"You're too modest, Mr. Reto. You're definitely a first-rate powerhouse!" Just then, Uzumaki Gamu suddenly produced a stack of yellow paper and a roast chicken. "All my life, I've loved befriending heroes from across the world. Meeting you today has suddenly opened my eyes, and I feel we really hit it off. I'd like to invite you to become my sworn brother, Brother Reto... What do you say?"
"...Huh?" Reto was dumbfounded. How had they suddenly jumped to sworn brotherhood? Wasn't he skipping a few too many steps?
Reto had originally intended to get friendly with Uzumaki Gamu, build a connection, and start by becoming friends. But Uzumaki Gamu had gone straight to sworn brotherhood... Well, he might as well go along with it and swear the oath!
Huh? Wasn't Reto afraid Uzumaki Gamu was plotting something? After all, this sudden proposal looked suspicious no matter how you sliced it!
No, he simply wasn't! From any perspective, Reto, who had built everything from nothing, couldn't compare to the Uzumaki Clan's Second Young Clan Leader. Having a connection to him was an honor for Reto!
So why exactly did Uzumaki Gamu want to become Reto's sworn brother? First, there was his theory from decades ago about becoming sworn brothers with the entire world: build connections everywhere to bring peace to the shinobi world!
Second... there was Reto's future identity!
He might still be building up his strength now, but he would become the Kazekage someday! The First Kazekage, at that! If Uzumaki Gamu became his sworn brother, all the subsequent Kazekage... no, the whole of Sunagakure would effectively become his juniors. Whenever they saw him, they would have to respectfully call him Senior, Elder Senior, Ancestor, Old Ancestor, or something along those lines!
Just imagining that little Calabash Brother Gaara respectfully calling him Old Ancestor someday filled Uzumaki Gamu with delight!
Of course, Uzumaki Gamu wasn't planning to stop at Reto. This incident had reminded him... since he was already going to travel through all the major nations, he might as well become sworn brothers with all the first Five Kage. In the not-so-distant future, everyone in the shinobi world would have to address him as Senior... Wow, just thinking about it felt incredible!
But with Uzumaki Gamu's love of fooling around, why did it seem more likely that people would call him an old bastard or an old fart?
Back to the point: Reto agreed without hesitation, so Uzumaki Gamu pulled him over and began the sworn brotherhood ceremony facing the moon.
Nearby, Mito watched her second brother with exasperation written all over her face. Second Brother, what are you up to now?!
The girl beside Mito, meanwhile, watched Uzumaki Gamu with curiosity. This guy is so strange!
Facing the moon, Uzumaki Gamu declared, "With the Rabbit Goddess as our witness"-Kaguya was sealed inside the moon, so there was nothing wrong with saying this to it-"today, Brother Reto and I become sworn brothers. We ask not to be born in the same year, month, and day, but only that we may both fulfill our dreams!" Uzumaki Gamu had delivered a very awkward oath. He couldn't help it: he wasn't sincere about this brotherhood, so he certainly wouldn't promise to die in the same year, month, and day. As for sharing blessings and hardships, forget that too. He just wanted to take advantage of Reto!
Reto followed along. "We ask not to be born in the same year, month, and day, but only that we may both fulfill our dreams!" He thought the wording was excellent. After all, he wasn't sincere about this brotherhood either, so he certainly wouldn't promise to die in the same year, month, and day. As for sharing blessings and hardships, forget that too. He just wanted to take advantage of Uzumaki Gamu!
In conclusion, weren't these two basically real brothers with different fathers and mothers? What a pair of scheming rats!
With the ceremony complete, the two officially became fair-weather brothers!
Taking Uzumaki Gamu's hand, Reto said, "What brings you to our Land of Wind, little brother? As your elder brother, I'll do everything I can to help!" Help? That depended on the situation. He was only saying this to fish for information!
