"Lord Kazekage, the person you were looking for has been brought downstairs. Should I bring them up?"
An Anbu member reported to Shiro, who was lounging in his office chair.
"Yes, bring her up."
"Understood."
Moments later, a young woman with fiery red hair was escorted into the Kazekage's office by the Anbu guard.
She was unmistakably a member of the Uzumaki Clan, but compared to Fusae, this young woman appeared much thinner and more haggard. Her once-vibrant red hair now looked dull and brittle.
Most disturbingly, her arms were marred by numerous bite marks, both old scars and fresh wounds.
When the young woman noticed Shiro's gaze lingering on her arms, she hurriedly hid her hands behind her back and lowered her head, trying to conceal the evidence of her suffering.
"Go and bring Fusae here."
"Understood."
The Anbu member received the order and vanished instantly using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving Shiro alone with the nervous young woman.
"Please, have a seat. Your kinswoman will be here shortly."
"Kinswoman?!" The young woman's head snapped up in shock.
...
Soon after.
Having received the urgent summons, Fusae rushed over from Shiro's residence.
"Kana?!"
"Fusae-sama!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Kana turned her head. Seeing a fellow clan member—alive and well—her eyes immediately welled with tears. She rushed forward and embraced Fusae, sobbing uncontrollably.
After experiencing the destruction of their homeland, fleeing like hunted animals, hiding in shadows, and struggling just to survive another day, the two women were overcome with emotion at this reunion. They had a lifetime of grief and relief to share.
Left with no alternative, Shiro tactfully decided to leave his own office. After all, he couldn't interrupt such a poignant reunion, could he?
Incidentally, this gave him a perfect excuse to dump the stack of tedious administrative documents onto Ebizo's desk.
As for Shiro himself...
Since he had "lost" his workspace to the weeping women, he certainly couldn't handle any official business today.
Therefore, he had no choice but to "painfully" clock out early.
It wasn't until evening that Fusae brought Kana back to Shiro's house.
Upon returning home, both women naturally offered Shiro a round of profuse thanks.
One thanked him for helping her find a lost family member, and the other thanked Shiro for rescuing her from the hell of Kusagakure and facilitating this reunion.
Kana walked up to Shiro, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you very much! Thank you for rescuing me from Kusagakure!"
"It was nothing." Shiro waved his hand dismissively. He looked at Kana and continued, "Since you are Fusae's kin, I would have certainly rescued you once I knew of your plight. By the way, do you know the whereabouts of any other members of the Uzumaki Clan?"
Shiro was extremely eager to acquire members of this legendary clan.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the ability to heal others by transferring chakra, massive life force, and powerful sealing techniques.
Every one of these was a formidable ability; possessing just one would be enough to establish a clan as a major power.
Yet, the Uzumaki possessed all of them. It was no wonder the other nations had banded together to annihilate them out of fear.
Shiro suspected that even Uchiha geniuses, after awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, might not possess as much raw utility as a gifted Uzumaki.
That was why Shiro was so eager to recruit them.
First, it could alleviate Sunagakure's severe lack of unique bloodlines. Second, those who managed to survive the purge were definitely either elites or highly resilient survivors with great potential.
Once found and given a few years to recover, they would become top-tier assets for the village.
As for the possibility of not finding any more? Absolutely impossible!
Shiro refused to believe that such a powerful clan, one that ruled the entire Land of Whirlpools, wouldn't have prepared escape routes or secret contingencies.
"I originally escaped with the Third Elder and the Fifth Elder," Kana said, her mood darkening as she recalled the painful flight. "Later, the Fifth Elder sacrificed himself to cover our retreat. Although he held off the main force, a squad of Kiri hunter-nin still pursued us. I got separated from the main group and ended up wandering into the Land of Grass... which is how I ended up there."
"..."
"However, I know the initial destination. The Third Elder intended to lead the survivors all the way north. If the plan hasn't changed, Lord Shiro, you could send scouts to search the northern territories."
Shiro smiled and nodded. Although he didn't have coordinates, knowing the general direction narrowed the search from "the entire ninja world" to a specific region. That was valuable intelligence.
