~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!

  <><><><>

  "Hey—I hear the Uzumaki pound is just up ahead. Should we go pay them a visit? Who knows, we might heir help someday."

  "I think that's a good idea. I hear that Advisojo really likes them. We use this ce to get on his good side."

  "Alright, let's go."

  'Uzumaki?'

  Konan was alerted by the keyword, and she preteo be a casual passerby, tailing them.

  A few moments ter.

  Staring at the imposing mansion before her, Konan's mouth agape, she wondered, "This is the Uzumaki 's pound? In a pce like this? The people of Konoha are so generous?"

  The leader, Uzumaki Shūkan, personally stood at the entrao wele guests, his smile so wide it seemed perma.

  He wasn't sure what was going on—but these past few days, there had been a stant stream of people bringing gifts to visit the Uzumaki .

  Initially, Uzumaki Shūkan was unsure whether he should accept these gifts, but under his daughter Uzumaki Reina's urging, he accepted this bounty of nature without hesitation.

  Uzumaki Reina's reasoning was straightforward: "If you're feeling embarrassed, how Advisojo feel at ease? If you don't express your iion clearly, doesn't that imply that the Uzumaki d Advisojo aren't aligned? When it's time to express yourself, you have to do it openly! Otherwise, it's just awkward for everyone."

  "I've lived long enough to see this day," Uzumaki Shūkan murmured, finally grasping the underlying meaning behind these visits.

  Uzumaki Shūkan was not naive. With his daughter's insightful prompting, he immediately uood the unspoken expectations.

  Fag the endless stream of gift-bearing guests, he accepted everything offered, without exception.

  The oy Uzumaki treasury was rapidly overflowing.

  The Uchiha sent kunai and cash; the Hyuga sent cash and a few deeds from the old ercial district; the Nara sent deer antlers—

  The Uzumaki 's roots were rapidly taking hold in Konoha's soil.

  These gifts, whether intended for the 's own development or as s to Advisojo, were proving to be incredibly valuable aile.

  Just then, Uzumaki Shūkan noticed Konan standing someart, looking slightly lost aant. He gestured to his daughter. "Reina, that dy over there seems a little lost. Go and see if she needs assistance."

  Having just finished work at the hospital, Uzumaki Reina immediately walked towards Konan. "Hello, I help you? I noticed you've been standing here for a while?"

  "I—" Konan was caught off guard and quickly improvised, "I have a friend who is also red-haired."

  "Huh?!" Uzumaki Reina's eyes lit up, and she eagerly took Konan's hand, pulling her into the pound, chattering, "If they're red-haired, they must be part of our Uzumaki . Since you're their friend, you're a friend of the Uzumaki too. e on in!"

  --

  Konan couldn't resist the enthusiasm and was half-pushed, half-pulled by Uzumaki Reina into the front hall for eaining guests.

  "So, about your red-haired friend, are they doing alright now? Where are they currently residing?" Reina inquired with genuine .

  "They're far away," Konan hedged. "He's lost the use of his legs and 't move around anymore. He has to rely on assistive devices to get around."

  "That's terrible" Uzumaki Reina's expression turned somber. She uood the vitality of her own bloodline. Under normal circumstances, losing the use of one's legs shouldn't happen. He must have suffered greatly over the years.

  Kona a pang of bitterness, seeing the few red-haired Shinobi busy in the pound.

  If Nagato had only relinquished his ing hatred, if he hadn't been so determio summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he might now be walking freely among his own kin, just like these Uzumaki members.

  Konan took a deep breath and got straight to the point. "My friee losing his mobility, has bee a very wealthy and iial figure, and he has many powerful Shinobi as his guards."

  "Because he heard that the Uzumaki had returo Konoha, but also that the Uzumaki had suffered Konoha's betrayal in the past, he isn't sure if Konoha is the best choice. I'm here to ask, on behalf of my immobile friend,"

  "If—I mean, hypothetically speaking, if they were to extend an invitation, would you be willing to visit them?"

  "Would you be willing to visit him?" she repeated, her voice hanging in the air.

