The Truth Behind the Destruction?

"Lady Tsunade, watch your image! Your image!"

Shizune's face flushed bright red as she fretted anxiously.

"It's fine, Shizune. We're all family here, haha!"

Tsunade realized it was indeed somewhat improper and could only wave it off with a hearty gesture.

What a blessing for spectators who loved watching balls! As expected of Tsunade, she was truly generous in every sense!

Doichi Hyuga accepted the scroll, yet it somehow felt scorching in his hands. He had handled plenty of scrolls worth even more, but this was the first time he had felt this way. How strange!

After reading for half an hour, he had sorted out the principles and concepts behind the Yin Seal. Doichi Hyuga closed the scroll and returned it to Tsunade.

What Doichi Hyuga valued most about the Yin Seal was its ability to regulate chakra and keep the body's functions at their peak.

Both of those traits could improve a shinobi's overall combat ability. It was a rare support-type ninjutsu and highly valuable as a reference.

"Doichi Hyuga, thank you for taking care of Rena and her daughter. That should have been my responsibility. Thank you!"

Part of the reason Tsunade had so readily offered up the Yin Seal was to thank him for looking after the Uzumaki mother and daughter.

There was no need to elaborate on the relationship between the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan. They had been steadfast allies for a thousand years. By the time Tsunade reached the Land of Whirlpools, it had already been reduced to ruins. She could not find a single person, leaving her filled with rage.

"But why didn't you bring them into Konoha?"

After holding back the question for days, Tsunade finally asked it.

"Lady Tsunade, we were the ones who didn't want to go. It had nothing to do with Lord Doichi."

Rena Uzumaki lowered her head and spoke up in defense.

"Why not?"

Tsunade could not understand it, so she asked directly.

"On the day the Land of Whirlpools was attacked, the elders saw Konoha's ANBU!"

Rena Uzumaki would never forget that day. Her clansmen had been slaughtered wantonly, and the sea had swallowed the entire Land of Whirlpools. In the end, only a handful had escaped.

"How could that be possible? They must have been impostors, right?"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she demanded loudly.

"One of them used a secret technique of the Aburame Clan."

"Are you sure?"

"I saw it with my own eyes!"

Rena Uzumaki nodded and answered helplessly.

Tsunade abruptly rose to her feet, consumed by extreme fury.

"Brat! Move!"

Tsunade charged out the door like a raging tyrannosaur, only for Doichi Hyuga to block her path.

"What are you going to do, Senior? Are you planning to see Lord Hokage?"

"That's none of your business. Stop meddling, or I'll deal with you first."

Tsunade's expression darkened as she raised a fist in threat.

"Lady Tsunade, please calm down!"

Rena Uzumaki hurried after her, panting, and she and Shizune grabbed Tsunade from either side.

"Get out of my way, all of you. Otherwise, I won't be polite!"

"Senior, you should investigate the matter before acting! Senior Rena hasn't finished speaking yet. Don't you want to hear the rest?"

Tsunade suppressed her fury and was dragged back to the living room by the three of them.

Haku and Karin were frightened stiff. Tsunade's presence just now had been terrifying.

"Senior Rena, please continue."

"Those Konoha ANBU stole the sealing technique scrolls and took away two children. An elder led the six of us in pursuit, but we failed to rescue them."

Hearing this, Tsunade's expression improved somewhat. Although they had not killed anyone, another issue concerned her even more.

"Later, when news came that the Land of Whirlpools had been attacked, the elder ordered us to split into three groups and flee. He decided to return alone to rescue the clansmen, and we never saw him again. The six of us also scattered completely while avoiding pursuit."

"Karin's father and I were fairly lucky and escaped the pursuers. I just don't know what happened to the others. Later, Karin's father died of illness, and I brought Karin to join the Grass Ninja Village."

Tsunade had seen the bite marks on Rena Uzumaki's body. If Rena Uzumaki had not stopped her, she would have already torn the Grass Ninja Village apart.

Six people escaped, but the numbers didn't add up! Rena and her husband, plus Honoka Uzumaki's parents. Where did the last two go? Were they dead?

Doichi Hyuga calculated silently.

The Uzumaki Clan had fared slightly better than the Takeori Clan. At least a few had survived.

Kushina Uzumaki and Nagato's parents could not be counted among those six.

Kushina Uzumaki had already arrived in Konoha before the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed.

Nagato had already been born when the Land of Whirlpools fell. His parents must have fled the Land of Whirlpools with him, or perhaps they had left even earlier.

"When was the Land of Whirlpools attacked?"

Doichi Hyuga asked.

"All I know is that it was about a year after the Second Hokage passed away!"

Rena Uzumaki thought for a moment. She had been too young then and could not remember many things clearly. At the mention of the Second Hokage, Tsunade's expression quickly dimmed.

Rena Uzumaki's answer also confirmed that Nagato had been born before the Second Shinobi World War.

The Second Shinobi World War had begun around Konoha's thirty-seventh year and lasted roughly four years. Jiraiya encountered Nagato's group of three near the end of the war, when they were already eight or nine years old.

By that calculation, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were about five years older than Nagato's group.

Tobirama Senju had likely died in the first year of the Second Shinobi World War, and Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage that same year.

Since he had ascended to the position under the Second Hokage's final orders, he had not gone through the normal procedure. Many people in Konoha probably had not accepted him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's control over Konoha had been insufficient.

While Tobirama Senju was in office, he had explicitly stated that the Hokage should be chosen democratically.

Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Mist Village, and perhaps even the Hidden Stone Village. They had joined forces to attack the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha's loyal ally, further weakening Konoha.

"Oh, right. I remember something happened before the Land of Whirlpools was attacked. One of Konoha's elder advisors suddenly visited the Land of Whirlpools, and the daimyo became furious because of it!"

Rena Uzumaki recalled something that might have been connected to the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.

"When I was little, I was rather mischievous. My playmates and I were all curious about it, so we asked the daimyo's children. It turned out that the Konoha elder had invited us to join Konoha, but the daimyo sternly refused. Later, they began arguing, and the angry daimyo drove that Konoha elder away!"

"It seems that elder had foreseen the crisis facing the Land of Whirlpools. If your daimyo had accepted, the Land of Whirlpools might have survived."

Doichi Hyuga sighed inwardly, while grumbling nonstop in his heart. You really brought this upon yourselves! Fine, a ninja clan founded a country, but then you arrogantly called yourselves daimyo. You were an isolated island less than a third the size of even the smallest nation, the Land of Grass.

Who gave you the courage? Weren't you just courting destruction? What roles did the daimyos of the various countries play in this? Perhaps only Heaven knew.

"If that elder foresaw the crisis in the Land of Whirlpools, why didn't Konoha take any countermeasures? Rena, what else do you know?"

Tsunade was rough but perceptive. She had actually caught the implication behind Doichi Hyuga's words.

"That's all. If I remember any other information, I'll tell you, Lady Tsunade."

"Brat! I'm returning to Konoha. Are you coming with me?"

Tsunade was in an irritable mood, but she did not want to attack Doichi Hyuga, so she came up with this idea.

"No need. Just don't expose me, Senior Tsunade. I have nothing to do with the Uzumaki Clan, and I don't know any of them. As long as you can guarantee that, I definitely won't stop you."