"Alright, I will arrange for Anbu to investigate immediately. Let's eat first. After dinner, Fusae will help you get settled in a room."
Having said that, he went upstairs to call the three little ones down for dinner.
"Lord Shiro is truly a gentle and kind person."
Kana watched Shiro's retreating figure and murmured to herself, "And Lord Shiro's chakra... it feels very warm."
"He is indeed very gentle and kind," Fusae agreed, watching him go with a soft smile.
"He's just a little bit... naughty."
"Fusae-neesan, what did you just say?"
"Ah, nothing! Kana, let's go eat quickly."
"Huh? Okay, but shouldn't we wait for Lord Shiro? Also, Fusae, your face is really red..."
...
Autumn, Konoha Year 37.
Two months had passed since Konoha launched its large-scale offensive against the Land of Rain.
Konoha shinobi initially pushed rapidly into the Land of Rain, forcing Hanzo the Salamander, out of desperation, to personally take the field.
Relying on his deadly poisons, wide-range ninjutsu, and legendary speed, he was invincible on the battlefield, slaughtering countless Konoha shinobi.
At the same time, thanks to the withdrawal of the Sand shinobi and the signing of Shiro's trade agreement, the Rain forces had one less front to defend and received a continuous supply of high-quality Sand armor and weapons.
This led to a visible spike in the combat effectiveness of the Rain shinobi.
After their initial blitzkrieg, Konoha began to lose momentum. The battle lines stagnated, then began to retreat.
This made the prestige of Hanzo the Salamander—the Demigod of the Shinobi World—soar to new heights.
Seeing blood in the water, Iwagakure also took this opportunity to launch a flank attack on Konoha.
This pincer maneuver caused the Konoha front line to buckle, forcing them to retreat back to their original defensive positions.
From then on, the Land of Rain found itself in a grinding three-way standoff between Rain, Stone, and Leaf forces.
When this news reached Sunagakure, Shiro convened a meeting of the High Council.
"The war is about to end, and Sunagakure's opportunity to strike it rich has arrived."
Shiro's opening statement shocked everyone present.
"Lord Shiro, how can you be so certain? Currently, the three sides are in a stalemate; there is no sign of the war ending anytime soon."
Most of the elders were highly skeptical of Shiro's judgment.
Shiro paid no mind to the doubts. He knew things they didn't.
"It is true that the three sides are currently evenly matched, but the Land of Rain is inherently a small nation with limited resources and manpower. The current stalemate is only possible because of our full provision of weapons to Hanzo."
"Now, even the Genin of the Rain are wearing flak jackets. You should know that these vests are standard issue only for Chunin and Jonin in most villages. In Konoha, they are hard to come by for lower ranks."
"The Land of Rain's military capacity has reached its absolute peak; they cannot increase their strength further. They are redlining their engine. However, Konoha and Iwagakure still have massive reserves they haven't committed."
The elders nodded slowly; Shiro's analysis of the Rain's limits made sense. They had been misled by Hanzo's flashy victories.
But what did the end of the war have to do with Sunagakure getting rich?
"Lord Kazekage, what exactly is this 'opportunity' you speak of?"
One of the elders was nudged by his peers and reluctantly stood up to ask.
Shiro looked over. *Oh, an old acquaintance!* Wasn't this Elder Yuanyi, whom he had shocked into unconsciousness during the road construction meeting?
The elder looked nervous under Shiro's gaze, perhaps afraid of fainting again.
Fortunately, Shiro smiled.
In truth, Shiro respected Elder Yuanyi. He knew the man was conscientious and diligent, having spent his life working hard for the village. He was just stubborn and traditional.
After the elder had been carried out last time, Shiro had visited him privately and gifted him two gold bars as a peace offering. When the elder woke up, he immediately donated those bars to the village military fund. That kind of selfless loyalty earned Shiro's respect.
"Elder Yuanyi, please sit down."
After ensuring the nervous elder was seated, Shiro continued, his eyes gleaming with the anticipation of profit.