Izuna: I Really Thank You

Senju Shuzong and Uchiha Quanzhi's full-month celebration had barely ended.

When Hyuga Tennin rushed over to Uchiha Yan and said he wanted to arrange a marriage alliance with the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Yan nearly thought he had misheard—was this some kind of joke?

Didn't he know perfectly well what his son, Hyuga Riyao, was capable of?

Let alone his son—even if it were Senju Hashirama's son, Uchiha Yan would not think much of him. In the original story, despite being the son of the God of Shinobi, he had failed to make any name for himself. Tsunade had at least earned the title of one of the "Three Ninja," but what about Senju Hashirama's son? Search through the entire original story, and he had not even left behind a name.

Only that old fool Senju Tobirama thought his nephew had the potential to become the God of Shinobi, even naming him Senju Shuzong. He was simply daydreaming.

"My wife, Hyuga Naixue, is pregnant again. This time, it's a girl. I wish to use this child to form a marriage alliance with the Uchiha Clan."

"I recall that the Hyuga Clan has rules separating the main family from the branch family," Uchiha Yan said. "Your son, Hyuga Riyao, is already from the main family. Are you asking my Uchiha Clan to marry a branch family member?"

"No, not the branch family—the main family. This child will not be branded with the Caged Bird."

"The Uchiha will not accept a branch family member. If she truly marries into our clan, it would be an insult to the Uchiha. Then this would not be a marriage alliance, but the making of enemies."

For the future of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Tennin did not hesitate to break the ironclad rule dividing the main and branch families. In the history of the Hyuga Clan, this was absolutely a decision that defied their ancestors.

"Fine. I'll tentatively agree to this marriage."

"However, we'll have to wait until Izuna gives birth to another son."

"Of course." How could a daughter of the Hyuga Clan's main family marry some ordinary Uchiha?

In the original story, Boruto Uzumaki, the son of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga, possessed a dojutsu called the Jogan. It was neither the Byakugan nor the Tenseigan, but an entirely new kind of eye.

Uchiha Yan also wanted to see what exactly Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Hyuga bloodlines would produce together.

Izuna really had it hard.

Neither Uchiha Madara nor Uchiha Yan himself was married yet. For the next generation of the Uchiha Clan to flourish, they could only count on Izuna having a second child for now.

Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.

As Konoha was established, the Land of Wind followed Konoha's example and founded the Hidden Sand Village, with Reto as its First Kazekage.

The Hidden Sand Village was situated within a rocky canyon in the heart of the Land of Wind, surrounded by towering cliff faces. Most of the village's buildings were constructed from stone and packed earth, giving it a rugged appearance.

Although the Land of Wind had the largest territory among the Five Great Nations, its environment was harsh. Nearly the entire country was desert. Yellow sand blanketed most of the land, oases were scarce, and water sources were limited. It was utterly unsuitable for growing food, so most food and daily necessities had to be imported.

As news of Konoha and the Hidden Stone Village forming an alliance reached the Land of Wind, fierce debate erupted within the Hidden Sand Village.

The village was mainly divided into two factions. The first advocated actively drawing closer to Konoha and seeking an alliance. The second believed Konoha was too powerful, and that an alliance would only reduce the Hidden Sand Village to a vassal. They argued that the village should join forces with the Hidden Cloud Village to keep Konoha in check.

First Kazekage Reto convened a high-level meeting.

"Kazekage-sama," Shamon was the first to speak. "I think we can follow the Hidden Stone Village's example and send people to Konoha to form an alliance." He was Reto's trusted confidant and had rendered great service in the founding of the Hidden Sand Village, making him qualified to offer advice to the Kazekage.

"However, according to the intelligence we've received, the Hidden Stone Village paid a certain price to ally with Konoha. The Land of Wind is barren. I'm afraid we may not be able to afford what Konoha wants."

Reto also wanted an alliance with Konoha—ideally, one in which Konoha, as an allied village, would provide the Hidden Sand Village with aid free of charge. But he knew that was unrealistic. Judging from the terms of the Hidden Stone Village's alliance, Konoha wanted tangible benefits—trade concessions and mineral resources. The Hidden Stone Village could provide those things, but the Hidden Sand Village could not.

"Kazekage-sama." Shamon rose to his feet. "Whether the Hidden Sand Village allies with Konoha should not depend on what Konoha wants, but on what we have. As long as Konoha is willing to form an alliance, the rest can be negotiated slowly."

"If Konoha refuses to ally with us, then we'll ally with the Hidden Cloud Village. The Hidden Cloud Village definitely won't want Konoha to dominate alone, so we can take the opportunity to demand some benefits."

Reto considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Send out two squads. One will go to Konoha, and the other to the Hidden Cloud Village. Negotiate with both sides and secure the greatest possible benefits."

"Yes, sir."

Hidden Sand Village Ninja Academy.

Chiyo and her younger brother, Ebizo, were attending classes at the academy.

Chiyo was ten this year, two years older than Ebizo. Their parents had died early in the war. There were countless orphans like them in the Land of Wind, and simply surviving was already fortunate. Thankfully, Reto-sama had founded the Hidden Sand Village and given them a place to live. Even more fortunately, both she and her brother had decent talent in ninjutsu, enough at least to ensure they could graduate successfully.

Chiyo wanted to become a qualified ninja as soon as possible. Then she could take missions, earn commissions, and support herself and her brother.

She displayed considerable talent in medical ninjutsu and puppet techniques. Ebizo also had a good aptitude for puppet techniques.

The Hidden Sand Village's ninja academy differed from Konoha Academy.

The Hidden Sand Village did not have enough resources to train every student. Therefore, its ninja trained along an elite track—starting from the first year, they directly learned ninja knowledge and practical combat techniques. Children unsuitable for becoming ninja would be advised to withdraw early. Once they graduated from the ninja academy, they had to begin taking missions to earn funds for the village.

Konoha's academy, on the other hand, was far more humane.

In the original story, Konoha's academy had a six-year system. Students enrolled at six and graduated at twelve.

During the first and second years, they only studied theory, such as literacy and arithmetic, basic ninja knowledge, memorizing chakra concepts, along with some physical training.

During the third and fourth years, they learned basic hand seals, the fundamentals of the human meridian system, and formally began chakra extraction. They practiced hand seal gestures, close-quarters kunai usage, and basic taijutsu forms.

In the fifth year, they studied an overview of the five elemental transformations, the basic principles of genjutsu, wilderness map reading, and escape tactics. Their main focus was practicing the Three Body Techniques, tree-climbing training, rope-escape techniques, and group combat drills.

In the sixth year, they studied tactical reviews, mission protocols, and genin responsibilities, along with water-walking training, throwing shuriken at moving targets, and practical combat exercises.

However, because of Uchiha Yan, Konoha Academy had now added seventh, eighth, and ninth years for student placement. Students suited to becoming ninja continued their studies and began practicing simple five-element ninjutsu in preparation for graduation. In the original story, the graduation exam tested the Three Body Techniques. Now, in order to graduate successfully, students needed to master not only the Three Body Techniques but also one five-element ninjutsu.

Students unsuitable for becoming ninja could learn skills such as forging, carpentry, and construction, cultivating talent for the Ministry of Works.

A few days later, under Reto's arrangements, two squads departed from the Hidden Sand Village.