The Allied Forces of Thunder and Earth Arrive

"A lolicon?"

After glancing at Uzumaki Kushina, who remained standing in the distance, the few people present fell into a brief silence before Karatachi Yagura broke it.

Beside him, Yukinagi lowered her head to measure her own figure, a look of unwillingness appearing on her face.

On the other side, Uzumaki Oshishi prepared to remind Uzumaki Kushina and the others as soon as he finished escorting them back to the embassy district—although he had scolded them earlier because he felt embarrassed, that didn't mean he could accept a lolicon making such ill-intentioned contact with them!

"Cough, cough... What nonsense, who's a lolicon! I just thought that girl was quite cute and couldn't help but want to give her a hand."

Shingetsu choked on his own saliva, his face flushing red.

"Indeed, if we define it from a rigorous perspective, only someone at Yukinagi's age could be considered a loli; that child is merely a young girl." Karatachi Yagura nodded in agreement, correcting his own words.

Doesn't that sound even worse when put that way?

Shingetsu noticed the increasingly strange gazes from those around him and, finding himself speechless, decided to give the matter the cold shoulder for now.

"Actually, if you like that sort of thing, Shingetsu, my Transformation Technique has been practicing quite well lately, I could..." Yukinagi looked at Shingetsu, unable to stop herself from saying the words.

"..."

Shingetsu had no response and could only walk forward with his head down.

In truth, the reason Shingetsu said those things to Uzumaki Kushina, aside from the whim he felt due to his current status as a foreigner, was related to his next plan: to use Uzumaki Kushina as a medium to gain the support of the Uzumaki Clan.

To win over the Uzumaki Clan, one must at least have a medium of mutual trust, and since ancient times, marriage has always been the best method. Of course, the Uzumaki Clan would not marry into the Hozuki family without reason; how to achieve this goal would depend on Shingetsu's subsequent actions.

One day's journey from the Land of Whirlpools, within the territory of the small Land of Jiang, a secluded cave served as the temporary base for the combined Lightning and Earth forces.

To wipe out Uzushio Village in one fell swoop, both sides had dispatched a total of over five hundred people, which was essentially the maximum number that could ensure they wouldn't be discovered along the way. Even so, it was impossible for the allied forces to sneak into the Land of Whirlpools without a trace; it was already incredibly lucky that they had reached this point without being detected.

Small units might be one thing, but if Uzushio Village couldn't detect hundreds of people crossing their borders, they would be looking down on them far too much.

Among these five hundred people, a full third were jonin, which showed the determination of the two villages to seize the Tailed Beast sealing techniques.

Although the Uzumaki Clan was powerful, the entire clan only numbered about a thousand people, which was already a massive population—the Uchiha Clan only had four or five hundred. Excluding the elderly, the weak, women, and children, there were only four or five hundred capable fighters, with perhaps only a few dozen jonin among them.

The disparity in strength was so stark that, barring any accidents, Uzushio Village would soon become history.

"People from Konohagakure and Kirigakure? Why would they appear here?" Lie, the leader of the Iwagakure forces, frowned as he stared at the intelligence in his hand, carefully pondering the logic behind it.

"What's with all the 'whys'!" Moody B, the leader of the Kumogakure forces and the current "AB Duo," interrupted Lie's contemplation.

"I only know that regardless of whether there is conflict between Konoha and Kiri, and regardless of whether the news is true or false, both our sides have already brought our troops here. It's only one more day to the border of the Land of Whirlpools. If we don't want to retreat now, then we only have one move left."

Moody B slapped the table, his eyes widening: "Wipe out Uzushio Village!"

"Wipe out Uzushio Village!"

Behind him, a group of burly men with exposed arms waved their fists and echoed him excitedly.

What a damn barbarian!

Lie frowned; if it weren't for Ōnoki's orders, he really wouldn't want to fight alongside these muscle-bound brutes from the highlands. But this was fine, too—let the Uzumaki Elders deal with these brainless idiots! Surely the power of the "Dead Demon Consuming Seal" would be enough to cure their stupidity.

"Leader, we've been discovered! We killed the person, but the message may have already been sent out."

Just then, an Iwagakure ninja came to report that their tracks had been leaked.

As a major trading hub in the east of the continent, Uzushio Village naturally took on escort missions for merchant caravans. They had just been spotted by an Uzumaki ninja's sensory ninjutsu—there was no helping it; the chakra fluctuations of hundreds of people were simply too conspicuous. It was already a miracle they hadn't been discovered until now.

Judging by the reaction of that Uzumaki ninja, it was clear they had realized the target of this group was Uzushio Village. After all, besides Uzushio Village, there was no reason for hundreds of people to be hiding in this area, and Kirigakure couldn't be taken down by such a small force.

"Discovered, huh... Then there's no need to hide. Advance directly toward Uzushio Village!" Lie stood up abruptly and looked in the direction of Uzushio Village.

Being discovered here meant the element of surprise was gone, so the only thing left was a blitzkrieg—they had to take out Uzushio Village quickly before Konoha could react.

"Attack!" Moody B also gave the order excitedly.

Following their commands, the ninjas in the cave filed out and charged toward Uzushio Village.

Soon, Uzushio Village received the news.

"Clan Leader, some clansmen discovered traces of a large number of ninjas in the Land of Jiang, estimated to be four or five hundred. The specific identity of the enemy is unknown, but judging by their chakra levels, one-third should be at the jonin level."

"Seal the village immediately, gather everyone!" Uzumaki Takumi stood up abruptly, the fierce light in his eyes undisguised.

Identity?

With so many jonin, there was no need to ask; they must be from the Five Great Nations.

Konoha was an ally, so they were out of the question. Unless Kirigakure wanted Shingetsu dead, they wouldn't attack at this time. That left only the Wind, Earth, and Lightning nations. Whichever one it was, it would be a catastrophic disaster for Uzushio Village.

"Have the Great Elder lead people to the border of the Land of Whirlpools immediately and try to block the enemy's advance!" Uzumaki Takumi issued his orders methodically.

"You go to Konohagakure immediately to ask for reinforcements. Tell them about the attack on Uzushio Village, and emphasize the importance of Uzushio Village to Konoha! And remember, you must see Mito and tell her our situation."

"Immediately gather the talented children in the village and protect them! If things take a turn for the worse, they will be the hope of my Uzumaki Clan!"