Chapter 85: The First Time Being Treated as One of Their Own, It's a Little Uncomfortable
As he finished speaking, the Fourth Raikage was briefly stunned, then burst out laughing.
Dodai's face was contemplative, seemingly weighing the feasibility.
Only Yugito's mouth twitched, her eyes filled with disgust. "Neji-kun, what is this sickness you have for older women?"
Neji-kun shook his head, perfectly serious. "Yugito-san, what nonsense are you spouting? I'm doing this for the village."
Yugito glared at him, her expression clearly saying, 'Yeah, right.' She muttered to herself that she should have seen this coming. Weren't Uzumaki Kana and Nōno Yakushi perfect examples?
Just then, Dodai spoke. "Lord Raikage, Neji-kun is indeed the best choice."
"I think so too." The Fourth Raikage narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.
His and Killer Bee's statuses made them seem like the most suitable candidates. But as everyone knew, the A-B Brothers weren't particularly interested in women. Getting married and having children was just to fulfill their family's requirements for an heir. Taking advantage of a widow was something the A-B Brothers just wouldn't do.
Neji-kun, on the other hand, was different.
He was the primary reason for the Uchiha's successful defection. For the village, he had made an outstanding contribution and deserved a reward. For the Uchiha, he had saved them from disaster. Now, Neji-kun was making this request, which wasn't entirely unreasonable. As Raikage, he couldn't just refuse it.
From the Uchiha's perspective, there was also a good angle. Neji-kun was the village's rising star, the future Fifth Raikage. He was a worthy match for Mikoto. It made sense, both logically and emotionally.
Besides, the Fourth Raikage had another, smaller thought. The Byakugan and the Sharingan were known as the two great dōjutsu bloodlines of the shinobi world. If they were to combine, what kind of sparks would fly?
As for the age difference? A political marriage was outside the bounds of a traditional one. The political significance was paramount. It was best to lock in the alliance first and worry about the details later.
After the meeting, Neji-kun, Yugito, and Dodai left quickly.
The Raikage glanced at the dark night, then walked to a heavily guarded tent.
"Lord Raikage," the ANBU guards said respectfully.
The Raikage waved them off and strode in. Inside was a single, blond-haired boy, devouring a table full of food as if no one else existed.
The Raikage looked at Naruto, his heart filled with emotion. He never thought Neji-kun would actually manage to abduct the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
And he certainly never expected the Jinchuriki to be Minato Namikaze's son.
Looking at Naruto's mop of blond hair, the Raikage was inevitably reminded of Minato. That genius had risen to power, overshadowing the Sannin, his light shining so brightly. Everyone believed he would bring a great change to Konoha, and perhaps even the shinobi world.
But less than a year after taking office, he had fallen.
"Mister?"
The Raikage had been lost in thought until Naruto, noticing someone else in the tent, called out curiously.
The Raikage took a deep breath, his expression solemn as he looked at Naruto. "Naruto," he said, his voice serious, "be my son."
A large-scale movement of two to three thousand people toward the Land of Lightning was impossible to hide.
Ōnoki, who had been the first to arrive in the Land of Waterfalls, was not happy when he heard the Uchiha had joined Kumo.
In his view, since the Uchiha had sent Iwa a distress letter, they must have sent letters to other villages as well. Their position in the Land of Waterfalls—close to both Iwa and Kumo—suggested they were waiting for offers and would pick the best one. This was the logical decision.
But they had joined Kumo before he even arrived! Why not wait a few more days? Did Kumo make an offer they couldn't refuse? But how could they be sure Iwa wouldn't make a better offer?
And Iwa was closer, yet Kumo's forces had arrived several days earlier to make first contact. This was all very strange.
"...?"
Ōnoki suddenly had a thought. He turned to the blond, ponytailed teen next to him. "Deidara, you mentioned Kumo's Two-Tails Jinchuriki led their Chūnin Exam team, hm?"
Deidara just said, "Yeah."
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. The Uchiha had clearly already made a deal with Kumo. The letter to Iwa was just a feint to keep Konoha in check. Realizing Iwa had been played by both the Uchiha and Kumo, Ōnoki's chest heaved with anger. He hadn't been cautious enough. The moment he heard the Uchiha might join Iwa, he'd been blinded by the potential gain.
Ōnoki wanted the Uchiha to join Kumo even less than Konoha did. Iwa and Kumo were evenly matched. With the Uchiha, Kumo would replace Konoha as the #1 village. During the Third Great Ninja War, Iwa and Kumo had fought a bloody war for years. The Fourth Raikage's father had been killed while being surrounded by tens of thousands of Iwa ninja. The blood feud between them was deep. Knowing the Raikage's personality, he would surely seek revenge the moment he had the chance.
Ōnoki pondered for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "Kitsuchi, the world's situation is truly unpredictable."
Kitsuchi was confused by his father's sudden change in demeanor.
Ōnoki said coldly, "Kitsuchi, if the Uchiha join Kumo, we can't sit still, and neither can Konoha. Go to Konoha. See what's going on. If the Third Hokage is sincere, form an alliance with them directly."
After all, he was a veteran Kage of over thirty years. Once his anger passed, he immediately made the most logical decision for Iwa.
Kitsuchi hesitated. "An alliance with Konoha?" Konoha had been their greatest enemy. This sudden reversal was hard to process.
"Kitsuchi, remember: there are no permanent friends, and no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. We were enemies with Konoha for our village's interests, and now we will ally with them for the same reason."
The words were like an enlightenment for Kitsuchi. "I understand!" He immediately accepted and set off for Konoha.
"Clan Head Shisui, Elder Yatsushiro."
