"The Uzumaki Clan?"
Not only did Danzo freeze upon hearing this news, but Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also visibly taken aback.
The Uzumaki Clan had been annihilated and its nation destroyed a decade ago. The scattered survivors struggled across the ninja world, reportedly living in poor conditions. Due to their unique constitution, many were forcibly captured by other villages when discovered. So how could they now so boldly establish a trade association?
"What is this Uzumaki Trade Association?" Danzo asked with a frown. Lately, his focus had been on monitoring the training progress of his Wood Release operatives and gathering intelligence on enemy nations, leaving him out of touch with domestic happenings within the Land of Fire.
Moreover, Root rarely collected information about merchants or wealthy individuals unless funding was involved. This meant Danzo remained oblivious even as computers and ninja games had started selling in Konoha.
At this moment, Koharu Utatane spoke up to explain
"The Uzumaki Trade Association first appeared in Tanzaku Town and later expanded to the capital. It's a business focused on selling computers and ninja-themed games."
"In these games, they've even included depictions of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi, as well as other renowned figures from Konoha. While it's unclear how popular they are elsewhere, they've garnered a fair amount of attention within Konoha."
"The First Hokage? A mere merchant dares to make games about the legendary Hokages?" Danzo's expression soured further upon hearing this.
"Danzo, this is beneficial to Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe and spoke slowly,
"Children who play these games are awestruck by the First Hokage's efforts in ending the Warring States period. More and more young people are beginning to admire Konoha and aspire to be Hokages themselves. This helps spread Konoha's reputation and ideals."
Aspire to be Hokage? What about me, the foundation of Konoha? Danzo's displeasure grew as he processed Hiruzen's perspective. It made sense now—since the Third Hokage himself was featured in the game, he likely didn't mind. Imagine if there were a game glorifying Danzo's deeds. Even he wouldn't want to stop its circulation.
"If it were just a trade association, even one connected to the Uzumaki Clan, I wouldn't bring it up," Hiruzen continued, his tone more serious. "But this Uzumaki woman is not so simple..." Hiruzen unrolled a scroll, revealing recent intelligence gathered by the ANBU.
"Take a look. This woman, Ayaka Uzumaki, is exceptionally skilled in medical ninjutsu—so much so that in all of Konoha, only Tsunade could rival her." To assess her abilities, the ANBU had even injured one of the Uzumaki Trade Association's partners.
Based on the nature and size of the wounds, the recovery time, and other factors, Ayaka Uzumaki's skills were summarized and reported to Hiruzen.
What Hiruzen didn't know was that Ayaka's special chakra could even reattach a person cut in half, a trait unrelated to her medical ninjutsu but tied to her unique constitution.
"Such advanced medical ninjutsu…"
Koharu Utatane, herself experienced in medical ninjutsu, fell silent after reviewing the report. From the injury details, recovery speed, and overall healing results, it was clear Ayaka's abilities far surpassed her own, by more than a little.
If she were to handle similar wounds, even with Mystical Palm Technique, it would be impossible to achieve such results in so little time. Homura Mitokado speculated aloud
"Hiruzen, are you suggesting we reach out to her?"
Being an Uzumaki, Ayaka naturally had a predisposed connection to Konoha. She was still young and might not know about the clan's past. With Kushina Uzumaki in Konoha, there was also the possibility of familial ties between the two.
"I intend to ask Kushina about her. If possible, I'd like to invite Ayaka Uzumaki to visit Konoha," Hiruzen explained slowly. "If Kushina can persuade her to join us and perhaps even settle down and start a family here, Konoha's medical system could fill the gap left by Tsunade's departure."
"I'll handle it, Hiruzen," Danzo offered. But Hiruzen immediately declined.
"No need, Danzo. I'll discuss this with Kushina personally. Besides, Root has other missions to attend to."
Damn you, Hiruzen!
Danzo cursed inwardly, seething with resentment. Few individuals of interest ever ended up in Root, thanks to Hiruzen's constant interference under the guise of his Hokage authority. "Very well then, I'll leave it to you, Hokage," Danzo replied coldly before sitting back, vowing silently to strengthen his Wood Release forces and one day claim the title of Hokage himself.
---
The next morning, Hyuga Mirai visited Konoha Hospital, effortlessly healing two injured patients before leaving amidst the praise of other medical ninjas. He then headed straight to his laboratory.
Today, he planned to experiment with developing Sage Mode. If unsuccessful, he would turn to other experiments.
Mirai activated his communicator and connected with Unit 18.
When the blonde woman's image appeared on the screen, Mirai spoke directly "Unit 18, I need your computational power to help simulate this experiment."
"Understood, sir. I can allocate up to 52% of computational resources without affecting office operations or weapon systems development."
"That's sufficient. My shadow clone will record the data while you handle the calculations."
Given the risks associated with natural energy, Mirai dared not deploy too many clones for fear of losing control.
Once the sealing techniques and equipment were in place, Mirai activated the Spirit Transformation Technique, allowing his soul to detach from his body and rise above.
In this ethereal state, he focused on replicating his prior experience, gradually attracting natural energy toward his soul.
"As expected, the Four Symbols Sealing Array can detect the presence of natural energy. Now, all that remains is to let my body absorb it. If successful, this will mark significant progress..."
While his clones documented the fluctuations in the sealing array, Unit 18 began its computational analysis.
The natural energy within the array steadily increased, and Mirai's soul felt lighter and more expansive, as if he could perceive events miles away with a single thought.
"Sir, your soul's integrity is declining. I recommend immediately disengaging the Spirit Transformation Technique," Unit 18's calm voice echoed in the room, snapping Mirai back to reality.
"Release!"
Without hesitation, Mirai ended the technique, but not before using Yin Release chakra to bring some natural energy back to his body. The moment his consciousness returned, Mirai's physical state underwent numerous changes.
He quickly formed hand seals to balance the three energies within him: natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy. But the natural energy was too sparse and unruly. Within moments, it dissipated.
Although the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, it wasn't without merit. Mirai had gathered a wealth of valuable data.
"Unit 18?"
"Sir, I am currently calculating optimal methods for absorbing natural energy. Completion of the analysis will take 472 minutes," Unit 18 responded through the communicator.
(Chapter End)
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