As the first hidden village to set its sights on the tailed beasts, Kumogakure had the most intelligence on their locations. They already knew where the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails were. Rather embarrassingly, they had failed to capture even one.
Konoha's Tobirama Senju had noticed this as well. He thought further ahead than Hashirama and planned to persuade him to gather the tailed beasts. As for the Seven-Tails, he had no intention of making an enemy of Uchiha Mu yet. Neither side interfered with the other for now, though they had deployed large numbers of shinobi along the border.
If Uchiha Mu could subdue a tailed beast, he believed his elder brother could do it too.
Uchiha Mu's subjugation of the Seven-Tails had also caught the attention of Madara Uchiha, who was wandering aimlessly around the shinobi world. Being Madara, he immediately set his sights on the Nine-Tails, planning to subdue it first before continuing his travels to see whether the shinobi world truly was beyond saving.
Apart from checking the intelligence on the Two-Tails, Uchiha Mu paid no further attention to the tailed beasts. Collecting too many would be unwise. He would rather not attract the attention of the shinobi world's famously "filial" son.
His next objective was to exchange jutsu with the Uzumaki Clan in the Land of Whirlpools. He needed their barriers. It would be nice if he could coax a princess into coming back with him too, just as Konoha had.
A marriage alliance? Uchiha Mu thought of Hyuga Lingnai and decided against it. He would leave it to fate. Having several women was not out of the question-the shinobi world was strange that way. Nobles and daimyo had plenty of women, while shinobi were generally monogamous.
For now, however, Uchiha Mu was focused on development. He had no desire to get caught in a romantic battlefield. A straightforward exchange of ninjutsu would be better, leaving neither side indebted to the other.
This time, Uchiha Mu set out with the three youngsters, leaving Hyuga Lingnai and Chōmei to guard the village. As long as Madara and Hashirama stayed away, a Hyuga paired with the Seven-Tails was invincible. They could deliver precision strikes from the air and already possessed Kage Level strength.
"We're going back?" Uzumaki Men felt a little wistful. He had once been an orphan, but Uchiha Mu had taken him away and given him an entirely different life. Now his outlook had shifted from thinking in terms of a clan to thinking in terms of a nation.
"They're your clansmen, right, Men? Do they all have that much chakra?" Yucheng asked curiously.
"They should. Our teacher explained it too. The Uchiha have the Sharingan, while the Senju and Uzumaki have their bodies," Uzumaki Men explained.
"That must be nice. With the chakra I have now, I can only practice the Rasengan for a little while each day," Yufeng said enviously. Though he was a talented commoner, increasing his chakra reserves at his age was difficult.
"If you need chakra, ask Chōmei for some when you're older," Uchiha Mu said with a laugh. As the first fusion of Uchiha and Senju, with his cheat's assistance on top of that, he no longer had to worry about running short of chakra.
"Chōmei can give us chakra?" Yufeng's eyes lit up.
Yucheng was also a talented commoner. Her pretty face did nothing to change the fact that she had little chakra, so naturally, she wanted some of Chōmei's chakra too.
"Yucheng, we need to put in some effort. Let's bring Chōmei something tasty while we're out," Yufeng said, already planning a bribe.
"Chōmei eats bugs, doesn't he?" Yucheng rubbed her chin.
"Hahaha, you three little rascals. We've reached the Land of Iron. Want me to have chakra blades made for you?" Uchiha Mu asked.
The Land of Iron was a neutral nation established by a group of samurai. Of course, it was poor enough that it had not drawn the attention of other powers.
"Yes! Teacher, what sword techniques are you going to teach us?" Yufeng answered eagerly. In his view, he needed to make good use of his limited chakra, and swordsmanship suited him well.
"Uchiha swordsmanship isn't suited to you. It requires the Sharingan. I'll teach you the sword techniques I've copied over the years instead." Uchiha Mu meant the Senju's techniques. Though he had kept a low profile back then, he had still possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan, and his opponents had been Senju Clan experts of the same caliber. Their swordsmanship was quite good.
In the Land of Iron, samurai swords were their sole means of attack. Though their blades were not as famous as the legendary swords, their quality was reliable.
After selecting two short swords suited to shinobi, Uchiha Mu left with the three youngsters. Uzumaki Men had not wanted one. He felt that the techniques he had already mastered were more than enough, especially the Rasengan. He could tell that once he mastered it, it would serve him for a long time. Ninjutsu that required no hand seals was simply that powerful.
"These chakra-conducting weapons are pretty expensive." The cost pained Uchiha Mu. Only when you managed a household yourself did you realize how much everyday necessities cost. He was still living off his old savings, and the great nations had reached an unspoken agreement not to send any missions to the nation he had founded.
"Teacher, are we very poor right now?" Yufeng asked.
"Hahaha, right. Why am I telling you all this? Let's go-to the Land of Whirlpools." Uchiha Mu continued on with the three youngsters.
The Land of Whirlpools was not far from the Land of Fire. It was an island nation of sorts, but unlike the Land of Water, it was close enough for shinobi to reach by ordinary water walking.
With their vast chakra reserves and expertise in seals and barriers, however, the Uzumaki Clan knew the moment Uchiha Mu arrived. Sensing his presence, Uzumaki Ashina came straight over.
"Uzumaki Men. It looks like you've been doing well." Naturally, Uzumaki Ashina recognized the clansman Uchiha Mu had taken away.
"Clan leader." Uzumaki Men stood tall, strong and confident.
"Uzumaki clan leader, I've come to exchange for sealing jutsu and barrier ninjutsu," Uchiha Mu said, getting straight to the point.
"Oh? What jutsu?" Uzumaki Ashina's interest was piqued. Uchiha Mu was now famous throughout the shinobi world, and everyone regarded him as a second Madara Uchiha.
"These two. They're very well suited to your clan." As he spoke, Uchiha Mu demonstrated the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan.
As a shinobi who had founded a village himself, Uzumaki Ashina naturally understood the value of these two techniques. The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu in particular seemed tailor-made for his clan.
"Agreed. We can give you any Forbidden Jutsu that aren't too important. He can also learn the clan's techniques," Uzumaki Ashina said.
"Good. Gather the village's shinobi, then. I'll first use genjutsu to let you experience these two techniques, then teach you the key points for practicing them," Uchiha Mu said.
"Mm." Uzumaki Ashina nodded, then signaled for the village's shinobi to gather. When Uchiha Mu had previously come to ask for clansmen, he had posed a question to him.
If a single clan went to war with a village made up of dozens of shinobi clans, which side was more likely to win? He had asked Uzumaki Ashina to answer without factoring in Konoha. Uzumaki Ashina had been unable to answer. He believed the Uzumaki Clan possessed enormous chakra reserves, numerous sealing jutsu, and Forbidden Jutsu as well.
But against dozens of shinobi clans, he had no confidence. Every shinobi clan that had survived to this day had its own Forbidden Jutsu. If they joined forces, the Uzumaki Clan might not come out ahead. Moreover, the Uzumaki Clan had many civilians, and its shinobi numbers could not match those of dozens of clans combined.
Afterward, Uchiha Mu had added that eggs should be placed in separate baskets so they would not all break at once. In other words, the Land of Whirlpools could diversify its investments. At the very least, they needed to give their clansmen another path forward.
Uzumaki Ashina had taken those words to heart and placed his trust in Uchiha Mu, allowing him to take some orphans back with him. Judging by Uzumaki Men's current condition, Uchiha Mu had not treated him unfairly. In Ashina's eyes, he was a peculiar Uchiha.
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