Chapter 12: The Uzumaki Nation's Destruction—Conspiracy Theory Confirmed
Konoha Year 33, April 1st.
The ninja academy began a new academic year. Graduated sixth-years and advancing first-years freed up classrooms, bidding farewell to familiar faces while welcoming strangers.
Before anyone realized it, Konoha's young prince had transformed from freshman to graduating student.
Next March, this highly anticipated grandson of the Hokage bearing the Senju clan's glory would become an official shinobi.
Now a fourth-year student, Gojo Yoru paid considerable attention to the Hokage's grandson.
He focused on Nawaki because the boy represented an anchor point!
Tsunade's younger brother, the First Hokage's grandson—who died at age twelve.
The period of his death fell during the Second Shinobi World War.
This meant that without any butterfly effect, when Nawaki turned twelve, the Second Shinobi World War would erupt.
Specifically... Konoha Year 35!
Yoru had two years, three at most, to develop his strength.
Once Konoha's forces proved insufficient, their class could be deployed to the battlefield at any moment.
Under special circumstances, these genin might participate in operations like the Third War's Kannabi Bridge campaign under chunin or jonin leadership.
They could encounter chunin or jonin-level enemies at any time!
Before the Second Shinobi World War erupted, Yoru needed strength sufficient to handle such hypothetical scenarios and enemies.
Walking into the academy with hands in his pockets, aside from first-year newcomers, students reflexively made way as always, not even daring to meet Yoru's gaze, terrified of provoking this notorious demon lord.
But nobody knew this "demon lord" was merely a shadow clone.
Since last year, except for combat courses, Yoru's real body hadn't attended the ninja academy.
If not for the possibility of matching against Minato Namikaze—whose attacks could dispel his shadow clone and expose his true strength—Yoru wouldn't even bother sending a clone to the academy.
May 17th.
News that shook the entire shinobi world.
The Uzumaki clan—distant blood relatives of the Senju who'd stood firm for a thousand years through the Warring States Period, whose sealing techniques terrified the shinobi world, who'd served as the Senju clan's capable lieutenants—along with the overseas Uzushiogakure and the Land of Whirlpools they'd established, had been annihilated!
The Land of Fire, Uzushio's ally, had no time to react.
Because the invaders weren't neighboring overseas minor nations, nor minor nations from the shinobi continent—but the Four Great Nations excluding the Land of Fire.
Unlike Konoha, which comprised various great clans from the Warring States Period, the Land of Whirlpools consisted only of Uzumaki clan members and some immigrant population.
They lacked the power to fight four nations simultaneously.
Facing encirclement by the Four Great Villages, they had absolutely no ability to resist.
Everyone on the island—whether Uzumaki clan members or immigrants—was mercilessly slaughtered. Bodies were either incinerated or submerged by ninjutsu, or taken away for research.
Survivors who escaped by luck were extremely few.
Those who survived the catastrophe were instead female clan members who'd married into the outside world and already abandoned their original surname.
Fortunately, as Uzushiogakure's ally, Konoha had always stationed shinobi there.
At the pleading of Uzushiogakure's leadership, Konoha shinobi evacuated the Uzumaki clan's hope, escorting them safely back to Konoha.
By the time Konoha's reinforcements reached the Land of Whirlpools, the massacre had long concluded. The island lay in ruins, corpses everywhere.
When this news reached Konoha, no one knew how the leadership reacted.
However, Yoru noticed that seeing shinobi wearing green vests on the streets had become rare lately.
Aside from night patrol shinobi, he rarely saw blurs streaking across rooftops.
Clearly, these high-ranking shinobi had all been deployed elsewhere.
What they were doing, Yoru didn't know, but could speculate.
Either executing certain missions or stationed at the borders.
The Land of Whirlpools' destruction was equivalent to a war countdown.
The Four Great Nations, already exploiting smaller countries and expanding territory, had now obtained the Uzumaki clan's thousand-year heritage. With their power surging, they certainly wouldn't stop here—only intensify their aggression.
