Heading to the Land of Whirlpools

Not long after, the Eye-Nose-Ear Team received a secret mission.

The specific content of this mission was to travel to the Land of Whirlpools and secretly bring back a child of the Uzumaki Clan safely.

The person who issued this mission was none other than Uzumaki Mito, and this story begins the previous night.

Hyuga Shinichi, as he did every day, carried a basin of hot water into the room, preparing to wash Uzumaki Mito's feet.

Just as Hyuga Shinichi was gently massaging Uzumaki Mito's feet, she suddenly spoke up.

"Shinichi, there isn't much left that I can teach you now. Although your grasp of sealing jutsu is still only superficial, you at least understand the principles. If you keep pondering it, you will master it sooner or later..."

"Your grandmother is getting old... It is time to find a new jinchuriki to cultivate."

"..."

Hyuga Shinichi kept his head lowered, continuing to gently massage her feet in the basin without a word.

Uzumaki Mito reached out and stroked Hyuga Shinichi's soft, jet-black hair, and he finally spoke.

"Mito is still in good health, you..."

"I know, Shinichi. Although the medicinal herbs you have brought back over the years are indeed useful and have made my body feel much lighter, how long a person lives is not decided by these herbs."

"..."

"I understand that you are a filial child, and I know you bring those herbs in the hope that I might live a long life, but in this world, who can escape the natural laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death?"

"However, you can rest assured. Based on my current physical condition, holding on for another ten years is absolutely no problem. The reason I want to find and cultivate the next jinchuriki is not because I feel my time is near, but because I want to take precautions."

"After all, the world is unpredictable and the future is full of variables. Only by preparing in advance can we ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

Uzumaki Mito spoke earnestly while gently stroking the top of Hyuga Shinichi's head, her eyes filled with maternal affection.

In truth, Uzumaki Mito also felt it was too early to find the next jinchuriki, but a letter recently sent from her home village, Uzushio Village, had changed her mind.

The letter began with a series of greetings before describing the situation in Uzushio Village, mentioning that a little girl with a unique constitution had been discovered in the village. This immediately gave Uzumaki Mito the idea of cultivating a new jinchuriki.

"Then, does Grandmother have a candidate in mind?"

Although Hyuga Shinichi knew who the next Nine-Tails jinchuriki would be, he had to ask, fearing that his own presence might have changed too much. Uzumaki Mito immediately shared the contents of the letter.

Although the letter did not write the little girl's name, based on the various descriptions, it was basically confirmed to be Uzumaki Kushina. The current Uzumaki Kushina was exactly six years old, which was roughly the same time period she was secretly brought to Konoha in the original story.

Uzumaki Mito stroked Hyuga Shinichi's head and continued.

"Shinichi, Grandmother wants you to go to the Land of Whirlpools and bring this little girl back safely."

Looking up, he saw the serious look in Uzumaki Mito's eyes and understood the gravity of the matter. A jinchuriki held extraordinary significance for Konoha, so he immediately promised that he would complete the mission.

The next morning, Hyuga Shinichi followed Uzumaki Mito to the Hokage Office to find Sarutobi Hiruzen and issue the mission.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen understood the details of the mission, he naturally understood what Uzumaki Mito was referring to, and he nodded in agreement without hesitation.

"Please rest assured, Mito-sama. I will immediately select suitable Anbu members to carry out this mission!"

"Hmm, but I want Shinichi to participate in this mission as well, otherwise I won't be at ease."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment before replying.

"Very well, then we shall proceed according to your wishes."

Just then, Jiraiya and Nawaki stepped into the Hokage Office together.

From their travel-worn appearance, it was clear that the two had just returned to the village. After Jiraiya finished his vacation, he immediately took on a new mission.

As for Nawaki, he had likely returned with Orochimaru, but since Orochimaru had other business to attend to, he had sent Nawaki to report their work to the Hokage.

Nawaki caught sight of his grandmother and Shinichi, and driven by curiosity, he asked what was happening.

When he heard that the destination of the mission was his grandmother's hometown, the Land of Whirlpools, he became instantly excited and clamored to go along.

Faced with Nawaki's eager request, Uzumaki Mito and Sarutobi Hiruzen, after careful consideration, planning, and comprehensive deployment, decided to send Jiraiya, the Eye-Nose-Ear Team, and Nawaki on this mission.

Not long after, two Anbu arrived at the office, bringing Inuzuka Gai and Aburame Tomohiro with them.

Seeing that all the members for the mission had arrived, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately announced the specific details of the task.

He appointed Jiraiya as the captain of the operation, granting him the authority to make all decisions, while Hyuga Shinichi was appointed as the vice-captain.

Furthermore, Sarutobi Hiruzen emphasized that the information regarding this mission must be kept strictly confidential and must not be disclosed to anyone.

With that, he dismissed the meeting. Jiraiya told everyone to go home and prepare the necessary supplies, and to gather at the village gate at ten o'clock in the morning, two hours later.

Two hours later, the five people and one dog gathered at the gate of Konoha, and Jiraiya announced the start of the mission.

The group set off on the road to the Land of Whirlpools. Along the way, Nawaki was like a vibrant little bird, exceptionally excited and full of curiosity about everything around him, constantly asking Hyuga Shinichi questions.

Hyuga Shinichi displayed extraordinary patience, answering every question Nawaki raised in detail.

Near noon, after a long journey, they finally arrived at the coastline of the Land of Fire.

Because the Land of Whirlpools was an island nation surrounded by the sea on all sides, to reach their destination, the group had to cross the vast ocean by boat.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had long since instructed the Anbu to notify the ninjas stationed there to prepare a ship in advance.

And so, the group successfully boarded the ship and set off toward the unknown shore.

This was the first time Hyuga Shinichi had ever traveled by boat; he had never been on one in his past life either, and he had been worried about whether he might get seasick. However, once the ship slowly set sail, he felt no discomfort at all, finding himself instead immersed in the marvelous scenery of the sea.

Unexpectedly, Nawaki, who had been the most excited and active throughout the journey, was now leaning against the railing, his face pale as paper, retching incessantly. It seemed he was suffering from seasickness.

This turn of events made the once boisterous atmosphere much quieter.

Less than an hour later, a faint, looming island appeared in Hyuga Shinichi's field of vision; that was the Land of Whirlpools, where the Uzumaki Clan resided.

As the ship gradually approached the shore, everyone disembarked and officially stepped onto this land.

Nawaki was still weak and powerless from his seasickness, so Jiraiya had to carry him on his back. Jiraiya decided not to rest and instead headed straight for Uzushio Village.

The Eye-Nose-Ear Team quickly entered a state of reconnaissance, scouting the surrounding environment thoroughly to ensure their safety while they moved at high speed.