Chapter 91: The Uzumaki Clan's Problem
"Is that so?"
Listening to Homura's report, Kei nodded, not particularly surprised.
"That isn't strange."
After all, the Uzumaki Clan was living perfectly well where it was.
And now Konoha wanted them to uproot their entire clan and move to Konoha with just a single invitation.
How could that possibly be easy?
One had to remember that the Land of Whirlpools was not merely their home.
It was their sovereign nation.
Living there, the Uzumaki Clan possessed absolute autonomy.
Why would they willingly run to Konoha?
Unfortunately, if they continued clinging to that mindset, trouble was only a matter of time.
The Land of Whirlpools lay isolated overseas.
Although it was close to Konoha, there was still a certain distance between them.
Its own overall strength was not especially great, and yet it possessed the strongest sealing techniques in the entire shinobi world.
Members of the Uzumaki Clan generally carried a bloodline trait of their own. Not only were they born with enormous chakra, but many also possessed tenacious life force, making them ideal material for becoming shinobi or even tailed beast jinchūriki.
Bloodline traits.
Sealing techniques.
Rare compatibility as tailed beast vessels.
They possessed nearly everything the outside world found scarce and precious.
And yet they remained isolated overseas, maintaining relations with no one other than Konoha.
An existence like that was bound to attract covetous eyes.
The original history was the clearest proof.
If nothing changed, then in a few years the Land of Whirlpools would be destroyed, and the surviving clansmen would scatter across the shinobi world as refugees.
That was likely how people like Nagato and Karin later came into being.
In later generations, some claimed Konoha had played an ignoble role in that disaster, deliberately failing to send aid when the Land of Whirlpools was attacked, which ultimately led to its destruction.
But after becoming Hokage, Kei felt that was unlikely.
Setting aside the fact that Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools were allies, the value of those sealing techniques alone was enough to ensure Konoha could never casually give them up.
One had to understand that throughout the entire shinobi world, because of people like Mito, Konoha was the only force capable of learning the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts.
To put it plainly, that was a unique advantage Konoha possessed.
That could also be seen in later generations.
Compared to the seals used on the jinchūriki of other villages, Naruto's seal as the Nine Tails jinchūriki was far more stable.
Unless he encountered extreme danger, the Nine Tails within him did not seriously affect him at all.
The jinchūriki of other villages were nowhere near so fortunate.
Kumogakure was slightly better off.
Their sealing techniques were not strong enough on their own, but they at least had the Amber Purifying Pot, one of the Six Paths tools, to compensate, so no major catastrophe occurred.
Even so, the Eight Tails' jinchūriki had rampaged more than once before things finally stabilized with Killer B.
The Sand Village was far worse.
To seal Shukaku, several generations of jinchūriki had suffered miserably.
The last One Tail jinchūriki, Gaara, had even been pushed half into madness, only recovering later after being pulled back by Naruto's Talk no Jutsu.
The difference was enormous.
From that alone, one could see just how powerful and stable the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts were.
Under such circumstances, what benefit would Konoha gain if the Uzumaki Clan were wiped out and its sealing techniques were plundered by enemy villages?
At the same time, however, it was also indisputable that Konoha had not provided large scale assistance when the Land of Whirlpools was attacked.
But after becoming Hokage and giving the matter some thought, Kei had already formed a rough idea of why.
"The Land of Whirlpools is isolated overseas."
In the conference room, Kei pointed at the map and spoke calmly.
"Although it is close to the Land of Fire, there is still a considerable distance between it and Konoha."
"Once something happens there, it will be very difficult for us to reinforce them in time."
"Would it really be that serious?"
Hearing Kei's explanation, those present looked uncertain.
"The Land of Whirlpools is not weak. Even if something happens, shouldn't they be able to hold out until our reinforcements arrive?"
The Uzumaki Clan, which possessed a powerful bloodline and world renowned sealing techniques, could not be called weak by any means.
In their view, even if a surprise attack happened, the Uzumaki Clan should still be able to hold for several days until Konoha arrived.
"That would be true under normal circumstances."
Kei's voice remained level.
"But what if the force making the move is Kumogakure?"
"Kumogakure?"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone present went still.
"It is no secret that Kumogakure likes to seize bloodline traits and secret techniques from others."
Kei spoke softly.
"In that regard, the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline and sealing techniques are famous throughout the world. Would Kumogakure really not be tempted?"
"There are tailed beast vessels here, superior sealing techniques, and the Uzumaki bloodline itself."
"With Kumogakure's nature, would they really refrain from striking?"
Hearing this, the expressions around the room turned solemn.
They had to admit that what Kei said was entirely plausible.
After all, Kumogakure had a long history in that regard.
To some extent, that village was little different from a den of bandits.
Relying on their military strength, many of the secret techniques and bloodline traits they possessed had been taken from outside sources.
