The Four Great Clan Elders
Uzushiogakure, Yemo and his companions were welcomed into the village. Compared to the devastation outside the village following a major battle, the village itself was much more peaceful.
Although a hint of worry could be seen in the gazes of the Uzumaki Clan as they passed by the village gate, the village remained generally peaceful and serene.
Kakashi and Yemo were walking at the back of the group when Kakashi suddenly walked up to Yemo and asked in a low voice, "Yemo, who is this Uzumaki Himaru? He surprised you so much just now."
Yemo replied in a low voice, "You're not from the Uzumaki Clan, so you don't know. Within the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Himaru is very famous. He's been known as a genius since childhood. He became Jonin the age of thirteen, and later risked his life for the clan, earning the love and respect of most people in the village."
"Moreover, he is the number one expert of the Uzumaki Clan, possessing extremely powerful sealing Ninjutsu. What is most fearsome is that he has mastered the legendary Sealing Taijutsu of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Sealing Taijutsu?"
Kakashi looked at Yemo with a puzzled expression. He had heard of the Nintaijutsu of the Kumogakure, but he had never heard of this Sealing Taijutsu before.
Seeing Kakashi's puzzled expression, Yemo explained, "You know about Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu, right? It's a combination of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Sealing Taijutsu is a combination of Sealing Jutsu and Taijutsu that our Uzumaki Clan excels at. Do you understand?"
"Still don't understand?" Kakashi spread his hands, genuinely confused by what Yemo was saying. He said, "I understand combining Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but how do you combine Sealing Jutsu with Taijutsu?"
Yemo gave the guy in front of him a disdainful look. He couldn't even understand something this simple, yet he called himself a genius. Although he despised Kakashi, Yemo patiently explained, "The principle of Sealing Taijutsu is that in normal times, the Uzumaki Clan seal a vast amount of Chakra within the cells of their limbs. Over time, these cells become filled with powerful Chakra. In battle, the moment they engage an enemy, they release this compressed Chakra, unleashing a powerful force that severely injures the opponent. Furthermore, Sealing Taijutsu can also seal the Chakra flowing through the opponent's meridians during combat, somewhat similar to Byakugan pressure point techniques."
"So strong!"
Although it was only a few words, it didn't prevent Kakashi, with his rich combat experience, from recognizing the power of this Taijutsu.
"Nonsense? Otherwise, why would it be called the legendary Sealing Taijutsu of the Uzumaki Clan, which only a handful of people have mastered in the last hundred years, and now only Uzumaki Himaru knows it?" Yemo said irritably, as if he hadn't listened to anything he said before.
Yemo looked at Uzumaki Himaru, who was leading the way, with a sharp gaze and a thoughtful expression, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing that Yemo remained silent, Kakashi also kept quiet.
Looking at the spiral markings scattered throughout the village, Kosuke suddenly said, "Seeing so many vortex markings, it feels like I'm back in Konoha."
Yemo explained from the side, "The Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan are distant relatives for generations, and the two clans have a deep bond and have maintained friendly relations for a long time. Therefore, many of our Konoha ninjas wear clothes with the Uzumaki Clan crest, and naturally, many Uzumaki Clan ninjas also wear the Senju Clan crest."
Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Himaru, who was leading the way, chuckled, "The Uzumaki Clan has had a long-standing relationship with Konoha. In the past, the Uzumaki Clan often sent members to Konoha to study. However, I didn't expect this young man to know so much about it. It seems you are quite knowledgeable about our Uzumaki Clan. If you hadn't come with Konoha Ninja, I would have thought you were also Uzumaki Clan Uzumaki Clan."
As soon as he finished speaking, Minato and Kosuke chuckled. The sudden laughter startled Uzumaki Himaru, while Yemo wore a wry smile. He hadn't expected that when he returned to his clan, none of his people would recognize him.
Kakashi nudged Yemo beside him and said sarcastically, "Hey, I didn't expect you to have such a low profile in the clan. Nobody even recognizes you when you come back."
