The situation unfolded exactly as it had in his previous life.
"Fox! You cover the rear!"
Breaking through the Cloud shinobi's defensive line, the Black Ape Squad captain once again ordered Yagami to stay behind and hold off the pursuers.
Yagami turned, predicting the movements of two Cloud ninja. His blade flashed twice, killing both of them instantly, before he shifted his gaze toward the Cloud squad captain in the distance.
The Cloud squad captain's attention was once again drawn to Yagami.
He charged forward, leaping high and bringing his blade down in a heavy vertical slash.
Mid-air, the motion shifted — the downward cut turned into a sweeping horizontal slash.
Clang!
The sound of steel striking steel echoed sharply.
Yagami's ninjatō met the Cloud shinobi's sword, blocking the attack perfectly.
The Cloud ninja's expression changed drastically. He practiced Cloud Flow Swordsmanship every day, his strikes unpredictable and fluid — yet this Leaf Anbu had blocked it so easily?
The horizontal sweep shifted into a thrust.
Clang!
The thrust turned into an upward slice.
Clang!
The room was filled with the constant sound of metal clashing. Frustration twisted across the Cloud ninja's face.
Had this Leaf Anbu studied him? How could he be so familiar with his sword style?
Evenly matched — neither side gaining ground — Yagami's heart finally steadied.
Do you know what "clang clang clang" means?
It means… I've seen through every single one of your moves.
Yagami's eyes darted around, searching for a concealed spot nearby.
When the Cloud ninja slashed again, Yagami didn't meet the blow head-on. He feigned retreat, leaping backward through the window of a nearby house.
The Cloud ninja's eyes lit up. Inside a confined space, his Cloud Flow Swordsmanship was even more deadly.
His flexible joints and trained muscles made him ideal for close-quarter combat.
Without hesitation, the Cloud ninja followed Yagami through the window.
But as soon as he entered the room, he saw the Leaf ninja forming hand seals.
Faster! I have to be faster! I must finish him before that jutsu—!
His sword thrust straight toward Yagami's chest.
Unfortunately, when the blade was only three centimeters from Yagami's heart, it froze in midair.
Inside the dimly lit house, black sealing marks crawled rapidly across the Cloud ninja's legs, waist, and arms — locking every joint in place.
The Binding Seal couldn't hold for long. Yagami dashed forward, grabbing the sword he'd left embedded in the floor, and drove it straight through the Cloud ninja's heart.
Pulling the blade free, he casually grabbed a handkerchief from the nearby table and wiped the blood off.
The feel beneath the cloth wasn't good. After clashing with the Cloud ninja, several chips had appeared along the blade's edge.
He'd need to replace it after this battle.
That was why ninja were always broke — weapon expenses were the biggest cost. No one who wanted to live dared to cut corners on gear.
A good ninjatō cost tens of thousands of ryō.
Kunai were cheaper — only a few thousand each.
Ninjatō were for rich ninja. Kunai were for the poor.
Even Cloud shinobi were wealthier than Leaf ones. How unfair.
Yagami sniffed. A delicious smell wafted into his nose.
Only then did he properly look around the room.
Two bodies lay inside — a mother and her daughter. Both had their throats slit, blood pooling beneath them.
The fragrance came from the stove.
A pot still simmered there, or rather — had simmered. Inside was a chicken stew.
Yagami lifted the lid, and a wave of rich aroma hit him.
The broth had nearly evaporated — the bottom layer was slightly burnt, but the upper meat looked fine.
He tore off a drumstick and bit into it. Pure bliss.
Compared to this, soldier pills were garbage. On the battlefield, a hot chicken leg could restore more morale than any ration pill ever could.
In the darkness of the small house, Yagami finished half the chicken, wiped the grease from his mouth, and jumped back outside.
Three kills — mission complete, and then some.
From the rooftop, he surveyed the situation.
Captain Yellow Dog's squad had pushed deeper, locked in battle with the Mist shinobi outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Those Mist ninja were using Water Release techniques to wear down the barrier's energy, flooding the area in thick mist.
Yagami didn't join them. Instead, he stayed back, clearing the stragglers for the Black Ape Squad.
