Warlock Invasion of Naruto.

Now that he himself has reached Kage-level strength, and with Kushina, a wealthy woman who is Kage-level in her normal state and whose strength is unknown when she is overpowered, he can go to the Land of Grass to find out.

"You?" Orochimaru was taken aback upon hearing this, and reminded him, "The fusion experiment is basically impossible. If you're doing this for the sake of it, you're just wasting your time. Of course, if you still insist on pursuing Hiruko, I think the Third Hokage certainly won't object."

"Okay, then I'll go find Kushina now."

Bai Yu put down the experimental equipment in his hand.

Orochimaru's lips twitched. Shiraha was actually going to bring Kushina along, clearly determined not to give Hiruko any chance to escape.

If Kushina were to use the Nine-Tails' power now, she would probably be even stronger than the Third Hokage.

"Bai Yu." Just as Bai Yu was about to leave the laboratory, Orochimaru called out to him.

"what happened?"

"If you encounter Hiruzen, I hope you will show mercy..."

"Well... I can't guarantee that I'll be able to catch him."

"Ah."

......

The Hokage's office.

"Be careful, and come back soon."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.

"Yes!"

Bai Yu and Kushina bowed slightly to the Third Hokage, took the mission orders, and left the Hokage's office.

After the two left, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Actually, he didn't really want Kushina to go out, especially after discovering that Kushina wasn't as easy to fool as he had imagined.

In addition, his impression of Bai Yu had changed from "successor to the Will of Fire" to "a scheming person," and he was a little afraid that Bai Yu would lead Kushina astray.

But he simply couldn't refuse.

After finally getting rid of Mito Uzumaki, the "retired emperor," Kushina learned the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which greatly increased Konoha's strength but also added a lot of uncertainty.

It can be described as a mixed bag of joy and sorrow.

Fortunately, Kushina is not interested in power, and Shiraha currently has no intention of vying for power.

Things should get much better once Orochimaru takes over his position.

Unfortunately, Tsunade had a big argument with them recently because of Sakumo's death and has gone away to clear her head. Otherwise, we could have eased the tension with her and then used her to win over Kushina.

Headache!

......

Using the Third Hokage's pass, Shiraha led Kushina, a genin, out of Konoha.

The two raced through the forest, and Kushina asked, "Shiraha, where are we going?"

"According to Orochimaru-sensei, Hiruko, like him, had previously met the daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields through a mission, so he might go to the Land of Rice Fields first."

Perfect timing, you can check how Sorara and Naomi are doing lately.

"Afterwards, we'll go to the Land of Grass again; I need to find some things."

Bai Yu explained.

"Hmm." Kushina nodded and fell silent.

Seeing that Kushina looked conflicted, Shiraha took the initiative to ask:

"What are you thinking about?"

Kushina: "Shiroha, do you think it won't be difficult to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools now that Kurama is helping us?"

“Theoretically, it’s possible. After all, I feel you’re even more powerful than the Third Generation now. But from a practical standpoint, it’s not the right time yet.” Bai Yu’s expression was firm. He already had a meticulous plan for helping Kushina rebuild her country.

"why?"

Instead of answering Kushina's question, Bai Yu asked in return, "What do you think is needed to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools, besides strength?"

“Land! And money! But most importantly, we must bring back our people, the former citizens of the Land of Whirlpools,” Kushina replied after a moment of contemplation.

Bai Yu nodded: "Indeed, you are right, but the most urgent task is to have a stable and safe environment."

"With us protecting our clan, how can we not be safe?" Kushina countered, feeling capable of many things after obtaining the Nine-Tails' chakra.

“You didn’t understand what I meant. Strength is certainly the most important thing, but you need to understand that it’s not enough for you to be strong. We don’t yet have the ability to fight against the entire ninja world, and no one knows if there is anyone in the ninja world stronger than you,” Bai Yu said, shaking his head.

"I just wanted to rebuild the country, how did that make me an enemy of the ninja world?" Kushina was a little confused.

"Why do you think the Land of Whirlpools was besieged? One reason is that the Uzumaki clan is a staunch ally of Konoha. Other countries wanted to deal with Konoha, so they chose to concentrate their forces to wipe out the Uzumaki clan first."

In addition, the powerful sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan are also the envy of many.

But the fundamental reason is that the existence of the Land of Whirlpools threatened the very foundation of the great powers' rule.

Throughout the ninja world, some small countries may not have ninja villages, but they will definitely have daimyo.

Only the Land of Whirlpools has a powerful ninja village, but no daimyo.

The Land of Whirlpools is the only country where the military and government are integrated.

Bai Yu explained.

"Military and political integration?" Kushina seemed a little confused.

“Other countries, especially the five great nations, all have a one-country-one-village system, with military and political affairs separated. The daimyo controls the economic lifeline of the country, while the ninja villages do not engage in production. At most, they are self-sufficient to a certain extent, but overall they rely on the funds allocated by the daimyo to maintain their operation. That is why the ninja villages attach so much importance to mission quotas.”

While it may seem that Konoha gained nothing for the Land of Fire in the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Fire's international standing and prestige actually increased.

Konoha will be able to obtain more funds and missions from other countries besides the Land of Fire. As a result, our ninjas will have more opportunities to train and receive greater rewards.

As for the defeated nations, the daimyo will definitely cut funding, which will cause the ninja villages to shrink in size in order to reduce expenses.

