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Reborn as an Uzumaki Who Comprehends Anything, I Crushed 3 Great Villages After Konoha Betrayed Us! — Transcript

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0:00I was 10 years old and I was standing on
0:01top of the clan's conference table in my
0:03socks. Around me sat every elder of the
0:06Uzumaki clan, a dozen grey heads and a
0:08dozen red ones, all of them shouting at
0:10me to get down. My father was the
0:12loudest. He was also the clan leader.
0:15I did not get down.
0:17Let me back up because a 10-year-old on
0:19a table looks like a tantrum and this
0:20was not a tantrum. This was a business
0:23presentation with no slides.
0:25In my first life, I was an ordinary man
0:27in an ordinary city and one of the
0:29things I did with my free time was read
0:31a very long story about ninjas. Then I
0:33died the way people in my situation
0:34always seem to die without anything
0:36interesting happening on the way out and
0:38I woke up as a baby with red hair in a
0:39small island country next to the land of
0:41fire.
0:43The land of whirlpools, home of the
0:44Uzumaki clan. If you know the story I
0:46used to read, you already know why that
0:48made my stomach drop. The Uzumaki are
0:50the clan that gets wiped out, not in a
0:52heroic last stand, in a footnote.
0:55So, that was my starting position, a
0:57beautiful island, a cheerful, kind,
0:59trusting family, and a calendar with a
1:01very bad date circled on it.
1:04Now, people who end up in a story like
1:06mine usually get a present, a system
1:08panel, a talking ring, a grandfather
1:09living in a necklace. I got one, too,
1:11and I want to be honest about it because
1:12people always assume the worst. It was
1:14not a button that says win. It was
1:16useful and it was powerful, but it was
1:17not the kind of thing that lets you
1:18sneeze and flatten a mountain.
1:21What I got was understanding.
1:23That is the plainest way I can put it.
1:25Whatever I looked at long enough, I
1:26could take apart in my head until I knew
1:27how it worked. A seal, a technique, a
1:30bloodline, a plant, a piece of metal.
1:32Other people study a textbook and
1:33remember half of it. I studied a
1:34textbook and could have written the next
1:36edition with corrections.
1:38Think of the one kid in every class who
1:40reads the question once and already sees
1:42the answer. Then multiply that kid by a
1:44few thousand and give him 10 years and
1:46no supervision.
1:48And here is why that changes everything.
1:51In this world, the gap between a nobody
1:53and a legend is mostly knowledge. Who
1:54taught you, what scrolls you have, which
1:56secret your clan guards. I did not need
1:58anyone to teach me. I only needed to
2:00look.
2:01The catch was time. Understanding
2:03something is not the same as having it.
2:05If I understood a technique that needed
2:06the chakra of a cage, I still needed the
2:08chakra of a cage. If I designed a
2:09fortress, somebody still had to dig it.
2:11And I was a child, a very small child in
2:14a very small country with enemies that
2:15had armies.
2:17Here is an example of what the gift
2:19could do when it had time to work. Our
2:20clan has a sensing ability, the mind's
2:22eye of Kaguya. Most Uzumaki can feel
2:24chakra nearby, the way you feel heat
2:26from a stove. I took that ability apart
2:28and put it back together over and over
2:29until my version could see about 50
2:31times better than the famous white eyes
2:32of the Hyuga.
2:34I could feel 300 km in every direction,
2:37underground, behind walls, at the bottom
2:39of a valley. I could tell how many
2:41people were coming, how strong they
2:42were, and roughly which village they
2:44belonged to.
2:46Which brings me to the cliff.
2:48The day before the table, I was sitting
2:49on a cliff above the sea looking at
2:51nothing and feeling everything. The
2:52First Ninja War was winding down.
2:54Everyone knew Konoha had basically won,
2:56and yet on the edge of my senses from
2:58several directions at once, I could feel
2:59armies, not patrols, armies moving
3:01toward us.
3:03A guard with red hair came up behind me
3:05and told me very politely that the clan
3:07leader wanted me home because the
3:08country was not safe these days. I told
3:10him I would come back later and stay
3:12close to the village. He did not like
3:14it, but I was the clan leader's son, so
3:15he went off to report.
3:18I looked down at my country after he
3:19left. It was quiet, peaceful. The people
3:22down there walked around with easy faces
3:23because they believed in one thing, the
3:25friendship between the Uzumaki and the
3:27Senju. That friendship was older than
3:29the Hidden Leaf itself. My people
3:30believed that with Konoha behind them,
3:32nobody would dare touch us.
3:34They did not know what I knew. The day
3:36before, my father had sent a request to
3:38Konoha asking for help against the
3:39threat. He got a cold refusal.
3:43So, the armies were coming. Our great
3:44ally had just shut the door, and the
3:46clan was full of people who still
3:47believed in the friendship. If I died on
3:49that island, every secret in my head
3:51died with me. I needed to move.
3:54Then I heard a sweet little voice behind
3:56me, "Brother Zen."
3:58I smiled before I even turned around. A
4:00red-haired girl was walking up to me,
4:02small and very cute, the kind of cute
4:03that makes old ladies hand out candy.
4:05Her name was Uzumaki Kushina. If you
4:07know the story, you know that name, too.
4:09In the version I read, she ends up far
4:11from home, the last of her people with a
4:12fox sealed inside her.
4:15Not in my version, that was the whole
4:16point.
4:17I called her little tomato, which was a
4:19mistake I made regularly. My smile
4:21lasted right up until her fingers found
4:23my cheek and pinched it hard enough to
4:24rearrange my face.
4:27I want you to remember that girl.
4:28Pinching me was the least dangerous
4:30thing she could do.
4:32So, the next morning, the conference
4:33hall.
4:35Before I even walked in, I could hear my
4:36father's voice through the door.
4:37Somebody slammed a fist on a table. An
4:39elder was yelling about how much the
4:41clan had paid for Konoha in this war and
4:42what Lord Hashirama had promised back in
4:44the day. Another wanted to know whether
4:45the Senju had not sworn to advance and
4:47retreat together with us. A third asked
4:49calmly what exactly the Hokage had said.
4:52My father answered, "The Hokage's
4:54message was that after so much fighting,
4:56the strength of the whole village was
4:57not enough to help us."
5:00One elder laughed at that, and it was
5:01not a nice laugh. "Not enough strength?
5:03Then how did the Cloud and the Stone
5:05still have enough strength to come at
5:06us? They were the losers of the war. Did
5:08they not fight the same war Konoha
5:10fought?"
5:12Somebody asked where the Senju were in
5:13all this, because the Senju were the
5:15family that mattered.
5:17My father told them the Senju had wanted
5:19to help. The Hokage blocked them. And
5:21especially, he said, one elder named
5:23Danzo. Konoha's line was that they
5:25regretted what was happening to the
5:26Uzumaki, but they were under no
5:28obligation to help the Uzumaki kingdom.
5:31"Under no obligation." I want you to
5:33hold that phrase for a while, it comes
5:34back.
5:36The room boiled. An elder said he wanted
5:38to kill the bastards. Another asked how
5:40they could be treated like this after
5:41the clan worked so hard to help in the
5:43war. Another pointed out the cold math
5:45of it. From the war, we had lost too
5:46much. What was left of our fighting
5:48strength was either crippled, wounded,
5:49or too old, or too young.
5:52Then someone asked the question everyone
5:54was afraid to ask. Was there really no
5:56way out?
5:57And I walked in and said there was.
6:00Every head turned. My father frowned at
6:02me and told me sternly that this was no
6:03place for children, and I should go back
6:05and help my mother. Another elder told
6:07me to hurry home. This was not something
6:09I could take part in.
6:11I ignored all of it. I walked up beside
6:13my father, turned to face the room, and
6:15greeted them one by one. Father, elder,
6:17uncle. I was polite. I watched their
6:19faces soften for a second, the way faces
6:21soften when a well-behaved child says
6:23good morning in the middle of a
6:24disaster.
6:26It did not last.
6:28Bang, I stepped up onto the table.
6:31Half of them jumped, the other half
6:32yelled. What was I doing? Get down. How
6:34could I be so disrespectful?
6:37Here is where I stop being cute.
6:39I reminded them that when Konoha first
6:41asked for our support, I had told them
6:43not to give it. I said Konoha was not
6:45credible. They told me I was still
6:46young.
6:48When our people started falling one
6:49after another in that war, I asked them
6:51to bring our people home. They told me
6:53it was worth it because we were helping
6:55a friend.
6:57And what happened? Of everyone we sent
6:58to help our ally, only 1/3 came back.
7:01And still, they told themselves it was
7:02fine because we had kept our word as
7:04friends.
7:06Now we were the ones in trouble, and
7:08where was the friend? Ignoring us,
7:09exactly like I said.
7:12The room went quiet. You could watch it
7:13happen. Every one of them was walking
7:15back through the same memory, the day
7:17they sent their sons and daughters off
7:18to war for an ally who had just told
7:20them they were under no obligation.
7:21Nobody likes discovering that the
7:2310-year-old was right. It is even worse
7:25when the 10-year-old was right in front
7:26of witnesses.
7:28The silence went on long enough that I
7:29almost felt bad. Almost.
7:32The oldest of the elders sighed. It was
7:34a long, tired sound. He raised his old
7:36face, looked around at the family, and
7:38told them in a choked voice that it was
7:39their fault. They were old and blind,
7:42and they had brought the clan to this.
7:43He said they were sinners of the Uzumaki
7:45clan.
7:47The others started to tear up. I
7:48understood why. These were kind people,
7:50heroic people. Honestly, that was the
7:52problem. They had trusted Konoha so
7:53completely that they never imagined
7:55anyone would touch the clan. They had
7:57lived inside a dream of friendship and
7:58peace, and now that dream had walked the
8:00whole family to the edge of a cliff.
8:03One of them said it out loud. They had
8:04not even believed in their own people.
8:06They had been foolish enough to send our
8:08strength out for outsiders.
8:10My father was the worst of all. He was
8:12the one who had made the call. And now
8:14his only son, the one who kept arguing,
8:16turned out to be the one who had seen it
8:17coming. And what was left of the clan
8:19was the old, the young, and the wounded.
8:23So, I cut it off. I told them there was
8:24no need to feel guilty. It was done.
8:26Guilt would not hold back a single
8:28invader. What we needed now was unity.
8:31I was not being generous. I was being
8:33practical. A clan drowning in guilt is a
8:35clan that freezes when the ships appear.
8:37I needed them standing.
8:40The elders exchanged looks. Then my
8:41father looked at me for a long moment
8:43and sighed. "All right," he said, "talk.
8:45What can you do?" He promised that he
8:47and every elder would listen. And if I
8:48came up with a better solution, he would
8:50make the whole clan follow my orders.
8:53Think about that from his side. They
8:55were sitting there waiting to die.
8:57Listening to the one person who had
8:58predicted the last disaster could not
9:00possibly be worse than that.
9:03So, I did not make them wait. I told
9:04them I had already prepared.
9:07Somebody asked, "Prepared since when?"
9:09"Six years ago," I said.
9:11There was a pause. Then someone pointed
9:13out very carefully that I was 10.
9:15I asked whether it was wrong to prepare
9:17for something that would happen in the
9:18future.
9:20Nobody had an answer for that. They all
9:22knew about my prediction 2 years
9:23earlier, the one about Konoha. What they
9:25had not realized was that it was not my
9:27first. My first was when I was four.
9:31My father asked what I had prepared.
9:33I clapped my hands. The door of the
9:35conference room opened, and a line of
9:36young people walked in, marching in step
9:38like soldiers.
9:40The reactions were wonderful. One elder
9:42squinted and asked whether that kid was
9:44his grandson. Another said that was her
9:46granddaughter. A third recognized the
9:48boy from next door. Somebody started
9:50counting heads and got lost around 20.
9:54My father looked at them, then at me,
9:55and asked who they were.
9:57I told him to sense them.
9:59They did not understand why, but they
10:01did it. Every Uzumaki can feel chakra,
10:03remember? And the moment they actually
10:05reached out and felt what was standing
10:07in that line, the room exploded.
10:10Somebody yelled, "Oh my gosh." Somebody
10:11asked what kind of monsters these
10:13children were. Somebody demanded to know
10:15how their chakra could possibly be that
10:16large. And one old man said something I
10:18still remember because it was the most
10:20honest thing anyone said that day. How
10:22could he feel danger from 10 kids?
10:25A word about my clan because it matters
10:27here. The Uzumaki are born tough. Our
10:29life force is ridiculous. We survive
10:31injuries that would kill other people
10:33and we live a very long time. We are
10:35born with huge reserves of chakra and we
10:37can sense another person's strength
10:38without trying.
10:40So, they were not guessing. Every single
10:42kid in that line had more chakra than
10:44any elder in the room. And under the
10:46chakra was something worse, a sense of
10:48threat, of training, of people who had
10:49done things.
10:51I told them to calm down. They were all
10:53family.
10:55That landed harder than I expected. The
10:57elders went still and then they looked
10:58ashamed. Of course, these were their own
11:00grandchildren, nieces, neighbors. How
11:02could they be afraid of their own
11:03family?
11:05And then their eyes changed. Fear turned
11:07into pride. They looked at the
11:09youngsters standing there, nervous,
11:10chins up, and they saw a future. Even if
11:12the old ones did not have much time
11:14left, here was proof that the clan did.
11:17The kids felt it. You could see them
11:18straighten up.
11:20I explained who they were. I had chosen
11:22them one by one based on aptitude,
11:23chakra nature, how they thought, what
11:25they dreamed about, and whether I
11:26trusted them. I trained some of them to
11:28guard and protect the clan and I made
11:29sure to say this clearly. They were not
11:31weapons, not slaves, not disposable
11:33soldiers. They were members of the clan,
11:34family.
11:36People who had chosen to stay silent and
11:38guard us from the shadows.
11:40The old people started crying. They did
11:42not know what these kids had gone
11:43through to get that kind of power. They
11:45only understood that their own
11:46grandchildren had been protecting them
11:48in secret and nobody had known.
11:51One by one, the elders stood up and
11:53hugged them, patted shoulders, said
11:55quiet things. Even my father went down
11:57the line. I stood there and let it
11:58happen because some moments do not need
12:00a 10-year-old explaining them.
12:03Then it was time for introductions.
12:05I told the room these youngsters were
12:07our main force. I called them the blood
12:09of Uzumaki. Each of them had abilities
12:11nobody had ever seen.
12:13A boy stepped forward and gave his line
12:15like a report.
12:17Uzumaki Ken, 13, rank 20, member of
12:19Cipher Pol Zero, strength Jonin.
12:22Then the next and the next. Kotaro, 14,
12:25rank 19. Ren, 18, rank 18. Ai, 14.
12:28Arata, 17. Mizuki, 17. Akari, 18. Cheeto
12:31and Chica, both 15. Akira, 14, rank 10.
12:34Every one of them at Jonin strength.
12:35Teenagers who could stand next to the
12:37elite of a great village.
12:39And then the last one in that group
12:40stepped up, taller, older, calm.
12:43Uzumaki Lucci, 20, rank 9, leader of
12:46Cipher Pol Zero, strength elite Jonin.
12:49I explained what Cipher Pol Zero was.
12:51Yes, I named it after something from a
12:53story I liked in my old life. Nobody
12:54here would ever know. These 10 were the
12:56best intelligence agents I had built.
12:57They had been active for more than 4
12:59years, 100% mission success. Not one
13:01village had ever found them. The
13:02intelligence they had gathered came from
13:04every corner of the ninja world.
13:06If the elders needed to know something,
13:07they could just ask.
13:10I watched my father's face while I said
13:11that, 4 years, 100% and he had never
13:14noticed. I think that hurt him a little.
13:16I think it also impressed him a lot.
13:19But that was only the spies. The
13:20fighters were next.
13:22The second group stepped forward and
13:24they were older, late teens, early 20s.
13:26The air around them felt heavier, the
13:28way the air feels heavier near a forge.
13:31Uzumaki Mio, 19, rank 8, member of
13:33Shadow, strength elite Jonin.
13:36Then Hana, 20, rank 7. Riku, 19, rank 6.
13:39Hayami, 19, rank 5. Oga, 21, rank 4.
13:42Hei, 22, rank 3. All elite Jonin.
13:46Shadow was my combat unit. Cipher Pol
13:48Zero watched Shadow hit.
13:51And then came the three captains. I am
13:52going to admit something about the
13:53captains. I named them after characters
13:55from that same old story, three admirals
13:57I always thought were the coolest people
13:59in it. I was a child when I picked the
14:01names, a child with too much power and
14:03no adult supervision. I regret nothing.
14:06Uzumaki Shuei, 24, code name Kizaru, the
14:09yellow monkey. Specialty light release,
14:11captain of Shadow, strength upper
14:13shadow.
14:15Uzumaki Kenshin 25, code name Aokiji the
14:18blue pheasant, specialty ice release,
14:20captain of shadow, strength upper
14:22shadow.
14:24Uzumaki Hotaru 25, code name Akeno the
14:27red dog, specialty lava release, captain
14:29of shadow, strength upper shadow.
14:32Upper shadow, let me translate that
14:34because it is the number that matters in
14:35this whole room. Shadow level means cage
14:37level, the strength of the leader of a
14:39great village. Upper shadow means the
14:40strong end of that. The Uzumaki clan had
14:43just discovered in one morning that it
14:44owned three people in that bracket.
14:45Before that morning, it thought it owned
14:47none.
14:49Light release, ice release, lava
14:50release. Two of those are bloodlines
14:52that belong to other clans. The third is
14:54something nobody had seen before. The
14:56elders looked like they wanted to ask
14:58how and could not decide which how to
14:59ask first.
15:01Then Kushina stepped forward from beside
15:03me.
15:04The elders lit up. One of them asked,
15:06delighted, whether little Kushina was a
15:08member, too. She nodded with enormous
15:10pride and began her line.
15:12Uzumaki Kushina nine, code name
15:15Tomato, I said.
15:17Silence.
15:18The youngsters behind me all took five
15:20steps backward at the same time like
15:22they had rehearsed it. The elders were
15:24biting their lips to keep from laughing.
15:26I have never in either of my lives seen
15:28a group of trained killers retreat that
15:29fast.
15:31Kushina continued in a very calm voice.
15:33Code name Buddha of chain, allow me to
15:35demonstrate.
15:37Her hair started to move, not blow,
15:39move. It rose and spread out behind her
15:41in long red strands that twisted like
15:43the arms of an octopus. A few of the
15:45elders were about to laugh, then her
15:47chakra hit them and they froze in their
15:48chairs.
15:50One of the youngsters yelled for
15:51everyone to run because the leader was
15:53about to go berserk.
15:56Bang! They kicked straight through the
15:57wall of the conference hall. Each of
15:59them grabbed one elder or two and
16:00sprinted out of the building. I want to
16:02be clear. These were elite ninjas and
16:04their first instinct was evacuation.
16:07Before they even got clear, Kushina
16:09shouted.
16:10Adamantine sealing chains.
16:13Nature change earth and fire.
16:15Uzumaki art Indra.
16:17Golden chains poured out of her body,
16:19hundreds of them, thousands. They wove
16:21together into a colossal figure, a giant
16:23made entirely of small golden links. It
16:25stood with its arms folded across its
16:26chest. Eight golden chains floated
16:28behind it like a halo, and across its
16:30shoulders burned a pair of wings made of
16:32fire draped like a cloak.
16:34The elders who had just been carried out
16:36of their own meeting by their
16:37grandchildren stood in the yard staring
16:39up at it.
16:40Somebody asked what that was.
16:43I jumped down next to them and told them
16:45it was a unique sage mode I had created
16:47for the Uzumaki.
16:49An elder repeated it back, sage art, was
16:51that not the power the god of shinobi
16:53himself used back in the old days?
16:56That was right, I said.
16:58Here is why that matters. Sage mode is
17:00the thing that made Hashirama Senju a
17:01legend. Nature energy drawn into the
17:03body multiplying everything. It is
17:05famous and it is rare and it usually
17:07kills or petrifies the people who try it
17:09wrong. I had built my own version for my
17:11own clan and handed it to a 9-year-old.
17:14The elders were starting to understand
17:15that my preparation had not been a few
17:17extra scrolls under the bed.
17:20The commotion did not end quickly. A
17:22golden giant appearing in the middle of
17:24the compound puts every Uzumaki within
17:26miles on alert. It took my father and
17:28the elders a good while to calm everyone
17:29down, and even after that you could feel
17:31a strange tension hanging over the clan
17:33for the rest of the day.
17:35When we finally sat down again in a room
17:37that still had all its walls, I laid out
17:39the plan.
17:41The entire Uzumaki kingdom was
17:43officially going to prepare for war.
17:45That was the only way to defend the clan
17:46against what was coming.
17:49One of the elders flinched at that, if
17:50the whole country became the
17:52battlefield, what about the civilians?
17:54He could not stand the idea. It would be
17:55too cruel to them.
17:58I told him not to worry. Civilians,
18:00children, women, everyone who could not
18:01fight and everyone who was wounded
18:03already had a place. I had started
18:05building a hiding place for them years
18:07ago.
18:08My father squinted at me and asked
18:10whether I meant the huge cave I had dug
18:12behind the mountain.
18:14Everyone knew about the cave. They had
18:16all watched me ruin a perfectly
18:17beautiful mountain to dig a giant hole
18:19in it, and they had decided I was a
18:21strange child playing an expensive game.
18:23Nobody had asked what was inside.
18:26I told Lucci to explain.
18:28Lucci stepped up, a few of the others
18:30carried in a big board and pinned a huge
18:32scroll to it covered in white sketches.
18:35He started with the entrance, 10 ft
18:37high, 400 m across, and that he said was
18:39only the door. Below it were five
18:41levels.
18:43The first level was a huge open space
18:45reinforced with earth release so the
18:46whole cave would never collapse. In it
18:48were family rooms, each one a complete
18:50home with a dining room, a living room,
18:52a bedroom, a kitchen, and even a
18:54bathroom. They had built exactly enough
18:56for every family in the clan plus 20
18:57spare.
18:59Plus 20 spare, I want you to notice that
19:01number. A 10-year-old had planned for
19:03refugees.
19:05The second level was storage, cold,
19:07which made it dangerous to wander into
19:08and stocked with 3 years of food for
19:10everyone.
19:12The third level was the training ground.
19:14Lucci said they could not let people
19:15just sit and wait to die, so the young
19:17master had built a proper place to get
19:19stronger, four different climates, a
19:21full set of equipment, a gravity room,
19:23and lastly he said something they would
19:24like very much, the house of time.
19:27An elder asked what that was.
19:30A room where time ran differently, Lucci
19:31said, slower inside than outside. One
19:34day outside was 3 days inside.
19:37The room erupted, "Wait, what? Is that
19:38even possible?"
19:40Lucci looked at them with obvious pride
19:42and said it was. He and the others were
19:44the product of that room. Each of them
19:46had spent 10 to 15 years inside at
19:48training.
19:50That explained everything. 10 to 15
19:52years of training packed into a few
19:54years of the real world. That is how a
19:5513-year-old ends up at John's strength.
19:59An elder asked about side effects.
20:02None, Lucci said, except that it was
20:03boring in there and nobody could stand
20:05to stay that long just to train.
20:08The elder exploded, "Idiot, how could
20:10anyone not want to use a room like that?
20:11If the outside world found out about it,
20:13they would do anything to conquer us."
20:16Lucci reminded him very respectfully
20:18that almost half of them had been small
20:20children when they first went in.
20:23"All right, small children locked in a
20:25boring room with training equipment and
20:26nobody to play with. The elder had
20:28nothing to say to that.
20:30They were all just a bunch of kids,
20:32after all. I knew exactly how many
20:34tantrums that room had seen.
20:37The fourth level was a huge library.
20:38Books and scrolls I had written, plus
20:40weapons, armor, pills, and some items no
20:43one had ever seen.
20:45And the fifth level was the laboratory,
20:47my private floor. Only I and Kushina
20:49could enter or leave.
20:51Someone asked why nobody else could go
20:53in.
20:54Kushina answered before I could. It was
20:56dangerous, she said. You could die if
20:58you went in without permission.
21:00She said it the way you would say the
21:01floor was wet. Nobody asked a follow-up
21:03question.
21:05After that, something changed in the way
21:06the elders looked at me. It was not just
21:08that I had predicted Konoha. It was that
21:10I had thought about the people who never
21:11get thought about. In this world,
21:13civilians are just people with no
21:14strength and no money who take whatever
21:16the world hands them. Saving them in a
21:17war is hard because nobody even knows
21:19whether they can save themselves.
21:21And I had prepared for them before
21:23anyone else had even noticed a war was
21:24coming.
21:26My father said it out loud. Now everyone
21:28would listen to the young master's
21:30arrangements and orders.
21:32So I gave them.
21:34The first step, I said, was to calm our
21:35people.
21:37That is always the first step of a war,
21:38and it is the one everyone skips. A war
21:41like this one drains the whole country.
21:43If people panic, it kills you faster
21:44than the enemy does.
21:47So the clan was summoned, and here I saw
21:49one of the quiet advantages of being a
21:50very small country. One call and
21:52everyone came. Nobody left behind,
21:55everyone on time. Try that in a big
21:56nation and see how far you get.
21:59The citizens gathered confused. They saw
22:02the clan leader and the elders standing
22:03in front of them, and they felt
22:05something was wrong. The last time they
22:06had seen a lineup like that, a war was
22:08about to start.
22:10My father stepped forward first. He
22:12spoke loudly. He said he wanted to
22:14apologize. Because of his stupid
22:16decision, the whole country and the clan
22:18were facing extinction. He asked them to
22:20accept the deepest apology of the
22:21leadership.
22:23Then he bowed. All the elders bowed with
22:25him. Behind them, the members of our own
22:27families bowed, too, my mother among
22:29them, and Kushina's parents.
22:31I'm sorry.
22:33The citizens were shocked. They rushed
22:35forward trying to get the elders to
22:36stand up. It wasn't the clan leader's
22:38fault, they said. It was all Konoha's
22:39fault. They had only been keeping the
22:41agreement with a friend. There was
22:42nothing wrong with the clan leader's
22:44decision. Please stand up, elders.
22:45Please stand up, clan leader.
22:48I watched my father's eyes fill. That
22:50was the hardest part for him. He had
22:52caused this, and they were forgiving him
22:53anyway, even though he had put their
22:55lives on the line. He had not only
22:57endangered them, he had gotten the
22:58people who served to guard them killed.
23:01For the first time in his life, my
23:02father felt real grief. He told me later
23:05that he had not felt like that even when
23:06his own father died in front of him.
23:09And then he announced something nobody
23:11expected.
23:12He said that as clan leader, he did not
23:14feel worthy of their trust. Even if they
23:15forgave him, it still hurt deep down. It
23:17was his fault so many family members
23:19were gone. So, he had decided to pass
23:21his position to his son, Uzumaki Zen. He
23:23asked them to help me, and he said this
23:25was not only his decision, but the
23:26decision of all the elders.
23:28They should trust Zen because he was the
23:30only one who had tried to stop them back
23:32when they were all blindly trusting
23:34their ally.
23:35Then he pulled me forward in front of
23:37everyone.
23:38I was 10. I did not feel nervous. I am
23:41not saying that to brag. I had been
23:42preparing for this for 6 years, and on
23:44some level I had been expecting it. What
23:46I did feel was respect, and I made sure
23:48they saw it.
23:50I told them that as young master of the
23:52clan, I accepted the position. I would
23:54do everything I could to make sure the
23:55clan survived what was coming, and the
23:57only thing I wanted from all of them was
23:59their full cooperation.
24:02Yes, the whole crowd said it at once.
24:05That is how I became the youngest clan
24:07leader the Uzumaki ever had, not by
24:09winning a duel, by being the only person
24:11in the room who had told them so.
24:13Then I gave instructions. Everyone would
24:16follow the people waving red flags. They
24:18would take them to the temporary
24:19settlement. Bring clothes and food.
24:21Leave everything else at home.
24:23And everyone aged 15 and older, I said,
24:26should stay. We needed them for the next
24:27plan.
24:29So, the family streamed away toward the
24:31mountain and the rest of them stayed
24:32behind in the square looking at me.
24:34Young people, middle-aged people,
24:36farmers, fishermen, potters. Some had
24:38been ninjas once, some had never been
24:40trained at all.
24:42I asked if everyone was here. They said
24:43yes. My father and the elders stood a
24:45little way off watching.
24:48The first thing I did was sort them by
24:49chakra nature. Every person has an
24:51affinity, an element their chakra leans
24:53toward. Fire, wind, lightning, earth,
24:55water. For most of this world, that is a
24:57small detail. For me, it was a sorting
24:59hat.
25:01I called for everyone with both
25:02lightning and wind to step forward.
25:0525 people stepped up.
25:08I told them they would be the main
25:09attack force of the clan.
25:11That made them nervous. Most of them had
25:13never trained as ninjas. I could see
25:15them imagining themselves on the front
25:16line with a kunai in their teeth. So, I
25:18promised them I would not send them to
25:20the front. All they had to do was follow
25:22me and none of them would die.
25:24Then I called Lucci and he handed them a
25:26scroll and explained what they were
25:27holding.
25:29A perfected magnet release technique, he
25:31said. Its name was railgun.
25:34Railgun, the super electromagnetic
25:35cannon. A simple, almost perfect
25:37technique I had designed. You hold an
25:39iron object. You push your lightning
25:40element into it. Then you compress your
25:42wind element behind it and push it
25:43forward. What comes out is a beam of
25:45light so fast and so lethal it can kill
25:47a man 10 km away.
25:50The 25 of them made a sound like
25:51children at a fireworks show.
25:5410 km, let me give you the scale. A good
25:56ninja with a good throwing arm can hit a
25:58target at maybe 50 m. A long-range
26:01technique might reach a few hundred. I
26:03had just handed 25 farmers something
26:05that could kill from the next valley
26:06over.
