"Wolf, are you really not going to let me replace your eye?"
The one-eyed ninja codenamed "Wolf" simply kept racing onward, never turning back to acknowledge the mysterious Hidden Ninja in black robes.
After running for some time longer, Wolf finally spoke. "What's the mission this time?"
The mysterious black-robed Hidden Ninja, Jing Xiu's original body, spoke without emotion, his words reaching the Jōnin ahead of him. "Kill every Uzumaki Squad operating outside Uzushio Village."
Wolf raised no objections to Jing Xiu's orders. Without Jing Xiu's covert help over the past two years, he would have died at the hands of the Uchiha's Hidden Ninja long ago.
What was more, his strength had improved immensely. He already had one foot in the ranks of the Elite Jōnin.
Indeed, the Jōnin codenamed "Wolf" was the very man who had taken Jing Xiu hostage and fled the Uchiha three years earlier.
He was Uchiha Black Wolf, the "Uchiha renegade" who had later been used as bait and gravely wounded by Hyuga Tennin.
Using the Byakugan of a Hyuga Jōnin under his Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, together with the intelligence Xia had sent back, Jing Xiu scouted the area.
Along the coastline leading from the Land of Whirlpools toward the Land of Lightning, he discovered an Uzumaki Chunin squad moving in a diamond formation.
Wolf drew the Thin Sun Blade at his waist and used the Body Flicker Technique to slip into the midst of the four Uzumaki clansmen.
Steel flashed. Before the terror in the eyes of the Genin at the rear of the diamond could fade, the lone eye in his field of vision shifted apart vertically, becoming two side-by-side images.
Wolf had cut his body in two with a single stroke.
"Nice edge!"
Without stopping, Wolf pushed off hard with both feet and leaped into the air. Turning upside down, he thrust straight at the crown of the leading Uzumaki Chunin's head.
The Uzumaki ninja reacted quickly enough. Before the Pale Sun Blade could cleave through his body, he used the Substitution Technique and escaped being split in two.
Unfortunately, the Genin on his left and right flanks lacked such quick reactions.
Still airborne, Wolf planted his blade's tip against the substitution log, then spun like a top. The Genin on either flank had only formed their first hand seal when he cut them in half at the waist.
The Uzumaki Chunin leading the squad glared in fury. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Though he was only a Chunin, the Uzumaki Clan's powerful constitution gave him chakra reserves far beyond those of an ordinary Chunin.
Wolf merely smiled coldly. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he raised the Thin Sun Blade overhead, pouring scorching fire style chakra into it.
As Wolf brought his blade crashing down, a crimson fire dragon tore through the great waterfall before him-and through the Uzumaki Chunin's body.
The Uzumaki Chunin met an even more gruesome end than his subordinates. Not only was he cleaved in two, but the searing flames also burned him to ash.
"Good Fire Release power!"
Wolf sheathed his blade, thoroughly satisfied, but Jing Xiu was somewhat displeased.
He had wanted to strike himself. After all, once he killed a ninja, his Urn of Life could absorb their life force and produce source of life.
As long as he had enough source of life, Jing Xiu stood a chance of winning even against the combined might of the Three Shinobi World Heroes.
Over the next three days, the two patrolled back and forth along the coastline leading from the Land of Whirlpools toward the Land of Lightning more times than they could count.
All Jing Xiu knew was that the source of life accumulated in his Urn of Life had filled it roughly one-tenth of the way.
In Uzushio Village's council hall, Uzumaki Ashina, the village chief and the Land of Whirlpools' strongest fighter, wore an exceedingly grim expression.
He turned to his deputy, Uzumaki Changshou. "Changshou, how many squads out on missions have failed to return on schedule?"
Uzumaki Changshou looked utterly haggard. He was so distracted that he barely registered Uzumaki Ashina's question.
"Changshou!"
Only after Uzumaki Ashina called again did Uzumaki Changshou come back to his senses. He looked at Uzumaki Ashina with vacant eyes. "What is it, Clan Leader?"
Uzumaki Ashina sighed helplessly. "Ah, Changshou. I know your son Qingzhi is gone, but we must keep looking ahead."
"Didn't Qingzhi find you a daughter-in-law before he died?"
"How has that girl been doing lately?"
Uzumaki Qingzhi's daughter-in-law was, of course, Jing Xiu's subordinate, the Chunin Kurama Natsuki, codenamed "Xia."
For all his extraordinary cunning, Jing Xiu had never imagined that Uzumaki Qingzhi, whom he had captured so casually, would have such a special connection.
It was precisely this connection to Uzumaki Changshou that allowed Natsuki to uncover the movements of Uzushio Village's ninja squads with such ease.
And that allowed Jing Xiu and Wolf to hunt down the Uzumaki ninja so easily.
At the mention of his daughter-in-law, a faint, gratified smile finally appeared on Uzumaki Changshou's face. "Linlin is very thoughtful."
"She may only be an ordinary person, but with her here, I always feel as though Qingzhi is still with us."
Uzumaki Ashina put away his smile. First came a little talk of family, then a solemn discussion of national affairs.
Uzumaki Ashina was well practiced in this way of handling his subordinates. "All right, Changshou!"
"Our Uzumaki Clan allied with the Senju Clan, the strongest clan in the shinobi world, precisely to prevent more tragedies like Qingzhi's."
"Now the Senju Clan wants us to step forward and ambush the Uchiha's Chunin squads."
"Strictly speaking, we Uzumaki should not involve ourselves in the conflict between the Uchiha and the Senju."
"But this move by the Senju is nothing more than an attempt to force our Uzumaki Clan to choose: bind ourselves completely to the Senju war chariot, or sever ties with them entirely and seek other allies."
At this point, Uzumaki Ashina paused, his gaze sharpening. "Yet at this very critical moment, our clan's Sacred Relic was stolen."
"Over the past few days, quite a few mission squads have failed to return on schedule. That only makes me more uneasy."
"I keep feeling as though a dark cloud has blotted out the sky over our Uzumaki Clan!"
While visiting Uzushio Village, Tobirama Senju looked at the girl before him and kept feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. Yet no matter how he studied her, she seemed to be nothing more than a civilian.
Unable to make sense of it, Tobirama Senju muttered to himself, "No! Anyone I remember could never be a civilian."
"Why would a mere civilian be worth remembering?"
"She must be a ninja. I just can't recall which clan she came from!"
Mito Uzumaki approached Tobirama Senju. "Little Tobirama, what are your plans for today?"
"How about teaching your big sister a few ninjutsu? I think your Water Release is quite impressive!"
At the sight of Mito Uzumaki, inspiration struck Tobirama Senju. That's right! Like Mito, she's the daughter of a clan leader!
It must be a small clan, though. Otherwise, I would have remembered right away!
So that's it. It was her!
Evil Uchiha, now that I've discovered your pawn, your defeat is certain!
I'll make you two utterly evil Uchiha brothers taste despair!
Madara Uchiha, who was still confronting Tobirama Senju in the Land of Fields, suddenly received word from his clan.
"Young Master Madara, the clan has sent an S-rank confidential report. It requires your immediate decision!"
After two years of trials, Madara had acquired something of a leader's bearing. Beneath his calm, composed expression, his Sharingan remained as arrogant as ever.
Yet he no longer treated his subordinates with the same disdain he once had.
When Madara Uchiha took the confidential report from his clan and failed to open it despite trying several decryption seal sequences, his composure began to falter.
The calm vanished from his face, and his hands began to tremble.
This time, he needed only one attempt to unseal the confidential scroll with ease.
His heart sank, and a deep fear washed over him.