A Bold Idea

"Just tell me whether you'll give it to me or not. We're ninjas, not politicians. What's the point of all this scheming? I have no interest in playing mind games with an old man. I'd much rather chat with Kotomi Hitomi outside and talk about life than with you," Katsuki chuckled.

Since he's already fighting the Mist Ninja, talking about national sentiment is just nonsense. He's not some half-baked transmigrator. In the Shinobi World, aside from ordinary ninjas, clan ninjas like him value their clan more than their village or country. The continuation of their clan's lineage is their goal. As for national interests, well, that kind of thing comes after their clan.

Even Kaguya's family, known for producing brutes, is no exception in this respect.

"Snort!"

A cold snort came from the corridor; clearly, Kotomi Tong was very unhappy.

"Young people these days have no patience at all, they don't respect the elderly and favor the young... Sigh!" The old man shook his head and sighed.

"After all, they're ninjas! You can't expect people who make a living by killing to have any noble sentiments, right? Such people are destined to be extremely rare." Katsuki shrugged. "Besides, old man, you'd be more convincing if you washed off the bloodstains first."

"Ha ha!"

The old man laughed heartily.

"No wonder it's a natural disaster; its nose is incredibly sensitive."

"Well--! I don't think there's any necessary connection between natural disasters and nasal spirits, but never mind, I'm just here to ask for information, so just tell me if you'll give it to me or not?"

Katsuki asked a question.

The old man's laughter stopped abruptly, and the air fell silent.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. If there is, it's probably either poisoned or laced with nails. In any case, eating it won't end well."

The old man spoke slowly.

Grass!

To put it bluntly, isn't it just about wanting payment? Just say so, why make it so complicated? Katsuki mentally gave him the middle finger.

"What do you want? If it's money or something like that, to be honest, although I have some wealth, I doubt it would even be of any interest to Kaguya Clan Head," Katsuki asked.

"That depends on what you want to ask."

The old man picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip of the bright green tea.

"I want to know if there are any survivors of the Uzumaki Clan in Kirigakure. Is this news true or false?" Katsuki took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the old man holding the teacup. A strong killing intent was released without reservation, like a hurricane and tsunami, sweeping across the entire courtyard and immediately startling a large group of people hiding in the courtyard.

People were hiding everywhere—under the corridor, in the pond in the courtyard, and on the roof of the house. Now, they all rushed out. Most of them were holding short swords Kunai, while a few had white, sharp bones growing from their wrists, such as Rokuro Kaguya and Hitomi Kaguya.

Kekkei Genkai, Shikotsumyaku.

"All of you, step back."

The old man waved his hand, instantly dispersing the crowd that had filled the corridor. Rokuro Kaguya and the others also returned to their positions, his immense prestige evident.

Once the courtyard returned to tranquility, the old man put down his teacup and looked up at the Katsuki.

"Uzumaki? I see, it was for the sake of our clan..." The old man's expression shifted to one of realization. "To be honest, we're not entirely sure about this either. We do know that the Mist Ninja did indeed abduct a group of the Uzumaki Clan members, but I don't know how many are still alive. The Mist Ninja hid them very well. Our spies in the Kirigakure might not be as effective as your Konoha spies, after all, most of our clan members don't like to use their brains."

The old man sighed, his expression somewhat sorrowful, as if he were having a headache over his own bunch of reckless men who didn't like to use their brains!

"Is there no more detailed information?" Katsuki, her face tense.

"Wait, Rokuro, take two men to your second uncle and have him compile all the intelligence about Kirigakure from the last two years, then move it over here," the old man instructed.

"Yes, Chieftain."

Rokuro Kaguya responded, selected two people, and left immediately.

A melodious bird song drifted from the courtyard, and a small, unidentified, emerald-green bird landed on the artificial hill by the pond.

Katsuki silently closed her eyes. The old man's simple words revealed the utter despair the Uzumaki Clan felt in Kirigakure. She lost all interest in laughter and felt a tightness in her chest, as if she wanted to kill someone to vent her anger!

About ten minutes later, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Rokuro Kaguya brought all the information about Kirigakure from the last five years and laid it out in front of Katsuki, arranged by year.

"Everything is inside. Will you handle it yourself, or should I go find someone...?"

"I can do it myself."

Katsuki interrupted the old man, Hand Seals, and a large group of Shadow Clone appeared in the room. Each of them took a file and began to look through it intently.

The old man's lips twitched. He then recalled that although the Uzumaki Clan did not have Kekkei Genkai, their powerful Chakra and Fuinjutsu were renowned throughout the Shinobi World. This was something that even the Kaguya Clan could not match. It was because they were stuck in a corner of the Land of Water, busy with internal strife, so their reputation could not be very great.

In three minutes, the last Shadow Clone closed the document in its hand.

After putting all the documents back in their proper places, Katsuki finally released the Shadow Clone Technique, and her mind was immediately filled with a wealth of information, giving her a general understanding of the situation in Kirigakure over the past five years.

Furthermore, there is very little information about the Uzumaki Clan. The Mist Ninja are undoubtedly extremely professional, and their cold-blooded methods make espionage extremely difficult. The Uzumaki Clan is not important intelligence, so it is unlikely that they would spend manpower to investigate such matters. At most, they would just hear a few rumors and then casually record them.

However, this casual stroke of the pen caused Katsuki's face to darken considerably.

There are indeed survivors of the Uzumaki Clan, but their numbers are small. Most of the people who were initially captured have died in various experiments, and the number of survivors is decreasing over time. Perhaps in a few years, there will not be a single survivor left.

"I've received the intelligence. Now let's talk about the reward!"

Katsuki tapped the coffee table lightly with her fingers, suppressing the impulse in her heart. At this moment, impulsiveness would not solve the problem, but would only make things worse!

"Ahem, this old man hopes to receive a promise from you that you can lend a helping hand to my Kaguya Clan when needed, provided that the interests of the Land of Fire are not jeopardized. Is that possible?" The old man's expression was solemn, but he was slightly uneasy, unsure whether this young man would get angry.

Strictly speaking, his request was excessive. The intelligence he provided was of limited value. Besides them, there were several other families that could obtain similar intelligence. For example, the Yuki Clan had far more information than they did. They were merely taking advantage of being the first to act.

"A promise?"

Katsuki fell silent. This request was expected, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and pondered, a bold idea rising in his mind.