The Land of Water was located surprisingly close to the Land of Whirlpools. In fact, the distance between the two was even shorter than the distance between the Land of Water and the nearby Land of Waves.
Because of this, traveling between the two regions was relatively convenient.
Uchiha Su and his group departed from a small peripheral island belonging to the Land of Water. From there, a medium-sized wooden ship carried them across the sea toward their destination.
If the weather remained calm, the journey would only take one or two hours.
Uchiha Su sat quietly near the bow of the ship, the sea breeze blowing gently through his hair as he gazed thoughtfully at the horizon.
However, his attention soon shifted to the small boy sitting beside him.
The boy had handsome features and a serious expression, his posture stiff and disciplined as he sat upright. Although he was still young, his demeanor resembled that of a warrior preparing for battle.
In truth, he was still just a child.
Uchiha Su couldn't help but smile slightly.
Even though he himself was currently just a child as well, the boy beside him looked even younger.
The boy's name was Kaguya Takuma.
Noticing Uchiha Su staring at him, Takuma immediately straightened his back and spoke with great seriousness.
"Lord Su, please rest assured. I will definitely risk my life to protect you!"
Uchiha Su raised an eyebrow.
"You? Protect me?"
He chuckled lightly.
"If a real battle breaks out, I'm afraid it will be me protecting you instead."
Kaguya Takuma's face immediately turned slightly red.
He lowered his head for a moment before stubbornly replying,
"Even if my strength is far inferior to yours, I will still stand in front of you. At the very least, I can block shuriken or ninjutsu for you!"
Uchiha Su couldn't help but laugh.
"Your spirit is admirable," he said with a smile. "But if you ever encounter a situation like that, the smartest thing to do is run as far away as possible."
The reason Uchiha Su paid special attention to this boy was not only because Takuma was the nephew of Kaguya Yūsuke, the current patriarch of the Kaguya Clan.
There was another reason.
Kaguya Takuma looked extremely similar to Kimimaro.
The resemblance was striking—his pale complexion, delicate features, and the quiet seriousness in his expression.
Uchiha Su knew the timeline quite well.
The current year was the nineteenth year of Konoha's founding. According to history, Kimimaro would not be born for another twenty-nine years.
Considering the relatively short lifespan of the Kaguya Clan due to their bloodline illness, the possibility was very high that this boy was Kimimaro's grandfather.
Thinking about this made Uchiha Su feel strangely melancholic.
By the time the future protagonists of the ninja world appeared, he himself would probably already belong to the grandfather generation.
Time truly moved quickly.
Two hours later, the ship finally reached its destination.
The vessel docked at a small port on the coast of the Land of Whirlpools.
The group disembarked one after another.
In total, ten people had come on this journey.
The Kaguya Clan had sent six members. Aside from Kaguya Takuma—who was essentially present only to observe—the remaining five were experienced Jōnin-level warriors.
The Uchiha Clan had sent three Jōnin to accompany Uchiha Su.
Leading the group was Uchiha En, who held a map in his hand as he carefully compared it with the surrounding terrain.
After observing for a moment, he spoke respectfully.
"Uzu Shio Village is not far from here, Young Lord. If we continue walking, we should arrive before the afternoon."
"Very good," Uchiha Su said lazily while stretching his arms.
"Then we'll stay overnight in Uzu Shio Village."
After a moment, he added with a playful smile,
"If we round things off properly, we Uchiha can actually be considered relatives of the Uzumaki Clan."
"I hope Uzumaki Ashina doesn't refuse the hospitality of his relatives."
Uchiha En looked completely confused.
"Relatives?"
He blinked.
"When did the Uchiha Clan become related to the Uzumaki Clan?"
He already had a son named Uchiha Yashiro, and he was quite certain that no such family connection existed.
Uchiha Su waved his hand confidently.
"Of course we're relatives."
He began explaining with extremely questionable logic.
"My uncle and the First Hokage are like brothers, even though they're not actually related by blood. Meanwhile, the Senju Clan are distant relatives of the Uzumaki Clan."
He continued calmly.
"And the First Hokage married the princess of the Land of Whirlpools."
He concluded triumphantly.
"So if you connect all these relationships together… doesn't that make us relatives of the Uzumaki Clan?"
The people around him fell silent.
They were not entirely sure whether the logic was correct.
But somehow…
It sounded convincing.
Uzu Shio Village
Inside the village, Uzumaki Ashina stood quietly within the Mask Storage Hall.
