The conditions proposed by the Uzumaki Elder were sent back to the Land of Whirlpools at maximum speed via a secret scroll encrypted by Shisui.

When this intelligence was placed on the desk in the Uzukage's Office, it immediately caused a massive uproar among the high-ranking officials.

"This is too harsh! This isn't an invitation; it's a deliberate provocation!"

The Military Department Head, Uchiha Fugaku, was the first to slam the table, his usually steady face now filled with displeasure.

"The Uzukage is the head of a nation. How can he easily leave the mainland and personally step into a chaotic, lawless place like the Land of Grass? It's a den of thieves; God knows how many eyes are watching. This is a complete trap!"

Fugaku's concerns represented the thoughts of most people present.

Even Shisui had attached his own suggestion at the end of the scroll, believing the conditions were too demanding and suggesting that a higher-spec diplomatic mission be sent with more abundant supplies for a second round of negotiations to plan more carefully.

"I agree with Lord Fugaku's view."

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Itachi, also spoke up. His expression was as calm as ever, but his words carried the same disapproval.

"The safety of the Kage is the highest interest of the nation. We cannot let our leader take such a huge risk for an unconfirmed ally. This matter requires a more comprehensive plan."

The Minister of Education, Izumi, didn't speak, but her tightly furrowed brows also indicated her own concern.

For a time, the entire Uzukage's Office was plunged into a heated debate.

Everyone proposed various alternative solutions centered around the problem of "how to show sincerity without letting Kei personally face danger."

However, as the center of the event, Uchiha Kei himself had not participated in the discussion from the moment he received the intelligence.

He just sat quietly in the Uzukage's seat, chin resting on one hand and eyes closed, as if he were dozing off.

It wasn't until the arguing in the office gradually subsided and everyone's gaze refocused on him, waiting for the final verdict.

Kei slowly opened his eyes.

He didn't look at the intelligence scroll on the desk, nor did he refute the views of Fugaku and Itachi.

He stood up, straightened his collar, and then said one thing to the worried Fugaku.

"Wait for my news."

The moment the words fell, Fugaku only felt a blur before his eyes.

Kei's figure simply vanished into thin air from the office.

Fugaku, Itachi, and Izumi—the three ministers at the core of the Land of Whirlpools' power—looked at each other in shock.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in the Land of Grass.

Inside that dim and dilapidated earthen house, the Uzumaki Elder was leaning on his cane, slowly pacing.

His face bore a trace of self-deprecation and disappointment.

He knew in his heart how unrealistic the condition he had proposed was.

Would the Kage of a newly established nation personally come to such a dragon's den for a few hundred exiles he had never met? It was simply a fantasy.

The reason he said it was half out of the extreme distrust formed after years of being betrayed, and the other half was perhaps a tiny, insignificant fantasy of a "miracle" deep in his heart that he didn't even want to admit.

Now it seemed that a fantasy was just a fantasy after all.

He was already prepared to reject the other party's envoys with a tougher attitude when they came to negotiate again, and then lead his clansmen to migrate to a more hidden place.

Shisui stood to the side, his heart also somewhat heavy.

He could understand the Elder's feelings, and he also knew it was impossible for Kei to actually come.

He was organizing his words in his mind, preparing how to appease this stubborn old man later to preserve a bit of leeway for subsequent negotiations.

The flame of the oil lamp in the room gave a "crackling" flicker.

At that very moment.

Without any warning, the space beside Shisui began to distort.

That wasn't a visual deception caused by Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, but a more fundamental, higher-level anomaly originating from the laws of physics.

The air became like a pot of boiling thick soup, collapsing inward around a single point to form a clockwise-rotating, bottomless pitch-black vortex.

This vortex was so pure and so quiet; it made no sound, yet it could swallow all surrounding light and sound.

Shisui instantly tensed his body, a flash of horror in his eyes.

This was Kamui; it was Kei's Kamui.

But this feeling was completely different from the Kamui he knew.

It was more stable, deeper, and more illogical.

The Uzumaki Elder opposite him was even more dumbfounded by this miracle-like scene. The cane in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and his cloudy old eyes were filled with a shock and incredulity he had never experienced in his life.

He had seen Space-Time Ninjutsu and had even witnessed the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique.

