In Shikkotsu Forest, on a lot.
Six-Tails Saiken was lying flat on its back, lazily sunbathing. Since Heiyan captured and brought it here, after initial panic and resistance, it had quickly... fallen in love with this place.
Because it discovered that life here was much better than in the world of shinobi! For Saiken, there was no longer fear of being sealed or controlled, becoming a weapon for war. Instead, every day was carefree—just one word could describe it: fun.
Moreover, Katsuyu, also a member of the slug clan, was a gentle and kind elder who never gave it any trouble.
If it had known there was such a paradise earlier, Saiken would have probably eagerly come searching for Heiyan long ago, begging him to mercifully bring it here.
Suddenly.
Whoosh!
A huge shadow suddenly appeared out of nowhere in midair and plummeted, crashing down onto Saiken.
Feeling pain, Saiken immediately became furious, about to spit out acid at the unexpected visitor atop it—but then it noticed… the other looked familiar.
It was Seven-Tails Chomei.
The two tailed beasts locked eyes, both momentarily stunned.
"You were captured too?" Saiken finally blurted after a moment of silence.
"Hmph," Chomei snorted, blowing twin jets of white vapor from its nose before rolling off Saiken. Without acknowledging the latter, it turned its fearful gaze toward Heiyan nearby.
Heiyan glanced at the two tailed beasts, and both immediately froze in terror.
Then, Heiyan explained the situation to Sage Slug who arrived upon hearing the noise, entrusting her to keep watch over these two tailed beasts.
This was no problem for Katsuyu. After all, Shikkotsu Forest was her territory—even if the Nine-Tails, the strongest of them all, came, it wouldn't be able to cause real trouble.
Next, Heiyan came to the edge of the crater lake.
On the misty lakeshore stood a colossal tree bathed in sunlight, its branches swaying gently in the breeze. Beneath it, Tsunade sat cross-legged with closed eyes, cultivating. Her body was like a black hole, devouring light as she rapidly absorbed the surrounding Natural Energy. The scene between person and tree exuded peaceful harmony—a beauty reflecting unity with heaven itself.
"Thanks to this massive tree, Tsunade might be training her Sage Mode even faster than I did..."
Heiyan mused to himself.
Looks like he needed to step up his efforts too.
Thinking thus, he wasted no time lingering, using the formation set up by Sage Slug at First Hokage's old residence to return directly to Konoha.
Upon returning to the village, Heiyan didn't rest at all, heading straight toward the mountains behind Konoha.
He returned again to Root's hidden laboratory, finding it already rebuilt—and sure enough, Orochimaru was indeed here.
"Heiyan-kun, how can I assist you today?"
Orochimaru opened his arms warmly to welcome Heiyan, greeting him respectfully.
Without Heiyan, he wouldn't have replaced Danzo and become leader of Root. Besides, so long as he stayed close to Heiyan, once Third retired and Heiyan succeeded as Hokage, he would naturally become number two in Konoha.
Thus, the pragmatic Orochimaru definitely intended to stick closely to Heiyan.
"I've got something here for you to research."
As he spoke, Heiyan took out a gourd filled with Hero Water and explained briefly to Orochimaru.
"Hero Water?"
The moment Orochimaru heard this, his interest was immediately piqued.
Inside the laboratory.
Orochimaru conducted a series of tests on the bottle of Hero Water using various instruments, finally placing it under the microscope and observing it intently.
"Did you find anything?" Heiyan asked.
"This indeed contains poison."
Orochimaru raised his head, explaining enthusiastically to Heiyan, "Once someone drinks this water, those toxins will flow through the bloodstream to the heart, causing cardiac paralysis and severe damage, ultimately stopping the heartbeat. How terrifying."
"Can the toxin be separated?" Heiyan asked again.
"I can give it a try."
Orochimaru licked his lips, visibly eager. At the same time, he didn't hesitate to flatter Heiyan by saying,
"Having said that, even if we separate the toxin, an ordinary person drinking the Hero Water would find their meridians and acupoints unable to withstand such massive chakra energy. But for you, Heiyan, it's naturally a different story altogether."
"Then I'll leave it to you. The sooner, the better."
After saying this, Heiyan cast a glance at Orochimaru before turning and leaving.
By giving Orochimaru the Hero Water, he was testing him. If Orochimaru could prove his loyalty, Heiyan might actually consider giving him Black Zetsu's severed arm for research next time.
Ten minutes later.
Heiyan returned home and lay down on the sofa, preparing to rest a bit. During these few days away from Konoha, saving a Taki ninja, capturing the Seven-Tails, and relocating the colossal tree had truly exhausted him.
However, before Heiyan could even close his eyes for a short nap, Azure Fox hurried in, speaking in an anxious tone:
"It's urgent—something serious has happened. The Uzumaki clan has gotten into a conflict."
