Return to the Village

Seeing that Maki Uzumaki still wanted to say something, Chiba Shun gave her no chance and said directly, "Your Uzumaki clan has already been destroyed. What's the point of still talking about these grudges?"

"Do you think you can overturn the four great Shinobi Villages by yourself and avenge the ancestors of Whirlpool Nest Village?"

"Besides, even if you really destroyed the four great Shinobi Villages, the only one who would benefit in the end would be Konoha, that so-called ally!"

Maki Uzumaki suddenly fell silent.

She truly had no thoughts of revenge, and she had no fondness for Konoha either.

When Whirlpool Nest Village was destroyed, she had not been very old, but she had barely qualified as a ninja already.

She had heard many clan elders complain about Konoha. Some said they should not have lost so many powerful people to save Konoha, while others said Konoha had stood by and watched them die.

Otherwise, why would she have fled all the way to the Land of Grass? Wouldn't it have been better to go straight to Konoha and seek protection?

Seeing that Maki Uzumaki had stopped speaking, Chiba Shun pressed his advantage. "I'm here on behalf of Lord Raikage."

"Lord Raikage has promised that he will not make any of your Uzumaki clan members become Jinchūriki!"

Maki Uzumaki's expression changed slightly. This was one of the reasons she did not want to go to Konoha.

Everyone knew that the Uzumaki clan's immense chakra reserves made them natural candidates for Jinchūriki.

Konoha had had two Uzumaki clan members: one was the previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and one was the current Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

Chiba Shun knew that there had been a third Uzumaki clan member in the original story—the future Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

Behind Konoha's glamorous facade was nothing but calculation. Chiba Shun had not exaggerated this in the Ninja Academy's propaganda.

Seeing the change in Maki Uzumaki's expression, Chiba Shun continued, "Konoha claimed it was too late to send reinforcements, yet it managed to save a girl suitable for becoming a Jinchūriki in time!"

"I wonder if it was because the people in power in your Uzumaki clan once refused Konoha and were unwilling to provide a Jinchūriki that Konoha just so happened to save only you, a member of the clan."

"Oh, right. I heard Konoha also moved your Mask Storage Temple away in time."

Maki Uzumaki's hands clenched into fists.

Seeing this, Chiba Shun knew the first step was complete. Maki Uzumaki no longer had any favorable impression of Konoha.

Next was the second step: inviting her to join Kumogakure.

Chiba Shun said, "We Kumogakure shinobi are different. Lord Raikage's word is law. If he says he won't use you as Jinchūriki, he absolutely won't break his word."

"To be honest, Kumogakure also has members of other major ninja clans, but that's classified information, so it isn't convenient to tell you right now."

Maki Uzumaki glanced at Chiba Shun. She did not quite believe him.

Other than the already-destroyed Uzumaki clan, what other major ninja clan would join another Shinobi Village?

Chiba Shun smiled. "You'll know once you see Kumogakure for yourself."

Maki Uzumaki said, "I haven't agreed to join Kumogakure yet!"

Chiba Shun smiled. "If you don't join us, where do you plan to go?"

"You don't want to go to Konoha, but do you dare go to the other three great Shinobi Villages? Would they even accept you?"

"Other than the Five Great Shinobi Villages, do you still dare trust small ninja villages like Kusagakure after what you experienced this time?"

"If you join those small ninja villages, there's only one outcome for you: becoming their tool."

Chiba Shun glanced at Maki Uzumaki's arm, then added, "For example, becoming their medical blood bag!"

Maki Uzumaki's expression changed drastically. She hurriedly tugged down her sleeve, covering the bite marks on her arm.

Chiba Shun said solemnly, "Don't worry. We Kumogakure shinobi aren't low enough to treat our own people as medical blood bags!"

"If you're willing, you can join Kumogakure's medical division."

"I believe that with your special physique, you'll learn Medical Ninjutsu very quickly."

"By then, you can become a medical ninja."

"Kumogakure's Medical Ninjutsu is very underdeveloped. If you can improve the village's Medical Ninjutsu, your status in the village may even surpass mine."

Maki Uzumaki was somewhat tempted.

Mainly because her experience in Kusagakure had terrified her.

Seeing that Maki Uzumaki was still hesitating, Chiba Shun said, "You're actually fairly lucky. In all of Kusagakure, only that Jonin discovered your special physique."

"If he failed to keep the secret, what do you think would happen to you?"

Maki Uzumaki thought about it, then shuddered all over.

What would happen? She would become the entire Shinobi Village's medical blood bag and be drained dry!

Maki Uzumaki thought for a long while before murmuring, "Can't I just become a Wandering Ninja?"

Chiba Shun said, "Of course not. If you were useless, then naturally it would be fine."

"But your special physique means that if you don't have a major Shinobi Village to rely on, you can only end up as a medical blood bag or locked in some powerful person's laboratory as an experimental subject!"

That had been Karin's fate in the original story.

At the words "experimental subject," Maki Uzumaki jolted.

Chiba Shun knew she had abandoned the idea of becoming a Wandering Ninja, so he persuaded her further. "Only Kumogakure has taken the initiative to invite you. We have proactively made you a promise because we believe you bear no ill will toward the village."

