Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 277: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

"From now on, the three of you are ninjas of the Land of Whirlpools under the jurisdiction of the Leaf Village!"

After handing over information about the Land of Whirlpools to the three, Uchiha Shirou, seated gracefully in his office, declared in a commanding tone:

"This time, Kisame, your mission is to accompany Jiraiya's squad to the Land of Whirlpools. As for your teammates, they will be Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. I trust you will not let me down."

With a satisfied smile, Shirou was confident that Kisame's strength would be maximized in the terrain of the Land of Whirlpools.

However, Shirou's evident emphasis on Kisame left Pakura and Mei Terumi speechless. They couldn't understand why they were deemed less valuable than someone with a shark face.

In terms of strength, Pakura was currently the strongest among the three. After all, she had been a threat to the Fourth Kazekage.

In terms of bloodline abilities, Pakura possessed Scorch Release, while Mei Terumi had both Lava Release and Boil Release.

In terms of appearance and potential, the two women were undeniably exceptional.

After Kisame respectfully departed under the guidance of Shisui, who had been waiting outside the door, Pakura and Mei Terumi remained in the Hokage's office.

"What a young and handsome Hokage. Let me give you a kiss that will melt your bones and heart."

Mei Terumi's teasing voice echoed, but she was suddenly met with several murderous glares, leaving her frozen in place. Her gaze turned to the assistants present in the office.

"Mei Terumi, Pakura, you are intelligent people. From the intelligence dossiers I've given you, you should already understand the plans ahead."

Shirou chuckled lightly at the two, tapping his fingers on the desk. Kisame's greatest trait was his purity as a ninja.

But these two were different!

Especially Mei Terumi. For someone to rise to power as a bloodline user in the oppressive Blood Mist policies and ultimately stage a coup to become the Mizukage, her intellect was undoubtedly the sharpest among the three.

"What about Temari?"

Pakura was the first to speak. Her head lifted, revealing an expression of hatred. Yet, when she thought of the girl who had accompanied her along the way, her expression grew complicated.

Both she and Temari were merely sacrifices of their village.

"Temari? She's doing well. It seems your Sand Village has given up on a true genius. She's now Kushina's disciple, and we in the Leaf will ensure she is nurtured properly."

Shirou spoke without any hesitation. Holding the mission scroll in his hand, he made Pakura frown.

"I want to ask, Hokage-sama, is it ambition that drives you? Or are you truly trying to fulfill the dream described in the book?"

This was the question not only in the minds of Pakura and Mei Terumi but also countless others. The fairy-tale-like dream described in the book seemed too far removed from reality, leaving them with expressions of disbelief.

"The dream in the book?"

Looking at the two in front of him, Shirou squinted and smiled.

"Do you mean the dream of peace in the ninja world or the dream of a world where bloodline users are no longer persecuted?"

"Is there a difference?" Mei Terumi asked with a meaningful gaze, giving the man before her a deep look.

"Of course, there's a difference. If you're asking from the perspective of someone from the Land of Water, then I can tell you this: the Land of Whirlpools will welcome any true friends who come with sincerity, including those bloodline abilities feared and hated by everyone in the Land of Water."

When mentioning the Land of Water, Shirou couldn't help but sigh. It wasn't that his methods were particularly brilliant—his competition just made him look good.

If the Land of Water had been only slightly less oppressive, situations like this wouldn't have arisen. But instead, the Land of Water had long fostered hatred and rejection of bloodline abilities.

This caused the entire Land of Water, even its ordinary citizens, to view these powerful bloodline abilities as demonic powers.

By contrast, the Land of Whirlpools, located so close to the Land of Water, didn't need to employ any special strategies. Simply providing a safe haven was enough to attract countless bloodline users.

"If you're referring to the dream of peace, I'd rather call it ambition!"

At this point, Shirou laughed boldly, showing no hesitation.

This was the confidence of someone with a strong foundation. Regardless of the situation, the ninja world was currently exhausted from fighting and could only engage in minor schemes in secret.

