A week later
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
Three figures blurred through the massive trees in the forest at unnatural speed.
"Are you sure this is the right direction, young master?" Karin asked, jumping beside Akashi, Meguru of the Kinoe clan was following on the other side.
"Of course, I have the entire memories of the Juzo in a corner of my mind, I know where we are going, we will be there in a few hours," Akashi explained
"Is that safe?" Meguru asked, a little surprised by Akashi's statement. "I mean, to have another memory in your head, our memories are what influence our choices, right?"
Meguru was a little afraid that Akashi would stop being himself; he was the man their clan had decided to follow after all.
"Don't worry about that, that's safely locked behind layer and layers of protection, plus I have plans for it,"
"You have plans for everything, mew jutsu, new seals, new studies, I hope you have plans for what the old man is going to say when he learn that you left the village without permission to make contact with the clan that he told you he would not accept in the village." Akashi listened to Karin's complaints without a word. He knew that she didn't like to disobey her grandfather.
"I don't intend to bring them in, at least not for a while. Your grandfather was right, we barely have three thousand ninjas now, even Suna had about ten thousand. We are gonna need more workforce, and a few more years of preparation,"
"Yeah we know that, what does that have to do with that trip," she asked
"Who knows how long we are gonnw be able to stay hidden, another one of our shops has been attacked and more have been put under constant surveillance by the ninja village, they are gonna realize that we use space-time ninjutsu for delivery,"
"Even if they do, how can they stop it how are they going to find us, plus the Daimyo won't allow them to run completely wild, it's against their interest,"
"There are countless jutsu in this world, they will find a way, and that's not like the Daimyos like us, don't forget that they approved the previous attacks on Uzushiogakure if they find where we are they will once again give authorization to destroy, to retrieve all the money that we are making now,"
He explained, and Karin had to admit that he was right, if they approved their destruction, they would do it again.
"So what's your plan,"
"We are going to outsource a little... oh?".
Seeing Akashi focused his attention elsewhere, Karin realized that he had detected something.
"What is it?" She asked
"I think they found them, the Juzos and it looks like the animals of this forest also found us," You barely ended that his sentence went in a powerful Roar, it could be heard in their ears.
Boom
Around the monsters of all sight Skype a peer in the light line of sight
"Adamantine chains"
Karin said and from her back huge glowing chains erupted.
Bam
Before they could reach them, if you were already struck down, the chains went straight to the flesh, impaling them.
Blood erupted from the Beast bath before wrenching the vegetation around them.
"You are getting better at using those chains, I am glad to see that," Akashi said with a smirk on his face as a two-meter-tall lion lunged at him.
"With all the training that you are subjecting me to, that's a given," she replied, flinging the beasts' empalled on her chains away before targeting others.
Roar
Akashi looked at the huge cat lunging at him with contempt, his little fist shouting out.
Boom splurt
Before it realized what happened, the lion's huge head burst open, and blood, brains, and bones shot away like projectiles.
"Good, I really hate when people waste potential,"
Before the other creatures could realize what happened, Akashi flickered toward a spider-like creature.
Grabbing one of its hairy legs, he used it like a weapon to pummel the other creatures around him.
"Hurgg," Karin gagged, seeing that "How can you touch those creatures with your hands?" she complained, using her chains as a weapon to destroy all the other creatures from afar.
"And why are you suddenly fighting like a barbarian?"
She questioned seeing how he was brutalizing the beast around him and seeing his blood-stained hands.
"To surprise all opponents I need to be proficient in multiple fighting styles," Akashi said
Karin could imagine what he had in mind, tricking all enemies into thinking that he preferred long-range fighters, and the moments they manage to bridge the gap eliminate them decisively,
"Huh, I can imagine,"
Beside them, Meguru had unfolded a small scroll
Boom
From it, a wave of blood red water from the valley of hell erupted, swallowing everything, the massive trees and the beasts surrounding him. In an instant, he had changed the environment into something advantageous to them.
Meguru's eyes turned blood red as he activated his ketsuryugan.
Akashi and Karin, seeing that, knew that he had decided to handle it; he had received Akashi's personal guidance and insights, and he wanted to test it.
