Saving the Vortex

Konoha Year 35.

Land of Whirlpools.

Whirlpool Village.

Figures darted through Whirlpool Village as villagers fled in every direction. Cruel masked ninjas looted, pillaged, and slaughtered the civilians.

Inside the Whirlpool Village leader's building, Uzumaki Romi, already over sixty years old and etched with deep wrinkles, spoke with solemn authority:

"Lead the children and escape through the secret passage! Our ninjutsu is being coveted, and it is too late to call for aid from Konoha. Save as many as you can! Go!"

"Yes!" Several young ninjas vanished from the leader's building in a flicker of movement.

At that moment, a masked ninja outside the building formed hand seals and shouted:

"Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"

Possessing seemingly superhuman strength, the masked ninja plunged his hands into the earth, excavated a boulder the size of a truck, and hurled it at the leader's building.

Within a few heartbeats, several masked ninjas converged on the spot.

Among them, a masked ninja crackling with lightning emitted a formidable aura.

"You bandits who covet the ninjutsu of my Whirlpool Village, sink into the abyss with me..."

The leader's building collapsed under the impact of the boulder. A weak voice emanated from within, and simultaneously, an immense volume of ink erupted from the ruins.

"Sealing Technique: Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing!"

The masked ninjas sensed the danger and attempted to retreat, but a circular barrier suddenly burst forth, engulfing them all before instantly shrinking until it vanished.

Vanishing along with it were the surrounding masked ninjas and the collapsed building.

Uchiha Nara, a Konoha Jonin, thirteen years old, and an elite of the Uchiha clan.

He was currently stationed on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire, guarding against the Land of Water and deterring the Land of Lightning.

While the Second Great Ninja War raged on, these elite clan members remained surprisingly composed.

Uchiha Nara gazed out at the sea.

Ten years had passed since he transmigrated. After breaking the mystery of his past life at age three and awakening his memories, he had been training tirelessly, never wasting a moment, given his rebirth into the Uchiha clan.

Nara had a general understanding of the Hokage plot and knew the ultimate fate of the Uchiha, the greatest clan in Konoha.

Konoha's wariness, internal discord, and the mediocrity of their clan head were driving the Uchiha toward the abyss step by step.

"Nara, you're staring at the sea again. What's so interesting about it? Come practice ninjutsu with me."

Jonin Uchiha Yashiro, who would be in his forties by the time of the clan's annihilation.

However, at this moment, Uchiha Yashiro was a young, vigorous man in his early twenties, a renowned elite Jonin within the clan.

"Brother Yashiro, we are currently on guard duty. How can we waste chakra practicing ninjutsu?"

Uchiha Yashiro felt a headache coming on from the precocious Uchiha Nara and quickly interrupted, "Yes, yes, you are right, Lord Nara."

Yashiro felt helpless; the young Uchiha Nara had risen to fame, his reputation even more illustrious than his own.

He even held the title of "Copy Ninja," a rising genius of the Uchiha clan, ranked alongside Uchiha Fugaku as a candidate for the next clan head.

"Hmm? Something's wrong?"

Nara narrowed his eyes and peered into the distance. Several ships on the horizon were billowing thick smoke as they sailed toward them.

"Yashiro, gather the clansmen! We have a situation!"

The three ships were churning out heavy smoke, clearly indicating an emergency.

Yashiro pulled out a signal flare and fired it into the sky, where it bloomed into a burst of light.

Although Yashiro was older than Nara, his skills were inferior.

He respected Nara's intellect and believed that Nara was the one who could lead the Uchiha clan to greatness.

This sentry post was somewhat far from the main camp, and it would likely take some time for the team to arrive.

"Yashiro, Reto, take cover!"

They were a three-man squad, and originally, Yashiro had been the captain.

However, Uchiha Yashiro admired Nara's strength and potential, and he followed Nara's lead.

As the smoke-billowing ships drew closer, Nara could clearly hear the sounds of slaughter drifting from them.

He couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Reto, go take a look!" Nara commanded.

