I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze was taken aback: "You're the one who's old-fashioned. When I was your age, I was still studying at the Ninja Academy. At most, I could only defeat a few Jonin from Kirigakure. How could I possibly have the ability to establish a ninja village?"

Naruto's expression gradually turned serious as he corrected him, "Strictly speaking, you're not a dead person. You should be the chakra left in the Eight Trigrams Seal by the Fourth Hokage. The real Fourth Hokage is still sealed inside the Shinigami's stomach. This is the price for using the Reaper Death Seal Technique."

"Yes, I'm just a chakra clone, not the real body..."

Minato Namikaze also realized this, but he didn't understand what Naruto was trying to say; it seemed like there was something more to it.

Naruto stared at Minato Namikaze and said, "So I'm very curious, how exactly did you manage to sustain your chakra clone for so long? And why does the clone technique inherit the user's memories? After the original body dies, if you, as the clone, disintegrate, will the memories be transmitted back to the deceased original body?"

A series of questions plunged Minato Namikaze into deep thought, and he was unable to give an answer immediately.

In fact, when he first learned the Shadow Clone Technique in his childhood, he had similar doubts, but he quickly focused his energy on cultivation and did not delve into the details.

After a moment, Naruto shook his head with a smile: "Why am I talking about this with a clone? Instead of worrying about this, we should try to get in touch with more tailed beasts and gain the strength to deal with the masked man and the Akatsuki as soon as possible."

With that, Naruto left the sealed space, leaving only Minato Namikaze still standing there, lost in thought.

……

Jiraiya's side.

Jiraiya's feelings were complicated as he arrived on the main street of Uzushio Village from the remote Uzumaki Shrine.

After arriving in the Land of Whirlpools, he found Orochimaru, the Uchiha clan who had defected, and even Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki he had been longing for.

These things should have been good things, but after seeing Naruto transform into Menma and lead the Uchiha clan to establish Uzushio Village, he couldn't be happy at all. Instead, he started to doubt his own existence.

Why did Naruto leave on Uchiha Night?

Was it because he was the son of a hero and suffered unfair treatment, or because he saw himself in the Uchiha and felt sympathy, or was it simply because he hated the no longer pure Konoha Village?

But none of these are reasons for Naruto to leave the village. He is Minato's son and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of the village.

As long as they grow along the established path, they will eventually become important figures in the village. If they are dissatisfied with the village, they can gradually change things through reform. There is absolutely no need to rebuild Uzushio Village on the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.

It can be said that after seeing Naruto threaten him with the Rasengan, he gave up the idea of ​​taking Naruto around the ninja world.

Judging from Naruto's behavior, he has formed his own set of values. His resolute gaze reminds me of the old man from more than ten years ago. He is no longer a naive ninja academy student.

Jiraiya's aimless wandering alerted Shisui, who had been watching Jiraiya for a long time.

Upon noticing the prying gaze, Jiraiya turned around and said, "Shisui, there's no need to hide anymore. I've already spoken with Menma about the Uchiha, and I won't harm you Uchiha who have left."

Shisui instantly appeared in front of Jiraiya, remaining vigilant, and said, "This is not just a problem for the Uchiha clan. With Lord Jiraiya's strength, his mere presence in Uzushio Village is enough to warrant attention."

Jiraiya paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's true. I was just thinking this place was Konoha. We are now ninjas from two different villages, so we should be more vigilant."

After a pause, Jiraiya continued, "However, your Uchiha clan should be in charge of security work now, just like the First and Second Hokage did back then. I hope that under your leadership, the Uchiha clan won't become the next security force."

Shisui's face darkened, then he smiled and said, "I trust Menma-sama's judgment. Besides, even if we become the next security force, so what? The Uchiha won't repeat the same mistake and be alienated a second time."

May your wish come true!

After offering his blessings, Jiraiya had no intention of lingering in Uzushio Village and hurriedly left the village.

Before leaving, Jiraiya glanced in the direction of the Uzumaki Shrine, and Naruto's gaze happened to be looking in the same direction. After exchanging a glance, the two looked away and went in different directions.

Chapter 125 We'll Meet Sooner or Later

Jiraiya's departure brought a sigh of relief to many.

