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The reconstruction of the new Land of Whirlpools had taken over half a year, but by the end of the thirty-fourth year since the founding of Konoha, it was finally complete.
While wars raged fiercely across the nations, the Uzumaki Clan seemed to live in a peaceful paradise untouched by conflict. With Akio around, no one dared to disturb them. Even the somewhat eerie Akatsuki made no moves against them, as if nothing unusual had ever occurred.
There was no second founding ceremony for the Land of Whirlpools—holding one twice would've been strange. A modest celebration was held instead, after which Genkai and Nanako organized the resettlement of civilians into their new homes. The atmosphere was lively and full of joy.
The new territory was more than ten times larger than before. Even though the new buildings occupied more space than the old village, once all the ninja and civilians moved in, they still only filled a quarter of the available land.
"We still need to find a way to grow the population. If we want to become a new great nation, this number of people won't cut it," Akio muttered contentedly as he walked down the brand-new streets.
Over the past six months, he and Yuna had made some progress in their research. Although the results were still unstable and had a high failure rate, with some more time to improve precision, they'd be able to mass-produce kunai. That would give the Land of Whirlpools its first stable economic foundation. For now, the country had no specialty products or arable land and had survived solely on supplies imported from Kumogakure. In response to the Iwagakure invasions, the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning had generously increased the supplies by twenty percent, keeping only what was essential to maintain his nation. A sincere gesture.
Akio had personally traveled to Iwagakure to "discourage" Ōnoki, though that had likely been unnecessary. For unknown reasons—perhaps provoked by the resurgence of the Uzumaki Clan—the Land of Water had gone into a frenzy and launched assaults on Iwagakure, venting their aggression. As a result, Iwagakure no longer had the resources or attention to spare for other matters.
As for the land itself, the old Land of Whirlpools had once possessed fertile soil, but Pain's attack had devastated it. It would take some time to restore. The new territory had previously been part of the ocean and wasn't yet suitable for agriculture. It would likely be another two years before the land became arable, meaning the country had temporarily lost its ability to sustain itself.
"To become one of the new Five Great Nations might take many years. But when the plot begins, it should be possible... I've got time—no need to rush." Akio had already put in place policies to encourage childbirth. In a few years, they'd start to see results. The number of Uzumaki children would steadily grow.
"Next up is a ninja academy," Akio mused. In the end, he hadn't managed to implement universal compulsory education. The abundance of ninja created certain problems that couldn't be easily solved. The main issue was that the number of missions wouldn't keep up with the growing number of shinobi.
He figured the other village leaders had considered similar ideas. While a nation full of ninja could greatly enhance national strength, none had followed through.
Previously, the Land of Whirlpools had a single ninja academy located in Uzuninn Village, admitting only Uzumaki clan members. Outside of them, there had been just five exchange students from Konoha.
Three years had passed since then. Two exchange students had already graduated, and the third was close.
"It's been three years... I wonder how things are going between Kushina and Minato," Akio muttered with a sigh. "Probably no progress."
"Elder Akio! Message from Konoha!"
A patrol ninja suddenly appeared, interrupting his thoughts.
Over the past six months, the patrol unit's main duty had shifted to guarding the "Great Wall," keeping a close eye on the movements of the Land of Water.
"I see," Akio responded casually and made his way toward the current Uzumaki residential area.
Unlike before, when the clan lived in a single isolated village, the Uzumaki now lived alongside civilians in a unified country. However, their homes were located closer to the Daimyō's palace, and the clan had essentially become the royal family of the Land of Whirlpools.
Speaking of the palace, Genkai had finally gotten his wish: a residence even larger and more luxurious than the Fire Daimyō's. Akio hadn't objected—he didn't expect Genkai to remain Daimyō for long anyway. The next Daimyō would likely be Nagato. Hereditary rule had no place in the Land of Whirlpools; here, it was the "Akio Appointment System."
As he arrived at the newly built clan hall, Izuko came out to greet him. "Sensei."
Akio nodded with a grin. "Konoha asking for help again?"
Izuko chuckled and shook her head.
In the past six months, the feared attack from Takigakure had never come. Konoha had paid handsomely to ensure stability. Though Kakuzu hadn't helped again, he hadn't turned against them either. The Land of Rain had also withdrawn from the battlefield, leaving Konoha facing only Sunagakure and the reckless Kusagakure.
Hiruzen seemed to have developed a habit of asking for reinforcements. Even after pushing deep into the Land of Wind and nearly invading Sunagakure, he continued to play the victim. Akio understood. Hiruzen probably thought that if Akio stepped in, Konoha could reduce its losses.
"So if they're not asking for help, what is it?"
Izuko sighed and said, "News about Sakumo. He's made quite a name for himself. He took down the famous puppet master couple from Sunagakure. The ninja world is now calling him the 'White Fang of Konoha.'"
Akio paused. "So it happens around this time... That hasn't changed."
He felt a mix of surprise and inevitability. Even four or five years ago, Sakumo had already been S-rank.
Seeing the faint disappointment on Izuko's face, Akio chuckled.
"What's wrong? Disappointed that Sakumo didn't become your son-in-law?"
To his surprise, Izuko nodded.
Akio smiled helplessly. "Be satisfied. If Yuna had married Sakumo, Nagato wouldn't have been born. With his talent, Nagato can protect the Uzumaki for at least sixty years."
Izuko let out a long sigh. She was clearly still a little regretful.
"Nagato is talented, true, but that's thanks to Yuna… If you added Sakumo's genes, he might've been even stronger."
Akio shrugged. "Not necessarily. And if that happened, the child would belong to the Hatake clan."
Izuko nodded, letting the matter go. "You're right."
Akio smiled. "Well, nothing urgent. I'll go tell Yuna the news, see how she reacts."
Izuko laughed. "Yuna will probably say, 'Sunagakure must be stupid if they lost to that white-haired guy.'"
Akio froze, then sighed. "Yeah, that's probably exactly what she'd say. No fun in teasing her."
"Forget it, I won't go. Izuko, send my congratulations to the White Fang of Konoha on my behalf."
Very few ninja in the world earned a title—Sakumo becoming the White Fang was worth a personal message.
"Actually... Never mind, I'll go in person." Akio reconsidered. It had been a while since he visited Konoha. Kushina should be in her third year now. Akio decided it was time to check on her "relationship" status himself.
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