Uzushio Village

Meanwhile, in Konoha.

Deep in the night, the Hokage Building remained brightly lit. Within the residential district assigned to the Sarutobi Clan, an eight-year-old boy gazed toward the Hokage Building, his eyes filled with a flicker of longing and reverence.

"Time for bed, Hiruzen." The steady voice of his father, Sarutobi Sasuke, echoed from outside.

"Father, I still don't quite understand how to practice this jutsu..."

Shaking his head, he said with a hint of helplessness, "Don't stay up too late, Hiruzen."

Inside the Hokage Building, Tobirama looked at the intelligence in his hands with a stern expression. A ninja knelt silently before his desk.

After the Ino-Shika-Cho trio led by Yūya went missing, the village had begun an investigation.

The first location locked onto as a prime suspect was naturally the site of the mission: a small town on the border of the Land of Fire. The facts were quickly uncovered; no conflict had occurred between the two parties in the town. Aside from the mayor's family being slaughtered overnight, there was no evidence to suggest the disappearance of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was related to that female ninja.

But for ninjas—for a violent organization like Konoha—such matters did not require evidence, only suspicion.

"A ghost, is it..." Looking at the black-and-white photographs of the scene, even without color, one could feel the cruelty of the event.

Everyone had been decapitated with clean, precise cuts. The mayor's corpse was nowhere to be found, leaving only a pile of human-shaped ash in its place. The townspeople assumed it was haunted and dared not approach the scene, let alone collect the bodies. By the time the Konoha ninjas arrived, the corpses had already rotted into a gruesome sight, the site crawling with maggots.

In Tobirama's hand was one such high-impact black-and-white photograph.

"A truly beautiful swordsmanship..."

In stark contrast was a color portrait drawn by the Yamanaka Clan, as vivid as if seen in person.

Judging by the painting, she was a girl with a remarkably sweet appearance—a beauty, by all accounts.

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

Since she was a master of the blade, the strange thing was why no one had witnessed her killing.

The witnesses' testimonies claimed they saw nothing; they only saw the heads of the samurai being severed out of thin air.

The intelligence report was permeated with eerie details.

Her movements were truly like those of a ghost.

If it were a jutsu that allowed for invisibility, that would explain it.

"Human, but like a ghost," Yūma said, simple and clear.

Tobirama tapped his fingers against the desk. As a ninja who had walked through the brutal Warring States period, he was accustomed to the dead and familiar with funerals. He had even been scolded severely by his father as a child for dressing his younger brother for the last time. Naturally, he knew very well that the way this girl wore her clothes was highly problematic.

A ghost?

There was no more information to be found on this individual: her background, her purpose, her name—all were unknown.

Therefore...

The ninja world was vast; continuing to pursue this investigation further would be meaningless.

"Notify Ino-Shika-Cho to prepare for Yūya and the others' funeral. I am sorry, but we likely won't be able to find their remains."

"Yes!"

Following this, Tobirama shifted to another topic and asked, "How is the establishment of the Anbu coming along?"

"The general framework has been built, Lord Tobirama. The clan has prioritized selecting many skilled hands. The five captains—Tiger, Blast, Ox, Horse, and Rabbit—are already in place."

The Anbu consisted of one captain-general and four division captains. Each division had four squads, with each squad led by a squad leader and consisting of four people. A single division comprised seventeen members, all outstanding elites selected from the village.

This was something Tobirama had considered from the very beginning.

"Continue to follow up on this matter..." Tobirama flicked the portrait in his hand. Wrapped in chakra, the paper pierced the floor like a sword with a sharp thud. He said, "In that case, register this person as the first entry in the Anbu assassination manual. Codename: Ghost Princess."

"Yes!"

To be able to make three jonin—who were experts in coordinated combat—disappear without a sound, without even leaving a chance to flee.

This was not something an ordinary jonin could accomplish.

"Add a special note: this person is extremely dangerous. Once discovered, do not act without authorization. Gather at least one full division to launch a concentrated assault," Tobirama said sternly.

"Yes!"

"Speaking of which, Big Brother hasn't noticed anything unusual lately, has he?" Tobirama glanced sideways at his clansman and said, "He hasn't heard any rumors, has he?"

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

"Very good."

At the same time...

In the Land of Whirlpools, Uzushio Village. Now that the Five Great Nations and Five Great Villages of the ninja world had been established, this was the only place in the ninja world that was entirely founded by ninja clans and held a dominant position in society.

Calling it a ninja village was inappropriate; it should be called a ninja nation.

Although not large, it was indeed a nation.

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

Consequently, in the ninja world, Uzushio Village was an absolute anomaly. Its situation was both delicate and dangerous. Even with a treaty with the Senju Clan, it was not foolproof. Therefore, to protect the homeland where their clansmen had lived for generations, it was necessary to add another layer of insurance.

At present, marriage was the only choice to further deepen their ties with the Senju Clan.

Therefore, as the second-in-command of Konoha, the request from Tobirama Senju hit the mark perfectly.

The bedroom door shattered with a thunderous crash, causing the white-haired old man to bolt upright from his bed, staring in terror at the young woman who had burst through the entrance.

She appeared to be in her twenties, young and beautiful, with striking red hair styled into twin buns adorned with two paper charms. A purple diamond-shaped mark rested on her forehead, and she wore a golden crown atop her white kimono. Her demeanor was dignified, beautiful, and imposing, naturally exuding the powerful aura of a princess of a nation.

Uzumaki...

"Mito..." The old man looked at his granddaughter and gave a sheepish smile. "You're here." As the founder of Uzushio Village, Uzumaki Ashina was a powerhouse who had been famous in the ninja world since the Warring States period, but in front of his favorite granddaughter, he was nothing more than an ordinary old man.

Mito was furious. With a cold, pretty face, she demanded, "Old man, what is the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean, what is the meaning of this?" The old man feigned ignorance.

"Cut the act!" Mito shouted. "What is the meaning of marrying me off to an old man who already has a wife! Even if he is the God of Shinobi! I absolutely cannot tolerate this!"

"Mito, calm down first." The old man chuckled dryly. "Hashirama's wife died long ago, so it makes no difference. You'll definitely be the one in charge once you go over there; all of Konoha will be yours."

"Bastard!" Veins popped on Mito's forehead. She raised a delicate fist and retorted, "He already has children! They aren't just old enough to run errands! They're old enough to date me! In a few more years, that old guy might even have granddaughters!"

"Isn't that great? You can be a mother the moment you arrive. Isn't it nice to have a servant to boss around?" the old man laughed nervously.

"You bastard old man!" A massive surge of chakra erupted. Because of her hairstyle, her hair couldn't fly upward, but Mito threw a punch without mercy, gritting her teeth as she hissed, "Go to hell! Old man!"

The old man jumped up in alarm, leaping and dodging frantically as Mito chased him, moving with the agility of a monkey rather than an old man.

"Mito! Calm down! Mito!"

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

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

Mito was about to explode with rage. Seizing an opening, she grabbed the old man and began pounding on his head, sending tears streaming from his eyes.