"Water Country's Mist-nin request an audience."
Hearing this, Uzumaki Hikonosuke let out a furious, incredulous laugh.
Even in old age, the former village head still carried the overwhelming presence of an elite jōnin.
His sharp glare stabbed toward the ANBU.
"Mist-nin… still dare show their faces here?
Are they that desperate to die?"
"Send word at once—"
"Father!"
Ryōta's voice cut through his fury.
Under his father's oppressive gaze, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to continue:
"Father… we were wrong.
At least… hear what the Mist want to say!"
"Maybe… maybe all of this was one big misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding?!"
Hikonosuke pressed a hand to his forehead, recalling the incident half a month ago.
Uzushio's patrol squad had intercepted a small Mist-nin boat.
Inside was a sealed intelligence scroll—allegedly meant to be delivered to Konoha.
Once decrypted…
It contained a chilling plan:
Konoha and Kirigakure would unite
to eliminate the Land of Whirlpools from the sea
Konoha wanted exclusive control over jinchūriki vessels.
Kirigakure wanted the Uzumaki sealing arts, not caring if the clan survived.
The intelligence further claimed:
"Tonight, the elite strike force will begin the extermination."
Ryōta, enraged and panicked, kept this to himself and rushed to observe Konoha's offshore Outpost No. 2.
And that same night—
The outpost issued an emergency distress signal.
To Ryōta, this proved the intelligence was real.
He prepared to evacuate the clan.
But everything…
was a lie.
The next morning, when Uzumaki teams approached the outpost—
They found hundreds of shredded Konoha corpses, the island blasted apart and scattered into the sea.
When a Konoha investigation squad arrived, Uzumaki shinobi attempted to explain—
But every body belonged to Konoha.
None to the Uzumaki.
Conclusions were drawn instantly.
Anger erupted.
Hostilities broke out.
Only a quick-thinking genin convinced the Uzumaki to retreat before the situation escalated further.
Half a month passed.
And Ryōta finally realized:
He had been wrong from the start.
But now it was too late.
All he could do was await Konoha's arrival…
and brace for the Mist.
Today was the first time Hikonosuke learned the truth.
And hearing his son's naïve hope in Mist—
He nearly exploded.
"…Father, what I meant was… given the situation, maybe we could consider joining Kirigakure—"
SLAP!
Ryōta's face whipped to the side.
Hikonosuke stared at him with bitter disappointment.
After a long moment, he finally spoke:
"Uzushio only exists because of our alliance with Konoha.
If we side with the Mist…"
"In the First War, we fought tooth and nail.
We were their prey.
We will be their prey again."
He stepped past his son and faced the ANBU.
"Bring them in."
"We'll hear what the Mist have to say."
"Yes, sir!"
Uzushio – Leader's Hall
The Mist-nin swaggered through the outer district, escorted by Uzumaki shinobi.
Inside the meeting chamber, they behaved arrogantly, not even acknowledging the Uzumaki's presence.
"Hand over part of your sealing arts," the jōnin sneered.
"And the Mist will spare you."
"You don't want to face an entire Mist army alone, do you?"
Hikonosuke stared coldly.
"Konoha will not stand by and do nothing."
"And this is all your conspiracy."
"Oh? Then where's your evidence?"
The Mist jōnin smirked.
Hikonosuke slammed a hand on the table.
"You forged the intelligence with the Third Mizukage's signature and seal!
That alone proves your guilt!"
The Mist-nin chuckled.
Not a single one took the accusation seriously.
Standing together, they prepared to leave.
"We'll give you one month to decide."
"After that—"
"Be careful, Former Head Hikonosuke."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Shadow them until they leave."
"Yes!"
As the Uzushio ANBU vanished, Hikonosuke felt a deep unease.
"Check the intelligence archive.
Now."
Minutes later, an Uzumaki jōnin ran in, face pale.
"Hikonosuke-sama… the sealed scroll… the scroll…"
"It's gone, isn't it?"
The man swallowed, then nodded.
"It was them! Let's bring them back and force them to answer!"
"They didn't take it."
"Then… who?!"
Hikonosuke recalled Ryōta's earlier report:
A genin missing from the patrol squad.
An orphan from the Fire Country… highly talented…
soon to be promoted to chūnin…
And now—
a traitor.
"Uzushio has been infiltrated for years," he muttered bitterly.
"Why… why must this happen to us…?"
A shinobi village could not be built on the Uzumaki clan alone.
They needed upper, middle, and lower classes.
The upper ranks were always Uzumaki.
The middle and lower ranks were orphans, civilians, and small families they took in.
And one of them—
had torn down everything.
Mist-nin waved mockingly from their boat as they departed.
Uzushio shinobi could only watch in humiliation.
To attack now would be to start a war they could not win.
Without Konoha's guarantee of support…
It would be annihilation.
The boat sped away across the waves.
A Mist chūnin suddenly asked:
"Captain, aren't we worried Konoha will question Uzushio?
Even if we stole the scroll, they might still believe the Uzumaki."
"After all, Uzumaki Mito is still alive."
The Mist jōnin smirked coldly.
"A crack has already formed."
"As for trust?"
"Ask the families of the Konoha shinobi who died."
He gazed across the black sea.
"All we need is time.
Then another great nation will join the game."
"A village of sealing masters…
cannot be left unclaimed."
Back in Konoha – Yūhi Clan Compound
Time passed.
Kaito finally finished reading the Yūhi clan's genjutsu manual—
a comprehensive system using petals, flora, and sensory illusions.
"Thanks. Here's your book."
Ryūun snatched it reflexively.
Seeing Kaito casually about to leave, she froze.
Then—
"Hey!"
Kaito turned with a teasing smile.
"What now? Another gift for me?"
Ryūun's thoughts jammed instantly.
She swallowed hard, then spoke with quiet resolve—
Words that vanished in the wind.
The breeze stirred the flowers.
Petals drifted past them.
"Thank you for your feelings," Kaito replied softly.
"But… I'm sorry."
Her heart cracked.
Kaito didn't really understand love.
He didn't know what he wanted from life yet—
or what dreams someone like him should pursue.
And—
He couldn't give her false hope.
"In the future, you'll inherit the Yūhi name," he said calmly.
"And I'm just a genin."
"Then… can I wait for you?
Until you become a chūnin?"
Kaito fell silent.
"…Do as you like."
With that, he flickered away—
reappearing atop the compound wall.
He paused…
Ryūun's red eyes reflecting his silhouette.
Then he vanished completely.
Her youth—
named regret—
lingered behind him.
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