Ninjas were lurkers; when they appeared, it was often to deliver a fatal blow.

Although Uchiha Nara and Yashiro were powerful Konoha Jonin, they still adhered to the ancient traditions of the ninja, remaining silently in the shadows.

Uchiha Rettou skimmed across the water like a dragonfly, covering the two-hundred-meter distance to the ship in a few flashes of the Body Flicker Technique.

Rettou stood at the bow, observing in silence. Numerous corpses lay scattered across the deck, and the ninjas locked in combat soon noticed his arrival.

Once both sides caught sight of the Konoha forehead protectors, the masked ninjas' eyes filled with shock, while the red-haired ninjas' faces lit up with joy.

"Konoha ninja, please help us! We are ninjas from Whirlpool Village, allies of Konoha!"

A red-haired ninja, gripping a long blade, shouted with a hopeful expression.

Rettou did not reply; he turned and bolted back toward the shore, vanishing in a few flickers.

"Lord Nara, Lord Yashiro, it's ninjas from Whirlpool Village fighting some masked assailants. The Whirlpool ninjas are losing!"

Rettou flickered to where Nara was stationed. Rettou was a Konoha Chunin and a fairly capable hand even within the Uchiha clan.

Because Konoha was wary of them, they suppressed the number of Uchiha Jonin, which was the only reason he hadn't been promoted.

"Whirlpool Village, the Uzumaki Clan... are they the same Uzumaki Clan that allied with the Senju Clan? Looking at them, they seem to be fleeing. Hahaha, let's send them on their way!"

Upon hearing that it was Konoha's allies from Whirlpool Village being intercepted, Uchiha Yashiro showed no intention of helping; instead, he gloated. He then added, "Nara, let's go over there, kill them all, and frame those masked men! The Uzumaki Clan is just as detestable as the Senju Clan!"

Uchiha Nara remained silent, rubbing his chin. He knew the history between the Senju and the Uchiha better than anyone.

After hearing Yashiro's words, Nara now had a rough idea of why the Uzumaki Clan had scattered across the world in the anime.

Since they had run into the Uchiha's defensive sector and were historical enemies, there was no way they would be spared, regardless of whether they were Konoha's allies or not.

"Brother Yashiro, let's go take a look. If it's the Uzumaki Clan being hunted, we should rescue them. The current Uzumaki Clan are Konoha's allies, not enemies from the Warring States period!"

After a moment of thought, Nara made his decision. He chose to rescue them rather than kick them while they were down. He immediately used a few Body Flickers, quickly approaching the ship.

The red-haired ninjas on the ship were at the end of their rope; they had been on the verge of despair, thinking help had arrived only to see the previous ninja flee.

Seeing more Konoha ninjas arrive, the red-haired ninja's eyes lit up once more.

Nara did not disappoint the red-haired ninja, shouting loudly:

"You petty curs, how dare you attack Konoha's allies! Which village do you serve!?"

Nara wore the standard Konoha flak jacket and forehead protector, with a long blade strapped to his back. His black, waist-length curly hair was tied back, and his red Sharingan scanned the field.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several kunai shot toward Nara. He instantly drew his long blade, swatting the kunai away with a few slashes.

A masked ninja performed several hand seals in a split second, as if completing the ninjutsu instantly. Blue light flickered in his hands as he unleashed several bolts of lightning toward Nara.

Nara dodged the three lightning strikes with three quick shifts.

By now, Uchiha Yashiro and Rettou had arrived. Seeing that the fight had already begun, they didn't hold back, launching a barrage of shuriken at the masked ninjas.

The masked ninjas were highly skilled; after unleashing their ninjutsu, they dodged the shuriken with a few agile movements.

Just as they prepared to draw their blades for a strike, they were suddenly struck by several bolts of lightning.

"Ah!" With a cry of agony, they collapsed to the ground.

It turned out that Nara had activated his Sharingan, copied the ninja's jutsu as it was being cast, and after dodging it, returned it directly to him!

"One down," Uchiha Nara said calmly.