Naruto: The rise of Uzumaki Kingdom

Zetsu stared expressionlessly at Uzumaki Jun in front of him, unsure whether to voice the thoughts in his mind.

What kind of nonsense was this?

The organization had another important mission?

This organization had nothing to do with him. It was entirely created by Jun himself. He was just...

A mere errand boy.

Thinking of this, Zetsu felt a wave of sorrow. Why had he brought this brat into the fold back then?

If not for that, how could he have fallen to such a state?

He, Zetsu, had lived for over a thousand years, pulling the strings behind the scenes to stir up storms in the shinobi world. Yet now, he had become the errand boy of this red-haired brat!

"Trust me," Uzumaki Jun said solemnly. "Everything I do is for the peace of the shinobi world, for our noble goal!"

"Only by throwing the Five Great Shinobi Villages into chaos can we seize the tailed beasts!"

"My heart is loyal to the organization. I would never betray it."

"Please believe me!"

"..."

I'll believe you when pigs fly!

Zetsu looked at Jun's earnest, sacrificial expression and felt his liver ache. If not for having worked with him a few times, he might have actually been fooled. A weapons dealer talking about peace in the shinobi world?

Though Zetsu had never gone to school or read books, his thousand years of existence weren't for nothing.

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to buy the tailed beasts peacefully?" Zetsu said flatly. "You keep changing your mind. It's hard for me to keep up!"

He had an important mission to fulfill. He didn't have time to run errands for this brat.

"Ah, plans can't keep up with changes," Uzumaki Jun sighed. "Back then, I was just a child. I didn't think things through."

He had wanted Uzushiogakure to develop peacefully, but the other villages wouldn't allow it.

For Uzushiogakure to grow strong, war was inevitable. The only question was...

What form that war would take.

"..."

You really are just a child, huh?

Zetsu stared at Jun speechlessly. This brat had no shame. In his thousand years of life, he had never met someone as thick-skinned as this kid. And now Jun was calling himself a child?

Who would believe that?

"What's the mission?" Zetsu asked resignedly.

He couldn't beat Jun now. After five years, there were probably very few in the shinobi world who could stand against this brat. He had no idea how strong Jun had become.

So...

He had recruited this guy himself. No matter how much it hurt, he had to endure it.

Just... just wait until Mom is revived. Then I'll tell her everything!

"Good, very dutiful!" Uzumaki Jun was pleased with Zetsu's attitude. He was a man who got things done. With someone like him helping, how could Uzushiogakure not prosper?

"You're already familiar with this task," Jun said with a smile. "It's just..."

"Stirring up the shinobi world and plunging it into war."

...

Konoha...

"The Senju clan has already headed to the battlefield, right?" Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he looked at his old friend. "As expected of the First Hokage and Sensei's clan. They still love Konoha in their hearts."

"Yes," Danzō nodded, but he couldn't shake a sense of unease. "But aside from Nawaki and Tsunade, the entire clan has left the village."

For some reason, this scene filled him with foreboding. Were the Senju really willing to sacrifice their entire clan for Konoha?

That was too noble!

"Enough," Hiruzen said sternly. "The Senju are Konoha's heroes. We..." He sighed. "Perhaps we were wrong before. Once they return, we won't take action against them again."

"They are still Sensei's clan."

"Understood," Danzō frowned but eventually relaxed. "I'll comply."

Maybe he was overthinking it.

After all, the Senju were the First Hokage and Sensei's clan. They would never betray Konoha.

A pang of guilt struck him. Had he been wrong to treat the Senju so harshly before?

"By the way, how are things with the Uchiha?" Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, his gaze shifting slightly. "No problems, I hope?"

"Everything's been arranged," Danzō nodded. "The Uchiha have also sent some shinobi to the battlefield. I'll keep an eye on them. This time, not too many will leave the village."

"I trust your judgment," Hiruzen smiled, relieved. "After all these years, I know how you operate."

"True," Danzō smiled nostalgically. "It's been so many years since we took over the village from Sensei. From treading on thin ice at the start to now..."

"Konoha has flourished under our leadership."

All those years of bearing the blame had been worth it. But now...

"I think the Uchiha, despite their stoic faces and blunt words, are still part of the village. There's no need to treat them so harshly."

"??"

Hiruzen's pipe clattered onto the desk as he stared at his old friend in shock.

What...

Was he planning now?

...

"..."

After listening to Jun's words, Zetsu nearly blurted out his thoughts. But remembering he couldn't beat Jun, he held back. He still had an important mission.

Reluctantly, he said, "Didn't you think the three great villages attacking Konoha was enough?"

Why the sudden change?

This was troublesome. Though he had been working on this very task lately, he...

Zetsu felt uneasy.

What terrible ideas did this brat have now? If things continued like this, his role as the shadow manipulator of the shinobi world would be exposed. He had to clarify things first. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare act recklessly...

This Uzumaki brat wasn't like the straightforward, kind-hearted Uzumaki clansmen.

Zetsu suddenly recalled the Magnet Release and had a thought...

Could he... Could he really be of mixed blood?

"I came here to tell you something," Zetsu quickly interjected. "Konoha has already moved against the Land of the Sky."

Better to divert the brat's attention first. He needed to investigate what was happening in the shinobi world before making any decisions. Otherwise...

Starting a war now felt too risky.

"They've made their move?" Uzumaki Jun looked surprised. "When did it start?"

He had long instructed Zetsu to monitor the Land of the Sky. The moment Konoha declared war, he was to be informed. He hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Konoha's forces have already set out for the Land of the Sky," Zetsu said, relieved to see Jun's attention shift. "They should arrive soon."

"In that case..." Jun stroked his chin thoughtfully. The Land of the Sky possessed a certain technology crucial to Uzushiogakure's current needs—

The forced extraction of chakra. If Uzushiogakure could acquire this, their research on chakra extraction would advance significantly.

Moreover, as the tailed beasts in Naruto had said, as long as chakra existed in the world, they would never disappear.

Chakra paper was made from trees that absorbed chakra, meaning chakra energy existed in the environment. If they could extract chakra from the surroundings, they could phase out human-made chakra batteries.

After all, Uzushiogakure didn't have that many disabled shinobi.

If other villages started purchasing chakra batteries, production wouldn't keep up.

Technological advancement also relied on vast energy reserves.

The Land of the Sky's flying fortress, in particular, was clearly a scientific ninja tool. Therefore...

Their technology had to be obtained.

"Sigh!" Uzumaki Jun sighed, then smiled at Zetsu like he was looking at his loyal subordinate. "For the organization's growth, it's time for us to act again."

"Huh??"