"Do you have the Bashosen?"
At Dodai's words, Uzumaki Ashina's eyes lit up. He immediately asked about the Bashosen, the most destructive of the Six Paths Ninja Tools.
Of the five Six Paths Ninja Tools, only the Bashosen was meant for offense and killing. With the vast chakra reserves of their Uzumaki clan, they could each swing it once, and they wouldn't fear any number of enemies.
"We do!"
Dodai answered without hesitation. He knew that obtaining the Six Paths Ninja Tools would greatly strengthen the Uzumaki clan, but that was exactly what they needed to force Konoha to make a choice.
They also needed the Uzumaki clan's help to wipe out the elite forces of the several Ninja Villages involved in this conflict. That way, Kumogakure would have an easier time in the wars to come.
At Dodai's confirmation, Uzumaki Ashina's smile widened. He stepped forward, took out the two preserved hearts, and formed Hand Seals, creating an intricate formation of arcane symbols.
"Contract Seal, release!"
He then slapped each of the hearts. Black seal characters enveloped them.
Next, Uzumaki Ashina scraped some tissue cells from the two hearts and used them as a medium to perform the Summoning Technique.
A cloud of smoke burst into the air, revealing four objects: the four Six Paths Ninja Tools that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had sealed away.
Uzumaki Ashina immediately grabbed the Bashosen. The moment he poured chakra into it, five chakra orbs formed, each embodying one of the five elements: wind, fire, lightning, water, and earth. Their power was immense.
"Just as the records said. It can create changes in the nature of all five elements and turn them into attacks."
Uzumaki Ashina was quite pleased. With this formidable weapon, they were sure to fare well in the coming war.
"Take the remaining three back with you. I've seen Kumogakure's sincerity, and you'll soon see ours."
Uzumaki Ashina glanced at the other three Six Paths Ninja Tools, which came as a set, but wasn't particularly interested in them. They were too cumbersome to use; their own Sealing Techniques were far more convenient.
"We look forward to it!"
Dodai sealed away the three Six Paths Ninja Tools and the hearts of Kinkaku and Ginkaku in a storage scroll. After discussing some battle plans with him, he finally left.
The mission had gone perfectly. Now all that remained was to see what the Uzumaki clan chose and how the war unfolded.
"Where are they?"
A Uzumaki Ninja escorted Dodai to the village entrance, where he looked around in confusion.
Where were that brat and the other three?
"They left with the young miss. He asked me to tell you they went on ahead and that you should catch up as soon as possible. He also said to watch out for ambushes along the way."
The Uzumaki Ninja who had been standing guard at the entrance relayed the message.
"The young miss?"
Dodai was baffled. Had that brat done something else while he was away?
Though puzzled, Dodai set off at once. He even used the Body Flicker Technique to speed up and hurried toward their prearranged meeting point.
They had planned their return route long ago. It was different from the route they had taken to get here, and they had already arranged for several Jonin skilled in Earth Release to dig a long tunnel there. It would conceal their movements and keep them from being targeted in an ambush.
After all, far too many people were keeping an eye on Uzushio Hidden Village at this point.
Leaving Dodai aside, back at the village, Uzumaki Ashina finished familiarizing himself with the Bashosen and headed to the home of the clan leader, who was also his own grandnephew.
Today's visitors to Uzushio Hidden Village weren't just the Cloud Ninja. Konoha had sent people as well, and they were likely here for the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
When he entered his grandnephew's home, he found the other four clan elders already there, all looking grim.
"Konoha really didn't send anyone to help?"
Uzumaki Ashina walked in and sat down, shooting his grandnephew a sidelong glance. He had already guessed what was going on.
"The Four Great Shinobi Villages have begun advancing into the Land of Fire. Konoha has sent elite Ninja from the major Ninja Clans to the Frontline as vanguard forces. They're to seize advantageous terrain and establish a defensive line. The Senju Clan has been assigned to the Land of Earth.
"The Hokage promised to send a Ninja army to reinforce us. They'll arrive in the Land of Whirlpools tomorrow night."
