Whirlpool

Land of Whirlpools...

"Emergency!"

As they neared the village entrance, Fugaku said urgently, "Go back at once. Head to the shelter with the rest of the clan. This isn't something you can meddle in!"

Kamizuki flashed Orochimaru's reply from his robes.

"Teacher Orochimaru approved my graduation application. By the rules, I only—"

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"I almost let him influence me..."

Kamizuki shook his head with a laugh.

Since when did I start caring about such boring rules?!

Whoosh!!!

With a violent burst of speed, Kamizuki raced across the ground, overtaking countless ninja and leaving them all far behind.

The large barrier at the village entrance had only just opened a crack—

Bang—!!!

Shattered barrier fragments scattered everywhere, like a mirror smashed apart.

"Th-this..."

"Inform the Barrier Team to repair it. Afterward, hold the Uchiha accountable."

"But... that's Elite Jonin Orochimaru's disciple, Lord Hokage's..."

"That's why I said hold the Uchiha accountable. Did I say we were suing Uchiha Kamizuki?! Idiot!"

—

The Land of Whirlpools had been the territory of the Uzumaki Clan since the Warring States Period. As one of the clans second only to the Senju and Uchiha, the Uzumaki Clan was renowned throughout the Shinobi World for its sealing arts.

Uzushiogakure and Konoha had a close alliance. Even their jonin uniforms bore the Uzumaki crest.

In Kamizuki's view, the clan's destruction had been inevitable. Its problems were far more serious than those of the Uchiha Clan.

The Uchiha Clan's greatest problem was its desire for power. At worst, it would be feared and targeted by the Second's faction.

But the Uzumaki Clan... had provoked the entire Shinobi World!

The reason began with Mito Uzumaki sealing the Nine-Tails.

Over the thousand years since the tailed beasts had been born, countless people had sought to obtain the power of these natural disasters. They slaughtered one another year after year, leaving corpses strewn across the land.

For example, Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure, known as the Two Lights in the Clouds, had gained the Nine-Tails' Chakra by eating its flesh.

Yet before Mito Uzumaki, there had never been a jinchuriki capable of completely possessing a tailed beast's power.

At the first Five Kage Summit, Hashirama Senju distributed the tailed beasts in order to completely quell the wars of the Shinobi World.

The core logic was "trading balance of power for peace." If every village possessed a terrifying weapon like a tailed beast, no one would dare start a war first.

It was a good idea, and peace truly did arrive.

But what created that deterrence was not the tailed beasts, but Hashirama Senju himself.

Hashirama might have known that, but people died while tailed beasts did not. He could only do so much.

The reason Tobirama Senju agreed to this was different from Hashirama's.

He knew perfectly well that after his elder brother died, another great war in the Shinobi World would inevitably come. Distributing the tailed beasts could temporarily ease Konoha's financial burden, but more importantly...

It could continuously drag down the other four great nations.

A sealing arts expert like his sister-in-law had found sealing the Nine-Tails difficult enough. What about the other ninja villages?

They had neither profound sealing arts nor suitable candidates to become jinchuriki. To control tailed beasts, they would inevitably suffer massive casualties and economic losses.

But they had no choice but to keep trying. Otherwise, what if another ninja village mastered the technology to control tailed beasts first?

It was a poisoned cake. Eat it, and you would be poisoned. But if you didn't... once others had eaten their fill, they would come after you.

And Konoha possessed the strongest of them all, the Nine-Tails. Even if the other ninja villages succeeded in creating jinchuriki, they would pose no threat to Konoha!

Tobirama's plan was good... but he had not thought far enough ahead, nor comprehensively enough.

More importantly... he had died too soon.

He had never realized how great a disaster this would bring upon the Uzumaki Clan.

After years of fruitless attempts, what would the major ninja villages think?

It was simple. They would learn from the only success.

The Uzumaki Clan, and the sealing arts it possessed, were the key to creating jinchuriki!

While Hashirama Senju was alive, they did not dare move. Tobirama Senju was not easy to deal with either.

But after the Shinobi World War ended and they had caught their breath...

They immediately struck at the Uzumaki Clan!!

On this matter alone, the four great nations cast aside their old grudges and reached a consensus in an extremely short time.

Iwagakure and Sunagakure restrained Konoha on land, while Kumogakure and Kirigakure assembled at sea, crushing the Uzumaki Clan and seizing its sealing arts!

That was the immense difference between ninja villages and ninja clans.

Without an overwhelmingly powerful figure like Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, even a clan that had stood proud for a thousand years had no power to resist a great nation!

To put it bluntly.

The moment the Uzumaki Clan chose not to join when Konoha was founded, this outcome had already been set.

Everyone had begun banding together to establish ninja villages, while a clan holding powerful sealing arts remained isolated overseas...

Those who did not follow the tide of the times were destined to be swallowed by it.

It was hard to say... that Konoha did not know about this.

Kamizuki's thoughts churned as a cold smile curled his lips.

He would never underestimate Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō. They had swiftly stabilized the Land of Fire after the Second's death. How could they possibly be so foolish that they noticed nothing at all?

First the Senju, then the Uzumaki, and then the Uchiha... right?

A very accurate judgment!

But sorry...

The Uchiha era was far from over!

—

—

"Has she been rescued?"

In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, gazing toward the darkening mountains.

Shimura Danzō lifted his teacup. "A daughter of the prestigious Uzumaki Clan possesses tremendous vitality and Chakra. She is enough to succeed Lady Mito as the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki."

After exhaling a cloud of smoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the First's face on Hokage Rock, then quickly averted his gaze.

"Danzō... how am I supposed to explain this to the First...?"

"The First will understand us."

Danzō said heavily, "Protecting the Uzumaki Clan would mean sending our main forces out of the Land of Fire to confront great nations directly. Konoha itself could be plunged into a crisis of destruction."

"That is the outcome they hope for even more."

"For the sake of the village, the First killed his closest friend with his own hands, and the Second sacrificed his life. We have inherited our predecessors' will. They will certainly understand!"

Danzō did not feel the slightest guilt in saying this.

He could sacrifice even members of his own clan. To build the Shinobi World's intelligence network, nearly all of his father's generation and his brothers had died.

The Wind Style Shimura Clan, once as famous as Fire Style Sarutobi during the Warring States Period, had declined until it could barely produce a few jonin.

Now they were merely sacrificing a ninja clan outside Konoha. What was there to feel guilty about?

Danzō rose to his feet. "I'll explain things to Lady Mito. If I cannot earn her forgiveness, I will atone with my life."

No matter what Danzō became in the future, his will to sacrifice for Konoha at this moment was genuine.

No... even in the future, at least in his own mind, he would die for Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "I'll go... You go bring her back. You must bring her back safely!"

Mito's residence, the Spiral Tower.

Sarutobi Hiruzen often came here to pay his respects, but never once had his steps felt as heavy as they did now.

There were no attendants at the door. Before he could speak...

"Leave. Right now... I don't want to see you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils contracted sharply.

How could... Lady Mito's voice sound so old?!

Inside the room.

Mito sat quietly by the bed, gently stroking a photograph of herself as a child, surrounded by laughing members of her clan.

That beautiful face, unchanged for decades, aged at a visible rate as wrinkles spread across it.