Kushina's expression grew even more dejected. Minato Namikaze's lips moved slightly, as though he were comforting her.
From the look of it, Kushina could burst into tears at any moment.
After all, anyone would feel the same upon returning to their homeland after their motherland had suffered calamity.
"...So this land absolutely cannot be violated by other countries!"
Akira Sarutobi, who loathed acts of invasion, spoke in a low voice.
Unfortunately, during the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha had also invaded other countries, such as... the Land of Rain.
For that reason, throughout the war, Akira Sarutobi had refused every mission concerning the Land of Rain.
Akira Sarutobi said, "If you invade another country, one day they'll retaliate."
"When will the cycle of vengeance ever end..." Minato Namikaze leaped onto the hill ahead, crouched down, and shook his head.
Akira Sarutobi also stepped onto the hill and began surveying the town ahead.
Countless skeletons could be seen at a glance amid the ruined town. Kushina covered her mouth on the spot, no longer able to hold back her tears.
"The reasoning is sound, but only if we haven't invaded others first."
If Konoha recklessly trampled other countries, it would one day pay the price as well.
In the original story, Konoha had the most rogue ninja, and Nagato unleashed a colossal Shinra Tensei on Konoha. That was karma.
Akira Sarutobi stared at the countless skeletons before him and spotted many children's bones among them, even cases where both mother and unborn child had died.
Everyone's expressions turned even uglier. Fortunately, all of them possessed the makings of Jonin, so they forcibly suppressed the grief and indignation in their hearts.
"Ruri, could I trouble you to use the Byakugan to observe the surroundings?"
Minato Namikaze seemed to be deliberately avoiding the subject.
He looked at Ruri Hyuga, hoping she could help.
The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan possessed an extreme viewing range of up to ten kilometers.
However, the farther one wished to see, the more one had to concentrate and avoid being disturbed.
"Minato, don't you have sensory abilities?"
Akira Sarutobi stopped Minato Namikaze's request on Ruri Hyuga's behalf.
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.
Due to various circumstances, Ruri Hyuga, a Branch Family Member, had clearly become less and less motivated to survive.
Akira Sarutobi guessed that Ruri Hyuga in the original story had most likely died of depression.
After all, it was obvious that Neji had no mother as a child.
In modern medical terms, Ruri Hyuga was a patient with severe depression, the kind who could commit suicide at any time.
The culprit behind all this was naturally the Hyuga Clan's Main Family and Branch Family system.
Without understanding a patient with severe depression, any stimulus could drive her into the abyss.
Minato Namikaze gave an awkward laugh, turned away, and did not bring it up again.
"Young Master, this way."
Although Ruri Hyuga could not scout the area, Ino Yamanaka possessed equally formidable sensory abilities.
As a ninja born into the Yamanaka Clan, the Yamanaka girl had cultivated Yin Release since childhood, giving her an exceptionally sharp sixth sense.
She was the first to leap forward. Akira Sarutobi followed without the slightest hesitation.
Shirakumo Hayama blinked and immediately followed as well.
Akira Sarutobi's four-person squad thus parted ways with Minato Namikaze.
"Young Master Ryo seems to be in quite a foul mood today."
Minato Namikaze's teammate, a black-haired girl named Hebi, said.
She was Biwako Sarutobi's disciple, as well as the female ninja who would later join the Anbu and deliver Kushina's baby.
At Hebi's words, Minato Namikaze's smile gradually stiffened.
"Kushina..."
He looked at his tearful lover and continued comforting her.
"This way, this way!"
Ino Yamanaka advanced all the way, and the group had already descended from the surface into a secret passage.
The Land of Whirlpools was not large, so it had naturally developed the practical style of underground structures.
All manner of labyrinths and special secret chambers could be found everywhere.
"I can sense a Chakra signature. It's extremely faint, but..."
Ino Yamanaka hurried onward.
They quickly raced through a passage several hundred meters long.
After countless twists and turns that left their eyes spinning, Ino Yamanaka led everyone into a room.
Several talismans were attached to the end of the passage.
Akira Sarutobi recognized them as a modified version of the Fox Heart Technique.
The Fox Heart Technique was a Genjutsu that could obscure vision and create illusory scenes.
The talismans before them worked together to activate the Genjutsu, making this place impossible to notice.