26:08Of course, there was a limit. Lucci
26:09explained it. To train it, you needed
26:11more than the two elements. You needed
26:12strong arms and a strong body to hold
26:14the projectile. Otherwise, it would
26:16explode in your hands and kill you on
26:17the spot. That is why the technique was
26:19classified as rank S semi-forbidden. The
26:21danger was to the user.
26:24But not to worry, Lucci said. They had
26:26come up with a good solution for that.
26:28The solution was in the next group.
26:31I sent the lightning and wind people to
26:32one side and called for anyone with
26:34earth and lightning.
26:36Only two stepped up, both girls, twins.
26:39I asked if that was really everyone. The
26:41crowd looked at each other, then back at
26:43me and nodded, only them.
26:45Luchi handed the twins a scroll, iron
26:47bending release, the art of iron
26:49forging.
26:51The twins looked at the scroll, then
26:52they looked at me. Their faces said very
26:54clearly that they had expected something
26:56cooler.
26:58I told them to bear with it, nobody else
27:00two elements. And yes, it was exactly
27:02what the name said, shaping metal with
27:04chakra, like a blacksmith, but with
27:05jutsu instead of a hammer.
27:08Luchi gave them a second scroll, inside
27:10it was the blueprint for full body armor
27:12made from the iron they would create
27:14with this technique. And as for learning
27:15it, they were lucky, they had a teacher.
27:19Kushina walked up and patted them on the
27:20shoulders.
27:22She told them she was the best iron
27:24bending release user here and she would
27:26teach them everything. And by the way,
27:28the hardest metal she had ever created
27:29with it was adamantine, not even a
27:31chakra blade could cut it, not even the
27:33seven swords of the hidden mist.
27:36One of the twins asked, "Really?"
27:38Kushina nodded with great pride.
27:41The twins stopped looking disappointed
27:42after that. Being taught by the girl who
27:44had just built a golden giant tends to
27:46improve your attitude about
27:48blacksmithing.
27:50Next I called for water and lightning.
27:52This time only one person stepped
27:54forward, a small man, thin, pale,
27:56coughing every few seconds like his
27:58lungs were trying to leave.
28:00I asked if it was him. He said, "Yes,
28:02young master." and then coughed for a
28:03while.
28:05The people around him looked doubtful.
28:07You could see what they were thinking.
28:08That man did not look like he could
28:10finish a walk, let alone a mission. One
28:12of the elders started to say something
28:13gently.
28:15"He's not sick." I said.
28:17Everyone looked at me.
28:19I said it again, "He is not sick."
28:21He looked pale and sick because of the
28:23abnormal amount of water and lightning
28:25element in his body. Too much of it
28:27packed into a body that had never been
28:29trained to carry it. Over a long time
28:31without proper training, it had started
28:33to break him down.
28:35The man asked between coughs whether
28:36that meant he could still be cured.
28:39Yes, I said, what he had was not a
28:41disease. It was a special kind of
28:42imbalance that made the body start to
28:44fail. What he needed was to release all
28:46that excess element and then train his
28:48body so it would never happen again.
28:51Then an elder spoke up, the third elder,
28:53that was his grandson, he said, Uzumaki
28:55Storm.
28:56I told the third elder he must have
28:58already sensed the abnormal chakra in
28:59Storm.
29:01He had, he says, but he could never
29:03figure out why the boy could not use any
29:05of the clan's techniques. And with that
29:07weak body, he could not follow any
29:08training at all.
29:10I explained, first the Uzumaki do not
29:12have many lightning or water techniques,
29:14so the boy had never been given anything
29:15that matched him. Second, the training
29:17he needed was rough but precise. Train
29:19him too hard and he gets sicker. Train
29:21him too gently and nothing happens. He
29:23needed exactly the right program so his
29:24body would stop falling apart.
29:27I wrote a note and handed it to the
29:29third elder. Get the items on the list,
29:31I said. Have Storm finish the whole
29:32program I wrote and bring him back to me
29:34when his face looks healthy.
29:37The third elder asked if there was a
29:38time limit.
29:40By my calculation, I said, it would take
29:42two days. And here, take this, too.
29:44Storm needed to perform this technique
29:45twice before resting.
29:48The third elder unrolled the scroll and
29:50read the name, Storm Release Great
29:51Thunderstorm.
29:53It was a wide area technique that needed
29:55an enormous amount of chakra, I said.
29:57With Storm's reserves, he could cast it
29:59twice every hour.
30:01That is the part I liked. Storm Release
30:03is supposed to be a bloodline. You are
30:05born with it or you are not. And I had
30:07just handed it to a coughing man with a
30:08scroll and a training schedule. Not
30:10because I was being kind, because the
30:12excess element inside him needed
30:13somewhere to go, and the best place for
30:15a thunderstorm is on the enemy.
30:18Finally, I called for the last group,
30:19fire, wind, and earth. Anyone with three
30:22elements or even all five, as long as
30:24they had those three.
30:26I expected one, maybe nobody.
30:28Four people stepped forward.
30:30I asked for, they said yes.
30:33I told them they were excellent. They
30:34were exactly what the village needed for
30:36defense. I had not expected the clan to
30:38have that many triple element users.
30:40Good. Good.
30:42I was genuinely pleased. Three elements
30:44in one body is rare. Four people with it
30:46is a small miracle, and I already knew
30:48what I wanted them for.
30:50One of the elders had been quiet through
30:52all of this, frowning harder with each
30:54group. Finally, he said it. He still
30:56could not understand. How could these
30:57people use techniques that needed a
30:59bloodline just because they happened to
31:01have the matching elements?
31:03Fair question. In this world, everybody
31:05knows the rule. Bloodlines are
31:07bloodlines. Ice release belongs to the
31:09Yuki. Wood release belonged to Hashirama
31:11and died with him. You cannot learn your
31:13way into a bloodline anymore than you
31:14can study your way into being taller.
31:18I told him it was not that easy, and he
31:19was right to doubt it. A bloodline, I
31:21said, is an anomaly in the body. It lets
31:23a person have a stronger form of an
31:25element than normal people can hold. And
31:27yes, the rule everyone knows is true. A
31:29bloodline cannot be passed on or copied.
31:32Or at least, I said, it was true until I
31:34finished my element enchantment potion.
31:37I took out a bottle and set it on the
31:39table. The liquid inside was layered in
31:41different colors, like a little rainbow
31:43trapped in glass.
31:45Each color represented one element, I
31:47explained. Drinking it gave a huge boost
31:49to your own element. And if they wanted
31:51to know how the people I chose could use
31:52bloodline techniques, the answer was
31:54simple. They only needed a higher
31:56element level.
31:58Then I gave them the framework, because
32:00once you have a framework, everything
32:01else is just reading the chart.
32:04According to my research, I said, "Every
32:06element in a human body has five
32:07possible levels.
32:09Level one is normal. That is the level
32:11where you can do genin techniques. And
32:13for most ninjas, that is also the
32:15highest they will ever reach in their
32:16whole lives.
32:18Level two is chunin, same idea. If your
32:21element tops out at level two, your
32:22ceiling is chunin.
32:24Level three is jonin and special jonin.
32:27That is the highest anyone without a
32:29bloodline can reach. It is also the
32:30ceiling for the smaller clans, the ones
32:32with only a thin bloodline in their
32:34veins.
32:36Level four is kage, shadow level, the
32:38highest any human can reach, civilian or
32:40bloodline holder. That is the level of
32:42the current Hokage.
32:44And level five is the top. That is the
32:46level of the god of shinobi, Hashirama
32:48Senju, and of Madara Uchiha. At level
32:51five, I said, "A rank C technique hits
32:53as hard as a rank A one just because of
32:55the element behind it."
32:57Of course, I added chakra reserves
32:59count, too. You can have a level five
33:00element, but if you only have a
33:02tune-in's chakra, it is useless, like
33:04owning a racing engine and a thimble of
33:05fuel.
33:07Somebody asked what that meant for the
33:09Uzumaki.
33:10I reminded the great elder that he
33:12seemed to have forgotten who we were. We
33:14are Uzumaki. Our chakra reserves are
33:16absurd. The fuel problem simply does not
33:18apply to us.
33:20Think about what that means. The one
33:22thing holding everyone else back, we had
33:23by birth. The thing we lacked was the
33:25element level, and I had a bottle that
33:27fixed that.
33:29They were all staring at the potion like
33:31it was a plate of food after a week of
33:32fasting. I did not make them wait. I
33:35took out dozens of bottles and handed
33:36them around.
33:38Nobody asked a single question. One by
33:40one, they drank.
33:42That moment made me happier than the war
33:43plan did. It meant they trusted me
33:45completely.
33:47The reactions came fast. Somebody said
33:49this. Somebody said, "Amazing." Somebody
33:51grabbed his own chest and said, "My
33:53chakra." Not even a minute after
33:54drinking, every one of them could feel
33:56the change in their body.
33:58I handed them a dead branch, a dry gray
34:00stick I had picked up off the ground.
34:03"This could measure their element
34:04level," I said.
34:06They looked at it like I had handed them
34:07a rock and called it a sword. Someone
34:09asked how they were supposed to use it.
34:12"Push your chakra into it," I said, "and
34:14add your element. The way the branch
34:15changes shows your level."
34:18The first one tried it.
34:20Whoosh, the dead branch flared bright,
34:22so suddenly that the old man holding it
34:23dropped it.
34:25I picked it up. It had turned into a
34:26glowing coal burning from the inside.
34:28"Level four," I told him, "fire." Then I
34:31pushed my own chakra into it and put the
34:32fire out.
34:34"Who is next?"
34:36Another elder took it. This time, the
34:38branch did something different. It
34:39turned fresh, green, like it had just
34:41been cut from a living tree a moment
34:43ago.
34:45"Water element level four," I said, "and
34:46earth element level three."
34:49He asked how I could tell.
34:51I pointed at the stick. "See this little
34:52sprout? That is the sign of earth at
34:54level three. The moisture is the water.
34:56Right now," I said, "the second elder
34:58has a middle rank wood release, but in
34:59his current condition, he can only use
35:01low rank wood release."
35:04There was a short pause while the room
35:05processed that.
35:07"Wood release?"
35:08That was the whole room all at once.
35:11I let them shout for a while, then I
35:12explained it properly. "Wood release," I
35:14said, "comes from earth and water
35:16combined, plus a huge amount of life
35:18force and chakra. Put those together and
35:20you get wood.
35:22Of course, the perfect version is the
35:23Senju one, Hashirama's. Anything below
35:26his requirements is a lesser version,
35:28but with the second elder's level three
35:29earth and level four water, plus level
35:31four chakra and the absurd life force
35:33all Uzumaki have, his wood release could
35:35fairly be called a semi-perfect
35:37version."
35:39The second elder nodded slowly. He said
35:41that even if he could not use wood
35:42release yet, he could feel the two
35:44elements together giving his vitality
35:45and enormous boost.
35:48"That is the other thing," I said, "wood
35:50release is not only for fighting. It is
35:51not only the signature of the god of
35:53shinobi. It is also a symbol of long
35:55life. A wood release user can outlive
35:57even us Uzumaki."
36:00"Wood release is famous for three
36:01things: manipulation, suppression, and
36:03absorption. And right now," I said, "the
36:06second elder had gotten the absorption
36:07part."
36:09The second elder smiled. "That was
36:10enough for him," he said. "Not many
36:12people even knew that wood release could
36:14absorb. They could keep it as a trump
36:16card for emergencies."
36:18I liked that, an old man 10 minutes into
36:20his new power, already thinking about
36:22how to hide it.
36:24Then my father asked me something I had
36:25been expecting since the first bottle.
36:27He could not feel much from me, he said,
36:29except a huge amount of chakra in my
36:31core. So, what was my element level?
36:34He was not wrong to wonder. With
36:36everything I knew, I was obviously not
36:38going to make myself ordinary.
36:40"Me," I said, "I had all five elements,
36:42which is rare. Using my knowledge, I had
36:45raised every one of them to level four.
36:48Silence.
36:49Level four in chakra capacity, too, I
36:51added.
36:52Longer silence.
36:54And level four in vitality, which meant
36:56that as long as I did not die early, I
36:58could live past a hundred without any
37:00trouble.
37:01I could see every one of them thinking
37:03the same word, monster. With those
37:05numbers, if I did not drop dead halfway,
37:07the Uzumaki clan was going to produce
37:09another god of shinobi, a stronger one.
37:12I let them have their moment, and then I
37:14moved on, because not everyone in that
37:16square had chakra worth talking about.
37:19The next group was the people who could
37:21not become ninjas, the ones with no
37:22talent for chakra at all.
37:25Someone asked if I meant taijutsu.
37:28Taijutsu is the plainest form of
37:29fighting, martial arts, hand-to-hand. In
37:32this world, it is what you do when you
37:33have no other options. If you cannot use
37:35ninjutsu, you punch. Nobody chooses it.
37:38People settle for it.
37:40I handed the great elder a few sheets of
37:42paper. Here was the taijutsu technique I
37:44had prepared, I said, and the training
37:46program to go with it.
37:48He read the title out loud, the Iron Man
37:50Bodybuilding Technique.
37:53Then he kept reading, and his face went
37:54gray. The process was bloody, brutal. It
37:57tested not only how strong your body
37:58was, but how strong your mind was. It
38:00was the kind of program where you find
38:02out exactly who you are around week two.
38:05He asked whether this was really a good
38:07idea. To him, it looked less like a
38:09training program and more like a way to
38:11die.
38:12I told him not to worry. The program had
38:14been tried and tested by others. It
38:16worked.
38:17The only real challenge, I said, was the
38:19hardship. If they were not willing to go
38:21through it, they would fail at all of
38:23it. Those with the will to move forward
38:24would keep going. Those who were lazy
38:26could go cultivate the fields.
38:29And besides, I said, these people had
38:31already been chosen. I was sure they
38:32would bite their lips and finish every
38:34step I had written. And they would go
38:36through the house of time, too. There
38:37was no way they would not become strong.
38:40Then an elder asked something I did not
38:42see coming. Could they follow along,
38:43too?
38:45Sure, I said, but going in meant
38:46accepting the program, so they had
38:48better be ready.
38:50They said they were fine, and then one
38:52of them looked down at the paper again
38:53and asked curiously what this Uzumaki
38:55Taijutsu technique was exactly.
38:59I just smiled. They would see it soon
39:00enough on someone else.
39:02Five days later, I was standing near the
39:04coast of the kingdom looking at the sea,
39:06and the sea was not empty anymore.
39:09I asked where they were.
39:11The answer came back five nautical miles
39:13out. The Hidden Mist would arrive first.
39:16Number of enemies?
39:1810 ships, 67 people each. According to
39:20the report, 450 Genin, 150 Chunin, and
39:24seven special Jonin. That count included
39:26the cooks and the ship captains, for
39:27whatever that was worth.
39:30I asked who the seven special Jonin
39:31were.
39:33The seven ninja swordsmen of the mist.
39:35"Oh." I said, "They actually sent their
39:37hidden force."
39:38Let me explain why that got my
39:40attention. The seven swordsmen are the
39:42Hidden Mist's pride. Only seven members
39:44at any time, which is the whole point of
39:46the name. The swords are passed down
39:48from generation to generation. Together,
39:50the seven of them are said to be able to
39:51bring down an entire nation.
39:54They are counted as the strongest
39:56shinobi in their village. There's a
39:57story going around that the seven of
39:59them, using nothing but their swords,
40:01can kill a kage. With their teamwork and
40:03the strange abilities of those swords,
40:04they are a nightmare on a battlefield.
40:08And the Mist had sent all seven of them
40:09after a small island that was supposed
40:11to be defenseless.
40:13I gave orders. Send 10 people from
40:15Cipher Pol Zero and Shadow. Do not let
40:17them set foot on our land. Capture as
40:19many as possible and kill anyone who
40:21fights back.
40:23And tell Lucci I said to bring me the
40:25seven swords. I wanted to see whether we
40:27could copy them with what we had.
40:30I want you to notice that the enemy
40:31brought their national treasure to kill
40:33us, and my first thought was reverse
40:35engineering.
40:37The next report was the Hidden Sand. 300
40:39Chunin plus five Jonin and special
40:41Jonin.
40:42The Hidden Cloud, 500 ninjas led by 10
40:45special Jonin.
40:47The rest were small villages that had
40:48joined in for the fun of it, picking
40:50over the carcass.
40:52Then I asked the question I really cared
40:54about, what about Konoha?
40:56According to our eyes inside the Hidden
40:58Leaf, five people had left the village a
40:59few days earlier, a mix of Jonin,
41:02Chunin, and Genin. Judging by their
41:04direction, they were coming toward us.
41:07Five against 2,000, remember that number
41:09when they show up claiming to be
41:10reinforcements.
41:12I told them to keep watching, use the
41:14Vision Jutsu and record everything those
41:16five did. Send Shadow 9 for the job. My
41:19only requirement was simple, I wanted to
41:21know what their real mission was.
41:23Then I turned to the small army standing
41:25behind me.
41:27They were not much of an army if you
41:28counted heads. Most of the people we
41:30would be fighting with were barely
41:31trained. Some of them were the farmers
41:33and fishermen from the square five days
41:35earlier. A few of them had spent those
41:37days in the House of Time and come out
41:38different. Most had not.
41:41I told them the truth. I had wanted them
41:43to train much longer before this to get
41:44strong enough to survive, but the enemy
41:46was already at the door. So, remember
41:48this, if you cannot win, run. There is
41:50nothing shameful about running from
41:52someone stronger. Being smart keeps you
41:53alive longer.
41:56A living person is worth more than a
41:57cold corpse in a morgue, I said. So, do
41:59not be proud, stay low, use your head.
42:02I said it seriously because I meant it.
42:04The enemy outnumbered our whole
42:06population. We could not afford to trade
42:08one for one. We had to play smart.
42:11Then Kushina came back with her new
42:12assistants, followed by a line of people
42:14carrying boxes.
42:16She told me the goods were here. I told
42:18them to open the boxes.
42:20Inside were uniforms and weapons.
42:23Kushina introduced them like a proud
42:24shop owner, the Adamantine Garment, a
42:27full ninja outfit made with metal
42:28bending, woven with her own Adamantine
42:30chains. You could think of it like a
42:32chakra blade, she said, except it was
42:34armor and harder than a chakra blade.
42:37Each set had long pants, a long-sleeve
42:39shirt, an under armor layer, and an
42:41outer armor layer, shoulder guards, arm
42:43guards, flat shoes, a dark green jacket,
42:45a mouth cover, and a head protector.
42:48And each person, she said, could take
42:50one sword, short or long in the samurai
42:52style, 10 kunai, explosive tags, a first
42:55aid kit, and finally your own life stone
42:57which you had to leave behind before you
42:59went out.
43:00My father picked up one of the full
43:02boxes and waited in his hands. His
43:04eyebrows went up. It was light. How
43:05could all of this be so light?
43:08Adamantine metal is light, I said. It's
43:10very tough, very durable, and while
43:12wearing it, you could take a full power
43:13rank B technique and walk away.
43:16Someone said that was too much for a set
43:18of clothes.
43:19Not really, I said. This was the basic
43:21combat gear. You could wash it after a
43:23fight. It dried fast, and you could run
43:25different elements through it to change
43:27its color so it blended into whatever
43:28was around you.
43:30They all took a set and tried them on,
43:32and to their surprise, it looked good,
43:34stylish even. Wearing it made them look
43:36like an elite unit. The vibe they gave
43:38off was so intimidating that people
43:40watching them felt a little afraid.
43:43I will be honest, I designed it to look
43:45cool on purpose. Morale is a resource,
43:47too, and nothing raises morale like
43:49catching your own reflection and
43:50thinking, "Wow."
43:52Then I told them the enemy is close. Go
43:54to your positions, follow your leader's
43:56orders, and do not die for me.
43:57Understood?
43:59Yes.
44:01Disperse.
44:02They were gone in one movement.
44:04There was more to the plan than the
44:06people on the beaches. When the mist
44:07came ashore, I wanted them to step onto
44:09a carpet of explosive tags. So, my order
44:11was simple. Bury all the tags along the
44:13landing zones, give them a warm welcome,
44:15and do not worry about how many we used.
44:17The last thing we needed to worry about
44:18was money or supplies.
44:21Coming to invade a country like this,
44:22they were clearly not afraid of dying.
44:24Only a show of power would wake these
44:26fools up and show them who they were
44:27dealing with. And the Uzumaki explosive
44:29tag, I should mention, has a reputation.
44:32It is known for an abnormal amount of
44:33power. It can badly hurt any genin who
44:35steps on it.
44:37While the beaches were getting seated, I
44:39turned to my father with a different
44:40question. Had he sent the letter to
44:42Grandma Mito?
44:44Uzumaki Mito, Hashirama's widow, the
44:46first host of the nine-tailed fox, the
44:48most important Uzumaki in Konoha, the
44:51reason the friendship between our clans
44:53existed in the first place.
44:55He had and she had replied, according to
44:57the fourth elder, Lady Mito wanted to
44:59send people to help us, but the Anbu had
45:01stopped her. They said the front line
45:02needed more people, so nobody could be
45:04spared. They could only send people
45:06after the other villages' armies had
45:07scattered, and even then, only a few.
45:10I told him not to bother talking to
45:12them. Those hypocrites only knew how to
45:14strike at people and weaken their own
45:15village. Sarutobi had become a
45:17politician, so he would do anything to
45:19hold onto power.
45:21My father did not understand. What did I
45:23mean?
45:24Simple, I said, he wants the whole of
45:26Konoha for himself. Look at this.
45:28I took out a stack of papers and handed
45:30them over.
45:32My father read carefully. After a few
45:34minutes, his face was pale and he was
45:35sweating.
45:37He asked very quietly whether it was
45:38true.
45:40Cipher Pol Zero had already checked it,
45:41I said. What was written there was true.
45:44He asked whether Sarutobi was not afraid
45:46Lady Mito would find out.
45:49Find out, I said that was impossible.
45:51And even if Grandma Mito found out, so
45:53what? It was already too late.
45:55He looked at the dates on the reports
45:57and understood. It was too late. The
45:59papers went back to when the war was
46:01getting hotter and hotter, the same time
46:02Konoha had been asking us for
46:04reinforcements.
46:06Then he asked about Princess Tsunade. He
46:08knew her. If she ever saw this, he said,
46:10she would explode.
46:12Tsunade, I said, she was down right now.
46:14The last young heir of the Senju had
46:16died stupidly, stepping on an explosive
46:18tag. Even his organs were missing.
46:21That was Nawaki, her little brother, and
46:23I'm not proud of what my face did when I
46:24said it. I smirked.
46:27My father saw it, slapped the back of my
46:28head, and scolded me hard. They were
46:30still our friends. How could I smirk at
46:32someone else's tragedy?
46:34I said I was not smirking.
46:36He told me to take the smirk off my face
46:38first, then.
46:40I said I had just remembered something
46:41funny.
46:43He stared at me completely lost. Maybe
46:44this was how geniuses thought, strange
46:46and confusing.
46:48What I had remembered was the story. In
46:50the version I read, a boy dies on a
46:52battlefield because people up top
46:53decided where he would go, and his
46:55sister drinks for 20 years because of
46:56it. It was not the boy that made me
46:58smirk. It was the bitter shape of the
46:59thing, the way the people who send
47:01children out to die always end up with
47:02clean hands and sad speeches.
47:05But you cannot explain that to your
47:06father while he is still holding the
47:08back of your head.
47:10So I explained the other thing instead.
47:11The darkness of Konoha, I said, was
47:13nothing like what you could see with
47:14your eyes. Those gentle eyes looked good
47:16from the outside. Inside, they were
47:18vipers waiting to strike. Senju Konoha
47:20and Sarutobi Konoha were two different
47:22villages. The old man everyone called
47:24gentle was nothing of the kind.
47:26Him and his elder friends, the four of
47:28them, already controlled most of the
47:29village.
47:31My father asked if I was serious.
47:33Did you want to know what I had found in
47:35Konoha, I asked.
47:37What?
47:38The Sarutobi family and the other elder
47:40clans, I said, had almost 6,000 ninjas
47:43in reserve of their own. Right now, they
47:45were being kept near the Daimyo.
47:47My father's face went blank with shock.
47:50The Hokage had begged for help because
47:51Konoha was supposedly losing too many
47:53people, and all along they had been
47:55hiding a private army of 6,000 while the
47:57Uzumaki sent their sons to die in the
47:59Hokage's war.
48:01That was the last thing he said before
48:03the first explosions started on the
48:04water.
48:06I was not on the water that day. I heard
48:08about it from the people who were and
48:09from the recordings, and I have watched
48:11those recordings more times than I will
48:13admit.
48:15Two nautical miles out from our coast,
48:16the Mist Fleet saw something strange
48:18ahead of them. A huge slab of floating
48:20ice sitting on the open sea, and
48:22standing on top of it a small group of
48:23people just standing there watching the
48:25ships come like commuters waiting for a
48:27late train.
48:29The Seven Swordsmen came to the boat to
48:30look.
48:32One of their leaders shouted across the
48:33water. Who were they and why were they
48:35blocking the expedition of the Hidden
48:37Mist?
48:38One of the twins on the ice jumped
48:40forward and pointed at the swirl crest
48:42on her shoulder. Could they not see it?
48:44Were they blind?
48:46A Mist ninja recognized it and told his
48:48captain it was the Uzumaki mark. It
48:50looked like the Uzumaki wanted to ambush
48:52them out here.
48:54The captain laughed. Ambush them with
48:56only 10 people? Had they come all this
48:57way just to hand over their heads.
49:00No, Kizaru said lazily, they had come to
49:02meet them.
49:04One of the Mist ninjas said he did not
49:05like the look of that idiot. He looked
49:07like a monkey.
49:09Aokiji sighed and said that was rude.
49:11You could not just go around calling
49:12people stupid monkeys.
49:15Kizaru turned to Aokiji and said he felt
49:17like Aokiji was the one insulting him.
49:20Aokiji said, "Really?"
49:22I want to pause here so you understand
49:24what kind of people I had raised. They
49:26were floating in the middle of the sea
49:27facing 10 warships and the strongest
49:29swordsmen of a great village and they
49:31were bickering about who called who a
49:32monkey.
49:34Akainu had enough. He shoved the other
49:36two out of the way and told them to stop
49:37talking nonsense and start. His arms
49:40began to melt. The skin went dark and
49:42then glowing and the flesh turned into
49:43molten lava.
49:45Aokiji yelped at him to hold back. The
49:47ice would melt.
49:49Akainu told him to shut up.
49:51Magma release meteor volcano.
49:54Bang bang bang.
49:56Akainu punched straight upward again and
49:58again and each punch launched a chunk of
50:00lava rock into the sky. They climbed
50:02trailing black smoke behind them until
50:04they were small dots against the clouds.
50:07On the ships someone laughed, "Was that
50:08lava release some new bloodline? It
50:10looked cool, but the guy using it seemed
50:12stupid punching at the sky."
50:15Then the dots stopped climbing
50:17and started falling.
50:19They came down like meteors burning rock
50:21dropping straight onto the fleet.
50:23The Mist shouted to block it. Water
50:25bullet, great waterfall, water spray,
50:27all kinds of water techniques flew up
50:29into the sky to meet the meteors and
50:30none of it worked. The rocks were
50:32falling from a great height with gravity
50:34behind them and they punched straight
50:35through every wall of water the Mist
50:37threw up.
50:38Someone yelled to jump into the sea.
50:41Most of them jumped and what came next
50:42was a catastrophe. Boom, the meteors hit
50:45the ships and half the fleet sank on the
50:46spot. A lot of genin did not jump in
50:48time.
50:50Kizaru looked down at all the ninjas
50:52splashing in the water and shook his
50:53head.
50:55These idiots, don't they know molten
50:56rock boils water?
50:58"They wanted to invade us," he said.
50:59"What a foolish idea."
51:02Five minutes later the only ones left
51:03standing on the surface of the sea were
51:05the seven swordsmen. They had escaped,
51:07but their bodies were covered in burns.
51:09That told you everything about how
51:10strong the first strike had been.
51:13Akainu looked at them with contempt.
51:15They were not bad, he said. He had
51:16thought he could kill them all with one
51:18move.
51:19That made the swordsmen furious. One of
51:21them said their names apparently were
51:23not famous enough for a country bumpkin
51:25like him to know.
51:27Akainu asked whether he really needed to
51:29learn the names of dead men.
51:31Arrogant, the swordsmen shouted, "Kill
51:33them."
51:34All seven moved at once doing the same
51:36hand signs together, a long powerful
51:38technique.
51:40Water release, water dragon bullet.
51:42On the ice, Aokiji was genuinely
51:44impressed. Oh, they were using that one.
51:46It normally took 44 hand signs and they
51:48were doing it in 14. Good.
51:52Five huge water dragons rose out of the
51:53sea and came at the ice.
51:56Aokiji said he would handle this.
51:58He sighed a deep slow breath and cold
52:00air spread around his body. He looked at
52:02the five dragons and he pointed one
52:04finger forward.
52:06Ice release, ice age.
52:08Crack, ice shot from the tip of his
52:10finger and the moment it touched the
52:11first dragon, the dragon froze solid.
52:13Then the next, then all five. Five
52:15enormous dragons carved in ice perfectly
52:18lifelike hanging motionless over the
52:19water.
52:21The swordsmen lost their minds. How had
52:23he done a technique without hand signs?
52:25And that was ice release. Was he from
52:26the Yuki clan? How dare he defect? Kill
52:29him. Bring his head back to the village.
52:32Aokiji drawled that he was sorry, but he
52:34was pure Uzumaki. He had nothing to do
52:36with the ice clan.
