White clouds drifted across the sky. The sky was clear and boundless. As a Genin of Konoha, Kazekaze embarked on his first mission in life.
Kazekaze knew quite a bit about the Land of Whirlpools. After all, the protagonist of Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, was a descendant of the Land of Whirlpools.
The Land of Whirlpools was a nation established single-handedly by a person named Uzumaki Ashina. The citizens were all members of the Uzumaki clan. They were born with a vast amount of chakra and were renowned for their sealing techniques. This included The Eight Trigrams Sealing Style used by Minato Namikaze to seal the Nine-Tails, and the Four Symbols Seal that Danzo personally used to seal an entire bridge.. And… The most famous Reaper Death Seal also originated from the Uzumaki clan.
However, it was precisely because the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were so renowned that other ninja villages feared them. As a result, many ninja villages united to attack the Land of Whirlpools, eventually destroying it. Only a few members of the Uzumaki clan remained, living in anonymity and wandering without a home. Especially the cruel fate that befell Karin and her mother, who were exploited and reduced to mere tools for their chakra.
It was not hard to see that such a lineage was often a double-edged sword. If there were no strong protectors, they would ultimately lose their dignity and become tools for ninjas. As this thought crossed his mind, Kazekaze instinctively glanced at Uzumaki Yuna, who was walking behind him. This little girl was fortunate to be born in such an era.
As long as Hashirama remained alive, the peace agreement between the Five Great Ninja Villages would hold. There might still be occasional clashes over missions, but full-scale wars would not break out. From what was revealed during Hashirama's second Edo Tensei resurrection by Orochimaru, it was clear that Tsunade inherited her gambling addiction from him—yet at this point in time, she hadn't even been born. This strongly suggested that despite his terminal illness, Hashirama still had a few more years left to live.
"By the way..." Kazekaze suddenly recalled.
It was precisely because of Hashirama's death that the First Ninja War broke out. And in the later stages of the First Ninja War, Tobirama died in a coup by the Hidden Cloud Village. After that, the Hokage of Konoha was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
'Was the Land of Whirlpools destroyed during Hiruzen Sarutobi's reign?' Kazekaze murmured to himself.
No wonder many people thought Hiruzen Sarutobi was shady. During his tenure, indeed, many inexplicable things happened.
"Hmph, isn't he just the First Hokage's grandson? He only got to be a ninja thanks to nepotism—what's so special about that?" Yuna muttered behind Weiming.
Weiming simply pretended not to hear anything. After all, he couldn't afford to offend either side.
"But speaking of which, the grandson of the First Hokage actually participating in this mission..." In Weiming 's view, this was clearly to cultivate Kazekaze.
Every time a ninja completed a mission, they would not only receive the corresponding reward. They would also accumulate contributions to the village. And the level of contribution would determine whether a ninja could be promoted to Jonin.
"It seems that Lord Tobirama has high hopes for Kazekaze." Weiming couldn't help but sigh.
He was already familiar with the route back to the Land of Whirlpools. Aside from the possibility of encountering bandits, there was basically no danger. And bandits were something he could handle alone. There really wasn't much need for Konoha's ninjas to protect them. This escort was nothing more than a political formality—it held more symbolic meaning than any real necessity.
The most crucial point was that since Kazekaze was the grandson of the First Hokage, it meant he was extremely important to Konoha Village. If they really encountered any enemies, the first person the Sarutobi kid would need to protect would be Kazekaze. Miss Yuna would likely be the second priority. As for that kid named Hatake Sakumo, Weiming had no impression of him, probably just a background character.
Through Weiming's analysis, he became increasingly skeptical of Kazekaze and the others, even questioning Tobirama's arrangements.
However, just as Weiming judged that Team 7 was unreliable, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was at the front of the group, suddenly gave a low shout, "Everyone, be careful!"
His sensory abilities were no less than those of Uzumaki Weiming. And the enemy seemed to confirm Sarutobi's judgment, suddenly rushing out from the woods on both sides. Like two ghostly shadows, they headed straight for Yuna.
Immediately. Sakumo used the Body Flicker Technique, flashing in front of Yuna, drawing his chakra short sword. The kunai and short sword clashed, sparking red sparks. Then, Sakumo felt a kick on his shoulder, instantly losing his balance. To stabilize his center of gravity, he retreated repeatedly, leaving Yuna completely exposed to the enemy.
At the same time, Weiming drew the samurai sword from his back, intending to eliminate the enemy, but didn't expect the opponent to be even more skilled. The opponent wielded a black kunai to block Weiming 's samurai sword, then burst forth with dazzling lightning, injecting lightning-style chakra into the kunai to enhance its sharpness.
Only then did Weiming see the opponent's face clearly. The attacking enemies were not bandits at all, but well-trained ninjas! But… Why would there be ninja ambushes in such a place?
Weiming's mind was filled with questions, but he knew now was not the time to dwell on these matters. The urgent task was to resolve this crisis. Then… Weiming 's peripheral vision caught sight of Yuna, noticing her body was very stiff, her legs seemed rooted, and she had a terrified look, motionless.
Worried for Yuna's safety, Weiming quickly shouted, "Yuna, fall back!"
At such a critical moment, Weiming couldn't bother with honorifics, using the shortest possible sentence to remind her. But just as he spoke, a third shadow flew out from the woods, extending five fingers, reaching for Yuna's chest.
Meanwhile, the ninja who had forced Sakumo back shifted targets, sweeping his kunai towards Weiming , attempting to suppress him, leaving him no time to care for Yuna. At the same time, a fourth shadow appeared, attacking Sarutobi Hiruzen's vital points, clearly aiming to restrain him, giving him no chance to assist.
As for Kazekaze, who looked like just a seven-year-old child, they completely ignored him. What threat could a seven-year-old child pose? Moreover, his hair wasn't red, indicating he wasn't from the Uzumaki clan. Since he posed no threat and had no value. These suddenly appearing ninjas naturally paid no attention to Kazekaze.
"Miss of the Uzumaki family, you're mine."
Just as the third ninja was about to grab Yuna's collar, preparing to take her away, Kazekaze, whom they had ignored, suddenly appeared in front of him. Although Kazekaze didn't know the Body Flicker Technique, thanks to Might Bai's teachings, his speed was even more terrifying than Danzo's.
Their eyes met, and Kazekaze clenched his tender fist, swinging it towards the third ninja. If Kazekaze had used a kunai, this ninja might have been wary, but seeing Kazekaze merely swinging his fist, the ninja chuckled, sneering at the sight—just a pathetic servant throwing himself in harm's way for his mistress. He didn't take Kazekaze seriously at all. He estimated that even if Kazekaze's tender little fists hit his chest, it would be painless and itchless. Obviously, he hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Cherry Blossom Impact!"