The hall was dimly lit, its walls covered with mysterious masks used for ancient sealing rituals.
Ashina's gaze rested on the mask positioned at the very center.
This mask was the most sacred of them all.
The Shinigami Mask.
Only by wearing this mask could one perform the terrifying sealing technique known as the Reaper Death Seal.
Ashina stared at it silently.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly.
A strange feeling had just appeared within his heart.
An inexplicable sense of unease.
The feeling had no clear origin.
However, it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
Before he could analyze it further, a masked Anbu ninja suddenly appeared beside him.
"Lord Patriarch," the ninja reported respectfully.
"There are visitors at the village gate."
Ashina raised an eyebrow.
"Visitors?"
"Yes… they claim they have come to visit relatives and friends."
The Anbu's tone sounded somewhat strange.
"Relatives and friends?" Ashina repeated.
His expression turned puzzled.
"Could it be members of the Senju Clan?"
After all, the Uzumaki Clan had maintained strong ties with the Senju for generations.
However, the Senju Clan had largely disappeared as an organized clan after the founding of Konoha.
Aside from a few individuals, the name itself had nearly vanished.
The Anbu shook his head.
"No. Some of them carry the Uchiha Clan crest."
"And others appear to be members of the Kaguya Clan from the Hidden Mist Village."
Ashina's eyes narrowed.
"Hidden Mist… Uchiha… Kaguya…"
He suddenly remembered the major news that had recently spread across the ninja world.
The Uchiha Clan of the Hidden Mist had begun rising rapidly under a mysterious young leader.
"Take me there," Ashina said calmly.
"I would like to see these guests for myself."
Village Gate
Meanwhile, Uchiha Su sat comfortably on a small portable stool outside the village gate.
He seemed completely relaxed.
While waiting, he casually continued speaking with Uchiha En.
"So your son is named Uchiha Yashiro, and he's roughly the same age as me?"
En nodded.
"Yes, Young Lord."
Uchiha Su smiled.
"In that case, you should send him to my side."
He winked playfully.
"If he stays near me, he'll have many opportunities in the future—whether in village positions or something else."
The other two Uchiha Jōnin nearby immediately looked jealous.
Uchiha En, however, felt slightly embarrassed.
Still, he understood the meaning behind the offer.
This was a rare opportunity.
A father's status often rose because of his son.
After thinking for a moment, he made a firm decision.
"Very well, Young Lord."
"Once we return, I will send Yashiro to serve under your guidance."
Uchiha Su nodded in satisfaction.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, he noticed movement in the distance.
A group of red-haired ninja were approaching.
At their center walked an elderly man wearing blue layered armor and a headband bearing the Uzumaki symbol.
Uchiha Su immediately recognized him.
"Oh my," he said dramatically.
"To think such an elder would personally come to greet us."
He suddenly slapped his thigh.
Unfortunately…
It was not his own thigh.
Kaguya Takuma, who stood beside him holding the Kusanagi sword "Shimizu", nearly cried out in pain.
"Young Lord," the boy whispered pitifully, "you slapped my thigh…"
Uchiha Su ignored him.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Ashina stopped a short distance away and looked at the young Uchiha calmly.
"Junior?" Ashina repeated thoughtfully.
"I don't recall the Uzumaki and Uchiha Clans being relatives."
"Perhaps I'm getting old and my memory is failing me?"
Uchiha Su immediately launched into his earlier explanation again.
He once more described the complicated chain of relationships between the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki Clans.
Ashina listened silently.
To be honest…
If he had not personally lived through the Warring States Period, he might actually have believed the explanation.
Because somehow…
It almost sounded logical.
Finally, Ashina sighed slightly.
"So tell me, Young Clan Head of the Uchiha…"
"What business brings you to Uzu Shio Village?"
Uchiha Su did not hesitate.
"I've come to borrow a few people."
He pointed directly at Ashina.
"People who are proficient in Sealing Techniques."
After a brief pause, he added casually,
"Or perhaps you could come with me yourself, old man."
The surrounding Uzumaki instantly erupted in anger.
What did this little brat mean?
Was he actually asking their patriarch to follow him?
Seeing the Uzumaki become furious, the Uchiha ninja immediately reacted as well.
Their eyes flashed red.
Uchiha En stepped forward slightly.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes began spinning slowly as he glared coldly at the red-haired warriors.
The atmosphere at the village gate suddenly became extremely tense.
One wrong move…
And a battle could erupt at any moment.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)