The night was a pool of spilled ink, and the entire Land of Whirlpools was swaddled in a thin, persistent mist that made even the churning sea nearby seem like a distant, hazy dream.
A small island nation bordering the Land of Fire, the Land of Whirlpools was founded by Uzumaki Ashina, the formidable head of the Uzumaki clan. Normally, a nation and hidden village of such modest size would know little peace. But Uzushiogakure enjoyed a generations-long alliance with Konoha. Combined with the Uzumaki's fearsome prowess in Sealing Techniques and their naturally defensible island geography, they had managed to preserve their tranquility.
Of course, Uzushiogakure's very mastery of Sealing Techniques would eventually make it a target of envy for other villages, leading to its ultimate destruction.
"Whoa! This place really has a different vibe from Konoha!" Jiraiya exclaimed, his head swiveling excitedly as he took in the misty, coastal scenery. "I wonder if the local ladies are as pretty as the atmosphere!"
Originally, Yuta had only planned to ask Tsunade to accompany him to Uzushiogakure. But Jiraiya and Osamu had somehow caught wind of the trip and insisted on tagging along.
What was meant to be a two-person journey had eventually ballooned into two full three-man teams setting out together.
From within the mist-shrouded darkness, a figure moved with swift, silent purpose, materializing before the group moments later.
The vibrant red hair and the distinctive Uzumaki spiral clan emblem on his flak jacket left no doubt about the newcomer's identity.
Yuta instinctively glanced at Tsunade for recognition, but she shook her head, looking just as puzzled.
Although her grandmother had been the princess of the Uzumaki clan, in truth, she knew very few of its current members. She didn't recognize the man before them.
The Uzumaki ninja, however, clearly recognized her.
After getting a clear look at Tsunade's face, he paused for a fraction of a second before speaking with clear respect.
"Princess Tsunade. The Clan Head sensed your arrival and sent me to greet you." His eyes swept over the rest of the group. "These must be Konoha shinobi as well. Please, follow me."
Soon, under their guide's lead, the group entered Uzushiogakure.
—
The Land of Whirlpools was small to begin with, so the scale of its hidden village was naturally incomparable to Konoha's, its population far sparser. Yet, Uzushiogakure's internal facilities were complete, and its architectural style was strikingly similar to Konoha's, like a perfectly proportioned, miniature version of the Leaf Village.
However, Uzushiogakure was also dotted with structures unique to the Uzumaki, such as a building reminiscent of a Shinigami mask hall, its interior housing various ceremonial masks that looked eerie in the dim, misty light.
"The Clan Head is waiting inside."
Their guide came to a halt before the entrance of a house painted a deep, uniform red. There were no visible guards posted, but a faint, shimmering chakra barrier enveloped the structure—likely a defensive Sealing Technique.
Yuta's eyes narrowed in assessment as Tsunade, beside him, gently pushed the door open.
The interior was far brighter than the misty night outside. Seated on a tatami mat in the center of the room was an old man, aged yet radiating vigor—Uzumaki Ashina himself.
The current head of the Uzumaki clan, and the living legend who had single-handedly founded both the Land of Whirlpools and Uzushiogakure.
With age, Uzumaki Ashina's characteristic red hair had turned white. He wore a dark kimono embroidered with the Uzumaki spiral and held a yellowed scroll in his hands. Seeing the group enter, he slowly set the scroll aside, his gaze settling on Tsunade.
"Little Tsunade! Look how you've grown!" Uzumaki Ashina's smile was kind, his voice warm with nostalgia. "My, how time flies!"
He gestured for everyone to sit, and a congenial conversation with Tsunade began. The atmosphere was, by all accounts, quite harmonious.
Yuta believed this harmony could be maintained… provided he never produced Danzo's letter.
The problem was, if he didn't bring it up now, there might not be another suitable opportunity.
The wedding banquet was tomorrow at noon. He could hardly present such a letter in the middle of the joyous celebration, could he? Not even the most dedicated troublemaker would do such a thing.
