Chinoike and deal...

"Valley of Hell," as ominous as its name implied, began to live up to its reputation even before Arashi and his team arrived.

Arashi, with his Ketsuryugan, could sense the high-iron-rich water from miles away, a unique advantage of his bloodline, along with his Uzumaki lineage, high vitality, and abundant chakra levels.

Though he had such crazy potential that it feels like he's cheating, he only considers himself one of those guys who were blessed by God, like his friend Guren, who had Crystal release that could be compared to Wood release.

"Are you the one?" asked the guard who was waiting for them at the road leading to the valley.

"Yes, Arashi," was the code intended to serve as their password for entrance into the Valley of Hell.

Walking into the steam-covered valley, they encountered a small settlement consisting mainly of around fifty members of the Chinoike clan. Isolated from regular outside contact, they lived a life reminiscent of the earliest humans, with minimal modern equipment and limited financial resources.

As the potent scent of the mineral-rich water entered Arashi's senses, his Ketsuryugan activated involuntarily. This sudden transformation appeared to surprise the man he had just encountered, who had light greyish golden hair and wrinkles on his face.

"That... Ketsuryugan," he muttered, his gaze fixed on Arashi's eye, which had a beautiful red sclera and dark red iris, with a distinctive horizontal rectangle line within.

"You guys don't have it?" Arashi questioned, raising his eyebrows. He was surprised that the activation of his eye had surprised the man, clearly the clan head.

"Some of us have it, including me. Not all people can awaken Ketsuryugan," he explained, trailing off at the end, leaving some silent meaning hanging in the air.

"I see.." Arashi nodded in acknowledgment, accepting their blessings as he entered the main compound of the clan.

–ROS–

"So, if I understand the situation correctly, the Chinoike clan has been living in this valley for more than a hundred years?" Arashi asked, genuinely astonished by the clan's long period of seclusion.

"Yes, and there have been small skirmishes happening within the clan for some time now. If we continue to live here much longer, I'm afraid the clan might wipe itself out within a decade," Chinoike Chiba, the clan head, said with a somber tone.

"So when you heard that a Chinoike was a kage of a village, you all hoped that I would provide a place for your clan to live," Arashi speculated, piecing together the situation from the information he had gathered.

He had his doubts that they would agree if he directly invited them to join his village, but this presented a more favorable and straightforward opportunity.

The clan head smiled slightly. The kid showed a good understanding of their situation. He realized that there might be compromises required for the clan to join the village, but he also saw the potential benefits and the future prosperity of his clan.

With Arashi Uzumaki-Chinoike as the Hoshikage of Hoshigakure and the Chinoike clan's support, Hoshigakure was poised for prosperity and recognition among other villages.

The Chinoike's reputation and abilities would undoubtedly make an impact on the shinobi world, even though the smaller villages might not have any idea who they are, the Great Five Shinobi Nations would undoubtedly have records of their clan.

That, coupled with the fact that the Hoshikage of Hoshigakure is both an Uzumaki and a Chinoike, would only enhance his reputation and influence even further.

"Yes, you are entirely correct. Our clan is ready to become a part of your village and protect it from any harm. It will become our home, and we humans protect our homes," the clan head replied with a serious tone and unwavering confidence.

"If you join my village, you would have to send people to become Shinobi. I am planning to construct an academy there. We have lots of space covered in forest wasting away, so we can build pretty much anything there," Arashi explained.

"Also, you would need to teach me how to use this effectively," Arashi added, pointing to his Ketsuryugan as he presented his second demand.

"We can do that, these are the times of war, if we didn't agree to become Shinobi of your village, we would wither away without accomplishing anything," the clan head acknowledged.

"So that leaves just transportation. If we send a bunch of people at once, the other Shinobi villages would be alerted and likely try to sabotage it, thinking it's an enemy attack," Arashi added, considering the logistical challenges they faced.

"Yes, we could send five people disguised as civilians every three days by different routes, you just need to escort them from halfway point, would this be all right?"

"Yes," Arashi said with a sigh of relief. He approached the clan head and offered his hand for a shake, which the clan head accepted with a matching smile, marking the beginning of a new age for Hoshigakure and the Chinoike clan.

It was the age of Arashi Uzumaki-Chinoike, the fourth Hoshikage of Hoshigakure and one of the strongest shinobi in the world.

*****

Sorry you guys, I was busy with something personal for a while, and also the word count is low, cause of stress...Sorry...