52:38Did they look stupid, one swordsman
52:39shouted. He was obviously using the ice
52:41bloodline.
52:43Another one told them to forget it. They
52:45had a clan to exterminate.
52:47And then a voice came from right behind
52:49them.
52:50How scary. Have you ever been kicked at
52:51the speed of light?
52:53Kizaru was there. Nobody had seen him
52:55move. His leg was shining. He hooked one
52:57swordsman around the head with that
52:59glowing leg and kicked and the man's
53:01head burst like a ripe tomato.
53:03Kizaru looked down almost disappointed.
53:06So weak, how could a head be as fragile
53:07as a biscuit?
53:09I am sorry, that is how he talks. I
53:11raised him and I take some
53:12responsibility.
53:14The swordsmen screamed the dead man's
53:16name, Miyamoto, and they came at him
53:18with everything. Draining sword, water
53:20sword, choking mist, hidden mist
53:21technique.
53:23Kizaru put on a whiny voice. Oh, were
53:25they ganging up on him? How scary.
53:28He pointed a finger at one of them. The
53:30tip of his finger began to shine.
53:32Light release laser.
53:35PSSSHT, a thread of light shot out and
53:37hit the youngest of the swordsmen. It
53:39killed him where he stood. And by the
53:40time the others turned, Kizaru was
53:42somewhere else, carried away by nothing
53:44but raw speed.
53:46Two of the seven gone, and my people had
53:48not been touched.
53:50Meanwhile, inside the clan building, I
53:51was standing with the elders around a
53:53map.
53:54It was not an ordinary map. It showed
53:56the whole Uzumaki kingdom in detail, and
53:58on top of it were dots, green and red.
54:02Green was us. Every green dot was one
54:04Uzumaki. Red was the enemy, their
54:06positions, and how many of them were
54:07left. And the dots moved, live.
54:11An elder asked how I had made it.
54:13The green was easy, I said. Every clan
54:15member had bound their blood into a life
54:17crystal I had created. That was the life
54:19stone Kushina mentioned when she handed
54:21out the gear. The crystal tracked where
54:22each person was and reported their
54:24condition. So, from here, we could see
54:26who needed help, where they were, and
54:27how badly they were hurt.
54:30The red was harder. The enemy was being
54:31watched by drones, little scouts I had
54:34made in the shape of paper birds.
54:35Controlling them needed the Yin and Yang
54:37element at a high level, plus
54:39grandmaster level detection to get a
54:40view of the whole field that clean.
54:43An elder said it was incredible. If
54:45anyone else got their hands on this, war
54:47would become easy.
54:49That's right, I said. And it was the
54:50nightmare of anyone who wanted to invade
54:52us. A map that accurate decides how a
54:55war moves.
54:57My father said the best thing would be
54:58if we could send what we saw here
55:00straight to the field. It would save
55:01lives.
55:03Someone else said we could send our
55:04fastest ninjas to run messages. It was a
55:07shame, he added, that the clan had never
55:09tamed a summoning animal that could fly
55:11fast.
55:13"No need," I said, "I'd already solved
55:14that."
55:15"How?"
55:17"Code," I said, "a combination of wind
55:19and lightning release. I had made a
55:21high-frequency technique that sent coded
55:23messages every squad leader could
55:24understand."
55:26Someone said it was amazing, one call to
55:28any part of the field.
55:30"It was not that amazing," I said, "it
55:32had limits. It only reached a certain
55:34distance. And whoever sent it Grand
55:36Master level chakra control or nothing
55:38would arrive on the other end."
55:41They all looked at me like I was a
55:42monster again. Grand Master level chakra
55:45control is not something you pick up in
55:46an afternoon. Even my father could not
55:48do it, and I was doing it while running
55:50a war on the table in front of them.
55:53I asked how many enemy groups had not
55:54arrived yet.
55:56None of the great villages were here
55:58yet, I was told, except for the Mist who
56:00had been ambushed by Shadow, and the
56:02fight on the other side was already
56:03over.
56:05The elders were shocked, so fast. A
56:07fight like that normally took hours,
56:08sometimes days.
56:11Someone asked the result.
56:13"Everyone was finished," came the
56:14report. "Some of the enemy had been
56:16wounded, and they chose to sink to the
56:17bottom of the sea rather than be caught.
56:19Of the 10 ships, we had three that were
56:21partly damaged and two that were still
56:23in good shape with a huge amount of
56:24supplies that had never even been used."
56:27"Amazing," somebody said.
56:29"Casualties zero, and the seven swords
56:31have been recovered as spoils of war."
56:34"Good, good," the elder said.
56:36I found out later what that news did on
56:38the other side of the sea.
56:40In the Hidden Mist, the senior ninjas
56:42were arguing among themselves when the
56:44latest report arrived. The Mizukage's
56:46representative opened it and read it,
56:48and his face went white.
56:50One of the seniors asked what was wrong.
56:53"Bad," the representative said, "the
56:54losses were heavy, especially the seven
56:56swordsmen who had been taken by Uzumaki
56:58shinobi, and the other villages had
57:00walked into Uzumaki traps, too."
57:03Nobody had expected that. They had no
57:05idea that someone that strong was
57:07guarding the Uzumaki kingdom. Someone
57:09strong enough to beat their proud seven
57:11swordsmen. They did not even have a
57:12report on who had done it. And the
57:14representative was sure the Uzumaki had
57:16never hidden a person like that.
57:19He looked around the room at the senior
57:20ninjas. Every one of them looked away.
57:22Nobody wanted to meet his eyes. They all
57:24knew this was a huge problem and none of
57:25them wanted to be the cannon fodder if
57:27somebody tried something stupid again.
57:28The enemy was strong. Maybe there was an
57:30even bigger trap waiting. Nobody wanted
57:32to be the first one through the door.
57:34The representative felt bitter. He
57:36suspected the next change of Mizukage
57:38was going to come sooner than anyone
57:39planned.
57:41They needed a solid plan. Something to
57:43help the Mist recover from this loss.
57:45And maybe he thought they would need to
57:47use that monster for it.
57:49He did not say which monster. Hold on to
57:51that.
57:52There was a bigger picture, too. After
57:54the war, every village was going to
57:55enter a period of fast development.
57:57Konoha, the biggest winner, would get
57:59the biggest benefits and the most
58:00compensation. If the Mist did not want
58:02to fall behind, they needed to stop
58:03Konoha from using the Uzumaki. And maybe
58:05they would need help from the other
58:06great villages to do it.
58:09Someone asked what they were supposed to
58:10do now. Another said they had to rescue
58:12their people. Another called him a fool.
58:14They did not even know what the Uzumaki
58:16were hiding. Someone else said they had
58:18to get ready because he did not think
58:19the Uzumaki would let them off easily
58:21this time.
58:23And underneath all of it, more and more
58:24voices were calling for peace. After so
58:27many years of war, most people just
58:28wanted it to stop.
58:31The representative made the call.
58:32Withdraw.
58:33This could not be solved by the people
58:35in this room, he said. They needed a
58:37bigger meeting. And the second Mizukage
58:39was about to come back after half a year
58:40away. They did not even know if whatever
58:42they decided would be what the leader
58:44wanted.
58:46Call back what is left of the army, he
58:47said. Pull out of the Uzumaki kingdom
58:49and start negotiating.
58:52Someone said they needed to get every
58:53ninja back. Above all, the seven swords.
58:55They could not let the Uzumaki keep
58:57them.
58:59Another said the village had money
59:00problems. He did not know if they could
59:02even afford to buy the swordsmen back.
59:05And then someone suggested the obvious
59:06thing for people like them. If the
59:08Uzumaki would not cooperate, they could
59:10just use pirates. Kidnap Uzumaki one by
59:12one. Sell them as slaves. Nobody in the
59:15ninja world would say no to an Uzumaki
59:17with that blood in their veins.
59:19Remember that idea. It tells you exactly
59:21how they saw us.
59:23Someone ended the argument by saying
59:25they should not decide anything until
59:27the second Mizukage returned.
59:29And under all the talk was the oldest
59:31rule of this world. Nobody wants anyone
59:33stronger than them. Everybody wants
59:35strength, but nobody can make it. So,
59:37whenever someone breaks the balance,
59:38every village gangs up and removes the
59:40problem.
59:42At that moment, the problem was us.
59:44Now, Konoha.
59:46Somewhere off our coast, a ninja wearing
59:48the leaf headband was frowning at our
59:50island across the water. He muttered to
59:52himself, "Why was there always so much
59:54noise over there?"
59:56One of his companions spoke up uneasy.
59:58"Master Nara," he said, "did they not
1:00:00need to send troops to help the Uzumaki?
1:00:02Didn't they have an agreement, the one
1:00:03Lady Mito made?"
1:00:06This was Nara Suzaku, the leader of the
1:00:08five. He waved his hand lightly and said
1:00:10it was not that he didn't want to help.
1:00:11It just wasn't time yet. "Wait a while."
1:00:15He did not say the real reason out loud,
1:00:17but I learned it later and it went like
1:00:18this.
1:00:20The elders of Konoha wanted the Uzumaki
1:00:22legacy, so they were waiting until the
1:00:24Uzumaki were almost dead before they
1:00:25acted. Waiting and more than waiting.
1:00:29Nara Suzaku glanced at a few masked
1:00:31figures standing in the dark nearby. He
1:00:33could feel what they were, Root, and he
1:00:35understood exactly what kind of mission
1:00:36Root ninjas did. It was so dark he
1:00:38wanted nothing to do with it.
1:00:41They were here to kill.
1:00:43If too many Uzumaki escaped the
1:00:44invasion, Root would step in. Because if
1:00:46too many survived, how could Konoha
1:00:48inherit all of their property? But if
1:00:50only a few children were left, Konoha
1:00:52could adopt them in the name of
1:00:53friendship and use those orphans to
1:00:55claim the Uzumaki inheritance.
1:00:58That was the reason.
1:01:00And Nara Suzaku told himself that was
1:01:01what it took to be a village ninja. To
1:01:04sit in the Hokage's chair, you had to be
1:01:05willing to betray the people who helped
1:01:07you.
1:01:09He sighed and shook his head. He did not
1:01:10know if Konoha was doing the right
1:01:12thing, but a ninja follows orders.
1:01:13People who are too smart die fast, so he
1:01:15kept playing stupid. He had a family to
1:01:17raise and a clan to manage. If you could
1:01:19be lazy, be lazy. If you had to be
1:01:21stupid, that was how you stayed out of
1:01:22trouble.
1:01:24One of his men pointed at another group
1:01:26camped nearby and whispered, "The Senju
1:01:28clan seem to want to move right now.
1:01:30Wouldn't that ruin the mission?"
1:01:32He did not dare say it loudly. The Senju
1:01:34were Konoha's great family. The First
1:01:36Hokage and the Second Hokage came from
1:01:38them. Even the Third Hokage was the
1:01:39Second student. Nobody in Konoha dared
1:01:42touch them. They were easy to offend,
1:01:44but they were good-tempered and kind,
1:01:45and the village loved them for it.
1:01:48And yet today they looked different,
1:01:49tense. Their faces were almost green,
1:01:51they were so anxious to go help.
1:01:54Nara Suzaku told him not to worry. As
1:01:56long as the Senju did not actually make
1:01:58a move, leave them alone.
1:02:00But inside he was asking himself
1:02:02questions he could not say aloud. Was
1:02:03Konoha really going to stab its own
1:02:05teammates in the back like this? Who
1:02:06would ever ally with Konoha again if
1:02:08this got out? Konoha had always put the
1:02:09Hokage's ideals first. It had always
1:02:11stood at the front of keeping peace in
1:02:12the ninja world. So, this problem was
1:02:14exactly the right size, not big, not
1:02:16small.
1:02:17Just right for people who live in the
1:02:18dark and never see the light.
1:02:21He had seen enough of it back in the
1:02:22village to know the pattern, and he
1:02:24could not stop the thought from coming.
1:02:26Were they trying to erase every trace of
1:02:28the First and Second Hokage just to
1:02:29protect their own status? Betray the
1:02:31people who built the village.
1:02:34He knew the will of fire, he had grown
1:02:35up on it. But as the years went by in
1:02:37the hands of his generation, it was
1:02:39becoming a joke.
1:02:41A week into the war, a report came to
1:02:43me. Another group had landed on the
1:02:45island.
1:02:46I asked, "Who?"
1:02:48Konoha.
1:02:49The elders around the map looked at each
1:02:51other like they had heard it wrong.
1:02:53Konoha arriving today? The war was
1:02:55already in its first week.
1:02:57They could all remember how it went the
1:02:59other way. When Konoha asked us for
1:03:01help, the Uzumaki showed up the same
1:03:03day. And now help who needed their help
1:03:05now?
1:03:06What were they even doing here? Wasn't
1:03:08this supposed to be a friendship? Hadn't
1:03:09they come to support us? They had been
1:03:11told about this long before the war even
1:03:13started, and they showed up now. Did
1:03:15they think the the
1:03:16were fools?
1:03:18Every Uzumaki in that room had the same
1:03:20sneer on their face. Konoha had better
1:03:22not cause trouble or join the enemy,
1:03:24otherwise the clan would not let them
1:03:25leave easily. The Uzumaki were not easy
1:03:27to bully, even with an agreement signed
1:03:29by the first Hokage, if Konoha
1:03:30shamelessly tried something, they could
1:03:32forget about getting home early.
1:03:35My father frowned and murmured the name,
1:03:36Konoha.
1:03:38The situation was very good for us right
1:03:40now. We did not need reinforcements.
1:03:42Extra people would only drag everyone
1:03:44down. Barring an accident, this was
1:03:45almost a sure win. Konoha, only an idiot
1:03:48would still believe them.
1:03:50He thought for a moment, then he told
1:03:52someone to call the other elders back.
1:03:54They needed to see what kind of fake
1:03:55medicine Konoha was selling this time.
1:03:57If Konoha really wanted to help, the
1:03:59clan would thank them. If not, Konoha
1:04:01should not blame the Uzumaki for being
1:04:03unkind.
1:04:05Out in the woods, the group that had
1:04:06just landed came to a stop.
1:04:08Their leader was Senju Hen. His people
1:04:10noticed he had suddenly frozen and one
1:04:12of them asked what was wrong. Wasn't it
1:04:14time to go find the Uzumaki? Every
1:04:16minute mattered.
1:04:18Senju Hen frowned, looked around, and
1:04:20said in a low voice that someone was
1:04:21there.
1:04:23Swords came out, everyone went on alert.
1:04:25Their minds raced. Had the Uzumaki
1:04:27already been wiped out? Were these
1:04:28people from another great village, or
1:04:30were they Uzumaki survivors in hiding?
1:04:32If they were enemies, the Senju were in
1:04:33danger.
1:04:35Senju Hen called out into the trees.
1:04:37Come out, my friend, we found you. Come
1:04:39out.
1:04:40No answer, just silence.
1:04:42He tightened his grip on his sword. If
1:04:44things went wrong, he would fight. But
1:04:46what had happened to the Uzumaki? Were
1:04:48they really too late?
1:04:50Meanwhile, the Uzumaki ninjas hiding
1:04:52nearby were having a whispered
1:04:53conversation that would embarrass any
1:04:55instructor in the world.
1:04:57One asked what they should do. Another
1:04:59said he did not know. Someone had
1:05:00already gone to ask the young master. A
1:05:02third suggested they just stay put and
1:05:04watch. Another muttered that he had no
1:05:06idea why Konoha was sending people this
1:05:08late. Under the young master's
1:05:09leadership, they were definitely going
1:05:11to win, so why show up now?
1:05:14The squad leader started to tell them to
1:05:15shut up, and then a hand slapped him on
1:05:17the back from behind.
1:05:20He spun around with his sword up. Who?
1:05:22It was my father.
1:05:24The squad relaxed at once and said
1:05:26respectfully, "Lord clan leader."
1:05:28My father asked how things looked. He
1:05:30took out a pair of binoculars I had
1:05:32given him and studied the Konoha ninjas
1:05:34on the shore.
1:05:36Konoha suddenly sending people in the
1:05:37evening. What exactly was going on?
1:05:40The squad leader said he did not know,
1:05:42only that they were definitely from
1:05:43Konoha, which made him feel a bit
1:05:45foolish.
1:05:47My father asked if there was a clan
1:05:48crest.
1:05:50There were not many of them, a little
1:05:51over 20. He still could not understand
1:05:53why they were here now. Then he squinted
1:05:55harder.
1:05:57That crest, he said, looked a bit
1:05:58familiar.
1:06:00The squad leader looked again and said
1:06:01it seemed to be the crest of the Senju
1:06:03clan.
1:06:04Indeed, my father said very seriously,
1:06:07"All of them are Senju, but what did
1:06:08they want showing up here?"
1:06:10The squad leader thought about it and
1:06:12asked whether they should just go out
1:06:13and ask. There were no other Konoha
1:06:15ninjas, only Senju. Maybe that was not a
1:06:18bad thing.
1:06:20So, just as Senju hen was about to make
1:06:21a move in the trees, a voice came out of
1:06:23the silence.
1:06:25"Friend of the Senju clan, what are you
1:06:26doing here?"
1:06:28Senju hen stopped dead. He knew that
1:06:30voice, the voice of the Uzumaki clan
1:06:32leader. He had met him long ago on a
1:06:34visit.
1:06:35Relief spread through the Senju. Maybe
1:06:37things here were not as bad as they had
1:06:39imagined. Maybe the Uzumaki had even
1:06:41come out to warn them. Not enemies,
1:06:43friends.
1:06:45My father stepped out in front of them.
1:06:46The Senju glanced at each other. Then
1:06:48Senju hen spoke. They meant no harm, he
1:06:50said. They were only here to help.
1:06:53"Here to help?"
1:06:54My father was stunned for a second.
1:06:56Hadn't their boss just told us to fend
1:06:58for ourselves? And now people suddenly
1:07:00show up, only a handful of them.
1:07:03He asked directly, "Did Konoha send you
1:07:04or did someone else?"
1:07:07He had to know. He wanted to understand
1:07:08what game Konoha was playing and which
1:07:10road the Uzumaki would have to take
1:07:12because of it. In a world like this, if
1:07:14you trust people blindly, you are dead.
1:07:16Especially that white-eyed wolf, Konoha.
1:07:18The clan had already been stabbed in the
1:07:19back once.
1:07:21He asked again, "Did Konoha send you or
1:07:23someone else?"
1:07:24Senju clan gave a wry laugh and shook
1:07:26his head. He had wanted to repair the
1:07:28friendship between Konoha and the
1:07:30Uzumaki, but he could see how deep the
1:07:32distrust already went.
1:07:34He said it plainly, Konoha had not sent
1:07:36them. The Senju clan had come on their
1:07:38own to help as part of the covenant.
1:07:4120 people, that was the Senju
1:07:43contingent. If Konoha had sent 20 people
1:07:45as official support, it would have been
1:07:47an insult. 20 people cannot hold back
1:07:492,000, but as volunteers, people who had
1:07:51come against orders, it meant something
1:07:53else entirely.
1:07:55My father understood that right away. It
1:07:57was as he had guessed, these were not
1:07:59reinforcements from Konoha. The Senju
1:08:01had chosen to come and had arranged it
1:08:03themselves.
1:08:05Honestly, that suited us better. Right
1:08:07now, the Uzumaki wanted nothing to do
1:08:09with Konoha. This way, nobody had to
1:08:11pretend to be grateful for Konoha's
1:08:12support.
1:08:14My father stepped forward and thanked
1:08:16them sincerely. It was not easy to come
1:08:18and help at a time like this.
1:08:20There is a saying here, "A lump of coal
1:08:22in a snowstorm beats a blanket on a
1:08:24summer day." Help that arrives when you
1:08:25need it is worth a hundred times more
1:08:27than help that arrives when you don't.
1:08:29And for Senju people to get out of
1:08:30Konoha when the head of the village had
1:08:32decided not to send anyone, that was not
1:08:34easy.
1:08:35My father thought about what it would
1:08:37cost them. Maybe this was even the
1:08:39reason Konoha had been pressing the
1:08:40Senju so hard lately. The Hokage did not
1:08:43want anyone disobedient under him.
1:08:46What would happen to ninjas who ignored
1:08:47the Hokage's orders? Not only would the
1:08:49Hawks and the Elder Council move against
1:08:51them, the Hokage himself would be
1:08:53unhappy. It did not matter that their
1:08:54family had produced the first and second
1:08:56Hokage or that the third had been the
1:08:58second student. Disobedience was still
1:09:00disobedience.
1:09:02The Hokage needs face. Losing face is
1:09:04deadly. They had broken an order on the
1:09:06front line. What would everyone else
1:09:07think? If nobody listened to orders, why
1:09:09have a Hokage at all? Someone who put
1:09:11feelings above the mission would have to
1:09:12be crushed before others followed him.
1:09:15And thinking that, something woke up in
1:09:17my father. He wondered whether he could
1:09:18bring the Senju over to our side. If
1:09:20they went back to Konoha, they would
1:09:22face the consequences anyway. Wouldn't
1:09:23it be better to stay in the Uzumaki
1:09:25kingdom, here, and build a better place
1:09:27to live instead of going home to wait
1:09:28for punishment?
1:09:31We needed people badly. New blood takes
1:09:32years to grow, and 20 sends you could
1:09:34open roads, move mountains, plant
1:09:36forests. All of that would be wonderful.
1:09:39But it was not the time. That had to
1:09:41wait until after the war. Nobody out
1:09:43there even believed the Uzumaki would
1:09:44survive the great villages. Our kingdom
1:09:46was small. It was not an exaggeration to
1:09:48say we were one big family. That was
1:09:50exactly why the Senju were precious
1:09:52right now.
1:09:54He took a quiet look at the Senju
1:09:55people. He already had an idea forming.
1:09:58He had someone take them somewhere to
1:10:00rest since they had come a long way.
1:10:02Tomorrow, they would be given a task.
1:10:04And seeing the Senju standing with us,
1:10:06he had another idea, a sly one. Maybe
1:10:09they could use this to put Konoha in an
1:10:10awkward position.
1:10:12That night, out in the field, one of our
1:10:14squad leaders looked at the dark sky and
1:10:16decided it was time. By now, the enemy
1:10:18ninjas would be asleep after a long day
1:10:20of being harassed.
1:10:22Asleep? Not a chance. Nobody sleeps when
1:10:24the Uzumaki are on guard.
1:10:26Time to come out and enjoy the fireworks
1:10:28together.
1:10:30He told me later that if it were not for
1:10:31my strict order to use only explosive
1:10:33tags, he would have wanted to burn the
1:10:34whole camp down. He had heard that the
1:10:36new fire release going around the
1:10:38battlefield was very useful and spread
1:10:39fast. A few fireballs could burn down an
1:10:42entire base. Just thinking about it made
1:10:44his hands itch.
1:10:46He had the blood of an arsonist in him,
1:10:47and the enemy was lying right there,
1:10:49waiting to be roasted.
1:10:51But orders were orders.
1:10:53Yes.
1:10:55The leader of the Hidden Cloud
1:10:56contingent asked the question with a
1:10:57cold face. Had they caught them?
1:11:01One of his ninjas answered helplessly.
1:11:02No, it was the same as last time. They
1:11:04threw explosive tags and ran away.
1:11:08"What did they even want?" The Cloud
1:11:09leader wondered. "They just threw tags
1:11:11instead of sneak attacking, then ran
1:11:12like crazy as if they were scared of
1:11:14being seen." He could not figure it out
1:11:16at all. He had never fought a war like
1:11:17this. Were the Uzumaki really a bunch of
1:11:19shameless people who only knew shameless
1:11:21tricks?
1:11:23They had more explosive tags than anyone
1:11:25could want, and they were throwing them
1:11:26away like nothing. Were they setting off
1:11:28firecrackers to celebrate New Year? New
1:11:30Year was half a year away.
1:11:33He told everyone to stay alert. Maybe
1:11:35the enemy was just waiting for them to
1:11:37drop their guard. Send more patrols.
1:11:40He thought about it some more, but he
1:11:41still could not see the point. In the
1:11:43end, he could only stick with the plan
1:11:45he had made earlier. There was nothing
1:11:47else he could do.
1:11:49Of course, the Uzumaki were never going
1:11:51to tell him the real reason.
1:11:53The real reason was this. We only wanted
1:11:55to harass them. That was it. We needed
1:11:57to hold out until the new group of
1:11:58ninjas in the house of time finally came
1:12:00out. And while we waited, we wanted to
1:12:02wear the enemy down as much as possible.
1:12:04So, whoever fought them later would have
1:12:05an easier time. Even a small help is a
1:12:07help.
1:12:09Yes, it was shameless. It was
1:12:10embarrassing, but it worked. And if
1:12:12something works, why stop? Use it to
1:12:14hold them and weaken them until the
1:12:15perfect time. We lost nothing except
1:12:17some paper from the tags.
1:12:20The rule was simple. Do not let them
1:12:21sleep. Do not let them rest. Keep them
1:12:23stressed. Lower their spirit and their
1:12:25guard. That was enough.
1:12:27Our squad leader told his people to wait
1:12:29a while, then send someone to set off
1:12:31the tags again. Run as soon as they go
1:12:33off.
1:12:34Yes.
1:12:36He looked down at his people and felt
1:12:37the plan was 100% perfect. Not a single
1:12:40problem. If the timing was right, they
1:12:42would start the last battle soon.
1:12:45Back at headquarters, Senju Han was
1:12:47listening to my father describe the
1:12:48battlefield and his face showed pure
1:12:50disbelief.
1:12:52The Uzumaki did not need their support
1:12:54at all. With their numbers, the 20 Senju
1:12:56could only have helped by dying to cover
1:12:58an escape.
1:13:00My father laughed out loud at his
1:13:01expression. He told him the Uzumaki clan
1:13:04was grateful that their friends from the
1:13:06Senju would come to help even at the
1:13:07worst moment.
1:13:09Senju Han said no, they had come here
1:13:11and done nothing.
1:13:13No, my father said, their being here
1:13:14showed what the Senju thought of the
1:13:16Uzumaki. That was enough.
1:13:18Then he added, by the way, his son
1:13:20wanted to see them.
1:13:22The young master, Senju Han asked.
1:13:24Right, he had been waiting for Han and
1:13:26his team since 2 days ago.
1:13:28Senju Han blinked. 2 days ago? Wait, 2
1:13:30days ago was when they left Konoha.
1:13:33"You didn't know?" my father asked.
1:13:35Senjuhen had nothing to say to that.
1:13:38"I had felt them leave. 300 km is a long
1:13:41way, but I had been watching Konoha's
1:13:42gates for a long time. When 20 Senju
1:13:45walked out without permission, I
1:13:46noticed."
1:13:48Early the next morning, I did something
1:13:50I had been wanting to try for a while.
1:13:52First, a little background. The weather
1:13:54in the Uzumaki kingdom is very good. No
1:13:56haze, no smog. The morning breeze is
1:13:58cold and fresh, and the sun warms
1:13:59everyone up. The whole ninja world has a
1:14:01natural environment my old world would
1:14:02kill for. Chakra is a clean, renewable
1:14:04energy source, so the wildlife is rich,
1:14:06the land is generous, and some animals
1:14:08even gain wisdom.
1:14:10They refine chakra and evolve into
1:14:11something more, summoning beasts.
1:14:14Of course, a few of those animal
1:14:15families, the ones with long traditions
1:14:17and secret techniques, grabbed the best
1:14:19places for themselves. Fresh air, no
1:14:21taxes, no labor, no war, hidden from
1:14:23humans. Over time, they started calling
1:14:24themselves the three holy lands: Mount
1:14:26Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu
1:14:28Forest. Toads, snakes, and slugs.
1:14:31But there is another kind of summoning
1:14:33nobody talks about. It is classed as
1:14:35forbidden. It is a sealing technique.
1:14:37You can use it once, and the price of
1:14:38the contract is the summoner's death.
1:14:41The Reaper Death Seal.
1:14:43The Uzumaki developed it to call the
1:14:45Shinigami out of the Pure Land. It is
1:14:47also a kind of summoning since you are
1:14:49calling something. It is terribly
1:14:51dangerous. It eats the user's soul along
1:14:53with the targets. Use it once, and you
1:14:54are done.
1:14:56But I knew there were more useful things
1:14:58in the Pure Land than a god of death, so
1:15:00I tried an experiment.
1:15:02Summoning Technique: Book of the Dead.
1:15:05I bit my finger, drew a seal on my palm,
1:15:07and slapped the table. A puff of smoke
1:15:09came up.
1:15:10I waved it away. On the table lay a
1:15:12black book.
1:15:13So, this was the Book of the Dead.
1:15:16I had only meant to try it. I was using
1:15:18the Shinigami mask as a medium, trying
1:15:20to summon an object out of the Pure
1:15:21Land, and honestly, I did not expect it
1:15:23to work. Who knew the Book of the Dead
1:15:25was real?
1:15:27It did not take long to work out what it
1:15:29did. It is the book a judge uses, a
1:15:31magic tool that can see everything a
1:15:32person ever did in their whole life.
1:15:34Nothing can be hidden from it. It shows
1:15:36even the deepest secrets, even the ones
1:15:38you buried or forgot. The perfect tool
1:15:40for finding spies and sinners.
1:15:42Maybe I could use it, I thought, when I
1:15:44visited Konoha.
1:15:46I could not help smirking. This book was
1:15:48going to be very useful against those
1:15:49elders who wanted to destroy us.
1:15:52The cost was huge, though. It burned an
1:15:54enormous amount of chakra and an
1:15:56enormous amount of spiritual energy,
1:15:57too. A cage-level ninja could hold it
1:16:00for maybe 20 seconds before his brain
1:16:01gave out.
