Kado was taken completely by surprise. The next Uchiha? If he hadn't known the Land of Grass was just a small, remote country, he might have believed it.
After all the years and battles with the Uchiha, the clan no longer cared about rivalry. All they wanted was a normal life. He had expected that before fully joining the Land of Grass, the Chinoike would have to do some dirty work first, that was the way of the shinobi world.
No country or village just accepted a group of rogue shinobi without a reason, unless they were useful as tools. But now…
Maybe joining the Land of Grass wasn't such a bad idea after all, if everything on these papers was true. A tired but hopeful smile flickered across Kado's worn face, a spark of determination shining through.
He studied the documents carefully and asked, "Rights and… obligations? What kind of duties does the Chinoike clan have to fulfill?"
"That's part of being a shinobi citizen of the Land of Grass," Charlie explained seriously.
"Anyone under our protection has certain rights, but they also have responsibilities to match. It's not just about the Chinoike clan's duties, this paper lists all the rights and obligations for everyone involved. You can go through it yourself."
Kado skimmed the papers, feeling more struck by how ordinary it all seemed than surprised. Wasn't it only natural for the shinobis of Kusagakure to protect their country and village's interests? But then he thought about kumogakure…
"As long as you're a citizen of the Land of Grass, we'll protect you," Charlie said firmly.
Right now, even Kumogakure probably doesn't care about the Chinoike clan anymore. The Third Great shinobi War had started not long after the second one ended, and Kumogakure was one of the fighters.
Their focus was likely on preparing for battle, with no time or interest in a clan that had been abandoned years ago. Besides, the Land of Grass still had the Uzumaki clan, a group the entire shinobi world was hunting.
One more clan, the Chinoike, wouldn't make much difference. Charlie's words resonated with Kado, and a respectful smile spread across his face as he replied, "Yes! Lord Charlie!"
Recruiting the Chinoike clan to the Land of Grass was a success.
"All right!" Charlie beamed, ready to send the Chinoike clan off to their new home when suddenly,
A Kusa shinobi rushed in, bowing respectfully. "Lord Charlie, Mujie has sent word. They've found a group of about fifty Uzumaki clan members!"
Charlie's smile grew wider. "Found them? Were you able to bring them back to the Land of Grass?"
"Well… Mujie's message said they ran into some trouble." The shinobi hesitated before adding, "That group of Uzumaki clan members is currently inside the Land of Fire. They're being watched by some mysterious shinobis. Mujie says they don't have the ability to bring them back right now."
Charlie's expression tensed.
***
A little earlier, in a small, remote town in the Land of Fire, a young girl with short black hair looked worried and uncertain as she faced a woman with long, flowing blonde hair.
Finally, she bit her lip and said, "Lady Tsunade, you can't keep going on like this."
She'd only been out for about a month, but what had she experienced in that short time? Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin and a hero of the Second Great shinobi War, was starting to unravel under the weight of her grief. She was sinking deeper into gambling, laughing off her losses as if they didn't matter.
If it weren't for the fact that Tsunade was usually so strong, it might've seemed like her grief had completely broken her. "I'm sure Uncle Dan wouldn't want to see you like this, and… well…" The girl hesitated, clearly embarrassed. "If you keep losing like this, we're going to run out of money!"
"Hahaha! Run out of money? Shizune, you're really underestimating me!" Tsunade laughed heartily, pinching the little girl beside her as if all her sadness had vanished. "The money Grandpa, Second Grandpa, and Grandma Mito left me, plus the houses in the village, I could spend forever and never run dry!"
"But, but…"
"No buts! Listen, Shizune, don't worry, I'll never run out of money! Not in this lifetime!"
She waved her hand dismissively, then glanced toward the nearby gambling hall and snorted. Those people who called her a fat sheep? She was going to teach them a lesson today!
Rolling up her sleeves, she was about to march inside when she noticed a crowd gathered a short distance away. She paused. "Why are so many people here? Is it a new gambling hall?"
Before she could ask more, a booming voice announced:
"Grand opening special! Grass Country's shinobi world blockbuster is now showing!
Experience a brand-new thrill and witness the style of the gambling god!Just one ryo to enter! The first hundred visitors get a free bucket of popcorn!"
"Gambling god? Movie? What's going on?"
Tsunade was stunned. She pushed through the crowd and froze when she saw the large promotional poster. "Uzumaki?"
Curious, Tsunade led Shizune inside the room. It was a newly built, sealed-off space, still a bit rough around the edges.
Many people were looking around with puzzled expressions. The room was closed off, filled with dozens of chairs, and had a huge white screen at the front.
Nothing especially unusual, right? But wait... what exactly is a movie? And what's this "Gambler Den"? It must have something to do with Gambling!
"Tsunade-sama, here's the popcorn they sent!" Shizune said softly, still looking a bit uneasy with so many people gathered together. She gave a shy smile to those nearby and lowered her voice. "I just noticed... there are shinobis from Kusagakure here."
"Do you know what they're doing? Whatever…, it's none of our business now that I've left Konoha," Tsunade replied casually, grabbing a handful of the so-called free popcorn from the side and popping it into her mouth.
Her eyes lit up immediately. "Huh, this actually tastes pretty good! Did they add sugar and milk or something?"
Curious, she glanced at the paper cup in her hand and immediately recognized a familiar figure, a red-haired kid.
'Wasn't this the boy who was taken by Kusagakure shinobis last time?' He was holding a cup of milk in his left hand and giving a thumbs-up with his right.
Next to him, the text read:
"Kusagakure Selected Milk: Every high-quality cow is carefully raised and receives massages from professional taijutsu shinobis!"
"Mom, you don't have to worry about my nutrition anymore!"
Tsunade fell silent, baffled. What the heck was this? Taijutsu shinobis giving massages to cows?
What on earth was Kusagakure up to? You have to understand, nowadays the best milk in the shinobi world basically comes from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. The tiny Kusagakure had no claim to premium milk.