Chapter 287: No Leverage? Then Create Your Own

"Actually, during the Warring States period, the Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan were very close, often helping the Senju against the Uchiha."

Perhaps to prove a point, a Hyuga Clan Jonin mentioned these past events, not forgetting to throw a taunting glance at the Uchiha Jonin.

Unfortunately for him, the Uchiha Jonin didn't even acknowledge it. Instead, he crossed his arms and smirked.

"The Uzumaki Clan was simply afraid of the Senju, which is why they chose to establish their own nation. Do you really think they would join Konoha?"

"..."

What the heck!

Why did it come back to the Senju Clan again?

Takuya couldn't help but admire this straightforward Uchiha guy. Couldn't he have been a little more subtle?

Especially since Nawaki was still right there.

Though the Senju Clan was now a thing of the past, Nawaki was still a direct descendant of the Senju.

"Ahem, alright, this isn't something we should be discussing right now. Let's head to the camp," said Yūhi Shinku, one of the more senior members present, giving a discreet look to the Hyuga Jonin.

Don't stir up trouble during wartime—everyone knows you don't get along with the Uchiha!

The Uchiha are known for their intense personalities; why provoke them unnecessarily?

Now look, you've dragged the Senju Clan into this as well.

Taking Shinku's hint, the Hyuga Jonin finally quieted down.

Takuya and Minato were laughing so hard their stomachs hurt, while Nawaki looked utterly dejected.

"Aren't the Senju and Uzumaki clans distant relatives? With such a good relationship, why would the Uzumaki Clan avoid the Senju Clan?" Nawaki asked, confused.

This wasn't what he had always heard growing up.

Hearing this, Takuya gave Nawaki a sympathetic look.

"For that, you'll need to ask your great-uncle what he did to help," Takuya replied.

"Great-uncle?"

Nawaki was puzzled. His great-uncle didn't seem to have any bad blood with the Uzumaki Clan.

Besides, the Uzumaki Clan had long since moved to the islands of the Land of Whirlpools.

After Konoha was established, they set up their own country there.

At that time, the leader of Konoha was Hashirama Senju, so it shouldn't have anything to do with Tobirama Senju.

"What's this got to do with my great-uncle?"

"Your great-uncle was ruthless enough to be hard on his own people, let alone the Uzumaki Clan."

"And besides, your Senju Clan had its eyes on the Uzumaki women, but none of you ever married into their clan. Over time, it was inevitable that the Uzumaki Clan would become a bunch of bachelors."

"Pffft… haha…"

Minato burst out laughing.

Nawaki looked like he wanted to clobber someone.

This guy really had no filter, even daring to joke about the Second Hokage. But… was it true?

Instinctively, Yūhi Shinku looked toward the blunt Uchiha Jonin.

The Uchiha seemed to understand immediately and said, "I remember hearing the old clan leader say that the Senju did indeed marry many Uzumaki women. The two clans intermarried frequently."

Upon hearing of reinforcements, Jiraiya emerged from the command center.

He waved at Shinku and the others, then approached Takuya, Minato, and Nawaki, hearing their laughter as he approached.

"What's so funny? Let me in on the joke," Jiraiya said.

"Nothing funny at all!" Nawaki almost swore.

He was about to complain to Jiraiya about Takuya's nonsense, but when he saw Jiraiya's mischievous grin, Nawaki's eyes lit up with an idea.

"Earlier, when we arrived on the island, I saw someone swimming in the sea. I said it was a woman, but they didn't believe me!"

"Their skin was so fair, it had to be a woman!" Nawaki added.

You little devil.

Takuya suppressed a laugh, coughing as he replied, "Just because someone has fair skin doesn't make them a woman. What about Minato, then?"

"Shut up!"

Minato, half laughing and half exasperated, retorted, "Get lost, man! Why don't you talk about yourself?"

Fair skin equals a woman? What kind of nonsense logic was that?

Someone swimming, fair skin, probably a girl?

Jiraiya seemed to automatically filter out the rest of what was said; his eyes had already begun to wander dreamily.

"Alright, enough bickering. You all wait for me at the command center. Minato, make sure to entertain the other seniors. I'll grab something real quick and be back soon."

Teacher, Nawaki is tricking you!

Minato wanted to cover his face and pretend he didn't know Jiraiya.

How desperate must you be that just hearing about someone bathing—and possibly being a girl—made you lose control like this?

Is it really that serious?

Not wanting to see his teacher embarrass himself, Minato quickly tried to signal Jiraiya, but the latter, his heart racing with excitement, didn't notice at all.

After instructing Minato, Jiraiya dashed away, heading straight for the port at lightning speed.

Since there was a bit of distance between them, Yūhi Shinku and the others hadn't heard what Nawaki said.

Seeing Jiraiya take off toward the port, Shinku couldn't help but ask, "Lord Jiraiya, what's he up to?"

Takuya replied with a straight face, "He heard Nawaki say there was someone with fair skin bathing at the port—looked like a girl—so he rushed over to see if it really was a girl."

"…"

Shinku felt his intelligence had just been insulted, but no matter how absurd it sounded, Jiraiya had actually believed it.

He really had gone to the port.

"Nawaki, you liar!"

Two minutes later, an angry Jiraiya returned.

"That was definitely a guy!" he shouted.

Nawaki blinked innocently, "Was it? Maybe I saw it wrong. But… was his skin really fair?"

"Of course, it was…"

And then the awkward silence descended. The command center fell into a hush, everyone staring at Jiraiya in stunned disbelief.

Would he really even spy on a guy bathing?

Pervert!

"What fair skin? I was grabbing intel for you guys!" Jiraiya huffed, trying to salvage his reputation.

To his credit, he did pull out a stack of documents and threw them on the table, disappointing Nawaki, who had been waiting to see a spectacle.

"These are reports I've gathered from infiltrating the surrounding islands recently. Go ahead and take a look."

With a cough, Jiraiya turned serious. The sleazy look he had moments ago was gone, replaced by a solemn demeanor.

His acting skills had definitely improved—Takuya thought that if Jiraiya pursued a career in acting, he could easily win an Oscar.

Though often unreliable, Jiraiya could indeed be counted on in critical moments.

Takuya carefully examined the intel in his hand.

He had to admit, Jiraiya was quite skilled at intelligence gathering.

After everyone had reviewed the information, Jiraiya began to speak.

"Now that everyone's here at the Uzumaki camp, I'm sure you understand the weight of the mission ahead of us," he said.

"The upcoming mission may take us into dangerous territory, but I have confidence that we can complete it."

Kirigakure had been relying on surprise attacks, skirmishing all over the place, refusing to engage in a direct battle. Orochimaru was anxious; Jiraiya was anxious too.

But being anxious was useless—the enemy held the initiative.

If we don't have the leverage, we'll create it.

As long as Konoha could break through Kirigakure's chain of islands, it would be Kirigakure that became desperate. Then, they would have no choice but to engage Konoha head-on.

As Jiraiya elaborated on the mission, the atmosphere in the command center grew heavy.

Even Nawaki, who was usually carefree, wore a serious expression.

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Next Bonus: 500 Power Stones. When restarting I will give you two chapters╰ (´꒳`) ╯

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ

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