The Princess of the Uzumaki Clan

"So it's just a brat."

The man's tone was gentle, but the moment the words left his mouth, his heart sank.

He cautiously turned his head and caught the displeased gaze of his young mistress.

"Ha, haha, actually, young people aren't bad either. Heroes often show their brilliance from a young age, uh."

Letting out an awkward laugh, the red-haired man lowered his head and silently retreated back into the middle of the group.

His young mistress hated it most when people commented on her age; otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on following the two of them to the Land of Fire.

In a moment of carelessness, he had openly mocked a child around her age—this was bad.

Thinking about what awaited him when they returned, the man couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

Seeing this, the small figure let out a light snort and withdrew her gaze, then slowly lifted her head, her tone laced with faint displeasure: "And you, too. He was mocking you—couldn't you at least talk back?"

"..." Sosuke furrowed his brow, feeling that the group before him was oddly mismatched.

The man had bright red hair, while the other two's features were obscured, making it impossible for Sosuke to confirm their identities.

Perhaps they simply had a rare hair color and weren't from the Uzumaki Clan, isolated overseas.

"Hmph, I'll find out by testing."

Without answering the girl's question, Sosuke's hands moved swiftly through hand signs, and seven basketball-sized flames descended like scattered flowers from the sky.

As he used the Phoenix Sage Fire, Sosuke applied a subtle force to throw a handful of shuriken, giving the jutsu an erratic attack trajectory.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Red!

"Damn it." The red-haired man muttered a curse, flashing to the front and, a second before the flames struck, thrust his index finger heavily into the void.

In an instant, black sealing patterns spread through the air. The flames, as if meeting their natural enemy, were absorbed on contact with the patterns.

Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!

Though the flames vanished, the shuriken within them didn't lose their momentum.

Under the man's anxious gaze, the shuriken curved along a bizarre path and collided midair beside his body.

By the time the trio sensed danger, a glint of cold steel was already hurtling toward the small girl.

"Ah!" In her panic, the girl couldn't react in time, and her cloak was torn apart by the whistling shuriken.

Black fabric scattered, revealing another head of brilliant red hair beneath.

"Just as I thought." Sosuke didn't press the attack, instead frowning lightly as he asked, "Uzumaki Clan—why are you here?"

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

She had just spoken up for him, and now he turned around and gave her a lesson in humility.

At first, the girl felt a bit wronged, but soon her dissatisfaction turned into anger.

Ignoring the youth's questioning, she lunged at him with claws bared, ready to teach him a lesson herself.

"Die, die, die!" The girl's assault was relentless, her movements flowing smoothly, showing she had put serious effort into training.

This only made Sosuke more curious about her identity.

The Uzumaki Clan were cousins to the Senju, direct descendants of Asura. In the original story, notable members included Naruto, Nagato, and Karin.

As for famous figures from the Warring States period, he didn't know much.

Either way, they definitely didn't see eye to eye with the Uchiha.

Whatever their purpose, ruining it was the right call.

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

Forcing the thrust of her kunai aside, the girl's unending assault was abruptly halted.

"You're too weak."

Flipping his short sword, the girl, lacking strength, was forced to follow his lead. As the vital point on her back was exposed, a shuriken silently closed in on her head.

"Release the young mistress!" The red-haired man made his move.

He had seemed unremarkable before, but now that he acted, he revealed strength no less than Captain-level.

Sosuke's expression shifted, and he kicked backward, retreating frantically.

A miscalculation—he hadn't expected an enemy Jonin in their ranks. Without going all out, he had no chance of matching him evenly.

"Still trying to run?" With his identity fully exposed, the man no longer intended to let the youth escape.

Drawing the long blade from his back, he flashed in front of Sosuke and swung down.

A faint trace of Chakra wrapped around the blade, and a tree requiring three people to encircle was instantly cleaved in two.

The attack missed unexpectedly, and the red-haired man's eyes flickered with surprise. He remarked with some admiration, "Impressive. Among the youths I've seen, you rank in the top three."

Hearing this, the girl turned to glare fiercely at her companion, her heart full of defiance.

She knew full well that the "top three" her companion mentioned definitely didn't include her.

Naturally strong-willed, she always held herself to a man's standards and couldn't stand being outdone by someone her own age.

Just as he was about to charge forward again, another slightly older ninja quickly held her back and whispered, "Princess, don't forget what you promised."

"I know." The girl yanked off her cloak in irritation, revealing a tall, coiled red bun beneath.

Two ornaments resembling talismans hung from her hair bun, faintly shimmering as if reflecting the turmoil in her heart.

On the other side, Sosuke's anger was steadily rising. Seizing an opportunity, he lunged forward, his Chidori Sharp Spear slicing across the enemy's arm, while his own side inevitably took a kick.

"Just who is this brat?!" The red-haired man was startled; he had never encountered such a troublesome youth before.

His injured right arm, numbed by Lightning Style, was now difficult to move, forcing him to fight with only one arm.

Of course, the kid wasn't in great shape either—that kick had been delivered with full force. If it had been his young master, he'd probably have been completely incapacitated by now.

Rubbing his fiercely aching abdomen, Sosuke seriously wondered if his intestines had been kicked apart.

"Crap, a heavy blow to the gut—this might slow me down."

His gaze swept across the three faces, and a plan began to form in his mind.

Soon, the fight had dragged on for over ten minutes. Seeing how overly cunning the enemy was, the remaining ninja finally lost patience.

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

"Your Highness, wait a moment. I'll capture the youth."

The middle-aged man was far stronger, and with one move, he completely suppressed the youth.

Seeing this, the Girl with a Bun clapped her hands in excitement, already fantasizing about how she would torture him.

"Mm, once we catch him, I'll starve him for two days first—let him know what happens when he messes with me."

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

"Everyone, stop right there!"