They encountered no enemies along the rest of the way. After traveling for a while, they ran into a Konoha patrol.
After confirming each other's identities with a code, Uchiha Chonhua and the others picked up the pace and entered the capital of the Land of Whirlpools.
This was where the Uzumaki Clan lived. Uchiha Chonhua looked around and spotted many red-haired people.
"Is everyone from the Uzumaki Clan here?"
Ono Sawato spoke to the Chunin guiding them.
The Chunin nodded. "After word arrived from Lord Hokage, the Uzumaki Clan Head gathered all the clan members on the island here in the capital."
Ono Sawato's gaze shifted. "What about the people who aren't from the Uzumaki Clan?"
He meant people who lived in the Land of Whirlpools and made their living as merchants and the like.
The Land of Whirlpools was a country, and the Uzumaki Clan made up most of its population, but that didn't mean people from other countries couldn't live there.
The Chunin's expression remained blank. "They've been notified. Some followed the Uzumaki Clan to the capital, while others are making their own way out."
"They're not from the Uzumaki Clan, after all. We can only pray they make it to safety."
Hearing that, Ono Sawato sighed softly. "There's nothing else we can do."
The Chunin led them to the Daimyo Mansion in the Land of Whirlpools, then left.
He said he had to go meet the other shinobi squads arriving in the Land of Whirlpools.
The main force had set out early and was marching at a fast pace. Cloud Village and Mist Village had already begun their attacks, so they needed to hurry to the Land of Whirlpools and defend against the invasion.
Though shinobi squads like Uchiha Chonhua's were also short on time, they weren't in quite as much of a hurry.
Once the main force had fought the first major battle against Cloud Village and Mist Village and things had reached a stalemate, that would be the time for them to step in.
The shinobi squads were entering the Land of Whirlpools in batches and would rendezvous with the main force.
After that, they would begin carrying out their mission.
Escort the Uzumaki Clan to Konoha!
"Zeren, welcome."
As they entered the Daimyo Mansion, Uchiha Chonhua was studying its decor and layout when a gentle voice spoke up.
He looked up and saw a handsome man with silver hair tied in a ponytail, a calm air about him. A white armband marked with a red triangle was wrapped around his left arm.
He knew this man: Hatake Sakumo.
He was also the leader of Konoha's main force in the Land of Whirlpools.
Hatake Sakumo spoke with Ono Sawato, asking about what they had encountered on the way.
At the same time, he watched Uchiha Chonhua out of the corner of his eye.
Is this the child Lord Hokage has taken a liking to? And he's an Uchiha, too.
Hatake Sakumo was older than the Sannin and had seen more of the world. He had served in the Hokage's personal Anbu and learned a thing or two about the village's inner workings.
He knew the Konoha High Council was biased against the Uchiha Clan, and that even the mild-mannered Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the same way.
That made it all the more surprising that Lord Hokage, who was biased against the Uchiha Clan, had taken a liking to an Uchiha child.
Hatake Sakumo studied him with curiosity, wondering what had made him stand out.
"You must be Uchiha Chonhua. Nice to meet you. I'm Hatake Sakumo."
"Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Uchiha Chonhua."
Hatake Sakumo smiled. "Come inside. You need to understand the situation if you're going to escort the Uzumaki Clan safely."
Uchiha Chonhua and the others followed Hatake Sakumo into a room, where another person was waiting.
His red hair was faded, almost white. The old man stood with his arms crossed, his expression blank and his brow furrowed as he studied a map of the Land of Whirlpools on the wall.
When he saw Hatake Sakumo enter, he glanced at Ono Sawato and the others. His brow furrowed even more.
He turned to Hatake Sakumo, looking puzzled.
Was one shinobi squad really worth bringing all the way to the Daimyo Mansion? And Hatake Sakumo, the commander of Konoha's main force, had gone to meet them in person, too.
What was so important about them? Had Sarutobi Hiruzen's own son arrived?
Huh? The Uzumaki Clan Head suddenly noticed the ping-pong-paddle crests behind a boy and a girl.
This squad had Konoha's two eye-technique clans represented: the Uchiha and the Hyuga.
The Uzumaki Clan Head relaxed, his irritation fading. They were from great clans, so it made sense to give them special consideration.
