Uzumaki vs. Kaguya

With a single sentence, Ryū shifted the meeting's focus from whether to fight the war to how to fight it.

The Third Elder made no further discordant remarks.

Ryū then laid out the strategy. Since the Kaguya Clan had split their forces into five routes, they naturally had to divide their own forces into five groups to meet them.

After some discussion, it was decided that Ryū would personally lead the main force, while Mito would lead another group. The First Elder would remain behind to oversee Uzushio Village, while the Second Elder, Third Elder, and the others would lead the remaining three groups.

Ashina was still too young to stand on his own, so he was assigned to the Second and Third Elders' group.

As for Shusen, Ryū merely mentioned in passing that he should remain behind to guard Uzushio Village.

Shusen understood that his father was worried Kaguya Wuzhan would target him, which was why he had not been allowed onto the battlefield. His heart warmed at the thought.

The situation was urgent. As soon as the groups were assigned, everyone immediately set out to gather combat personnel as quickly as possible.

"Big Sis, Ashina, be careful when you get to the battlefield. Put your safety first. If you run into an enemy you can't beat, run."

Before they left, Shusen earnestly reminded his sister and younger brother.

"Don't worry, Second Brother. We'll win a glorious victory right from the start!" Ashina was brimming with fighting spirit. Though small, he radiated immense confidence.

Mito, meanwhile, reminded Shusen to be careful in the village. Uzushio Village had a mixed population, and any random civilian might be a spy planted by the Kaguya Clan.

At the same time, she secretly resolved that if she encountered Kaguya Wuzhan, she would kill him and eliminate this grave threat for her younger brother.

The elders nearby wore slightly strange expressions. How could they fail to see that Ryū had only made Shusen stay behind in the village out of private selfishness?

What clan leader's son did not go to the battlefield?

Still, it was enough to grumble about such things in private. No one would say it to his face. It was understandable.

In the elders' eyes, Uzumaki Shusen was undoubtedly useless. He would spend his life idling away and living off others, destined never to amount to anything. But Uzushio Village was now prosperous and powerful enough to support one useless person.

Tens of thousands of civilians saw the Uzumaki clansmen off as they marched to war, their eyes filled with reverence.

They were not fools. They knew full well that the Uzumaki clansmen were using their lives to protect their peaceful existence. They desperately hoped the Uzumaki Clan would return victorious. They had no desire to go back to their former days as displaced refugees.

Ryū had not brought any civilians with him this time, mainly because they were too weak. On the battlefield, they were not even qualified to serve as cannon fodder. They would also need to carry vast amounts of supplies and rations. Ten Uzumaki clansmen using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique would be more useful than they were.

In the end, Uzushio Village had been founded too recently. If the war had broken out a year later, Ryū could have trained a force of civilian shinobi by then, enough to sweep through the Kaguya Clan without fail.

Several hundred Uzumaki clansmen surged out of Uzushio Village at full speed, kicking up clouds of dust across the ground.

The civilians prayed one after another.

"May heaven bless us. We have to win this battle!"

"The Kaguya Clan is too vile!"

"I only hate that I'm not a shinobi. Otherwise, I'd definitely follow the Uzumaki clansmen to the battlefield and kill our enemies!"

"..."

The First Elder took a deep breath, cast aside his distracting thoughts, and calmly arranged the village's defenses.

"Uzumaki Maple Leaf, take your men and guard the eastern village gate."

"Uzumaki Shusen, take your men and guard the western village gate."

Orders were issued one after another in an orderly fashion.

Everyone simply did what they were assigned to do. The First Elder was not actually worried that Uzushio Village would be attacked. Though civilians could not go to the battlefield, they were more than capable of defending Uzushio Village.

"If you spot anyone suspicious approaching, fire a signal flare immediately!"

"Yes!"

Everyone acknowledged the order and headed to their respective posts.

Shusen stood atop the city wall, dozens of meters high. From there, he could see the Uzumaki clansmen racing away at full speed, dust billowing in their wake as though an army of thousands was charging across the land.

A trace of wistfulness appeared on his face.

The elders all regarded him as trash. In truth, if he really had no ability, he would have gladly become a useless good-for-nothing who ate and waited for death.

Unfortunately, he was very capable.

As a member of the clan, he had to contribute to it.

It was just that he had to make his contributions quietly, without drawing attention to himself.

After one final look at the dust clouds in the distance, Shusen entered the stairwell beside him. His original body went in, and a Shadow Clone came out.

Father and Big Sis are stronger than I am. They don't need my help. Ashina is the only one I can't stop worrying about.

Shusen silently thought as he used the Five-Elements Cowardly Escape to travel underground.

He decided to help the group Ashina was in. Using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to sense everyone's chakra signatures, he followed far behind them.

After running several miles, Ryū and the others split into five separate groups, each with more than a hundred clansmen.

Ashina was in the same group as the Second and Third Elders. They headed straight northwest. According to Ryū's intelligence, one Kaguya force was attacking from that direction.

I need to find a way to completely bring down the Kaguya Clan. If they keep harassing us like this, Uzushio Village won't be able to develop in peace.

As he followed them, Shusen kept racking his brain for a way to destroy the Kaguya Clan.

With his own strength, he naturally could not wipe out the Kaguya Clan. But if he could tie Black Zetsu to them, there might be a chance.

Along the way, Ashina's group passed several battlefields occupied by other shinobi clans. The Inuzuka Clan was fighting the Aburame Clan, the Shimura Clan was fighting the Nara Clan, the Namikaze Clan was fighting the Moonlight Clan...

Every battlefield was blazing with combat. Kikaichū filled the skies, and violent explosions rang out from time to time, making Shusen's teeth ache.

They had not even been out of the village for long, yet war had already spread throughout the surrounding area. It was easy to imagine just how chaotic the situation in Fire Country had become.

The daimyō's delusion that a single ceasefire agreement could restrain all the shinobi clans was nothing but wishful thinking.

The Uzumaki Clan only had grudges against the Kaguya Clan and Uchiha, so they did not interfere in the battles between the other shinobi clans. They merely passed through, heading directly northwest with a clear objective. The other clans did not provoke them without cause or try to intercept them, so they proceeded without obstruction.

Several hours later, Ashina's group arrived at the iron mine. From afar, they saw a massive Four Violet Flames Formation covering the mine. More than a hundred Kaguya clansmen were continuously bombarding the barrier with ninjutsu.

"Everyone, be alert! Prepare for battle!"

The Second Elder roared to raise their morale. Eager to kill the enemy, he charged at the Kaguya clansmen first.

The Four Violet Flames Formation had already held out for half a day. By now, it was swaying on the verge of collapse.

"Uzumaki reinforcements are here!"

The Kaguya Clan's Second Elder shouted harshly, "Kill them first, then break the barrier!"

As soon as he spoke, he pulled out an arm bone and wielded it like a machete, clashing head-on with the Uzumaki Clan's Second Elder, who held a kunai.

"Kill!"

The Kaguya Clan and the Uzumaki Clan were like two raging currents of war. One moment they had just met; the next, they collided with earth-shattering force.

"Shikotsumyaku, Willow Dance!"

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"