1:16:03Not me. My body had been upgraded more
1:16:05times than I could count. I did not even
1:16:07know how much chakra I had anymore. I
1:16:08stopped counting after it was enough,
1:16:10and my spirit was absurd. If 100 people
1:16:12hit me with the strongest genjutsu
1:16:13known, the one called Distinguished
1:16:15Heavenly God, I would still be fine. I
1:16:17was immune to every kind of illusion.
1:16:19Every Uchiha who prided himself on
1:16:21illusion techniques was a child to me.
1:16:24That is a nice thing to know about
1:16:25yourself in a world where one wrong eye
1:16:27contact can end your career.
1:16:30Well, I thought, time to go meet my
1:16:31distant family.
1:16:33I wanted to see if I could pull the
1:16:34Senju onto our side. They were the best
1:16:36allies my family could possibly have,
1:16:39and there was a decent chance of
1:16:40awakening wood release in some of them.
1:16:42Not for fighting, for building. Wood
1:16:44release user can raise a whole house.
1:16:47That morning everyone gathered at the
1:16:48meeting place, and the Senju came, too.
1:16:51By then, Senju Han had heard everything
1:16:53about the changes in the Uzumaki clan,
1:16:55and all of it came back to one person,
1:16:56the young master. At first, he did not
1:16:58believe it, but as they explained piece
1:17:00by piece what I had done, he started to
1:17:01feel like he was dreaming. How could a
1:17:03child predict all of this, and every
1:17:04prediction had come true? None of it was
1:17:06empty talk.
1:17:08So, he decided he would follow the young
1:17:09master and see what I could do for them
1:17:11and for the country.
1:17:13And that morning, for the first time, he
1:17:15saw the legendary young master of the
1:17:17Uzumaki.
1:17:19Sitting in the middle of all the elders
1:17:20was a small child watching them
1:17:22carefully. Young, cute, not at all what
1:17:24a leader is supposed to look like.
1:17:27But when Senju Han met my eyes,
1:17:28everything changed. He told me later
1:17:30that a child's eyes are supposed to be
1:17:32clear and empty. Mine were full of
1:17:34knowledge and wisdom, and they could not
1:17:36hide it. In that instant, he understood
1:17:37something. Maybe this child could change
1:17:39the fate of the Senju clan, too.
1:17:42I did not waste time. Before we start, I
1:17:44said, "I want everyone on the Senju side
1:17:46with water and earth elements to come
1:17:48forward."
1:17:49They did not know why, but they came.
1:17:51Three people, including Senju Hen. Hen
1:17:53was actually a rare triple element user,
1:17:55water, earth, and wind, too.
1:17:58Kushina walked up to them carrying a
1:18:00wooden tray with small vials on it.
1:18:03"Take one of each color and drink," she
1:18:04said.
1:18:05Without asking a single question, Senju
1:18:07Hen and the other two took the vials and
1:18:09drank, and instantly all three of them
1:18:11collapsed into their chairs with their
1:18:13eyes shut.
1:18:15The other Senju lost it. Was it poison?
1:18:17Were the Uzumaki murdering them in broad
1:18:19daylight?
1:18:21One of the Senju medics slapped the
1:18:22loudest of them on the back of the head
1:18:24and told him they were being helped, you
1:18:25idiot.
1:18:27What?
1:18:28Couldn't they feel the rich vitality
1:18:30coming off them?
1:18:31The Senju looked again, and they
1:18:33noticed. The wooden chairs under the
1:18:34three men were sprouting branches and
1:18:36leaves. Below them, grass was growing
1:18:38like crazy.
1:18:40Someone said this.
1:18:42And one of them said with total
1:18:43confidence, "Grass release."
1:18:45Everybody turned and looked at him.
1:18:48He held up his hands and said he was
1:18:49joking, okay.
1:18:51Another one said it properly, "It's wood
1:18:53release."
1:18:54What wood release? Wasn't that Lord
1:18:56Hashirama's bloodline?
1:18:58Everyone turned and looked at that one,
1:18:59too.
1:19:01He asked what they were looking at. Did
1:19:02they think he was an idiot who didn't
1:19:04know anything?
1:19:06After the Senju finished beating up
1:19:07their dumbest member, they went back to
1:19:09watching the three sleepers.
1:19:11I asked my people what they saw.
1:19:14Water at level three, earth at level
1:19:16four, middle level wood release,
1:19:17semi-shadow level ninja.
1:19:20All three of them.
1:19:22Yes, they said, once they could control
1:19:24the new power perfectly. Right now, at
1:19:25most, they were peak elite jonin.
1:19:28When the three of them woke up, they
1:19:30were stunned by what they felt. Chakra
1:19:31overflowing from their bodies, vitality
1:19:34so strong they could barely hold it in,
1:19:36and wood release coming out of their
1:19:37fingertips on its own.
1:19:39They said all the usual things, this
1:19:41amazing, unbelievable.
1:19:43Senju Han looked at me with something
1:19:45feverish in his eyes. He could see it.
1:19:47He could clearly see it, the future of
1:19:49his clan, the old glory. After all the
1:19:51hardship and sadness they had gone
1:19:52through, there was finally an answer.
1:19:55And it was not only him, every Senju in
1:19:57the room looked at me like I was their
1:19:59own parent. Their respect was almost the
1:20:00same as what they felt for Hashirama and
1:20:02Tobirama. They could feel a change
1:20:04coming, something bigger than when the
1:20:05God of Shinobi by ended the warring
1:20:07states, and they were witnessing the
1:20:08start of a new more prosperous era.
1:20:11Without even thinking about it, all of
1:20:13them knelt on one knee and bowed their
1:20:14heads.
1:20:16Senju Han spoke for them. They were
1:20:18ninjas of the Senju clan. They thanked
1:20:20me for my help. I could use them however
1:20:21I wanted. They would take on any
1:20:23hardship for me.
1:20:25Yes.
1:20:26Watching them pledge themselves, I knew
1:20:28my approach worked. It works on anyone
1:20:30smart enough to see the value of what I
1:20:32was doing. Some people would not see it,
1:20:34but the Senju were smart, so the effort
1:20:36was not wasted.
1:20:38I thanked them and told them to stand
1:20:40up. They stood straight and waited for
1:20:41orders.
1:20:43I went straight to the point. The
1:20:44Uzumaki clan did not need fighting help
1:20:46right now. As they knew, our main force
1:20:49was enough to hold and push back the
1:20:50enemy without breaking a sweat.
1:20:53But we needed their help with something
1:20:54else.
1:20:56Senju Han asked me to tell him he
1:20:58understood the situation. He knew, like
1:21:00everyone did, that adding extra hands to
1:21:02a perfect plan only makes things messy,
1:21:04but they still wanted to help with
1:21:06anything that could lighten our load.
1:21:09I asked the third elder to explain.
1:21:11The third elder, who had also awakened
1:21:13wood release, looked at the Senju with a
1:21:14dark little smile that made them
1:21:16nervous.
1:21:18Actually, he said he had wood release,
1:21:19too, just like them, and he showed it as
1:21:21proof.
1:21:23But he had not gone to war, he said,
1:21:24because the young master had given him a
1:21:26huge mission.
1:21:28The Senju said, "Please, third elder,
1:21:29tell us."
1:21:31His job was infrastructure. He used wood
1:21:33release to build new homes and bridges.
1:21:36He was the one making the roads and the
1:21:37wooden buildings around here.
1:21:40"Building houses and bridges?" someone
1:21:41asked.
1:21:43That's right, he said, and the
1:21:44plantations were his job, too.
1:21:47Farming and carpentry.
1:21:49That's right, is there a problem?
1:21:51The Senju had nothing to say. They had
1:21:53never heard of a ninja doing such low
1:21:54work with a jutsu. Today, it seemed,
1:21:57they were going to find out what it was
1:21:58like.
1:22:00I want you to picture that the heirs of
1:22:01the god of shinobi, 10 minutes after
1:22:03receiving his legendary power, being
1:22:05handed a hoe.
1:22:07In the Hidden Cloud camp, the ninjas
1:22:09were sitting around a round table, and
1:22:10every one of them was yawning. Dark
1:22:12circles, red eyes, eyelids sliding shut.
1:22:15They looked like they had worked all
1:22:16night. In short, they were exhausted.
1:22:19Their leader cleared his throat. He was
1:22:21in the same state, though a little
1:22:22better than the rest. He tried to cheer
1:22:24them up. It did not work. Nothing could
1:22:26have worked in their condition.
1:22:28He looked at their half-dead faces.
1:22:30Could they really win a war like this?
1:22:32And if they lost, they would lose more
1:22:34than blood. They would lose precious
1:22:35resources. Even their families would
1:22:37suffer back in the village. So, if they
1:22:39could not fight, they had to stand up
1:22:40and fight anyway. Raise your spirit.
1:22:42Wake your blood. Fight even if you are
1:22:43dead tired. When they won, everyone
1:22:45would go home as heroes and get the
1:22:46riches they wanted.
1:22:48Easy to say.
1:22:50Everybody knows how to fight. But, go 5
1:22:52days without sleep while firecrackers go
1:22:54off around you every night and see what
1:22:56happens to you. There were reports of
1:22:57ninjas starting to go a little crazy,
1:22:59hearing explosions in their sleep. Even
1:23:01the god of shinobi would collapse in a
1:23:03situation like that.
1:23:05And it was not only their spirit. The
1:23:07stress made them irritable. A single
1:23:09bang made some of them explode with
1:23:10rage. A simple conversation turned into
1:23:12a shouting match. The smallest movement
1:23:14made people want to stand up and fight.
1:23:17Cheer them up? Don't be ridiculous. They
1:23:19did not even know where the Uzumaki
1:23:21ninjas were hiding. The Uzumaki were
1:23:23sending shadow clones to do the
1:23:24harassing. Maybe not one of them had
1:23:26seen a real Uzumaki ninja in all these
1:23:28days.
1:23:30There was something the ninjas of the
1:23:31great villages did not know whether they
1:23:32should say out loud. They felt like if
1:23:34they could just get their hands on 10
1:23:35real Uzumaki, they would happily fight
1:23:37them with bare fists. Even if the war
1:23:38was their own idea, they wanted the
1:23:40Uzumaki to be men about it and face
1:23:41them. No jutsu, no weapons, fine. 10
1:23:43against one, fist against fist, body
1:23:45against body.
1:23:47Anything just to end this. Just stop the
1:23:49firecrackers at night and let them have
1:23:50one proper night of sleep. That alone
1:23:52would make them happy.
1:23:55The leader looked at his people and
1:23:56started to think.
1:23:58What were they actually fighting for?
1:24:00Food? Their village never lacked food.
1:24:03Money? The village was not rich, but
1:24:04mission pay was good enough to support a
1:24:06family.
1:24:08Resources? Don't make him laugh. Even if
1:24:10the Uzumaki kingdom were four times
1:24:11bigger, the cloud still had more.
1:24:14And he was not the only one thinking it.
1:24:16What the heck had they even come here
1:24:17for? To be bullied? To be tortured by
1:24:19those Uzumaki scum?
1:24:22Then someone said perhaps they had
1:24:23misunderstood their position.
1:24:26The leader asked him to explain. What
1:24:27misunderstanding?
1:24:29It was his deputy, the vice leader, and
1:24:31he said this was the moment for them to
1:24:33use their brains instead of their
1:24:35muscles.
1:24:36First, he said the great villages had
1:24:38walked into this mess because they
1:24:39underestimated the enemy.
1:24:42Everyone answered yes, yes, the vice
1:24:44leader is right, but they said it with
1:24:46bored faces. He had said that a few days
1:24:48ago and it had not helped at all. Maybe
1:24:50they should just use shadow clones, too.
1:24:53There was another thing the vice leader
1:24:54said, home ground. The Uzumaki kingdom
1:24:57was the Uzumaki's homeland. They knew it
1:24:59far better than the cloud did. They had
1:25:00a huge advantage when it came to
1:25:02ambushes. Nobody knew what traps were
1:25:04out there.
1:25:06He looked around the room. Since they
1:25:07set foot in this kingdom, he said, had
1:25:09they noticed that nothing had gone
1:25:10according to plan?
1:25:13To put it simply, they were being
1:25:14dragged along by the Uzumaki's rhythm,
1:25:16by a bunch of weak ninjas, because they
1:25:17had been too confident. They had assumed
1:25:19these people would only scream and beg
1:25:20their allies for help. Nobody expected
1:25:22such scummy tactics, and nobody could
1:25:24count the Uzumaki because of the shadow
1:25:26clones. They had no idea how many
1:25:27enemies they were facing.
1:25:30The Uzumaki kingdom was not as foolish
1:25:32as they thought, not as weak as they
1:25:33imagined. And of everything they might
1:25:35have expected here, they never expected
1:25:37a bunch of shameless people who would
1:25:39use any trick available.
1:25:41Everyone nodded. That was true.
1:25:44From the landing until now, the plan had
1:25:45changed beyond recognition. They had
1:25:47thought they could predict the Uzumaki.
1:25:49They could not, and plans could not keep
1:25:51up with the changes. What if they rushed
1:25:53in and fell into a trap?
1:25:56Seeing everyone's worried faces, the
1:25:57vice leader went on. Everyone was
1:25:59worried about traps, he said, but had
1:26:01they noticed that their situation was
1:26:03now different from when they first came
1:26:04ashore?
1:26:06Different how, the room wondered. Was he
1:26:08talking about how they had too much of
1:26:10everything except sleep, or how everyone
1:26:12looked as pale as if they had just given
1:26:14birth to a pig?
1:26:16Everyone felt hollowed out. What was
1:26:17different about that?
1:26:19The vice leader looked at their faces
1:26:21and felt his forehead about to crack.
1:26:23What kind of brains did these people
1:26:24have?
1:26:26Then the leader spoke, suddenly serious.
1:26:28People, the number of people is
1:26:29different.
1:26:30The room snapped out of it. Ah.
1:26:33A lot of cannon fodder had died, but
1:26:35that did not matter. The Uzumaki Kingdom
1:26:37had very few people, and they were not
1:26:39strong. The clouds still had plenty.
1:26:41Even if there were traps, with that many
1:26:42people, someone would react in time.
1:26:45That's right, the vice leader said. If
1:26:47they wanted to break the deadlock, they
1:26:49had to break the Uzumakis arrangements.
1:26:52But how?
1:26:53By being tough.
1:26:55It was hard, the vice leader admitted.
1:26:57Every time they sent people to scout,
1:26:58they ran into trouble. Send too few, and
1:27:01if they met two or three times as many
1:27:02Uzumaki, they were finished. Send too
1:27:04many, and they made a bigger target,
1:27:06harder to hide, and the Uzumaki would
1:27:07just send two or three times as many in
1:27:09return.
1:27:11It was exhausting to fight a war like
1:27:13that. The Uzumaki were shameless,
1:27:15scummy. Whatever number you sent, they
1:27:16sent double. So, what was left to play?
1:27:19Send a wave to die? Impossible. Nobody
1:27:22there was an idiot. It would cause chaos
1:27:23and fear. Nobody wanted to be sent to
1:27:25die. Ninjas should not die that cheaply.
1:27:27Even the low-ranked ones would refuse,
1:27:29even if you gave them a hero's title.
1:27:32So, the vice leader said word by word,
1:27:34"Gather everyone at one point, and
1:27:36flatten the Uzumaki Kingdom in one
1:27:38push."
1:27:39No tricks, just brainless force. Mass
1:27:42everything they had in one spot and
1:27:43drive straight through. He did not
1:27:45believe the Uzumaki could send enough
1:27:46people to stop that. And if they did,
1:27:48send more cannon fodder, even if they
1:27:50had to use human wave tactics. He was
1:27:52willing just to end this miserable war.
1:27:55Even if the Uzumaki had a hundred
1:27:57million explosive tags, dangerous, yes,
1:27:59but what were they afraid of? They were
1:28:01from a great village, and the top
1:28:02fighters of the Uzumaki could not
1:28:04possibly match the top fighters of a
1:28:05great village.
1:28:07Not to mention more ninjas were on the
1:28:09way. They had heard the Hidden Mist was
1:28:11even sending a tailed beast and the
1:28:13Seven Swordsmen. If the Uzumaki wanted
1:28:15to resist, they would pay in blood.
1:28:18He had a name for it. I call it the
1:28:19Great Push.
1:28:21I will give the man this. Historians do
1:28:23remember the Great Push. They just
1:28:25remember it as the moment a new great
1:28:26village and a super clan rose from the
1:28:28ashes, and it was not his village.
1:28:32And notice what he was counting on, the
1:28:33Mist's tailed beast, the Seven
1:28:35Swordsmen. He did not know that two of
1:28:37the seven were dead and the rest were in
1:28:38chains. His big plan was built on
1:28:40reinforcements that were never going to
1:28:42arrive.
1:28:44The leader slapped the table. Execute.
1:28:47>> Yes.
1:28:48>> Somewhere else, Lucci was looking at a
1:28:50small device on a table, listening and
1:28:52shaking his head.
1:28:54These ninjas from the great villages
1:28:55were all fools. They did not realize
1:28:57that the people they were waiting for
1:28:59would never come, and that all that was
1:29:00waiting for them was destruction.
1:29:03He asked for number five, how were the
1:29:05preparations?
1:29:07Number five reported everything was
1:29:08ready. The people from the House of Time
1:29:10had come out yesterday. They could
1:29:12finally start.
1:29:14Good, Lucci said, call number six
1:29:16through nine. They would begin the raid
1:29:17as the young master planned.
1:29:20Confirmed.
1:29:21Whoosh, number five was gone. Lucci went
1:29:23back to listening to the cheering coming
1:29:25out of the strange little device. They
1:29:27were celebrating like they had already
1:29:28won.
1:29:30This device was really useful, he said
1:29:32to nobody. They had no idea we had spies
1:29:34crawling all over their camp. They were
1:29:36planning something we already knew.
1:29:39He shook his head again. A great
1:29:40village, is that all?
1:29:42The meeting room opened again. Everyone
1:29:44was there, even the Senju who were still
1:29:46wearing their farming gear. I enjoyed
1:29:48that more than I should have.
1:29:50I told them the enemy was finally going
1:29:52to move.
1:29:53An elder asked if it was really
1:29:55happening. I said yes.
1:29:57Then the jokes started so they could
1:29:58still use their tiny brains in the end.
1:30:00Who knew there were smart people in that
1:30:02barbaric cloud village? How surprising.
1:30:06My father looked around at everyone and
1:30:07said the great villages had no choice
1:30:09now. A decisive battle was coming. Then
1:30:11he asked seriously whether we should
1:30:13keep using shadow clones and mass shadow
1:30:15clones.
1:30:17It was a real question. Clones could
1:30:18stop them for a second, not for a whole
1:30:20battle.
1:30:22No need, I said, we could stop the
1:30:23harassment now.
1:30:25What will we do next?
1:30:27Don't worry, I said, we had their plan.
1:30:28We knew their movements and the people
1:30:30they were waiting for would never come.
1:30:33What came next, I told them, was a show
1:30:35of strength. In this last battle, we
1:30:37would show the world the new Uzumaki
1:30:39clan. We would show them we did not need
1:30:41the monkeys from Konoha to protect us.
1:30:44Then I said it, ladies and gentlemen,
1:30:46this is the rise of the Uzumaki.
1:30:48There was a heartbeat of silence, then
1:30:50yes.
1:30:51The whole room shook. Their voices full
1:30:53of strength and pride went out through
1:30:55the transmission technique to every
1:30:56corner of the battlefield. Shadow,
1:30:58Cipher Pol Zero, and every other ninja
1:31:00out there lifted their heads. They knew
1:31:02it was time to make a name for
1:31:03themselves. Time to show the world the
1:31:05new Uzumaki clan.
1:31:07I asked Lucci if everything was ready.
1:31:10He stepped out of the shadows and
1:31:11appeared behind me. Everything was
1:31:13ready, young master.
1:31:15Good, I said, I want victory with no
1:31:17casualties. Can you do that?
1:31:20Yes.
1:31:21He said it without a flicker of
1:31:22hesitation. I want you to remember that
1:31:25promise because I am going to be honest
1:31:26with you about how close he came.
1:31:29Good, I said, approved.
1:31:31As everyone started moving out, I
1:31:33noticed Senju Han standing there like a
1:31:34man who had been left behind at the
1:31:36station. His arms and legs were itching
1:31:38to fight, but he knew how important
1:31:40coordination is in war. So the only
1:31:42thing he could do was go back to helping
1:31:44the third elder in the fields.
1:31:46I could read exactly what he was
1:31:48thinking. It was not hard. It was
1:31:49written all over his face.
1:31:52Wait a moment, leader Han, I said.
1:31:54He asked what was wrong.
1:31:56"Gather all your people." I said.
1:31:58"Follow the third elder to the
1:31:59battlefield and help our people fight."
1:32:02He was surprised at first, then he
1:32:03realized I had seen right through him
1:32:05and he went a little red.
1:32:07"Don't worry." I said. "Just follow the
1:32:09plan. Use whatever you can to help."
1:32:11"But the fields." He started.
1:32:14"I would give him a day off from
1:32:15farming." I said. "He could use it
1:32:16however he wanted."
1:32:18He said yes and ran off practically
1:32:20skipping. He looked thrilled. He was
1:32:22finally going to get to show what the
1:32:24Senju could do.
1:32:26Not long after the great elder came over
1:32:28looking worried. He had heard the great
1:32:29villages had started a decisive battle.
1:32:31Did I need the old folks to step in?
1:32:34He had a lot of questions running
1:32:36through his head. Why was it suddenly a
1:32:37decisive battle? It had only been a
1:32:39week. Weren't ninjas supposed to
1:32:41investigate everything first? How could
1:32:42they just charge in like that? And
1:32:44hadn't we been working together so
1:32:45nicely these past nights? Couldn't the
1:32:47enemy just stay put and keep sitting
1:32:48there?
1:32:50What he did not know was that the enemy
1:32:52had been tortured close to madness. If
1:32:53it went on much longer, they would
1:32:55break.
1:32:56"Don't worry." I told him. "Everything
1:32:58is under control. The people from the
1:33:00house of time came out last night. They
1:33:02are ready for the final fight."
1:33:04"So that's it." He said. Well, the clan
1:33:06still had four shadow level fighters, so
1:33:08killing all of them would not be hard,
1:33:10but giving the fight to the kids was
1:33:12also a good way to sharpen them.
1:33:14I counted those four in my head later,
1:33:16the three captains and Kushina. He was
1:33:18right. Any one of them could have ended
1:33:20the war alone. That was not the point. A
1:33:22clan that only has four strong people is
1:33:24a clan that is four funerals from
1:33:25extinction. I needed the kids to get
1:33:27blooded.
1:33:29Still, the great elder looked a bit
1:33:30regretful. If the enemy had held out
1:33:32even a month, he thought, a lot more
1:33:34could have changed for the Uzumaki. More
1:33:36people through the house of time, more
1:33:37training. But those great village ninjas
1:33:39were just rice buckets. They could not
1:33:41even last a week.
1:33:43Then I thought of something. "There's
1:33:44one thing I need your help with." I
1:33:46said.
1:33:47Now that the main enemy army had set
1:33:49out, it made sense to send another group
1:33:51into the house of time. The room had no
1:33:53limit on use. Once it was open, we could
1:33:55send anyone in. Better than sitting
1:33:57around waiting for the war to end, send
1:33:59the next batch to train.
1:34:01The great elder agreed at once. That's
1:34:03right, better to do something useful
1:34:05than wait, and the Uzumaki did not need
1:34:07idle people. If someone did not want to
1:34:08train, send them to the farms to help
1:34:10grow food.
1:34:12He said he would pick some people. If
1:34:14they did not want to fight, he would
1:34:15send them to farm.
1:34:17Good, I said. The farms were empty right
1:34:19now. The farmers were all at the front.
1:34:22He told me he was going, and he would
1:34:24wait for good news from the front.
1:34:26On the other side of the island, the
1:34:27cloud leader looked at the ninjas
1:34:29assembled in front of him and nodded
1:34:31with satisfaction. With numbers like
1:34:32this, why hold back and get harassed?
1:34:36He gave his orders. The task was simple.
1:34:38Rush, destroy everything in front of
1:34:39you. Ignore the Uzumaki tactics. Force
1:34:41them to fight head on.
1:34:44This was not their country, after all.
1:34:46If it got ruined, it got ruined. It did
1:34:48not matter at all. As long as you were
1:34:50not worried about being laughed at by
1:34:51the whole world, move, fight, and
1:34:53destroy this kingdom.
1:34:55And if it came to that, he thought he
1:34:57would ask the village to send their
1:34:58tailed beasts to use. Every time the
1:35:00Uzumaki harassed them, the anger had
1:35:02piled up. It was at its peak. A tailed
1:35:04beast sounded pretty good right now.
1:35:07He pointed at one officer, you protect
1:35:09the right wing. Don't let the Uzumaki
1:35:11strong ones sneak attack us.
1:35:14He pointed at another, you protect the
1:35:15left wing. Use yourselves as bait if you
1:35:17have to.
1:35:19Yes.
1:35:21This time he said, we will wipe out the
1:35:22Uzumaki kingdom and wipe this scum off
1:35:24the map.
1:35:26Destroy the Uzumaki kingdom.
1:35:28So, they came, all of them in one mass,
1:35:30the way the vice leader had wanted.
1:35:32And they walked straight into a seal.
1:35:35I will tell this part from inside first,
1:35:37because that is where the fun was.
1:35:39A cloud squad was pushing forward, and
1:35:41someone threw out the big techniques.
1:35:44Earth release, earth cannon.
1:35:46Earth release, earth dragon.
1:35:48Somebody cheered, great a rank earth
1:35:50technique.
1:35:51Outside the barrier, one of our people
1:35:53said calmly that they were using earth
1:35:54release. Another said, seal it.
1:35:58One of the pillars of the formation
1:35:59began making hand signs. When he
1:36:01finished, he pressed his palm against
1:36:02the barrier.
1:36:04Uzumaki secret art, earth chakra sealing
1:36:06technique.
1:36:08A rich wave of earth element was pulled
1:36:10into the barrier and swallowed.
1:36:12Everything made of earth chakra inside
1:36:14began to fade away.
1:36:16The ninja at the pillar nodded and
1:36:17reported, "Earth release completely
1:36:19sealed."
1:36:21"Copy that."
1:36:22Inside the barrier, the cloud ninjas saw
1:36:24it happen. Their earth techniques shrank
1:36:26and vanished into the air like they had
1:36:28never been cast. They stood there
1:36:29frozen, watching even the earth wall
1:36:31they had raised get smaller and smaller
1:36:33until the ground went back to the way it
1:36:35was.
1:36:36Someone said this.
1:36:38Someone else said, "What's happening?"
1:36:40"What kind of technique is this?"
1:36:43Their captain started to feel anxious.
1:36:44He did not know what sorcery this was.
1:36:46Powerful techniques do not just
1:36:48disappear that fast with nothing
1:36:49blocking them.
1:36:51Then one of his ninjas came to him
1:36:53nervous. "Captain, I discovered
1:36:55something."
1:36:56"What?"
1:36:58"Earth release," the man said, "it isn't
1:36:59working."
1:37:00"What do you mean?"
1:37:02"I can't use earth release."
1:37:04The captain stared at him. "What?"
1:37:07They all watched as the ninja made the
1:37:08signs for a simple earth technique.
1:37:10Nothing happened.
1:37:12The captain asked if he had missed a
1:37:13sign. The ninja said no, it was just
1:37:15rock throw, a child's technique.
1:37:18"Impossible," the captain said. How
1:37:20could he not use earth release?
1:37:22He looked around and then he made the
1:37:23signs himself for a simple earth
1:37:25technique. Nothing.
1:37:27He felt it then. He was an earth release
1:37:29user. His affinity was strong enough
1:37:31that he could use rank A earth
1:37:32techniques, but today he could not feel
1:37:34it. There was no trace of earth in the
1:37:36air or in the soil under his feet.
1:37:39He tried again with the simplest
1:37:40technique of all, one every chunin
1:37:42knows.
1:37:43Earth release tunneling technique.
1:37:46That one lets the user dig a tunnel
1:37:48through the ground to move people
1:37:49without being seen. It is mainly for
1:37:51infiltration.
1:37:53Nothing, not even a crack in the dirt.
1:37:56Now he was angry. He tried one after
1:37:57another. Earth shore return, hiding like
1:37:59a mole, tearing earth turning palm,
1:38:02bottomless swamp, earth rising
1:38:03excavation.
1:38:05A dozen earth techniques, not one of
1:38:07them activated.
1:38:09Watching their captain's face, the
1:38:10ninjas around him started to panic. Some
1:38:12tried their own earth techniques,
1:38:14nothing.
1:38:15Then the vice leader came over.
1:38:17"Captain, the sensor team found
1:38:18something."
1:38:20"What did they find?"
1:38:22"There was a huge formation all around
1:38:24them hidden in the fog. He thought the
1:38:25barrier was sealing earth element. That
1:38:27was why they could not use earth
1:38:29release."
1:38:30The captain was stunned. How could a
1:38:32formation be that powerful?
1:38:34Nobody knew what formation the Uzumaki
1:38:36had cast on them, but there was no doubt
1:38:38earth release was sealed.
1:38:40The captain muttered, "The Uzumaki,
1:38:42masters of sealing." He had never
1:38:44imagined they could seal an entire
1:38:45element over an area this size.
1:38:48This was beyond anything they knew.
1:38:50Nobody expected it.
1:38:52Then somebody shouted that there were
1:38:54other elements. He did not believe the
1:38:55Uzumaki could seal everything.
1:38:58"Yes."
1:39:00And everyone started casting their own
1:39:01elements.
1:39:03Fire release, fireball.
1:39:05Fire release, flame wave.
1:39:07Wind release, wind cutter.
1:39:09Wind release, wind slash.
