Sunlight fell across the training ground, where the only sound was the chirping of birds.
Although they had won their last battle against Kirigakure,
when faced with a numerical disadvantage, they had been forced to risk their lives in a desperate struggle.
They still had no good way to deal with it.
He still felt dissatisfied. If the Land of Whirlpools had as many people as the Land of Water,
the enemy would never have decided to invade so easily.
Perhaps the Second Uzukage's Weasel Tank could solve some of their problems.
Everyone held their breath, watching the Weasel Tank in the center.
"Thump, thump."
The engine began to sputter.
At last, the Weasel Tank's engine roared to life.
The hearts of everyone present rose and fell with the sound of the engine.
The Weasel Tank, which had been sitting motionless, finally began to move.
The people at the training ground burst into jubilant cheers. It all seemed like a dream.
Even those who had sworn it was impossible couldn't believe it, and exclaimed,
"This is incredible!"
"It seems that ninja might one day be replaced by ninja tools."
The smiles on everyone's faces were impossible to hide.
Uzumaki Ashina was grinning from ear to ear. He hurried over to Uzumaki Shori and said,
"Quick, have them test whether it can fire a shell."
"Mm. I was just about to have them test that."
Uzumaki Shori answered as he continued giving instructions.
The Weasel Tank moved more and more smoothly. Uzumaki Shori began calling out orders.
"Pick up the shell first and load it into the barrel. Then use Chakra Threads to control the direction of the muzzle."
The clan member operating the tank immediately understood and said,
"Second Uzukage, don't worry. I'll follow your instructions exactly."
The muzzle began to turn slowly. Everyone watched with their hearts in their throats, but under the operator's control, it ended up pointing straight at the audience.
"Turn that muzzle away! Are you trying to kill us, you idiot?!"
The crowd scattered, cursing as they ran.
The operator was berated but had no way to defend himself. He carefully got used to the controls and finally aimed the muzzle at the target. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he pulled the firing lever with the Chakra Threads.
"Boom!"
The sound of the cannon shot rang across the training ground once more.
Uzumaki Shori breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his basic goals had all been achieved. He said,
"That's enough. Everyone, climb down now."
Uzumaki Ashina gathered everyone together and said,
"Keep the Weasel Tank a secret. Don't let other countries find out about it."
Uzumaki Shori came over. Seeing that everyone was present, he quickly said,
"Since everyone's here today, I think it's time to make some changes to the Land of Whirlpools' policies."
"Let's head to the Uzukage Hall and discuss it together."
Everyone answered in unison.
Uzumaki Shori went over to Tsunade and said quietly,
"Why don't you and your teammates look around on your own for now? The Land of Whirlpools is about to hold a general assembly, so I won't have time to show you around."
Tsunade stayed where she was and nodded.
Before long, Uzumaki Shori and the others entered the Uzukage Hall. He walked to the Uzukage's seat and sat down.
As the former First Uzukage, Uzumaki Ashina needed to understand the Second Uzukage's plans.
"Second Uzukage, what do you think needs to change in the Land of Whirlpools?"
"The First established the hidden-village system. Konoha is the strongest village on the continent, and with Mito Uzumaki's help, we've copied its model in every way."
After listening to his father, Uzumaki Shori spoke up.
"Given the circumstances at the time, Konoha's model was indeed the most advanced. But we aren't a powerful country like Konoha. We're a small nation surrounded by powerful ones."
"Countries are constantly attacking each other. They can launch one assault after another because they have large populations and economies far stronger than ours."
"The Land of Whirlpools borders both the sea and the mainland. We've avoided many crises thanks to Konoha, but Konoha didn't come to our aid in this latest battle."
After saying this, Uzumaki Shori looked around at everyone.
"Reforming the Land of Whirlpools is essential."
Seeing that reform was inevitable, Uzumaki Jiro eagerly chimed in.
"We used to be close with Konoha, but since the Third Hokage took office, they've been distancing themselves from us. Could a marriage alliance improve relations between us?"
"Look at our Uzukage and Tsunade, who's staying in the village. Don't they make a good match?"
As the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, Tsunade had a more distinguished status than anyone else present.
But after seeing how the Uzukage and Tsunade had interacted over the past few days, they thought there might really be a chance.
Everyone smiled at the suggestion and voiced their approval.
At this, Uzumaki Shori was dumbfounded. Somehow, the discussion had turned to him. He could only put on a serious expression and say,
"What Jiro said makes sense. I think a marriage alliance can be the first item on today's agenda."
"Well said. Then the first proposal passes unanimously."
Hearing this, Uzumaki Ashina chuckled to himself and said nothing.
Once everyone had agreed, Uzumaki Shori announced that they would move on to the next proposal.
"Our country has just over twenty thousand people. With the Weasel Tank now in service, logistics will become a major concern. Our population won't be enough to meet the needs of the entire country."
"Meanwhile, the war in the Ninja World is growing more intense. Civilians are always the victims of conflicts between ninja, so we can bring in enough people from among them."
"Second Uzukage, that won't do. Everyone in the Land of Whirlpools belongs to the Uzumaki Clan. How can we let civilians from other countries settle here?"
Elder Keimei declared righteously.
For a ninja clan, preserving the purity of its bloodline was a guarantee of strength.
Clan members usually married ninja who could extract chakra. Suddenly bringing in outsiders was a challenge for the elderly Uzumaki Keimei.
Uzumaki Shori explained, "Elder Keimei, I know that preserving the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline is what matters most to you, but there have to be people around to carry it on."
"As long as we have more people, we won't be so helpless the next time we face a battle like the one against Kirigakure."
Elder Keimei opened his mouth at this, but couldn't get the words out. He sighed inwardly. He's right. There can only be hope as long as we survive.
Uzumaki Shori looked around. Seeing no one else object, he continued,
"We can offer incentives to attract civilians from other countries. We can provide housing and farmland for ordinary people. Those with a useful skill might even receive a relocation allowance of fifty thousand ryo."
A house in the Land of Whirlpools cost about one hundred thousand ryo. Providing a home and an allowance would let skilled newcomers live comfortably.
Capable people were welcome wherever they went.
Everyone present nodded in agreement. Without some incentives, why would skilled people come to the Land of Whirlpools?
Before you continue