Masahiko Uzumaki said helplessly. The situation was far worse than he had imagined.
He didn't mention that Madara Uchiha was still alive. There was no point in telling them; it would only demoralize them.
It would be bad enough if Madara Uchiha showed up. If he did, they wouldn't be able to fight back at all—not even with Forbidden Jutsu.
If that man really appeared, all they could do was shut their eyes and wait to die.
"So the Four Great Shinobi Villages have schemed this far ahead."
The four clan elders wore troubled expressions. Without Konoha's support, how could Uzushio Hidden Village survive this crisis?
"Whether this is the work of the Four Great Shinobi Villages or that little monkey, the Third Hokage, is hard to say. And if they arrive tomorrow night, that won't be reinforcements. They'll be coming to collect the bodies."
Uzumaki Ashina spoke mockingly, and the others' expressions shifted.
Masahiko Uzumaki remained silent. He had learned a great deal about Konoha from that brat, and the situation there was bleak.
The four clan elders looked no less grim. It was unclear whether they would even survive the night, let alone make it to tomorrow night.
After glancing at his silent grandnephew in surprise, Uzumaki Ashina didn't dwell on it. In a grave voice, he said, "I told you long ago that we couldn't rely on Konoha, so I secretly contacted Kumogakure. It's the only one of the Five Great Ninja Villages still recruiting from outside, and it has room for our Uzumaki clan—at least some of us.
"It gives us a way out. We old folks can die for Uzushio Hidden Village, but the children can't die with us. And the Uzumaki clan can't be wiped out, or we won't be able to face our ancestors after we die.
"Kumogakure is sincere. They just sent us the Six Paths Ninja Tool, the Bashosen, to help us face this war."
As he spoke, Uzumaki Ashina brought out the Bashosen he had just received and poured chakra into it, forming five small orbs to prove it was genuine.
"It really is the Bashosen!"
Seeing the fan, the four clan elders' eyes lit up. It was a formidable weapon, especially when paired with the vast chakra reserves of their Uzumaki clan.
It wouldn't do much against the strongest fighters, but against ordinary Ninja, it would be a slaughter.
The numbers in the allied Ninja forces were what worried them most. They weren't as concerned about the top fighters among them; they could always use a forbidden sealing technique to trade one life for another.
But those Ninja armies were a problem. Gathered together, they posed a huge threat to the village.
Now that they had this formidable weapon, the coming war would surely be much easier to fight.
In that light, Kumogakure really did seem sincere.
The situation was clear. Whether or not Konoha sent reinforcements, the elite forces of the Four Great Shinobi Villages were set to besiege Uzushio Hidden Village. They had already tied Konoha down, so even if it sent reinforcements, there couldn't be many.
Having another option now wasn't a bad thing.
But while the four clan elders were delighted, Masahiko Uzumaki felt as if lightning had struck him. He was utterly numb.
"Just now? The person who came to see you just now was from Kumogakure?"
He had thought the person who went to see the First Elder was from the Senju clan. Who would have guessed it was someone from Kumogakure? Then whose side was that brat on?
"He was the Raikage's Assistant from Kumogakure."
Uzumaki Ashina looked at him in confusion, unsure what had gotten into his grandnephew.
Boom!
A surge of immense chakra wreaked havoc in the hall. Masahiko Uzumaki's face twisted with fury.
That brat tricked me!
He had been fooled by a mere brat. Not only had he handed over his own granddaughter, he had given away the clan's entire stockpile of treasures.
What a humiliation! The brat had gone too far!
How could Kumogakure have such a despicable, shameless, and evil brat?
Uzumaki Ashina and the others stared at their suddenly enraged clan leader, completely baffled. They had no idea what had happened.
"What's the battle plan?"
Only after a long while did Masahiko Uzumaki finally regain his composure. He asked gravely. Though furious, what was done was done. There was no use getting angry now.
He would cooperate with Kumogakure to survive this crisis, then find a chance to deal with that damned brat afterward.
Before you continue