A single spark would ignite the entire shinobi world.
As the Uzumaki clan became dust in history's annals, the person Yoru had waited years for finally arrived in Konoha.
Starting the next day, whether cultural classes or combat training, Yoru's real body attended the ninja academy, waiting for that figure to appear.
This waiting continued until the second term—September.
Clearly, the Land of Whirlpools' destruction had dealt Kushina Uzumaki too severe a blow.
If not for Mito Uzumaki's comfort—that legendary clan member—perhaps Kushina would have "turned dark" like Sasuke Uchiha, living daily in hatred, transforming into an avenger.
However, the simple-minded Kushina hadn't realized she was receiving brainwashing through "love," being treated as a vessel by the village leadership.
If no one pulled her from the flames, after her backer Mito Uzumaki died, her future life would pass under constant surveillance.
Her activity range would remain forever fixed within designated areas. Only when the village faced crisis requiring jinchuriki power could Kushina leave Konoha.
"Tsk tsk... So it really was a conspiracy. Politicians' hearts are truly black."
Atop the Hokage Rock, Yoru sat at the cliff's edge, gazing down at the beautiful village below, his eyes filled with mockery.
In this moment, Yoru finally understood jinchuriki's feelings.
No wonder those jinchuriki all developed psychological distortions. Even a Kage's brother couldn't integrate into his village.
These shinobi village leaderships' methods were simply too extreme. Anyone would feel chilled to the bone.
Yoru had originally wondered why Konoha during this period lacked the barrier from later years, assuming it hadn't been obtained or developed yet.
Unexpectedly, Konoha's barrier had been created because of Kushina Uzumaki!
Though not yet covering the entire village, Yoru—who frequently used Space-Time abilities to phase underground and leave Konoha—could now see with eyes resembling the Hyuga clan's Byakugan a spiral-shaped barrier covering all of Konoha's central district.
This barrier wasn't unfamiliar to Yoru. It was precisely the barrier shown in the Minato manga that Konoha used to monitor Kushina Uzumaki.
He hadn't expected this barrier to appear so quickly.
This was why Yoru felt so moved.
The original series' chapter where Minato Namikaze heroically rescued Kushina Uzumaki had always been heavily criticized, with conspiracy theory claims.
The reason: Kushina Uzumaki, as the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, was somehow easily kidnapped by Cloud ninja, who even left the border on foot.
Throughout the entire process, the grand mansion had no one present. Cloud ninja precisely located Kushina. When departing, no patrol shinobi discovered them. No ANBU monitored or protected the new jinchuriki. Konoha seemingly had no barrier. Only Minato Namikaze, who just happened to be wandering outside late that night, followed the clues Kushina left behind to pursue.
The heroically rescued Kushina finally gained an emotional bond in Konoha, willing to live in the village.
Now it seemed this was indeed a setup orchestrated by the leadership.
Moreover, this method was nearly identical to how Hiruzen Sarutobi used Mizuki at the series' beginning to deepen the bond between Iruka Umino and Naruto Uzumaki.
Clearly, the mastermind behind this manipulation was the Third Hokage himself.
This discovery filled Yoru with irony while also completely setting his mind at ease.
Minato Namikaze could become that setup's chess piece because of his feelings for Kushina, his powerful talent, and his status as Jiraiya's student.
Now receiving Orochimaru's investment, with equally formidable talent, Yoru likewise qualified to become that chess piece.
Combined with years of groundwork deliberately creating an antisocial persona, if Yoru and Kushina developed mutual affection—equivalent to mutual salvation—Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely be even more pleased to see it.
"This is in the bag. Now comes the performance." Yoru's lips curved upward as he stood and vanished in a Body Flicker.
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at this point I think bro just wants to fvck kushina, hehe. CUZ when you're strong, status automatically comes with it? but I get it better safe then sorry, also its KUSHINA! WE all "stealing" her from Minato if we got the chance, ...wait or maybe he just wants to 'cuckold' Minato? tsk, devious.