"Is this the place?" A Uzushio-nin asked his teammate while looking at the large waterfall in front of them.
"It should be," Isami replied, rolling his eyes. "I've never been to the Land of Waterfalls before."
"Located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, surrounded by four countries, and composed of many waterfalls," Kōta frowned and said. "Judging by the description, this should be the place. Hey, how did Lord Jun know about this when he's never left Uzushiogakure?"
"Of course, that's Lord Jun for you," Taka said proudly, raising his head. "The future Uzukage of Uzushiogakure."
Though Uzushiogakure had a hidden village, no one had ever claimed the title of Uzukage, mainly due to a lack of strength. But now, the Uzumaki Clan had finally produced their own Kage-level shinobi. In the future, Uzushiogakure would undoubtedly become the Sixth Great Shinobi Village.
Perhaps even surpass the other great villages. After all, Lord Jun was only seven years old!
"Focus on completing the mission now," Ryōta said sternly. "This is a task assigned by Lord Jun himself."
"Yes!" x3
"Should we ask someone for directions?" Isami suggested.
"We're in the middle of a war," Ryōta replied, rolling his eyes. "If four foreign jonin suddenly appear in another country, how do you think the Takigakure-nin would react?"
What a terrible idea. They might get attacked before they even opened their mouths.
"But we're here to deliver Sealing Techniques," Taka argued. "If we explain ourselves, it should be fine. Besides, we'll have to meet with the Takigakure-nin eventually. Why not just reveal ourselves now?"
"That's true," Kōta nodded. "If we show ourselves openly and don't cause trouble, there shouldn't be any issues."
That might be the case, but as shinobi, they couldn't recklessly put themselves in danger. Before they left, Lord Jun had warned them that any village possessing a Tailed Beast could potentially be an enemy of Uzushiogakure.
As the team leader, Ryōta didn't want to lead his squad into unnecessary peril. Moreover, Uzushiogakure was still too weak. If the enemy found out they were carrying Sealing Techniques, they might just attack and take them by force. Even if these were incomplete versions…
Would they believe that?
They'd probably just capture them and interrogate them rather than take an enemy's word for it.
"What if we disguise ourselves as Konoha-nin?" Isami suggested after a moment, a sly smile appearing on his face. "The Uzumaki Clan and Konoha have been allies for generations!"
"..."
That idea…
Ryōta narrowed his eyes. "It might work."
Once they met the leader of Takigakure, they could reveal their true identities.
Uzumaki Jun speculated that, if they traveled without regard for exhaustion, each squad should have already reached their assigned villages by now. He had even sent a copy of the Sealing Techniques to Takigakure.
After all, they had managed to acquire the Seven-Tails, Chōmei.
As someone who claimed to inherit Hashirama's philosophy of "balance and peace," how could he stand by while other villages had Jinchūriki and Takigakure didn't? Besides, Takigakure was one of the strongest minor villages. They needed some power to back that up.
At the same time, he had assigned an additional mission to the squad heading to Takigakure:
Recruit Kakuzu.
After all, Kakuzu was the man who claimed to have fought the God of Shinobi himself! Even if it was just throwing a shuriken from eight hundred miles away, Uzumaki Jun wasn't interested in Kakuzu's combat abilities—he wanted his financial expertise.
No matter how you looked at it, as the financial manager of the world's most notorious underground organization, Kakuzu had skills. Where else would Konan's 600 billion explosive tags come from?
All of that was earned through Kakuzu's diligent work for the organization.
So…
The future Minister of Finance for Uzushiogakure would be Kakuzu. The current person managing the national treasury was utterly… sigh.
Even a seven-year-old like him could freely embezzle funds. What use was he? Better to send him off to farm.
"Elders, Clan Head," Uzumaki Jun greeted with a smile as he approached the group of elders chatting happily with the Senju Clan members.
"Oh, it's Jun!" The Great Elder beamed when he saw him. "Is there any task you need us old folks to handle? Just say the word!" Then, he subtly winked at Uzumaki Jun, signaling that his request had been taken care of.
"In two days, we'll be negotiating post-war terms with Kirigakure," Uzumaki Jun said after a moment of thought. "I'll need you all to come along."
Without strong shinobi by his side, their bargaining power would be halved. How could they pressure the other side without an imposing presence? Uzumaki Jun also planned to have the Uzumaki Clan members surround the area with Shadow Clones, all shouting "666."
After all, Shadow Clones had a way of lowering the enemy's intelligence! Maybe Hōzuki Gengetsu would get confused and agree to his terms.
It was good to have dreams. What if they came true?
So, for this negotiation, Uzumaki Jun had already made arrangements. They would hold it outdoors—no tents needed. Just set up a few chairs, boil some water, and talk while drinking. As for alcohol…
This wasn't a business deal. No need for drinking!
"I see," the Great Elder chuckled. "Just let us know when it's time. Is there anything specific you need us to do?"
Anything specific?
Maybe just improve their demeanor?
Uzumaki Jun thought to himself. As long as they looked sharp, it would be enough.
Besides, Hōzuki Gengetsu probably wouldn't dare act recklessly.
After all, Uzumaki Jun could use Space-Time Ninjutsu. If Gengetsu tried anything, Jun would just teleport around and take out the Kiri-nin one by one. Wouldn't that be an even bigger loss?
So…
Unless Gengetsu was an idiot, he wouldn't start a fight.
"Dress more impressively?" Uzumaki Jun suggested after some hesitation.
"..."
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
"Hahaha!" The Great Elder could only laugh awkwardly to break the silence. "We old folks won't disturb you any longer."
Then, he led the elders and the clan head away. They were more than happy to see Uzumaki Jun recruiting the Senju Clan. Uzushiogakure was still too weak. If they could gather more clans, perhaps Uzushiogakure really could become the Sixth Great Nation.
Besides, the Senju Clan was a good choice. They had defied the Hokage's orders to come to their aid in such dire times.
Uzumaki Jun watched the elders leave before turning to the somewhat tense Senju members. It seemed they had become uneasy after learning he had defeated a Tailed Beast.
That wouldn't do. He was here to recruit them, not intimidate them.
"Lord Jun," Senju Shukuma spoke first, bowing respectfully. The person before them was a monster capable of fighting a Tailed Beast—and a seven-year-old one at that. Even Lord Hashirama at his age… no, he hadn't been that strong!
Could humans even fight Tailed Beasts?
He didn't even know why he had brought the Senju Clan here to help. Did they really need thirty-something people for support?
Were they just here to shout "666"?
They weren't even needed for that!
The Uzumaki Clan had no shortage of Shadow Clones. They didn't need these few dozen people to cheer.
Though the Uzumaki Clan Head and the Great Elder had hinted at recruiting the Senju Clan…
They still had lingering attachments to Konoha.
Uzumaki Jun could see the hesitation in their eyes. After a moment of silence, he put away his smile and said seriously, "What do you think of Konoha now…"