. "They said it was beyond their capability to make something like this. You'll have to make them yourself, it seems."
Elric felt a flicker of disappointment, but it was quickly replaced by resigned acceptance. He had expected as much, after all.
This world's technology is really screwed up, he mused internally, shaking his head. They can almost make perfect clones and all sorts of incredible jutsu, but they couldn't invent the phone until Boruto's era.
So even with detailed blueprints, it didn't surprise him that they couldn't manufacture the devices he needed. But there wasn't much of a problem with that—he had anticipated this obstacle.
First, he had decided to establish an internet infrastructure to quickly spread common knowledge to all people. Currently, like in medieval ages, the knowledge monopoly was held by the powerful ruling class, which was seriously stunting this world's development.
The more knowledgeable a person becomes, the more they want to fight for their rights and improve their lives, Elric reflected. Which is perfectly consistent with my goals.
Initially, he had wanted to implement the standard infrastructure—cables, transmission towers, the whole traditional setup. But that seemed too backward to implement now, especially given his resources.
Fortunately, from the quantum computer technology he had obtained from the overlord world, there were advanced versions that didn't require such extensive groundwork. He would just need to construct specialized towers, but it would be extremely time-consuming. For someone like him, who had to study and understand every component before creating it, this would be absolute hell.
But there are always hardships before you can reap the rewards, he reminded himself with grim determination.
His father, who had been quietly observing Elric's dazed state from across the room, couldn't help but reach over and ruffle his son's hair affectionately. "What are you thinking about, little guy?"
Elric looked up, snapping out of his contemplative trance. "Nothing much. Just thinking about how the world will be in the future."
His father smiled warmly. "Don't worry. Everything will go according to your plan."
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen emerged from the grand Senju mansion with a deeply disappointed expression etched across his weathered features. As he had suspected, Mito-sama knew nothing about Elric's mysterious techniques, which likely meant they were bloodline abilities—impossible to replicate or steal.
Really, he thought bitterly as he walked slowly through the village streets. There might have been a small chance if they were learnable techniques. We could have somehow obtained them.
Thinking about the recent intelligence reports he had received, his mood plummeted even further. The implications were staggering, and none of them were favorable for Konoha.
Sarutobi made his way to the Hokage office with heavy steps. Upon opening the familiar door, he found Danzo already sitting there, waiting for him with characteristic patience.
Seeing Hiruzen's gloomy expression, Danzo instantly understood that the results were unfavorable. His own expression darkened as he prepared to deliver even worse news.
"Here you go, Sarutobi Hiruzen," Danzo said, his voice flat as he tossed a scroll across the desk. "It's entirely on you now."
Hiruzen caught the scroll and opened it with trembling fingers. As his eyes scanned the contents, his face went pale. "Really... they really did that."
He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, his voice filled with disbelief and growing dread.
What had happened was unprecedented in the ninja world. Traditionally, even after bitter enemies signed peace treaties, there would usually be prisoner exchanges—captured shinobi would be released as a gesture of good faith. But nothing like that had occurred here.
It was as if the Uzumaki had said: "You attacked my home? No worries. Give me some money and I'll forgive you. I didn't kill anyone, so you can take your people back—if you pay the price."
But when Hiruzen read the next sentence, his blood ran cold. His voice became nervous, almost a whisper: "They asked for one tailed beast from each of the three ninja villages?"
"Yes," Danzo replied lazily, though his eyes were sharp with concern. "And even more astonishing is that all the villages seem to have agreed to their demands. So from now on, the Uzumaki Village should possess three tailed beasts and likely three perfect jinchuriki. That should make them comparable to a Kage-level powerhouse."
Danzo leaned forward, his voice taking on an ominous tone. "So even after Elric's eventual death, there should always be three Kage-level shinobi present in their village. If they can fill out their ranks with competent low-level ninja, they might become comparable to Konoha—or even surpass us."
"Haha," Danzo let out a bitter laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Didn't you say they were just a small clan that had fallen behind compared to their glory days? That their end would come soon? Look at that, Sarutobi. Just look at that."
Hiruzen felt his irritation spike at Danzo's mocking tone.
"Stop it," he said sharply, "and think about countermeasures."
Danzo's expression became grimmer. "What countermeasures are there? You know it yourself, Sarutobi. We should attack them while they're not too powerful. Maybe in ten years, we'll have to bow down just to survive."
Hiruzen almost laughed at the absurdity. "Hmm, are you going to fight Elric personally?"
Danzo's face darkened considerably. "Are you still joking at a time like this?"
"Are you joking?" Hiruzen's voice became louder, frustration bleeding through his usual composure. "Then stop wasting time with impossible suggestions!"
Danzo was quiet for a moment, then spoke in a lower, more serious tone. "I'm talking about the Edo Tensei—our teacher's legendary technique."
Sarutobi's mind flashed with possibilities, and for several long moments, he actually considered it seriously. But gradually, reality reasserted itself, and he shook his head.
"You might not know the full details about the technique," Hiruzen said carefully, "but there are several critical restrictions. If you bring back someone like our teacher or the First Hokage, you really can't control them. They would break free instantly."
Danzo let out a dissatisfied grunt. "I know about those limitations, but we could just improve the technique. Give me Orochimaru and some time—I guarantee I'll deliver an improved version within two or three years."
Hiruzen was quiet for a long moment, weighing the moral and practical implications. Finally, he said, "Let me think about it. Anyway, it's not like we currently have any direct conflict of interest with the Uzumaki clan."
"You'll regret this, Sarutobi," Danzo's voice was firm, but there wasn't much anger in it—almost as if he had already guessed this would be the result.
"Anyway," Danzo said, changing the topic strategically, "what about the jinchuriki situation?"
Hiruzen's expression shifted as he considered their options. "I don't think we need to worry too much about it. We're natural allies with the Uzumaki, so there shouldn't be any problem with them sending a clansman to be our jinchuriki. Besides, it's not like they know we don't plan to send the requested support."
A calculating gleam entered Sarutobi's eyes. "They just didn't ask for military assistance explicitly. We're still natural allies, after all."
As for why Konoha couldn't choose another ninja from their own village to be the jinchuriki—well, it wasn't as if they hadn't tried. After they had captured the Nine-Tails, two Senju clansmen and even one Uchiha member had volunteered to be the vessel. Without any surprise, all of them had died in the sealing process.
There were candidates like Tsunade or Nawaki who might be able to bear the burden, but it was far too risky to attempt with such valuable individuals.
So there really was no other option for them.
"Yamamoto!" Hiruzen called out sharply.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" An ANBU member instantly appeared before them, kneeling respectfully.
"Prepare a team immediately. You'll be traveling to the Uzumaki Village. Your mission is to bring back an Uzumaki clansman to be our next jinchuriki—preferably a female child who can grow into the role." Hiruzen's voice was steady and authoritative. "Also, take Tsunade with you. I'm leaving the mission details entirely to your discretion. I hope you won't disappoint me."
"As you command, Hokage-sama!"
The ANBU member vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the two old friends alone with their heavy thoughts.
I hope everything goes well, Hiruzen thought grimly, staring out the window at his beloved village.