Night...
Because Gato brought back a batch of tents, the citizens of the Land of Whirlpools rearranged their living arrangements again.
The elderly lived in stone houses, while the younger ones moved into tents. However, since there still weren't enough places to live, every tent was packed tightly. As a result...
It was very easy for people to catch colds.
Uzumaki Komaki continued his routine patrol of his assigned area. Everyone was exhausted from a day of labor, so the moment they lay down, they closed their eyes and fell asleep.
Satisfied, he looked around the tent. He didn't understand why Jun-sama had ordered them to patrol and take care of these civilians, making sure they didn't get cold, but...
As long as it was an order, as a shinobi, he would carry it out seriously!
Noticing a young boy who had kicked off his blanket, Uzumaki Komaki rubbed his temples but still walked over to tuck him back in. He muttered quietly, "No wonder there have been so many colds lately."
Without a shinobi's physique, yet still kicking off blankets...
Wasn't this just asking for trouble?
Recently, the medical-nin had been working nonstop because of all the cold cases and had started warning them to pay attention to keeping the civilians warm.
After scanning the entire tent to make sure everyone was properly covered, Uzumaki Komaki tossed a few more pieces of charcoal into the stove to keep it burning through the night...
"This way, they shouldn't catch a chill at night."
But he also had to be mindful of what Jun-sama had warned about—carbon monoxide poisoning and suffocation. These things would be evaluated periodically, and if he lost in the assessment, he'd be too ashamed to face his comrades.
So, Uzumaki Komaki also checked that the stove's ventilation wasn't blocked before carefully stepping out. He didn't notice that one boy wasn't asleep at all and had been secretly watching the whole scene.
Finally, as Uzumaki Komaki left, the boy smiled slightly and whispered to himself, "This feeling is really nice!"
"Shin? What's wrong?" A companion next to him seemed disturbed by his movements and rubbed his eyes. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"And be careful when you turn over, it's so cold!"
"Sorry, sorry." Shin quickly pulled the blanket tighter and asked curiously, "What do you think of this kind of life?"
"It's great!" His companion yawned and replied impatiently, "Three meals a day, with meat too. I've never experienced anything like this before."
"Do you have any goals?"
"Goals?" The companion turned away irritably. "No! Right now, I just want to sleep!"
Seeing his companion ignore him, Shin sighed helplessly, pulled the blanket over his head, and muttered quietly, "My goal is to become a supervisor..."
Then I'll make sure you don't get any food!
Ignoring me like that...
Hmph!
...
"Komaki!" Seeing that it was Komaki who had come out, Uzumaki Kai yawned and asked, "How's everything on your side?"
"Everything's fine." Uzumaki Komaki nodded. "You look exhausted."
"Of course I'm exhausted." Uzumaki Kai rubbed his arms. "Fishing is such a hassle!"
Even though Jun-sama's method had increased their harvest several times over...
There still weren't enough people!
Seeing Kai's state, Uzumaki Komaki shook his head and chuckled. "I heard there have been spies from other villages lately. Nothing serious happened, right?"
"That's Sōta's responsibility." Uzumaki Kai walked alongside Komaki as he spoke. "We've caught several recently, from every village."
"They all had their chakra sealed and were thrown out."
"What a waste." Uzumaki Komaki sighed. "If we had that many shinobi, our workload would be lighter."
"That's true." Uzumaki Kai agreed. "Jun-sama also said it was a waste, but he's worried other villages might use it as an excuse to cause trouble. For now, we can only throw them out."
"The Land of Whirlpools can't afford another war right now."
"...Sigh." Uzumaki Komaki looked up at the night sky of the Land of Whirlpools and murmured, "I hope the Land of Whirlpools can grow stronger."
"Of course it will." Kai yawned again. "Jun-sama is going to Konoha tomorrow. Are you going?"
"Jun-sama wants me to stay and watch over the Land of Whirlpools, in case anyone causes trouble." Uzumaki Komaki shook his head helplessly. "Are you going with him?"
"Yeah." Kai replied. "The clan elders insisted I protect Jun-sama."
"..." Hearing this, Komaki fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "Then everything..."
"Is in your hands."
"Of course!"
Uzumaki Kai yawned again, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
...
Kirigakure...
"Has the Jinchūriki Project started yet?" Yuki Kiyoi asked, his eyes narrowed. "This is the village's most important mission right now."
"It's already underway." A jonin nodded. "But so far, there haven't been any successes."
"Without the Uzumaki Clan's chakra, becoming a Jinchūriki isn't easy." Yuki Kiyoi sighed. "Take it slow. Have the sealing team find a method that suits Kirigakure."
"The sealing techniques from the Land of Whirlpools might not be suitable for us."
If it still doesn't work, then we'll really have no choice but to...
"Yes!" The jonin bowed respectfully and hesitated, as if he had something else to say.
"Is there anything else to report?" Yuki Kiyoi frowned. Though his eyes were always narrowed, he wasn't blind. If there was something to say, then say it. Did he intend to hide things from the village?
"The lower ranks have been complaining about the Jinchūriki Project because..." The jonin carefully watched the Mizukage's expression. "So many children have died."
"..."
Hearing this, Yuki Kiyoi fell silent before finally sighing. "This is a necessary sacrifice for success."
"Look among the refugees outside the village for those with shinobi potential."
"If there are any..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
"Yes!" The jonin understood immediately. If there were complaints within the village, then...
They would search outside.
Though it was cruel, for the sake of the village's future, it was worth it.
"Have the other villages made any moves recently?" Yuki Kiyoi asked. Though he had achieved his dream of becoming village leader, the losses from the previous regime had left the village in a weakened state. He couldn't afford to fall behind during this recovery period.
"According to intelligence reports, the other villages have also obtained sealing techniques from the Land of Whirlpools." The jonin replied. "They've all started experimenting with their own Jinchūriki Projects."
"As for the Land of Whirlpools..."
"There's nothing unusual. They're still cutting trees and building houses."
"..."
It seemed the Land of Whirlpools wasn't doing well after the war either.
After a moment of silence, Yuki Kiyoi waved his hand. "Continue gathering intelligence."
"You're dismissed for now."
"Yes!" The jonin bowed. "Mizukage-sama, rest early!"