This included Naruto, the leader of Uzushio Village, Shisui, the head of the Uchiha clan, and a group of Uchiha ninjas who realized Jiraiya's identity.

Just as Shisui said, a ninja of Jiraiya's caliber, even if he does nothing but stand in the village, is a threat that cannot be ignored.

Only after Jiraiya leaves can things get back on track.

After leaving Uzushio Village, Jiraiya summoned the toad of Mount Myōboku, then crawled into its belly and disappeared into the sea.

His trip to Uzushio Village was very rewarding. In addition to finding Naruto and the Uchiha clan, he also met Orochimaru and the puppet of the Third Kazekage controlled by a mysterious puppeteer.

This intelligence must be brought back to the village as soon as possible and handed over to the old man for a decision.

Watching the toad disappear into the deep sea, Orochimaru and Sasori removed their disguises and stood on the soft sand.

After being tricked by Naruto, they did not leave the Land of Whirlpools immediately, but instead went into hiding, waiting for the next opportunity to make a move. After all, Jiraiya had an irreconcilable conflict with the Uchiha clan in the Land of Whirlpools.

But Jiraiya's departure from the Land of Whirlpools unscathed was something they hadn't expected.

After exchanging a glance, Orochimaru said in a sinister tone, "It's a pity that the Uchiha and Jiraiya didn't fight. It seems your revenge plan has completely failed."

Sasori said with a cold look in his eyes, "I don't know who was scared by that attack that resembled a Tailed Beast Ball. They ran away without even caring about their skin. They really disgraced the Legendary Sannin of Konoha."

"Didn't you also evacuate immediately..."

After a pause, Orochimaru recalled the Rasengan he had seen earlier and sighed softly:

"I didn't expect the leader of Uzushio Village to be so strong. Not only does he have mastered the Wind Release technique comparable to the Kazekage, but he also possesses destructive power comparable to a Tailed Beast. If it weren't for the recent rumors of no Jinchuriki escaping, I would have doubted whether he was a Jinchuriki."

"Are Jinchuriki really that strong?" Sasori frowned.

He hadn't forgotten that Akatsuki's ultimate goal was to collect the nine tailed beasts. If every Jinchuriki had that kind of power, Akatsuki should give up on that idea as soon as possible.

Orochimaru gently shook his head, answering Sasori's question:

“Other Jinchūriki are naturally not this strong, but the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails should be around this level. However, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is still just a kid, and Kumogakure has no reason to establish a ninja village under Konoha’s nose. If nothing unexpected happens, this guy should be similar to the Fourth Raikage, a monster with chakra comparable to that of a Tailed Beast.”

"So, you should give up the idea of ​​revenge for now."

"The two of us can't get revenge on Wochao Village."

Sasori snorted coldly, but had to admit that Orochimaru was right. Having lost more than half of his puppets, he was not only unable to attack Uzushio Village, but also had to worry about Orochimaru's sneak attacks. He had no ability to retaliate at all.

But he was unwilling to accept such a huge loss.

Seemingly guessing Sasori's thoughts, Orochimaru shook his head and smiled:

"Don't overthink it. Let's report the intelligence we've gathered. During the battle just now, I spotted several Kirigakure ninjas. Kirigakure might be secretly allied with Uzushiogakure. Let Pain handle this headache."

Scorpion nodded. They couldn't handle Uzushiogakure, but that didn't mean Pain couldn't.

……

That night, Scorpion was busy making puppets out of metal when he felt a tremor in the ring on his hand.

Orochimaru, who was standing next to him, also looked at the ring on his hand, exchanged a glance with him, and nodded.

Just as they were figuring out how to report the intelligence, the Akatsuki held a new reminiscence session.

After using the Illusionary Body Technique, Sasori and Orochimaru closed their eyes, and their consciousnesses were transported thousands of miles away.

Standing on the finger of the Gedo Mazo, the two looked around and found that Juzo Biwa was missing, which puzzled them.

But after seeing Itachi's expression, they instantly understood everything.

It's highly likely that Juzo Biwa is dead. The organization has had new members joining every few months over the years, and without some real strength, it's easy to die during missions.

Juzo Biwa was already a pretty good ninja, it's just a pity he wasn't very bright.

