Kumogakure?!!!
Uzumaki Chihaya furrowed his brow, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the table.
"Yes, Father," Uzumaki Chizawa said with a helpless and slightly bitter smile, "Mori specifically mentioned this in his secret letter, precisely because he feared it would cause panic in the Village once it was made public."
"Kumogakure is extremely aggressive in its foreign policy, and those dark-skinned barbarians have always been despicable and shameless. Mori is worried that Third Raikage will personally lead a team to cross the Land of Hot Springs and launch a surprise attack on Village Hidden in the Whirlpools from the sea..."
Although Kumogakure had been relatively quiet since the "alliance ceremony," Senju Mori had never relaxed his vigilance against these war fanatics.
Dissatisfied with the ceasefire, they directly launched a coup, and openly assassinated a Village's Kage during a major diplomatic ceremony, and they even succeeded in the assassination. If Uchiha had that kind of resolve, they would have long ago—
They would have been exterminated long ago.
Otherwise?
Madara was already gone; did a few rotten scoundrels still think they could become Hokage?
Getting back to the main topic,
It was precisely because he was worried about Kumogakure taking action that Senju Mori specifically reminded Uzushiogakure to strengthen its defenses, and preferably to activate all the barriers specifically prepared for war in advance.
If Uzushiogakure were truly attacked by Kumogakure, although he would certainly rush to their rescue at the first opportunity, the Uzumaki Clan would at least need to hold out until Konoha's reinforcements arrived.
Fortunately, the reason the Uzumaki Clan has been able to continue its lineage to this day, besides relying on their own bloodline and the powerful ally that is the Senju, is their two greatest virtues: being open to advice and being cautious.
Before nightfall, layer upon layer of barriers lit up over Uzushiogakure, eventually forming a giant, translucent light shield that firmly enveloped Uzushiogakure.
From a distance, it looked like a colossal transparent egg standing on the sea, shimmering with a strange light under the setting sun.
As for the reason for suddenly activating the barriers, Uzumaki Chihaya did not reveal the news of a possible Kumogakure attack. Instead, he cited the ongoing Ninja War and the need to maintain vigilance as the reason.
Early the next morning, an eight-person delegation officially set off, accompanying Senju Tao and his group to Konoha.
As it was an official visit between allied Ninja Villages, in addition to Uzumaki Chizawa himself, the Uzumaki Clan also dispatched an elder and carefully selected six Jonin from the clan to accompany him.
This scale was enough to demonstrate Uzushiogakure's Pay attention to of its ally... In just a day and a half, Uzumaki Chizawa once again arrived in the vicinity of Konoha Village.
When he could vaguely see the outline of Konoha Village, Uzumaki Chizawa saw a familiar figure in the distance.
Senju Mori wore a Hokage hat, his God's Robe (Imperial Robe) fluttering in the wind, rustling loudly, with the words "Third Hokage" on his back as red as flames.
Behind him, the afternoon sun cast a dazzling golden edge on the perpetually green forest. As the breeze swept through, the trees rustled, like the whispering of the earth.
This scene filled Uzumaki Chizawa's heart with mixed emotions.
The scenery around Konoha Village had not changed; it was still peaceful and harmonious, but his circumstances between the two visits were as different as heaven and earth.
Last time, he had to sneak in, not only carefully avoiding the patrolling Ninja in the Land of Fire but also worrying about being detected by Konoha's barriers, sneaking in like a rat in a gutter.
This time, he was officially visiting as the Land of Whirlpools' delegation. His close friend, Senju Mori, had also transformed into Konoha's Hokage and personally came to greet him outside Konoha Village.
"Chizawa, you've finally arrived," Senju Mori said with a smile, walking quickly forward.
"Hokage-sama, you've waited long enough~" Uzumaki Chizawa also smiled and walked up to him, his words carrying a hint of teasing.
"Don't give me that—" Senju Mori's smile deepened at his words. He lowered his voice and joked in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Are you trying to remind me that I should prepare a congratulatory gift for your Clan Head in advance?"
With that, he stepped aside, "You've come at a good time. Meet my new disciples."
It was only then that Uzumaki Chizawa noticed three small figures following behind Senju Mori.
In the few days that Senju Tao traveled between Konoha and Uzushiogakure, Senju Mori had already formally accepted three disciples and, as per custom, formed "Mori's Squad."
With him, the Hokage, personally serving as the "Jonin in charge."
Senju Mori first pulled over the blonde little girl, stroking her wonderfully soft, smooth blonde hair, and said very naturally:
"You already know Tsunade, so I don't need to introduce her further."
"Uncle Chizawa~"
Tsunade clearly recognized Uzumaki Chizawa as well. She smiled, waving a small hand, and greeted him very lively.
Senju Mori's gaze shifted to Tsunade's side and he continued to introduce, "This is Sakumo, Shuichi's son. He has great talent in swordsmanship."
Uzumaki Chizawa instinctively looked over and saw a white-haired boy with an ordinary short sword on his back. Although he was the shortest of the three, his posture was perfectly straight.
"Lord Chizawa."
Sakumo Hatake bowed slightly, his movements meticulous, looking very polite.
The last boy had slightly pale skin, long black hair, and wore a purple kimono like a little adult. His snake-like yellow vertical pupils quietly observed everything around him.
Seeing Uzumaki Chizawa's curious gaze, Senju Mori took the opportunity to introduce:
"Orochimaru is the top student of this year's Ninja Academy. He's very much like Clan Head Tobirama when he was young, a true Ninjutsu genius."
"Lord Chizawa."
Orochimaru also bowed slightly, his manners impeccable, but his voice sounded somewhat hoarse, always giving people a slightly cold feeling.
"You, you..."
Uzumaki Chizawa immediately showed a wry smile, lowering his voice to complain to Senju Mori, "You didn't even tell me about such a big event as taking disciples in advance. I'm in such a rush, where am I supposed to find suitable gifts?"
Despite his words, his hand quickly reached into his Ninja tool pouch, and after a brief search, he pulled out three talismans with the character "Seal" written on them.
"Fortunately, I still have a few special sealing talismans here; they should be presentable enough."
Seeing these three talismans, Senju Mori's gaze became somewhat subtle, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
The items were, of course, good items.
The Uzumaki Clan's special high-grade sealing talismans were considered among the best in the entire Ninja World.
However, the reason why these items were in Uzumaki Chizawa's Ninja tool pouch, and why only a few remained... was because most of them had been "given" to the unfortunate Uchiha Kagami during a certain unspeakable afternoon previously...
"Thank you, Uncle Chizawa~" Tsunade clearly recognized their value, her eyes lit up, and she happily accepted them with both hands.
Sakumo Hatake and Orochimaru, however, did not immediately reach out. Both of them simultaneously looked at Senju Mori.
Seeing this, Senju Mori could only smile helplessly, nodding to signal for them to accept this somewhat "special" gift.
"Thank you for the generous gift, Lord Chizawa," they both said in unison.
Amidst their laughter, the group of five no longer lingered, stepping through the sunlight filtering through the forest, heading towards the gates of Konohagakure not far away.