Shirou, seizing the opportunity, was rapidly expanding his power.

As Pakura and Mei Terumi made their choices, Shirou smiled again.

"Tsunade, I'll leave these two to you."

Unlike Kisame, these two wouldn't be so easily let loose from the village.

Tsunade, understanding the situation, raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing Shirou's arrangement.

"Pakura is understandable, but is Mei Terumi worth such special attention?"

After all, no one would have expected this talented Mei Terumi to one day become the Mizukage.

Knowing the future, Shirou simply smiled and nodded.

"Tsunade, don't underestimate these two. I see the potential for them to become Kage-level figures!"

Hearing Shirou's evaluation, Kushina, standing nearby, was visibly shocked.

The term "Kage" referred to the leaders of the Five Great Ninja Villages, not just ninja with Kage-level strength.

Pakura, a political sacrifice, had already proven her potential, despite her failure. And Mei Terumi's future as Mizukage needed no further explanation.

"I see. It looks like I'll need to take this seriously," Tsunade said with sudden understanding, her expression turning serious.

"It's not that difficult. Both of them have been betrayed by their villages. Even if they had the opportunity to contact their villages, do you think their villages would trust them? Furthermore, they harbor resentment toward their villages.

At this point, all we need to do is build trust and bonds. No one would reject the opportunity to belong to the Leaf, the ninja world's strongest village."

Seeing Shirou's confidence, Tsunade couldn't help but sigh before smiling.

Through his office window, Shirou squinted as he gazed out over the entirety of the Leaf Village.

"Kushina, make sure to train Temari well. A girl abandoned by her father and village, who grew up in the Leaf, will see this place as her home. With Pakura supporting her in the future, I'll ensure that, even before the battle begins, I've already claimed half of the Sand Village's loyalty!"

"The Mist Village is even less of a concern. A village mired in slaughter, the Land of Whirlpools has focused on the Land of Water for years, absorbing persecuted bloodline users and clans!

And don't forget the Rogue Ninjas from the fractured Land of Lightning. If the Cloud Village ever declares war on us, they will become our most determined fighters..."

As Uchiha Shirou revealed his plans, his demeanor exuded overwhelming confidence. The Land of Whirlpools' recent developments, seen by outsiders as a means of restoring its economy and expanding its military, were the groundwork for unifying the ninja world.

...

...

...

Konoha.

Looking at the innocent smiles of the children at the ninja academy, Hatake Kakashi, who happened to pass by, couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

"Kakashi, in less than a year, the village has changed so much."

Beside him, Uchiha Shisui spoke with a bright smile. However, Shisui didn't notice Kakashi discreetly glancing at Hoshigaki Kisame, the newcomer.

"Shisui, Shirou-sensei's greatness is far beyond what we can see."

Seeing both Shisui and Kisame standing there, Kakashi secretly shook his head. It seemed that the youngest among them, Uchiha Itachi, had picked up on something. He walked up to Kakashi.

"Kakashi-senpai, are you saying you've seen something on a deeper level?"

Looking into Itachi's inquisitive eyes, Kakashi nodded slightly but chose not to continue the conversation. His peripheral vision, however, caught sight of many outsiders among the parents picking up their children from the academy.

At that moment, Kakashi inwardly sighed in admiration. The current Hokage, his mentor, was likely a true legend capable of changing not only Konoha but the history of the entire shinobi world.

Using the restoration of the Land of Whirlpools as a pretext, Kakashi saw the Hokage's broader vision—one that mirrored the founding of the ninja villages. It was a plan to absorb the powerful bloodlines and clans from across the shinobi world.

Elderly, women, and children were relocated to the village. Their children received the same education as Konoha's, and once they became Konoha ninjas, they would truly belong to Konoha.

They worked alongside Konoha's ninjas in rebuilding the Land of Whirlpools, forming bonds as deep as those forged during Konoha's founding.

With opportunities to occasionally return home and spend time with their families, it would only take about ten years for these people to bear the mark of Konoha deeply.

After all, the bitterness of being a refugee made them cherish everything they had now.

