Once the formalities were done with, or at least whatever counted as formalities between her and Jiraiya-sensei, the woman had turned on her heel as she gestured for us to follow. Leaving the docks, soon we were walking toward the rising stone paths that led deeper into the village itself, passing by dozens upon dozens of people, as this place was just as crowded as Konoha was.
"My name is Shizuna," she said over her shoulder, glancing back at us, as we were the target of her self-introduction, "I am a Jōnin, and if you have to go anywhere, I'll be arranging an escort for you while you're here."
"We can't wander around without supervision?" I blurted it out, making her shrug, shaking her head.
"It's not like that..." She explained, her voice falling a little, glancing at Jiraiya, who simply nodded, apparently giving permission for her to say something... confidential? "There is tension in the air, Renjiro Uchiha." She answered me, "Escort is not because we don't trust you, but because we don't trust everyone else... It's for your protection."
"Ominous..." I murmured, exchanging a glance with Minato, who thought of the same thing, while Kushina became a bit worried, but she was too afraid to ask more. "I'm just asking, not complaining," I added in the end, throwing my hands up in the air.
"This is doubly true for you, Kushina," Shizuna added, and although I know Minato didn't know what I did or why Kushina was chosen to come to Konoha, this made perfect sense.
"Yes, ma'am!" she said, then winced, realizing she was sounding so formal all of a sudden, "I mean, uh, yes! Dattebane!"
Shizuna's lips twitched at that, almost laughing, but she held it back in the end, just barely. Hmmm... Why do I get the feeling she knows Kushina? I will have to ask her about it. Well... After that brief exchange, we followed her off from the main street onto a wide stone roadway that curved gently upward, hugging the cliffside. From here, the village grew in all directions, clearly showing that newer buildings were either built deeper, towards the island's core, or upwards, on the stoneworks and cliffs. It was clear that Uzushiogakure wasn't built outward like Konoha, and it started from the docks, until they had conquered the entire island.
What was especially cool to see were the terraces in the distance, which rose in layered rows and in spirals, each level carved directly into the island's rampant, massive rock mountains, reinforced with stonework and wood that had clearly been replaced and repaired countless times already. Still, it provided ample space for farming and reduced reliance on fishing, enabling this island nation to be self-sufficient. Huh... It was... impressive! But a bit dizzying, because even the damned streets curved rather than running straight, forcing my sightlines to bend and my perspective to shift to try and see what was ahead of us. Ugh... that part, I did not like. They took this spiraling thing way too seriously... Even walking forward felt like going around in circles, but maybe it was some kind of defensive formation or whatever...
And I think I was right, because everywhere I looked, I noticed different markings on many of the houses; maybe they were seals... Even the lantern posts bore markings here and there, for... whatever reason.
"This place…" Minato murmured beside me, leaning closer to whisper as his blue eyes kept darting everywhere at once, thinking the same thing, "It's like the whole village is one massive array."
"It is," Shizuna replied suddenly, "Several, in fact, all of them lay on top of each other."
Damn. How the hell did such a place lose so badly and get wholly destroyed, without ever having a chance to ask for help? I don't think Konoha would have refused to come for its aid... Was Danzō's hand in it? Tsk.
As we climbed higher on the road we were taking, the port finally entirely vanished behind us, and I could no longer even see the sea. The scenery was replaced by residential quarters carved into the rock, homes that looked compact from the outside, mainly vertically layered, with external stairways and bridges connecting the different levels. It made the village feel dense but not cramped, perfectly balancing between the two.
"Finding your way in here is not easy; it's like a labyrinth. I may very well get lost if I'm not careful!" I said jokingly, but it was also a half-truth. It felt much more confusing to navigate in here than it did back in Konoha.
"It's not that bad!" Kushina argued against it, "It's easy once you get the hang of it."
"You grew up here," I countered, looking at her with one eye. "Your opinion on it does not count."
"Hmph! You would get lost because you are stupid, dattebane!"
"Could be, but I'm still right." I shrugged, grinning, making Minato elbow me to not push Kushina's buttons, because she will just get even angrier.
"Uzushiogakure became like this," Shizuna added, diverting our attention back to her, "because we don't have the land for building anywhere else. We can't expand into the sea like those who live in the Land of Lightning or in the Land of Water do. The currents here are too wild and dangerous for that, so we build upward, inward, and link them all together."
As she finished it, the cliffside turned into a kind of plateau, connecting it to another rock formation. The size of the plateau was... Hmm... maybe at the size of the entire Academy back home... if not bigger. Crossing it, she paused in the middle of the plaza that we found ourselves crossing, right where a stone monument stood at the center of it. Looking at it, I noticed that it bore two symbols carved side by side: the spiral of Uzushiogakure… and the symbol of the Senju.
"This," she said, "marks the first formal pact between our villages, way before the establishment of Konoha. It was erected when the Senju were still leading only themselves. It was then that Hashirama visited us, wanting to reinforce our alliance and became certain that he would establish a village, especially after coming and seeing ours, taking it as the template." Shizuna continued.
"I thought Konoha was the first village..." Minato spoke up, tilting his head, recalling the history lessons we had all learned.
