Konoha's Ninja Have Arrived

In the early morning, a crimson sun leaped over the horizon, draping the entire island in a radiant red glow.

A little boy ran along the beach into the salty yet refreshing sea breeze, leaving behind strings of tiny footprints that were soon smoothed away by the waves.

Beads of sweat dotted Katsuki's forehead, sparkling in the morning light. Yet his breathing remained exceptionally steady. Even after running roughly seven kilometers, his face was not flushed and he was not out of breath, looking completely at ease.

As a qualified transmigrator, he knew the course of history well. Once he understood his situation, he had been filled with an urgent awareness of life and death. In order to survive, he persisted in training every day.

This was an age of chaos. There was no pure land that could escape conflict. Battle was this world's eternal main theme, and strength was the foundation for standing tall in it.

Since he had been born into the Uzumaki Clan, he could not waste such powerful blood. In that respect, he had been quite fortunate. The Uzumaki Clan's monstrously powerful constitution and unrivaled Fuinjutsu were both capital for rising to prominence! He was far luckier than if he had been born into some obscure little ninja family.

The Uzumaki Clan was an old-established clan in the ninja world. Although it had declined considerably, its foundations remained. Its deep heritage was not something those newly risen upstarts could compare with. When it came to training clan children, it possessed a rigorous system of training principles suited to the Uzumaki Clan's characteristics, the result of generations of exploration.

Of course, perhaps because of that, the younger clansmen trained their muscles but did not know to train their brains. As a result, such a huge clan had become worse with every passing year.

Ever since he was four, Katsuki had begun training under the guidance of the clan elders. He learned to read and write, studied the Uzumaki Clan's glorious history, practiced Taijutsu and Shuriken techniques, and attempted to refine chakra. Step by step, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. After all, the only children of training age in the village were he and Kushina.

It was practically like giving the two siblings private lessons. But considering the Uzumaki Clan's current desolate state, every child was a precious resource, so it was not hard to understand why the elders wanted to cultivate the younger generation. Besides, the two of them were the clan leader's children. If their parents had not died so early, they might have received even better treatment.

Two young clansmen squatted atop the jagged reefs along the beach, yawning as they kept watch over the nearby waters. Though this was the western side of the island, the side facing the mainland, they still had to leave two people on guard in case the Land of Water tried anything. They truly could not spare any more manpower.

The two young men disliked this dull sentry duty, but they did not dare disobey the clan's orders. They could only huddle there counting crabs and betting on what time Katsuki would pass the reefs, amusing themselves as best they could.

"He's here, he's here! Haha, I won today..." One clansman with neat short hair spotted the small figure in the distance on the beach and shouted happily. But seeing no reaction from his cousin beside him, he nudged him with his elbow and glanced sideways. "Say, cousin, you're not planning to welch on the bet, are you?"

"Stop fooling around. It looks like something's coming from over there." The older, more steady young man narrowed his eyes, trying hard to make out the true shape of the little black dot on the horizon.

"It's a ship, a ship from the Land of Fire. It's flying the Land of Fire's flag! Hurry and report to the Great Elder—the Land of Fire has sent people." The young man kicked his still-dazed cousin and herded him toward the center of the island at a sprint.

On the calm sea, a medium-sized ship sailed at a steady pace. Its sails were slightly billowed, though the wind was not particularly strong. Fortunately, even without wind, the ship could still be driven by its propellers. White foam parted around it, leaving a churning trail in its wake.

Besides the sailors, the ship carried a group of oddly dressed people wearing masks, short swords on their backs, black bodysuits, and gray strapped vests. They were not truly eccentrics, of course—this was the standard attire of Konoha's ANBU. As elites among elites, these killers had once charged through enemy lines three times over. The murderous aura around them could not be concealed at all. The sailors went out of their way to avoid these intimidating figures, terrified that they might offend one and get a blade in the gut. That would truly be rotten luck.

"Captain, the islands of the Land of Whirlpools are in sight." An ANBU standing outside the cabin quietly reported.

The cabin was small. A white-haired ANBU wearing a dog-faced mask with red markings sat cross-legged inside, absorbed in a book. Only upon hearing the voice outside did he reluctantly close it, carefully putting it away. "Pass the order. Everyone, prepare to disembark."

The ANBU outside acknowledged and left.

Very quickly, in less than half a minute, the well-trained ANBU ninja had all assembled on deck, frightening the sailors into keeping their distance.

The captain stood at the bow, looking at the three squads under his command and silently sighing. The village had been under too much pressure lately. For such an important mission as coming to the Land of Whirlpools to receive the next generation's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they could only scrape together three squads.

Clearly, Captain himself had once again forgotten that he alone was worth a small ninja corps, as well as the fact that this mission could not be conducted with great fanfare. Everyone participating in this operation was a diehard subordinate of the Third Hokage.

"I won't repeat the details of this mission. I'll only emphasize one thing: remember, this is an escort mission. Our highest priority is protecting the future Jinchuriki's safety. After all, when those Mist Ninja go mad, they're still quite troublesome." The captain began his pre-operation briefing, his eyes beneath the mask brimming with absolute confidence.

"Of course, we'll return as soon as we pick her up. We may not encounter the Mist Ninja at all, but don't let that make you careless. No one knows when the Mist Ninja will strike the Land of Whirlpools. We must remain twelve times as vigilant. Don't throw away your lives in a place like this."

"Yes, Captain."

The three squads, twelve ANBU ninja in all, dropped to one knee and answered in unison. Their presence was extraordinary; a dozen or so of them were enough to rival a small force of a hundred men.

The island grew larger and larger before their eyes. They could clearly see two figures, one tall and one short, standing by the beach. Their crimson hair identified them as members of the Uzumaki Clan, but...

"Why are there children?"

Captain was puzzled. What did the Uzumaki Clan mean by stationing children here? No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand their intention. Seeing the beach so close at hand, he suppressed his doubts and made a light gesture. His subordinates leaped from the ship in swift succession, racing over the gentle waves toward the shore.