Fumori Masaki stayed in his office, looking at the intel Hatake Sakumo had sent back. The intel detailed everything the Leaf exchange students had done in the Hidden Rain Village and some of the changes they had brought about. Among these, Hanzo's message was also delivered to Fumori Masaki through Hatake Sakumo's channel.
Fumori Masaki was supportive of Hanzo's intention to implement educational reforms. These reforms could, to a certain extent, enhance the strength of the Hidden Rain Village, and that 'certain extent' was precisely what the Hidden Leaf Village allowed.
The Land of Rain was both a place for the Hidden Leaf Village to conduct commercial activities and a buffer zone between nations during wartime. The Hidden Leaf Village would not, like other countries, merely treat the Land of Rain as a battlefield. While it certainly served that purpose, they were willing to fight alongside the Hidden Rain Village. Therefore, the Hidden Rain Village needed a certain level of strength; otherwise, all the pressure would fall on the Hidden Leaf Village.
Fumori Masaki finished writing his reply. The letter stated that the exchange students could teach what they had learned in the ninja academy to the Hidden Rain Village. If formal textbook materials were needed, the Hidden Rain Village's official government would need to purchase them, and the Hidden Leaf Village would then send them over.
Putting down his pen, Fumori Masaki let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. He recalled Asuna's performance mentioned in the letter and felt a surge of happiness. He had initially thought that his daughter, who wasn't very talkative, would encounter some difficulties in her interactions with the Hidden Rain ninjas, but it seemed she was doing her best to guide others.
The letter mentioned that Asuna had a long conversation with the Hidden Rain ninja she was responsible for. That Hidden Rain ninja seemed to have been disheartened by the disparity in his background and talent, but with the encouragement of Asuna and Uchiha Ruixi, he had cheered up and had been performing quite well recently.
After introducing the Hidden Leaf Village's specialized education system, even if that Hidden Rain ninja named Maruta had limited performance, he might still find his place elsewhere. Of course, this would require the establishment of corresponding departmental systems within the Hidden Rain Village. The Hidden Leaf Village also relied on departments like the Medical Department, Research Department, and Propaganda Department to provide new avenues for ninjas with limited talent.
Knowing that Asuna was safe, Fumori Masaki felt relieved. He was most worried about his daughter, who was far away from the village in a foreign land. As for his eldest daughter—
Akemi was currently a freshman in the Research Department, mainly studying under Orochimaru. The current Orochimaru was still considered innocent, so Fumori Masaki wasn't overly concerned. Moreover, Orochimaru was highly regarded by Tobirama and often accompanied him, so he probably would be influenced by him.
Fumori Masaki quite liked the current Orochimaru. He appeared somewhat aloof on the surface, but inwardly, he still possessed warmth. If this person, with his extraordinary talent in scientific research, were to stay in the Hidden Leaf Village forever, it would certainly be a good thing.
However, if he were to go astray for his own desires, as in the original story, Fumori Masaki would not be as soft-hearted as Sarutobi Hiruzen. He would definitely keep Orochimaru in the Hidden Leaf Village, ensuring he could never bring disaster to the village again.
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Yamanaka Takuma's voice. Fumori Masaki tidied the documents on his desk and said, "Come in."
"Third Hokage, the people from the Land of Whirlpools have arrived. They want to see Lady Mito, so I've already sent them there first," Yamanaka Takuma said as he entered.
"I see. Then I'll go take a look. The previous documents have already been reviewed; you can just take them," Fumori Masaki nodded slightly.
"Yes," Yamanaka Takuma replied, watching Fumori Masaki leave, then went to retrieve the reviewed documents. The rest was his responsibility.
Fumori Masaki hurried to the location of the Senju clan. The people from the Land of Whirlpools Yamanaka Takuma mentioned were the Uzumaki clan members who were going to settle in the Hidden Leaf Village. After Uzumaki Kushina's birth, the Hidden Leaf Village wanted to bring her to the village, but considering she was newly born and might not endure the hardships of a long journey, they temporarily put it on hold.
It wasn't until this year that Uzumaki Kushina was three years old. In the original story, Uchiha Itachi, at the same age, had already accompanied his father to the Third Great Ninja War, although that was when the war was nearing its end. The Uzumaki clan's physique was terrifyingly resilient, so a three-year-old Uzumaki Kushina wouldn't have those problems. The village then began discussing with the Land of Whirlpools about sending Uzumaki Kushina here.
