Uzushio Village

Meanwhile, in Konoha.

The Hokage Building was still brightly lit in the dead of night. In the Sarutobi Clan's assigned compound, an eight-year-old boy gazed at the building, a glimmer of longing and admiration in his eyes.

"It's time for bed, Hiruzen." His father, Sarutobi Sasuke, called out from outside in a steady voice.

"Father, I still don't quite understand this technique..."

He shook his head and said with a hint of helplessness, "Don't stay up too late, Hiruzen."

Inside the Hokage Building, Tobirama Senju stared sternly at the intelligence report in his hands. A ninja knelt silently before his desk.

After the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Yūya and his two teammates, went missing, the village had begun an investigation.

First, they naturally focused on the likeliest place: the town in the Land of Fire's border region where the mission had taken place. They quickly uncovered what had happened. The two sides hadn't clashed in town. Aside from the apparent slaughter of the entire town chief's family in a single night, there was no evidence that the female ninja had anything to do with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's disappearance.

But when it came to ninjas and a violent organization like Konoha, evidence wasn't necessary. Suspicion was enough.

"A ghost, huh..." Tobirama studied the black-and-white photographs taken at the scene. Even without color, the brutality was unmistakable.

Everyone had been beheaded, the cuts clean and precise. The town chief's body was missing, and all that remained in its place was a pile of human-shaped ashes. The townspeople believed the place was haunted, and didn't dare go near it. No one dared retrieve the bodies, either. By the time Konoha's ninjas arrived, the corpses had rotted beyond recognition, and disco maggots crawled all over the scene.

The photograph in Tobirama's hand was just as shocking.

"Such exquisite swordsmanship..."

In stark contrast, the Yamanaka Clan's colored portrait looked almost lifelike.

At a glance, she was a remarkably sweet-looking girl—a beauty, in fact.

"Yūma, do you think she's human or a ghost?" Tobirama asked.

She was clearly skilled with a blade. What was strange was that nobody had seen her cutting anyone down.

The witnesses all claimed they hadn't seen anything—only the samurai's heads, severed out of nowhere.

Everything in the report seemed bizarre.

Her movements were practically ghostlike.

If she had a technique that let her turn invisible, that would explain it.

"She's human, but like a ghost," Yūma replied succinctly.

Tobirama tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. As a ninja who had lived through the brutal Warring States period, he had seen countless deaths and funerals. He had even dressed his younger brother for the last time as a child, only to be harshly scolded by his father. Naturally, he knew there was something very wrong with the way the girl's clothes had been put on.

A ghost?

They had no more information about her. Her origins, motives, and name were all unknown.

And so...

The Shinobi World was vast. There was no point in continuing the search.

"Notify the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Have them prepare a funeral for Yūya and the others. I'm sorry, but I don't think we'll find their bodies."

"Yes, sir!"

Then Tobirama changed the subject. "How is the Anbu coming along?"

"We've already built the basic framework, Lord Tobirama. The clan has selected quite a few capable fighters. The five captains—Tiger, Blast, Ox, Horse, and Rabbit—are all in place."

Anbu would consist of one commander and four squad leaders. Each squad would have four teams, each under a team leader. With four members to a team, each squad would have seventeen people in total, all outstanding elites selected from the village.

Tobirama had planned it that way from the start.

"Keep following up on that..." Tobirama flicked the portrait from his hand. Wrapped in chakra, the sheet flew like a blade and struck the floor with a soft thud. "In that case, list this person as the first target in the Anbu Assassination Handbook. Codename: Ghost Princess."

"Yes, sir!"

Making three Jonin—experts in coordinated combat—vanish without a sound, without even giving them a chance to escape...

That was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Jonin.

"Add a special note: this person is extremely dangerous. If she is spotted, no one is to act alone. Gather at least one full squad and attack together," Tobirama said gravely.

"Yes, sir!"

"Speaking of which, my big brother hasn't noticed anything strange lately, has he?" Tobirama glanced sideways at his clansman. "He hasn't heard any rumors, has he?"

Yūma's mouth twitched. "Lord Tobirama, everything is going according to plan."

"Good."

Meanwhile...

In the Land of Whirlpools, Uzushio Village was the only country in the Shinobi World, now that the Five Great Villages of the five great nations had been established, built entirely by ninja clans, who held a dominant position in society.

Calling it a ninja village didn't seem right. It should be called a ninja country.

It might not be large, but it was undeniably a country.

It was the final form of ninja culture, but it had appeared too early.

As a result, Uzushio Village was a complete oddity in the Shinobi World, its position both delicate and dangerous. Even its alliance with the Senju Clan offered no guarantee of safety. So, to protect the homeland where their people had lived for generations, they needed another safeguard.

At present, marriage was the obvious choice—a way to deepen their ties with the Senju Clan.

Thus, the request from Tobirama Senju, Konoha's second-in-command, was exactly what they wanted.

The bedroom door shattered with a tremendous crash. The white-haired old man jolted upright in bed, landing hard on his backside as he stared in terror at the girl who had burst through the doorway.

She looked to be in her twenties, young and beautiful, with striking red hair tied into two buns. Two talisman ornaments dangled from her hair, and a purple diamond-shaped mark sat between her brows. She wore a golden crown and a white kimono. Her dignified, beautiful, and imposing presence naturally carried the air of a princess.

Uzumaki...

"Mito..." The old man looked at his granddaughter and gave an awkward smile. "You're here." As the founder of Uzushio Village, Uzumaki Ashina had been a renowned Shinobi World powerhouse since the Warring States period. But in front of his beloved granddaughter, he was just an ordinary old man.

Mito was furious. Her pretty face cold, she asked, "Old man, what's the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean?" The old man played dumb.

"Oh, cut it out!" Mito demanded. "You're marrying me off to an old man who already has a wife? I don't care if he's the God of Shinobi! I'll never tolerate this!"

"Mito, calm down first." The old man gave an awkward laugh. "Hashirama's wife died ages ago. It's no big deal. You'll be in charge when you get there. Konoha will be yours."

"Bastard!" Veins bulged at Mito's temple. She raised her delicate fist. "He already has kids! They're old enough to do more than run errands! They could even date me! In a few years, that old coot could have a granddaughter of his own!"

"Isn't that great? You'd get to be a mother right away. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little slave to boss around?" the old man said with an awkward laugh.

"Damn you, old man!" An immense surge of chakra erupted. Her hair couldn't even flutter because of the way it was styled. Mito swung her fist without mercy, gritting her teeth as she hissed, "Drop dead, old man!"

The old man sprang up in alarm, and Mito chased him around the room as he dodged at the limits of his ability. He was nimble as a monkey, not an old man at all.

"Mito! Calm down! Mito!"

"I can't calm down! Stand still and let me beat you up! Then I'll listen to your explanation!"

"Wait! Mito! Your grandfather's old bones can't take even one hit from you!"

Mito was about to explode with rage. Spotting an opening, she grabbed the old man and pounded on his head. Tears streamed from his eyes.