The Future of the Uzumaki Clan

Third Hokage his anger, Danzo knew perfectly well that as long as Katsuki showed any intention of joining Root, Danzo would support Katsuki wholeheartedly.

As an old friend, he was well aware of Danzo's current thoughts.

They were all getting old: the Third Hokage himself, Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, as well as Torifu Akimichi home. Except for Kagami Uchiha, who died young, their generation had all begun to age with the passage of time.

He himself had a group of outstanding disciples, including the Sannin; Orochimaru Hidakō as the next Hokage; Tsunade reformed the medical-nin system and saved lives in Konoha Hospital; even Jiraiya, that carefree and unruly guy, trained Minato as an excellent disciple.

In terms of cultivating successors, the Third Hokage completely surpass Danzo.

Choosing a suitable successor for Root to ensure that his life's work is not wasted has recently driven Danzo almost to madness.

"You..." The Third Hokage glared at Katsuki with hatred, but didn't know how to teach this brat a lesson.

"Teacher, I think we should just go with the flow."

Orochimaru finally stopped standing by.

"Go with the flow? That's easy for you to say. What if things really escalate in the village?" The Third Hokage seemed to be questioning Orochimaru, but his gaze remained fixed on Katsuki.

"Easy, pack up any troublemakers and send them to fight the Mist Ninja." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse with a hint of sinister cunning, and the heavy killing intent made the Third Hokage frown.

"How can you say such things?"

"Teacher, I know you've always wanted to maintain peace in the village, but some people are taking advantage of our kindness and mistaking it for weakness. Those people are no longer the pillars supporting the village, but rather termites that are destroying its foundation. The more of these people we kill, the better the village's future will be."

The Third Hokage fell silent, smoking quietly, looking somewhat lost. It seemed he was truly getting old and could no longer keep up with the thinking of the younger generation.

"... This matter is entrusted to you, Orochimaru. Do a good job."

"Don't worry, teacher."

Listening to the conversation between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru, Katsuki struggled to suppress her urge to complain. The harmonious master-disciple relationship was incredibly impactful. Recalling the life-or-death struggle in her previous life and comparing it to the scene before her, she felt a pang of sadness. The future had truly changed!

Everything has changed beyond recognition.

Fortunately, he is now fully capable and confident in facing the unknown challenges ahead!

The Land of Water, Aomori Island.

All members of the Yuki and Kaguya clans huddled together on the island, gambling everything on a single, life-or-death situation.

"Fifty-seven people? That's more than I expected! Including you and Kushina, that's fifty-nine people. We're just one short of sixty." Souma Uzumaki sat on the veranda under the eaves, his legs dangling like a child's, happily counting on his fingers.

In the courtyard, eleven boys and girls of varying ages, ranging from five to twelve, were training their Chakra.

They were brought to the Land of Water and were born one after another. From birth, they stayed in that dark prison and never received a systematic education. They didn't even know how to read or write. However, they did learn the methods of Chakra cultivation from a young age and could guess the intentions of the Mist Ninja, who were nothing more than preparing new experimental materials for the future.

"Third Uncle..."

"Katsuki, you're here!" Souma Uzumaki waved when he saw Katsuki.

How are the children?

Katsuki walked over and looked at the boys and girls in the courtyard.

Upon hearing Katsuki's question, Souma Uzumaki sighed heavily, his smile vanishing instantly. "They're severely neglected. The Mist Ninja are too strict with them. These children don't even have their own names; they only have a number. If it weren't for the shared bloodline and Chakra, they wouldn't even recognize us as members of their clan."

Eleven boys and girls were separated from their parents from birth, as their parents were disposed of. However, after cultivating Chakra, the two oldest were able to barely sense the Chakra of Souma Uzumaki and the others, which was similar to their own. Moreover, they had nowhere to go after leaving the prison, and Souma Uzumaki's kind attitude made them stay.

They were called family members, but apart from sharing the same bloodline, they were no different from strangers.

"······"

Katsuki fell silent. This was a question he hadn't considered before. The older members of the clan were easy to talk to; they knew each other and had a very high sense of belonging to the clan. Especially after experiencing so many years of hardship, they longed for the clan that could provide them with shelter from the storm.

However, these children are different. They have not received any systematic education and are unfamiliar with the concept of a clan. The younger ones are easier to manage and can catch up if they are encouraged to do so. But the two older ones are a bit more troublesome. Twelve years old is no longer considered a child in the ninja profession.

Jonin are very few genius Jonin who are twelve years old, but there are countless Chunin are twelve years old.

"Third Uncle, take it slow. These things can't be rushed. Let's spend more time cultivating their sense of belonging to the family. Although they don't understand anything now, it's better than them understanding too much. It's always easier to draw on a blank sheet of paper than to modify a finished product." Katsuki sighed softly, comforting her Third Uncle.

"That's true." Souma Uzumaki touched his face and laughed again. "Katsuki, you're the clan leader now, so these things are up to you."

"Don't say that. I'm just talking theory. I'm a novice at managing the family. My sister and I have been doing nothing for so many years. We've never thought about these things. If you don't help me, Third Uncle, I'm not confident I can handle this mess." Katsuki smiled wryly.

Chief of the clan!

The surviving clansmen readily elected Katsuki as clan leader. Even though Katsuki was young, the adult clansmen, led by Soma, clearly saw that Katsuki's ability to stir up trouble in Kirigakure single-handedly demonstrated astonishing strength. Moreover, upon returning to Konoha, they would inevitably need him to take charge of the situation. If he didn't become the clan leader, who else could?

Moreover, there are very few people left in the Uzumaki Clan. The position of clan leader carries heavy responsibilities, but it is difficult for them to enjoy the prestige of the clan leader.

"Ha ha!"

Souma Uzumaki laughed. He was actually only twenty-seven years old, but his eyes were full of the vicissitudes of life. The more than ten years of imprisonment had taken a heavy toll on his body and mind.

"But these little guys' brightly colored hair looks really uncomfortable."

The eleven boys and girls had only one parent who was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, while the other parent was a commoner from the Land of Water. Unlike Katsuki and Kushina, whose parents were distant relatives of the same clan, they inherited a very pure Uzumaki Bloodline.

Intra-clan marriage is a method used by Kekkei Genkai clan the Shinobi World to maintain the purity of their bloodline and prevent its leakage.