Clearly, they were concealing something.
However, as time passed, the Chakra energy within the talisman array had begun to weaken, until it eventually lost its effect and even the talismans themselves became visible.
Akira Sarutobi casually tore down the talismans, causing the last trace of residual Genjutsu energy to dissipate.
The scene before them changed. The walls twisted, and a stone door appeared before their eyes.
What should they do?
Shirakumo Hayama looked at Akira Sarutobi and involuntarily tightened his grip on the hilt at his waist.
Should he slice it open with Wind Release?
Akira Sarutobi instead examined the stone door from top to bottom before feeling around for a mechanism.
Rumble!
The mechanism activated, and the door opened.
Shirakumo Hayama's eyes immediately filled with surprise.
"Young Master is well-read. He must know quite a bit about the Land of Whirlpools as well..."
Ino Yamanaka explained to him, and only then did Shirakumo Hayama understand.
He thought, As expected of Lord Hokage's son.
"Let's go."
Akira Sarutobi entered first and discovered that it was a series of interconnected secret chambers.
Several rooms had been joined together.
In the room at the end of the chambers, a stone coffin was particularly conspicuous.
"Beloved... Grave of Dan Katō."
As Ino Yamanaka read the inscription carved into the stone coffin, the deceased's identity came to light.
"It's... Princess Tsunade's lover..."
Enemy of Kirigakure
Dan Katō had been born a commoner and inherited a Forbidden Jutsu known as the S-Rank Spiritualization Technique.
During the Second Shinobi World War, following his younger sister's death, he gradually grew close to Tsunade, whose younger brother had died around that time.
The two admired each other and became lovers.
Later, Konoha received a plea for aid from the Land of Whirlpools and dispatched a support squad.
Tsunade, Dan Katō, Kunugi Mokume, and others went together.
However, due to the Konoha High Command's erroneous assessment of the enemy's numbers, when Tsunade and the others arrived, they faced the siege of an enormous force of ninja.
Though they ultimately fought their way out with great difficulty, Dan Katō unfortunately perished.
"At the time, surrounded by an army and unable to take the body with her, Princess Tsunade buried her lover here..."
Akira Sarutobi recounted Dan Katō's life.
One conspiracy theory claimed that Dan Katō dreamed of becoming Hokage, and because he had grown too close to Tsunade, the rightful heir to the Will of Fire, he had incurred the high command's displeasure and been sent to his death by the Konoha High Command.
But regardless of whether that conspiracy theory was true, one fact would not change: Dan Katō had been a Konoha Ninja who devoted himself wholeheartedly to Konoha and ultimately died in battle.
"Young Master..." Ino Yamanaka glanced at Akira Sarutobi.
"Gather his remains and bring them back."
Akira Sarutobi made his decision at once.
Fallen leaves return to their roots.
It was time to bring him home...
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Just as Akira Sarutobi was gathering Dan Katō's remains.
A group arrived on the surface at the entrance to the secret passage.
Their blue clothing had a distinctive style, and nearly every one of them had shark-like teeth.
The female ninja at their head was not tall. Two long swords lined with fangs were strapped to her back.
Her reddish-brown hair was styled into an eye-catching upright shape resembling rabbit ears.
"Someone finally came. I thought Konoha would never send anyone."
She put her hands on her hips and grinned, revealing a fine set of teeth.
"Lady Ameyuri, what do we do next?"
Like bloodthirsty sharks, every subordinate around her carried a heavy aura of bloodshed. One could tell from their gazes and bearing alone that they were no ordinary ninja.
The group before them was none other than ninja from Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Kirigakure was also one of the chief culprits behind the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Obviously, we go in and seal them in."
Known as the "Genius Girl of Kirigakure," Ameyuri Ringo had inherited the title of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen at a young age, and her strength was extraordinary.
"This secret passage has already been investigated many times. When it was built, it had several exits, ventilation shafts, and drainage systems, so ordinary tactics like burying them in earth or flooding them out won't work..."
The best plan was naturally to go down directly, guard several key passageways in the secret tunnel, and cut them off at the source!
"Move out!"
At her command, her subordinates filed in one after another and entered the underground passage.
Unlike Konoha's tradition of putting the strong first.
Ninja Villages like Kirigakure sent the foot soldiers in first, with the strong following behind.
Before you continue