Generally speaking, the daimyo and the kage of a ninja village are of equal status, but the ninja villages rely heavily on the daimyo to prevent their economies from collapsing.

Bai Yu continued.

"And then?" Kushina asked, wondering why Shiraha stopped halfway through his story.

"Are you an idiot? Don't you understand?" The Nine-Tails inside the sealed space cursed, "The Uzumaki clan established its country as a ninja clan, integrating its economy and military, and its strength is among the best of small countries. This is a good example for the major ninja villages. But for the daimyo, the Land of Whirlpools is a time bomb. If one day the leader of a ninja village wants to emulate the Land of Whirlpools, the first one to be eliminated will be the daimyo."

"Can't you just speak properly? Why do you have to swear?" Kushina complained. She had never been interested in these convoluted things, and besides, Kurama was often fooled by Shiro, and he wasn't that smart.

"I don't want to be friends with an idiot. You embarrass me." Nine-Tails pouted.

"Hmph!" Kushina angrily blocked out the Nine-Tails.

"You got mocked by the Nine-Tailed Fox again, didn't you?" Bai Yu asked with a smile, it was obvious at a glance.

Kushina pouted and said reproachfully, "It's all your fault! You had to make the problem so complicated!"

"I want you to think more when you encounter problems in the future." Bai Yu poked Kushina's forehead hard.

Kushina covered her forehead and retorted, "Does every country have to have the same system? Cherry blossoms are beautiful, but chrysanthemums are just as lovely. Why should a great power be so domineering?"

“You approach things with an inclusive mindset, so of course you can’t understand the thoughts of those politicians.” Bai Yu shook his head and said, “Let me give you an example. If the Daimyo of the Land of Fire ordered me to be killed, what would you do?”

Kushina didn't hesitate and said fiercely, "I'll twist his head off and then change his name."

"Impressive!" Bai Yu gave Kushina a thumbs up: "This is exactly what the daimyo are worried about! As long as a ninja is strong enough, killing a daimyo is a piece of cake."

Kushina: "But as long as the Daimyo doesn't provoke me, I would never do such a thing."

"Your thinking doesn't mean everyone thinks the same way. If even one person out of a hundred disagrees with you, the Daimyo is in danger. That's because ninjas possess power that ordinary people simply cannot match, and that's the root of the Daimyo's worry."

The current situation is because no single ninja village in the ninja world possesses the strength to contend with the entire world; otherwise, overthrowing the one-country-one-village system would have been inevitable. Maintaining a relative balance between nations allows the daimyo to remain powerful and secure.

Therefore, the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools was inevitable!

Shiraha's words silenced Kushina. It seemed that rebuilding the Land of Whirlpools was not just about facing past enemies; it might mean fighting against the entire world. Given her current strength, she probably couldn't do it. No matter how confident Kushina was, she wouldn't believe she could fight against multiple major powers at the same time.

Even if she could, her people and Bai Yu couldn't.

"Therefore, before establishing a nation, we can first absorb the former Whirlpool Clan members in the form of an organization, and then improve their overall strength and gradually accumulate power."

Those small countries without ninja villages are all forces I can win over. When our strength is strong enough to fight against multiple major powers at the same time, that will be the time for the Land of Whirlpools to be officially rebuilt.

"The more chaotic a great power is, the sooner the opportunity for reconstruction will come," Bai Yu continued.

"I understand. I'll listen to you. I'll make you king when the time comes." Kushina nodded. As long as she could protect the Uzumaki clan first, it didn't matter if the founding of the kingdom was delayed. After all, she had great confidence in Bai Yu's intelligence.

"Of course you are the king. I just need to find a man who can become king."

Bai Yu said with a smile.

Kushina punched Shiroha in the chest. At that moment, the Nine-Tails in the sealed space suddenly spoke up to warn, "Kushina, there is someone following you from directly behind, about two thousand meters away. The seal is not completely broken, and my perception is not accurate enough. Use Kagura's Mind's Eye to sense it."

"Someone's following me?" Kushina was startled. She stopped and closed her eyes, using Kagura's Mind's Eye to sense her surroundings.

Soon, a familiar and powerful chakra appeared within Kushina's perception range.

"what happened?"

Bai Yu also stopped and asked.

Kushina reopened her eyes and explained, "It's that ninja who attacked us last time, his name is Kakuzu, right? He followed us, probably because of you."

"Kakuzu? It's all about bounties again. Has the bounty ninja industry become this competitive?" Bai Yu was stunned for a moment. If what Kakuzu said before was true, then he should be almost eighty years old. With his strength, he should have accumulated a lot of savings over the years.

This kind of work ethic, working overtime even during the Chinese New Year, is truly terrifying.

What could have happened to a man in his seventies that made him so obsessed with money?

Is he working for someone else?

Even capitalists would recognize this as expertise.

"He's here just in time. It'll be a good opportunity to settle the score with him from last time. You can't try to take it from me." Kushina smiled and began rubbing her hands together, looking eager to try.

Her strength had improved rapidly recently, and she didn't dare to use her full strength against Bai Yu, so this "sparring partner" came at just the right time.

"Do not worry."

Kakuzu hadn't even arrived yet, but Shiraha was already laughing.

"Should we go find him?" Kushina asked, her body already turning back and heading towards the rear.