"Get out of here. When did I leave and when will I come back? People change, it's normal that you didn't recognize me," Yemo said irritably, glancing at the sharp-tongued Kakashi.
Kakashi chuckled, his expression clearly saying, "I don't believe you. You, Yemo, have only been gone for half a year. Even if a child changes a lot, how much can he change in half a year? How could he change so much that no one would recognize him?"
Hearing Kakashi and Yemo talking, Uzumaki Himaru immediately realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, this young man is actually Uzumaki Clan? I'm so sorry, I didn't even recognize one of my own clansmen."
"It's normal that Himaru doesn't recognize me. Although the Uzumaki Clan isn't very large, it's not like Himaru would know everyone. Besides, I went to Konoha a long time ago." Although Yemo didn't feel much of a sense of belonging to the Uzumaki Clan, it was only right for a member of the Uzumaki Clan to address Uzumaki Himaru as "Lord Hyuga."
"Oh?" Uzumaki Himaru's eyes darted around, and he asked curiously, "As far as I know, the village stopped sending trainees to Konoha a long time ago. I wonder how you got there?"
Yemo replied calmly, "My older sister was sent to Konoha to study before. My parents died in the line of duty, so I volunteered to go to Konoha."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Upon realizing that he had touched on someone's painful memory, Uzumaki Himaru quickly apologized.
Faced with Uzumaki Himaru's apology, Yemo didn't reply, unsure of what to say. He had never even met the parents of this body, so what was there for him to say?
Yemo didn't reply, and the atmosphere became awkward for a moment. No one seemed to mind, assuming that Yemo n't want to talk because it touched on something that saddened him.
The Uzushiogakure wasn't large, and the group arrived at Uzushiogakure council center in silence. Clearly, they had already received news of the Konoha Ninja' arrival, as there were already Uzumaki Clan ninjas waiting outside to greet them, along with many onlookers.
Everyone wanted to see what kind of power Konoha, the strongest ally of Uzushiogakure, would send to save them, but when they saw that it was only Minato and his three companions, including the two brats Kakashi and Yemo, many were disappointed.
Some people even muttered, "It's over, it's over. Konoha has abandoned our Uzumaki Clan and sent this kind of team. They're just trying to fob us off."
Everyone is well aware of the current situation facing the Uzumaki Clan. Without Konoha's help, the Uzumaki Clan would be unable to withstand the attacks from numerous clans and could very well be destroyed.
This wasn't just one person saying it; Yemo and the other three heard it clearly, and their faces were quite embarrassed. They had heard similar remarks many times along the way.
"Everyone, let's go. The four elders have been waiting for our friends from Konoha for a long time!" A ninja came forward, and everyone followed him into the house.
Kakashi gently nudged Yemo and asked, "Yemo, what's going on with this clan elder? Shouldn't we be here to meet the patriarch of the Uzumaki Clan?"
Kakashi's voice was very soft, but Minato and Kosuke in front could still barely hear it. They immediately perked up their ears to listen to Yemo's explanation. It wasn't Kakashi was puzzled, but also the two of them.
"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but the Uzumaki Clan hasn't had a clan leader for a long time. Instead, the power of the Uzumaki Clan is held by the Four Elders, who are essentially the Uzumaki Clan leaders," Yemo explained softly.
"It's really strange that you exist," Kakashi remarked inexplicably. It was the first time he had ever heard of a clan without a patriarch, with the elders in charge.
After passing through several corridors, Yemo and his companions followed the ninja leading the way to a council hall. The council hall doors were tightly closed, but upon seeing Yemo and his group arrive, two ninja guards outside gently pushed the doors open.
The ninja leading the way stopped and said, "Friends from Konoha, the four elders have been waiting inside for quite some time."
"Okay!" Minato replied politely.
As the team leader, he naturally walked in first, followed closely by Yemo and the other two. The door slowly closed as two ninjas pushed it shut.