In the Land of Rain, at Yuki's small base.
The four of them were gathered around the table, eating.
"Nagato, you and Sensei have the same last name. Are you from the same clan?" Yahiko asked casually.
"Huh…?" Nagato looked puzzled. Both his parents had red hair, and so did he. Yuki's glossy black hair made him unsure.
By now, Yuki had fully grown, her appearance striking. Combined with her deliberately calm demeanor, she seemed especially charming.
"I have Uzumaki blood, but only half," Yuki said with a smile. She inherited her father's massive chakra and the Adamantine Chains, while her younger brother inherited his mother's Byakugan.
"I see." Yahiko didn't understand ninja clans. To him, it seemed like any clans could intermarry.
Nagato stayed silent. He was born in a small ninja village, also shaped by war like the Land of Rain. But without a powerful ninja like Hanzo, it had been destroyed. He didn't know what the Land of Whirlpools was like and dared not judge it.
"Sensei, here." Konan noticed the tense atmosphere and folded a paper flower, giving it to Yuki.
"Later, I'll guide you all in your training," Yuki said to the three. These kids had been too weak before, so she had made sure they ate well. Nagato had just arrived, but his strong genetic potential was already enough to sustain him.
Her impatience was simple to understand. She had once boasted in front of her father, only to end up playing house in the Land of Rain. It frustrated her.
Her days became routine: teaching three disciples, integrating Nagato, guiding daily training, eating, and sleeping together, continuing for a year.
Watching the three defeat her clone, Yuki smiled. "You've defeated my clone. Now you can stand on your own."
"Yuki-sensei."
"Please don't go," Konan said, rushing into Yuki's arms.
Yahiko's eyes filled with tears. As a boy, he couldn't run into a woman's embrace. Nagato stayed silent, but their gentle care felt like a warm spring breeze.
"Sorry, Sensei also has duties. I gave my word to my father. Besides, you've grown strong enough," Yuki said, gently ruffling their heads.
Then she left without looking back. After so many years of traveling, Yuki had matured and understood the scale of what Ren had accomplished.
He had turned the Land of Whirlpools into a paradise people longed for. While wars raged outside, the Land of Whirlpools lived in peace. She didn't think she could achieve something like that.
This time, she would go to the Land of Iron, another neutral nation, to see firsthand why it became neutral.
…
After developing agriculture, Ren naturally moved on to industry. Though Detective Ren was not very noticeable, his technological innovations were undeniable and brought great convenience. Factories sprang up one after another.
Honestly, it was a waste to use ninjutsu only for war instead of technological development. Factories saved resources, provided jobs, and even common people could earn money. This allowed the people of the Land of Whirlpools to live fulfilling lives.
The constant strengthening of the Land of Whirlpools naturally squeezed the living space of other countries.
As the most important source of income for ninja, nearly all missions had been taken over by the Land of Whirlpools, but Ren was still alive, so these countries dared not act recklessly.
Population, money, and food forced the Land of Wind and Earth to find reasons to go to war with Konoha again. After all, Konoha's geographical resources were even better than the Land of Whirlpools'.
"Father, will sister be coming back?" Yuto had grown as well, but he leaned more toward research.
Ever since following Ren into industry, he had grown increasingly fond of it. He wore glasses all the time and wanted to replicate all the technology he saw.
"She will probably return after this war is over," Ren said softly. From observing White Zetsu, he had developed a technique to sense them.
This technique could be learned by ordinary people and did not rely on Kurama's malicious perception.
"War? Father, is another war about to start?" Yuto immediately became interested. As a child, he had witnessed the horrors of war while traveling with his father. Unlike Yuki, he wondered about the reasons for the conflict.
"Yes, the current situation is unstable. You can even see it from the missions."
"Missions? The missions from the Land of Whirlpools are very stable, and there are more than before," Yuto replied after thinking for a moment.
"But the number of missions issued is limited, and all countries compete for them. You know what that means, don't you?" Ren explained patiently.
"No missions, no money, which leads to too many ninja and a shortage of food," Yuto quickly understood. The land of Wind and Earth were not suitable for growing crops, so fewer missions were extremely dangerous.
But no one dared provoke the Land of Whirlpools. The Land of Lightning was already history, still fresh in their memories. Naturally, the Land of Fire, rich in resources, became the target.
"It's almost time to act," Ren muttered. After developing the sensing technique for White Zetsu, he had traveled to many places but still found no trace of him.
Thinking about White Zetsu's next targets, he decided to focus on the Third Ninja World War. Watching one person was far easier than chasing White Zetsu.
The ninja world grew increasingly tense. The Third Ninja World War began with conflicts between the Land of Earth and Fire, and gradually, the Land of Wind and Water joined in. Soon, the entire ninja world was engulfed in war.
Yuki watched the war break out. She wanted to participate, but thinking of her identity as a citizen of the Land of Whirlpools, she clenched her fists. If she joined, the Land of Whirlpools' neutral status would be at risk.
Looking at the forehead protector of the Land of Whirlpools in her hand, she drew a line across it with a kunai. She was determined to take part in this war. Even if it seemed like betraying her nation, she could do what her father could do.
The Land of Water.
"Finally, the war has begun," Black Zetsu said with a sinister smile. Because of Ren's presence, he had to change his plans.
Ren had captured White Zetsu for research, which could reveal too much. He could not expose himself, not even to the one selected by Madara. He would not approach lightly.
The intelligence from the Land of Rain reported that the plan was progressing smoothly. Next, they would destroy the bonds they had created. Nagato, who had transplanted the Rinnegan, and Ren's daughter Yuki were certain to break.
But entrusting Uchiha Obito to White Zetsu made him a little uneasy. White Zetsu's unpredictability was well-known.
After that, Black Zetsu didn't plan to interfere and left things to fate. Though someone like Obito was rare, Uchiha were not extinct.
Many people were already scheming over this war. The news of Uzumaki Yuki wandering the ninja world had long spread across the countries. Besides Konoha's resources, several nations had set their sights on her.
The Land of Whirlpools.
At this moment, civilians, jonin, and elites from various clans had gathered.
"Hey, Shikaku, what's going on? Why did they call us here?" Akimichi Choza asked, glancing at the man next to him.
"It should be about the upcoming war. I'm afraid the Land of Whirlpools is about to end its neutral status," Shikaku quickly guessed the truth.
"A war?" Kushina interjected.
"Yes," Shikaku nodded.
"Then Shikaku, why would the Land of Whirlpools join this war? What do we hope to gain?" Kushina asked, curious.
Shikaku began to think. Resources, commissions, food—they had no shortage of any of these.
Attacking other countries made little sense. Then a possibility occurred to him, one that made his heart race.
**********
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