After a series of negotiations and the efforts of certain individuals within the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Whirlpools quickly agreed to send the next generation's jinchuriki vessel, Uzumaki Kushina, to the Hidden Leaf Village. At the same time, some young Uzumaki clan members also came to the Hidden Leaf Village for the purpose of studying, totaling twenty people.
There were no adults among the Uzumaki clan members sent; the oldest was only ten years old. After all, it was under a different pretext, not a true migration. Fumori Masaki felt that perhaps Uzumaki Akihiko and others had truly convinced people under the guise of studying; otherwise, it wouldn't have been like this.
Upon arriving at the Senju clan compound, Fumori Masaki noticed that there were more Anbu members around the clan than usual. Since it was the Hokage's arrival, these Anbu did not stop him. He walked directly into the house and soon heard other voices coming from the room where Mito usually stayed.
"Third Hokage," the maid at the door immediately bowed upon seeing Fumori Masaki.
Fumori Masaki nodded and pulled open the door. He saw both Tobirama and Mito, and a child was in Mito's arms. Her face was chubby, and with her red hair, she truly looked like a tomato.
"You're here, Masaki," Mito looked gently at the three-year-old girl in her arms. "Look, this child is Kushina."
Fumori Masaki stepped forward, looking at the girl who seemed a little uneasy at the sight of a stranger, and smiled, nodding: "What a cute girl."
"Yes, truly cute." Mito's eyes couldn't help but flash with a hint of sadness. She thought of the fate this girl would face in the future. If she could, she truly wished it weren't so, but the matter of the Tailed Beasts was not something she alone could decide; it concerned the entire village.
"Where are the others?" Fumori Masaki asked.
"I've had someone take them to rest. They must be exhausted from the long journey to get here." Although Tobirama was very old, his voice remained calm, without any hint of weakness.
"Kushina must be tired too, right?" Mito lowered her head and said to Kushina with a smile.
Kushina nodded and softly hummed. Seeing this, Mito said to the other two, "If you two have things to discuss, go to another room. The little girl needs to rest."
Fumori Masaki and Tobirama exchanged glances, then bid farewell to Mito and went to the adjacent room. After closing the door, Fumori Masaki said, "If something truly happens to the Land of Whirlpools, these people will become the ones to continue the Uzumaki bloodline."
"Indeed. To be honest, I wish all the Uzumaki clan members from the Land of Whirlpools would be willing to migrate here, but unfortunately..." Tobirama stopped there, not continuing. Fumori Masaki also didn't pick up the conversation. They had no way to influence the thoughts of the Land of Whirlpools' rulers.
"However, you should also do your best to protect the Land of Whirlpools. Are there any movements from the Land of Water?" Since Tobirama took over as the head of the Research Department, he had no longer paid attention to political affairs. He only brought it up now because the matter of the Land of Whirlpools had come up again.
"According to Anbu reports, the Land of Water is still in a closed state, making it very difficult to infiltrate. However, there seem to be more and more pirates active in the coastal areas," Fumori Masaki said.
"Hmph, do they think they can hide it like that?" Tobirama said coldly.
The two naturally understood that the shadows of the Hidden Mist Village might be behind those active pirates, perhaps gathering intelligence and preparing for their objectives. In the last ninja war, because of the obstruction from the Land of Whirlpools, the Hidden Mist Village hated it very much. Uzumaki Akihiko had also mentioned this matter.
Although the Hidden Leaf Village had its apprentice ninjas participate in maritime trade and train in how to deal with pirates, its naval strength was still inferior to that of the Hidden Mist Village, which had lived on islands for many years. Even if they wanted to increase investment, not many people were willing to develop maritime military power. Their focus was basically still on the mainland. They had no intention of attacking the distant Land of Water, and if the other party were to attack, they would certainly have to land on the continent.
The ninja world continent was still primarily focused internally, with not much awareness of the outside. As far as Fumori Masaki knew, even the Land of Water, which was best at naval warfare, did not have the power to build a large fleet to explore lands beyond the vast ocean. And the Land of Water, the only one far from the continent, was merely a resource-poor and limited-strength country, making it even more impossible for its people to prioritize maritime development.