But those techniques required formulas or coordinates as a medium and would be accompanied by violent Chakra fluctuations.

Yet the scene before him completely exceeded his range of cognition.

This didn't seem like Ninjutsu.

This was more like a god tearing open the curtain of space, preparing to descend into the mortal world.

Under the shocked gazes of the two, a foot calmly stepped out from that pitch-black spatial vortex, treading firmly onto the solid ground of this broken house.

Immediately after, Uchiha Kei's figure fully emerged from the vortex.

It was as if he had just walked through an invisible door; he was spotless, and there wasn't even a single wrinkle on the corner of his clothes.

After he appeared, the terrifying spatial vortex behind him silently closed and smoothed over, returning to its original state as if it had never existed.

The entire process was smooth as flowing water, filled with an indescribable composure and elegance.

Kei's gaze calmly fell on the completely petrified Uzumaki Elder, and he gave him a slight nod.

Then, he spoke the first sentence after arriving here.

That sentence was very short, and his tone was very flat, but it was like a hammer weighing ten thousand tons, smashing hard against the Uzumaki Elder's heart.

"I've come."

"Sorry for the wait."

This god-like way of appearing, this unfathomable Space-Time Dōjutsu, and this flat sentence containing an endless promise converged into an unprecedented torrent, instantly washing away the high wall built of decades of blood, tears, and betrayal in the Uzumaki Elder's heart.

Shock was no longer enough to describe his current feelings.

It was a kind of awe and trembling from the depths of the soul, like a mortal looking up at a god.

He finally understood that the other party didn't need any negotiations or alternative solutions at all.

Because for this young Uzukage, the so-called "dangerous land a thousand miles away" was no different from his own back garden.

Kei walked slowly to the Elder and spoke solemnly.

"Elder, I have come in person for an alliance concerning the future of two great bloodlines, not for a unilateral handout."

"The new Land of Whirlpools will provide land, housing, and an absolutely equal national status for the compatriots of the Uzumaki Clan. This is a right you deserve for returning to your ancestral home."

"All the secret Sealing Technique uncovered from the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools will be returned. The Uzumaki Clan needs to retake control of this power, as it is one of the foundations for our future foothold in the Shinobi World."

"As a sign of sincerity for the covenant, the Land of Whirlpools will establish the 'Grand Elder Council,' responsible for the cultural heritage and historical research of the two clans, with the power to advise the Uzukage directly. You, Elder Uzumaki Masahiko, will become the Chief of the Grand Elder Council, ensuring the voice of the Uzumaki Clan reaches the core of power."

Strength, status, heritage.

Every single thing Kei offered accurately hit the things the Uzumaki Clan desired and lacked the most.

But this was not the end.

Kei's gaze became deeper as he stated the core purpose of this trip.

"But this is just the beginning. The Uchiha possess the strongest Dōjutsu, and the Uzumaki possess the most immense vitality and Chakra. The combination of these two bloodlines will give birth to descendants beyond imagination. I need your bloodline to forge the most solid future for this nation."

"I hope to see the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Uzumaki's red hair growing up under the same roof. Intermarriage between the two clans and the fusion of bloodlines—this is the proof of our true integration and the way we announce our power to the entire Shinobi World."

"You are not returning as dependents, but as the founders of the future Land of Whirlpools. Your value lies in your bloodline, in your power, and in your ability to create an unprecedentedly powerful future together with the Uchiha."

These words were no longer high-and-mighty pity, but a cold yet tempting political deal.

It instantly elevated the Uzumaki Clan from the status of "saved refugees" to that of "strategic partners determining the nation's future."

The Uzumaki Elder could no longer hold himself up. Looking at this young man who was excessively young yet carried the weight of the whole world, cloudy old tears burst from his eyes again.

This time, it was no longer sadness, but excitement—the ecstasy of finding a home and value.

Trembling, he slowly knelt down and respectfully placed the cane that had accompanied him for decades horizontally in front of him.

"This sinful subject, descendant of Uzumaki Nagato, grandson of Uzumaki Ashina, leader of the exiles, Uzumaki Masahiko..."

"Leading all surviving clansmen, totaling three hundred and seventy-two people..."

"Pays respects to the Uzukage!"

"We... are willing to offer everything for the fusion of the two clans' bloodlines!"