Just Got Off the Ship, and Trouble Struck

He had no choice but to give a brief account of Nagato Uzumaki's situation. Then his eyelids drooped, and he fell unconscious.

Hatake Sakumo hurriedly caught him, his expression grave as he muttered to himself.

"Were children of the Uzumaki Clan taken here, too..."

Elsewhere, the fake Fuso Uzumaki took Nagato Uzumaki to a secluded spot behind a small hill.

In a low, hoarse voice, she said, "Take this child away."

As soon as she finished speaking, the earth softened, and a White Zetsu emerged from underground to take Nagato.

Then the White Zetsu used the Mayfly Technique and slipped underground with Nagato.

The fake Fuso Uzumaki's body shifted, turning pitch-black, and her bean-like eyes narrowed.

The dark creature had a human shape, but no human features at all.

He, too, slipped underground and headed in another direction.

"There's only one person left. I hope they can withstand the Rinnegan's backlash."

Uchiha Chonhua opened his bleary eyes.

"That ceiling looks familiar."

It certainly was. It was the ceiling of the rest room aboard the warship they had taken here.

"Chonhua, you're awake!"

Uchiha Mikoto's delighted voice reached him.

Uchiha Chonhua sat up and rubbed his aching head.

"How long was I asleep?"

"You slept for half a day." Knowing Chonhua was confused about the situation, Uchiha Mikoto quickly explained, "After you passed out, Lord Sakumo escorted us to the coast. We boarded a warship, and now we're on our way to Konoha."

"What about that child? How is he?"

Uchiha Mikoto's expression fell. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but all that came out was a sigh.

Seeing her expression, Uchiha Chonhua understood.

They hadn't rescued Nagato Uzumaki.

Uchiha Chonhua fell silent.

"Chonhua, according to the information Lord Sakumo got, children of the Uzumaki Clan have gone missing in other areas, too—not just along our route."

"Hmm?" Uchiha Chonhua's expression turned grave. "How many children are missing?"

"So far, eight, including Nagato."

"Were they all taken the same way we were?"

Uchiha Mikoto shook her head. "Six were taken by the Cloud Village and Mist Village. Two went missing along the way."

Uchiha Chonhua did the math. Including Nagato, that made nine.

"Was one of them rescued?"

Uchiha Mikoto nodded and elaborated, "It was Lord Sakumo. After fighting the enemy's main force, he ran into the people who had taken the children on his way back to the capital."

"After Lord Sakumo killed one of them, it turned into the strange creature we encountered."

That strange creature was a White Zetsu.

Uchiha Mikoto recalled what Hatake Sakumo had told them. Even the Sensor Ninjas in the main force hadn't detected the enemy's true identity. It was only after the enemy died and turned into a White Zetsu that everyone was shocked.

That ability to disguise itself was truly astounding. Even Hatake Sakumo, with all his experience, found the enemy's techniques unfamiliar and bizarre.

The Cloud Village and Mist Village definitely didn't have techniques like that!

The situation had left Hatake Sakumo feeling uneasy.

Besides the Cloud Village, Mist Village, Konoha, and the Uzumaki Clan, there had to be someone else stirring up trouble and profiting from the chaos on this battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools!

He had begun investigating and learned what had happened to the various groups escorting members of the Uzumaki Clan.

Uchiha Chonhua's group had faced the greatest danger, so Hatake Sakumo had immediately taken elite shinobi to reinforce them.

That was how he had arrived in the nick of time and saved them.

"Lord Sakumo got there just in time. Who knows what would've happened otherwise?"

Uchiha Chonhua marveled at Hatake Sakumo's keen judgment and felt grateful to him. He'd arrived at just the right moment!

"Jonin Ono told Lord Sakumo about the Cloud Village and Mist Village shinobi we encountered along the way."

Uchiha Mikoto shuddered despite herself, a hint of fear on her face.

"Lord Sakumo has his own sources of information and knows the identities of the enemy forces. He said some of the enemies we encountered should have been on the northern battlefield, while others were enemies the main force had killed in battle recently. Lord Sakumo had even killed several of them himself."

"Lord Sakumo said a third party has gotten involved in the turmoil in the Land of Whirlpools. He doesn't know which faction it is."

Uchiha Madara's faction.

Uchiha Chonhua rubbed his brow, feeling annoyed.

Those shinobi who shouldn't have been there on the northern battlefield, along with the enemy shinobi who had been killed in previous battles, were probably all White Zetsu in disguise.

Uchiha Chonhua felt frustrated. He should have checked more carefully.

He had ended his fights quickly, killing each enemy with a single Chidori through the chest, and then moving on without a second thought.

He covered his face. If only he'd known...

Uchiha Chonhua sighed. Even if he had known, he probably still wouldn't have been able to guard against them. Their disguise technique was too good. Even the many elite Sensor Ninjas in the Fourth Shinobi World War couldn't tell the real from the fake.

If they hadn't sensed the malice emanating from them through Naruto Uzumaki, the Allied Shinobi Forces wouldn't have had a chance to unite. Everyone would have become suspicious of each other, turned on one another, and descended into infighting.

