On the battlefield—
An Uzumaki barrier squad created a layered concealment seal around Uzumaki Mito, allowing her to avoid the Mist sensory unit while preparing her Tailed Beast Bomb in advance.
Yet even after firing just one—a blast equivalent to a Six-Tails-level Bijūdama—
Mito's face had gone pale, her breath heavy and uneven.
"War…"
"…should be over now."
Step, step, step—
"You saved us, Lady Mito.
Thanks to your appearance—and Jōnin Shikaku's strategy—we were able to end this battle with minimal losses."
Uzumaki Ryōta landed beside her.
But seeing Mito's exhausted state, and witnessing the devastation caused by the Bijūdama, a dark desire flickered inside him—
"Lady Mito, perhaps you should rest in the city?
The Kumo invaders have been fully eliminated. It's safe inside the walls."
Mito shot him a sharp sideways glance.
"No need."
"Yun'ya!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Hyūga Yun'ya's unit immediately abandoned corpse-inspection and rushed over.
"Lady Mito," Yun'ya said cautiously, his white eyes narrowing at the Uzumaki present.
Enemy threats were gone, but he had no idea whether the Uzumaki might turn their blades on Mito herself.
"Haha—don't worry. I would never harm Lady Mito."
Ryōta scratched his cheek.
"But it is late. You should rest."
Mito nodded slightly—not pleased, but not arguing.
"Let's go, Yun'ya."
Yun'ya signaled his team. Konoha troops hurried forward.
All around, Uzumaki and Konoha shinobi exchanged excited cheers—
their first joint battle in ages, their teamwork surprisingly flawless.
Yet many eyes were clouded with grief.
They had lost many of their own.
A cool night breeze swept over Uzumaki Ryōta's face as he watched Mito depart.
Before long, a red-haired jōnin landed beside him and bowed.
"Leader!"
"Makoto. I have a task for you."
Uzumaki Makoto felt a strange heaviness.
He straightened himself.
"Leader Ryōta, I'm ready."
"I want to…"
He hesitated.
"Forget it."
Ryōta's gaze drifted to the corpses of Mist-nin scattered across the battlefield.
"My daughter.
Did you find any information?"
Makoto lowered his head.
"…I'm sorry, Leader Ryōta."
"I see. Enough."
Ryōta let out a bitter breath.
His mind flashed to the report he had just received—
his father had died earlier in the battle.
"From today onward," he said quietly,
"you are the new Clan Head of the Uzumaki."
Makoto froze.
"And from today—
the Uzumaki Clan officially joins Konoha."
"What?!"
Makoto's voice cracked.
Ryōta continued:
"We sent two hundred chūnin to the battlefield.
Nearly half are dead—many of them the new generation."
"Even if the genin stationed at the Fire Country border return, Uzushio cannot defend its land anymore."
"Cloud held back this time.
Next time, they'll send everything.
Will Konoha still be able to save us?"
Everyone knew the answer.
A small nation cannot survive alone.
"I will create an organization," Ryōta said.
"To search for my daughter—and to avenge our dead against the Mist."
His eyes darkened.
"I once wished to use Mito-sama's Nine-Tails as a deterrent—to protect Uzushio forever."
"But I cannot stain my hands that deeply."
Makoto clenched his fists.
"Then I will join you, Leader!"
Ryōta shook his head.
"The village needs a strong jōnin to stabilize the clan.
You cannot follow me."
"In the future…"
He placed a hand on Makoto's shoulder.
"I want the world to hear the name of a great ninja from the Uzumaki… standing proudly within the Land of Fire."
"That will be the repayment I ask of you."
"Leader Ryōta…"
"You understand, don't you, Makoto?"
"A man who has lost his daughter… and now his father…"
Ryōta turned, speaking firmly:
"Protect the Uzumaki."
"Honor Jōnin Seiichirō's dying wish—
and protect the Tsuchiya clan."
"And never forget the Mizuhara clan who helped us."
Their entire conversation—
was silently recorded through Hyūga Yun'ya's Byakugan, relayed via lip-reading to a Konoha intel-nin.
When Ryōta and Makoto parted ways, Yun'ya finally exhaled.
"Good…"
"The Uzumaki leader harbors no treasonous intent.
Otherwise, we'd be finished."
Konoha's border was nearly empty—barely a hundred ninja remained.
And inside Uzushio, only seventy Konoha shinobi and Yun'ya's guards survived; fifty had died.
Meanwhile—
Kaito's squad had already set off in daylight, escorting the first wave of Uzumaki children toward Konoha.
Far away, Kaito's shadow clone witnessed the tail end of the battlefield.
When it dispelled, the memory flowed back into him.
"A Kage-level fight really has no logic…
Just pure energy bombs. Zero technique."
He shivered.
"Good thing I've got cheats.
Otherwise, I'd be cannon fodder for these monsters."
Time Passes — Uzushio's Exodus Transforms the World
The evacuation of the Land of Whirlpools turned into a full-scale integration with the Land of Fire.
After relinquishing his title, Ryōta traveled the world with eight loyal shinobi—
searching for Kushina and other missing clan members, and hunting Mist-nin bounties.
They became a legend—
marked by the slash across their Uzumaki forehead protectors, symbolizing rogue ninja.
Uzushio's fall seemed inevitable.
A land full of treasures coveted by countless shinobi nations—
but without enough power to protect them.
Only by sheltering under a stronger banner could they survive.
Konoha assigned chūnin, special-jōnin, and jōnin ranks to many Uzumaki, Mizuhara, and Tsuchiya clan members.
But even that caused unrest among Konoha's clans.
Until Mito glanced at them.
And like scolded children—
the entire council fell silent.
After all—
who could claim greater merit than the woman who killed the Third Mizukage?
Mito did not abuse her influence.
She proposed fair rules:
All Uzumaki / Mizuhara / Tsuchiya chūnin must take the next Chūnin Exams.
Jōnin and Special Jōnin receive temporary ranks until they complete Konoha's promotion missions.
Fail those missions?
→ They must take the Chūnin Exams.
These new warriors eased Konoha's stretched defenses against Iwa, Ame, and Suna.
Mizuhara water specialists joined the Fire–Rain front.
Uzumaki elite prepared to support the Fire–Wind front.
Others volunteered for long-term border defense.
Uchiha Hayatsuki—nearly losing an arm saving Hyūga Chiya—became widely celebrated.
Among civilians, Uzushio's non-shinobi families pooled wealth to construct a new city:
En'u Castle (Flame-Whirlpool City)
A fusion of "Fire" (Konoha + the Fire Daimyō) and "Whirlpool".
The Daimyō welcomed it joyfully—
Taxes, commerce, missions—
All boosted Fire Country's economy.
History itself shifted.
Far away—
On Mount Myōboku, the aged Great Orange Toad Sage opened his eyes.
In Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage lifted her gaze.
In Shikkotsu Forest, the Slug Sage's true form shimmered awake.
At the same moment, they spoke:
"The future… has been changed."
(Author's setting note: If the White Snake Sage can transform, then naturally the Slug Sage should be able to as well—transformation-level senjutsu.)
Mid-June — Ninja Academy Summer Vacation
Inside the Chūnin Exam registration hall—
Empty.
Other than the Mizuhara, Tsuchiya, and Uzumaki chūnin occasionally coming to ask for schedules,
no other clan or prior graduates bothered.
Because—
all the examinees would be chūnin-level.
What genin would dare take that exam?!
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
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