24 - The Summoning Island

How strong was Madara? Nowadays, most people in the shinobi world didn't have a clear understanding.

After all, the Third Hokage, in order to secure his position, significantly altered the curriculum of the Ninja Academy and distorted the history of the ninja world.

He even shamelessly claimed himself to be the strongest Hokage.

Even someone like Minato, who had heard the true history from Kei, only had a very fragmented understanding of it.

Madara!

That was a man who, even in his Mangekyō Sharingan state, could single-handedly beat up the Five Kage and the entire shinobi alliance!

If it weren't for the Sage of Six Paths secretly supporting them from behind... If Naruto and Sasuke hadn't been like undying cockroaches, repeatedly getting back up... And if Black Zetsu hadn't struck at the most critical moment and literally pulled out his heart... Madara would have been the final winner.

With just their fragile bodies, facing Madara head-on at this stage, even if it were the "weakened" version of Madara, It would basically be a death sentence.

Just thinking about it makes me realize how damn dangerous this world is. First, there's Madara, and then there's the Ōtsutsuki clan... This is way too hard... Kei silently complained in his heart.

If it weren't for the system backing him up and his strength rapidly increasing... He'd seriously consider running off to some remote mountains and living a secluded life!

As he was lost in thought, a sudden spatial fluctuation came from Minato, who was standing beside him.

"Hmm? Mount Myōboku is performing Reverse Summoning Jutsu? I'll go check it out."

Sensing the summoning, Minato raised his hand and stabbed a Flying Thunder God kunai into the ship's railing.

Then, in a puff of chakra-infused smoke, he vanished from sight.

According to the rules of Summoning Jutsu, once the summoning was undone, the summoned person returned to their original spatial coordinates.

Without the guidance of the Flying Thunder God kunai, by the time he returned from Mount Myōboku, this fast-moving three-masted ship would have drifted who knows where.

---

Minato wasn't gone for long.

In less than two minutes, he used the Flying Thunder God to return to the ship.

Kei was still on the deck, basking in the sun and enjoying the sea breeze. When he saw Minato return, his face had an odd expression.

Curious, he asked, "What's with that look?"

"The village issued an announcement," Minato replied, choosing his words carefully. "In short, it says that Uzushio has always been a steadfast ally of Konoha. Due to certain reasons in the past, Konoha couldn't extend a helping hand when the Uzumaki clan was in crisis. So now, Konoha is calling on its ninjas to help any remaining Uzumaki clan members they encounter..."

Minato briefly summarized what he had learned from the toads.

After hearing this, Kei's expression also turned strange. He immediately understood why Minato had looked that way earlier.

Both of them had the same thought: Where was this energy back when it actually mattered?

The Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed for years. The Uzumaki clan was nearly wiped out.

And now, they suddenly remember their so-called "alliance"?

"So the Third Hokage is planning to gather the remaining Uzumaki clan members, huh?" Kei instantly saw through the real motive behind the announcement.

The Uzumaki clan... If the higher-ups of Konoha were interested in them, it was definitely because of their special bloodline and sealing techniques.

And since this wasn't something that had happened in the original storyline... Even without thinking too hard, he could guess that it was because of the rumors spreading in the village—about him dating Kushina.

Were they worried about their jinchūriki?

Or were they being cautious about the Yamanaka clan as well?

Or maybe both?

"Probably," Minato nodded with a smile. "Looks like Kushina will soon have some of her clan members settling in Konoha."

He was genuinely happy for her. After all, Konoha was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Its living conditions were far better than those chaotic, war-torn small nations.

If the remaining Uzumaki clan members could come to Konoha, they would have a much better chance of survival and carrying on their legacy.

"Don't be too optimistic," Kei scoffed. "The Uzumaki clan probably holds a serious grudge against Konoha."

Still, he silently contacted his system, wondering if this butterfly effect he had caused would earn him a reward.

This counted as influencing and changing the storyline, right?

Seeing that the system remained completely unresponsive after a long while, he turned to look at Minato beside him.

"Do you want a wife or not?!"

"???" Minato stared at his best friend with a face full of confusion.

"Red-haired, long-haired beauty, exquisite facial features, a stunning and curvy figure, gentle and kind personality! Do you want her or not?" Kei wrapped an arm around Minato's neck.

He vividly described the Uzumaki girl he remembered from his past memories.

"As long as she doesn't punch me so hard that I cry for days, then maybe, possibly, probably... I'd be interested?" Minato's face bloomed into a smile.

To be honest, he did think red hair was beautiful. That color always gave him a sense of boundless passion and vitality.

Back in the Ninja Academy, if Kei hadn't acted so fast, he might have actually tried to pursue Kushina himself.

"Just wait, I'm going to repeat these exact words to Kushina." Kei was now even more determined to pair that girl on the Summoning Island with Minato.

One, to change Minato's life path and earn a reward from the system.

Two, because Kushina was his!

Minato needed to be settled down early—otherwise, it would be annoying.

"Hey, hey, I was just repeating what you said! If Kushina were to be with someone, shouldn't it be you?!" Minato protested, trying to reason with him.

"She can't bear to leave me, so... If you keep this up, you're going to lose me as a friend, for real!"

"Hahaha~"

The two of them laughed and joked around for a while.

Then, Kei directly instructed the captain to change course, setting their destination toward the Summoning Island of the Land of the Sea.

When ninjas go out on missions, all sorts of unexpected things can happen.

Returning a few days late? No one would say a word about it.

The Land of the Sea occupied the waters north of the Land of Water and south of the Land of Lightning.

Just like the Land of Grass, Land of Bears, and Land of Rain, it was a small nation squeezed between two great countries, serving as a buffer zone for war.

As for Summoning Island, while it was technically part of the Land of Sea's territory, in reality, it was under Kiri's control.

In the original timeline, this island was home to many powerful creatures that could be used as summoning beasts, making it highly sought after by ninjas.

A research facility had even been built on the island to study, cultivate, and enhance summoning beasts.

Back when Kei read the memories of Kiri ninjas, he learned that the summoning beasts they used against Pakura all came from that place.

At the time, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

But now that the topic of the Uzumaki clan had come up, he recalled the named Uzumaki characters from the original story.

And naturally, he thought of that girl who lived on Summoning Island, only to tragically die because of the so-called "Ultimate Summoning Beast."

Based on both his knowledge of the original plot and the intel from the Kiri ninja's memories, he concluded that a girl named Honoka had a very high chance of still being alive—and she was around the same age as them.

Wouldn't it be better to give her to Minato as a wife instead of letting her die in a beast's mouth for nothing?

I'm a damn genius.

In Kei's mind, a tiny version of himself stood with hands on his hips, feeling extremely proud.