Their reputation in this area was terrible.
For example, in the future, they would take advantage of Hyūga Hinata's birthday in an attempt to kidnap her and seize the Byakugan.
That was Kumogakure.
The attempt to kidnap Kushina Uzumaki while she was still young in order to seize the Uzumaki bloodline and sealing arts?
That was also Kumogakure.
Even the Sand Village's distinctive Magnet Release had its shadow in some Kumogakure shinobi.
And while the theft of secret techniques was less obvious, Konoha had the sword art Dance of the Crescent Moon, while Kumogakure later possessed Cloud Style Crescent Moon Slash.
It was hard to believe that was mere coincidence.
At the Five Kage Summit in later years, even Ōnoki had openly complained about Kumogakure's habit of plundering every bloodline and technique they could get their hands on.
With so many prior offenses, it was impossible to assume they would not set their sights on the Uzumaki Clan.
And considering both geography and opportunity, besides Konoha, the force most capable of striking the Uzumaki Clan was indeed Kumogakure.
"This... surely it wouldn't really go that far?"
Kagami was stunned, sounding uncertain.
"We only just signed a ceasefire agreement, and the Third Raikage only just took office. Would he really want to go to war with us again so soon?"
The Uzumaki Clan and Konoha were allies.
If Kumogakure attacked the Land of Whirlpools, that would be equivalent to openly provoking Konoha.
And the ceasefire between Konoha and Kumogakure had only just been established.
"Not right now, perhaps."
Kei shook his head.
"But in the future? That is much harder to say."
"As for the ceasefire agreement, that thing is no more than a scrap of paper."
"If I were the Raikage, then once I made up my mind to move against the Uzumaki Clan, I would act with extreme caution."
"I would wait until Konoha relaxed for a moment, then directly lead a large force to strike the Land of Whirlpools, destroy the country before Konoha could react, seize everything worth taking, and retreat immediately."
"Even if Konoha stays wary, as long as Kumogakure is patient, they will eventually find an opportunity."
"By the time the Land of Whirlpools is truly destroyed, Konoha may have only just begun to react."
"And then what?"
"Would Konoha go to war with Kumogakure all over again for the sake of a nation that had already been destroyed?"
Hearing those words, everyone present frowned.
It was indeed a thorny problem.
Given Kumogakure's style, they would not be restrained by fear of war.
If they truly waited until the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed and their objective achieved, then even if Konoha was unwilling, it could only swallow the loss.
And the most troublesome point was that there did not seem to be any easy solution.
After all, one can guard against a thief for a day, but not for a thousand.
Kumogakure could keep its eyes on the Land of Whirlpools indefinitely, waiting for Konoha to slip once.
But Konoha could not remain vigilant every single moment.
"From Konoha to the Land of Whirlpools, if we mobilized a shinobi army, it would take at least five days at the fastest."
Homura frowned while studying the map.
"Five days. If Kumogakure truly struck, then by the time we arrived, the Land of Whirlpools might already be gone."
"What if we station troops there directly?"
Danzo suddenly offered a suggestion.
"Place Konoha forces permanently inside the Land of Whirlpools. That way we can protect them in advance."
"No."
The objection came immediately.
"The Land of Whirlpools is only our ally, not our subordinate. We have no justification to station troops there."
"And even if we did, who would bear the cost of that garrison?"
"If the burden falls on the Land of Whirlpools, it may only provoke dissatisfaction within the Uzumaki Clan."
That was the real problem.
The Uzumaki Clan and Konoha were not bound as ruler and vassal.
They were merely allies.
If Konoha suddenly insisted on stationing troops inside the Land of Whirlpools, how would the Uzumaki Clan feel about it?
It would be a clear loss of sovereignty.
The Land of Whirlpools would never agree.
At that point, everyone in the room realized just how troublesome the problem truly was.
From a strategic perspective, the Land of Whirlpools had to be protected.
But because of the distance involved, if something really happened, Konoha would never be able to arrive in time.
The issue seemed almost unsolvable.
"This won't work, and that won't work."
Danzo frowned, then spoke coldly.
"If none of these solutions work, then let us strike first."
"In any case, the secret techniques of the Uzumaki Clan must not fall into the hands of any other village."
"Strike first?"
Homura looked toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I mean."
Danzo's voice was calm.
"We strike first, wipe out the Uzumaki Clan before anyone else can, and take control of all their sealing techniques and bloodline traits ourselves."
"That way, there will be no hidden danger."
You really dare say it.
Hearing Danzo's words, everyone in the room fell silent.
They looked at him and, at that moment, found him utterly unfamiliar.
No matter what, the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha were allies.
They had been discussing how to save the Uzumaki Clan in the future.
But Danzo had simply cut through the matter with a chilling bluntness.
If Konoha destroyed the Uzumaki Clan first, then no one else would be able to destroy them later.
.....
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