After a few days
The sea east of Uzushio was unnaturally still.
Three Kirigakure vessels cut through the water in a shallow wedge formation, their hulls dark, chakra suppressors humming beneath the decks. Mist rolled low over the waves.
That was what the Mist commander believed.
He stood at the bow of the lead ship, arms folded inside his cloak, eyes narrowed toward the distant silhouette of the Whirlpool Islands.
"So this is Uzushio," he said. "A land of fools."
Behind him, Mist shinobi stood ready—sensor-types, barrier specialists, and a full squad of elite fighters.
Then an unusual thing happened, their ship, which was surfing smoothly, started shaking.
They never sensed the first seal.
It wasn't placed on land.
It wasn't even placed on the ships.
The water beneath them pulsed.
A faint, circular ripple spread outward—too smooth to be natural, too precise to be ignored. One of the sensors stiffened.
"Commander… I'm picking up chakra, but it's—"
The sea exploded in light.
Sealing script flared beneath the waves, vast and complex, forming interlocking spirals that wrapped around the hulls like chains made of ink and fire. The ships groaned as if caught in the grip of a giant hand.
"What is this?!" someone shouted.
The second vessel vanished.
Not sank.
Vanished—folded inward as a massive containment seal collapsed, compressing wood, steel, and chakra into a single point before locking shut with a thunderous click.
No debris surfaced.
The third ship tried to retreat.
Too late.
Mist thickened violently, chakra-saturated fog swallowing the deck. Figures moved within it—not Mist shinobi.
Uzushio guards emerged soundlessly, seal-tags flashing in their hands. Barriers snapped into place, cutting off escape routes. Chakra pathways seized as suppression arrays activated beneath the enemy's feet.
The lead commander drew his blade.
A heartbeat later, the mist parted.
Then a figure stood there.
Red hair flowed freely down her back. She wore armour of pale gold and worn steel, shaped closely to her tall, lean frame, every plate fitted for movement. A red cloak fell from her shoulders, moving softly even when she stood still. Her helmet was smooth and rounded, covering most of her face, with a narrow slit that revealed only her sharp gaze. Long red hair spilled freely from beneath it.Her presence that bent the air around her. Her sword rested at her side, long and unadorned—yet the chakra it carried made seasoned shinobi hesitate.
Malenia Uzumaki.
She looked past the commander, eyes unfocused—not on him, but on the entire formation.
"Confirmed," a Uzumaki sensor said quietly behind her. "Mist military incursion."
Malenia nodded once.
"Proceed."
The fight never became a fight.
Trapped by seals, slowed by suppression fields, the Mist shinobi were cut down with brutal efficiency.
When it was over, the sea was silent again.
A single small boat remained
A single Mist shinobi was left alive, bound in glowing script, eyes wide with terror.
Malenia stopped in front of him.
"Return to Kirigakure," she said calmly. "Tell your Mizukage this was a warning."
Her blade lifted slightly.
"Next time," she added, "we won't send anyone back."
The seals were released.
The ship drifted away, untouched by waves, carrying fear straight back to the Hidden Mist.
Far from Uzushio, beneath the same calm sky, the First Shinobi War took its first, irreversible step.
..............
At the mist village shoreline, where many ships were fully geared up with shinobis.
A small boat limped into Kirigakure's harbour at dusk, hull scorched, seals burned into the wood so deeply they refused to fade. Of the three vessels sent toward Uzushio's borders, this was all that came back, with only one survivor.
The shinobi was brought before the Mizukage immediately.
He knelt, head lowered, hands shaking.
"We never reached the island," he reported. "The sea itself turned against us. Those damn seals activated beneath the water… chains formed from chakra. Two ships were crushed before we understood what was happening."
The Mizukage's eyes narrowed.
Silence followed.
"There was someone who killed all the elites that were left", the shinobi continued. "That person."
The Mizukage leaned forward. "Who?"
"A woman," he said. "Tall. Red hair. Armour like a knight's. She killed all the other and left me to give this warning."
The Mizukage's gaze sharpened. "What did she say?"
The shinobi clenched his fists.
"She said Uzushio will not send anyone alive who comes to Uzushio with ill intention."
The room went still.
He turned toward the window overlooking the harbour.
"It seems things are slightly difficult than I assumed."
His tone hardened.
"Prepare my vessel."
He looked back once, eyes cold.
"And if these Uzumaki believes seals alone will stop us—"
The order was final.
"—then I will lead the war and wipe them out of this map this time."
Outside, the docks erupted into motion as war preparations began.
The sea, once quiet, was about to turn red.
.................
Ah its alive again