Every time he encountered a Cloud ninja, he'd lure them into a house and use the Binding Curse Seal to kill them unseen.
After three more kills, Yagami started to think Yellow Dog's squad was taking too long. If this dragged on any further, he'd... well, he might actually eat himself to death.
Aside from half a chicken, he'd already devoured a pot of ribs, three rice balls, and a whole bowl of drunken shrimp.
The Drunken Shrimp from Eddy Village was quite good — though the alcohol content was a bit strong.
He'd also looted over five hundred thousand ryō, stuffing it all into his ninja pouch. He'd need it for a night out at Tavern back in the Leaf — no fun without money.
If they could completely clear Eddy Village, he'd be filthy rich overnight.
As those thoughts drifted through his head, he glanced toward Yellow Dog's squad. He realized that only regular troops were fighting — the captain and sub-captains hadn't moved at all.
At this rate, how long would it take them to clear the Mist ninja around the barrier?
Compared to the Leaf Anbu, the Mist shinobi were fighting like men possessed. With their Mizukage dead, they were in a desperate rage, fighting with terrifying ferocity.
Ten minutes later, Yagami cut down another Cloud ninja — and then heard a loud boom behind him.
The Four Violet Flames Formation around the Uzumaki Clan Shrine had been breached!
Endless Water Release attacks had finally drained the last of its chakra.
The four Uzumaki who had been maintaining the barrier collapsed, gasping and pale.
The Mist shinobi charged in, slaughtering the women of the Uzumaki clan without mercy.
One by one, red-haired girls fell under their blades.
Some still wore their nightclothes. Some were little girls in cute pink dresses.
To the Mist shinobi, every red-haired Uzumaki was a culprit — all of them blamed for their Mizukage's death.
That was when Uzumaki Yuka appeared. She summoned the giant white bird, and tied the crying Uzumaki Kushina securely to its leg.
"Fly! Fly toward the Hidden Leaf!"
Hakuro took off, wings cutting through the air as it soared northwest.
But Captain Yellow Dog didn't immediately order anyone to chase. He simply stood there, watching as the Mist shinobi continued their massacre of the Uzumaki women.
The rest of the squad also slowed their movements, allowing many Mist ninja to enter the shrine.
That attitude… it said everything. One of Yellow Dog's hidden objectives was likely related to those ordinary Uzumaki women.
Blocking another Cloud shinobi's blade, Yagami countered with a thrust — a perfect imitation of the Cloud Flow Sword Technique — and killed him.
And suddenly, it all clicked.
For the Leaf, what kind of Uzumaki Kushina would be easiest to control?
Of course — one who was utterly alone.
The last Uzumaki in the entire Shinobi World.
If other Uzumaki survived, Kushina would never devote herself fully to the Leaf. Her heart would always lean toward her own people.
The extermination of the Uzumaki wasn't just something the Mist needed to do — or what the Cloud desired — it was also what best served the Hidden Leaf's interests.
There could be no second Uzumaki in the Leaf. No second Uzumaki anywhere in the Shinobi World.
Only then could Uzumaki Kushina have no other choice.
Only then could the Nine-Tails be safely entrusted to her.
In the original timeline, Nagato and his parents lived in the Land of Rain. Karin and her family lived in the Land of Grass. It was entirely possible that any Uzumaki orphans in the Land of Fire had long since been quietly erased by the Anbu.
The Bird carried Uzumaki Kushina far into the distance, and a squad of Anbu immediately pursued.
Strapped to her back was a massive scroll — likely the Sealing Scroll of Eddy Village.
A full Anbu squad from the Leaf raced after her.
The Cloud shinobi, seeing the Uzumaki Sealing Scroll, also gave chase.
Captain Yellow Dog's squad, however, didn't move. They remained outside the shrine, fighting the Mist ninja in a battle that was neither fierce nor weak — a careful balance.
Ahead, the Mist shinobi stormed into the main hall of the shrine, continuing their massacre.
A group of female Uzumaki ninja formed a defensive squad and fled northwest — Uzumaki Yuka among them.
Only after the Mist pursued those fleeing women did Captain Yellow Dog's squad finally move to follow.
***
very close to 69 stones goal
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