The beautiful secretary, Mabui, bowed slightly, her exquisite features showing a trace of apology. "The Uchiha district has just been zoned. The conditions are a bit basic, but this is only temporary. The facilities will be improved in the near future."
"No, no, the Uchiha are very satisfied with the current district." Shisui shook his head quickly. This wasn't just polite talk; it was sincere.
To have planned a residential area for two or three thousand people in less than half a month was incredibly efficient, far exceeding their expectations. The Uchiha district was on the edge of the village, but this was due to objective reasons. Firstly, Kumo's village layout was already set; they couldn't just place thousands of people in the central area. Secondly, the Uchiha were outsiders, and the Fourth Raikage had to manage pressure from all sides.
But even though it wasn't central, it was very, very close to the Raikage Tower—less than 2,000 meters in a straight line. This arrangement showed the Raikage's sincerity and his trust in the Uchiha clan.
In the three days since they had settled in Kumo, Shisui had clearly felt the atmosphere was completely different from Konoha.
A portion of the populace was unwelcoming, even hostile to varying degrees, but the vast majority were just watching and waiting, seeing how things would go. The atmosphere wasn't great, but it would be strange if they were loved immediately upon arrival.
And even if it wasn't perfect, compared to Konoha, it was the difference between heaven and earth.
Most importantly, the Kumo leadership was actively optimistic about their arrival. That was far more important than the attitude of the other clans or the civilian shinobi.
"If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. The village will do its best to accommodate you," Mabui said with a polite smile.
"Thank you." Shisui nodded. He didn't care how much of that was just pleasantries. In Konoha, they hadn't even gotten pleasantries.
Beside him, the elders Yatsushiro, Kaiseki, and Genseki also relaxed.
"One more thing," Mabui said, getting to the point. "Lord Raikage would like to formally meet with you, Clan Head Shisui, and Elder Yatsushiro, to discuss the Uchiha clan's future arrangements in Kumogakure. Do you have time?"
Shisui had expected this. The Uchiha joining Kumo wasn't just about zoning a district. How to properly arrange for the two thousand civilians and several hundred shinobi was the key, and it was the question Shisui was most concerned about.
Shisui and Yatsushiro exchanged a glance and nodded. "It is our honor to meet with Lord Raikage."
The Raikage Tower was built on a steep mountain peak, its architecture unique to Kumogakure. Soon, they followed Mabui to the Raikage's office.
Almost every important figure in Kumo was present. Even Killer Bee, who was usually out training, had been dragged here by the Raikage.
"Lord Raikage."
Shisui and Yatsushiro stepped forward and bowed first to the Raikage, who sat at the head of the room, then to the high-ranking officials on either side. Whatever these officials thought of the Uchiha, they were outsiders; they couldn't make a mistake in etiquette.
The Kumo officials nodded in return. With the Fourth Raikage sitting right there, even if they were hostile, they had to keep it to themselves.
"Please, sit! Clan Head Shisui, Yatsushiro-kun, we are family now. I hate formalities; let's skip them. I've called you here to discuss the Uchiha's future arrangements." The Fourth Raikage said with a smile, his fingers steepled.
"Understood!" Shisui and Yatsushiro replied, taking the empty seats opposite him.
Although Shisui had prepared himself, sitting here, he was still apprehensive. He narrowed his eyes, reminding himself that every word he said from now on had to be cautious. The Uchiha could make concessions, as long as it didn't involve their fundamental principles. He had steeled himself for this the moment they agreed to join Kumo.
"Then, let's begin."
The content of the meeting shocked both Shisui and Yatsushiro. They had all sorts of theories about how Kumo would handle them, but the meeting was completely different from their speculation.
Three hours later, the momentous meeting concluded.
There had been no arguments. It had simply taken three hours because there were so many details to discuss.
As Shisui and Yatsushiro bowed to the Raikage and walked out of the tower, a strange expression was on both their faces.
The meeting had been incredibly smooth. The harsh treatment they had expected never came. Uchiha shinobi could be selected to join Kumo's various departments and receive the corresponding benefits. They were also given the same mandatory duties as any other Kumo shinobi.
Everything was normal. Ordinary.
No special privileges, but no deliberate obstacles either.
The Fourth Raikage knew that for the Uchiha in their current state, ordinary treatment was the best way to integrate. Giving them special privileges would just be painting a target on their backs.
And yet, this normal arrangement was what shocked them the most.
It was simple: The Uchiha were used to a life of hardship in Konoha.
This was the first time they were being treated as one of their own, and it was a little uncomfortable.
As for the marriage alliance, Shisui was surprised but didn't object. The Raikage had only made this one request, which seemed excessive at first, but less so on reflection. If the Uchiha refused even this, how could they expect to earn Kumo's trust?
"Yatsushiro," Shisui said, "the most important thing now is for our people to adapt. Our shinobi can no longer huddle together for warmth as we did before. We must join Kumo's departments as the Raikage requires. These are opportunities we never dreamed of in Konoha. We can't mess this up."
"Yes. We'll hold a clan meeting as soon as we get back," Yatsushiro nodded, then asked, "Clan Head, why do you think the Raikage wants this marriage alliance? And with a widow, no less?"
Shisui pondered. 'For the Sharingan?' But if so, why Mikoto? There were other excellent kunoichi in the clan who were more suitable in age and skill. Uchiha Izumi, for example.
He couldn't figure it out, but it clearly wasn't important. Until they had provided sufficient value to Kumo, they had to pay a price for the benefits they were receiving. Shisui understood this deeply.
"Kumo and the Raikage have shown enough sincerity. We Uchiha must not fail them. Whatever the Raikage's deeper meaning, we must take this seriously. I will speak with Mikoto-obasan myself. For the sake of the clan, and for Kumo, I believe she will know what to do."