"I'm just taking my little sister on a trip to see the beautiful sights of the shinobi world," Uzumaki Gamu answered casually. That was the truth, you know. Much better than this superficial show of concern!
In short, the two began chatting, each with his own ulterior motives. (Mito: "Fake affection and nothing but scheming... if all humans are like this, maybe they'd be better off gone~")
What none of them knew was that a certain being was secretly watching events unfold from farther away!
Black Zetsu: "...Gamu Uzumaki, you wretched bastard!!" Oh-ho~ Could Uzumaki Gamu's bounty really have been your doing?
It really was! (Uzumaki Gamu: "Born-evil Black Zetsu, I'll destroy you!")
To revive his mother, Black Zetsu had always kept an eye on Asura's and Indra's descendants. After all, their chakra reincarnations would only appear among their descendants!
After Madara and Hashirama were born, he confirmed that they were this generation's reincarnations. Madara was talented and ambitious, with a fragile love for his family; Hashirama was full of love, cared for others, and was also highly talented... The only anomaly was that this generation's Asura reincarnation was a little too strong. What was with him matching or even overpowering Indra's reincarnation right from the start? If Asura had been this capable back then, Indra wouldn't have felt so bitter!
This thousand-year war between the two clans was all Asura's fault. If he'd been that strong from the beginning, Indra wouldn't have dared entertain other ideas... Heh, just kidding!
Back to the point: although this generation's Asura was a little too strong, it wouldn't have much of a negative effect. On the contrary... this generation was the most likely to awaken the Rinnegan!
Because Hashirama was so exceptionally talented, Madara would need greater power more desperately than other Indra reincarnations. That meant he would inevitably seek the power of all creation born from combining Senju and Uchiha power. After all, the Uchiha were proud. Even when previous reincarnations awakened the Mangekyo and saw Black Zetsu's alterations to the stone tablet, they abandoned that option as soon as they learned they needed Senju power to awaken the power of all creation... A man had his pride! If they needed Senju power to defeat the Senju, wouldn't that mean the Uchiha were inferior?
To prove the Uchiha were the strongest, they would rather die than accept Senju power!
That was why not a single previous Indra reincarnation had awakened the Rinnegan!
Once he confirmed this generation had a chance, Black Zetsu began his preparations... But something unexpected happened. Another person appeared between Hashirama and Madara: that born-to-be-a-nuisance Uzumaki brat! (Uzumaki Gamu: "Yay~")
As fellow descendants of Asura, the Uzumaki Clan had always been among Black Zetsu's targets for observation!
Black Zetsu had observed Uzumaki Gamu after his birth too, eventually concluding that he was an ordinary Uzumaki with decent talent. No need to watch him! Then he shifted his focus back to Hashirama and Madara!
A few years later, after Hashirama and Madara met, Uzumaki Gamu barged in again, turning their duo into a trio!
As everyone knew, triangles were stable. With an extra person, the relationship between the two reincarnations actually stabilized. Even when Black Zetsu arranged for Butsuma Senju and Uchiha Tajima to discover Hashirama and Madara's secret meetings-Uzumaki Gamu: "That was your fucking doing?"-the Uzumaki brat intervened and stopped their split!
Even then, Black Zetsu wasn't concerned. The gap between this Uzumaki brat's talent and Hashirama's and Madara's was as vast as the Mariana Trench! Given enough time, this brat would lose the right to stand between them!
But then something utterly unbelievable happened. Like Hagoromo before him, the brat actually went to train at Mount Myōboku-Hagoromo trained there in the anime-original material. With an inheritance ground backing him, he learned Senjutsu... Good grief, he would be stronger than both Hashirama and Madara for quite some time.
With this third wheel interfering, how was Black Zetsu supposed to make Hashirama and Madara fall out? Rely on Tobirama? (Tobirama: "What about Izuna?")
Unable to find a solution for the moment, Black Zetsu could only wait and see!
