Initially, the Third Hokage allowed these experiments, but when no progress was achieved, he forbade them. Orochimaru and Danzo, however, secretly continued.
Could this be connected? Was Danzo's Root behind the betrayal? After all, the Uzumaki and Senju clans were distant relatives, and aside from the Senju, no other clan was better suited. But the timing just didn't add up.
Wait, weren't they supposed to be talking about movies? How did the conversation turn back to Konoha?
"Lord," Youma hesitated, "aren't you worried other villages might discover that the Land of Grass is sheltering the Uzumaki clan?"
The truth was, the Uzumaki's situation was dire. At first, Charlie did worry. But after thinking it through, he realized it wasn't a huge problem.
Apart from Root, the other five great villages wouldn't act rashly. Maybe the Hidden Cloud would try to secretly snatch a few individuals, but a full-scale attack? Only if another war broke out.
Plus, the Land of Grass was sandwiched between two major powers and couldn't be wiped out as easily as the Whirlpool Country. While the Land of Grass might not be strong enough to defeat Konoha or the Iwagakure, Charlie was confident they could stand their ground.
If he couldn't even keep his own people safe within his own land, what kind of future could the country hope for?
With conviction, Charlie declared, "The Uzumaki clan is part of the Land of Grass. No matter what hardships come, the Land of Grass will always be their strongest support."
"Protecting our people is both our responsibility and our duty," Charlie said firmly.
Youma was taken aback. His aged face shook slightly, and tears welled up in his eyes. Just as he was about to respond, Charlie cut in.
"Let's stay focused. I want the Uzumaki clan to produce this movie. If other Uzumaki see it, they might realize that some of their kin are here in the Land of Grass," he explained, waving his hand seriously. "I'm guessing you still don't know where all the clan members are, right?"
"Unfortunately, no," Youma admitted with a sigh, feeling embarrassed. To survive, they had to keep their identities hidden. They eventually scattered, each group heading off to unknown destinations without revealing their whereabouts.
"I'll send the Kusa shinobi to investigate as well," Charlie added with a confident smile.
"Our intelligence is just as strong as the other major villages. The new year is coming soon, and filming starts tomorrow. Let's finish this quickly and give the clan a joyful new year!"
Hearing this, Youma's lips trembled, but he nodded resolutely. "Yes, Lord!" he replied.
Since Charlie became The lord of the Land of Grass, everything he wanted seemed within reach. The latest project, a movie, was surprisingly easy to shoot.
With the Uzumaki clan leading the way, casting was a breeze. The sets and lighting posed no issues either; the main scene was set in a fancy casino, and preparations went smoothly.
Acting was straightforward, too, after all, everyone involved was a shinobi skilled in disguise, so no extra training was needed. Filming wrapped up in less than two weeks, leaving just the editing and splicing.
Unfortunately, Charlie's system wasn't designed for entertainment, so he had to handle all the post-production himself.
Once everything was done, Charlie sent Mujie on a mission. Despite Mujie's shameless antics, he was surprisingly effective, acting like the shinobi world's diplomat and truly upholding Kusagakure's traditions.
In the shinobi world, everyone was like brothers, and trust could go both ways; this made Mujie's negotiations likely to succeed, though his reckless behavior always made Charlie worry if he was courting death.
With those matters settled, Charlie's attention shifted to more pressing concerns. Intelligence gathered by Kusagakure shinobi uncovered a fallen bloodline clan in the Land of Hot Water, the Chinoike clan.
Reports came back asking if Charlie wanted to enact the "Heaven-Swapping" plan by stealing from them. If so, how many should be taken? Adults or children? Males or females?
This was the Land of Grass's first secret policy under Charlie's "Development plan," so the Kusa shinobi took it very seriously. Normally, Kusagakure was wary of outsiders, but they still followed Charlie's orders strictly and welcomed wandering shinobis whenever possible.
The Chinoike clan, also known as the Blood Dragon Eye clan, was famous for their genjutsu. Their dōjutsu was said to trap victims so completely that escape was impossible.
They could even use their own blood to perform deadly techniques, turning wounds into human bombs. However, their Blood Dragon Eyes only awakened through intense emotional trauma. Their dōjutsu rivaled even the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Because of these conflicts, the Chinoike clan was eventually wiped out, destroyed by their own people much like the Uchiha clan. It's possible the Chinoike and Uchiha were distant relatives, similar to the connection between the Uzumaki and Senju clans.
However, unlike the close bond shared by the Uzumaki and Senju, the Chinoike and Uchiha looked down on each other. During the Warring States period, the Raikage of the Land of Lightning slandered and exiled the Chinoike, placing them under the supervision of the Uchiha.
At that time, the Uchiha ruthlessly oppressed the Chinoike, killing many members of the clan. In that sense, the Chinoike were a bloodline clan the Land of Grass could accept, known for their powerful genjutsu. As for their mental instability, it wasn't a major concern.
Considering how the Uchiha and Chinoike were treated yet still managed to maintain their sanity, their resilience was impressive. Later, Sasuke even demonstrated that such mental struggles could be controlled and directed.
But why did Charlie need to go in person? Unlike the wandering Uzumaki clan, the Chinoike were only exiled, they still had a base, even if it was under harsh conditions and without freedom.
So if only a few bloodline members were taken, the middle and lower rank shinobi of the Land of Grass could handle it. However, if the entire clan's bloodline was at risk, The lord himself had to intervene. Charlie made his way toward the Land of Hot Water, where Hell Valley was located.
Upon arriving, he met with the Kusa shinobi assigned to the handoff. "Lord Kusa!" they greeted respectfully.
Charlie nodded, acknowledging their efforts. "Thank you all for your hard work."
"For the Land of Grass!" the shinobi responded solemnly, handing over the intelligence. "Following your orders, we avoided any contact with the Chinoike clan." He paused, then added, "But it seems they have already noticed us."
Charlie wasn't surprised. After all, the Chinoike were a dōjutsu clan, and spotting a group of Kusa shinobi, mostly information gatherers with little combat ability, wouldn't be difficult for them. He accepted the file detailing the Chinoike clan and its members.
Although they had more members than the nearly extinct Uzumaki clan, including commoners, the total numbered only about a hundred people. Most were shinobi, with over twenty jonin, almost half of their chunin and genin combined.
Hell Valley's environment proved even harsher than Charlie had imagined. While such tough conditions forged strong individuals, they were unsuitable for ordinary survival.