Uzumaki Ashina

The katana in Yamada's hand glowed faintly blue as it swept through the air.

In the Naruto World, samurai relied on more than armor and physical strength. Their deadliest technique was channeling chakra into their swords.

This formed a Chakra Cloak over the blade, extending its reach and increasing its power.

Yamada Yosuke, once a renowned samurai, was skilled in this technique. His katana, originally less than a meter long, became a massive two-meter blade in midair as it came straight down at Qiancao.

The pressure from the giant blade even ruffled Qiancao's hair.

But Qiancao stood his ground without a hint of panic. He moved faster than Yamada, and under the other man's astonished gaze, drew the short sword at his waist with his right hand.

Brilliant blue lightning wrapped around the blade in Qiancao's hand, much like the chakra cloaking Yamada's katana.

But another force was at work, too: an orange-red flame coiled around the outside of Qiancao's lightning blade.

The flame roared like a charging fire dragon, instantly lighting up the darkness on deck and raising the temperature around them.

Qiancao had drawn inspiration for this move from Sasuke Uchiha's signature technique, Chidori Stream. He had combined the Chakra Nature Transformations of Lightning and Fire with the essence of the classic quick-draw slash.

It required no Hand Seals, so it struck with incredible speed. The blade first melted through defenses with its heat, then sliced into the enemy with lightning, paralyzing them in the process.

He had given the move a suitably thunderous name: Thunder-Fire Sword!

Yamada's chakra-infused katana stood no chance against the Thunder-Fire Sword. The intense heat alone melted the Chakra Cloak around his blade in an instant.

When the lightning blade met the katana itself, it sliced through it like tofu, cleaving it in two.

Seeing his beloved sword destroyed, Yamada dropped to his knees and performed a textbook dogeza, shouting, "Honored Maritime Scavenger! I surrender! Please spare my life!"

Yamada had made a modest name for himself in the Land of Water. His strength was secondary; what mattered most was how quickly he could surrender.

Qiancao extinguished his Thunder-Fire Sword and slid the short blade back into its sheath. "You should've done that sooner. You made me go to all that trouble."

Yamada's forehead was pressed to the ground, and beads of sweat covered it.

In the Land of Water, his swordsmanship had let him injure many moderately famous ninjas before they could finish their Hand Seals. This was the first time a young ninja had defeated him so easily.

"Honored Maritime Scavenger, would you be so kind as to tell me your esteemed surname? I'd like to know whom I'll be serving from now on."

Yamada asked cautiously. When faced with such a young and powerful man, his first priority was to get on his good side.

Qiancao saw through him and laughed openly. "Just call me Qiancao."

Yamada pressed his forehead to the ground again. His voice took on a note of trepidation. "How could I presume to call you by your given name, sir? Please, tell me your surname."

Qiancao reached down and pulled him to his feet, his expression turning wistful. "My surname... I haven't used it in a long time."

Qiancao brought Yamada into the ship's hold. Seeing that his men had all been subdued without putting up any resistance, Yamada broke out in a cold sweat.

If he hadn't surrendered so quickly and had angered Qiancao, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After dousing them with a basin of cold water to wake them, Qiancao watched the rookie pirates stare blankly at their captain, who was standing behind a young ninja, bowing and scraping to him.

Qiancao was relieved that none of the pirates had let their blood get up and attacked him. It had saved him a lot of trouble.

Over the past three years, Qiancao had faced countless powerful opponents. There were so many shadowy figures in his mindscape that he had lost count. These ordinary pirates had nothing left that was worth copying.

Yamada explained the situation to his men. When they heard that a brief period of hard labor would earn them a chance to start a new life in the Land of Whirlpools, none of them wanted to keep drifting at sea.

The pirate ship set sail again. This time, its destination wasn't a merchant vessel along the sea lanes, but a harbor in the Land of Whirlpools.

The black pirate flag came down, replaced by a piece of white cloth. The murderous-looking ship flying a white flag of surrender made for an absurdly comical sight.

Three days later, the pirate ship slowly entered a harbor on the eastern coast of the Land of Whirlpools.

From a distance, Qiancao spotted Uzumaki Ashina waiting for him in an open area by the harbor.

After giving a few instructions to the harbor staff, Qiancao leaped off the ship and landed neatly in front of Ashina. "Big Brother Ashina, what brings you out to meet me?"

Uzumaki Ashina looked more like a samurai than a ninja.

He wore finely crafted plate armor over his upper body. His red hair was neatly combed and tied back, and his square face carried a faint air of authority that made him seem imposing.

Seeing Qiancao return, Ashina smiled with relief. "I had some business to take care of over here at the eastern harbor. I heard you'd gone out to sea, so I thought I'd wait here for you."

When Uzumaki Ashina first met Uchiha Chigusa, he couldn't understand why his sister had taken an Uchiha as her student.

The Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan had countless ties stretching back generations, and so they had maintained good relations during the Warring States period. The Uchiha Clan, on the other hand, had often clashed with them.

But after getting to know Chigusa better, Ashina had to admit that his sister had sent him a remarkable talent.

As a ninja, Uzumaki Ashina considered himself every bit as gifted as anyone else. But building a country was not his strong suit.

Meanwhile, Chigusa had offered many valuable suggestions during the founding of the Land of Whirlpools.

Uzushiogakure had already begun to take shape like the Konohagakure of later generations. It gathered talented ninjas from the various clans and united them around a leadership team centered on the Uzumaki Clan, all working together to build the Hidden Village.

Measures such as establishing a Ninja Academy and a tiered mission system had greatly reduced ninja casualties.

At the same time, under the supervision of the ninjas, the country had launched a work-relief program. It put refugees arriving in the Land of Whirlpools to work on various construction projects, developing infrastructure while giving them a way to contribute.

The Land of Whirlpools had also made full use of its geographic position to vigorously develop maritime trade. By monopolizing the trade routes between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, it had earned its first fortune from the price differences between the two countries.

The Land of Whirlpools was small, but it had become a powerful force that rivaled any ninja clan. It had secured its foothold at sea and provided a new home for countless displaced people.