Undercurrents Stirring, Animal Path, Seven-Tails, Shukaku

The Ichiraku Ramen Shop was bustling with activity, the rising steam carrying a rich aroma that filled the air, and the chatter of diners could be heard everywhere.

Uchiha Yu, Fu, and Yakumo Kurama sat down at a small table outside the shop. The ramen on the table had not yet been served, but the atmosphere had already subtly become subtle.

Fu remained as lively as ever, twisting and turning in her chair, her eyes curiously scanning her surroundings, constantly exclaiming, "Wow, it's so lively here! This is my first time in Konoha ramen shop!" Her clear and loud voice drew the attention of many people around her.

Yakumo Kurama sat to the side, looking slightly forlorn. Her fingers unconsciously tugged at the hem of her clothes. She would occasionally glance at Uchiha Yu, then quickly look away, secretly observing Fu.

Funa's dark, shiny skin, fiery attire, and unrestrained personality contrasted sharply with her reserved nature, which completely stirred up Yakumo's jealousy, causing a surge of sourness to rise within her.

A moment later, the owner of Otsutsuki Ichiraku rushed over with a steaming bowl of ramen. "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. Be careful, it's hot!" He arranged the ramen bowls carefully and then hurriedly returned to the shop.

Uchiha Yu looked at the ramen in front of him, a smile playing on his lips. He picked up his chopsticks, but instead of eating, he turned to Fu and said, "Try it! This ramen is Konoha's signature dish; the taste is absolutely top-notch."

Fu couldn't wait any longer. Upon hearing this, she immediately picked up a large mouthful of noodles and began to eat heartily, saying indistinctly, "Mmm! It's so delicious, much better than the food in our village!"

Yakumo gently picked up a few noodles and slowly put them into his mouth, but his mind was not on the noodles at all.

As she watched Uchiha Yu and Fu chatting happily, her unease grew stronger.

She couldn't help but speak, "Yu, you..." Before she could finish, Fu interrupted her, "Right, right, Uchiha Yu, tell me, can the Sharingan really control Tailed Beast?"

Uchiha Yu was slightly taken aback, then laughed and said, "That's hard to say, I haven't been able to control it either."

Just then, a commotion came from inside the shop. It turned out that several ninjas from other villages were discussing what had happened in the examination hall, and naturally, the topic also included Uchiha Yu.

One of them said disdainfully, "That Uchiha Yu is just relying on his connections. If he were really capable, he wouldn't have needed to threaten the examiners in the exam hall. Couldn't he have obtained the information himself?"

Upon hearing this, Fu immediately put down her chopsticks and retorted loudly, "What do you know! Uchiha Yu is amazing, he..." She wanted to continue, but Uchiha Yu gently pressed her shoulder. "Ignore them, let's eat."

Fu wanted to say something more, Uchiha Yu persuaded her, "Eat, eat. How can I eat if you don't eat your fill?"

Of course, it's still unclear what exactly they're going to eat.

Fu nodded. "Yes, yes! Let's not argue with them!"

Just as they were enjoying their meal, the clear Sky Manipulation suddenly darkened, and a fine rain began to fall without warning, pattering on everyone.

Fu reacted quickly, immediately reaching out to cover the bowl of noodles and shouting, "Oh dear, my noodles can't get ruined by this!"

Yakumo Kurama frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing across his delicate face. Looking at the ramen soaked by the rain, he gently put down his chopsticks, clearly having lost his appetite.

The people around were thrown into chaos. Some hurriedly hid in shops on the street, while others quickly opened their umbrellas.

The ninjas of the Land of Rain seemed oblivious, still sitting in the rain, calmly eating their noodles, as if they were used to the sudden downpour.

Unlike the others, Uchiha Yu did not panic. He looked up at the Xiang Tian, his eyes filled with doubt and contemplation, as if he were frozen in place, Fudo at all.

Yakumo Kurama noticed his unusual behavior, gently tugged at his sleeve, and asked with concern, "Yu, why are you staring blankly into the sky? What's wrong?"

Uchiha Yu slowly withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "This chakra feels somewhat familiar. By the way, can you turn this weather into a sunny day?"

Yakumo Kurama nodded slightly without asking any further questions, and took out her Drawing Board from her bag.

Seeing this, Fu forgot about eating her noodles and stared wide-eyed at Yakumo Kurama's every move with curiosity.

Yakumo Kurama held a paintbrush and carefully sketched on the Drawing Board. In no time, a radiant sun appeared on the paper.

Miraculously, as the painting was completed, Sky Manipulation rain suddenly stopped.

The previously gloomy Sky Manipulation quickly cleared, the sun blazed high in the sky, and the scorching sunlight poured down, instantly drying the rainwater off everyone.

Fu was so amazed she couldn't close her mouth. She grabbed Yakumo Kurama's arm and asked eagerly, "How did you do that? It's amazing!" Yakumo Kurama blushed slightly and explained his ability with some embarrassment, but Fu was still completely confused and just kept exclaiming in amazement.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Konoha, a group of Anbu Ninja were hurrying through the streets and alleys.

They were concealed, and each of them wore a serious and vigilant expression.

The leading Anbu Ninja whispered, "That strange rain just now was likely a prelude to an enemy attack. We must find the source of the ' Rain Creation Technique '! It's a wide-range Sensory Ninjutsu; releasing such a technique at a time like this is definitely not a good deed!"

In a dark, secluded alley in Konoha, a damp, decaying atmosphere permeated the air.

Several pieces of waste paper swirled on the ground, as if drawn together by an invisible force, slowly gathering together.

In the blink of an eye, these scraps of paper miraculously outlined Konan's face!

A brown-haired female ninja stood quietly in front of Konan.