1:39:12Lightning release, lightning shot.
1:39:14Lightning release, lightning bolt.
1:39:17Water release, wave.
1:39:19Water release, great waterfall.
1:39:21And after they had tried every element
1:39:23they had, they finally understood what
1:39:25the formation around them was.
1:39:27The captain asked it out loud, "Are you
1:39:29telling me everything except water
1:39:31release is sealed?"
1:39:33The vice leader nodded nervously. "Yes,
1:39:35captain."
1:39:36"We're doomed."
1:39:38That's right, they were doomed. Almost
1:39:40all of them fought with elemental
1:39:41techniques.
1:39:43Someone asked, "So we can only use water
1:39:44release?"
1:39:46"Yes."
1:39:47The captain swore this was a huge
1:39:49problem. Water release was common
1:39:51enough, but the hidden cloud only had a
1:39:52handful of water techniques. And worse,
1:39:55he knew the village's water techniques
1:39:56were pathetic because the biggest users
1:39:58in the cloud all used lightning.
1:40:01Picture a village that has spent 100
1:40:03years specializing in lightning. Now
1:40:05picture someone switching off lightning.
1:40:07That was the cloud army in that barrier.
1:40:09A team of sprinters told they could only
1:40:10hop.
1:40:12He still knew they could not just stop.
1:40:14If they did, the war would be over
1:40:15before they even saw the enemy.
1:40:18Water release he ordered.
1:40:20And they did water spit, water wave, mud
1:40:23swamp, little techniques thrown at
1:40:24nothing while their chakra drained away.
1:40:27Outside the barrier things were much
1:40:29easier.
1:40:30The formation was stable. Nobody was
1:40:32short on chakra. Everything was in
1:40:34order. Everything was going according to
1:40:36plan.
1:40:38Luchi walked up to the barrier with the
1:40:39others and told everyone to spread out
1:40:41around the formation. And the support
1:40:43group should bring those things.
1:40:46The support group opened a huge storage
1:40:47scroll and a pile of metal tools poured
1:40:49out.
1:40:51Luchi picked one up and showed it
1:40:52around. Chakra sealing bracelets made by
1:40:54the metal bending release group. They
1:40:56only had 200 of them and they were
1:40:58perfect for capturing shinobi.
1:41:01He held it up. The bracelet did two
1:41:02things. First, it sealed the chakra of
1:41:04whoever wore it. Second, it was heavy, a
1:41:06huge burden on anyone who wore it.
1:41:10People said, "What? Amazing. It's like
1:41:11the Hyuga technique."
1:41:13Senju Han came over and looked at the
1:41:14tools. He asked if he could check one.
1:41:18"Sure." Luchi said and handed it over.
1:41:20Senju Han weighed it in his hand. "150
1:41:23kg." he said. "That was heavy for anyone
1:41:25below special jonin."
1:41:28Then he put it on.
1:41:29"Amazing." he said. He could not feel
1:41:31his chakra at all. He tried a technique
1:41:33and failed. He knew the tool worked.
1:41:35He was genuinely impressed. Such a
1:41:37perfect tool for capturing people. He
1:41:39could not find a single flaw.
1:41:42"It's good." he said.
1:41:43"Thanks to the young master and General
1:41:45Kushina." Luchi said.
1:41:47Senju Han asked if they could buy some.
1:41:50Luchi did not think so. They did not
1:41:51have many and it would take time before
1:41:53they could sell them. And besides, they
1:41:55did not even know if the young master
1:41:57would want to sell them.
1:41:59The Senju clan heir asking a
1:42:0010-year-old's workshop for bulk order. I
1:42:03enjoyed hearing about that, too.
1:42:05Then Luchi gave the order that had been
1:42:07waiting all morning.
1:42:09"Everyone gather." He said he was going
1:42:11to run a live class today and they would
1:42:12be using the enemy as live targets. They
1:42:15needed to listen and watch carefully.
1:42:17What he was going to show them was the
1:42:18foundation of the Uzumaki Taijutsu
1:42:20technique.
1:42:22Everyone nodded.
1:42:24"Cipher Pol Zero." He said, "Open a door
1:42:26for us."
1:42:27"Yes."
1:42:29One of them walked up to the barrier,
1:42:30made a few hand signs, and tore a hole
1:42:32in it.
1:42:33Lucci told them to go in. He wanted
1:42:35minimal fast action. As for the leader
1:42:37and the vice leader of the enemy, he
1:42:39would take them.
1:42:41"Yes."
1:42:42Whoosh. The Cipher Pol Zero agents
1:42:44vanished through the hole and it closed
1:42:46behind them.
1:42:47Then everyone outside heard Lucci's
1:42:49voice through the devices they were
1:42:50holding.
1:42:52"The Uzumaki Taijutsu technique." He
1:42:54said had three parts, speed, strength,
1:42:56and defense. As ninjas, we already know
1:42:58how to use speed efficiently, so speed
1:43:00would not be hard for us.
1:43:03He said he would show them a technique
1:43:04from the speed category.
1:43:06Lucci appeared in front of the captain
1:43:08of the Hidden Cloud.
1:43:10The captain's face lit up. An enemy,
1:43:11finally, good. He could finally kill one
1:43:13of these Uzumaki scum.
1:43:16He pulled a sword from behind his back
1:43:17and launched himself forward with a
1:43:19blindingly fast slash. Whoosh.
1:43:22As the blade was about to cut Lucci, the
1:43:24Cloud ninja could not hide his
1:43:26excitement. Finally, one of the annoying
1:43:28Uzumaki ninjas.
1:43:30"Die, scum."
1:43:32Whoosh.
1:43:33"Huh?"
1:43:35Shunpo flash step.
1:43:37Lucci was standing behind him. Everyone
1:43:39around them stopped and stared.
1:43:41One of them said a teleport technique.
1:43:43Another said, "No, wait. Why was there
1:43:45no smoke and why did his movement feel
1:43:47smoother than a teleport?"
1:43:49Lucci did not even look at his opponent.
1:43:51He kept teaching.
1:43:53"Unlike the traditional body flicker."
1:43:55He said, "Flash step was more
1:43:56convenient, extremely fast, and very
1:43:58deadly. You did not need chakra to use
1:44:00it. That was why it counted as
1:44:02Taijutsu."
1:44:04Outside the barrier, Senjuhen broke into
1:44:06a sweat. It was fast. He could not trace
1:44:07any movement at all. He was sure that
1:44:09even the most skilled body flicker user
1:44:11in the world could not move like that.
1:44:12And more importantly, he could see where
1:44:14this was going. If they found the
1:44:15perfect attack to pair with that kind of
1:44:17speed, this technique would be
1:44:18terrifying.
1:44:20Inside, the Cloud Captain roared, "Damn
1:44:22you, don't treat me like nothing."
1:44:24Out of nowhere, he burst forward and
1:44:26stabbed Lucci in the back.
1:44:28Everyone outside panicked. What? No,
1:44:30Lord Lucci, help him.
1:44:32They all wanted to jump in, but the
1:44:33barrier held them back. All they could
1:44:35do was watch and yell, "Damn Cloud
1:44:37Ninja, so despicable. Have you no
1:44:38honor?"
1:44:40But inside, the Cloud Ninja looked
1:44:42confused. He was sure nobody could have
1:44:44dodged that sneak attack, and yet it
1:44:45felt like he had stabbed air, not a
1:44:47body.
1:44:49Ninja Art, Utsusemi, cast-off cicada
1:44:51shell.
1:44:52Lucci's voice came through the devices,
1:44:54cold enough to shake everyone awake.
1:44:57"Watch," he said, "and listen. Don't get
1:44:59distracted, or I'll throw all of you
1:45:00into the hell training program later."
1:45:03That snapped them out of it. They looked
1:45:04again.
1:45:06What they saw felt like an illusion.
1:45:08Lucci was standing there, a sword
1:45:09through his back and out of his chest,
1:45:11and slowly he was blurring away.
1:45:14Someone asked, "A substitution
1:45:15technique?"
1:45:17But substitution leaves a log behind.
1:45:18There was no log.
1:45:20Inside, the Cloud Captain was asking
1:45:22himself the same thing. When had he done
1:45:24a substitution? How could it look so
1:45:26different?
1:45:27Lucci explained to his class, "Utsusemi
1:45:30moves you at great speed to dodge an
1:45:31attack. It leaves an afterimage behind,
1:45:33and the afterimage can look like it took
1:45:35the hit." In short, the Cloud Ninja had
1:45:36stabbed an afterimage. And again, he
1:45:38said this was taijutsu. He had used no
1:45:40chakra. Anyone could do it with enough
1:45:42strength and skill.
1:45:44The Cloud Captain looked at Lucci and
1:45:45understood that he was facing someone he
1:45:47had to take seriously. He needed
1:45:49ninjutsu to win this. From what he could
1:45:51tell, he could not draw chakra from the
1:45:53surroundings here, but the chakra inside
1:45:54his own body still worked.
1:45:57He announced that he was getting
1:45:58serious. The Uzumaki should be proud. He
1:46:00was going to use the Raikage's own
1:46:02technique.
1:46:04Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
1:46:06Lightning wrapped around his whole body.
1:46:08He looked much stronger. Everyone could
1:46:10feel the danger coming off him.
1:46:12Lucci was interested, oh, chakra mode, a
1:46:14good technique. He had not expected to
1:46:16see someone use it.
1:46:18The captain said proudly that he was one
1:46:20of the third Raikage's personal guards,
1:46:22and he had been lucky enough to learn it
1:46:24from the Raikage himself.
1:46:26Lucci looked at the lightning around
1:46:28him. Based on how much lightning was
1:46:29there, he said the man could only hold
1:46:31it for 5 minutes, and it was an
1:46:33incomplete version. Did he know he was
1:46:35killing himself if he kept using it?
1:46:38"So, what?" The captain shouted. "Cloud
1:46:39ninjas aren't afraid to die in battle.
1:46:41Come, use Uzumaki. Let's fight to the
1:46:43death."
1:46:44He was in front of Lucci in an instant
1:46:46with a fist bigger than Lucci's head.
1:46:49Hell stab.
1:46:50When Lucci blinked, the cloud ninja's
1:46:52fingers were already at his eyeballs. So
1:46:54close, a finger jab was about to go
1:46:56straight into his eyes.
1:46:58Shunpo.
1:47:00Finger gun.
1:47:02Stab.
1:47:03Lucci vanished and reappeared behind
1:47:05him, and with one finger, he stabbed
1:47:07into the man's left shoulder.
1:47:09He pulled the finger out. Blood sprayed
1:47:11from the cloud ninja's shoulder. The man
1:47:13could not understand how Lucci had
1:47:15gotten behind him, let alone how he had
1:47:17countered with the same kind of
1:47:18technique.
1:47:20"Finger gun," Lucci told his class, "you
1:47:22harden your fingers using your own blood
1:47:24and cells. You can harden any part of
1:47:25the body this way to block a powerful or
1:47:27deadly attack. Not a single bit of
1:47:29chakra, not even a weapon, and it is
1:47:31lethal."
1:47:33Then he raised one long leg.
1:47:35Wind step flash kick.
1:47:37The cloud ninja saw the leg coming and
1:47:39raised his arms to block. The power of
1:47:41that simple kick broke both his
1:47:43shoulders and three of his ribs.
1:47:46Instant step.
1:47:47Click. Lucci was standing over the
1:47:49fallen captain and a chakra sealing
1:47:51bracelet was already on his wrist. His
1:47:53chakra was gone. He was captured.
1:47:56"The Uzumaki taijutsu technique," Lucci
1:47:58told everyone, "uses speed and turns it
1:48:00into power with simple but effective
1:48:02moves. With it, you can fight even an
1:48:04elite jonin using only taijutsu."
1:48:07Of course, he added, if they wanted to
1:48:09see the strongest form, they would need
1:48:10to finish the whole hellish training
1:48:12program.
1:48:14Then he took off his top, broad
1:48:15shoulders, a body built like a statue.
1:48:17He put both fists forward and dropped
1:48:19into a horse stance.
1:48:21"Make way." he said.
1:48:23Everyone jumped back.
1:48:25"With pure strength and perfect muscle
1:48:27control," he said, "you can make a
1:48:28shockwave that destroys a mountain."
1:48:31"Uzumaki secret art, king fist."
1:48:34The air started to vibrate. Lucci's body
1:48:36seemed to swell. Huge veins rose along
1:48:38his arms, and then
1:48:40rumble rumble rumble
1:48:42a tiny ping
1:48:44bang
1:48:46Everything in front of Lucci exploded.
1:48:47Ninjas, trees, rocks, even the huge
1:48:50barrier around the battlefield shattered
1:48:52from the shockwave of one punch.
1:48:54Lucci said calmly that the young master
1:48:56always said the human body hides
1:48:58unlimited potential. Anything is
1:49:00possible if you have the will to keep
1:49:02moving forward.
1:49:04Then he put his shirt back on and looked
1:49:05at them.
1:49:07"The Uzumaki are not just sealing
1:49:09experts." he said. "With the young
1:49:10master, we can master any kind of
1:49:12technique. All you need to do is follow
1:49:14the young master."
1:49:16I have to tell you when I heard that
1:49:18line in the recording, I was proud and
1:49:19embarrassed in equal measure. I had made
1:49:22him. I had also apparently made him into
1:49:24a motivational speaker.
1:49:26The end of the war took two days and
1:49:28three nights.
1:49:29That was longer than I wanted. Even
1:49:31though the Uzumaki were the strongest
1:49:33army on the field, the number of rogue
1:49:34ninjas and small groups from different
1:49:36villages was huge. Cleaning them up took
1:49:38time, not because there were so many
1:49:40people, but because there were so many
1:49:41separate groups all trying to slip past
1:49:43our lines.
1:49:45Cleaning up small groups takes manpower,
1:49:46and manpower was exactly what we lacked.
1:49:49Even though we bulldozed every fight, it
1:49:51took time.
1:49:53In the end, the report came in.
1:49:55Winner of the Uzumaki kingdom war, the
1:49:57Uzumaki clan.
1:49:59Enemy participants, 1,930.
1:50:02Villages involved, 12. Great villages,
1:50:04three. The Mist, the Cloud, and the
1:50:06Stone.
1:50:07Enemy shinobi captured, 928.
1:50:11Uzumaki casualties, 25.
1:50:1425.
1:50:15I asked Lucci for no casualties. He said
1:50:18yes without hesitation, and he came very
1:50:20close. 25 is a number I can live with
1:50:22against nearly 2,000. It is also 25
1:50:25families. I am telling you the number
1:50:26because I do not want you to think I
1:50:28treated as zero. I do not.
1:50:30There was more. 30 huge boxes of war
1:50:32supplies, shuriken, kunai, explosive
1:50:34tags, and more. Almost 3 million in cash
1:50:37taken from the prisoners. Hundreds of
1:50:38people with bounties on their heads
1:50:39wanted all over the ninja world. Five
1:50:41big ships with no damage, countless
1:50:43scrolls and techniques, and the seven
1:50:45swords of the hidden mist.
1:50:47I looked over the report and handed it
1:50:49to the great elder to deal with. Then I
1:50:50asked whether everything was clear.
1:50:53"No rebel ninjas left." came the answer.
1:50:56"No hidden Anbu. Not a single shinobi
1:50:57had escaped."
1:50:59"Excellent."
1:51:01The great elder asked what I wanted to
1:51:02do with the prisoners.
1:51:04"The rogue ninjas," I said, "should be
1:51:06turned in for their bounties. The rest
1:51:08should ask their own villages for a
1:51:09ransom, and whoever was left would go to
1:51:11the mines as punishment."
1:51:14I wrote down the terms and handed them
1:51:16over. Every prisoner sent to the mines
1:51:18would work at least two years and pay
1:51:19500 gold for their own ransom. We would
1:51:22also accept trades. If someone had an
1:51:24important technique, it could lower
1:51:25their ransom.
1:51:27The great elder worried, was I sure?
1:51:29"Those rogues were stubborn. They might
1:51:31try to escape when no one was looking."
1:51:33"Don't worry," I said, "I had prepared
1:51:35everything for them. And no work, no
1:51:37food. Punishment for anyone who did not
1:51:39finish the day's task."
1:51:41"Yes."
1:51:43"Send them to the iron mine," I said.
1:51:45"They're strong enough to break big iron
1:51:46rocks. Just don't give them any chance
1:51:48to escape."
1:51:50"Yes."
1:51:51Then I looked at Lucci. "What about the
1:51:52rats?"
1:51:54"They were moving as we spoke, young
1:51:55master."
1:51:57"Finally willing to come out of their
1:51:58nest," I said. "Call me when they
1:51:59arrive. I want to hear what excuse they
1:52:01come up with."
1:52:03"Yes."
1:52:04Out in the forest, five Konoha ninjas
1:52:06were running at full speed. They had
1:52:08heard the war was over, so they had
1:52:10stopped hiding. They wanted to see the
1:52:11results, and to pick up whatever the
1:52:13Uzumaki had left behind.
1:52:16They arrived the way I knew they would.
1:52:18Clean uniforms, composed faces. Five
1:52:20people walking into a country that had
1:52:22just finished fighting 2,000 enemies
1:52:24alone, ready to explain how they had
1:52:26come to help.
1:52:28I received them in the meeting room with
1:52:29the elders around me and the sent you
1:52:31off to one side. Narasuzo stood at the
1:52:34front of the five. When he saw who was
1:52:35sitting in the center chair, his face
1:52:37did something complicated, a 10-year-old
1:52:39looking straight back at him.
1:52:42He bit the bullet and told me their
1:52:43mission, or part of it. He left out the
1:52:45important details.
1:52:47They had come, he said, to help the
1:52:49Uzumaki and at the same time to find the
1:52:51next jinchuriki candidate.
1:52:54The Konoha ninjas behind him flinched.
1:52:56They had not expected him to tell a lie
1:52:57that big straight to my face.
1:53:00"Help," I said.
1:53:02"That's right," he said. The third elder
1:53:03had asked Konoha for help last time, but
1:53:06because of the ongoing war, they could
1:53:07not send many people. That's why they
1:53:09had come.
1:53:11"And I said, only five of you. Tell me,
1:53:13how strong are you and who is the
1:53:14strongest?"
1:53:16He started to sweat. He was not a fool.
1:53:18Reinforcements made of two chunin and a
1:53:20jonin plus a couple more could not even
1:53:22slow down a big army on the march.
1:53:25But he kept going. He could not tell the
1:53:27truth. He was smart, smarter than anyone
1:53:29else in his group, and he knew this
1:53:30little conversation could turn into a
1:53:32much bigger problem. If he could not fix
1:53:34it here and now, Konoha would pay for
1:53:36it.
1:53:37They were not strong, he said, but they
1:53:39were skilled enough to handle small
1:53:40fights and cause some minor damage to
1:53:42the enemy.
1:53:44"Is that so?" I said. My face did not
1:53:46change. I just looked at them flat and
1:53:48calm, and that made every one of them
1:53:50more nervous than anger would have.
1:53:52"Do you know who came to this war?" I
1:53:54asked.
1:53:55"No," he said, shaking his head. He did
1:53:57not know who they were up against.
1:53:59"And the number of enemies?"
1:54:01"Maybe 100 or more."
1:54:03"Their strength?"
1:54:05"At least elite jonin."
1:54:07I let that sit, then I asked, "Do you
1:54:08have a spy in your group?"
1:54:10"Yes."
1:54:12"I'll give you some advice," I said.
1:54:13"Take it as goodwill. Replace your spy,
1:54:15he's useless."
1:54:17Then I told him what he should have
1:54:18known. The enemy had been just under
1:54:202,000 shinobi, 15 elite jonin, and one
1:54:23near cage level fighter, the famous
1:54:25seven swordsmen, plus a crowd of rank S
1:54:27rogue ninjas and assorted mercenaries.
1:54:30I smiled at him and asked again, "Now
1:54:32tell me, I'm listening. How much time
1:54:34could you buy for the Uzumaki to
1:54:35escape?"
1:54:37A chill went down all their spines. A
1:54:39calm, simple voice, and it felt worse
1:54:40than a knife.
1:54:42"And let's add the Senju," I said, "less
1:54:44than 20 people. That's a decent size for
1:54:46a small team, isn't it? So tell me, how
1:54:48much time could you buy us?"
1:54:50An hour Nara said he was sure of it.
1:54:53"An hour, that's long enough," I said,
1:54:55"but if the enemy was coming from every
1:54:56direction, how would you save the
1:54:58Uzumaki?"
1:55:00He was quiet for a moment, then he said,
1:55:02"We would use our lives to carve a path
1:55:03for the Uzumaki."
1:55:06I smiled at that. He really was a Nara,
1:55:08smart and quick. He had an answer for
1:55:09every question I threw at him.
1:55:12"Then let's say you defend us
1:55:13successfully," I said, "tell me, in how
1:55:15many days would the next wave of Konoha
1:55:17reinforcements arrive?"
1:55:19He went silent. He knew exactly what
1:55:21Konoha would decide. He was sure they
1:55:23would watch us die here and then send
1:55:25another group to collect the bodies.
1:55:28So I asked him the question that
1:55:29mattered, "How many of you really came
1:55:30as reinforcements?"
1:55:33It was almost funny. These people had
1:55:34not come to face the enemy. They had
1:55:36come to face the ally they were supposed
1:55:38to help.
1:55:40The second elder had been watching all
1:55:41this with his arms folded, and he
1:55:43finally spoke rudely. "Excuse him," he
1:55:45said, "but with their numbers and
1:55:47strength, he did not think they could
1:55:48stop even one wave of the enemy."
1:55:51He was not mocking Konoha, he said. He
1:55:53was simply a sane person. He could see
1:55:55the gap between people. If they told the
1:55:57Uzumaki their little group could hold
1:55:59off the enemy long enough for the whole
1:56:00clan to escape, that was complete
1:56:02nonsense.
1:56:04The other elders nodded. They were old,
1:56:06not blind. They could see clearly how
1:56:07big the gap was between the enemy and
1:56:09these so-called reinforcements. Maybe
1:56:11they could buy a little time, but the
1:56:13Uzumaki were a clan, not a small squad.
1:56:15How could a little time save a whole
1:56:17population?
1:56:19Wasn't this all just a way of fooling
1:56:20us?
1:56:21It was obvious.
1:56:23I looked at Nara who looked stunned, and
1:56:25I could not help smiling. Then I steered
1:56:27the conversation somewhere else.
1:56:30As for reinforcements, I said the
1:56:31Uzumaki did not need them anymore. And
1:56:33after what Konoha had shown us, maybe
1:56:35the Uzumaki needed to think about
1:56:37whether we wanted to keep cooperating
1:56:38with them at all.
1:56:41Nara understood what that meant.
1:56:42Cooperation is not a one-sided deal. It
1:56:44has to be win and win. If you try to
1:56:46stab your ally in the back and your ally
1:56:48walks away unhurt, it is only natural
1:56:50that their view of you changes. They
1:56:51were lucky we had not killed them on
1:56:53sight considering they had already
1:56:54betrayed us in this war.
1:56:56Knock knock.
1:56:58Come in, I said.
1:57:00Lucci came in with a cloud ninja behind
1:57:02him. He told me this was the vice leader
1:57:04of the cloud forces and pulled the man
1:57:05forward.
1:57:07So, you're the vice leader, I said.
1:57:10The cloud ninja looked at me strangely.
1:57:12He did not understand why a child was
1:57:13sitting in such an important seat, but
1:57:16he was the representative of the losing
1:57:17side, so he nodded politely.
1:57:20I asked whether he had heard our terms.
1:57:23He had, he said, but he did not think
1:57:24their lives were that valuable. He did
1:57:26not think his village would pay a ransom
1:57:28for them.
1:57:30Don't worry, I said, they'll pay. The
1:57:31Raikage will pay even if he has to skin
1:57:33the whole hidden cloud to do it.
1:57:36What did I mean?
1:57:38I just smiled and did not answer.
1:57:40Your only job, I told him, is to go back
1:57:42and deliver a letter to the Raikage.
1:57:44That's all. Wait for his answer. His
1:57:46reply will decide your next task. Either
1:57:48you come back to us with a ransom or you
1:57:50run home and forget everyone here.
1:57:53He did not know how to answer. To him,
1:57:55the prisoners were not just ninjas. They
1:57:57were his friends, his comrades. His back
1:57:58was safe because of them. How could he
1:58:00betray them and leave them here?
1:58:03I saw his reaction. I knew he would
1:58:05never abandon his comrades, and I knew
1:58:07the Raikage would never let his soldiers
1:58:08become war slaves either. That was
1:58:10exactly why I was sure about the ransom.
1:58:14Lucci, I said, pick two of your people
1:58:16and escort this gentleman home safely.
1:58:18They can come back after they hear the
1:58:19decision.
1:58:21Yes.
1:58:22Lucci and the vice leader left. Then I
1:58:24turned back to Nara.
1:58:26Do you know why the Raikage will accept
1:58:27my terms? I asked.
1:58:30He did not know. He had no idea what was
1:58:31going on in my head.
1:58:34Simple, I said. The Raikage and the
1:58:35other Kage didn't pay anything for the
1:58:37war because the third Hokage loves peace
1:58:39so much. He gave them a piece of paper
1:58:41as compensation.
1:58:43See, I said. The lives of Konoha shinobi
1:58:45are worth less than a piece of paper. A
1:58:47piece of paper anyone can tear up the
1:58:49moment they want a new war. That's how
1:58:51stupid Sarutobi Hiruzen really is.
1:58:54The Konoha ninja said nothing.
1:58:57Well, most of them said nothing. A few
1:58:59of them once the shock wore off got
1:59:00angry. One of them pointed at me and
1:59:02said he did not believe the third Hokage
1:59:04would do that.
1:59:06That's right, another said. Lord Hokage
1:59:08was a kind and peace-loving man. How
1:59:10could he just throw away their
1:59:11sacrifices?
1:59:13You're lying, a third said. You're just
1:59:14jealous of Lord Hokage.
1:59:17That's right, jealous.
1:59:19I looked at them and knew exactly what
1:59:20they were, products of the will of fire.
1:59:22Taught from childhood that sacrificing
1:59:24yourself for the village was the highest
1:59:26good. What they did not know was that
1:59:27the man they idolized was the one
1:59:29plucking the tender young leaves off the
1:59:31great tree.
1:59:33They were poisoned to the core. They
1:59:34thought dying for Konoha would make them
1:59:36heroes.
1:59:37Heroes, that is the title they give dead
1:59:39people. It is easier to become a hero
1:59:41than to become a ninja. Sacrifice
1:59:43yourself and you are a hero. Leave the
1:59:45people you love behind with nothing.
1:59:48You'll see it when you get back, I told
1:59:50them. After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen
1:59:52already did it at the end of the first
1:59:53ninja war.
1:59:55Let me give you the history the way I
1:59:57gave it to them. The first ninja war is
1:59:58when the second Hokage died, ambushed by
2:00:00cloud rebels. And afterwards, Sarutobi
2:00:02got nothing for it. He chose to
2:00:04compromise, signed a piece of paper, and
2:00:05ended the war. No compensation, no
2:00:07resources. Konoha won the war and walked
2:00:09away with nothing but a mountain of
2:00:10corpses who had died for it.
2:00:13Nara said nothing. He was a smart man.
2:00:15He knew how the other war had ended,
2:00:16too. Even when Konoha won, the people
2:00:18who fought got a tiny payment, about
2:00:20what you earn from a couple of safe
2:00:21missions. So small for the sacrifice of
2:00:24a ninja.
2:00:25I looked at the angry ones and asked
2:00:27them something. Do you know the total
2:00:29casualties of the Sarutobi clan and the
2:00:31three elder clans?
2:00:33Lord Hokage used his own family to help
2:00:35the village, one of them said. They
2:00:37sacrificed so much.
2:00:39That's right, another said. I heard even
2:00:41Lord Hokage's son was sent to help.
2:00:44And the three elder clans, too. They
2:00:45sacrificed so much for the village.
2:00:48I looked at them like I was looking at
2:00:49fools. They hated that look.
2:00:52Then I shook my head, took out a sheet
2:00:54of paper, and read.
2:00:55War order name, Sarutobi clan. Number of
2:00:58participants, 56. Strength, 32 nin, 10
2:01:01genin, 10 jonin, six elite jonin.
2:01:03Position, medical ninja.
2:01:06Their faces changed. They looked like
2:01:07they had heard something wrong.
2:01:10I went on, just like the Sarutobi, the
2:01:12three other elder clans had sent the
2:01:13same number of ninjas, and all of them
2:01:15were placed in positions like this.
2:01:17Behind the Konoha army as reserves or as
2:01:20medical ninjas.
2:01:22I looked at them. Now, do you know how
2:01:23many of them survived?
2:01:25Nara shook his head. Nobody there was a
2:01:27fool. Behind the army is the safest
2:01:29place in any war, and not one young
2:01:31ninja from those clans had been left out
2:01:33of that safe spot.
2:01:35The casualties of the four clans, I
2:01:37said, were zero. The only injury came
2:01:39when one Sarutobi accidentally cut his
2:01:41finger playing with a kunai.
2:01:44So, tell me, I said, how can you say
2:01:46they sacrificed so much when they never
2:01:47set foot on an actual battlefield?
2:01:50Their only injury came from playing with
2:01:52a kunai, and more importantly, I said to
2:01:55the four clans even have any knowledge
2:01:56of healing techniques? None. So, how
2:01:58exactly did they help as medics?
2:02:01I don't understand how you can all be so
2:02:03blind, I said, when a ninja is supposed
2:02:05to have sharp eyes. Are your eyes just
2:02:07decoration, or are you a bunch of fools?
2:02:11Nobody answered that one, either.
2:02:13A couple of days later, Lucci's team
2:02:15came back with the cloud vice leader.
