Wind Comes Again

"The wind is coming again."

On the rooftop of the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage rested his hand on the cold, icy iron railing, his upper body leaning out, his thin frame swaying gently in the wind, as if he might fall at any moment.

He let out a heavy sigh, yet a sharp glint still shone in his cloudy eyes.

Though old in age, one's heart remains young.

Even though he had been away from the Hokage Position for decades, his heart remained with the village. He was willing to sacrifice his life for Konoha without hesitation. This village was his life's commitment.

Footsteps came from behind.

"How is the situation?"

"The villagers have all been guided to the shelters, and each shelter is Jonin Earth Release. The Senju, Uchiha, Yuki clans have already established defensive lines around the village and are engaged in combat with the incoming Impure World Reincarnation. However, no formidable enemies have yet appeared; the strong foes must be being held back by Lord Nawaki and Minato."

"What about the village's defenses?"

"The arrangements at Root are complete. Minato's secretary, that woman named Rin Nohara, is very capable."

The Third Hokage's tightly furrowed brows showed signs of easing slightly, and his stern expression improved somewhat.

First, Nawaki and Minato led a group of top ninjas from the village to intercept the most troublesome group of enemies. Then, Tsunade led a group of Jonin to set up defenses outside, forming the second line of defense. Next, there was the Root's protection inside the village, which can be considered the third line of defense. Finally, the Jonin were proficient in Earth Release were arranged in the shelter, which was the last line of defense.

Orochimaru has taken control of the Anbu's personnel, using them as a fighting force to deal with unexpected variables.

"Four layers of defense shouldn't be so easy to break," the Third Hokage said, frowning in thought.

Having learned from the experience of the Kumogakure, a plan for the evacuation of civilians was formulated early on, and all the shelters were renovated and expanded. In addition, with the wise men of the Nara clan directing and coordinating the operation, and the keen senses of the strong members of the Uzumaki, Yamanaka clans, they were able to respond in time when Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso made their move.

The defeat of Kumogakure was due to its failure to foresee the terrifying nature of the Great Calamity Day Technique in time.

Large numbers of civilians were stranded under the threat of the Great Calamity Day, and even the ninjas of Kumogakure had no choice but to grit their teeth and resist the power of the Great Calamity Day. They knew it was a death trap, but they could not leave because their relatives and friends were in the village. Abandoning their loved ones and fleeing alone was not something anyone could do, and even the high-ranking officials of Cloud Ninja dared not give such an order.

Too many Jonin exhausted their Chakra and died in the blizzard. Later, the casualties were even greater in the waves of thunderstorms. Although Senju Zen defeated the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, it was Uchiha Genso, by controlling the Great Calamity Day, inflicted the greatest damage on the Cloud Ninja. He killed a huge number of Jonin and Chunin, which was the truly fatal blow to the Cloud Ninja.

Otherwise, even without the Kage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, they could still maintain their position as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.

The Cloud Ninja were caught off guard and fell victim to the deadly attack of the Great Calamity Day. The elite Jonin heavy casualties, and the core Chunin also suffered significant losses. A considerable number of Genin survived, but it was clearly unrealistic to expect a group of Genin to suppress the dissidents in the vast Land of Lightning.

"We must never repeat the mistakes of the Cloud Ninja."

The Third Hokage pounded heavily on the railing, his eyes fixed on the sky, watching the dark clouds brought by the gale gather in a cluster, with flashes of lightning appearing intermittently before a rumble of thunder sounded.

His expression, which had just softened, turned cold again.

Are all the necessary measures in place to deal with natural disasters?

"The Lord Hokage has prepared a plan, but..." The young man standing behind the Third Hokage had a complicated expression.

"But what? Just say it. At this crucial moment, what's there to be shy about?"

"Yes, yes, that..." The young man shuddered. He was a member of the Sarutobi Clan and had been favored by the Third Hokage, who then took him under his wing. He held the Third Hokage in the highest esteem and immediately began to speak fluently, "The Lord Hokage's method involves a child, a mere twelve-year-old. Although he is the son of Lord Tianzai, twelve years old doesn't seem very reliable."

The Third Hokage frowned upon hearing this.

"You mean Uzumaki Shuyuan?"

He didn't find it unreliable. Not many people knew about Shuyuan's feat of defeating Sasori of the Red Sands, but the Third Hokage happened to be one of them. As for the secret of the Rinnegan, he didn't know. Naruto and Sasuke had never revealed a word about it.

However, these things alone made him realize that Katsuki's son was extraordinary. He had no doubt that if Shuyuan hadn't died, he would have become a pillar of the village, just like Katsuki.

But as the young clansman in front of her said, Shuyuan was only twelve years old, and would only be thirteen when the new year came.

Too young.

"Let's wait and see! Since Orochimaru has made this arrangement, he probably won't do anything pointless." After hesitating for a moment, the Third Hokage chose to observe the situation.

"The wind is picking up again. Shuyuan, look, the wind is picking up again."

On the high wall north of the village.

Three young kids stood on the wall; they were none other than Uzumaki Shuyuan, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto looked at the strong winds that were blowing up in the sky again and started shouting.

"I see, there's no need to shout so loudly."

Shuyuan picked at her ear with her little finger, squinted at the rolling dark clouds in the sky, and her expression became slightly serious.

Sasuke his arms, glanced at Naruto, and let out a disdainful snort. The two destined rivals immediately started fighting again.

Ignoring the two bickering, Shuyuan took a deep breath, his Rinnegan glowing with a purple aura. This time, he could finally use his eyes openly.

Beside them, the Jonin from the Uzumaki, Uchiha, Yuki, and Kaguya clans all showed surprised expressions.

These Jonin were specifically recruited by Katsuki to protect Otome and Shuyuan; Kushina was also among them.

"The Rinnegan! I really can't understand it at all. Why is it the Rinnegan and not the Sharingan?"

Kushina looked at her little nephew's eyes and was amazed.

"I was startled at first too." Otome shook her head, her eyes gentle as she looked at Shuyuan. "But Katsuki reacted quickly, as if he knew something. I asked him, and he told me that the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans actually came from the same bloodline a long, long time ago. Shuyuan's eyes are probably a result of inheriting the power of both clans, a kind of atavism."

"The Sage of Six Paths? I really don't understand where that guy Katsuki got all this mystical stuff from."

Kushina sighed. She had heard Katsuki mention the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha being descendants of the Sage of Six Paths more than once, but she had always been skeptical, since the Sage of Six Paths was, in her eyes, nothing more than a myth. (To be continued)