After returning to the Sand Village, he immediately changed his clothes. He also went to the underground hospital to check on the progress of Saori and the others on the cell fusion research project. The primary goal of that research remained resolving the harmful side effects of the Kaguya clan's bloodline limit. However, his return this time was not primarily for that purpose.
He had received news that he had finally located the Uzumaki clan descendant he had long been searching for. Karin's mother.
After the Sand Village had notified the Hidden Grass Village to assist in searching for the Uzumaki clan woman in exchange for medicines, the Hidden Grass Village had begun acting accordingly. However, for a considerable period, neither village had found any trace of the target. No leads had surfaced.
But in the end, Karin's mother had been discovered in the Land of Grass. It appeared she had only just arrived there, had not yet set foot inside the Hidden Grass Village itself, but her distinctive appearance had drawn immediate attention. The Hidden Grass Village ninja, upon hearing the rumors, had moved quickly to bring her in and had then immediately sent her to the Sand Village.
All one could say was that fate had a way of arranging things.
"What is your name?"
In his office, the Kazekage sat behind his desk and looked at the fair-skinned woman before him. Her appearance was almost identical to Karin's, except for her short ear-length hairstyle. He asked the question softly.
"Mei," the woman said, casting a slightly apprehensive glance toward him, though her voice remained calm.
That calmness came from experience. As a descendant of the Uzumaki clan in this current era, once her true identity was discovered, her fate was generally considered sealed.
She had long since prepared herself to accept whatever came. Whether it was the Hidden Grass Village or the Hidden Sand Village, the fear in her eyes when looking at the man before her stemmed from the fact that the Hidden Sand Village was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, a completely different category of power from the Hidden Grass Village.
Furthermore, the man sitting in front of her was the Fourth Kazekage himself.
She is not yet pregnant, he noted to himself, glancing briefly at Mei's abdomen.
"Mei, our Sand Village has long been searching for members of the Uzumaki clan's bloodline. That is why we made this arrangement with the Grass Village."
Yuji opened his mouth and continued.
"We wish to accept you as a member of the Sand Village. You should already understand what makes you unique. The Uzumaki clan is skilled in Sealing Jutsu, and your physique carries particular qualities. Most of your clan's members live long lives. Therefore, the village would like to draw on your strengths.
But I want you to understand clearly: you are not a tool here, and the village will not oppress you or force you to follow orders against your will. You are free."
He spoke plainly.
"The war in the ninja world is not yet over. Continuing to live in exile is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, if you were to end up in another village, your treatment there would most likely not be favorable."
He paused.
"Are you willing to join our Sand Village?"
"Yes."
After only a brief hesitation, the woman nodded.
But judging from her expression, she clearly did not trust him. Her reason for agreeing was purely practical. She was exhausted from the constant fear and hardship of her life on the run and desperately needed a safe place to rest.
Beyond that, she understood that she was in no position to refuse. She feared that if she declined, the Sand Village might simply silence her. To survive, she had no real choice but to agree.
The words this Fourth Kazekage had spoken sounded beautiful and reasonable. But perhaps it was simply a deceptive facade. She had no way of knowing yet.
"Good."
Yuji felt a quiet sense of relief hearing her answer. He then glanced at Shimizu.
"Please take her with you."
Shimizu led the woman out of the office, intending to hand Mei over to Karura's care.
Ayame, also originally from the Land of Water and possessing the Ice Release bloodline, had now completely integrated into the Sand Village. She had even formed a close and genuine relationship with Shimizu and had given birth to a child. The greatest credit for her successful integration belonged to Ayame herself.
Shimizu also understood that this Uzumaki clan woman did not yet trust them. To demonstrate to her that the Fourth Kazekage had not been deceiving her, the best approach was to have Ayame come forward and gradually build her trust, then give the woman time to reach her own conclusions.
"Good," Yuji thought to himself.
"Just as I expected. No difficulties or complications."
After the two left, Yuji let out a deep sigh.
Mei and Honoka, who lived on an Island of the Land of Sea, were completely different kinds of people. Mei was a solitary figure drifting through a chaotic world. Without a village to belong to, and without any meaningful means of resistance if captured by any force, survival was simply the most pressing reality for a woman in her situation.
In the original story, Mei had also sought out the Hidden Grass Village in order to trade something for protection and find a relatively stable life away from the flames of war.
"Her physique," he thought, something else occurring to him.
Mei, like Karin, possessed the ability to heal injuries in others simply by having them bite her and draw her blood. She was effectively a mobile healing source. This particular quality would prove useful in ways beyond what was immediately obvious.
Meanwhile, Saori and the others had reached a crucial moment in their bone cell research, pushing through what had previously been a technological bottleneck. The breakthrough had come partly from information he had gathered during his earlier visit to the Land of Sea, specifically research related to Summoning Beasts that had contained some genuinely valuable data.
Through relentless effort, Saori's group had collected cells from various ninja species and certain Summoning Beast specimens, adjusted and tested combinations, and achieved a partial fusion.
They had artificially created a type of cell capable of being used in flesh and blood transplantation, though it remained unstable. There was still no viable method for integrating it with the Kaguya clan's bone cells.
The particular Summoning Beast cell they had been working with was derived from a lizard-type creature with regenerative properties similar to a gecko's ability to regrow a severed tail.
"If we could utilize Mei's unique physique and transplant her special cells into the Kaguya clan members, gradually altering their physical baseline from within, it should work."
He quickly refined the large-scale research model and surgical plan in his mind and arrived at a confident conclusion. This was not a curse mark or anything of that complexity. It was a straightforward surgical transplant, though the difficulty remained considerable, particularly where bone marrow and hematopoiesis were involved.
But for him personally, it was not an insurmountable problem.
However, once successful, every newborn infant of the Kaguya clan lineage within the Sand Village would need to undergo the procedure. Adults would not require it.
"Mei and the future Karin have arrived. The next step is to wait for the four Hidden Sound members, along with Jugo and Kimimaro."
"After they are born, bring all of the Orochimaru organization's future members here."
A slight smirk played on his lips.
Although the four Hidden Sound members would develop somewhat differently after growing up in the Sand Village compared to their original story trajectories, judging from their baseline portrayals, their potential as ninja was already considerable. With proper training and cultivation, they would showcase their talents readily.
Of course, the most important among them were Jugo and Kimimaro. At minimum, with him present, Kimimaro would not die young. That character, in his assessment, was an absolute genius. Therefore, at least in terms of the village's future combat strength, there would be no shortage.
Pakura, Deidara, Shira, Yashamaru, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, and the four Hidden Sound members. There was also Yome, who was skilled in Sealing Jutsu and already showed Jonin-level potential. And beyond them, several new talents were emerging from the descendants of the Uchiha and Hyuga bloodlines now growing up within the village.
Adding everyone together, the number of future exceptional fighters had already surpassed what Konoha could field from the same generation.
"Furthermore, the village's environment, economy, resources, and even education level have all improved significantly compared to the original story. This, to a meaningful extent, guarantees that their future growth potential will be considerably higher than it would have been under the original conditions."
"Challenging Konoha's strongest generation on equal terms is absolutely within reach."
...
STONES 💎
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