Princess of the Uzumaki Clan

"So, it's just a kid."

The man spoke gently, but the moment the words left his mouth, his heart gave a thump.

He cautiously turned his head and saw the little mistress glaring at him.

"Ha, haha, young people are great, too. Heroes often distinguish themselves from a young age, uh..."

He gave an awkward laugh, lowered his head, and silently retreated to the middle of the group.

The little mistress hated being called young. Otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on accompanying the two of them to the Land of Fire.

He'd let his guard down and mocked a child around her age right to her face. This was bad.

Thinking about what awaited him when they got back, the man couldn't help sighing.

Only then did the petite figure give a little snort and look away. She slowly lifted her head, her voice laced with mild displeasure. "You, too. They mocked you, and you didn't even talk back?"

"..." Sosuke frowned. The group before him struck him as rather strange.

The man had a head of red hair, while the other two's true appearances were obscured. Sosuke couldn't identify them.

Perhaps they simply had rare hair colors and weren't members of the Uzumaki Clan, who lived far away across the sea.

"Heh. There's one way to find out."

Instead of answering the girl's question, Sosuke swiftly formed Hand Seals. Seven basketball-sized flames suddenly rained down like scattered blossoms.

As he used Phoenix Sage Fire, Sosuke tossed a shuriken with a deft flick of his wrist, sending the ninjutsu along a bizarre trajectory.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Red!

"Damn." The red-haired man muttered an alarmed curse and darted forward. A second before the flames descended, he thrust out his index finger and pressed hard against empty space.

In an instant, black markings spread through the air. The flames seemed to have met their natural enemy; the moment they touched the markings, they were absorbed on the spot.

Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!

The flames had disappeared, but that didn't mean the shuriken hidden among them had become harmless.

Under the man's anxious gaze, the shuriken curved along its bizarre path and suddenly struck his side.

By the time the trio realized something was wrong, a flash of cold steel was already hurtling toward the petite girl.

"Ah..." In her panic, the girl had no time to react. The oncoming shuriken tore her cloak to shreds.

Black fabric fluttered through the air, revealing another head of brilliant red hair beneath.

"As I thought." Sosuke didn't continue his attack. Frowning slightly, he asked, "Uzumaki Clan, why are you here?"

"None of your business!" The red-haired girl looked furious.

She'd just stood up for him, and he'd turned around and put her in her place.

At first, the girl felt a little hurt, but her dissatisfaction soon turned to anger.

Ignoring the boy's question, she lunged at him, claws bared, ready to teach him a lesson herself.

"Go to hell! Go to hell! Go to hell!" The girl's attacks came one after another, linked together with remarkable fluidity. She had clearly trained hard in this.

That only made Sosuke more curious about who she was.

The Uzumaki Clan were cousins to the Senju and direct descendants of Asura, just like them. Naruto, Nagato, Karin, and other exceptional shinobi had appeared in the original story.

He didn't know much about the clan's famous members during the Warring States period.

Either way, they definitely didn't get along with the Uchiha.

Whatever their intentions, there was no harm in stopping them.

With that decided, Sosuke's movements abruptly turned fierce.

He forcibly blocked the kunai thrust at him, bringing the girl's relentless assault to a halt.

"You're too weak."

His short blade twisted, and the girl, lacking strength, could only be pulled along by his movements. As the vulnerable spot between her shoulder blades came into view, a shuriken silently closed in above her head.

"Let go of the little mistress!" The red-haired man sprang into action.

He hadn't seemed that strong before, but the moment he engaged in combat, he revealed strength on par with a Captain-level shinobi.

Sosuke's expression changed. He kicked off and retreated at full speed.

He'd miscalculated. He hadn't expected the enemy's group to include a Jonin. Without going all out, he had no chance of fighting this man on equal terms.

"Trying to run now?" His identity exposed, the man no longer planned to spare the boy.

He drew the long sword from his back and flashed in front of Sosuke, bringing it down in a slash.

A faint chakra shrouded the blade. A tree so large it would have taken three people to encircle it was instantly cut in two.

His attack had unexpectedly missed. The red-haired man looked uncertain, then remarked with some admiration, "Not bad. Of all the boys I've seen, you'd rank in the top three."

At that, the girl turned and glared fiercely at her companion, indignant.

She knew full well that she wasn't included in his top three.

She was fiercely competitive and had always held herself to the standards of a boy. What she couldn't stand most was being outdone by someone her own age.

She was about to charge forward again, but the other shinobi, who looked a little older, hurriedly held her back and whispered, "Your Highness, don't forget what you promised."

"...I know." Irritated, the girl yanked off her cloak, revealing a high, red bun.

Two ornaments resembling talismans hung from her bun, glowing faintly as if reflecting her unsettled mood.

Meanwhile, Sosuke's anger was slowly rising. Seizing an opening, he rushed forward. His Chidori Sharp Spear cut through the enemy's arm, but his own side inevitably took a kick.

"Who is this kid?!" The red-haired man was alarmed. He had never faced a boy this troublesome.

Lightning Style had aggravated his injured right arm, making it difficult to move. For now, he could only fight with one arm.

Of course, the kid wasn't in great shape either. The man had put all his strength into that kick. If he'd hit the little mistress instead, she would have lost the ability to fight altogether.

Rubbing his painfully sore stomach, Sosuke wondered if the man had broken one of his ribs.

"This is bad. A blow to the stomach could affect my speed."

He glanced at all three of them and began to formulate a plan.

Soon, their fight had gone on for more than ten minutes. Seeing how slippery the enemy was, the last of the three finally decided to join in.

After all, this was Uchiha territory. If they made too much noise, they might not get away unscathed.

"Your Highness, please wait. I'll capture the boy."

The middle-aged man was even stronger. The moment he joined the fight, he completely overwhelmed the boy.

The girl with a bun clapped excitedly, already imagining how she would torture him.

"Mm. Once we've caught him, we'll starve him for two days first, so he learns what happens when he crosses me."

But before the smile could fade from her face, a figure suddenly burst out of the ground, a kunai instantly pressed against her neck.

"Everyone, stop!"