Chapter 285 : Clans!!

"When will Hiruko defect? I'm getting impatient... If he doesn't, I'll just have to go to Konoha and kidnap him myself..."

Hiruko, far off in Konoha, probably had no idea that someone out there cared so much about his situation.

It wasn't just the underground black market watching him—Kazuhiko even asked Tsunade to keep an eye on Hiruko during their meeting in the Shikkotsu Forest. And was asked to keep him informed of any news about Hiruko.

Though Tsunade was puzzled by Kazuhiko's unusual interest in another man, she agreed to help.

Kazuhiko, driven by a need for skilled ninja, had started to realize that his Land of Red lacked the strength it needed.

Besides other shortcomings, the current pool of talented clans in Land of Red was painfully small. There wasn't even a single elite Genjutsu clan.

Kazuhiko's goal was to bring more powerful clans into the fold, but most of them had strong ties to other villages. If he acted too boldly, he could trigger a second Great Ninja War, this time with Land of Red as the catalyst.

Lately, Kazuhiko had been pondering which clans might be worth bringing into the Land of Red.

He thought about several. 

For instance, the Chinoike Clan, known for their unique dojutsu, the Ketsuryūgan, which was similar to the Sharingan. Like the Uchiha's dojutsu, this technique required intense emotional triggers to activate and came with its own set of illusion-based jutsu.

Once caught in their illusions, a ninja could be turned into a living bomb. This dangerous technique had plagued Konoha later on in the storyline.

Then there was the Iburi clan, ninja from the Land of Fire but not directly connected to Konoha. They had a unique ability to transform their bodies into smoke, allowing them to enter and manipulate others from within.

But their smoke form had a significant weakness—if dispersed by wind, it could be fatal. This made their technique high-risk, leading to the demise of many Iburi clan members.

The Tsuchigumo Clan and the Fūma Clan were also on his radar. The Tsuchigumo Clan had a devastating forbidden technique, causing a massive explosion, wiping out everything within a radius of over fifty kilometers, with the user at its center.

They had developed a technique that allowed them to store chakra in gaseous form for up to half an hour. The longer they stored it, the greater the range of destruction it could cause. 

If they stored it long enough, it could potentially cause damage over an area spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

Kazuhiko remembered that the one who had a mentoring relationship with Yurein Hone, the previous Jinchūriki of the Six Tails, was a girl from the Tsuchigumo Clan.

Another clan that came to mind was the Fūma Clan (Land of Sound), which was also in decline. Though they had deep knowledge of chakra, they couldn't keep up with the growing power of ninjas from other nations. Their advantage was fading, and they had become quite weak.

The Fūma Clan even considered using Orochimaru's power to revive their clan. It was clear that Orochimaru had a way of attracting people, including children, and still managing to make them feel grateful. This might be his greatest talent.

Given this, Kazuhiko thought that the Land of Red's Lighthouse Orphanage might be a perfect place for someone like Orochimaru to find new talent.

"The Iburi clan will be handled in due time," Kazuhiko thought. "Once we solve their bloodline issue, they'll fall in line." 

The Iburi clan had a reputation for being cooperative once their internal issues were resolved.

As for the Chinoike Clan, since the Land of Red already had the Uchiha clan, there was likely to be conflict between the two. They would need to carefully manage any rivalry.

"That's settled," Kazuhiko declared, his tone resolute. "Let's have the Darknet start gathering information on these two clans. Having them around will give the Uchiha clan some healthy competition and keep them on their toes."

Kazuhiko wasn't going to let any opportunity slip by. The clans in question had a way of collapsing once they spread to Konoha, much like the Senju, Uchiha, or Uzumaki clans. The Tsuchigumo Clan, once influential, had faced the same fate.

To survive in Konoha, clans needed to be in good graces with the Hokage or align with strong allies like the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, all of whom were fiercely loyal to the Hokage.

Otherwise, a clan would have to weaken itself voluntarily or risk being slowly eroded by other clans over time. If a clan couldn't maintain its strength, it was likely to be overtaken and forgotten.

Kazuhiko always had his doubts about Konoha's approach to governance. This was a village renowned for its strength, so why did it resort to methods that felt like self-sabotage? 

It was like having a winning hand in a card game and then purposefully playing poorly. What a waste of potential.

Kazuhiko couldn't help but criticize Konoha's attitude towards its own clans and their power. If they had all this innate talent and these strong clans, why not embrace them instead of finding ways to diminish their influence? 

It was as if they were deliberately undermining their own strengths.

Konoha's approach was so nonsensical that it seemed to convince other villages that they were doing something genius. It was almost like a magic trick—convincing people they were doing something amazing, when in reality, it was just smoke and mirrors. 

Other nations were under this illusion, believing Konoha's power was derived from something extraordinary, when really it was just the residual strength left by their ancestors.

A good situation could be turned into a disaster, and yet Konoha still had the audacity to act proud about it.

Kazuhiko thought to himself, "If Konoha had allowed these clans to flourish, just imagine what they could have achieved. They could have empowered everyone, allowing their unique talents to thrive!" 

It was a waste—so many remarkable abilities going unutilized, some clans even being driven to extinction. It was a tragic loss of resources that would take generations to rebuild.

Kazuhiko snapped out of his contemplation and tasked his network of informers to look into the Iburi clan and the Chinoike Clan to see how they were holding up. 

He needed to know whether these unique clans were managing to survive amidst Konoha's misguided approach to governance.