Once everyone had arrived, Payne, as usual, had each squad report on the complete mission information and the various intelligence they had gathered.

When it was Orochimaru and Itachi's turn, they recounted their experiences investigating Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure, and shared the information they currently possessed.

After hearing this news, the Akatsuki members were all stunned, including Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha.

The death of Juzo Biwa was not important to Orochimaru. That traditional ninja who relied on the Executioner's Blade was not worth studying at all, and the chaos in Kirigakure was well known in the ninja world.

What concerned him was that the leader of Uzushio Village, who had not been seen before, had actually gone to Kirigakure and even helped Kirigakure repel the attacks of Biwa Jusho and Uchiha Itachi, and helped Kirigakure suppress the Three-Tails.

Why did Uzushio Village do this? Wasn't the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools most closely related to Kirigakure?

Uchiha Itachi was surprised by the reconstruction of Uzushio Village. Shisui had actually brought the remaining Uchiha to join the Land of Whirlpools. And when did Uzushio Village produce a ninja who could rival Orochimaru?

Itachi Uchiha and Orochimaru exchanged a glance, both wanting to extract more information from each other.

At this moment, Kakuzu, who had been silent for a long time, said, "I've never heard of this ninja named Uzumaki Menma before. Where did he come from? Is he a descendant of the Uzumaki clan who perished in the destruction of Uzumaki Village?"

Kakuzu's words sparked reflection among the others, who all began to pay attention to the vortex-like face.

Kakuzu is an old Jonin who has survived from the Warring States period to the present day. He knows the strong people of each era like the back of his hand and always keeps the bounties on these strong people in mind. It is impossible for him to forget such a strong ninja.

Upon hearing the word 'whirlpool', Konan immediately became alert and looked at Nagato in his wheelchair.

Having been with Nagato for over a decade, she naturally knew that Nagato possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan. She was somewhat surprised that Nagato had such a powerful kin, but she was also worried about whether it would have any impact on Nagato.

Nagato frowned and fell into deep thought.

If the other side really has such great strength, why didn't they step forward sooner to stop the tragedy of Uzushio Village, instead of waiting until now to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools?

But then I thought, maybe the other person is like me, and by the time they have the strength, it will be too late.

Thinking of this, Nagato suddenly wanted to meet this unfamiliar member of the same clan. Perhaps the other party would be willing to support him in completing his plan to collect the tailed beasts and threaten the great powers.

Soon, the idea vanished with the wind.

He is now not only Nagato, but also the leader of Amegakure and the future Pain who will lead the ninja world.

The other party was not a wandering ninja, but the leader of the newly established Uzushio Village. The two had their own ideals and different forces.

If we share the same goals, we will naturally have the opportunity to cooperate in the future. If we are enemies, then let's meet again on the battlefield.

Payne has no weakness, nor does he have any emotions.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Nagato manipulated the Deva Path to look at the nearby Akatsuki members and slowly said, "Is this all the information we have so far? Well, at least we have some valuable information. In that case, to fill the vacancy left by Juzo Biwa, let's welcome the organization's newest member."

"This new recruit is named Tobi. He is a ninja recommended by Zetsu and has mastered space-time abilities."

Chapter 126 Konoha Will Lose Face

A newcomer who has mastered spacetime abilities?

The Akatsuki members all perked up their ears. Space-time ninjutsu is an extremely rare talent. Regardless of a ninja's own strength, as long as they master space-time ninjutsu, they will be invincible and may even become a powerful figure like the Second or Fourth Hokage in the future.

However, Ah Fei's first appearance was marked by a fall on flat ground, making him seem rather dim-witted.

He then greeted the Akatsuki members in a very familiar way, acting like a complete rookie ninja who seemed very unreliable, but was surprisingly popular.

After Afei's performance was recognized, he was assigned to Itachi Uchiha's team.

Itachi frowned inwardly. He didn't understand the masked man's purpose in disguising himself as Tobi. Why would the leader of Akatsuki disguise himself as a newcomer? Was it simply for a twisted sense of humor?

Or was it the betrayal of Juzo Biwa that prompted him to personally intervene and prevent a similar incident from happening?

After the Akatsuki meeting, Itachi used his ring to contact Orochimaru and inquire about information related to the Land of Whirlpools.