Chapter 124: Migration of the Uzumaki Clan
"Interesting."
After hearing Black Zetsu's report about Kei, Madara spoke with clear interest in his voice.
"To think that after Hashirama, Konoha has produced someone like this."
"He possesses Wood Release of this level and the Sharingan as well. If he had not already matured, he would have been an excellent candidate to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan for me."
"A pity. He appeared a little too early."
A trace of regret rose in his heart.
Ever since seizing Hashirama's flesh and blood, he had been researching the fusion of Yin Release and Yang Release. He had already managed to combine the two powers to a certain extent and draw out an entirely new force.
That power was even stronger than he had imagined. It had even given him the faint feeling that his Sharingan was beginning to undergo a further transformation.
Unfortunately, that process required time.
With Madara's current lifespan, by the time he truly nurtured those eyes, he would most likely be close to death.
That was why he still needed a representative, someone who could complete the arrangements he had made after his death.
In his eyes, Kei was indeed a suitable candidate.
Unfortunately, the other party had already grown up and become Konoha's Hokage. That alone meant he was destined to be beyond Madara's control.
This promising junior of the Uchiha Clan was someone he could only give up on.
"Still, his way of doing things is completely different from Hashirama's."
After hearing the various reports regarding Kei, Madara fell into thought.
"He leans toward outward expansion, yet he doesn't rely purely on military force?"
"A boring method."
In his eyes, if one truly intended to expand, then the most direct solution was naturally to crush everything with force.
To move as slowly as Kei did, when would anything ever get done?
"His strength is also quite formidable. Although he is still inferior to you, Madara-sama, he can already be considered top tier in the current Ninja World."
Black Zetsu spoke up. "With his strength, he might become an obstacle to your plans."
"It doesn't matter."
Madara remained completely confident in the face of Black Zetsu's concern.
"Once these eyes are fully nurtured, all obstacles will be meaningless."
As he spoke, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes began to shift.
In the next instant, his eyes briefly transformed into the Rinnegan before reverting to the Mangekyō again. The change was extremely unstable.
"Hmph."
Madara let out a cold snort, unsurprised by the result.
He sat there in silence, closed his eyes, and quietly began circulating the Yin and Yang Release power within his body.
"Is this Konoha?"
Following Kei, Sōmei and several others arrived in Konoha together.
Looking at the state of Konoha before them, all of them wore expressions of amazement.
Strictly speaking, they had actually visited Konoha before. Back when the village had first been established, the Uzumaki Clan, as allies of the Senju Clan, had personally sent people to attend the founding ceremony.
In the years that followed, the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha had always maintained their alliance.
Over the past ten plus years, Sōmei had come to Konoha many times.
But compared to the Konoha in his memories, the village before him now had changed far too much.
Inside Konoha, the roads were wide and straight. Orderly streetlamps stood on both sides.
Not only were there pedestrians on the roads, there were even small vehicles moving through the streets.
Shops were everywhere, and there were even several large shopping centers. The whole place looked exceptionally prosperous.
Whether they were Ninjas or civilians, nearly every passerby looked well off. Their faces carried relaxed smiles.
To the people of this era, the sight before them was almost like a paradise.
"Compared to this place, the Land of Whirlpools really does look like a backwater village."
The Uzumaki clansmen could not help but marvel.
Konoha was called a village, but in reality, it had already developed into an extremely prosperous city.
Around Konoha, specially built power stations and all kinds of factories could be seen. While providing countless jobs, they also brought in enormous tax revenue and profit, supporting Konoha's continued expansion.
If the other hidden villages were still living in the old era, then the current Konoha had already stepped into a brand new age.
"Welcome to Konoha, everyone."
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Homura Mitokado was personally in charge of receiving them. Looking at Sōmei and the others, a trace of pride could not help appearing on his face.
The Konoha before them was something they had built with their own hands under Kei's leadership. Every single change here embodied their effort and labor.
To have created such results, naturally he felt proud.
And it was precisely because of these astonishing achievements that Kei's prestige inside Konoha had reached such a height.
By now, his reputation in Konoha had already surpassed the Second Hokage and reached the same level as the First Hokage.
And none of that was empty reputation. It was all built on solid accomplishments.
"Hokage-sama has already arranged a place for your clan to settle. Please follow me."
With a smile, Homura led Sōmei and the others outside Konoha.
There, Kei had already prepared a vast piece of land for the Uzumaki Clan.
The original owners of the land had been local nobles. After receiving a large relocation fee from Kei, they had willingly moved away, sparing him quite a bit of trouble.
"It's all flat and fertile land."
Looking at the land before them, the eyes of Sōmei and the others lit up immediately.
For people like them, who had lived in the Land of Whirlpools for generations, this kind of terrain was simply prime land.
The Land of Whirlpools was, after all, an island nation. Its territory was small and its environment harsh.
The land of the Land of Fire, on the other hand, was famous throughout the Ninja World for being fertile.
Having moved directly from the Land of Whirlpools to the outskirts of Konoha, Sōmei and the others all felt somewhat excited.
Some of them even began to feel a faint sense of regret.
If they had known Konoha would provide such good land, they should have agreed much earlier.
The scenery on the island was certainly unique, but when it came to long term habitation, the place could only be called harsh.
In the past, without comparison, that had been tolerable.
But now that they had seen the difference with their own eyes, their attachment to the Land of Whirlpools immediately weakened.
In truth, the resistance within the Uzumaki Clan toward migration had not been as great as expected.
Most of the younger clansmen, after hearing that they could obtain land in the Land of Fire, agreed immediately.
Aside from a small number of elders who were deeply attached to their homeland, more than half of the clansmen had already followed Sōmei and the others to the Land of Fire.
At this point, only a handful of old men still remained in the Land of Whirlpools, and there was no longer anything valuable left there.
"To help your clansmen settle in, Hokage-sama has specifically arranged a batch of relief supplies. They should arrive soon."
Homura remained exceptionally polite.
"When the time comes, just remember to receive them."
After chatting for a little longer, the two sides parted.
Within Konoha, the various Ninja Clans also reacted differently to the Uzumaki Clan's arrival.
....
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