Hatake Sakumo introduced everyone to one another.
Uchiha Chonhua glanced around. So this was the Feudal Lord of the Land of Whirlpools, and the head of the Uzumaki Clan.
"You're the first shinobi squad to arrive. I'm sorry we can't let you rest properly for a few days."
Hatake Sakumo sounded apologetic. "You'll only have tonight to rest. Tomorrow morning, you'll begin your mission."
"Cloud Village and Mist Village are regrouping right now and have no plans to attack. This is the best time to move."
"Are Cloud Village and Mist Village waiting for reinforcements?"
Uchiha Chonhua spoke up suddenly. The Uzumaki Clan Head paused, then looked at the Uchiha boy in surprise.
The Uzumaki Clan Head answered, "Our sudden moves disrupted their plans. They launched a rushed attack on the Land of Whirlpools, but my clan's elite and the Konoha shinobi under Sakumo drove them back."
Hatake Sakumo smiled. "They don't have enough shinobi to take us on right now, so they have no choice but to wait for reinforcements and proceed with their original plan."
Chapter 34: The Uzumaki Clan Head: Hashirama, you made a mistake
"Tomorrow morning, we'll launch an attack on the enemy to create a relatively safe passage for you."
Uchiha Chonhua frowned. Relatively safe meant there would still be some danger.
Hatake Sakumo added, "There's always some danger, but it shouldn't be much for your squad. Those six Mist Village shinobi already proved what you can do."
Especially Uchiha Chonhua.
Ono Sawato had told him that Uchiha Chonhua had taken out all six Mist Village shinobi by himself. The boy already had the strength of a Jonin.
With two Jonin in the squad, plus two other children from great clans whose strength was at least Chunin level, this was an excellent team. With the main force keeping the enemy's main strength occupied, the risk of running into a few stragglers wasn't high.
After all, this squad was a big fish in its own right. Any small fry who came after them wouldn't make it back!
Honestly, Hatake Sakumo wanted to bring them into the main force. You could never have too many talented shinobi.
The Uzumaki Clan Head pointed to the map on the wall. "This is the Land of Hot Water, where Konoha and Cloud Village are fighting. The Third Raikage is stationed there right now."
Then he moved his finger toward the heart of the Land of Lightning. "The Eight-Tails has gone on a rampage in Cloud Village, and they need shinobi to deal with it. They've also opened up two more fronts by force, so they can't have many shinobi left in the Land of Whirlpools. On the other hand..."
The Uzumaki Clan Head pointed again, this time at a huge island. The Land of Water lay there.
"Mist Village doesn't have many troops to spare either. The atmosphere back home is the reason."
"The atmosphere?"
Uchiha Mikoto was curious. What did he mean?
Hatake Sakumo smiled. "The Third Mizukage has a poor relationship with the clans. They clash from time to time. None of the Mist Village shinobi sent here belong to the clans. Anbu investigations revealed that the Third Mizukage left many shinobi behind to guard against his own clans."
That made sense: a power struggle between the Kage and the clans.
Konoha was showing signs of the same trend, but Mist Village had moved ahead of them, already entering a phase akin to weakening the feudal lords.
So the situation in the Land of Whirlpools was serious, but it hadn't reached the point of imminent collapse.
Cloud Village had too much on its plate and had spread its forces thin, leaving the troops assigned to the Land of Whirlpools understrength.
Meanwhile, Mist Village's leader was at odds with his own clans. They couldn't stand each other, and while the clan shinobi were few in number, they were highly capable in individual combat. The Third Mizukage couldn't commit all his forces to the Land of Whirlpools; he had to keep some in reserve. Mist Village hadn't sent many shinobi, either.
Even so, the shinobi sent by Cloud Village and Mist Village were elites. They had only lost because their opponents were even more elite and even stronger!
Uchiha Chonhua looked at Hatake Sakumo. He was no small fry. By now, his strength was no less than that of a Kage.
With such a powerful shinobi leading an elite Konoha force, how could Cloud Village and Mist Village possibly succeed?
After they went over the details of the next day's mission, Ono Sawato and the others left, but Uchiha Chonhua stayed behind.