As for his abilities now... unless the enemy made the first move, like the fake Uchiha Mikoto had, it was hard to tell them apart.

Chapter 40: Just Got Off the Ship, and Trouble Struck

Fuso Uzumaki leaned against the railing, dejected and downcast.

Her beautiful eyes gazed sadly at the Land of Whirlpools, now too far away to make out.

The ship parted the waves. Overwhelmed with sorrow, Fuso Uzumaki felt tears slip from the corners of her eyes and fall into the sea.

Uchiha Chonhua watched the grieving Fuso Uzumaki, unsure what to say.

The White Zetsu's appearance confirmed that Uchiha Madara had acted.

With Uchiha Madara involved, the chance of rescuing Nagato Uzumaki was slim.

The Rinnegan was destined to appear in Nagato's eyes. From then on, he would be at the mercy of others, and his life would be full of turmoil.

"Aunt Fuso, no news is the best news."

Uchiha Chonhua walked over to comfort her. "Maybe you'll have a chance to see Nagato again someday."

With tears in her eyes, Fuso Uzumaki asked, "Chonhua, do you think Lord Hatake can rescue Nagato?"

"...It's possible."

Uchiha Chonhua could only say that. Deep down, he didn't believe Hatake Sakumo would be able to find Nagato Uzumaki.

"Please take care of yourself. The enemy went to so much trouble to take Nagato instead of the others, which means there's something about him they value."

Fuso Uzumaki nodded. There had been attacks all day, and then there was that creature that looked nothing like a person.

The Uzumaki Clan had clearly been targeted, but out of all its members, the enemy had singled out Nagato.

Uchiha Chonhua was right, but... Fuso Uzumaki stared blankly ahead. Why did it have to be Nagato?

"The enemy needs Nagato, so they'll definitely keep him alive."

Uchiha Chonhua tapped the railing, making a crisp sound.

He gazed out at the sea and said slowly, "Aunt Fuso, you'll definitely see Nagato again someday. You have to take care of yourself so you'll be ready when that day comes."

Fuso Uzumaki didn't answer. Her eyes blurred with tears as she stared blankly toward the Land of Whirlpools.

When the ship entered a harbor in the Land of Fire, everyone stepped off and felt solid ground beneath their feet. Their expressions all relaxed.

Jonin Ono smiled. "Now that we're in the Land of Fire, we don't have to rush the rest of the way. Everyone can take it easy."

"We're safe now that we're on our home turf."

He turned to the group. "Let's get a good rest in this coastal city today. We'll set out again tomorrow."

"Okay!" Hearing that, Uchiha Mikoto smiled serenely and invited Uchiha Chonhua.

"Chonhua, let's go explore."

They had set out for the Land of Whirlpools from this coastal city. Uchiha Mikoto had only gotten a quick look around then, but the scenery had been lovely and the atmosphere peaceful.

Everything here felt new to her. After all, she'd rarely left Konoha growing up.

But she had been on an urgent mission at the time, so she'd had to keep her desire to explore to herself.

They were still on a mission now, but it was much safer here than in the Land of Whirlpools.

Jonin Ono was right. This was their home turf, so it was safe!

More importantly...

Shyness flickered in Uchiha Mikoto's bright, picture-perfect eyes as she sneaked a glance at Uchiha Chonhua.

The two of them going out together... Wasn't that... that sort of thing?

Uchiha Mikoto didn't dare think any further. Just thinking about it made her cheeks warm.

She looked at Uchiha Chonhua expectantly.

"Sure."

Uchiha Chonhua readily agreed. As soon as the words left his mouth, the lovely girl in front of him swept toward him, bringing a waft of fragrance as she took his hand.

Uchiha Mikoto lifted her chin, her eyes curving like crescents as she beamed.

"Hehe, let's go!"

Uchiha Chonhua smiled as he watched her. That smile just now... had been breathtaking.

"There's so much seafood here."

Uchiha Mikoto looked along the street at all the vendors hawking seafood.

"It's a coastal city, after all. A lot of people make their living fishing."

Uchiha Chonhua picked up a fish and checked the price.

"Lots of people go out to sea, so there's plenty of seafood. When there's a lot of it, the price goes down. It's much cheaper than in Konoha."

"Should we buy some to take home?"

Uchiha Mikoto thought it over and decided it would be a good idea. She could make some seafood dishes for her parents.

And for Chonhua, too. As she bought the seafood, Uchiha Mikoto thought about letting him try her cooking.

She'd mostly made him simple home-cooked dishes before, and they were starting to feel a little routine.

Now that she had seafood, she could try something new.

Uchiha Chonhua stood nearby, smiling as he watched Uchiha Mikoto talk to the vendor.

Some of the seafood was unfamiliar to Mikoto. She asked about it with a puzzled look, and when the vendor answered, her mouth fell open in surprise.

Her lively expressions on that delicate little face of hers never got old.

Thud.

A man wearing a hat, his head lowered so his face couldn't be seen, bumped into Uchiha Chonhua.