"Mom, look! This is my best friend."

"Wow, that little girl has such fair skin!"

At some point, the ninja academy was filled with many pale-skinned, blond-haired children—and even some parents.

But none of this surprised the ninjas and civilians of Konoha. They had grown used to it. Over the past year, many people from across the shinobi world have come to Konoha. It was a change no one found unusual.

...

Meanwhile, Terumi Mei and Pakura, accompanied by Mabui, Yugito Nii, and Samui, were exploring Konoha and marveling at its prosperity.

"It hasn't been that long, and it's already this prosperous?"

"We were abandoned by our villages too. You don't have to look at us with those eyes—we were born in Kumogakure..."

Perhaps because they shared the same fate, Mabui, Yugito, and Samui felt a natural bond with Mei and Pakura. After all, they were all kindred spirits in a way.

"That's the crest of the Yuki Clan from Kirigakure—how is that possible?!"

Terumi Mei's pupils shrank in shock when she saw an elderly woman picking up her granddaughter in the distance. The woman's exposed arm bore the clan's crest.

Seeing her reaction, Mabui explained:

"The Yuki Clan was accused of treason and expelled from Kirigakure about six months ago. Many of their members fled and became refugees in the shinobi world.

The Land of Whirlpools' restoration happened around the same time. The first group of recruits included members of the Yuki Clan. Unfortunately, most of the refugees were civilians, and only two of them were ninjas."

While Mei was still processing the loss of another clan from her village, Pakura had already made her way to the academy gates with Samui to meet someone.

"Temari!"

When she saw Temari, who was smiling and seemed to have fully integrated into Konoha, Pakura's expression turned complicated.

Temari, in turn, smiled when she saw who had come for her.

"Sister Samui, Lady Pakura, you're finally back!"

In Temari's eyes, after being abandoned by her father, family, and village, Pakura was the only one who had truly protected her. She was a fellow defector from Sunagakure.

"Pakura, while you were away on a mission, Temari missed you a lot."

Samui's cheerful voice echoed as she gave Pakura a knowing look, clearly signaling that this was just an excuse to comfort Temari.

Pakura caught the hint, forcing a stiff smile as Temari hugged her. Awkwardly, she said, "Yes, I just finished my mission."

"Yay!"

Under Temari's innocent smile, Pakura and Mei exchanged glances filled with shock. In the end, they both let out bitter smiles.

It was clear that everything was in plain sight.

Konoha wasn't hiding its ambition at all. Its intention to unite the shinobi world under one banner was evident. People from all the great villages were integrating seamlessly, and the goal of unifying the shinobi world was no secret.

They both knew they were being shown this on purpose, yet they also knew it was real. This left them with no choice but to sigh in resignation.

Even though they understood the game, they had no choice but to play along.

This strategy began with winning over hearts and minds.

...

At sunset, in the Hokage's office.

Uchiha Shirou listened to a report from the Anbu and couldn't help but smile.

"Hmm, not bad. These outsiders need to understand that monitoring is inevitable. But once they pass the trust period, we must inform them when the surveillance is lifted.

Also, notify the police force and the academy to stay focused on this matter. As long as someone lives in Konoha, they are one of us—there are no outsiders."

"Yes!"

After the Anbu left respectfully, a fatigued Tsunade, having just dispelled her shadow clone, grumbled:

"If it weren't for your ambitions, I wouldn't have to train so hard."

But it was just a complaint. While the village's dark clouds had been dispersed, Tsunade hadn't stopped training. They had discovered far greater threats.

"Tsunade, this shinobi world is full of secrets and dangers—the mysterious man controlling the Nine-Tails, the special chakra within Naruto and Sasuke, and even the Dragon Vein leading to another world..."

The more they uncovered, the heavier the burden became.

"The Dragon Vein's seal is only temporary. As long as people have ambition, it's only a matter of time before either we attack them, or they attack us. This is an unchanging cycle of fate."

With a resolute smile, Shiou's will was just beginning to rise.

This was only the start!