Year 38 of Konoha, on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools.
"Troublesome!"
"What do you mean, we're responsible for watching Kirigakure to make sure they don't invade Konoha?"
"If I remember right, I'm just a newly graduated Genin."
Namikaze Yoru stared helplessly at the Hokage Secret Order in front of him. For a moment, he even wondered whether he'd offended someone.
Twelve years had passed since he'd crossed over into the Shinobi World. Aside from the future Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, there were only a handful of people in the Namikaze Clan with the talent to be ninja. They were, quite literally, an upstanding family with a clean record stretching back three generations.
He'd only just graduated from Konoha Ninja Academy, and he was nothing more than an ordinary Konoha Genin.
He'd never imagined that, perhaps because the front lines were under pressure, he'd be sent to the border as a reserve right after graduating.
His squad had just received a secret order from the village, instructing them to go to the Land of Whirlpools and investigate the situation.
According to the order, Kirigakure was currently fighting fiercely against Uzushiogakure, which had appealed to Konoha for help.
Their squad was only a standard 1+3 unit, led by a Jonin named Makoto Ito, with three Genin under him. Sending that kind of lineup to the Land of Whirlpools was basically throwing them into the meat grinder.
"Senior Ito, we should get going."
The other two Konoha Genin seemed eager to go, urging Makoto Ito to head for the Land of Whirlpools.
As an experienced Jonin, Makoto Ito knew how dangerous this mission was.
But a ninja's sense of duty left him no way to refuse the village's orders.
He could only look deeply at the three Genin under his command, making up his mind.
"Kato Taka, Shimizu Kenma, Namikaze Yoru, stay close to me. We'll secretly enter along the coastline."
"Yes!"
After crossing the long stretch of coastline, they entered the border of the Land of Whirlpools. Not a single Uzushiogakure ninja was stationed there.
Everything they'd seen along the way suggested that the Land of Whirlpools was already on the brink of collapse. Even the border guards had been recalled.
They hadn't even had time to cover their tracks. Everything was in disarray.
"Stay hidden. Keep your guard up."
Makoto Ito quietly addressed the three behind him, his heart growing heavier.
Little did he know, Namikaze Yoru looked even more grim. Unlike the two beside him, who were itching for a fight, all Yoru wanted was to turn around and run.
As a transmigrator, he'd known all along how the Land of Whirlpools would end. Every sign now pointed to this being the night the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out.
I'm so dead. I haven't enjoyed any of the perks of being a transmigrator, and now they're dragging me off to be cannon fodder.
Namikaze Yoru's heart sank. He had no illusions about the intensity of the battle that was about to begin.
He didn't have the lightning-fast reflexes of his future clansman, Namikaze Minato, and his chakra reserves were pitifully small. Calling him cannon fodder was almost too generous.
"Boom—boom—"
A series of violent explosions rang out not far away. The place ahead had to be Uzushiogakure.
Powerful chakra waves kept surging toward them, mixed with cries of pain and angry shouts.
The sounds set the whole squad on edge. Their already taut nerves tightened further, and even the hands gripping their Kunai began to sweat.
They continued forward, keeping themselves concealed, until they could just make out the scene ahead. Then they stopped.
A large number of ninja wearing Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure Forehead Protectors were locked in fierce combat. Although Uzushiogakure was the main battlefield, Kirigakure clearly had the upper hand.
Many Uzushiogakure ninja had no choice but to band together and use Sealing Techniques to raise a barrier and protect the villagers.
But countless ninja and villagers were still being slaughtered by the Mist Ninja.
The strangest sight of all was a group of oddly shaped "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan"—the Mist Village's Ninja Swordsmen.
At the sight, Jonin Makoto Ito's face turned grave. Even Kato Taka and Shimizu Kenma, the Genin who'd been urging him to join the battle, were too shaken to move.
They were both experienced Genin, but they'd never taken part in a battle this brutal.
Only Namikaze Yoru seemed to relax a little. He even felt a hint of relief.
He stared fixedly at the screen of light that had suddenly appeared before him.
[Ding! Detected a massive dispersal of the extremely rare bloodline "Uzumaki Clan Bloodline." Conditions for system activation met.] [Myriad Realms Rare Pawnshop is at your service.] [Would the host like to scan and appraise the current scene?]
"It's here! Finally!"
Namikaze Yoru's emotions surged. His excitement sent his adrenaline soaring. If this weren't such an inappropriate moment, he would've howled at the sky.
No one knew how hard the past twelve years had been for him: the hope, the disappointment, and finally, despair.
In the Shinobi World, he had no clan bloodline, no system, and no one who cared about him.
If events in the Shinobi World hadn't unfolded just as he remembered, he would've started to wonder whether his memories of his past life were nothing but a fantasy.
Now that he'd finally heard the system's voice, its cold mechanical tone nearly brought him to tears of joy.
"Confirm!"
[Scan complete. The following unclaimed items are available for pawning:] [Uzumaki Clan Member Remains (intact) *53... Appraisal: 80 points each] [Dispersing Uzumaki Clan Souls *83... Appraisal: 20 points each] [Mizuki Clan Member Remains (intact) *1... Appraisal: 50 points] [Kaguya Clan Member Remains (intact) *3... Appraisal: 80 points each] [Damaged Ninja Tools...] [Please approach the rare items to collect and pawn them.]
I'm rich! Is this what they mean by profiting from war?
But how to get close was a problem. If he approached recklessly, someone might mistake him for a nobody and kick him to death.
As he was thinking it over, Makoto Ito gave a low command:
"Namikaze Yoru and Shimizu Kenma, stay behind and cover us. Kato Taka, come with me to continue the infiltration."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kato Taka lived up to his name: his body shook like an electric toothbrush, and he couldn't bring himself to answer.
Perhaps he'd thought that a squad like theirs would be joining the Uzushiogakure ninja in an easy victory. The scene before them had gone far beyond anything they'd expected.
"Genin Kato!"
Makoto Ito's voice sharpened, taking on a hint of reprimand.
"Let me go."
Namikaze Yoru had been fretting over how to get closer. If Makoto Ito ordered a retreat, he'd be in trouble.
Now he could continue the infiltration. It was just like someone had handed him a pillow when he was ready to nap.
At those words, Kato Taka looked as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He quickly shot Yoru a grateful look. Makoto Ito didn't say anything more and gestured for Yoru to follow.
The two of them moved stealthily through the shadows of the buildings, dodging the fighting ninja on either side. Every so often, stray bursts of ninjutsu forced them to find another route.
Makoto Ito's face was as calm as still water. His attention was fully focused, and he didn't dare make a single mistake.
But he didn't notice that Namikaze Yoru behind him could barely keep the smile off his young face.
In a battlefield filled with slaughter, the expression looked utterly bizarre and out of place.
[Ding! Successfully pawned one Uzumaki Clan Soul. Redeemed 20 points] [Ding! Successfully pawned one Powerful Uzumaki Clan Soul. Redeemed 40 points] [Ding! ...]
"I'm rich!"
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