Fortunately, some time later, the Kaguya clan started stirring up trouble. This clan that had inherited his mother's name really was on her side, preparing to attack the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki simultaneously. If only he could use this opportunity to kill Madara's younger brother or make that meddlesome Uzumaki brat disappear.
Unfortunately, neither of them died. Instead, Uchiha Tajima and Butsuma Senju, who had prevented the Cowherd and Weaver Girl-Hashirama and Madara-from meeting, were killed. Now no one could stop the two from throwing their arms around each other's shoulders. Who knew what he had been imagining, but that was reality!
"Damn you, Gamu Uzumaki!!" Black Zetsu blamed everything on Uzumaki Gamu!
But powerless as he was, there was little he could do. This time... he could only abandon Madara again and wait for the next suitable reincarnation.
Mother, when will I finally be able to undo your seal?! With that sorrowful thought, Black Zetsu prepared to return to the darkness and keep waiting.
Before long, however, an opportunity appeared: Gamu Uzumaki had actually vanished!
The person preventing him from manipulating Madara was gone!
Could he resume his plan now?
No matter what, he had to try! (Uzumaki Gamu: "Sure, try it and die!")
So Black Zetsu first guided Madara to the stone tablet he had altered, letting him learn how to awaken the Rinnegan. Then he started plotting Izuna's untimely death. But... Izuna was skilled, and killing him wouldn't be easy... Well, there was no hurry. With the Uchiha's arrogant tendencies, he was bound to trip up sooner or later! (Tobirama: "So I'm the gutter he trips into, huh? You born-evil Otsutsuki brat!!!")
Black Zetsu wasn't impatient. He might lack other things, but time... he had plenty of that!!
Just like that, six years passed. Although the plan wasn't progressing smoothly, it was still moving forward... Black Zetsu had barely formed that thought when the born-to-be-annoying Uzumaki brat appeared again!
This time, his body hadn't grown, but his eyes had changed. Something was wrong with those eyes!
One brief glance from a distance was enough for Black Zetsu to sense something unusual about the Six Eyes. From then on, he didn't dare approach Uzumaki Gamu, afraid he might discover something! At the time, Uzumaki Gamu had only just awakened those eyes and wasn't used to them, so he failed to notice Black Zetsu, who excelled at hiding.
After that, whenever something involved Uzumaki Gamu, he used a homemade telescope to spy on him from an enormous distance!
That let him track Uzumaki Gamu's movements, but how could he obtain information about him?
Black Zetsu desperately wanted to know what had happened to Uzumaki Gamu. He had suddenly disappeared, then returned six years later with a body that looked as though it hadn't grown at all, yet his eyes had changed dramatically. Those eyes seemed able to see through everything, giving him the same feeling as seeing the Rinnegan! Especially since, after obtaining them, Uzumaki Gamu no longer even needed hand seals... just like Hagoromo in his mother's memories!
Still, Black Zetsu didn't dare investigate near Uzumaki Gamu, so he could only eavesdrop on Madara and Hashirama. And he actually overheard information about the Six Eyes!
Hashirama briefly described the Six Eyes' abilities to Tobirama, along with the story of Hagoromo Otsutsuki that Uzumaki Gamu had told him. Black Zetsu heard it all.
After listening, Black Zetsu inwardly rejoiced that he hadn't approached Uzumaki Gamu carelessly. The brat actually knew he existed, and those eyes could see him!
If he had openly appeared before Uzumaki Gamu, wouldn't the mastermind behind the shinobi world have met his downfall at the hands of this obscure Uzumaki brat?
For that reason, Black Zetsu raised Uzumaki Gamu's threat level to the maximum. Meanwhile, he also pondered... why did Uzumaki Gamu know all this?
He had never heard of any Dragon Palace or other inheritance grounds! That had to be a lie. But perhaps Uzumaki Gamu wasn't the one who invented it. Perhaps whoever had given him his power had used that story to fool him!
