Mist Ninja Return in Force
"Don't worry about that. I'll help them adjust when we get to Konoha."
"Dyeing your hair? No need, I was just saying it casually." Souma Uzumaki shook his head. "We're already like this, there's no point in doing anything fancy, it just makes people look down on us."
"It's not hair dyeing; we'll find out what it is later."
Katsuki smiled slightly and didn't say anything more. Souma Uzumaki didn't mind, thinking that Katsuki was just comforting him, and turned to worry about another matter.
"Katsuki, the names of these little ones are still a problem. We need to give them names; this is the first step in strengthening family ties."
"Naming?"
Katsuki was stunned.
"Yeah! They need names. We can't just call people by their numbers all the time, can we? No matter how much effort we put in, we'll never develop a sense of belonging." Souma Uzumaki glared at Katsuki, then, seeing the latter's bewildered expression, realized what she meant. "Don't tell me you don't know how to name people?"
"It's not that I don't know how, it's just that I've never helped anyone name a child before, and coming up with eleven names at once... it's a bit overwhelming."
Katsuki scratched his head.
"Alright, I'll take care of this. You go and do your thing. The Mist Ninja might not let this go easily, so you don't need to worry about these things for now." Souma Uzumaki thought about it and agreed. Katsuki's formidable combat strength could be attributed to his extraordinary talent, but naming things didn't seem to have much to do with whether someone was a genius or not.
"Please, Third Uncle."
As if granted a pardon, Katsuki hurriedly made his escape.
On Aomori Island, all the clansmen of the Kaguya and Yuki families are stationed, totaling a total of 2,300 people. Among them, the clansmen who can fight on the battlefield range from seven or eight-year-old children to fifty or sixty-year-old elders, totaling more than 1,800 people, which can be described as the entire clan being soldiers.
The two clans gathered together partly to avoid being annihilated separately by the Mist Ninja, and partly to facilitate their evacuation. They could no longer stay in the Land of Water and had to find a new employer. They were now anxiously awaiting a reply from their new employer!
"I wonder if the Third Hokage will be surprised to see so many people."
"Don't say that. I have a weak heart. Konoha is our only lifeline right now." The Kaguya Clan Head rolled her eyes.
Yuki Hatsuzuki snorted coldly. She sat on a large rock, with empty wine bottles piled up at her feet, and the bottle in her hand was almost empty.
The beach on the easternmost side of the island.
The heads of the three clans—Uzumaki, Yuki, and Kaguya— are gathered here.
"Haha, don't worry, this will definitely work out. I don't like to go back on my word, and I always keep my promises." Katsuki laughed, but her words were so serious that she didn't seem to be joking at all.
"Hey, what are we doing squatting here? We've finished all the wine, when are we going to go home?" Yuki Hatsuzuki threw down the empty bottle and yelled at Katsuki in dissatisfaction.
"Drink less, Chief Yuki. Didn't I tell you we had important business to attend to? Why are you drinking so much again?" Katsuki looked at the female drunkard with a headache, truly not knowing what to do with her. The three of them had only been on this beach for less than half an hour, and the Yuki clan members had already made two trips back and forth to bring their chief wine.
"What's the important matter? Hurry up and say it, then I'm going back... hiccup... I still need to drink when I get back!" Yuki Hatsuzuki didn't care about her image at all. Although a beauty is still a beauty even when she hiccups from drinking, Katsuki wasn't going to buy it.
"The Mist Ninja are here."
"It's simple, "Katsuki said.
"You said... hiccup... what... hiccup..."
In her haste, a series of hiccups suddenly erupted, rendering her Yuki Hatsuzuki glared angrily at Katsuki, then with a slight flick of her finger, the temperature around her plummeted, and chunks of pale white ice froze in mid-air. The biting cold dispelled her tipsy state.
"Forced hangover relief is no good for your health," Katsuki's voice drifted over softly.
"Enough with the nonsense, how far away are the Mist Ninja? How many are there?" Yuki Hatsuzuki, her face turning pale, but she had indeed regained consciousness.
Katsuki shook her head helplessly. This woman was truly exceptionally fierce; she was ruthless to her enemies and equally ruthless to herself.
"Not far, six kilometers away, eight large ships, the exact number is unclear." Katsuki pointed eastward, "The Chakra fluctuations are mixed together and difficult to distinguish, but there are several hundred people, and they are all skilled fighters with very high Chakra purity. It seems that the Mist Ninja are determined this time."
To monitor the movements of the Mist Ninja, Katsuki sent out a dozen Shadow Clone to Mist Island, Mind's Eye of the Kagura monitored every move of the Kirigakure.
Eight multi-masted sailing ships painted black sailed with the wind, flying the insignia of Kirigakure.
As an archipelago nation, the Land of Water has an extremely developed maritime trade system. Naval warfare is the specialty of the Mist Ninja. Unlike other nations that eliminate mountain bandits, the Mist Ninja are hired to fight pirates. These eight ships are also warships of the Land of Water. The Third Mizukage sent a note to the ailing Water Daimyo, ordering these eight ships to transport troops to encircle and suppress the rebels gathered on Aomori Island.
The deck was empty except for two sailors working. But if you looked closely, you would see several figures crouching on the mast and along the ship's side. The Mist Ninja were used to staying in these seemingly conspicuous but unexpected places.
"Are we almost there?"
The Third Mizukage held his teacup, completely unaware that the tea inside had long since gone cold.
"We can already see the coastline... It seems like Uzumaki Katsuki is waiting!" the Hozuki Clan Head said in a deep voice.
In the spacious cabin, a group of Mist Ninja leaders, led by the Third Mizukage, gathered together. The Hozuki Clan Head, the Terumi Clan Head, and the Koshimizu Clan Head were among them. Apart from the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, who Shitsukura to guard the village, the top Mist Ninja had all come out, and the five surviving Seven Ninja Swordsmen had also been brought along.
"The Uzumaki Clan's Sensory Ninjutsu is outstanding... I never thought I could hide it from that guy," the Third Mizukage said calmly, showing no hurry to go outside and give orders.
"I think this operation was too hasty. Yuki and Kaguya are nothing special, but the Konoha Disaster is not to be underestimated. The strength that guy showed in the village... to be honest, I think he is almost close to the First Hokage, that invincible Ninja God," said the Koshimizu Clan Head.
He and the Third Mizukage were brothers of the same clan, so he wasn't worried that the Third Mizukage would get angry.
"Is it hasty? Perhaps it is a bit hasty, but we have to take action sooner or later. If we wait for Uzumaki Katsuki to escape back to the Land of Fire, we Mist Ninja will lose all face this time, even worse than the Sand Village..." The Third Mizukage sighed and drank the cold tea in his cup in one gulp, but he still couldn't relieve the burning sensation in his heart.