After a brief internal debate, Yuta finally drew the weighty letter from within his clothes.
The motion instantly drew Uzumaki Ashina's attention.
The clan head, who had been chatting amiably with Tsunade, accepted the letter from Yuta's hand, a flicker of confusion on his face. "This is…?"
"A letter that Lord Danzo asked me to deliver to you." Yuta replied.
"Danzo?"
The stern face of Danzo Shimura immediately surfaced in Uzumaki Ashina's mind. As clan head, he was well aware that Danzo now served as Konoha's Hokage Assistant.
'But… Why would Danzo be writing to him?'
"Absurd!"
That was Uzumaki Ashina's first thought upon reading the letter's contents.
But then his bushy white eyebrows drew together in a deep frown, and he began to ponder the matter with genuine seriousness.
Setting aside the unreasonable request that concluded the letter, the intelligence presented in its first half was immensely valuable.
According to the missive, several major shinobi villages, led by Kirigakure and Kumogakure, were conspiring to attack Uzushiogakure in a joint effort to seize the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Techniques.
This was critical intelligence, gathered at great personal risk by Root operatives embedded within those very villages.
Now, thanks to this warning, the Uzumaki clan knew of the threat in advance and could prepare their defenses, potentially avoiding catastrophic casualties.
'But that Danzo… using this intelligence as leverage, he expects to get our Sealing Techniques for free? The audacity!'
Uzumaki Ashina snorted coldly inwardly, cursing Danzo's sheer gall.
However… Danzo had provided him with this vital warning. A flat refusal would be impolitic. Danzo was, after all, the Hokage's right hand, second in authority only to the Hokage himself.
To openly slight him could strain relations with Konoha itself.
He couldn't agree, yet he couldn't outright refuse either… This was a surprisingly tricky predicament!
Just as Uzumaki Ashina was wrestling with this diplomatic puzzle, a panicked knocking hammered against the door.
"Clan Head! Lord Ashina! We're under attack!"
"An unknown number of enemy shinobi are striking multiple locations within Uzushiogakure simultaneously! The entire village is in chaos!"
In an instant, Uzumaki Ashina was on his feet.
All traces of the kind, grandfatherly elder vanished, replaced by the sharp, solemn bearing of a veteran clan head and warrior.
He had thought Danzo's intelligence would grant them time, perhaps weeks, to prepare their defenses.
He never imagined the enemy would move with such brutal swiftness.
At this very moment, nearly everyone in Uzushiogakure was immersed in the festive spirit for tomorrow's wedding, exhausted from days of preparation.
They were in no condition to fend off a sudden, coordinated assault… The realization made Uzumaki Ashina's expression darken like a thunder.
"Under attack? You've got to be kidding me!" Jiraiya blurted out, staring at Uzumaki Ashina in shock as if he hadn't fully processed the situation.
The others, however, immediately placed their hands on their weapon pouches, their bodies tensing for the fight they knew had come.
From the deep night outside, the terrified screams of Uzumaki clansmen cut clearly through the air.
A horde of shadows, cloaked by the dusk and mist, were conducting a brutal slaughter in the streets of Uzushiogakure—their goal simple: to create chaos, drawing the Uzumaki's forces and attention and providing cover for other teams acting elsewhere.
But their movements were not hidden from Uzumaki Ashina.
The clan head closed his eyes, activating his Mind's Eye of Kagura technique.
In an instant, the chakra signatures within the mist painted a picture of dozens of blurry, black silhouettes in his mind.
"At least three squads, attacking different sectors of the village," he reported, his voice grim and focused. "One squad is conducting a continuous slaughter in the village center—a diversion to buy time and draw our forces."
"Another squad's target is the Sealing Technique vault in the eastern sector."
"The final squad is heading straight for the Shinigami Mask Hall." His jaw tightened, a muscle feathering along it. "Damn it… Our defenders can't stop them!"
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