"Don't panic. Explain clearly—who are they fighting against?"
Upon hearing this, Heiyan opened his eyes, not particularly surprised by the news.
After all, the Uzumaki clan were famously fiercely proud and combative, and many members had suffered inner trauma after recently experiencing a brutal war. It was understandable that tensions might flare upon their first arrival in Konoha.
Luckily, with Heiyan's current status in Konoha, every shinobi clan in Konoha respected his authority.
"It seems to be... people from the Daimyo's Mansion," Azure Fox answered gravely, his expression grim.
"Oh?"
Finally sitting up straight on the sofa, Heiyan expressed genuine surprise.
In this world, the most powerful entities weren't the Kage of various villages, but rather the Daimyos ruling each country. They governed billions of ordinary people across the lands, funding the shinobi villages as military forces while also entrusting them with numerous missions.
Even more often than not, the appointment of a Kage required approval from the respective Daimyo.
The most striking memory for Heiyan was how even Tsunade—now the Fifth Hokage—had remained deeply subservient to the Fire Daimyo, who had even openly threatened to erase Leaf Village from existence.
Reflecting on this, Heiyan calmly questioned Azure Fox,
"What business does the Daimyo's Mansion have here in Konoha?"
"How did you end up in conflict with the Uzumaki clan?"
"Well... it seems to be related to territorial issues regarding Uzu Country. Since you've been away from the village these past few days, Senior Ashina Uzumaki and representatives from the Fire Daimyo's Mansion conducted initial negotiations. But I heard things went very poorly between them."
Azure Fox shared all the information she had gathered.
After her explanation, Uzumaki Heiyan roughly understood what had happened.
Following the battle at Uzugakure and the entire Uzumaki clan relocating to Konoha, Uzu Country ceased to exist as a nation, though its territory still remained.
Therefore, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed to the Daimyo's Mansion that the Land of Fire should assume control of Uzu Country's territory, incorporate it into their domain, and provide the Uzumaki clan with fair financial compensation.
The intention behind this proposal was undoubtedly good, and both the Uzumaki clan and the Fire Daimyo's Mansion readily agreed.
However, judging by current developments, disagreements had arisen during the specific negotiation stages.
"Let's go."
Uzumaki Heiyan stood up, walked out the door, and headed straight for the Hokage Tower.
Five minutes later,
Knock knock.
Uzumaki Heiyan knocked on the door of the Hokage office before stepping inside.
The moment he entered, he felt the heavy tension in the room. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat leaning back in his chair, pipe still in hand, while Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado stood respectively on his left and right.
On the right side of the desk stood several Uzumaki elders led by Ashina Uzumaki, as well as Kushina, who crossed her arms with a clearly disgruntled expression.
On the opposite side stood a young boy dressed in fine clothes, his face bruised and nose swollen, looking like he'd just been beaten up. Two maids stood beside him, desperately trying to soothe his loud crying.
But the final figure caught Uzumaki Heiyan's attention.
It was a man in his early forties, wearing silk robes and holding a folding fan, his skin smooth and fair — clearly someone born into luxury.
"That's Konoha Shin. I heard he's the Fire Daimyo's most favored retainer. He's the one sent by the Daimyo's Mansion to negotiate with the Uzumaki clan."
Azure Fox quietly explained beside Uzumaki Heiyan.
"Uzumaki Heiyan, you're here."
When Hiruzen saw Uzumaki Heiyan, his eyes lit up and he rose from his seat.
"Clan Head,"
Ashina Uzumaki and the others also looked pleased, stepping forward to greet him and lining up beside Uzumaki Heiyan. For everyone present, Uzumaki Heiyan, their young clan leader, was their pillar of support.
Konoha Shin, however, remained firmly seated. He regarded Uzumaki Heiyan with an amused smile, then unfurled his fan and lazily fanned himself as he chuckled:
"So this is Uzumaki Heiyan, first among the Konoha Sannin? Indeed, a hero emerges from the youth; your bearing is truly extraordinary."
His tone was slow and deliberate, giving off an air of affected elegance.
Perhaps this was simply how aristocrats spoke.
"Flattery doesn't become you, sir."
Uzumaki Heiyan replied calmly, showing no sign of deference. "I arrived late, my apologies, Clan Head. I've heard there was some unpleasantness. May I ask what exactly occurred?"
"Oh dear."
Konoha Shin listened, then immediately supported his forehead with his hand, rubbing his temple with his thumb. He deliberately ignored Heiyan for a while before finally speaking again.
"Heiyan, you have no idea how much trouble your Uzumaki clan has caused for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire," Konoha Shin said.
"Oh? Please elaborate."