Under everyone gazed the beasts that had been washed away by the wave were coming back in force.
"Water eruption: piercing blood,"
Swish swish splurts
In an instant, all the approaching creatures were impaled before they could reach their level.
"Impressive, little Meguru, you have made so much progress in just a few months, that's incredible," Karin shouted in excitement.
The techniques were something that Akashi had recommended to him, inspired by Gaara's sand manipulation.
With a sealing scroll, he always has his special water in his possession, what remained was to better his chakra quantity and control.
"I still have a lot to learn," Meguru replied
"Since when did you start calling him little Meguru? He is older than you!"
"Haha, I don't mind!!" He said with a genuine smile, with a hand seal, the red water floated toward the scroll in his hand before he sealed again.
"See he doesn't mind, don't make it a big deal, young master."
'Is it me or is she becoming a little disrespectful lately,'
"huh,"
Soon they reached a big tree, a little bigger than the other but not enough to draw much attention.
"I thought it would be bigger?" Meguru said looking at the tree
"It's only the entrance of the base," they live underground, Akashi responded, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Seeing the direction of his gaze, Karin understood, activating her mind's eye, she felt the chakra of multiple individuals there.
"There are seals around, they must be to hide them,"
Akashi nodded to her words, a normal ninja wouldn't be able to notice anything even if he was standing in front of the entrance, but for a Uzumaki it was meaningless.
"Let's get in," Meguru said, but before he could walk in Akashi interrupted.
"No need, they're already coming,"
Just as he ended his sentence.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh
A few ninjas appeared all around Akashi and his two comrades.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
A group of tall and burly ninjas appeared beside them, Kunai in their hands, ready to kill them.
"You must be the people of the Juzos clan, how nice to meet you, my name is Uzumaki Akashi, and I am here to make you an offer,"
Hearing him the expression of the Juzos changed drastically,
"How do you know who we are?"
"They came for us!"
"We need to silence them!"
Whoosh
That sentence barely ended when one of them immediately shouted, lunging himself toward Akashi's group, with Kunai in his hands, ready to finish them quickly, after all, it was about the safety of their entire clan.
Unfortunately
Bang
With a single punch, the Juzos ninja was sent flying back, crashing on the ground.
"Mio!!"
They shouted, flickering beside their injured clansmen, but seeing their clansmen, a chunin-level ninja so easily slapped away, shocked them for an instant, but they quickly regained control of their emotions.
With greater focus and killing intent, they moved to eliminate their Akashi for his action.
"Stop!!! I'm not here to fight," Akashi said with his hands up in mock surrender.
"Like I said, my name is Uzumaki Akashi, and I am here to make you an offer. I want you to work for me, I want to study you to..."
"Study us?!" An angry shout resounded from one of the join standing beside them. Hearing that Akashi wanted to study them made him furious.
The chakra and bloodlust of all the ninjas present engulfed them.
Akashi fully released his own chakra.
Boom
The expression of everyone changed as they were engulfed by a massive wave of chakra.
'So heavy!'
The chakra released by Akashi was so heavy that it physically pressed on the Juzos clansmen, stopping them from moving.
The ground below Akashi crashed, and even animals flew away feeling that chakra.
But in a second the pressure disappeared as Akashi retracted his chakra.
"If I wanted to use you like near guinea pigs I would be able to do so, I want a partnership, I will help you obtain many things like food, money, other luxuries and maybe I will even be able to help you move your bloodline sickness, you will just need to submit to me and my clan,"
'His chakra is so great it dwarfs that of an elite jonin,'
"Liar, that curse has been part of our clan for hundreds of years, you think that a mere kid will be able to change that,"
One of the chunin-level ninjas screamed at the same time, a strange change started on the ninja, his body changed, and his chakra swelled to that of a jonin.
In an instant, a monster-like creature appeared in the group.
"Do you think chakra makes you so great, we have that too,"
With a roar, he lunged toward Akashi, who had a strange glint in his eyes.
"Perfect timing," Akashi said, activating his Sharingan.
And at the same time, a sealing pattern appeared on the chunin, and he found himself unable to move.
"Well, how about we discuss the terms of our partnership,"