Izuna, restore the glory of the Uchiha!

The two people and the fox returned to the inn.

Izuna originally planned to have Kurama wait where it was, and then use the summoning technique to summon it directly after they had all arrived safely and entered the room. This way, it would be discreet and the easiest way.

But after the events of the morning, the Nine-Tailed Fox refused to stay behind alone. Who knew if there would be a second group of people to capture it and imprison it in another gourd?

It has been traumatized.

So it went through two rounds of back and forth with Madara, and finally Izuna had to agree to Kurama's request to walk back to the inn with them.

"But a dog wearing a cape won't provide much concealment, right? It'll just make it more conspicuous."

Izuna laughed out loud at the comical pose.

"It's better than letting it actually show all nine of its tails and parade around in public."

Madara remained calm, casually tugging at the collar of his cloak to cover one of Kurama's exposed ears.

It was a cloak salvaged from an unfortunate ninja from the Land of Lightning. Although it was a bit large, it barely covered the Nine-Tails' tail and fiery red fur.

And so, we returned to the hotel safely, though we still couldn't avoid being stared at by everyone for being a big dog wearing a cape.

"Brother, why don't you go take a bath first?"

Back in the room, Izuna dismissed the dusty Madara with just a few words and sent him to the bathroom.

After Madara left, Izuna turned around, his gaze passing over the table and finally settling on a cloak sitting in the corner, trying to minimize its presence.

"Nine Lamas".

"Wait, something's not right... Eh?!"

Nine-Tails snapped out of its feigned ignorance, its vertical pupils suddenly widening.

It now knows Izuna's identity: he is not only Madara's younger brother, but also a powerful Uchiha.

More importantly, this person, who specializes in illusions, could manipulate it with ease.

On the way back, Izuna noticed the Nine-Tails' comical appearance and kindly offered to use illusion magic to help it disguise itself—a simple favor.

Then Kurama saw the Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotating in its eye sockets.

He's definitely threatening me! He's threatening me!

Kurama felt weak, pitiful, and helpless, and then politely but firmly rejected Izuna's offer.

Rather than being shrouded in the Uchiha clan's genjutsu, it would rather just obediently wear the cloak and pretend to be a dog.

Now, it was once again shocked by this Uchiha.

Even Ban doesn't know its name!

Yes, after experiencing the events of the past few days, Kurama has begun to trust Madara Uchiha and is planning to find a suitable opportunity to tell Madara its real name as a sign of trust.

Izuna's actions at this moment were like falsely accusing Kurama of its innocence, which shocked Kurama and made it slightly annoyed.

But it dares not show it.

All I could do was ask hesitantly.

"How do you know my name?"

Izuna glanced at it and calmly replied:

"Turn the page."

"What a boring answer," Nine-Tailed Fox thought, but she didn't dare to ask which ancient book it was from.

The reason Izuna separated Madara from others was certainly not to fight for the right to know his name.

Since Kurama is going to live with them back in the Uchiha clan's territory, in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, they will inevitably have to agree on some rules.

"Has Ban discussed future behavioral guidelines with you?"

Nine-Tailed Fox rolled around on its soft blanket, found a comfortable position to lie down, and answered with great pride:

"Of course, no killing, burning, or looting! I remember it very clearly!"

It seems that Madara and Kurama have indeed reached some basic understanding. However, Izuna still intends to reiterate the specific conditions to Kurama to prevent it from causing trouble in the future.

"Once we return to the clan's territory, the news of your capture by the Uchiha will be released. In return, as long as you behave and stay in the clan's territory, I will not restrict your freedom."

But if you get into trouble...

Izuna's tone suddenly became more serious, and Kurama shuddered.

"Then we'll have to reconsider which dark can you should be locked in."

Nine-Tails nodded frantically, indicating that it would absolutely obey.

Izuna, always reasonable, and seeing that Kurama was so receptive to his advice, softened his expression and continued:

"Of course, if anyone bullies you or tries to control you in the clan territory, you can tell me, even if it's just Ban... Well, you'd better tell me, I'll handle these things."

The Nine-Tails blinked. It had indeed considered the possibility of being controlled by other Uchiha clansmen in Uchiha territory. Receiving this assurance made it feel very reassured, and it was even a little touched.

"So,"

Izuna reached out his hand.

"It's a pleasure working with you. Welcome to the Uchiha clan."

Nine-Tails hesitated for a moment, then stretched out its furry paw, placed it on Izuna's palm, and gently shook it.

The contract is established.

When Madara returned from the bathroom, Izuna was sitting in the corner reading the latest intelligence report, while Kurama was in another corner, struggling with its blanket, trying to make it smoother.

He picked up a towel and dried his still-frizzy hair after his shower. Feeling that the atmosphere in the room was still harmonious, he didn't say anything more.

I casually tossed the towel to Nine-Tailed Fox. The fox reacted incredibly fast, spinning and leaping through the air in a graceful arc, successfully catching the towel with its mouth. It then added it to its army of blankets, using it as a pillow.

"What are your plans next?"

Ban sat down and poured himself a glass of water.

He had already learned on his way back that Izuna had gone out to solve the black market problem, and that passing by here was just a side trip; his real destination was a gold exchange in the northeast.

I'll set off first thing tomorrow morning.

Izuna closed the scroll in his hand; it contained intelligence from the black market over the past two days. The situation was becoming increasingly urgent, and he couldn't afford to waste any more time here.

The dot nodded, indicating understanding.

"Brother, what about you? Are you planning to play a little longer, or go back now?"

Madara's next move is also very important to him. Izuna not only has to prevent him from running into Hashirama, who is searching for people all over the world, but also has to ensure that the clan's territory will not be leaderless for too long, after all, those elders are not easy to deal with.

"Me?"

Ban fell silent for a moment, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused.

Although his itinerary was deliberately kept secret because he had been staying at the inn provided by Taketori Shiro, and with Izuna guarding the clan territory, not a word of it leaked out.

However, news of Hashirama's visit to the northern part of the Land of Fire was already widespread. No matter where you were, you could always hear rumors that the Senju clan leader had stayed at a casino there for two days.

This matter naturally reached Izuna's ears, and of course, it couldn't be kept from Madara either.