Near the Land of Whirlpools adjacent to the Land of Fire, a small boat stopped in the middle of the sea not far from the land for fear of being discovered.
" Old man thank you for the ride... "
Sean threw a bundle of money to the old boat owner who caught it nervously as if his life depended on it, he immediately put the bundle in his pocket without even counting the amount, it was completely obvious that the bundle of money contained more than the usual amount.
" Thank you young man, I am grateful... " he bowed expressing his gratitude for the generosity of the blond haired young man.
Because of the tense situation resulting from the current wars, the economy had been greatly damaged, especially the transport field which was the only way for this old man to earn his livelihood and feed his family. Therefore Sean's generous gesture had a great impact.
Sean waved in farewell then jumped from the boat and landed on the surface of the water which only rippled slightly. The ability to stand on the surface of water without sinking was a basic skill necessary for every ninja, almost every chunin could do it, the secret only lay in the level of chakra control.
Naturally Sean knew how to do it, in fact he managed to do it when he was seven years old which was also the year he graduated.
He activated the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from his place under the clear eyes of the old man. The old man was not surprised that Sean was a ninja, after many years of working in this field he had developed the ability to distinguish ninjas from others.
The Land of Whirlpools, a unique land unlike other countries that rely on the system of one village and one state, the country is ruled by the daimyo and his subjects while the military power is controlled by the kage responsible for the village.
The Land of Whirlpools has no kage or daimyo, all authority lies in the hands of the Uzumaki clan or rather the clan head and the elders.
Despite its uniqueness, the Land of Whirlpools is considered a small island nation surrounded by the sea from all directions, a weak state with limited area and a small population.
A country unlikely to survive the coming wars, and the reason is simple regardless of its national power which becomes weaker with time, the Land of Whirlpools contains something desired by every great and small village, the powerful sealing techniques, and there are those who covet their strong bloodline which is considered the ideal host for the tailed beasts.
But at this moment the country was drowned in an atmosphere of gloom.
" How many missing!? "
" Seven people so far, the disappearances have repeated a lot in recent days "
" The guards reported seeing several ships observing from afar, their goal is still unknown, but it is clear they are not here with pure intentions..."
The second elder slammed the table violently and said aggressively. " Hmph, it is clear that they are responsible for the sudden disappearance of the clan members..."
The fourth elder nodded in agreement. " The second elder is right, the Land of Whirlpools is merely a small land, the disappearance of seven clan members in mysterious circumstances is worrying, I fear that there is a big conspiracy behind this..."
The fourth elder who was the youngest elder in the hall stood up, he stared at the elders, the first and the second and the third before his gaze settled on the head of the Uzumaki clan and Uzumaki village and the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Ashina.
His white hair showed that he had indeed entered the final years of his life, and despite them being the final years it was still a long period considering the enormous vitality of the clan members.
" I have a bad feeling about this matter, it is better to inform Mito sama or rather Konoha to request help in defending our land..."
Cling!!
The entrance of one of the guards interrupted the fourth elder's words.
The guard rushed to the village leader who was presiding over the meeting and said something in his ear which made the latter raise his eyebrows in surprise and confusion.
He immediately activated one of the unique abilities of the Uzumaki bloodline, the Kagura Eye which is considered one of the strongest types of sensing abilities and techniques.
Ashina's eyes widened in shock while he felt the enormous dark energy standing behind the door.
" Hmm what a huge amount of chakra that almost rivals mine! , this dark nature of chakra, without doubt it belongs to a member of the Uchiha clan..."
He closed his technique and ordered the guard.
" Take him to the guest hall... "
He was confused about the presence of a member of the Uchiha family in the lands of the Whirlpools, the relationship between the Uchiha and the Uzumaki was not good at all. In the past the Uzumaki clan had always allied with the Senju clan against the Uchiha.
" Ashina what is the matter!? " the first elder asked with a frown when he saw that their clan leader had sunk into his thoughts after the guard's words.
Ashina stopped his confused thoughts and said while standing up. " Oh, well today's session ends here, we will continue the matter later, we have a rare guest..."
He left the hall leaving the elders behind confused and curious about the identity of the visitor whom the clan head went to welcome.
Sean stared at the luxurious hall and let out a light mocking whistle.
" The Uzumaki people really know how to live... "
While walking here he had already seen the situation in Uzumaki village, he was surprised by how rich the Land of Whirlpools was despite being an island with limited area and resources, it was not very different from Konoha village in terms of prosperity.
" We live by the principle of live for today, who knows whether we will remain alive until tomorrow " Ashina said who had heard Sean's comment as he entered.
Sean stared at the old man with white hair who had just entered the guest hall, he stood up from his place as a gesture of respect.
" Interesting however, that is something strange coming from a member of the Uzumaki clan famous for their long lives "
Ashina shook his head and said.
" Long life does not mean we are immortal, we are like the rest of humans, we are wounded and we die... "
Sean agreed with Ashina's words, despite the uniqueness of the Uzumaki they were still just humans and the proof was their disappearance from history in the original plot.
" You are right no matter how exceptional a human is he remains just a human with a mortal body... "
Ashina laughed and stared strangely at the strange young man from the Uchiha clan.
" Now that is something strange to come from a young man like you at the beginning of his life years... "
He sat on the sofa opposite and gestured to Sean who was standing to sit.
" So what brought you to our humble land member of the Uchiha clan!? "
Sean was surprised by the head of the Uzumaki clan knowing his identity, he had some guesses about the reason Ashina knew his lineage.
" Interesting, may I ask. How exactly were you able to know that I belong to the Uchiha clan!? "
" It is your chakra aura or rather the uniqueness of the Yin element energy belonging to you Uchiha clan..."
" I see, as I expected it is the Kagura Eye technique, is it not!? "
Ashina did not answer but only smiled with narrowed eyes. Sean also smiled, he already saw that the head of the Uzumaki clan had enough of the small talk, he did not dare test his patience so Sean went straight to the point.
He clasped his hands and introduced himself. " It is rude of me not to introduce myself, forgive me, my name is Sean Uchiha former elite jonin of Konoha..."
" And I am here to steal your land... "