On the very day Uchiha Makoto made up his mind to stir up a "tulip bubble" across the shinobi world, he dispatched Kazuma as his envoy, accompanied by Darkness, toward the Fire Country Capital.
As for why Aqua and Megumin weren't brought along—
that went without saying.
With those two walking disasters together, no one could predict what kind of chaos would erupt.
Makoto himself remained behind at the village headquarters. There were far more important matters demanding his attention.
The foremost among them—
Recruiting ninja clans.
Unfortunately, progress was far from smooth.
Within the shinobi world, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan were undeniably the most high-profile families. Their thousand-year blood feud was common knowledge among ninja everywhere. Now, these two clans had suddenly joined hands, formed an alliance, and founded a ninja village together.
Every clan—large or small—was watching closely.
Clan alliances were nothing new in the shinobi world.
Take the famous Ino–Shika–Chō alliance, for example. To solidify their bond, the three clans had relocated their compounds together, arranged in a triangular formation.
Not only that, but they raised their younger generations together from childhood—building trust, coordination, and even arranging joint missions between the clans.
But even so, that was the limit of a clan alliance.
What Senju Hashirama proposed—the concept of a ninja village—went far beyond that.
It was ambition on an entirely different scale.
The advantages of ninja clans existing under the framework of a village were obvious.
A village greatly increased a clan's ability to withstand risk.
The shinobi world was filled with tiny clans numbering barely a dozen members. One prolonged conflict could wipe out their next generation, plunging the clan into a vicious downward spiral until extinction became inevitable.
But there were downsides as well.
Shinobi were renowned for discipline and obedience. Once a clan joined a village, a critical question arose:
Do you obey the clan head—or the village leader?
Joining another's village meant compromise. A clan would inevitably lose some degree of autonomy.
Furthermore, in the Warring States Era, clans were fierce competitors for missions. For high-paying contracts, they would fight each other to the death without hesitation. Over time, grudges piled up—major ones, minor ones, old blood debts layered atop new.
Which clan didn't have enemies?
The longer a clan had existed, the more grudges it carried.
Forcing sworn enemies to live under the same roof of a single village—
It was hard not to imagine someone sharpening a blade in the dead of night.
And yet, Hashirama's proposal of ninja villages still sent shockwaves across the shinobi world.
Some clans—those with particularly sharp instincts—had already sensed the changing tides of history.
Relying on individual clans to survive in this world was no longer viable.
To survive, they would have to unite.
After all, in this world, survival depended on background and power structures.
If even two behemoths like the Senju and Uchiha had chosen to join forces, what chance did other clans have of continuing alone?
Strong fighters?
So what if you're strong?
Could you defeat both the Uchiha and Senju?
Together?
The clans of this era were famously conservative and stubborn—but when it came to matters of survival, they could become surprisingly flexible.
Pragmatism was unavoidable.
The curtain had risen on the Era of Ninja Villages.
Powerful major clans brimmed with ambition, seeking to emulate the Senju and Uchiha by founding villages of their own—hoping to seize the initiative in this new age.
Smaller clans, lacking the strength to build villages, chose another path.
They waited.
They evaluated offers.
They intended to sell themselves at the best possible price—to secure a future for their descendants.
"Rejected again!"
"Hyūga Clan—just you wait!"
"Ino–Shika–Chō, you too!"
"Sarutobi Clan, Shimura Clan, Mitokado Clan, Utatane Clan…"
"Konoha's so-called F4, huh? Just you all wait as well!"
...
At present, Makoto's efforts to recruit clans were yielding little success.
Adopting a 'throw the net and see what bites' approach, he sent invitations to every clan he was familiar with, inviting them to join his village.
To make things more appealing, Makoto even gave his village a carefully chosen name—
Akatsuki.
Akatsuki Village symbolized the rising dawn of the east.
Its stated philosophy was simple and grand:
Unite the clans.
Build a shared destiny for shinobi families.
Mutual benefit.
Mutual support.
And ultimately—peace in the shinobi world.
Though much of it was shamelessly borrowed, reworked, and repackaged, Makoto was genuinely serious about selling this dream.
He spread "shinobi-world positivity" with earnest enthusiasm.
For the sake of peace, join Akatsuki Village!
Unfortunately, the clans were painfully realistic.
At first, upon hearing Makoto's name, many clans responded with enthusiasm.
An Uchiha?
Could it be that the village founded by the Uchiha and Senju had sent an invitation?
If so, they had to seize this opportunity—join early, become founding members, and contribute to peace in the shinobi world!
The Hyūga Clan, fellow dōjutsu users, even sent representatives to conduct an on-site inspection of Akatsuki Village.
But—
After a thorough investigation—
They discovered that Uchiha Makoto had long since separated from the Uchiha Clan and was founding a village entirely on his own.
"So this was a trick?"
"I'll admit your personal strength is impressive. Even three to five jōnin might not be able to defeat you."
"But that kind of strength…"
"The Hyūga Clan can add a zero to that number."
That was the conclusion the Hyūga representative reached internally.
The decision came swiftly.
"Leader Makoto, we appreciate your goodwill. However, regarding the Hyūga Clan joining your village, we will need more time to consider."
His attitude was polite and composed—befitting a prestigious Kekkei Genkai clan.
More time to consider.
The meaning was obvious.
A graceful rejection.
Business failed, but courtesy remained.
Makoto was furious at the Hyūga Clan's cold realism—but only vented verbally. In his heart, he understood them.
Even when taking a job as a laborer, you'd still consider wages, benefits, days off, and overtime pay.
And if the conditions were bad—
You could simply choose not to go.
The Hyūga Clan was no different.
Choosing which village to settle in concerned the clan's fate for the next hundred years.
How could such a decision be made lightly?
They needed a village whose strength and matched the Hyūga Clan's standing.
Living on goodwill alone—
That kind of fantasy was something best reserved for dreams.
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