And one person capable of doing that came to Black Zetsu's mind: Hagoromo Otsutsuki! (Black Zetsu: "Damn you, Hagoromo!")
Although he had been dead for a thousand years, the Otsutsuki were not to be underestimated. They didn't simply vanish when their bodies died. People with powerful chakra could preserve their identities even in the world beyond death, let alone Hagoromo, who had inherited his mother's Otsutsuki power. If he wished, he could even interfere with the living world!
Perhaps he was guiding Uzumaki Gamu to oppose him, and had given Uzumaki Gamu those unusual eyes to counter his mother's Rinnegan. Hagoromo could absolutely do something like that! (Rinne Sharingan Sasuke: "Yeah, I can confirm that!")
All to keep my mother from being revived... Hagoromo the Fraud, you bastard... you're truly disgusting~ Why can't you just leave Mother alone? Black Zetsu thought viciously.
Black Zetsu: "I've received a reply to my petition asking the author to undo Mother's seal... He refused!! Seeing my growing strength in the fanfiction world, he deliberately rejected my request! If Uzumaki Gamu isn't eliminated, he'll become a terrible threat!!" Though Black Zetsu wouldn't actually say that, he really had made Uzumaki Gamu his primary target!
There wasn't much information about him out there yet, but this man had already begun targeting him. Even if he hid now, those eyes might still find him. If he was discovered, his mother's revival would be ruined completely!
Therefore... he had to eliminate Uzumaki Gamu as soon as possible, before he fully developed, to prevent future trouble!
So Black Zetsu began working behind the scenes, doing things like placing a bounty on Uzumaki Gamu. Thirty-five million was already plenty for a fifteen-year-old ninja who had only just made his debut. But... from Black Zetsu's current perspective, it still wasn't enough!
That guy had evolved again. Freely using the five basic elemental releases was one thing, but now he could casually use advanced Kekkei Genkai too... just like Hagoromo.
This even made Black Zetsu wonder whether he might be Hagoromo's chakra reincarnation. It made sense! Seeing his two sons entangled for so many years without resolving anything, Hagoromo might have personally stepped in to repair their fractured relationship... Unfortunately, Black Zetsu knew what Hagoromo's chakra felt like, and Uzumaki Gamu had none of that feeling. So Uzumaki Gamu definitely wasn't Hagoromo's chakra reincarnation!
"But whatever he is, he's already the greatest obstacle to reviving Mother. He must be eliminated," Black Zetsu murmured. "Since ordinary ninja can hardly hurt him anymore, next... I'll have to bring out something nastier!" With that thought, Black Zetsu sank underground and began his new evil plan!
Uzumaki Gamu, still shooting the breeze with Reto, knew nothing about it!
... Ninja tools being prepared ...
After chatting with Uzumaki Gamu for a while, Reto, who felt a deep mutual appreciation for him-not really-waved goodbye. "Little brother! I still have to take these prisoners back. It's a shame I can't spend the whole night talking with you!"
Uzumaki Gamu said regretfully, "Ah~ What a pity. I wanted to have a good long talk with you too, elder brother, but it's getting late, and you still need to get back. I won't keep you!"
"What a shame... How about this? If you'd like, little brother, you could stay at our base for a few days!" Reto offered politely.
"Ah... what a pity. I'm planning to head north toward the Land of Earth tomorrow. It seems I'll have to wait until my next visit to the Land of Wind to stay with you~" That was an excuse. Uzumaki Gamu didn't want to stay at Reto's place, mainly because... he had noticed patches on Reto's clothes.
For an organization's leader to still wear patched clothing was genuinely rather miserable. Presumably, his organization didn't have much money either. Staying with such a dirt-poor organization would only mean suffering, and he might even end up having to provide poverty relief... That would be awful.
Still, Uzumaki Gamu really was planning to leave the Land of Wind!
