A reply arrived from Kirigakure, and Uchiha Yuzuru went together with Mei to the Hokage Building.
Perhaps to leave room for negotiation, Kirigakure directly sent Elder Genji this time.
Although the old man was advanced in years, as early as the era of the Third Mizukage, the authority in his hands had already been second only to the Mizukage himself.
He had many followers under him and enjoyed immense prestige.
It was said that Yagura Karatachi had been able to rise from a civilian ninja to become the Mizukage largely thanks to Genji's support.
"Mei…"
Seeing Mei and Uchiha Yuzuru walk in side by side, Genji could not help but let out a sigh.
Everything about Mei was good—except that she was far too infatuated with handsome men. She was the type who could not move when she saw a good-looking guy, constantly pestering him to help her look for a partner.
Now that she had spent so much time with Uchiha Yuzuru, her already picky standards were bound to rise yet another level.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Mei smiled as she walked to Genji's side and said, "I didn't expect Elder Genji to come in person this time. Looks like there's nothing for me to do at all."
Genji gave a wry smile and looked at Uchiha Yuzuru. "If I didn't come myself, I was afraid that the so-called strongest ninja in the current shinobi world, Uchiha Yuzuru, would directly march on Kirigakure."
Uchiha Yuzuru acted as if he had not heard him and calmly sat down.
"Genji, how have you considered the conditions I proposed?"
Genji coughed a few times before speaking slowly. "Using seven billion ryō to ransom the ninja blades is not a problem. However, regarding the matter of bloodline-limit clans relocating to Konoha, we still need to carefully discuss the details."
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru raised a hand slightly. "Go on."
"The two bloodline-limit clans must be designated by our Kirigakure."
After hearing Genji's request, Mei immediately understood and said in a low voice, "Yuzuru, they're afraid you'll choose the Hōzuki clan."
Uchiha Yuzuru nodded, not particularly concerned.
Both the First and Second Mizukage of Kirigakure had come from the Hōzuki clan. Their status in Kirigakure was equivalent to that of the Senju clan in Konoha, so from the very beginning, he had never set his sights on the Hōzuki clan.
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru fall silent, Fugaku spoke up. "Genji, you should first tell us which two clans you plan to have relocate to Konoha."
Genji smiled. "The Yuki clan and the Kaguya clan."
"These two clans possess extremely powerful bloodline limits. The Yuki clan has Ice Release, while the Kaguya clan has the Shikotsumyaku. Even among bloodline limits, they can be considered outstanding."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mei frowned. "Elder Genji, there are only a handful of Yuki clan members left now. Their total population is no more than a hundred."
"As for the Kaguya clan, they're a bunch of battle-crazed lunatics. Using these two clans as the exchange—don't you think that's a bit underhanded…?"
Genji's eyelids twitched violently as he listened, and he nearly wanted to smash Mei's head open with his cane to see what was going on inside!
You're a Kirigakure ninja, damn it—why are you siding with outsiders?!
Faced with Genji's murderous glare, Mei lowered her head and avoided looking at him.
Elder Genji, don't blame me.
Uchiha Yuzuru has let me see so many handsome men—I can't just be ungrateful.
Besides, for the village, these bloodline-limit clans have always been targets for suppression anyway…
Compared to the others, Uchiha Yuzuru was secretly delighted.
If Ice Release were properly developed, it would be both powerful and visually impressive—perfectly matching his own preferences.
And according to his speculation, the Shikotsumyaku would complete the final piece of his perfect Sage Body.
Kirigakure's willingness to hand over these two clans could not have been more ideal.
However, despite his joy, Uchiha Yuzuru showed no emotion on his face and instead frowned. "Genji, Kirigakure doesn't seem very sincere with this offer."
Having been exposed by one of his own, Genji could only force a smile. "To be honest, Kirigakure doesn't have many bloodline-limit clans to begin with. These two are already the only ones we can offer."
"How about this— we're willing to add another three billion ryō. What do you think?"
Only then did Uchiha Yuzuru nod and make the final decision. "Then it's settled. Ten billion ryō, plus the Yuki clan and the Kaguya clan."
"These are Kirigakure's seven ninja blades. You can check them."
Uchiha Yuzuru took out a sealing scroll and summoned the seven ninja blades.
"The Executioner's Blade, Samehada, Hiramekarei…"
After inspecting them carefully, Genji immediately had Mei store all seven blades away.
He said happily, "Excellent. Now I can return and report."
The seven ninja blades were symbols of Kirigakure, something money could never truly measure.
So even at the cost of ten billion ryō, being able to recover the seven blades was well worth it.
As for the Yuki clan and the Kaguya clan…
The village had never liked these bloodline-limit clans to begin with, and the Kaguya clan in particular frequently caused trouble and went berserk.
Now, with a legitimate reason to drive them out of Kirigakure, it was truly a double blessing.
————
————
Three days later, the Kirigakure delegation prepared to return home.
Uchiha Yuzuru and Uchiha Obito accompanied them, intending to bring the Yuki clan and the Kaguya clan back along the way.
Looking at Konoha, Mei could not help but sigh. "Konoha really is nice. I'm starting to feel reluctant to leave."
Uchiha Yuzuru said calmly, "Mei, when you have time, you can also visit the Land of Lightning."
Mei was puzzled. "What would I go to the Land of Lightning to see?"
"Right now, the Land of Lightning is no worse than the Land of Fire. It's just as prosperous and flourishing."
Mei glanced at Uchiha Yuzuru. "What are you trying to say?"
Uchiha Yuzuru smiled faintly and spoke slowly. "If the Land of Water submits, I can make it just as wealthy as the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire."
Mei froze for a moment before saying in a low voice, "So you really do want to conquer the entire shinobi world!"
Back when Uchiha Yuzuru attacked Konoha and successfully seized power, all the other nations in the shinobi world had anxiously awaited his next move.
Many had guessed that Uchiha Yuzuru's ambitions would never stop at just the Land of Fire.
Yet as time passed, he made no moves at all and instead focused on development.
This allowed everyone else to breathe a sigh of relief, believing that perhaps Uchiha Yuzuru merely wanted to reclaim control of Konoha.
Now it seemed that everyone had been wrong.
Uchiha Yuzuru's goal was to conquer the entire shinobi world!
"The current shinobi world is filled with far too much darkness. I want to establish a new system."
"Only by unifying the shinobi world can resources be allocated to where they are most needed."
"And most importantly, under my suppression, there will no longer be war. Once everyone ideologically accepts a unified empire, true peace can finally be achieved."
"Whether by persuasion or by seizing power, if you don't want Kirigakure's ninjas to suffer heavy losses, you'd better prepare in advance."
After saying this, Uchiha Yuzuru fell silent.
Mei, meanwhile, felt her mind go completely blank, utterly losing the ability to think.
Such confidential matters…
Why would he reveal them to her in advance?!