2:02:17One look at the vice leader's face told
2:02:18me the mission had not gone smoothly.
2:02:21We met in the meeting room. Everyone
2:02:23came. The elders, the Senju, and the
2:02:25Konoha ninjas, too. I wanted them all to
2:02:27hear this.
2:02:29Lucci told his man to report.
2:02:31The man stepped forward, bowed, and
2:02:33began. On way to their destination,
2:02:35there had been no problems except that
2:02:36the cloud vice leader tried to escape a
2:02:38few times. Other than that, everything
2:02:40was fine.
2:02:42But one day in, a group of ninjas
2:02:44ambushed them. 20 of them wearing
2:02:46concealment gear to hide their identity.
2:02:49He asked them who they were. They only
2:02:51asked whether he was from the Uzumaki
2:02:53clan. He answered honestly. And the
2:02:55moment they heard he came from the
2:02:56Uzumaki kingdom, they attacked.
2:02:59One of the elders asked if he had found
2:03:01out which village they were from.
2:03:03"No identification at all," he said.
2:03:05"The only thing they found was a strange
2:03:07seal carved into the tongue of each of
2:03:08them."
2:03:10He took out a piece of paper with the
2:03:11mark drawn on it and showed it around.
2:03:14When the Senju and the Nara saw it,
2:03:15their faces changed. Pale, gloomy.
2:03:19My father and the elders looked at it,
2:03:20too, but they were confused. They did
2:03:22not recognize the mark, and they had
2:03:24never heard of a group that used it.
2:03:27Nara Suzo saw the confusion on the
2:03:29Uzumaki faces and felt relieved. If they
2:03:31figured out the truth, he did not know
2:03:33what would happen to his group.
2:03:35The elders started discussing it. Did
2:03:37anyone know this mark? Any group that
2:03:38used it? One said he thought he had seen
2:03:40it somewhere, but he could not remember
2:03:41where. Another urged him to try, "Sixth
2:03:43brother, we could not leave any threat
2:03:45unchecked." The sixth elder scratched
2:03:47his head. Where had he seen it? He was
2:03:48sure he had.
2:03:50"I was sitting next to them. You're
2:03:51looking at it wrong," I said.
2:03:54"Young master,
2:03:55it looks like this."
2:03:57I turned the paper upside down and
2:03:59showed it to them. "Now," I said, "do
2:04:00you know who uses a mark like this?"
2:04:03The room went silent. The elders' faces
2:04:05turned terrifying, like they were about
2:04:07to wipe out a whole clan.
2:04:09And not just them, the Senju and the
2:04:11Konoha ninjas had gone white. How could
2:04:13they forget a mark like that?
2:04:15Someone said it, "Isn't this the cursed
2:04:17tongue seal that Konoha's Root puts on
2:04:19its members?"
2:04:21The Uzumaki said nothing. The Senju said
2:04:23nothing. The Konoha ninjas said nothing.
2:04:26I smiled and nodded. "You're right," I
2:04:28said. "This is the mark of Root, a curse
2:04:30put on every Root member to stop them
2:04:32from betraying. And the person And holds
2:04:33that curse is only one man, the leader
2:04:36of Root, Shimura Danzo, the Darkness of
2:04:38Konoha.
2:04:40Nobody said anything for a long moment.
2:04:43Then the Konoha ninjas broke, this
2:04:45impossible. How could Root be here? Root
2:04:47was a special ANBU unit that handled
2:04:48missions that threatened Konoha. There
2:04:50was no danger to Konoha here, so why
2:04:52would Root show up?
2:04:54They could not accept it. How could Root
2:04:56try to ambush the Uzumaki when the two
2:04:57sides were friends? Maybe there had been
2:04:59a mistake in the orders, but Root not
2:05:01knowing who the Uzumaki were,
2:05:02impossible. Red hair is the symbol of
2:05:04the Uzumaki, you cannot miss it.
2:05:07I looked at the confused group. It is
2:05:09hard to wake up someone who does not
2:05:10want to wake up.
2:05:12Continue your report, I said.
2:05:15The man continued, those mysterious
2:05:16ninjas were dangerous. They used poison,
2:05:19explosive tags, even forbidden
2:05:20techniques, and they never let any of
2:05:22their own be taken alive. He had never
2:05:24seen anything that ruthless, not even in
2:05:25war. They threw away their own comrades'
2:05:27lives and killed without hesitation.
2:05:31That's normal, the first elder said.
2:05:32Root puts the mission above the lives of
2:05:34their comrades, even above their own.
2:05:36They'll use any means to finish the job.
2:05:39Of course the elders knew, everyone knew
2:05:41how those rats worked.
2:05:43Mr. Nara, I said, I think you should add
2:05:45this to your report.
2:05:47Excuse me, he said nervously.
2:05:49I said you can report this, I said. I
2:05:51want to see how those people deal with
2:05:53it, though I think I already know what
2:05:54will happen.
2:05:56Here is what I knew. Root ninjas are
2:05:58nobodies on paper. Not a single scrap of
2:06:00information exists about any of them.
2:06:02They are trained like dead soldiers,
2:06:03disposable tools in Danzo's hands. He
2:06:05can throw them away the moment they stop
2:06:07being useful, kill them and use their
2:06:08deaths as an excuse, or pile all the
2:06:10blame on them to dodge responsibility.
2:06:13And the best part for him is that they
2:06:14are trained to serve only Danzo, whether
2:06:16that means dying or killing the Hokage,
2:06:18or killing the Daimyo.
2:06:21The man went on, the fight itself was
2:06:23not hard. They finished it within 5
2:06:25minutes. They captured almost all of the
2:06:26attackers, but the attackers killed
2:06:28themselves by biting poison pills hidden
2:06:30in their teeth. They tried to mind
2:06:31search technique, too, but after the
2:06:33poison their minds were useless.
2:06:36Never mind, I said, go on.
2:06:38After the ambush, the whole team stayed
2:06:40on high alert until they reached the
2:06:41gates of the Hidden Cloud.
2:06:44When they arrived, he said they almost
2:06:45got beaten up, but they used the hostage
2:06:47to make the cloud back off. They met the
2:06:49current Raikage and stated their
2:06:50demands.
2:06:52Let me guess, I said, the Raikage
2:06:54exploded with rage and tried to detain
2:06:56you.
2:06:57Amazing, the man said, how did you know?
2:07:00It wasn't hard to guess, I said, with
2:07:01the Cloud's war-crazy nature, they'd
2:07:03never let anyone leave alive, especially
2:07:05not Uzumaki.
2:07:07Don't worry, he said, they never let the
2:07:09Cloud take charge. They used Shadow
2:07:11Release to hide and waited for the
2:07:12Raikage to calm down before coming back.
2:07:16And the results? The Cloud accepted our
2:07:17demands on one condition. The Cloud
2:07:20would choose the place and the number of
2:07:21people who would take part.
2:07:24Deal, I said.
2:07:25The elders and everyone else immediately
2:07:27tried to stop me. That was dangerous,
2:07:29young master.
2:07:31I let them worry, I had my reasons, and
2:07:33I had something else to deal with first,
2:07:35something sitting in a cave not far from
2:07:36the coast, very angry.
2:07:39I want to explain how I came to be
2:07:40sitting in a cave having an argument
2:07:42with a tailed beast. The short version
2:07:44is that the mist had been bringing more
2:07:46than swordsmen to this war, and my
2:07:47people had made sure it never got to be
2:07:49used. By the time I went to see it, it
2:07:51was chained up in a cave of ours, and it
2:07:53had opinions.
2:07:55I started politely. I told it there
2:07:56wasn't much hatred between us.
2:07:59The three tails laughed at me. It was
2:08:01not a friendly laugh. No hatred? It had
2:08:03done nothing, and somebody had destroyed
2:08:04its home, frozen its garden, and put
2:08:06chains on it like a dog, and I thought
2:08:08there was no hatred.
2:08:10I had not expected it to be quite that
2:08:12angry.
2:08:13So, I said the honest thing. Anyway, I
2:08:15said, you're trapped here now. You can't
2:08:17do anything except make noise.
2:08:19The tailed beast went quiet. I could see
2:08:21it thinking. Were all human children
2:08:23this poisonous now?
2:08:25It shut its huge mouth angrily and
2:08:27squatted against the cave wall.
2:08:29What's wrong? I asked. Stop yelling. Are
2:08:31you hungry? Want a bone?
2:08:33I'm not a dog, you brat. I am a turtle.
2:08:35Look at me.
2:08:36Right when it was about to calm down, I
2:08:38had set it off again. It was offended.
2:08:40Did I think it was Kurama or Matatabi?
2:08:42It was a sea beast, not a cat, not a
2:08:44dog.
2:08:46Well, now hear me out, Isobu, I said.
2:08:48Its huge eyes snapped toward me. Boy, it
2:08:50said, how do you know my name?
2:08:52You have to understand, the ninja world
2:08:54only knows them as tailed beasts. Nobody
2:08:56knows their real names. Worse, people
2:08:57still think more tails means more
2:08:59strength. In Isobu's view, humans were a
2:09:00crowd of ignorant beings. It never
2:09:02understood why its father wanted the
2:09:03beasts to get close to these hateful
2:09:04creatures. All humans ever did was treat
2:09:06them like pets and seal them in dark
2:09:08places.
2:09:10I just do, I said.
2:09:12Isobu looked at me, my red hair, my
2:09:13black eyes, my round baby face, and a
2:09:15thought crossed its mind. This did not
2:09:17look like the child in the prophecy.
2:09:19Father had said the prophecy was a blond
2:09:21boy with blue eyes, not red hair and
2:09:23black eyes.
2:09:25I did not know about that thought at the
2:09:26time. I learned it much later, but I
2:09:28want you to keep it in mind. The old man
2:09:31who made the tailed beasts left a
2:09:32prophecy, and it is not about me.
2:09:35I told Isobu I knew quite a lot, the
2:09:37names of all the tailed beasts, how
2:09:39strong each of them was, their
2:09:40techniques and elements, and so on.
2:09:43I went through it in detail, and Isobu
2:09:45was bewildered. It had never met anyone
2:09:47who knew that much about the tailed
2:09:49beasts.
2:09:50And one more thing, I said, Kurama
2:09:52always bullied you.
2:09:54Who told you that?
2:09:56It glared at me and shouted, Kurama
2:09:58bullied Shukaku, not it, not the great
2:09:59Isobu.
2:10:01Its face was furious, and it hid the
2:10:03embarrassment well. There was one
2:10:04problem.
2:10:06You know, I said, the Uzumaki are very
2:10:08sensitive to emotions. You can't hide it
2:10:10from me.
2:10:11Damn.
2:10:13Isobu turned its head away. It did not
2:10:15want to talk to this hateful little imp
2:10:16anymore. If it kept talking, it might go
2:10:18crazy and explode. This kid was
2:10:20dangerous. He knew the hidden
2:10:21embarrassments of the tailed beasts, and
2:10:23those embarrassments could never get
2:10:24out, or the famous tailed beasts would
2:10:26become the joke of the ninja world.
2:10:28Hey, hey, don't go to sleep, I said. I
2:10:30want to talk.
2:10:32Get away, kid. Don't talk to me.
2:10:34I did talk to it for a long time, and in
2:10:36the end, we made a deal. Isobu would
2:10:38give me part of its chakra. In return, I
2:10:40would give it something no tailed beast
2:10:41had ever had, freedom and a home nobody
2:10:44could take away.
2:10:46Half an hour into the deal, Isobu was
2:10:48pouring chakra into a jar I had brought.
2:10:50It watched the jar drink and drink
2:10:51without filling, and finally it said,
2:10:53amazed, that this was like the crimson
2:10:55gourd and the amber purifying pot, the
2:10:57things the old sage had made.
2:11:00"The treasured tools of the Sage of Six
2:11:01Paths?" I asked.
2:11:04"That's right, kid," it said. "My
2:11:05container was as powerful as the old
2:11:07man's treasures."
2:11:09Let me explain the comparison. The
2:11:10treasured tools of the Sage of Six Paths
2:11:12are legendary. They are said to have
2:11:14been used by the Sage himself, and they
2:11:15are considered the most powerful ninja
2:11:17tools in existence. People who show
2:11:19their power are said to surpass even the
2:11:20five kage, but using them burns an
2:11:22enormous amount of chakra. A normal
2:11:24person could die.
2:11:26My jar was safe. You did not spend
2:11:27chakra to use it. Storing chakra in it
2:11:30was like pouring water into a water jar,
2:11:32and its durability was absurd. Isobu
2:11:34could feel that it only had a third of
2:11:35its chakra left, and the jar was still
2:11:37fine.
2:11:39Isobu stopped when its body felt hollow.
2:11:41It asked if that was enough.
2:11:43"This is good," I said.
2:11:45It asked whether I was finished. What
2:11:47about its chakra?
2:11:49Isobu sat down slowly, raising a cloud
2:11:51of dust. It said it was fine. "Now, kid,
2:11:53keep your promise."
2:11:55"I think you should recover first," I
2:11:56said. "You don't have enough chakra left
2:11:58for what comes next."
2:12:00Its eyebrow shot up. Did space-time
2:12:02ninjutsu cost that much?
2:12:04"Not exactly," I said, "but what we were
2:12:06about to do was open a space and create
2:12:08a hidden room for it to live in. That
2:12:10would take a huge amount of chakra."
2:12:13Isobu thought about it. It said it did
2:12:14not think my chakra and its current
2:12:16chakra together would be enough for my
2:12:17space-time technique. So, to be safe, it
2:12:20would recover what it had lost. It said
2:12:22not to worry, it would not take long.
2:12:25A tailed beast's body is pure chakra,
2:12:27100%. They are basically giant beasts
2:12:30shaped lumps of chakra, the darlings of
2:12:31this world, and they recover fast.
2:12:34I took the jar back and sat down to
2:12:36wait.
2:12:37About an hour and a half later, Isobu
2:12:39was full again. Even the tail that it
2:12:41snapped off in all this had grown back
2:12:42new.
2:12:44"Let's do it, kid," it said. "I want to
2:12:45see your technique.
2:12:47Good, I said.
2:12:49I stood up, made a few hand signs with
2:12:51my eyes closed, and then
2:12:53Genbugan.
2:12:55When I opened my eyes, they had turned
2:12:56ocean blue. Blue wave markings spread
2:12:58down my neck, down my right arm, and
2:13:00down my right leg. A deep blue aura
2:13:02flowed around my body, and my presence
2:13:04changed, calm, fluid, like water.
2:13:08Isobu was shocked. It could feel the
2:13:09rich chakra coming off me. It could even
2:13:11feel a water affinity so strong that it
2:13:13felt close to me just from sensing it.
2:13:16What's that, kid?
2:13:18This, I said, just a simple eye
2:13:19technique.
2:13:21Isobu said my eye technique was new,
2:13:23even to a tailed beast, and judging by
2:13:25what it felt, the strength was only
2:13:26slightly weaker than the Rinnegan. Was
2:13:28this a new bloodline?
2:13:31Yes, I said, I discovered it a couple of
2:13:32years ago while I was studying
2:13:34bloodlines.
2:13:36Slightly weaker than the Rinnegan? That
2:13:37is the legendary eye of the Sage of Six
2:13:39Paths, the eye of a god. I am telling
2:13:42you Isobu's verdict, not mine, because
2:13:44Isobu had met the Sage personally and
2:13:45had no reason to flatter me.
2:13:48Isobu cursed silently, what a monster.
2:13:51It could not sense any danger coming
2:13:52from my eyes, but its instincts told it
2:13:54that those ocean blue eyes were deadly.
2:13:57Then I summoned the key.
2:13:59Summoning technique, great turtle totem.
2:14:02Bang, smoke burst out, and when it
2:14:04cleared, a huge totem stood in the cave,
2:14:06a pillar carved with ancient patterns
2:14:08with the mark of a great turtle on it.
2:14:10It was thick with nature chakra and with
2:14:11the space-time element.
2:14:14Isobu asked where I had gotten it. In a
2:14:16thousand years of life, it had seen all
2:14:18kinds of totems, but never one like
2:14:19this. This one felt mysterious.
2:14:23This would be the key to its holy land,
2:14:24I said. I had found it in some ancient
2:14:26ruins a long time ago, the ruins of a
2:14:28mythical creature called Genbu, a huge
2:14:30turtle with three heads and a snake for
2:14:31a tail with a giant green shell big
2:14:33enough to carry a whole ocean. I did not
2:14:35know if Genbu was real, I said. I was
2:14:37still looking for proof.
2:14:39Isobu said it did not remember ever
2:14:41seeing a creature like that, but maybe
2:14:43the old man had back in the day.
2:14:45I walked up to the totem and said we
2:14:47could start.
2:14:48What should I do?
2:14:50Put your chakra into the pillar, I said.
2:14:52I'll open a space for you.
2:14:54Isobu raised all its tails and laid them
2:14:56against the pillar and started pouring
2:14:58chakra in. The pillar began to change.
2:15:01More, I said.
2:15:03Thick red chakra poured out of Isobu
2:15:05like boiling magma and flowed into the
2:15:06pillar. The whole place started to feel
2:15:08dangerous. I moved fast to seal the cave
2:15:11so no spy could sense what was
2:15:12happening.
2:15:14Sealing art, hexagon chakra barrier.
2:15:17Sealing art, five great beasts
2:15:18formation.
2:15:20Sealing art, element barrier.
2:15:22In an instant, three powerful barriers
2:15:24went up around us. All the leaking
2:15:26chakra was trapped inside the cave. Not
2:15:28even a cage-level ninja could sense
2:15:30anything from our direction.
2:15:32Isobu said, "Good sealing technique,
2:15:34kid. Now let me go full blast."
2:15:37Zzzzzzz, rumble.
2:15:39The whole cave shook. The amount of
2:15:40chakra in the air was enormous. The
2:15:42totem glowed red like molten iron. When
2:15:45the eyes of the turtle on the totem
2:15:46began to shine bright, I knew it was
2:15:48time.
2:15:49Space gate.
2:15:51A door opened in front of the totem. If
2:15:53you looked closely, you could see the
2:15:54void inside.
2:15:57Isobu said, "Kid, that place is
2:15:58dangerous. I can't live there."
2:16:01Wait, I said, "I'm not finished."
2:16:03My eyes blazed. My arm began to shine as
2:16:05I pushed my chakra out.
2:16:07Space lock.
2:16:09Space teleport.
2:16:10I vanished and reappeared on a small,
2:16:12empty island somewhere out at sea. I
2:16:14slapped my hand against the ground.
2:16:17Four-dimension cut.
2:16:19Teleport.
2:16:21I disappeared again and I took the
2:16:22island with me. The island and
2:16:24kilometers of the sea around it. Behind
2:16:26me, I left a huge square hole in the
2:16:28ocean. And I reappeared inside the open
2:16:30dimension with a little island and its
2:16:32sea around me.
2:16:34Jembiugan art, underwater mysterious
2:16:36heavenly lock.
2:16:37Bang.
2:16:39A few seconds later, the whole dimension
2:16:41settled and became stable. Except for
2:16:43the sky, which was a chaotic purple like
2:16:45a Milky Way that could not make up its
2:16:46mind, everything was perfect.
2:16:49Isobu asked how plants and living things
2:16:51were to survive in here. There was no
2:16:53sky.
2:16:55"Don't worry," I said. "See the great
2:16:56turtle totem? It has a passive ability.
2:16:59It gathers nature energy."
2:17:01"What, really?"
2:17:03"Why not sense it?" I said.
2:17:05I took down the barriers and Isobu
2:17:07sensed around. It found it. "It was not
2:17:09fast or strong," it said. "It was a
2:17:10mild, gentle gathering of nature
2:17:12energy."
2:17:14"That's right," I said. "From my
2:17:15research, Genbu was a gentle, caring
2:17:17creature. Its shell gathered nature
2:17:19energy on its own. That was why the
2:17:21totem had the same trait."
2:17:23Isobu looked at me. "Kid," it asked,
2:17:25"are you trying to build a real holy
2:17:27land here?"
2:17:28"Yes," I said. I did not try to hide it.
2:17:31My idea was to create a fourth holy land
2:17:33right next to the Uzumaki kingdom. The
2:17:35toads, the snakes, and the slugs have
2:17:36theirs. I wanted a perfect version. And
2:17:38with the mild, gentle nature of the
2:17:39great green turtle, a perfect sage mode.
2:17:41Anyone who learns sage mode here would
2:17:43master water and also space. And space
2:17:45is one of the rarest attributes in the
2:17:47ninja world.
2:17:49Isobu was thinking, too. If this huge
2:17:51project really worked, it would be the
2:17:52first tailed beast ever to own a holy
2:17:54land.
2:17:56But there was a problem. It did not know
2:17:57how to teach sage art. It did not even
2:17:59know any ninjutsu or taijutsu. It felt
2:18:01helpless.
2:18:03So it made an offer. "Hey, kid," it
2:18:05said, "why don't I make a summoning
2:18:06contract for you?"
2:18:08"Huh?"
2:18:09"If you make a holy land here," it said,
2:18:11"there's going to be a flood of people
2:18:13coming to learn sage art. But I don't
2:18:14know how to teach it. We tailed beasts
2:18:16don't know any technique except the
2:18:18tailed beast ball."
2:18:20"Actually," I said, "you do have a
2:18:21technique you could teach."
2:18:23"What?"
2:18:25"Tailed beast mode."
2:18:27Isobu said tailed beast mode was only
2:18:28for jinchuriki.
2:18:30"No," I said, "you could share it with
2:18:32anyone by giving them your chakra."
2:18:34I knew that because I had read it. In
2:18:36the story from my old life, during the
2:18:38fourth ninja war, the boy with the nine
2:18:39tails shared the fox's chakra with
2:18:41everyone around him and gave them all a
2:18:43weaker version of tailed beast mode. It
2:18:45was not as strong as the perfect
2:18:46version, but it was enough to give a
2:18:48huge boost to everything.
2:18:50Isobu thought hard. If it could tame its
2:18:52chakra into something mild and gentle,
2:18:54maybe it really could share its chakra
2:18:56with anyone it chose.
2:18:58I asked if it had any chakra to spare.
2:19:01Some it said, "Why, kid?"
2:19:03"Give me some," I said.
2:19:05"Here," Isobu poked my chest and pushed
2:19:07a burst of boiling chakra into my body.
2:19:10I could feel how tyrannical that power
2:19:11was. I knew anyone else who got it would
2:19:13die from the overflow.
2:19:15But I was different. I closed my eyes. I
2:19:18shut down my eye technique, and after a
2:19:19few minutes, I opened them again.
2:19:22Tailed Beast Mode.
2:19:24The boiling red chakra peeled off me
2:19:26like bark. In its place, a deep ocean
2:19:28blue aura formed a long coat behind me,
2:19:31and three green pentagons of energy
2:19:32floated around me, small shields made of
2:19:34something like turtle shell.
2:19:37I had understood a Tailed Beast's chakra
2:19:39in a few minutes. Isobu stared at me for
2:19:41a long time after that. I think that was
2:19:43the moment it stopped calling me an imp,
2:19:45at least in its head.
2:19:47When I left the cave, I could feel how
2:19:48happy Isobu was behind me. It had gotten
2:19:51the freedom every Tailed Beast dreams
2:19:52of, a place to hide, and not just a
2:19:54place, a holy land brand new, and Isobu
2:19:57was its master.
2:19:59Outside, a group of elders was waiting,
2:20:01full of worry. They had come running
2:20:03when they sensed the evil chakra. Even
2:20:05though I had sealed the cave, some of
2:20:06the Tailed Beast's chakra had leaked out
2:20:08before the barriers went up, so of
2:20:09course anyone nearby felt it.
2:20:12"It's fine," I told them. "You can go in
2:20:14and take a look if you want."
2:20:16The Great Elder asked nervously whether
2:20:18that was a Tailed Beast. He knew what a
2:20:20Tailed Beast was. It could flatten the
2:20:22whole Uzumaki Kingdom in a single move.
2:20:24Everyone knew how horrifying they were,
2:20:26and nobody wanted to fight a natural
2:20:27disaster like that.
2:20:30The elders started lecturing me. It was
2:20:32a terrible monster of the ninja world. I
2:20:34had to understand, and so on.
2:20:36They did not realize I did not care. A
2:20:38Tailed Beast was not that scary to a
2:20:40clan of sealing experts.
2:20:43"It's fine," I said. I saw their worried
2:20:44eyes, and I could only say it
2:20:46helplessly. I was just curious what a
2:20:48Tailed Beast looked like.
2:20:50"This is not allowed in the future," one
2:20:52of the elders said very seriously.
2:20:54I nodded. It was already done anyway,
2:20:56and my business was finished, so I did
2:20:58not mind.
2:21:00I turned and looked at Lucci standing
2:21:01beside me. He had been left out here,
2:21:03apparently. Still better than the elders
2:21:05who were always worried about nonsense.
2:21:09If the elders had heard me call a tailed
2:21:10beast nonsense, they would have been
2:21:12furious. To them, this was very serious.
2:21:15"Go find some people," I told Lucci.
2:21:17"Tune into Jonin. I don't need many,
2:21:19just a few people to test my new
2:21:20technique on."
2:21:22"Yes, young master."
2:21:24He vanished.
2:21:26The war was over. It was time to
2:21:27prepare, recover, and build for the next
2:21:29big thing that was coming.
2:21:32And because of the war, food was now the
2:21:33most valuable thing in the world. Right
2:21:35now, the Uzumaki could produce
2:21:36high-yield crops thanks to wood release.
2:21:38If we wanted to corner the food market
2:21:40and pile up a fortune, we had to move
2:21:41fast. The grain in our storehouses and
2:21:43in the hidden stores around the country
2:21:45was overflowing. We had to sell it
2:21:46before it went bad.
2:21:48"Fourth elder," I said, "how are the
2:21:49crops?"
2:21:51"Everything was going well," he said.
2:21:53"The special seeds I had given them last
2:21:54time yielded five times more than normal
2:21:56seeds, and with wood release, they could
2:21:58harvest in two days."
2:22:01Five times the yield harvested in two
2:22:03days. I want you to picture what that
2:22:04means for a world that just finished a
2:22:06war. Every village is hungry. Every
2:22:08farmer's field was trampled, and one
2:22:10small island is sitting on a mountain of
2:22:11grain that grows back faster than anyone
2:22:13can eat it. That is not a farm. That is
2:22:15a lever.
2:22:17"Excellent," I said. "Call everyone who
2:22:18has nothing to do and have them help
2:22:20with a harvest. I don't care if they're
2:22:22shinobi or civilians. We need more hands
2:22:24for the next project."
2:22:26"Yes."
2:22:28"Sixth elder," I said, "what about the
2:22:29prisoners?"
2:22:31"There had been some trouble while
2:22:32moving them," he said. "Some of them
2:22:34still refused to cooperate. Some are
2:22:36going along with it."
2:22:38"Give the ones who won't cooperate one
2:22:39day to decide," I said. "If they still
2:22:41refuse, call Lucci. Torture them and get
2:22:43everything they know out of them.
2:22:45Ninjutsu, taijutsu, every kind of
2:22:46secret. Take all of it and don't let
2:22:48them die easily. They're valuable. If
2:22:49they can't do manual labor, they're
2:22:51still good for information."
2:22:53"I know, young master," he said.
2:22:56The elders were amazed at how thorough I
2:22:57was. Even the prisoners who refused to
2:22:59work would earn their food with what
2:23:01they knew.
2:23:03I want to be honest with you about that
2:23:04order because it is not a nice one.
2:23:06Those people came to my island to wipe
2:23:08out my family and sell the survivors. I
2:23:10did not enjoy saying it. I also did not
2:23:12lose any sleep.
2:23:14With the fighting over, I could finally
2:23:16think about the thing I actually cared
2:23:17about, not the war, the country.
2:23:20Here is a truth people in this world do
2:23:22not like to hear. War is more than
2:23:23money, people, and supplies, and on all
2:23:25three of those we were short. But, the
2:23:26Uzumaki kingdom had one huge advantage.
2:23:28It was easy to run with money. One
2:23:30village is the whole country, and the
2:23:31people at the top are basically all
2:23:32Uzumaki. When we spent resources, we
2:23:34were spending them on our own people,
2:23:35not on strangers.
2:23:37Every coin we put into the clan was an
2:23:39investment in ourselves.
2:23:41Compare that with the great villages. If
2:23:43one of them wants funds to buy supplies
2:23:45or even food, they have to go ask their
2:23:47daimyo. They have to wait until the
2:23:48daimyo agrees, and if he doesn't, they
2:23:50wait some more.
2:23:52I always found it strange that the great
2:23:54villages accept a system that's stupid.
2:23:56Is it just to save the country money on
2:23:58defense? Is it because ninjas can take
2:24:00missions to earn their own money?
2:24:03I could not understand how people in
2:24:04this world thought. They go begging to
2:24:06the daimyo when their village is in
2:24:07trouble. Why not work for themselves and
2:24:09be self-sufficient? A ninja can do all
2:24:11kinds of jobs and earn a lot of money.
2:24:13Why choose something so dangerous for so
2:24:14little pay? A farmer earns more than a
2:24:16ninja who risks his life for pocket
2:24:18change.
2:24:19And there is something else stupid about
2:24:21it. The ninja villages guard the borders
2:24:23of their countries. That is not really
2:24:24their job. It is the job of the daimyo's
2:24:26own people. If they guard the daimyo's
2:24:28land, of course they should be paid for
2:24:30it. But, having to ask for money just to
2:24:32keep your own village alive is absurd.
2:24:35It is the country's leader's job to give
2:24:36food and shelter to everyone in his
2:24:38territory, ordinary citizens and shinobi
2:24:40alike.
2:24:42That is why the whole ninja world is a
2:24:44mess. People with strength sit around
2:24:46waiting for people with money to send
2:24:48help when they could just make the money
2:24:49themselves.