Heiyan remained calm and composed, even going so far as to find a chair and sit down, quietly watching the other's performance.
Seeing this gesture from Heiyan, Konoha Shin's eyebrows immediately furrowed, his tone turning much darker as he coldly continued, "Don't you realize that the Daimyos of the Land of Water, Land of Lightning, and several other smaller nations have all sent letters to the Daimyo's Mansion, putting tremendous pressure on us? They claim they'll sever diplomatic ties with us if the Land of Fire continues to stubbornly protect the Uzumaki clan. So tell me, can your Uzumaki really be considered welcomed by anyone?"
"Is that so?" Heiyan smiled coolly and shot back immediately, "During this war, without the great sacrifices made by the Uzumaki clan driving back the enemy coalition forces, not only Water and Lightning countries, but perhaps Wind and Earth nations would've already launched full-scale invasions into the Land of Fire.
Moreover, since the Mist and Cloud Countries suffered major defeats, it's obvious they won't be happy about seeing the Uzumaki joining Konoha. That would only make Konoha even stronger, wouldn't it?
Surely the lords at the Daimyo's Mansion aren't ignorant enough to overlook such a simple truth."
His words were logical, incisive—and spared Konoha Shin no dignity.
Unfortunately, Heiyan had always despised two-faced schemers like this man.
"Hehehe." Facing Heiyan's questioning tone, Konoha Shin gave a grin that didn't reach his eyes—offering nothing but a cold, mocking chuckle without even attempting a real response. Instead, he mockingly declared from a superior position: "Diplomatic maneuvering between powerful nations isn't as simple as you imagine. You kids are simply too naive and uninformed."
As soon as these words flew out,
Hearing Konoha Shin so directly mocking their clan leader, every single Uzumaki flared up in anger, clenching their fists and glaring with burning eyes.
Heiyan raised a hand, signaling his clansmen to stay calm. At this point, he was also tired of beating around the bush with someone like Konoha Shin, so he directly asked the man a question: "So then, what decision did the Daimyo's Mansion make?"
"I must say, you're all very fortunate because our Land of Fire's Daimyo is an unusually merciful ruler. Regarding whether or not the Uzumaki clan should remain, the Daimyo gave you two choices."
Konoha Shin finally revealed his hand, raising two fingers dramatically as he announced to Heiyan and the others:
"First, the Daimyo's Mansion can allocate three hundred million taels to purchase the territory of Uzu Country. But the Uzumaki clan cannot continue staying within the Land of Fire—you are to leave within one week, avoiding further troubles for our nation.
Second, the Land of Fire is willing to assume considerable risk in sheltering the Uzumaki clan, offering protection under Konoha. Correspondingly, however, the territory of Uzu Country must be freely handed over to the Daimyo's Mansion for management."
"What audacity! How outrageous!" Ashina Uzumaki and others became even angrier upon hearing this.
Anyone with half a brain could tell—the Land of Fire not only refuses to recognize the Uzumaki's sacrifices, but wants to take advantage of their weakness and snatch Uzu Country's territory for free.
The Daimyo's Mansion had the Uzumaki clan boxed in, leaving them nowhere to run. If they ever left the Land of Fire, they would face assassination attempts, harassment, and relentless pursuit from powerful nations, robbing them of any hope for peace.
If the Uzumaki truly wanted peaceful lives, they had no choice but to compromise and accept the second option.
This was Konoha Shin's pride and joy—his negotiation technique—an extreme pressure tactic used by the Daimyo's Mansion against the Uzumaki.
Konoha Shin knew just as well that Heiyan was one of Konoha's most powerful ninjas—its champion, even. But so what?
Though he himself was just an ordinary man with no Ninjutsu skills, he was a favored retainer under the Daimyo. Behind him stood the mighty Daimyo's Mansion and the entire Land of Fire—the very forces that provided food and shelter for every ninja in the Leaf Village.
As a ninja of Konoha, how could such a mere figure as Heiyan dare oppose the Daimyo's Mansion?
Surely, he wouldn't dare.
Inside the office,
After hearing Konoha Shin's words, Heiyan didn't respond immediately. His expression remained neutral, revealing nothing about what he was thinking.
Others from the Uzumaki clan, especially Ashina Uzumaki standing beside him, deeply felt the humiliation hanging in the air. Yet when they thought again about their desperate situation, they were powerless to do anything but endure.
At this moment, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances. Deciding to break the silence, they spoke in turn to address the Uzumaki group:
"In our opinion, you should go with the second option. Lord Shin made the long journey all the way to Konoha out of pure goodwill."
"That's right. Konoha is like a big family, and we warmly welcome the Uzumaki into it. We've already reserved a dedicated estate for your clan's residence."
Clearly, the two of them had taken Konoha Shin's side.
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