"Feudal Lord, we were able to uncover Cloud Village's plot thanks to this child."
The Uzumaki Clan Head looked at Uchiha Chonhua in surprise. "You!? You're the child who saved Kushina?"
The Uzumaki Clan Head rose and bowed in thanks. "Thank you for uncovering Cloud Village's plot. Otherwise...the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"It's nothing, Feudal Lord." Uchiha Chonhua waved his hands repeatedly. "It was just a guess. Lord Hokage was the one who acted on it. Lord Hokage was wise to trust my wild speculation."
"I never expected Cloud Village to actually plan an attack on the Land of Whirlpools."
The Uzumaki Clan Head stood up with a sigh, looking both proud and helpless. "My Uzumaki Clan is known throughout the Ninja World for its Sealing Jutsu. I used to be proud of that, but I never imagined it would become the root of our troubles."
"Looking back, perhaps Hashirama made a mistake. He distributed the Tailed Beasts and established a balance among them. He made Mito the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the other villages followed suit, deciding to create Jinchuriki of their own."
"From that moment on, the fate of my Uzumaki Clan was sealed. This calamity was written in the stars."
Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Chonhua said nothing. It wouldn't be right for either of them to comment on the decisions of their predecessors.
The Uzumaki Clan Head seemed to realize the mood had grown heavy, so he quickly changed the subject. "In the end, we still need the protection of a great nation. We'll have to rely on you, Konoha."
"Feudal Lord, you should come to Konoha with us, too."
Konoha's main force was still holding off Cloud Village and Mist Village here. The reason they were having the shinobi squads escort the Uzumaki Clan to Konoha was that a group of hotheaded, stubborn clan members wanted to stay behind and defend their homeland, fighting Cloud Village and Mist Village to the death.
If it weren't for them, the shinobi could have escorted the clan while fighting a retreat, withdrawing as they went.
Instead, they were locked in a stalemate.
"Enough, Sakumo. This is the place where our ancestors lived for generations. You expect me to hand it over to those two heartless bastards? Never!"
The Uzumaki Clan Head glared, his mustache bristling with anger!
They could send the elderly, women, and children to Konoha for safety, but the old-timers with some fight left in them would stay and fight to the bitter end for the Land of Whirlpools, for the place where their ancestors had lived for generations!
Even if they died here, they could go to their graves with a smile, having honored their ancestors! They wouldn't run away!
Uchiha Chonhua and Hatake Sakumo exchanged a glance and stopped trying to persuade him. There was no talking him out of it.
Uchiha Chonhua was a junior. Even as the man's benefactor, it wasn't his place to urge him.
As for Hatake Sakumo, he had already tried several times. His throat had gone dry, and he still hadn't changed the Uzumaki Clan Head's mind.
What else could they do? They had to let him have his way.
"We can only hope the enemy withdraws. That's the only way to save both the Land of Whirlpools and their lives."
Hatake Sakumo personally walked Uchiha Chonhua out.
Uchiha Chonhua asked, "Once this is over, will the Uzumaki Clan who fled return to the Land of Whirlpools?"
Hatake Sakumo shook his head. "There's no escaping the fact that a great nation has set its sights on the Uzumaki Clan. Only another great nation can stand up to one."
"From now on, Konoha will have some new residents... Wait, no, the Uzumaki Clan is an ally of Konoha. Would you say our old friends, scattered abroad, are finally coming home to settle down?"
Hatake Sakumo turned and smiled. "What do you think, Chonhua?"
"It's a good thing. Kushina's clansmen will be living in Konoha, so she won't be alone anymore."
I just hope Kushina's clansmen won't hold her status as a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki against her.
Hatake Sakumo stopped. They had reached the main gate.
"Go back and get a good night's sleep. I'll see you at the city gate tomorrow."
Uchiha Chonhua nodded, said goodbye to Hatake Sakumo, and left the Daimyo Mansion.
Hatake Sakumo watched Uchiha Chonhua walk away, until he turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
"What a talented child. I hope my own child will be just as talented one day."
Hatake Sakumo sighed, looking forward to the child he would have in the future.
Chapter 35: Nagato Uzumaki
The night passed uneventfully.
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