"Of its kind." Shizuna nodded, looking at him, "It was the first Shinobi village, but not the first village." She explained with a smile. "Of course, all that you see now wasn't here back then. When his dream became reality, Konoha finally had its own land, the manpower, and growing political influence, gaining what he needed to make sure his dream stayed real, without being blown away by others... It was then that we also began copying him." She went on, turning back towards the monument, "That was when he visited us with his friend, your clan's old leader." She added without looking at me, "We had knowledge, thanks to our longevity, to enact the next step of their idea."
"Of...?" Minato asked, but Shizuna fell silent for a moment. Was this about the tailed beasts? It had to be... The way to seal them... To gather them like Pokemons... It had to be!
"The idea for a more peaceful world." She said in the end, deeming we were not supposed to be told more. Not that I would spill the beans... I don't need them to suspect my clan about anything, especially not ahead of time, ugh! Why would I know about it if not for the current leaders of the Uchiha clan? Haaah... "We had," Shizuna continued in the meanwhile, "sealing arts that frightened everyone who understood their power. So, with a strong alliance that was already going for decades by then, we joined hands, reinforcing that commitment as he took Lady Mito as his wife."
"She is a kind lady..." Kushina muttered, making us look at him, Minato with a bit of surprise, while I just smiled, watching her realize what she said, getting a tinge redder in the face and looking away from us.
"Lady Mito was and still is one of the greatest fūinjutsu users in our known history. I don't think that even the current head of our clan can match what she achieved in her long years." Shizuna continued, glancing at Kushina, her eyes being extra serious, "It is in your best interest, Kushina, to listen to her, whatever she says. I may teach you the basics while you are visiting, but it is just the preparation for what she will impart to you."
Or into you, but I kept my mouth shut once again... Still, Minato's breath hitched almost imperceptibly, making me glance at him. Oh? Was he putting it together? Most likely because he did look at me questioningly, reading my eyes and the subtle incline of my head. Hmph. Welcome to the club, Minato, but we will talk about this after we are alone.
After the impromptu history lesson we didn't ask for, we resumed walking, crossing the massive plaza and arriving at the other stone column, which was the size of a mountain. From there, the path narrowed slightly as it curved into a different residential sector clearly set aside for guests or the wealthy, as the homes were way more sparsely carved into the rock.
"This is where you'll stay," Shizuna said, stopping before a compound built into the stone itself, with a door that had old markings on it, not our Leaf symbol nor their spirals, but once again, with the Senju's old symbol that you barely saw nowadays. "This was originally constructed for Senju delegations." She explained to us.
"That's a royal welcome," Jiraiya whistled. "Even I never stayed in there before."
"It hadn't been used for a long time," she replied, covering her mouth, chuckling to herself, "But it seemed apt for the occasion."
Or because you are hosting the second jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, eh? Not that I was about to complain, and I walked in just as excited as the others. To my surprise, within the rock, it wasn't dark at all. I don't know from where or how, but light was coming from the ceiling, turning the inside as if it were a bright, sunny day, while the atmosphere itself was calm and quiet. There wasn't even a speck of dust anywhere, even if the place hadn't been used for who knows how long. The most interesting part was that the walls along the path leading to the inner sanctum bore murals and etched stone reliefs depicting past joint operations. I guess they were showing Senju and Uzumaki shinobi fighting back-to-back, sealing colossal summons, holding formation against hordes of enemies. Subtle... Very subtle...
Of course, the moment we were inside, Minato stopped in front of one carving longer than the rest. Which was it? I couldn't help but shrug, pinching the ridge of my nose, because it was showing the sealing of the Kyūbi! Really? All this beast secrecy, and now you lead us into a home where it's on the walls?! Or you take us as kids, so we won't understand? Look at Minato, woman! He is putting the puzzle together as I rant to myself! Ugh...
"You'll train with me while you're here," Shizuna spoke up, directly to Kushina, "And we can't dawdle, so follow me."
"Already?" She asked, surprised, glancing at us, and even Minato, who had been looking at the mural, turned away to look at her. "We just arrived!"
"You will have time to play," Shizuna chuckled, holding Kushina's hand, beginning to pull her away, "Proper training requires proper rest. So... Don't complain! This is for your own good."
"Just don't break her." Jiraiya chortled, making Kushina grimace, unable to complain anymore, only to wave at us while she got dragged away.
"Will you promise me to stay put today?" Jiraiya suddenly turned to us, making us flinch and nod our heads, "Good. I will have to go and take care of a few things. Stay on your butts, then from tomorrow, we will explore. Got it?"
"Yes, Sensei." We said at once, watching him leave, and the moment we were alone, Minato looked at me, examining my eyes.
"You knew?"
"I guessed," I answered, "Seeing your reaction, I am now pretty much sure." I lied, looking towards the mural of the Kyūbi.
"We..." He followed my gaze, his fists balling up, "We will have to do something to help her."
"Sure," I clapped his shoulders, grinning, "My idea? You have to woo her."
"Renji...!" He mumbled, his face turning bright red at once.
"What?" I snorted, holding back my laugh, "The Kyūbi is supposedly pure evil, no? Then... Your love can counteract its effects. Logical."
"Keep teasing me, and I'll fight you!" He grunted, now looking like Kushina's hair.
"My brother," I looked into his eyes, "I'm not teasing you..." I whispered, keeping my face straight, "I am deadly serious..."