Several steel nails were abruptly embedded in her face, gleaming coldly in the dim light, adding to her aloofness and mystery.

The female ninja said in a low but clear voice, "The Rain Tiger at Will Technique was interrupted, but I have roughly found the place where Kakuzu is being held."

Konan nodded gently, her paper-like hair swaying slightly. Her voice was soft yet firm. "Nagato, don't rush. This is a tremendous opportunity to collect the Tailed Beast, but all countries have dispatched extremely strong guards to protect the Jinchuriki. We must not alert them before the best time."

Hearing Konan's words, the female ninja nodded again and replied, "Yes, I will use Animal Path when I find an opportunity."

Konan's gaze drifted towards the Sky Manipulation beyond the alley, seemingly piercing through layers of buildings to reveal the Chunin Ninja Exams being held in the distance.

His sorrowful face was etched with memories.

Several Ninja Dog ran over, Konan and the Animal Path Body Flicker Technique disappeared, and the dark alley returned to calm.

The atmosphere in the Conference Room of the Hokage Building was heavy and subtle.

Sunlight streamed through the windows and fell on the conference table, illuminating the scrolls from various countries displayed on it.

Kazekage Rasa, Hokage Tsunade, Mei Terumī Terumi, a high-ranking official from Kirigakure, sat around a table to discuss the alliance.

Rasa broke the silence first. Dressed in a brown robe, his voice was steady yet tinged with urgency. "The situation in the Shinobi World is currently turbulent. Sunagakure is short of resources and the village is struggling to develop. We urgently need an alliance to stabilize the situation. This cooperation is of paramount importance to us."

He looked firmly at Tsunade and Mei Terumī, his hands unconsciously folded in front of him, revealing his inner anticipation.

If we don't start a war, that would naturally be the best outcome.

After the Third Kazekage disappeared, Sunagakure spent all the village's funds searching for Kazekage, only to find it all in vain. Now, many ninjas in the village are on the verge of deserting due to the harsh environment. If a war breaks out, who knows how many families will be destroyed and people will die.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, her expression grave.

She frowned slightly, her tone as assertive and calm as ever. "I naturally understand the importance of the alliance, but Konoha experienced many changes. The Nine-Tails Attack and the Uchiha Clan Massacre have caused us huge losses of resources. We need to ensure that the alliance agreement is fair to all parties and can effectively protect Konoha's interests and safety."

She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping across Rasa and Mei Terumī's faces. "I don't want Konoha to sacrifice its interests in vain."

Mei Terumī gently tossed her long purple hair, revealing a charming smile. "The Kirigakure also yearns for peace and stability, but in the past, we have suffered a lot and been drawn into various conflicts."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, a shrewd glint in them, and her slender fingers tapped lightly on the table.

Although she wasn't the Mizukage, she revealed the truth about Mizukage Karatachi Yagura being controlled by Genjutsu during the Third Great Ninja War. In addition, after the Bloody Mist Village policy, many talented people left the village, Mei Terumī naturally became a very influential ninja in the village.

"In this alliance, we must have a clear division of responsibilities and distribution of benefits. We cannot allow Kirigakure to be dragged into unnecessary conflicts for no reason."

Rasa felt a little uncomfortable being sandwiched between the two strong women. He nodded slightly and continued, "Regarding resource sharing, although Sunagakure is located in the desert, it is rich in gold dust. We can make some concessions in this regard. However, we hope that Konoha and Kirigakure can provide us with sufficient support in terms of ninja support and intelligence sharing. More importantly, we hope that we can reach an agreement on the fisheries, timber, and food industries."

Tsunade and Mei Terumī exchanged a glance, both reading the same message in each other's eyes—this Kazekage is truly starving!

The three parties have not yet reached an agreement on cooperation.

Rasa, with an attitude that he thought he had the world at his fingertips because he had Shukaku, wanted to coerce Konoha and Kirigakure into making resource concessions.

He had thought Konoha after the Nine-Tails Attack and the Uchiha's destruction, and after the Blood Kirigakure Bloody Mist Village's extinction and the loss of most of its talents, the two villages would compromise.

The result was completely different.

First, there's the Kirigakure.

After being controlled by the Sharingan, the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Karatachi Yagura, implemented a policy of seclusion and locking down the village.

Kirigakure, who had just opened up the area and thought Rasa was going to do business with the world's great powers, never expected that Mei Terumī would refuse so decisively.

Tsunade bluntly stated, "Kazekage, you're asking for the moon! Even warring nations negotiate with defeated nations, and this isn't the best we can do. We're paying for your gold dust and providing you with food resources. The Land of Wind's geographical disadvantage isn't Konoha's fault."

Tsunade's personality is completely different from Hiruzen Sarutobi Danzo Hiruzen Sarutobi Danzo the Hokage's seat, Danzo might have whispered in Rasa's ear and secretly made a deal to give the Land of Fire's resources to Sunagakure.

But this is Tsunade; she's not Danzo, that fool who's obsessed with becoming Hokage and willing to sacrifice all his interests.

Even when Susanoo, Tsunade still attacked him. Did she care whether Sunagakure had any Tailed Beast?

They really think they're the sun! They cry and whine the moment they run out of food, trying to scare everyone! Konoha won't fall for that!

"Hmph, let's stop here for today!"

Rasa angrily waved his hand and left his seat, leaving the two women staring at each other.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

"Enter."

Uchiha Yu pushed open the door and entered. He was somewhat surprised to see Mei Terumī, but his expression did not change much. "Lady Tsunade, I have something urgent to tell you."

Mei Terumī carefully examined Uchiha Yu, a slight blush appearing on her face for some reason. After a moment, she nodded and said, "Then I'll take my leave."