First, he had already gained something here: sworn brotherhood with the First Kazekage. His future status in Sunagakure would be that of an ancestor! (Uzumaki Gamu: "Calabash Brother, call me Great-grandpa!!")
Second, the Land of Wind was simply too boring!
A desert felt quite novel at first, but staying for long was terrible. Just think of Anakin Skywalker's famous line: "I hate sand!"
Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but sand, sand, and more sand. That monotonous, repetitive scenery really wore him down! The heat and thirst tormented his body. This truly wasn't a place fit for people!
Sigh. Even visiting as a tourist was unbearable, let alone living here... The people really had hard lives!
Uzumaki Gamu: Honestly, it's not as though I can't understand Sunagakure's militaristic approach. It's hard to develop production in this lousy place. But if Gaara can later make a fortune by growing flowers, that means... other paths are viable too! Whether Sunagakure finds a way forward depends entirely on its own people's choices!
Then again, if Uzumaki Gamu stayed in the Land of Wind to help, he could probably lift it out of poverty over a few decades and bring everyone into a comfortably prosperous life. But... what did that have to do with him?
Uzumaki Gamu: Sorry, but I'm not so full of love that I want to save the whole world. That would be far too much trouble, and it's not something I enjoy doing. I'll leave saving the Land of Wind to its own people! What was this, a reverse "with great power comes great responsibility"?
Hearing Uzumaki Gamu's reply, Reto feigned regret. "That really is a shame... I have a mission to handle tomorrow, so I won't be able to see you off." Leaving? That's good. It would be a hassle if he asked me to be his tour guide~ During their conversation, Reto had discovered that Uzumaki Gamu rather enjoyed stirring things up. He had a feeling that if Uzumaki Gamu stayed in the Land of Wind too long, he would definitely cause some major incident!
Since he had already established a connection with Uzumaki Gamu, he didn't need to keep currying favor. The best course was to get this man out of the Land of Wind quickly and avoid any possible future trouble!
With that in mind, Reto waved goodbye to Uzumaki Gamu, then left with his men and the prisoners they had captured. These prisoners still had value. Recruiting them as subordinates, taking them back as laborers, or asking their families and friends to ransom them were all good options. Of course, interrogating them to learn where their bases were, then going over to raid them, was also an excellent choice!
In short, today had been hugely profitable. Reto headed back in high spirits! (Reto: "We've made a connection, boys!")
After they left Rōran Town, Reto's deputy immediately asked, "Chief, why did you insist on becoming sworn brothers with that ninja from the Land of Fire?"
...Was I the one who wanted it? He prepared the yellow paper and everything! I just went along with it! Naturally, Reto wouldn't say something so undignified. He offered a different explanation. "The Uzumaki Clan is a major clan even within the Land of Fire. Becoming sworn brothers with one of their outstanding successors is effectively forming an alliance with the Uzumaki Clan. Moreover, since it's only sworn brotherhood rather than a formal alliance, we don't have to worry about other organizations in the Land of Wind accusing us of colluding with foreign powers. No matter how you look at it, it benefits us!"
Hearing that, Reto's deputy immediately said, "Your foresight is truly beyond me, sir! However, we already spread word this morning that he had entered the Land of Wind. Many people will come to attack your sworn brother... Should we send someone to warn him?"
"No need. With his strength, he'll be fine!" On the contrary, I can use him to eliminate a batch of troublesome people, making my upcoming unification of the Land of Wind shinobi world easier... Reto thought. To put it bluntly, this sworn brotherhood was a product of mutual exploitation. They hadn't even sworn not to betray each other. Who would treat the other as a real brother?
Besides, compared to his dream of ensuring the children of the Land of Wind no longer went hungry, even real brothers, relatives, friends, and clansmen meant nothing. Anyone who stood in the way of that goal would be decisively eliminated! No mercy whatsoever!!
That was the kind of man Reto was, the kind of man he would always be!
Before you continue