"The other Shinobi Villages, whether major or small, will not make you promises as we have."

"And even if they do promise you something, do you think they'll believe that you can let go of your hatred?"

"They think you don't trust them, so they won't trust you either!"

Chiba Shun's words were somewhat convoluted, but Maki Uzumaki understood. She knew her own situation better than Chiba Shun did, and she had considered far more than he had.

She sighed, then said, "If I go with you to Kumogakure and find that it isn't good there, can I still leave?"

Chiba Shun smiled. "I actually don't have the authority to answer that question."

"But based on my understanding of Lord Raikage, he would be willing to let you leave."

After a pause, Chiba Shun added, "In the worst-case scenario, if Lord Raikage refuses to let you leave, I'm friends with Lord Raikage's son, the future Fourth Raikage."

"Once the Fourth Raikage takes office, I'm fairly confident I can persuade him to let you go."

Maki Uzumaki gave Chiba Shun a strange look. Who said something like that? Wasn't he cursing his own Raikage to die?

Still, Chiba Shun's words carried some credibility. He had not given her a direct promise, but had carefully explained what he himself could do.

After a moment of silence, Maki Uzumaki finally said with some difficulty, "I'll go with you!"

She knew that once those words left her mouth, her future would be completely entrusted to Kumogakure.

If Kumogakure treated her as a medical blood bag like that Grass shinobi had, then she would truly be finished.

And with Kumogakure's scale, she probably would not even last through a single war.

But it seemed she had no other choice.

Thus, Chiba Shun and the other three set out on the road back to Kumogakure with the anxious Maki Uzumaki.

This time, however, Chiba Shun was exceptionally cautious.

Especially within the Land of Waterfalls, he did not dare make contact with anyone.

He bought a large amount of food in Kusagakure and had Ayana store it in Sealing Scrolls. Then the five of them traveled by night and hid by day, taking only desolate paths and never showing themselves in public.

Only after passing through the Land of Waterfalls and entering the Land of Iron did Chiba Shun dare enter a town.

Maki Uzumaki was very curious and asked, "Why were you so careful in the Land of Waterfalls?"

Chiba Shun said awkwardly, "Because I'm on the black market's bounty list. An S-rank Rogue Ninja wants to kill me for the reward."

Maki Uzumaki opened her mouth, looked left and right, and wore a frightened expression as well.

If she had known earlier that Chiba Shun was being hunted too, perhaps she would not have gone back to Kumogakure with him.

Chiba Shun took out a map and looked at it before saying, "We'll travel by sea next. We'll sail out from the Land of Iron, then return to the Land of Lightning."

Chiba Shun did not know that this choice allowed him to evade Kakuzu's pursuit.

Kakuzu had indeed been after Chiba Shun in Takigakure last time, but the Takigakure shinobi had discovered him.

The Takigakure shinobi clamored about reclaiming Earth Grudge Fear and directly brought the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki to begin hunting Kakuzu down.

This caused Kakuzu to lose Chiba Shun's trail.

But he did not give up. After battling the Seven-Tails and the Takigakure shinobi, he replaced the two hearts he had lost, then headed straight to the Land of Moon to wait for Chiba Shun.

In Kakuzu's eyes, Chiba Shun was a Kumogakure shinobi. No matter what mission he had gone out to perform, he would eventually have to return to the Land of Lightning.

And to return to the Land of Lightning, he would definitely have to pass through the Land of Moon.

If he investigated the Land of Moon carefully, he would surely find Chiba Shun's trail.

Bounties this high were rare these days.

Meanwhile, the five of them safely returned to the Land of Lightning by sea.

After stepping onto the Land of Lightning's soil, Chiba Shun was still not at ease. The five of them hurried at full speed, only truly relaxing once they reached Kumogakure's gates.

Maki Uzumaki was very dissatisfied. She seriously suspected that Chiba Shun did not want to treat her to a meal, which was why he had rushed back so quickly.

Because he had brought an outsider with chakra, Chiba Shun registered at the village entrance.

ANBU soon arrived to verify their identities.

After learning that Chiba Shun had been carrying out a mission personally assigned by the Third Raikage, the ANBU obtained the Third Raikage's approval and directly brought Chiba Shun and Maki Uzumaki to the Raikage's office.

The Third Raikage looked at the red-haired Maki Uzumaki before him, sensed her chakra, and nodded. He said to Chiba Shun, "You did well. Does she have any requests?"

Chiba Shun looked at Maki Uzumaki, then said, "She wants to become a medical ninja."

The Third Raikage's eyes lit up. "Does she know Medical Ninjutsu?"

Chiba Shun answered for the somewhat embarrassed Maki Uzumaki, "She doesn't know Medical Ninjutsu. She was still young when she left Whirlpool Nest Village and did not learn much ninjutsu."

"However, she should have great talent for Medical Ninjutsu."

After a pause, Chiba Shun said something that someone of his status should not have said. "This subordinate guesses that she may be able to improve the village's Medical Ninjutsu."

The Third Raikage gave Chiba Shun a somewhat strange look.

It was not that he disliked Chiba Shun speaking beyond his station. Rather, he found it strange how Chiba Shun had judged that Maki Uzumaki possessed talent for Medical Ninjutsu.