Village of Whirlpools

Compared with the port in the Land of Fire that they had passed through when setting out, the port in the Land of Whirlpools was much more primitive.

Boats came and went across the entire harbor, but most were old, little skiffs.

The passenger ship belonging to the Uzumaki Clan that had brought them here was already the largest vessel in the harbor.

A large number of small-time merchants sold daily necessities at the port. Many of their customers were ragged refugees who had climbed down from the skiffs.

Some of the refugees had no currency to trade with, so they bartered with the merchants, offering supplies they had exchanged at the port in the Land of Fire.

Farther away stood a large number of houses awaiting construction, with workers bustling everywhere.

Ayako introduced the place to her apprentice. "Originally, almost everyone on this island belonged to the Uzumaki Clan. We all lived in the village at the island's center—the Village of Whirlpools, which my older brother Ashina founded."

"But for the past few years, war has raged across the mainland. Some people who didn't want to fight heard about the Land of Whirlpools and crossed the sea to seek refuge here."

"Our village quickly became overcrowded and could no longer take in these newcomers."

"So my cousin organized the first group of refugees to arrive here and build a port, where we could shelter the new arrivals."

When the people at the port saw the Uzumaki Clan crest and Ayako walking at the front, they stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully. They looked at her as if she were a goddess.

Ayako nodded to each of them in reply. Seeing this, Qiancao asked, "Do they all respect you, Master?"

"They're only showing respect because of my older brother Ashina," Ayako said, shaking her head, unwilling to take credit. "He gave them a safe haven. I spend most of my time reinforcing the seals in the Sealing Tower in the Village of Whirlpools, so I rarely come out."

Senju Arashi asked Ayako, "May I ask where Ashina is now? We should at least go greet him, since we've come to the Land of Whirlpools."

Ayako gave a wry smile. "There have been too many refugees arriving lately. Ashina has been busy maintaining order and finding places for them to settle. I haven't seen him in a long time, either."

"These days, he has to make every decision, big or small, for the whole village. He even left all the village's seals in my hands because he doesn't have time to oversee them himself."

"Let's not bother him. When he has some free time, he'll come to the village's Sealing Tower. We can greet him then."

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Qiancao thought Senju Arashi seemed relieved to hear that they didn't have to go greet Uzumaki Ashina.

Then Ayako called over an old man behind her and instructed him, "Uncle Kanbei, sorry for the trouble, but could you go help Arashi negotiate with the passenger ship's owner about compensation?"

Uzumaki Kanbei looked troubled at Ayako's words. After hesitating for a while, he whispered to her, "Lady Ayako, I don't think we have that much money..."

Just then, Seiichiro spoke up. "Could you take me back, too, Kanbei?"

He turned to the others with a grin. "There's no one to fight in the Land of Whirlpools. Every time I come here, I'm bored to death."

Ayako replied with a smile, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Seiichiro continued, "Running into that guy Hideki on the way here was an unexpected treat. Too bad he ran off before we could have a proper fight."

"My hands are itching now, and I'm desperate to find someone to fight, so I won't stick around." He patted Qiancao on the shoulder, then gave Wuming an encouraging look before continuing:

"With Aunt Ayako looking after you, I can rest easy. I hope you break the seal soon, so we can have a proper fight!"

In Qiancao's eyes, although Seiichiro talked like a battle maniac, he didn't actually do anything too extreme. And because of her Senju bias, she had a pretty good impression of him.

So Qiancao held out her fist for Seiichiro to bump. "Thanks for taking care of us all the way here, Big Brother Seiichiro. Let's have a proper fight someday!"

Seiichiro froze, then laughed several times. He bumped his fist against Qiancao's and said, "It's a promise!"

After the fist bump, Seiichiro turned to Senju Arashi. "I'll handle the negotiations over the compensation. Remember to pay me back when you get home."

Senju Arashi nodded in agreement. Seiichiro waved goodbye, then boarded the ship again with Uzumaki Kanbei and headed back to the Land of Fire.

Ayako and the others watched the ship sail away. Then she turned to Qiancao. "Come with me. I usually live in the village's Sealing Tower."

"You're my apprentice, so you can live in the Sealing Tower, too." She glanced at Wuming. "You must want to live with Qiancao, too, don't you, Wuming?"

Wuming blushed at that, but she didn't deny it as she would have in the past.

Ayako first took everyone around the port and bought Qiancao and Wuming some daily necessities.

"The village has these things, too, but most are made by the clan members themselves. The things brought in from outside are cheaper and more convenient," Ayako explained to Qiancao.

Once they had finished shopping, the group crossed the port and came to a broad road.

As they walked, Ayako introduced it to them. "We call this road the Path of Hidden World. The Uzumaki Clan built it when we came to the Land of Whirlpools, to connect the Village of Whirlpools with the port."

"It was meant to show the Uzumaki Clan's determination to live in seclusion, away from the world. We just didn't expect war to keep breaking out on the mainland, driving so many refugees to the Land of Whirlpools."

"Ashina couldn't bear to turn them away. So he took in the refugees with talent for becoming ninja and placed them under unified management in the Village of Whirlpools. The ordinary people came here to the port, where they opened up new land to live on."

After just an hour, the group arrived at a new village.

Most of the buildings there were cylindrical, with staircases winding around their exteriors. They suited the name "Whirlpool" particularly well.

More than half the people in the village had bright red hair, and the Uzumaki Clan crest was embroidered on their clothes.

Noticing her apprentice Qiancao staring at the passersby's hair, Ayako explained, "The Uzumaki Clan's most distinctive feature is our red hair."

"But in many places on the mainland, red hair is considered an ill omen. That's why the Uzumaki Clan has always wandered from place to place without a home."

"It wasn't until my older sister married the head of the Senju Clan that we finally found some stability."

"But Ashina didn't want to live under someone else's roof anymore. He traveled all across the mainland until he found this place, Whirlpool Island."

"Now, almost all the Uzumaki clan members have come to the Land of Whirlpools. This is the new home of the Uzumaki Clan."

After saying this, Uzumaki Ayako opened her arms before them in welcome. Her red hair gleamed in the sunlight, and she wore a confident, warm expression.

"Welcome to the Village of Whirlpools, Qiancao and Wuming. This is your new home!"