2:24:51The one country one village system is
2:24:53broken at the root. It separates the
2:24:54great villages from their own countries.
2:24:56The military strength is all in the
2:24:58village. The people defending the
2:24:59country all come from the village. The
2:25:01daimyo does not even send his own people
2:25:03to protect his own land. The money sits
2:25:05with the country. The power sits with
2:25:06the village.
2:25:08The day those two have a falling out,
2:25:09isn't it over?
2:25:11And think about bounties. How can a
2:25:13ninja be worth millions in bounty when
2:25:15the village does not even hold its own
2:25:16military budget? Obvious. Those huge
2:25:19bounties are posted by countries, not
2:25:21villages.
2:25:23So, here is my whole philosophy in one
2:25:25line. If you want to stand next to
2:25:26giants, become a giant first. Be the one
2:25:28holding the money, not the one begging
2:25:30for pennies.
2:25:32A unified political power is what keeps
2:25:34a country stable, prosperous, and
2:25:36peaceful. And the way the Uzumaki
2:25:37kingdom was built was both our strength
2:25:39and our weakness.
2:25:41The strength was that a clan has few
2:25:43internal conflicts. The clan leader's
2:25:45word carries the weight of a daimyo, and
2:25:47it is fair. The kingdom is held by
2:25:49Uzumaki, so there is no gap between the
2:25:51rulers and the ruled.
2:25:53The weakness was population. That is
2:25:55normal. No single clan can hold a huge
2:25:57population. Every clan has a natural
2:26:00limit, and growing a population takes
2:26:02money, and money was the one resource
2:26:03everyone in the world was desperate for.
2:26:07Then there was the number of ninjas.
2:26:08Everyone knows becoming a ninja is hard,
2:26:10and not everyone can do it. Not even the
2:26:11Uzumaki can make every child a shinobi.
2:26:13Some people have chakra deficiencies.
2:26:15Some cannot even sense the chakra they
2:26:16have, no matter how much of it there is.
2:26:18If you have chakra and cannot use it, it
2:26:19is useless. A resource you cannot use is
2:26:21not a resource. That is just the truth.
2:26:24But now things were different. I was
2:26:26Uzumaki, and with what I knew, I could
2:26:28open new paths for people who did not
2:26:29qualify as ninjas.
2:26:32Taijutsu was one of those paths. Weaker
2:26:34than swordsmanship at first, but
2:26:35stronger in a long fight. Not everyone
2:26:37can become Might Guy, the man in green
2:26:39who fights with only his body. But if
2:26:41they followed me, they could get close.
2:26:42A body at cage level and strength at
2:26:44cage level is enough to be a powerhouse,
2:26:46even if you never learn a single
2:26:47ninjutsu.
2:26:49And then there was education. Knowledge
2:26:51in this world is shockingly low, almost
2:26:53nonexistent. I needed to build a whole
2:26:55new education system to raise the
2:26:57strength of the entire kingdom. Somebody
2:26:59in my old world said that a country's
2:27:01strength comes from its well-educated
2:27:02children. I believed that.
2:27:05Time waits for no one, so my goals for
2:27:07the clan were these: make ninja
2:27:09education universal, use ninjas in
2:27:11production and daily life, not only in
2:27:13war, and make the levels of ninjas and
2:27:15the danger of each level clear and
2:27:16official.
2:27:18There would be a new school system, too.
2:27:20A mix of the schools from my old life
2:27:21and the ninja academy. The 6 years as a
2:27:23ninja apprentice would be elementary
2:27:25school. The lower ninja years would be
2:27:26middle school. The middle ninja years
2:27:28would be high school. Upper ninja would
2:27:29be the university level. The peak level
2:27:31would be like graduate school, and then
2:27:33higher education beyond that.
2:27:35Any jonin or elite jonin who graduated
2:27:38at the top would get the chance to enter
2:27:39the holy land and learn sage mode. Those
2:27:42who are not chosen would be guided into
2:27:43the next training they needed. That was
2:27:45where the professional classes would
2:27:47split.
2:27:48For now, I set up four kinds of ninja
2:27:50classes, plus one special type.
2:27:53Assault ninjas, specialists in combat.
2:27:55To be fair, every ninja should be able
2:27:57to do this when needed. It is the basic
2:27:59thing every child is taught because most
2:28:01ninjutsu is made for offense, and
2:28:02taijutsu is pure attack.
2:28:05Sensor ninjas, specialists in detection.
2:28:07They can find an enemy's movements and
2:28:09presence instantly and accurately. Some
2:28:11train for it. Some are born with
2:28:13extremely sharp senses. A great sensor
2:28:15can pinpoint where enemies are, how many
2:28:17there are, and even recognize someone
2:28:18they have met before.
2:28:21Medical ninjas, the doctors of the ninja
2:28:22world. But unlike regular doctors with
2:28:25scalpels and needles, they mostly heal
2:28:26by pushing chakra into the patient. A
2:28:28skilled medic can do anything from basic
2:28:30first aid to complex surgery. And since
2:28:32they know the human body so well, some
2:28:34of them become terrifying fighters.
2:28:37Intelligence ninjas, they collect
2:28:39information. Of all the types, this one
2:28:41demands the widest range of skills
2:28:42because intelligence work uses a huge
2:28:44range of skills. Scouting, spying,
2:28:46sneaking, interrogation, disguise, and
2:28:48much more. That is why sensor ninjas
2:28:50usually make great intelligence agents,
2:28:52too.
2:28:54And black ops, the Anbu. They handle top
2:28:56secret missions that are usually
2:28:57illegal, like assassination or sabotage.
2:29:00They do the dirty work for the whole
2:29:01village. They work in secret, and even
2:29:03high-ranked ninjas in the village do not
2:29:05know who they are.
2:29:07All five types are an important part of
2:29:09every village. Some have harder and more
2:29:11dangerous jobs than others, but it takes
2:29:13all five to make a strong village.
2:29:16And then there is the rare one, the
2:29:17special type, sealing class ninjas,
2:29:19specialists in sealing techniques and
2:29:21sealing things. Most of them come from
2:29:23powerful clans or bloodline holders, and
2:29:25honestly the only clan that truly counts
2:29:27as sealing class is the Uzumaki with our
2:29:29own sealing arts.
2:29:31On top of that, we needed to develop
2:29:33science and technology. Those two are
2:29:35indispensable for a powerful country. I
2:29:37estimated that if we developed this way,
2:29:39in a few decades the Uzumaki clan could
2:29:41be the strongest of all the great
2:29:42villages. Our number of strong shinobi
2:29:44would be terrifying in numbers and in
2:29:46power.
2:29:48Changing the old ways of a world is
2:29:49hard. A lot has to be weighed and a lot
2:29:51has to be removed, but I had a family
2:29:53that supported my plans, so change was
2:29:55never a problem. Even tradition stopped
2:29:57getting in the way. That is the good
2:29:59thing about a clan. With all the elders
2:30:00behind me, the changes I wanted started
2:30:02without resistance.
2:30:04The questions never stopped, of course.
2:30:06They were curious, so they asked, and I
2:30:08explained until they understood.
2:30:11For example, one elder asked why we
2:30:12needed to change the school at all.
2:30:15"Change should not start with the old,"
2:30:16I said. "It should start with the
2:30:17youngest. The young members of the clan
2:30:19are blank paper. We can paint whatever
2:30:21we want. Change starts with the future
2:30:23of the clan and then the young people
2:30:24will slowly change the older members. It
2:30:26might take a long time because the old
2:30:28and the young think differently."
2:30:30But with the young people's help, the
2:30:31older generation will shift little by
2:30:33little.
2:30:35"The school is where children learn half
2:30:36of everything they know," I said. "If we
2:30:39change the clan's old traditions through
2:30:40the school, the clan will move forward
2:30:42faster."
2:30:44Another elder asked why so many years,
2:30:46why train our kids for so long.
2:30:49"The more time they spend in school," I
2:30:50said, "the more they learn. Better to
2:30:52give them a long time to learn than to
2:30:54send them out young."
2:30:56"But that's the age when ninjas are sent
2:30:57to war," someone said.
2:31:00"The war just ended," I said. "What we
2:31:01need now is not more shinobi, and
2:31:03besides, we do not send shinobi to fight
2:31:05for other villages anymore. We fight for
2:31:07ourselves."
2:31:09"And a long education opens new doors
2:31:11for children, I said. This is only my
2:31:13opinion, but I do not understand why
2:31:15there are only schools for ninjas when
2:31:16there are so many other jobs in the
2:31:18world.
2:31:20All the elders started thinking. Were
2:31:21there jobs a child could choose besides
2:31:23ninja?
2:31:25I smiled at their faces. Swordsman,
2:31:27blacksmith, doctor, pharmacist, farmer,
2:31:29mason, potter, animal breeder, and many
2:31:31more, I said. Just think of the jobs
2:31:33around you.
2:31:35That was the thing. There were so many
2:31:36jobs. But whenever parents thought about
2:31:38their children's future, the first thing
2:31:40that came to mind was ninja.
2:31:43So I asked the question nobody here
2:31:44asks. Why ninja? Why ninja when there
2:31:46are so many safe jobs where you don't
2:31:48gamble your life to earn money?
2:31:51Is it for fame? I said, fame is the
2:31:53easiest thing to get in this world.
2:31:54Invent something new, beat enough
2:31:56people, make a lot of money, become
2:31:57powerful. Any of those will get you fame
2:31:59and titles.
2:32:01Is it for money? I watched their faces.
2:32:03You can make money as a waiter, as a
2:32:05nanny, teaching kids, planting rice.
2:32:07Making money is easy. You do not need to
2:32:09risk your life for it.
2:32:11They knew I was right. There were plenty
2:32:13of ways to earn good money. Farming,
2:32:15building, teaching, even working as a
2:32:17guard.
2:32:18So why ninja?
2:32:20Nobody could answer.
2:32:22One of them said doubtfully, to protect
2:32:23ourselves.
2:32:25You can protect yourself without being a
2:32:26ninja, I said. If you're rich, you can
2:32:28hire ninjas to protect you. If you're a
2:32:30businessman, you can hire bodyguards. If
2:32:31you're a blacksmith, you can hire people
2:32:33to guard you. Remember this. If you have
2:32:35money, you can protect yourself even if
2:32:36you are not a ninja. The world turns on
2:32:38money. The more you have, the safer you
2:32:40are.
2:32:41Then comes the ridiculous question, I
2:32:43said. How do you earn money? That is
2:32:45where the long years of school come in.
2:32:46The school will not only teach students
2:32:48to be powerful ninjas. It will teach
2:32:50them how to earn money. So that one day,
2:32:52instead of taking missions to protect
2:32:53other people, they can pay to protect
2:32:55themselves.
2:32:57They all froze. They had never imagined
2:32:58that a school could change someone's
2:33:00whole future just by giving them more
2:33:02time to study.
2:33:04Of course, I said the most important
2:33:05position in any school is the teacher.
2:33:07And where would we find teachers like
2:33:09that? That's where the elders come in.
2:33:11At your age, you've been through so
2:33:12much. Sharing what you know would make
2:33:14perfect lessons for everyone, wouldn't
2:33:15it?
2:33:17There was a pause, then yes.
2:33:19I had just turned the clan council into
2:33:21a faculty. None of them noticed until
2:33:23the first day of classes.
2:33:25The Senju were still with us, and there
2:33:27was a conversation I had been putting
2:33:28off.
2:33:30Through the whole war, Konoha had won
2:33:32every battle. And after the war, the
2:33:33winning village looked like the losing
2:33:34one because of the strange decisions of
2:33:36Konoha's elders. Winning a war and
2:33:38asking for no compensation is stupid.
2:33:39Picking a piece of paper and hoping for
2:33:41peace is the most idiotic thing you can
2:33:43do at a peace table. And Konoha did it,
2:33:44not as the loser, but as the winner.
2:33:47They compromised and used a piece of
2:33:48paper to buy peace after they had
2:33:50already won.
2:33:52No compensation, no development. As if
2:33:54the war started and ended as easily as
2:33:56writing a letter.
2:33:58And not only did they get nothing, they
2:34:00started fighting among themselves,
2:34:02pinching their own people while letting
2:34:03their enemies off.
2:34:05In the story from my old life, it was
2:34:07only the people who showed up later in
2:34:08the late generations who kept Konoha
2:34:10from collapsing in the next war. I knew
2:34:12that, and I knew something else. Rather
2:34:14than let those people carve up the Senju
2:34:15legacy, it was better to bring the Senju
2:34:17onto our side and make the alliance
2:34:18between our two clans stronger.
2:34:21So, I asked Senju hen directly, what did
2:34:23he think of Konoha now?
2:34:25He sighed when he heard the question. In
2:34:27any case, he said this was the village
2:34:29Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama had
2:34:31founded. It was hard for the Senju to
2:34:33leave the place their lords built.
2:34:36He knew what I meant, but he could not
2:34:37say anything bad about Konoha even
2:34:39though he knew the truth.
2:34:41The Senju worship Hashirama and
2:34:43Tobirama. Even with both of them gone,
2:34:45the clan still lives by the ideals they
2:34:47left behind. The reputation and the
2:34:49blood the Senju gave to Konoha are too
2:34:51heavy to just throw away. It was a hard
2:34:53decision. Maybe every single Senju would
2:34:55refuse to leave Konoha.
2:34:58I knew how that story went in the
2:34:59version I read. Even when the Senju were
2:35:01fading away without a word, even when
2:35:03Nawaki was still alive, even when
2:35:04Tsunade lost her lover Dan, she still
2:35:06chose to fight for Konoha. And after
2:35:08leaving for so many years, she still
2:35:10went back and became Hokage in the end.
2:35:13The Senju have good character. They will
2:35:15never betray a friend or their village.
2:35:17They will give their lives to protect
2:35:18them even knowing they will be betrayed
2:35:20in the end. Even if they have to bleed
2:35:21to keep Konoha standing, they will
2:35:23gladly do it. That shows how much they
2:35:25value a village that has already started
2:35:26destroying them.
2:35:29So, I asked another question. Then what
2:35:30do you think you and your people will
2:35:32get when you go back to Konoha?
2:35:35If you cannot change someone's beliefs,
2:35:36change how they look at the thing they
2:35:38care about most.
2:35:40It was harsh, but it was the only option
2:35:41left if they wanted to survive. The
2:35:43great collapse had already begun. The
2:35:45end was close and too many of them had
2:35:47died just to keep things balanced. I
2:35:49thought it was time for them to be
2:35:50selfish at the end of the line.
2:35:53Senju Han was shaken. Of course, he knew
2:35:55what would happen when they went back.
2:35:56People who had already been marked as
2:35:58dead. How do the dead come back to life?
2:36:00Wasn't that stupid?
2:36:02But in the end, even knowing he looked
2:36:03like a fool, he answered firmly. Since
2:36:06they had disobeyed the Hokage's orders,
2:36:07they should be punished.
2:36:09"Aren't you just a fool?" I said.
2:36:12"You know what I'm trying to say," I
2:36:13said, "and you still choose the ending
2:36:15those people want to see."
2:36:17"Are you trying to become heroes?" I
2:36:18asked him. "Do you know heroes never
2:36:20live long? Hero is the last title I
2:36:22would ever want from Konoha. It is the
2:36:23highest title you can get and the
2:36:25deadliest. It's practically a terminal
2:36:27illness. And you still want to go back
2:36:28and hold on to a belief you know will
2:36:30kill you and everyone in your clan."
2:36:33Senju Han bit his lip. He looked like he
2:36:35was forcing himself and finally he said
2:36:37helplessly, "Yes, we are Konoha's
2:36:38fools."
2:36:40"What a bunch of fools," I thought. I
2:36:42looked at him.
2:36:43Then I said the Senju clan could be
2:36:45split into those who wanted to serve and
2:36:47those who wanted to survive.
2:36:49"The Uzumaki kingdom is open to you," I
2:36:51said, "any day, any time you need it.
2:36:53And don't worry, we will always treat
2:36:54our allies like relatives. Even if
2:36:56you're in danger, we'll take you with
2:36:58us. We're not your enemies. We're people
2:36:59who only want what's good for you."
2:37:02The will of fire and the old traditions
2:37:04really are poison. Even smart people
2:37:06choose tradition over their own
2:37:07survival. To me, traditions like that
2:37:09should be abolished. The new generation
2:37:11has to do better than the last.
2:37:12Education has to be universal. The young
2:37:15need to be taught ideas and morals so
2:37:16they never make a decision that idiotic.
2:37:19"You don't need to answer now," I said
2:37:21helplessly waving my hand.
2:37:23I would be going to Konoha at some
2:37:25point, I told him. He could give me his
2:37:27decision then, and if he could not
2:37:28decide, I would talk to his clan head.
2:37:31Senju Han was relieved. He did not have
2:37:33to decide right now. Maybe he could ask
2:37:35the head of the Senju to make a decision
2:37:37this important. Whatever the Senju
2:37:39chose, they would think about what
2:37:40mattered most.
2:37:42I let it go. Some people need to walk to
2:37:44the edge of the cliff by themselves
2:37:46before they believe it is there.
2:37:48In the Hidden Mist, someone was frowning
2:37:50and asking whether the Uzumaki had
2:37:51answered.
2:37:53Five great villages, and some of them
2:37:55had just been beaten by one small
2:37:56country. It was humiliating. This time
2:37:59they had to think carefully about their
2:38:00position. In this negotiation, the Mist
2:38:03had to minimize its losses.
2:38:05Somebody cursed Konoha.
2:38:08Konoha had become the victor. The Mist
2:38:10had become the defeated, and being
2:38:11beaten again by a small country put the
2:38:13Mist in an embarrassing position. Maybe
2:38:15their daimyo would be unhappy and put
2:38:17more restrictions on the village. If
2:38:19that happened, everyone in this room
2:38:20would become a criminal in their own
2:38:22village.
2:38:23Right now, strength did not matter. What
2:38:25mattered was a smart mind and fast
2:38:27thinking to keep the village from losing
2:38:29too much.
2:38:31Someone said he hoped the Uzumaki would
2:38:32not ask for too much.
2:38:34The Mist had been able to dominate the
2:38:36Uzumaki kingdom easily in strength,
2:38:38population, and numbers, but now they
2:38:40had failed, and not only the Mist, the
2:38:42other great villages, too.
2:38:45They blamed Konoha's scheme for all of
2:38:46it.
2:38:47The Mist's representative sighed and
2:38:49said they should never have believed the
2:38:51hidden message from Konoha. Konoha would
2:38:53never actually stand by and let everyone
2:38:55take its own ally.
2:38:57I want you to stop on that line because
2:38:59it is the most important line in this
2:39:00part of the story. A hidden message from
2:39:02Konoha. The great villages had come to
2:39:04my island because someone in Konoha
2:39:06whispered to them that it was safe. They
2:39:07all believed it, and now after losing,
2:39:09every one of them suspected they had
2:39:11walked into Konoha's trap.
2:39:13"Get ready to negotiate," the
2:39:14representative said. "No matter what,
2:39:16the Mist was one of the five great
2:39:18villages. It could not be pushed around
2:39:20by a small Uzumaki kingdom. You must
2:39:22always have a bottom line. Pay as little
2:39:24as possible. Don't let them take the
2:39:25lead.
2:39:27Yes.
2:39:28In the Hidden Clouds camp, the Raikage
2:39:30himself was leading his team, and he
2:39:32still could not understand how such a
2:39:34small kingdom had won when all they had
2:39:35was sealing techniques.
2:39:38He asked his people what they thought.
2:39:40One said he thought it was a trap Konoha
2:39:42had set for everyone. He did not know
2:39:44what kind, but the hidden message from
2:39:46Konoha last time looked suspicious.
2:39:49The Raikage waved it off. Never mind.
2:39:51They could get sealing techniques with
2:39:53money, and the Uzumaki had better not
2:39:54try asking the Cloud for compensation.
2:39:57Otherwise, he would run straight to the
2:39:58Uzumaki kingdom and tear the head off
2:40:00the Uzumaki leader.
2:40:02His people begged him not to be rash,
2:40:04Lord Raikage.
2:40:06I know, I know, he said.
2:40:08The other villages sent people to
2:40:09negotiate, too. Like the others, they
2:40:11did not take the Uzumaki seriously. With
2:40:13their strength, they thought they could
2:40:15intimidate a small clan easily. If they
2:40:17wanted a few sealing techniques, they
2:40:19could just take them.
2:40:21And not one of them brought ransom
2:40:22money, as if they could get their people
2:40:24back with their fists.
2:40:26What they did not know was that the
2:40:27other side had a bigger, harder fist.
2:40:31The morning of the first negotiation, I
2:40:32woke up and found my father and the
2:40:34elders gathered together. They were
2:40:36drinking tea on recliners, enjoying the
2:40:38cool morning breeze.
2:40:40They were clearly discussing something.
2:40:42I did not know what, but from their
2:40:43faces and the look in their eyes, I
2:40:45could tell it was going to be trouble
2:40:46for me.
2:40:48My father was nodding with deep
2:40:50satisfaction, like he had agreed to
2:40:51something. The elders were shaking their
2:40:53heads, like they disagreed.
2:40:56What were these people doing?
2:40:58I walked over, confused. I had been so
2:41:00busy with important work that I could
2:41:02not remember whether I had missed
2:41:03something.
2:41:05Father, elders, good morning, I said. I
2:41:07was puzzled, but it was still better to
2:41:08start the day politely.
2:41:11And this was the most important day of
2:41:12negotiations. The compensation should be
2:41:15coming in.
2:41:16The great elder asked how things stood.
2:41:19The Hidden Mist's people had already
2:41:20reached the negotiation site, I said.
2:41:23And they had at the meeting place, the
2:41:25Mist's representative frowned up at the
2:41:27sky. It was almost noon. Why had nobody
2:41:29from the Uzumaki come to negotiate yet?
2:41:31Didn't they know time was precious?
2:41:34The leader of the Mist shinobi frowned,
2:41:36too. He watched the Uzumaki ninjas
2:41:38slowly surrounding them. What did they
2:41:39want?
2:41:41He waved one of his ninjas over and told
2:41:43him to go ask when their negotiator was
2:41:45coming. What a waste of time.
2:41:48The ninja nodded and ran to the Uzumaki.
2:41:51A few minutes later, he came back with a
2:41:52very strange look on his face.
2:41:55The leader and the negotiator both knew
2:41:56something was off just from that look.
2:41:59"What did they say?" the leader asked.
2:42:02The ninja hesitated, then decided to say
2:42:04it. They said their young master Zen was
2:42:06having breakfast, but
2:42:08"But what?"
2:42:10The leader's face was going pale.
2:42:12What kind of reason was that? Breakfast?
2:42:14They had to have breakfast first? Did
2:42:15they understand how important this
2:42:17negotiation was? And it was almost noon,
2:42:19time for lunch.
2:42:22The ninja finished, they said they had
2:42:23forgotten to set a time, so it was fine
2:42:25to be late.
2:42:27The leader said nothing. The negotiator
2:42:28said nothing.
2:42:30When they heard that, they both went
2:42:31silent.
2:42:33Yes, the faster the negotiation, the
2:42:34better. They knew they had arrived on
2:42:36time and not early, but the Uzumaki had
2:42:38not shown up yet. And the reason, what
2:42:40the hell kind of reason was that?
2:42:43"Damn it, they're bullying us too much."
2:42:44the leader roared.
2:42:46All the Mist ninjas around started
2:42:48grumbling. They were one of the five
2:42:50great villages. Even if they were the
2:42:52last of the five or second to last, they
2:42:54were still a great village. When had
2:42:55anyone treated them like this? The
2:42:57Uzumaki were treating them like monkeys.
2:43:00"Calm down." the leader said, seeing the
2:43:01mood turn ugly.
2:43:03What they needed now was to stay calm.
2:43:05This negotiation was important. The one
2:43:07who explodes first loses the most. Maybe
2:43:10this was part of the Uzumaki's
2:43:11negotiation trick to gain an advantage.
2:43:15But they would not let it slide. What
2:43:17face would they have in front of the
2:43:18other villages if this got out? They did
2:43:20not want to be the biggest joke in the
2:43:21world. Not now, not ever.
2:43:24I will be honest, I was having
2:43:26breakfast. I'm also telling you that a
2:43:28late breakfast can be a negotiating
2:43:29position.
2:43:31Even if the winner is king, they told
2:43:33themselves the gap in strength between
2:43:34the two sides was still huge. So, the
2:43:36Mist could not accept being treated this
2:43:38rudely. Even if you lose, you should not
2:43:40lose face in front of your enemy. And
2:43:41the Uzumaki boy did not only want them
2:43:43to lose face, he wanted to grind it into
2:43:45the dirt.
2:43:47"What do we do now?" the leader asked
2:43:48the negotiator frowning. "Have you made
2:43:50any arrangements?"
2:43:52The Mist could not lose this
2:43:53negotiation. They could not let the
2:43:55Uzumaki take the lead. Even if they
2:43:57paid, they had to keep what they could,
2:43:58pay the smallest amount possible, and
2:44:00never let the other side get the upper
2:44:02hand. They had already lost the war.
2:44:04They could not lose this, too.
2:44:06"Where is Konoha?" the negotiator asked
2:44:08with a dangerous look.
2:44:10The leader said he had already sent
2:44:12someone to ask over there.
2:44:14They did not believe Konoha was not the
2:44:16hidden hand behind this. They did not
2:44:18think the Uzumaki would dare to act like
2:44:20this at such an important meeting. Maybe
2:44:22someone was manipulating everything,
2:44:23trying to sow discord and loosen their
2:44:25grip.
2:44:27Konoha preached peace in the world, the
2:44:29leader thought. He was sure Konoha would
2:44:30not let a simple negotiation ruin its
2:44:32beautiful image.
2:44:35The negotiator was blunt. If Konoha
2:44:37wanted peace, the Mist would gladly
2:44:38accept it. But if the Uzumaki demanded
2:44:41whatever compensation they wanted, he
2:44:42laughed. He did not think the Uzumaki
2:44:44alliance was worth more to Konoha than
2:44:46its reputation.
2:44:48"Let Konoha take care of it," he said.
2:44:51"Yes."
2:44:52The Cipher Pol Zero agents nearby heard
2:44:54every word, and they could not help
2:44:56feeling contempt, especially at the way
2:44:58the Mist leader talked about us.
2:45:01They were proud the Uzumaki were not the
2:45:03Uzumaki who needed Konoha's permission
2:45:05for everything anymore. They were an
2:45:07independent clan now.
2:45:09Did the Mist think they were going to
2:45:10file a little report to Konoha? Did the
2:45:12Mist think they worked for Konoha?
2:45:14Idiots. They were Uzumaki. They had
2:45:16their own pride. How could they let
2:45:17anyone treat them like hired help for
2:45:19another village, especially Konoha?
2:45:22Never mind that Konoha would ignore them
2:45:24anyway. Even if Konoha paid attention,
2:45:26what could it do? Everyone knew Konoha
2:45:28had not sent a single ninja to help. If
2:45:30they could, they would have liked us to
2:45:31disappear along with the Senju. So, why
2:45:33would they care about our problems?
2:45:36And the elders of Konoha want to attack
2:45:38the Uzumaki in some internal power play.
2:45:39Don't be ridiculous. Uzumaki Mito was
2:45:41still alive, and even if she were not,
2:45:43Konoha would still have to respect her
2:45:44memory. The Uzumaki had given everything
2:45:46on Konoha's battlefields, and so many
2:45:47had died. Konoha would not dare do
2:45:49anything that stupid in the open.
2:45:51Backhanded tricks in the dark, maybe.
2:45:53But not in front of everyone. They could
2:45:55not ruin Konoha's name with one idiotic
2:45:57move, and they did not want to push the
2:45:59Uzumaki too hard, either.
2:46:02Konoha always claimed to be the
2:46:03messenger of peace, dedicated to
2:46:04Hashirama's dream. They could not openly
2:46:07harm their own village or their own
2:46:08friends. Even if they did, they would do
2:46:10everything to keep it quiet. Push too
2:46:12hard, and the Uzumaki might pick a
2:46:13different village to ally with.
2:46:16Back with me, the great elder was
2:46:18frowning. He asked me whether there was
2:46:19really no need to make any other
2:46:21preparations.
2:46:23"No need," I said, and rolled my eyes.
2:46:25I had expected this. It was normal for
2:46:27them to be nervous at their first
2:46:29negotiation. The Uzumaki rarely won
2:46:31anything. Apart from never really going
2:46:33to war, they had never sat at a
2:46:35negotiating table outside their comfort
2:46:37zone.
2:46:38Well, that was their own fault, I
2:46:40thought. For years, they had been
2:46:41Konoha's hired muscle, and Konoha had
2:46:44never given them a coin in compensation,
2:46:45as if the Uzumaki worked for free.
2:46:49Konoha really was like a black-hearted
2:46:50company. When the Uzumaki kingdom faced
2:46:53enemies, we fought alone. Konoha showed
2:46:55up late and asked for all the good
2:46:56stuff. And the most infuriating part was
2:46:58that everything always worked out in
2:47:00Konoha's favor, even when they had not
2:47:02fought at all.
2:47:04In any case, the Uzumaki kingdom was in
2:47:06my hands now. That kind of free labor
2:47:08was never going to happen again. We
2:47:09would never help Konoha in any form.
2:47:12Maybe it was time for the Uzumaki to
2:47:14break off from that old rotten tree.
2:47:17But there was no hurry. The Uzumaki held
2:47:19all the cards. It was not up to Konoha
2:47:21to decide what the Uzumaki would do. We
2:47:23had been allies, not parent and child,
2:47:25with them supervising everything.