"In your opinion, if the village were to fight the Hidden Mist Village at sea, would it be possible to protect the Land of Whirlpools?" Tobirama asked seriously.
"Impossible. Unless we can always be stationed next to the Land of Whirlpools, even then, the logistical pressure would be enormous, and the losses would be significant," Fumori Masaki said without hesitation.
"Sigh, when it comes to naval warfare, no one in the entire ninja world can probably beat the Hidden Mist Village," Tobirama couldn't help but sigh. "Then the best-case scenario, even after the Land of Whirlpools suffers, would be to relocate the protected civilians to the village."
"Yes, that's the best-case scenario. If the Land of Whirlpools doesn't truly awaken, it will still have to pay a price," Fumori Masaki replied.
"Sometimes, only a bloody lesson can truly awaken people," Tobirama murmured. Before the First Great Ninja War, the Senju clan could not have realized that in the era of ninja villages, they could no longer independently bear the responsibility of repelling powerful enemies.
Fumori Masaki remained silent. Even now, there were still ninja clans unable to recognize this reality. The original Land of Whirlpools paid the price of national destruction and family ruin. The current Land of Whirlpools might still have to pay a price, but at least it had a chance for error.
"What are your plans for those children?" Tobirama asked.
"They will enter the ninja academy like ordinary people, and only after passing the exams can they be officially registered as ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village," Fumori Masaki said. "As for their residences, the students plan to build new houses near the Senju clan compound."
"Good. It's already quiet here with my brother and sister-in-law; having distant relatives nearby should make it livelier," Tobirama agreed with Fumori Masaki's decision. After distributing most of the Senju clan's land, all that remained was the main residence where Mito lived. Because they didn't want noisy sounds to disturb Mito, a plot of land was still left nearby as a buffer.
As former Senju clan land, it was suitable for the Uzumaki clan members, who were distant relatives, to live on. After all, it was only twenty children, so not much land was needed, and there was no need to find new territory and disrupt the already established residences of other ninja clans.
"Since you already have a plan, I won't say more; I'll head back to the Research Department." Tobirama was very satisfied with Fumori Masaki's management over the years and had no intention of interfering. Fumori Masaki saw him out, and as they walked, Tobirama spoke of Akemi's performance in the Research Department, with words full of praise.
Meanwhile, Mito slowly soothed Kushina, who had already fallen asleep. Her sleeping face was endearing. Every time she saw her, Mito couldn't help but remember her own daughter who had died young. If she had been born normally, she would have gone through the exact same period as Kushina was now. Thinking of Kushina's future fate, her heart grew even more tender.
At this moment, Mito's mind couldn't help but sink deep into her consciousness. In the mindscape that existed at the boundary of bloodline and spirit, lay the seal. Here, countless chains firmly bound a gigantic Nine-Tailed Fox, preventing it from moving even an inch.
These chains were all formed by Mito's chakra, and their special chakra nature possessed powerful strength to suppress the Nine-Tails. Of course, relying solely on Mito's own chakra could only restrain the Nine-Tails; her chakra was not infinite, and this applied to both the Adamantine Sealing Chains and Wood Style. What truly completely suppressed the Nine-Tails was the powerful sealing jutsu.
"Uzumaki Mito..." The moment Mito's mindscape appeared, the Nine-Tails, which had been closing its eyes, immediately opened them. Its eyes were bloodshot, looking quite ferocious.
"Long time no see, Nine-Tails." Mito's voice was gentle. Since sealing the Nine-Tails, she rarely visited it because she couldn't find anything to talk about with it. Now, with her life nearing its end and the Nine-Tails about to enter its next vessel, she felt it necessary to say something.
"Heh heh, you, a noble person, actually came to visit specially. You must have something to say," the Nine-Tails sneered. Because of Mito's powerful strength, it was basically unable to know what was happening in the outside world. Therefore, it didn't know about Kushina's arrival. The only thing it could feel was Mito's weakening.
"Yes, Nine-Tails, you will soon never see me again." Mito's words had just made the Nine-Tails' pupils dilate, and her next sentence made its heart tremble again: "Then, other children will come to meet you. I hope you can get along well then."