Preparing to Make a Move

"Flying Thunder God?"

"Third Lord, can I really learn this forbidden technique?"

Minato Namikaze held the ninjutsu scroll, his face full of delight as he asked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Minato, you've made many efforts for the village. You deserve this."

At those words, the smile vanished from Minato Namikaze's face. Somewhat ashamed, he said, "No, I failed to control the Nine-Tails, which is why the village suffered such tremendous losses."

He now somewhat understood why Kushina Uzumaki had been so unwilling to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

He truly did not want to go through something again where the slightest lapse could cause countless deaths.

Seeing Minato Namikaze like this, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "Minato, you don't need to blame yourself. Aside from those with special constitutions, few people can resist the Nine-Tails' power."

"Before you can control the Nine-Tails' power, go travel beyond the village."

"Jiraiya will go with you."

After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Minato Namikaze looked resolute. "I'll definitely work hard!"

"All right, go."

"Yes!"

After Minato Namikaze left, Jiraiya flashed into the office. "Sensei, even without relying on Flying Thunder God, the Reverse Summoning Technique can take Minato out of all kinds of dangerous situations."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, "I'm merely accustomed to making thorough preparations."

"Then I'll take my leave." Jiraiya turned and left, without the slightest reluctance in his eyes.

He could not be as mature as his teacher demanded, so leaving was the best choice.

Land of Lightning.

Kumogakure.

Thunder rumbled atop the mountain peak.

Kushina Uzumaki, dressed entirely in black, faced toward the Land of Fire.

"Grandma Mito..."

"Rest in peace."

After saying that, she carefully placed a white flower on the ground.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Kushina Uzumaki wiped away the tears on her face.

When she saw Uchiha Yuzuru, Kushina Uzumaki gave a bitter smile. "Yuzuru, am I not strong enough?"

She had clearly already said her goodbyes in advance, yet upon hearing the news of Grandma Mito's death, she still could not stop herself from crying...

Someone like Yuzuru surely did not like such weakness, did he?

"Being strong doesn't mean shedding no tears in the face of sorrow. It means wiping away your tears and smiling as you face the life ahead." Uchiha Yuzuru said seriously. "And hadn't I already told you..."

"The meaning of becoming stronger is so that the people around me can live however they wish."

Kushina Uzumaki froze for a moment. "I didn't expect you to still remember after so long."

"Of course." Uchiha Yuzuru pointed at himself. "Keeping my word is my Nindo, dattebayo!"

"Pfft~"

Kushina Uzumaki rolled her eyes at Uchiha Yuzuru and pinched his waist. "Don't imitate the way I talk."

"Hahahahaha..."

Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru laughing like that, Kushina Uzumaki threw herself into his arms and whispered, "Yuzuru, from now on, you'll be my only family in this world."

"Not from now on. Right now."

"Huh?"

Seeing Kushina Uzumaki's puzzled look, Uchiha Yuzuru explained, "In the future, you'll have little Yuzurus or little Kushinas. They'll be your family too."

"You!!!"

"I'm ignoring you."

Kushina Uzumaki buried her face in the crook of Uchiha Yuzuru's arm, then opened her mouth and bit him in embarrassment and anger.

Uchiha Yuzuru grimaced in pain.

What sharp teeth. He would have to be more careful in the future.

Crunch, crunch~

The snow gave off a soothing sound beneath his feet as Uchiha Yuzuru walked into the Raikage Building.

Inside the Raikage's Office, the Third Raikage and A were already waiting.

When Uchiha Yuzuru entered, the Third Raikage said, "Yuzuru, you're here."

"Good morning, Third Hokage!"

A snorted unhappily. "You're late."

Uchiha Yuzuru suddenly widened his eyes and looked at A. "How did you know Mikoto knitted me a scarf and Kushina knitted me gloves?"

What, bro?

Who even asked?

A stared at Uchiha Yuzuru in disbelief, unable to imagine that such a shameless person existed in the world.

But before he could retort, the Third Raikage's massive palm had already smacked the back of his head.

"Look at Yuzuru, then look at yourself!"

"All you do is carry rocks around or fight that guy Killer B. You're hopeless. At this rate, when are you ever going to get a wife?"

A said indignantly, "Father, aren't you the same?"

The Third Raikage flew into a rage. "When I'm like this, I have a reason! When you're like this, I beat you!"

The sight made Uchiha Yuzuru laugh.

No wonder A wore such a sour expression every day. Who wouldn't be confused with a father like that?

"All right, let's discuss business."

Only then did the Third Raikage and A quiet down after hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's voice.

A asked, "Yuzuru, has your plan made progress?"

Uchiha Yuzuru nodded. "That's right. Mito Uzumaki is dead, and the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki went out of control, dealing Konoha a devastating blow."

"Whether villagers or shinobi, they're all deeply dissatisfied with the Third Hokage."

"Now is the perfect time to launch an attack on Konoha."

At those words, the Third Raikage and A exchanged a glance, both seeing excitement in the other's eyes.

The Third Raikage said in a deep voice, "Yuzuru, if we go to war with Konoha, are you certain we can win?"

Although the Uchiha Clan had come to Kumogakure, Konoha still had many powerful fighters. Its strength could not be underestimated...

Uchiha Yuzuru said confidently, "Victory is inevitable. With me, A, and Killer B, we'll be enough to deal with Konoha's shinobi."

Hearing that Uchiha Yuzuru had not mentioned him, the Third Raikage became somewhat unhappy. "Yuzuru, there's me too!"

"My apologies." Uchiha Yuzuru smiled even more brightly. "Having lived in Konoha since childhood, I forgot that a village's Kage is also a top-tier combatant capable of taking the battlefield."

The Third Raikage proudly puffed out his chest and declared, "Precisely because I'm the Raikage, I should bear such responsibility."

"As for handling village affairs and such, finding an intelligent secretary like Mabushi Shin is enough."

Seeing the two grow more enthusiastic the longer they talked, A could not help interrupting, "What's the reason?"

"Launching an attack directly isn't impossible, but wouldn't it be better to find an excuse?"

Uchiha Yuzuru had prepared for this long ago and answered directly, "Have Konoha return all the Uchiha Clan's assets within the Land of Fire."

"If they refuse, we'll have a reason to attack."

"As long as we win, Kumogakure will leap to become the strongest shinobi village in the Shinobi World. Mission contracts and the daimyo's funding will multiply as well."

"And..." Uchiha Yuzuru swept his hand grandly. "Once it's done, I only want half of the Uchiha Clan assets Konoha returns."

"No need. You've contributed the most to this matter, so we won't take a single cent of the Uchiha Clan's assets." The Third Raikage said boldly, "At worst, after we win, we can demand more war reparations from Konoha."

Inside the Raikage's Office.

Uchiha Yuzuru, the Third Raikage, and A exchanged glances, then simultaneously threw back their heads and laughed.

"Hahahahaha..."