On the very day Makoto Uchiha decided to blow a tulip bubble in the Ninja World, he dispatched Kazuma as an envoy.
Taking Darkness along for protection, Kazuma set off toward the capital of the Land of Fire.
As for why he didn’t let Kazuma bring Aqua and Megumin along…
well, those who knew, knew.
If those two walking disasters tagged along, God only knew what kind of chaotic mess they would make.
Makoto himself stayed behind at the village headquarters.
He had more pressing matters to attend to.
For instance, recruiting ninja clans—this was one of his primary projects at the moment.
However, the progress was not going smoothly.
In the shinobi community, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan were currently the hottest topics of discussion.
Their thousand-year feud was common knowledge among all ninja.
Now that these two behemoths had suddenly shaken hands and allied to establish a ninja village, clans big and small were paying extremely close attention.
Clan alliances weren’t particularly rare in the Ninja World.
For example, the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio of clans had relocated their respective clan compounds to lie adjacent to one another in a triangular formation to consolidate their alliance.
Not only that, but the three clans also made sure their younger generations grew up together from childhood to foster deep bonds and coordination, even arranging for their members to execute missions together.
But that was the extent of it.
The concept of a ninja village promoted by Hashirama Senju was far more expansive than a mere alliance of clans; it was a grand, ambitious vision.
For a clan to survive in the form of a ninja village offered obvious advantages.
The clan’s resilience against risks would be vastly improved.
The Ninja World was full of small clans consisting of only a dozen or so members; a single shinobi war could leave their younger generation decimated, trapping them in a downward spiral until the clan went completely extinct.
Of course, there were downsides.
Shinobi had always been known for their discipline and obedience to orders.
Once a clan joined a ninja village, its members would have to face a critical question: do you obey the orders of your clan head, or the orders of the village leader?
Joining someone else’s ninja village required the clan to make necessary compromises, which meant losing a degree of autonomy.
Furthermore, during the Warring States Period, the various clans had been direct rivals for lucrative missions.
To secure high-paying contracts, they would fight tooth and nail.
Over generations of conflict, grudges big and small had piled up.
Who didn’t have a few blood feuds?
The longer a clan had existed, the more enemies it had accumulated.
Forcing bitter enemies to live under the same roof in a single village made it hard not to sharpen one’s blades in the dead of night.
Now, Hashirama Senju had taken the lead in proposing the concept of a ninja village, drawing the gaze of numerous clans.
Among them, several highly perceptive clans had already sensed the changing of the tides.
Trying to survive in this Ninja World as isolated, individual clans was no longer viable.
They had to unite as much as possible.
After all, to make it in this world, one needed backing and influence.
Even those two gargantuan clans had united.
Could their own minor clans continue to survive in this Ninja World by fighting alone?
Could they fight?
What was the use of being able to fight?
No matter how well you could fight, could you beat the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan…
especially now that they had joined forces?
Although the clans of this era were notoriously rigid and stubborn, they could become remarkably flexible and pragmatic when it came to matters of clan survival.
Pragmatism was a bitter pill, but one they had to swallow!
The era of ninja villages had officially begun.
Powerful clans harbored grand ambitions, wishing to emulate the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan by founding their own ninja villages to seize the initiative in the coming era.
The smaller clans, lacking the strength to build their own villages, bided their time to sell themselves to the highest bidder, hoping to secure a prosperous future for their families.
“Rejected again!” “Just you wait, Hyuga Clan!” “Ino-Shika-Cho, you guys wait too!” “Sarutobi Clan, Shimura Clan, Mitokado Clan, Utatane Clan…
The Konoha F4, huh?
Just you wait!!” “…” Makoto’s progress in recruiting ninja clans was currently hitting a wall.
Adopting a trial-and-error mindset, he had sent invitation letters to all the clans he was familiar with, inviting them to join his ninja village.
To give his village a more appealing package, Makoto had even given it a beautiful name—Akatsuki!
The Akatsuki Village.
The name carried a wonderful meaning, symbolizing the rising dawn of the east!
The official creed of Akatsuki Village was to unite the shinobi clans, construct a shared destiny for all clans, and achieve peace in the Ninja World through mutual assistance and benefit!
Although these were all ideas Makoto had shamelessly plagiarized and modified, there was no denying that he was genuinely painting a magnificent picture.
Every word radiated positive energy…
*For the sake of peace in the Ninja World, please join Akatsuki Village!* However, these clans were all highly pragmatic.
Initially, upon hearing the name Makoto Uchiha, they had shown immense enthusiasm.
An Uchiha?
Could it be that the village established by the Uchiha and Senju had sent a personal invitation to their clan to join their grand family?
If so, they had to seize the opportunity, aiming to join the village family as soon as possible and make their own contribution to the peace of the Ninja World!
Even the Hyuga Clan—famed for their Dojutsu, the Byakugan—had immediately dispatched representatives to Akatsuki Village for a field inspection.
However…
After looking into the details.
It turned out Makoto Uchiha had already defected from the Uchiha Clan and chosen to establish his own independent ninja village.
“Makoto Uchiha, isn’t this just a scam?” “I admit your personal strength is indeed impressive, Makoto.
Even three or five Jonin working together might not be your match.” “But…
our Hyuga Clan can easily add a zero to that number of Jonin.” The Hyuga shinobi thought to himself, before decisively declining Makoto’s invitation.
“Leader Makoto, our Hyuga Clan appreciates your kind offer.
As for the matter of our clan joining your village, we will need to consider it for a while longer.” Of course, the representative’s personal attitude remained very polite, perfectly demonstrating the elegant poise expected of a noble kekkei genkai clan.
*Consider it for a while longer…* The rejection was obvious.
Even if the deal fell through, the friendship remained, allowing both sides to save face.
Although Makoto was highly annoyed by the Hyuga Clan’s pragmatism, he merely vented with a few curses and understood their perspective in his heart.
Even if you were going to a factory to work like a beast of burden, you would still consider the hourly wage, the benefits, the social security, whether there were weekends off, and if there was triple pay for overtime…
Even though a factory job would likely have none of those, you still had the right to choose not to go.
The Hyuga Clan was the same.
Where the Hyuga Clan chose to settle was a monumental decision concerning the next century of their clan’s future.
How could they decide so casually?
They had to find a village whose strength and benefits matched the prestige of the Hyuga Clan.
As for the idea of living on love and fresh air…
That was something one could only dream about.