  After saying this, Konan stared ily at Uzumaki Reina's expression.

  The answer would undoubtedly be a firm refusal. Konan had already anticipated this.

  After all, the Uzumaki had finally escaped their nomadic life and begun to take root in Konoha. Moreover, they had been pced in such a grand mansion by Konoha.

  Konan didn't expect to persuade the Uzumaki her first try. As long as—they showed a flicker of hesitation, a cra their defenses, she could exploit that opening and keep chipping away until the Uzumaki ged sides!

  Little by little, Konan would pry them away.

  If they showed ation at all, if they were pletely loyal to Konoha, which had betrayed them in the past—Konan could use that as an excuse, g she was just joking, and casually brush it off.

  Would there be? A flicker of hesitation?

  Under Konan's hopeful gaze, Uzumaki Reina gave an ahat left Konan stunned—

  Reina was taken aback, her face full of fusion as if she were seeing Konan for the first time. Theood up abruptly, pushed open her door and looked left and right, as if to make sure no one would overhear them.

  Then, Uzumaki Reireated, took Konan's hand, and deliberately lowered her voice, speaking rapidly, "Konan-san—how could you say something like that so casually?"

  "You were just asking if we, the Uzumaki , would be willing to betray Konoha ae with our scattered kin, correct?"

  "I—no, I didn't mean—I was just speaking hypothetically," Konan stammered, backtrag and refusing to aowledge such a dangerously treasonous topic directly.

  --

  "What if there are Anbu shinobi listening? Your careless words could get us both arrested!"

  " I truly trust you, Konan-san?" Reina's unspokeion hung heavy in the air.

  Kona like she was on a rollercoaster. She was getting dizzy from all the twists and turns. inally, seeing the happy smiles on the Uzumaki members' faces, she had lost hope.

  But who knew—

  The tables had turned so dramatically?!

  She hadn't expected the Uzumaki to be so eager to betray Konoha!

  'Were they ag before? Were they just pretending to be happy?'

  Konan was utterly bewildered.

  "Of course not! You're overthinking it!" Konan vehemently denied, unwilling to admit to anything.

  "It was just a hypothetical. Let's not talk about this anymore."

  She decided to py it safe areat.

  "Oh—" Uzumaki Rei out a sigh, as if finally finding someoo fide in.

  "Konan-san, if there really are Uzumaki members outside who have established a new force that belongs to us, we would definitely be willing to go and 'visit.'"

  "But we've already joined Konoha. Every move we make is uhe watchful eyes of the Konoha Military Polid Anbu. Leaving the vilge now would be sidered treason. We—'t leave to iigate, so we only ask Konoha to keep attrag our scattered members to join."

  Konan's eyes were filled with tenderness as she soled her.

  "I uand the difficult position you are in. your s are valid."

  "My visit to the Uzumaki today rimarily to ascertain the general attitude of the Uzumaki people. Rest assured, my friend will e to your rescue! I promise you that!"

  --

  Uzumaki Reina cautiously inquired, her voice barely above a whisper, "Konan-san, may I ask you something—is your friend truly a member of our Uzumaki ?"

  "Does he genuinely possess the power to protect us?"

  "Even if we find a way to sneak out of Konoha, Konoha might follow our trail and track us down, bringing disaster to our Uzumaki ce again."

  "He..." Konan began, about to reveal Nagato's information.

  But she stopped herself, smiling instead.

  "It's not—quite the right time yet. When the moment is ripe for him to lead the Uzumaki to glory, he will utilize a power uo your Uzumaki lio—tact all of you."

  With that enigmatic pronou, Konan stood to depart.

  "I am, after all, merely a traveler, and my presence here for too long might attrawatention to the Uzumaki . My current base of operations is in Yūkaku-jō. If the Uzumaki finds themselves in any difficulty, please, do not hesitate to tact me there!"

  "Farewell, Reina."

  Kona, disappearing into the distance.

  Reina sat there, lost in thought.

  <><><><>

  Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!

  https://p-atreon./dragonnx

  (Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

  There is 9 Exg Fanfics already avaible on my Patreon!