The Uzumaki Clan's Clan Council

"Recently, the Land of Water has been getting increasingly brazen. They are practically ready to attack our clan openly."

As the place where Uzushio Village's elders convened, this was also the Uzumaki Clan's ancestral hall. It was exceptionally plain, with only a few low wooden tables placed atop tatami mats serving as the council chamber. The clan's men, women, young, and old sat in rows on either side, all troubled over the fate of their clan.

The Uzumaki Clan had once been a renowned great clan in the ninja world, dominating the land with their powerful Sealing Jutsu.

But no flower remained red for a hundred days, and no man stayed favored for a thousand. Even the Senju Clan, which had once stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world, had faded from view. The Uzumaki Clan was likewise declining by the day. Endless wars had steadily drained the clan's strength, like slashing several wounds into an artery. Now, they were nearly squeezing the last shred of power from this once-great clan.

Unlike other ninja villages, Uzushio Village consisted solely of the Uzumaki Clan. One village was one clan. At present, the entire village had barely more than two hundred people, men and women, young and old combined. More than half were elderly, while the younger generation was pitifully scarce.

"Let's fight them! Our Uzumaki Clan has never feared provocation."

As one of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Water commanded the seas and was the undisputed ruler of the ocean. When it came to naval warfare, even the Land of Fire, the strongest of the Five Great Nations, would not dare claim certain victory. The Land of Whirlpools was close to the Land of Fire, yet it stood alone overseas. To the Land of Water, it was an appetizing piece of meat, one they had long plotted to swallow whole.

The Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu was feared by the world, and coveted by it as well. Kirigakure of the Land of Water was among those coveting it. Powerful sealing techniques capable of controlling tailed beasts were truly irresistible!

The Uzumaki Clan had long suffered harassment from the Land of Water. Among the younger generation present, nearly all had parents or elders who had died at the hands of Mist Ninja. It was as if a floodgate had opened. The tone of some young men began to spiral out of control, and they were just about to start sending their regards to the immediate relatives of the current Water Daimyo and the Third Mizukage...

Youth really was wonderful... They could say whatever they wanted!

In the lower seats, a six-year-old boy frowned as he watched the young men shouting endlessly, inwardly grumbling. No wonder the Uzumaki Clan has declined to this extent. These guys inherited only the Uzumaki Clan's terrible tempers, not a shred of their ancestors' wisdom and shrewdness.

Put simply, they were all muscle-headed idiots.

"Enough! Shut your mouths, all of you! Is this ancestral hall a place for you to make a racket? Keep shouting, and I'll throw every last one of you out!"

The Great Elder, well past fifty, could no longer hold himself back. He slammed his palm down, shattering the low wooden table before him into splinters. Still, it successfully stopped the young men from going off the rails. Cursing out the Water Daimyo and the Mizukage's relatives was fine in private, but shouting such things in the ancestral hall showed a serious lack of manners.

"It is not that I do not want to fight the Mist Ninja. The question is, what will we fight them with? Aside from the clansmen stationed at the border, our Uzumaki Clan has only this much left. Do you intend for the Uzumaki Clan to be wiped out here and now? Kirigakure has over ten thousand ninja, not to mention the many ninja clans under the Water Daimyo's command in the Land of Water. Can't you use your brains? Other than fighting and killing, what else can you do?"

The Great Elder had initially intended to use both carrot and stick to properly discipline these young men. The stick had already come down, so it should have been time to soothe them with the carrot. Yet the old man failed to rein in his temper and swung the carrot in his hand like another stick.

The dozen or so young men immediately shrank back dejectedly. After being battered by the Great Elder's barrage, their heads were full of lumps. They truly no longer had the courage to say anything.

Seeing the dispirited young men, the Great Elder's faint regret was instantly drowned by disappointment. If they had managed to stand firm to the end, perhaps others might have thought a little better of them. But this kind of strong start and weak finish truly made them useless.

A trace of sorrow rose in his heart. If the younger generation entrusted with the clan's future was all like this, how could they bear the responsibility of reviving the clan?

"Great Elder, has Konoha still not responded?"

Seeing that the Great Elder's expression had turned grim, an Elder beside him hurriedly changed the subject. If this continued, today's clan council would have to be renamed a denunciation meeting.

With a long sigh, the Great Elder's attention was successfully diverted. A bitter smile appeared on his face. "The Third Hokage has replied. The Land of Fire currently has no spare strength to support us. To the north, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are eyeing them like tigers; to the west, the Land of Wind is also restless; and the so-called 'demigod' of the Land of Rain has been far from peaceful as well..."

The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding elders all changed expression in alarm. Did the Third Hokage's implication mean that he intended to abandon the Uzumaki Clan?

"However, the Third Hokage said that we may send one or two sparks to Konoha to preserve our clan's bloodline." The Great Elder's voice was extremely low. Those one or two sparks were not merely meant to ensure that the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline continued. Mito-sama, the First Hokage's wife, was already too old and urgently needed a successor. But there was no need to tell the clansmen such confidential information.

Hearing the Great Elder's words, the elders breathed a sigh of relief. If Konoha truly abandoned the Uzumaki Clan, they would have no path to survival at all. Yet they soon felt a deep bitterness. Back then, the Uzumaki Clan had formed its own village and been allies with Konoha, standing as equals. Neither had stood above the other.

But now, the Uzumaki Clan had declined to the point where they depended entirely on Konoha for survival. How could that not sadden them? Especially for the elders who had lived through the Uzumaki Clan's glorious days, it was even more painful to mourn those beautiful years that would never return.

"Today's meeting is to choose several seeds, preferably younger ones. In a few days, Konoha ninja will come. When they do, send them to Konoha. If something truly happens to the village, at least some bloodline will remain." The Great Elder looked exhausted. After finishing his words, he seemed as though his spine had been pulled out, his entire body slumping.

The Uzumaki Clan had truly fallen!

The elders present wore equally complicated expressions, but what needed to be done still had to be done. They needed to select one or two outstanding youngsters and send them to Konoha for protection...

As they looked at all the clansmen gathered beneath the ancestral hall, the elders revealed smiles uglier than crying. Counting everyone up, there were only two little children seated in the lower seats. There was not another clansman under the age of ten. What the hell was there to choose?

The six-year-old boy sensed the elders' gazes and immediately began to worry. His sister, who was a year older than him, nervously straightened her back and tightly gripped his left hand with her right, squeezing until his fingers hurt.

But because of his sister's fiery temper, he did not dare make a sound. He could only endure it in silence while trying to guess what those old men wanted. Their burning gazes sent a chill up his back. It was a little frightening.