2:47:28I looked at the Senju beside us. Their
2:47:30faces were grim, and it was not hard to
2:47:32guess why. They had gotten another
2:47:33secret message from Konoha. It seemed
2:47:36the elders of Konoha really wanted to
2:47:37hold on to everything with both hands.
2:47:40I shook my head. This relationship was
2:47:42chaotic and stupid.
2:47:44Over on the Senju side, one of them
2:47:46looked at Senju Hen with a worried face.
2:47:48"Captain, are we really going to do
2:47:50this?" They had read the message, and
2:47:51the mission in it was something no Senju
2:47:53could swallow.
2:47:55I never found out exactly what was in
2:47:57that letter. I can only tell you what it
2:47:58did to their faces.
2:48:01Senju Hen shook his head. He handed the
2:48:03letter to another Senju and told him to
2:48:05pass it to the Nara ninja. "Let them
2:48:07solve this problem."
2:48:09"What we need to do now," he said, "is
2:48:11stand with the Uzumaki until the end.
2:48:13When the time comes, I'll go ask Lord
2:48:15Hokage for forgiveness."
2:48:17"Now listen," he told them, "follow the
2:48:19Uzumaki and protect them if the
2:48:20negotiation turns ugly."
2:48:23"Yes."
2:48:25And then a voice called out at the
2:48:26negotiation site. "The representatives
2:48:28of the Uzumaki clan are here."
2:48:31Hearing that, the Mist shinobi finally
2:48:33let out a breath. They were here. Late,
2:48:35very late, but at least they had not
2:48:36forgotten the negotiation entirely.
2:48:39Normally, the way these things go, both
2:48:41sides stand up, greet each other, and
2:48:43shake hands to start.
2:48:45But this time, the Mist leader and the
2:48:46negotiators stayed in their seats with
2:48:48sour faces. They ignored us. They just
2:48:51narrowed their eyes at the Uzumaki
2:48:52representatives walking in.
2:48:55They could not help thinking, were these
2:48:57people so old they couldn't remember to
2:48:58eat breakfast, or so old and decrepit
2:49:01they couldn't get up in time?
2:49:03Because that was what they saw. Most of
2:49:05the Uzumaki representatives were old
2:49:07people. Their spirit and complexion were
2:49:08good, but their gray hair gave them
2:49:10away. The Uzumaki are famous for living
2:49:12long, of course, but at that age,
2:49:14jumping around like young people,
2:49:15weren't they afraid of throwing out
2:49:16their backs?
2:49:18And the youngest, what could a
2:49:1910-year-old do at a negotiation except
2:49:21come to watch the excitement? These
2:49:23Uzumaki had not shown them a shred of
2:49:25respect.
2:49:27The leader of the Mist shinobi was still
2:49:29thinking that when he made the stupidest
2:49:30decision of his career.
2:49:33I never saw exactly what he tried.
2:49:35Nobody did. That was the point.
2:49:37What I saw was the result. One moment
2:49:39the Mist leader was in his chair, the
2:49:41next he was face down on the ground with
2:49:43Kizaru's foot on the back of his head.
2:49:46"Little sheep," Kizaru said, "what are
2:49:47you doing?"
2:49:49He looked down at the man under his shoe
2:49:50with open enjoyment, gloating and
2:49:52mocking at the same time.
2:49:54The Mist leader managed a few words,
2:49:56"You, how can you be that fast?"
2:49:59He could not understand it. He had been
2:50:00only a few steps from his target and
2:50:02someone had still gotten there in time
2:50:04to stop him. So fast that all he saw was
2:50:06darkness before he was pinned. He did
2:50:08not even get to react.
2:50:10"Let go of me," he shouted.
2:50:12Kizaru put on his whiny voice, "Oh, so
2:50:14scary."
2:50:16He pressed harder with his foot. The
2:50:17leader's head sank into the dirt. He
2:50:19struggled and realized something was
2:50:21very wrong. He could not pull himself
2:50:22free. The foot on his head felt like a
2:50:24mountain he could not lift.
2:50:27The Mist ninjas finally reacted.
2:50:29"Leader, give us back our leader, damn
2:50:30you, red-haired demons."
2:50:33It had all happened so fast that
2:50:34everyone was still standing. The fight
2:50:36started and ended at the same moment.
2:50:39They drew their weapons to fight back
2:50:41and in an instant every single one of
2:50:43them was held by an Uzumaki shinobi.
2:50:46That was when they understood the
2:50:48Uzumaki were not arrogant. The Uzumaki
2:50:50had the right to be arrogant.
2:50:52In 1 second every Mist ninja was stopped
2:50:54by a different person. The only one left
2:50:57untouched was the Mist negotiator who
2:50:59was sweating hard.
2:51:01He was screaming inside, "What kind of
2:51:02head did their leader have?" And the
2:51:04most humiliating part was that they had
2:51:06moved first and still lost. How
2:51:08embarrassing could this get?
2:51:10He did not know what to say. If they had
2:51:12actually killed the target, fine, but
2:51:14they had not even gotten close before it
2:51:15was over.
2:51:17"Can we start now?" I asked. I said it
2:51:19calmly looking at the negotiator as if
2:51:21the attempt a moment ago had been a
2:51:22small joke.
2:51:25"Yes," he said nervously. He knew they
2:51:26had already lost all momentum. All that
2:51:28was left was to lose more.
2:51:31He politely handed me a scroll the Mist
2:51:33elders had given him. "Here are our
2:51:34village's conditions, he said. Please
2:51:36take a look.
2:51:38Inside was the compensation the Mist was
2:51:40willing to give.
2:51:41I read it, then I looked at him the way
2:51:43you look at an idiot.
2:51:45Do you know your village's position in
2:51:46this negotiation? I asked.
2:51:49Yes.
2:51:50You are the losers of the war, I said.
2:51:52The side that sets the conditions is the
2:51:54winner. So, tell me, how does a loser
2:51:56have the nerve to give conditions to the
2:51:58people who beat him?
2:52:00A chill ran down his back. He had nearly
2:52:02forgotten. Because they were from a
2:52:04great village, they had all assumed
2:52:06nobody below them had the right to
2:52:07demand anything.
2:52:09I was right, the winner sets the terms.
2:52:11The loser has no rights at the table.
2:52:13All the loser can do is try to keep the
2:52:15damage small.
2:52:17I tossed the scroll aside, took another
2:52:19from my belt, and handed it to him.
2:52:22These are our conditions, I said. Read
2:52:23it. Whether you accept or not, I don't
2:52:25care.
2:52:26He read it, and his voice cracked. This
2:52:28was impossible. What I was asking for
2:52:30was too much.
2:52:32I don't think so, I said.
2:52:34Please explain, he said.
2:52:36The seven swords, I said. Seven Jonin,
2:52:3812 special Jonin, 100 Chunin, and 50
2:52:41Genin. That's what we're holding. Now,
2:52:43tell me, with all of that, do you think
2:52:44the price is wrong?
2:52:46He could see the price was fair. No
2:52:48amount of money replaces a single ninja.
2:52:51Seven Jonin take years and huge
2:52:52resources to train. And the seven
2:52:54swords, those swords were so precious
2:52:56that the only thing the Mist valued more
2:52:58was its missing tailed beast.
2:53:01Notice that word missing. They did not
2:53:02know where the three tails was. I did.
2:53:05But the price was huge. The Mist was one
2:53:07of the great villages, but in resources,
2:53:09it was the weakest. And the Daimyo of
2:53:11Water would never hand over that kind of
2:53:13outrageous money after losing two
2:53:15important wars.
2:53:17Can you lower it, please? The negotiator
2:53:19asked. He did not think the village
2:53:21could pay such an astronomical sum.
2:53:24I'll give you a 10% discount, I said, if
2:53:26you can deliver the money within 4 days.
2:53:294 days, they could not raise money that
2:53:31fast.
2:53:32The Mist was not only poor, it was short
2:53:34of resources across the board. They did
2:53:36not even know if they could equip every
2:53:37ninja in their village.
2:53:40"That's not my problem." I said, "Pass
2:53:42it to your elders and the Mizukage. Let
2:53:43them decide and tell them I don't like
2:53:45waiting. My patience is limited."
2:53:48The negotiator looked at my calm face.
2:53:50He could not understand how a child had
2:53:52such a strong mind and such negotiating
2:53:54skill. It was like talking to an old
2:53:56veteran at the highest level, not a
2:53:58child.
2:53:59"I see." He said, "I'll deliver your
2:54:01message."
2:54:02Then he looked at his leader still
2:54:03pinned under Kizaru's foot.
2:54:06He still could not understand why of all
2:54:08times the leader had done something so
2:54:09stupid. Didn't he see they were
2:54:11outnumbered? Had he forgotten they were
2:54:13in enemy territory? Was he a fool?
2:54:16And then the leader started shouting
2:54:17again. He said they would never accept
2:54:19these terms. Only a fool would accept
2:54:21them. The Hidden Mist was not afraid of
2:54:23us. They would die for their village.
2:54:26The negotiator wanted to cry. The deal
2:54:28was almost done and now this. How had
2:54:30someone this stupid been given this
2:54:31mission? He had already blown it once
2:54:33and he was doing it again.
2:54:35Kizaru looked down at him and teased,
2:54:37"How scary? Fight to the death. I'm so
2:54:38scared."
2:54:40That made the leader explode and he
2:54:42looked around at our faces and saw that
2:54:43none of us cared whether there was a war
2:54:45or not. We did not even bother to react.
2:54:49He shouted, "Aren't you afraid of war?
2:54:50Next time it won't only be the Mist that
2:54:52moves. We'll bring the other great
2:54:54villages with us."
2:54:56I looked at him like he was a clown and
2:54:57I smiled.
2:54:59"Who said the Uzumaki were afraid of
2:55:00war?"
2:55:02"The Uzumaki Kingdom is not afraid of
2:55:03any war." I said. I said it slowly word
2:55:06by word.
2:55:07And then every Uzumaki shinobi there
2:55:09shouted it with me.
2:55:11"The Uzumaki Kingdom is not afraid of
2:55:13any war."
2:55:14The air itself seemed to gather weight
2:55:16around us.
2:55:17The Mist leader and the negotiator were
2:55:19scared now. They knew the Uzumaki as a
2:55:21peace-loving people, a clan that never
2:55:23had enemies and had only ever fought in
2:55:25one war.
2:55:27Who knew what spoiled soup we had all
2:55:29eaten that morning? Every one of us
2:55:30looked like we wanted to fight.
2:55:33That was the first negotiation. The
2:55:35others went differently. I heard how one
2:55:37of them looked from the outside because
2:55:38the Konoha ninjas were watching, too,
2:55:40and one of them reported back to Nara
2:55:42Suzaku.
2:55:44Nara asked what had happened at the
2:55:45meeting and what the results were.
2:55:47His man said it seemed the Uzumaki had
2:55:49made an even bigger mistake.
2:55:52What were the results?
2:55:54All the village representatives had
2:55:55arrived on time, he said, and they had
2:55:57all been intimidated by the Uzumaki.
2:56:00Then he told Nara everything that
2:56:01happened at the meeting, including the
2:56:03sudden aggressiveness of the Uzumaki.
2:56:06Nara could not understand why the
2:56:07Uzumaki had changed so suddenly. A clan
2:56:09that advocated peace like Konoha, a clan
2:56:12that never got involved in disputes and
2:56:13had no enemies. A clan with no great
2:56:15heritage except its famous sealing
2:56:17techniques. With only sealing and no
2:56:19real attack techniques, how did they
2:56:20have the guts to intimidate the great
2:56:22villages?
2:56:23So, how did it end? He asked.
2:56:26That's the confusing part, his man said.
2:56:28Except for the Mist who got beaten by
2:56:30the Uzumaki, almost everything ended
2:56:32well.
2:56:33It was confusing. Great village shinobi
2:56:35are famous for being proud and arrogant.
2:56:37Except for the Mist who had acted the
2:56:39way you would expect, the rest had
2:56:40suddenly turned humble. That was
2:56:42strange.
2:56:44Did you notice anything? Nara asked.
2:56:46His man looked around, leaned closer,
2:56:48and whispered, "The Uzumaki were
2:56:50strange. The Hidden Cloud had sent their
2:56:52own Raikage to the negotiation, and Nara
2:56:54knew what Cloud shinobi were like."
2:56:57Nara knew, everyone knew. Cloud shinobi
2:56:59are famous for arrogance and pride. Even
2:57:01when they lose, they act like the final
2:57:02winner. The last time Konoha and the
2:57:04Cloud met to negotiate, Elder Homura
2:57:05nearly died of rage at their attitude.
2:57:07They are famous for rudeness, too. They
2:57:09do not respect anyone, not even their
2:57:10own leaders. The last meeting between
2:57:12the two villages had triggered a war.
2:57:14The man went on, "The Raikage suddenly
2:57:16released his chakra in a powerful burst
2:57:18that pushed everyone back, just like
2:57:20last time when Konoha and the Cloud met.
2:57:23But to everyone's surprise, he said,
2:57:25"The young master of the Uzumaki waved
2:57:27his hand and cut the blast apart. It
2:57:29opened a safe path for everyone behind
2:57:31him."
2:57:33And then he sat down across from the
2:57:34Raikage with a calm face and looked back
2:57:36at the Cloud people as if nothing had
2:57:37happened.
2:57:39That's bad, Nara thought.
2:57:41That simple move showed the Uzumaki's
2:57:43real intentions. They were fighting
2:57:45back. It was the kind of attitude the
2:57:47Raikage wanted to see in an opponent,
2:57:49and blocking the chakra burst of a Kage
2:57:51is not easy.
2:57:53Then Nara stopped. He felt like he had
2:57:54missed something.
2:57:56That kid.
2:57:57Something frightening hit him. If that
2:57:59young kid could block a chakra burst
2:58:01from the Raikage, the man they called
2:58:02the strongest shield and spear in the
2:58:04ninja world, then the 10-year-old was
2:58:06already Kage-level.
2:58:08That was not good. That was a sign that
2:58:10something bad was coming.
2:58:12It would have been fine, Nara thought,
2:58:13if Konoha still treated the Uzumaki the
2:58:15way it did when the Senju held the
2:58:16Hokage seat. But not now. Now it was
2:58:18clear the Hokage wanted to hold all of
2:58:19Konoha's strength in his own hands.
2:58:21Anyone who stood in the way had to
2:58:22disappear. The Senju were already the
2:58:24example. Not many people had noticed it
2:58:26yet, but some had started to see the
2:58:27decline.
2:58:29And now the Uzumaki. The Hokage's
2:58:30attitude showed he did not care about
2:58:32the Uzumaki and wanted them gone. And
2:58:34when the place you want to eliminate
2:58:35suddenly shows its strength, that means
2:58:37trouble, trouble between two allies.
2:58:41He was right about that. I can promise
2:58:42you that much.
2:58:44As for the Raikage himself, he and I had
2:58:46a conversation after he sat down. He was
2:58:48less angry than people expected. Mostly,
2:58:50he was confused.
2:58:52"Compensation," he said. Of course, they
2:58:54had it. What confused him was what
2:58:56Konoha had asked for.
2:58:58He looked bewildered as he told it. They
2:59:00had expected Konoha to demand a huge
2:59:02compensation. After all, in the First
2:59:04Ninja War, the Cloud had paid Konoha
2:59:05nothing. And then there was the
2:59:07rebellion of the Gold and Silver
2:59:08Brothers and what those two had done to
2:59:10Konoha. So, the Cloud had expected to be
2:59:12bled dry this time.
2:59:14But just as they had braced for the
2:59:15worst, he said, Konoha sent them a
2:59:17pillow and a blanket so they could sleep
2:59:19comfortably.
2:59:21Konoha did not ask for money, not
2:59:22resources, not goods, not even weapons.
2:59:25Konoha only asked them to sign a treaty
2:59:27promising not to attack Konoha for 20
2:59:29years.
2:59:30What confused him even more, he said,
2:59:32was that Konoha asked for nothing except
2:59:34his signature. Everyone knows a treaty
2:59:37is just a piece of paper full of
2:59:38hypocrisy and lies. Nobody takes a piece
2:59:40of paper seriously.
2:59:43"A treaty is the simplest and most
2:59:45idiotic thing you can ask for after a
2:59:46war," I said. "You can tear that piece
2:59:48of paper up anytime you want to start
2:59:50another one."
2:59:52"That's right," he said. "Kid, you're
2:59:53smart."
2:59:55I kept going. "Konoha took a piece of
2:59:56paper as war compensation," I said. "Now
2:59:58the whole village is short of resources.
3:00:00I'm sure Konoha will ask the Daimyo for
3:00:01money to run the village. And because
3:00:03Konoha is the biggest winner, the Daimyo
3:00:04will be happy to fund them. But the
3:00:06question is, will that money be enough
3:00:08to rebuild, re-equip, reorganize, and
3:00:09compensate the families of the dead?"
3:00:12The Raikage thought hard and could not
3:00:14see how the Daimyo's money could
3:00:15possibly be enough for all of that. He
3:00:17knew the Daimyo's funds were for
3:00:18fighting the war, not rebuilding
3:00:20afterward. Rebuilding and compensating
3:00:22everyone would take a fortune, and he
3:00:23was sure no Daimyo would pay for that.
3:00:26Senju Han standing near us went pale. He
3:00:29was not a fool. He understood that what
3:00:31was waiting for them back home was not a
3:00:32glorious victory. It was poverty they
3:00:34would have to endure.
3:00:37"Well, anyway," I said, "that's Konoha's
3:00:38problem, not mine."
3:00:40"You're right, kid," the Raikage said.
3:00:42He would send the compensation in 3 days
3:00:44as promised. We could pick it up in his
3:00:45village or name a place and they would
3:00:47send it.
3:00:49The elders got up and started working
3:00:51out a delivery point with the Cloud
3:00:52ninjas.
3:00:54While everyone else looked happy, a few
3:00:55of the Cloud people looked confused. I
3:00:57did not care. The more confused they
3:00:59were, the more likely they were to
3:01:00crack.
3:01:02The next day, the first of our people
3:01:04came back from collecting. Their dusty
3:01:06black uniforms were scuffed, and they
3:01:07all had small injuries from the road,
3:01:09but every one of them was smiling. They
3:01:11could not hide how excited they were.
3:01:14One of the Cipher Pol Zero agents
3:01:16appeared in front of me. He had led the
3:01:18mission. To the others, he was nearly
3:01:19invisible, but they all knew he had been
3:01:21their hidden guardian the whole way.
3:01:24"Young master, we're back," he said.
3:01:27Then he started taking things out. This,
3:01:28he said, was a famous Earth release text
3:01:30one of the villages treasured, said to
3:01:32be the original notes of the second
3:01:33Suchikage. This set of knives came from
3:01:35an ancient blacksmith clan that had died
3:01:37out. 10 million from the Hidden Gold
3:01:39Exchange. Five bowls full of gold from a
3:01:41group of bounty hunters.
3:01:43This was a record of the forbidden
3:01:44techniques of a village, and 1 ton of
3:01:46precious metal.
3:01:48He unrolled scroll after scroll,
3:01:50smiling. All of this was a huge help to
3:01:52the Uzumaki right now.
3:01:55My father and the elders looked at the
3:01:56pile and practically jumped for joy. It
3:01:58was the first time in a very long time
3:02:00that the Uzumaki had received a
3:02:02compensation this big. The oldest of
3:02:04them said they had only seen excitement
3:02:05like this back in the warring states
3:02:07period. It had been so long.
3:02:10"Good job." they said, "Very good, very
3:02:12good. You are the heroes of the Uzumaki.
3:02:13We're proud of you."
3:02:16Their praise moved the young ones
3:02:17deeply. They had never imagined the
3:02:18declining Uzumaki clan would have a day
3:02:21like this. They felt proud of what they
3:02:22were now. Being a shinobi, they decided
3:02:25was not just a name or a job. It was the
3:02:27symbol of who they were.
3:02:29Meanwhile, Narasuzo grabbed the Konoha
3:02:31ninja who had just come to report and
3:02:33shook him. "What did you say? Say it
3:02:34again."
3:02:36The ninja coughed, "Leader, the Uzumaki
3:02:38sent to collect war compensation came
3:02:40back with a huge haul."
3:02:42They got something?
3:02:44Yes, if he was not mistaken, they got
3:02:46more than Konoha got the last time from
3:02:48the hidden sand.
3:02:50"That's bad." Nara said.
3:02:52Bad?
3:02:53Nara went silent and stood there in a
3:02:55daze, thinking something terrible.
3:02:57He knew how greedy the people at the
3:02:59very top of his village were. A
3:03:00compensation this big swallowed by the
3:03:02Uzumaki kingdom would cause a huge
3:03:04dispute between the two sides. Konoha
3:03:06had got nothing from the war except a
3:03:07piece of paper. If the people back home
3:03:09found out the Uzumaki had received a
3:03:11huge compensation from the others, he
3:03:12knew they would send people to take it.
3:03:15They would use anything, even their
3:03:16alliance, to get something out of the
3:03:18Uzumaki.
3:03:20And that was the problem. The Uzumaki
3:03:21clan was not the Uzumaki clan of the
3:03:23past. They were different now.
3:03:26Nara could even say the Uzumaki were
3:03:28starting to step up to the level of the
3:03:29Uchiha, and that was dangerous.
3:03:32When the farmer discovers his gentle
3:03:34sheep has become a ferocious wolf, the
3:03:36farmer takes drastic measures. And the
3:03:38easiest measure is to eliminate the
3:03:40problem.
3:03:42I want you to hold that image because I
3:03:43knew exactly how that story usually
3:03:45goes. The Uchiha were the last wolf this
3:03:47village found in its pen.
3:03:50Back in Konoha, someone burst into the
3:03:52Hokage's office.
3:03:54"Lord Hokage," he said, "that Suchikage
3:03:55has suddenly launched a war against the
3:03:57Uzumaki. The reason is unknown."
3:04:00Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at the ninja
3:04:02who had broken in and especially at what
3:04:04he had just said. He trembled. The pipe
3:04:06in his hand fell onto the desk. He even
3:04:08forgot to close the crystal ball in
3:04:10front of him.
3:04:12The report went on. "News from the
3:04:13Hidden Stone. Kitsuchi was leading a
3:04:15large force into the borders of the
3:04:17Uzumaki kingdom."
3:04:19Sarutobi was stunned. How could a new
3:04:21war start when the old one had ended
3:04:22yesterday? Something was wrong.
3:04:25He nodded blankly, closed the crystal
3:04:27ball casually, picked up the pipe that
3:04:29had fallen, and asked seriously whether
3:04:31they knew the reason.
3:04:33"Not yet," the man said. "The Anbu are
3:04:34doing their best to find out."
3:04:37Sarutobi frowned and took his pipe. "Do
3:04:39your best to find the cause," he said.
3:04:41He wanted to know if something had
3:04:42happened that they did not know about,
3:04:44and call Danzo and the other elders.
3:04:46They would meet in the Hokage's
3:04:47building.
3:04:49He waved his hand to send him off.
3:04:51"Yes."
3:04:52The Anbu answered and backed out
3:04:54respectfully.
3:04:55When the office door closed, Sarutobi
3:04:57Hiruzen let out a breath of relief. He
3:04:59hoped that Anbu had not seen what was in
3:05:01the crystal ball. Otherwise, his name
3:05:03would be ruined. He would be branded a
3:05:05pervert.
3:05:07That is the Third Hokage, the man who
3:05:09traded a war's worth of dead for a piece
3:05:11of paper, watching the bathhouse through
3:05:12a crystal ball while a new war started.
3:05:16Then the questions came pouring in. What
3:05:18was going on with the Hidden Stone? Why
3:05:19send an army into the Uzumaki kingdom
3:05:21now? Had something happened on the other
3:05:23side? Had the Uzumaki finally
3:05:25disappeared? What about the Konoha
3:05:26ninjas there? The Senju, what happened
3:05:28to them?
3:05:30He did not know if this was a blessing
3:05:31or a curse. He only hoped Konoha would
3:05:33not get dragged into it.
3:05:36"What was that old rock thinking?"
3:05:37Sarutobi muttered frowning. "The war was
3:05:39over. What did the old stone want now?"
3:05:42Every village had suffered heavy losses.
3:05:44This was not the start of a war. It was
3:05:46the end of one. Every village had a huge
3:05:49number of wounded ninjas. Sending
3:05:50another army into another war was
3:05:52stupid.
3:05:54Or he thought had something happened in
3:05:55the Uzumaki Kingdom.
3:05:58Had the Uzumaki lost?
3:06:00Well, they had nothing but sealing
3:06:01techniques and the barrier around their
3:06:03village. If Konoha did not send ninjas
3:06:05to help, they were surely all dead
3:06:07already. But then why would the stones
3:06:08suddenly move?
3:06:10As far as Sarutobi knew, the Uzumaki had
3:06:13no cage level fighter left at all. Even
3:06:15their elite Jonin, Jonin, and special
3:06:17Jonin had died in the war. The only ones
3:06:19left were a few Chunin who had
3:06:20miraculously survived. And he did not
3:06:22even know whether they would come back
3:06:23alive after Danzo took them in to help
3:06:25heal their injuries.
3:06:27Read that sentence again. Danzo had
3:06:29taken our wounded in to heal them.
3:06:32So, why had the Tsuchikage sent an army
3:06:33now?
3:06:34And then Sarutobi thought about the
3:06:36heritage of the Uzumaki. He knew the
3:06:37Uzumaki were as wealthy as the Senju.
3:06:40Both clans had been the greatest and
3:06:41strongest clans of the Warring States
3:06:43period. If no Uzumaki were left, Konoha
3:06:45could take it all. As the Uzumaki's
3:06:47ally, Konoha had the right to take part
3:06:49of that huge wealth.
3:06:51The wealth of the Uzumaki Kingdom
3:06:52belonged to Konoha and only to Konoha.
3:06:56That is what he thought. I want you to
3:06:57know he thought it sitting at his desk
3:06:59the day after the war ended.
3:07:02Anbu, he called out taking a pull on his
3:07:03pipe.
3:07:04Lord Hokage, a masked man appeared from
3:07:06nowhere.
3:07:08Ask the remaining Uzumaki Shinobi what
3:07:10the situation in the Uzumaki Kingdom is.
3:07:13Maybe they had news from home. He was
3:07:15sure they would not hide anything from
3:07:16Konoha.
3:07:18On my side of the sea, when the stones
3:07:20suddenly moved, I sent Cipher for Paul
3:07:22Zero to watch them and the other
3:07:23villages nearby.
3:07:25I watched the numbers marching toward
3:07:27us. Those stupid leaders thought the
3:07:29life of a ninja was just another
3:07:30resource, sending them to die without
3:07:32even checking the situation.
3:07:35War is so cruel, I thought. I could not
3:07:36help feeling it.
3:07:38In my first life, I had never seen war,
3:07:40only in books and in movies where people
3:07:41recreated it. Real war is blood and
3:07:43cruelty, not like the movies full of
3:07:44heroism and patriotism. War is a meat
3:07:46grinder. Whatever falls into it either
3:07:48loses its life or comes back missing
3:07:50arms and legs. I could not see anything
3:07:51good in war except that it was a
3:07:52powerful for getting rid of people.
3:07:55Then my father came up beside me. He
3:07:57looked at me and said it was no time to
3:07:59be lazy. We had a lot to do.
3:08:02I know I said it was just boring. The
3:08:04thing I was waiting for was still on its
3:08:06way, and the compensation would come in
3:08:07a few days.
3:08:09"That's it then." He said. He nodded and
3:08:11smiled, and then he gave me a teasing
3:08:13look.
3:08:14He had heard, he said, that my uncle
3:08:16Seven was looking for me. He was
3:08:17bringing his little girl home to meet
3:08:19me.
3:08:21"Why?" I said. "Isn't Kuna busy with her
3:08:22own work?"
3:08:24My father said he did not know, but he
3:08:26had heard my uncle wanted to ask about
3:08:27my marriage.
3:08:29I felt a vein jump on my forehead.
3:08:31Marriage? I was still young. I did not
3:08:33want to start a family yet. My focus was
3:08:35the whole Uzumaki.
3:08:37So, that was what the old men had been
3:08:39nodding and shaking their heads about
3:08:40over their morning tea.
3:08:43Let me tell you where I stood at that
3:08:44moment, so you can see the whole board.
3:08:4710 years ago, I was a baby with red hair
3:08:48on an island that history had already
3:08:50crossed out. Now that island had beaten
3:08:52three great villages and nine smaller
3:08:53ones in a single week. We had 900
3:08:55prisoners in our minds, the seven swords
3:08:57in our vault, five warships in our
3:08:58harbor, and a tailed beast running a
3:09:00holy land in a pocket of the sea that
3:09:02nobody else could find.
3:09:04The Senju were sitting at our table with
3:09:05wood release in their fingers. The
3:09:07Raikage was sending money. The Mist had
3:09:094 days to find a fortune.
3:09:12And none of it was finished.
3:09:14Danzo's men had already tried to kill my
3:09:16envoys on the road. Konoha's elders were
3:09:18writing secret letters to the Senju that
3:09:19made grown men go pale. The Hokage had
3:09:21just decided alone in his office that
3:09:23everything my family owned belonged to
3:09:24him. Somewhere in Konoha, a few wounded
3:09:27Uzumaki were in Danzo's care, and an
3:09:28Anbu was on his way to ask them
3:09:30questions.
3:09:31Somewhere far away, an old beast's
3:09:33prophecy was waiting for a blond boy
3:09:35with blue eyes.
3:09:37And on the border of my country, the
3:09:38Hidden Stone was marching in. Kitsuchi
3:09:41at the head of the column, a large army
3:09:42behind him, and not one person in the
3:09:44ninja world who could tell me why.
3:09:47My father was still grinning at me about
3:09:48the marriage.
3:09:50I turned back to the map and watched the
3:09:52red dots come.

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