Chapter 30: Words On The Plank
The first to leave was Whirlpool Princess Kushina, carried away by a flying Summoning Beast.
Long Spear Egret, Yatagarasu, and several other Summoning Beasts like the Giant Eagle.
After that were the Cloud Ninja in hot pursuit of the Scroll of Seals from Hidden Whirlpool Village.
Further back were two Konoha Anbu Battalions.
Danzo also followed along.
Kiiroinu Battalion stayed behind to cover the rear.
Yoru stood on the wall and looked back at Hidden Whirlpool Village.
Mist Ninja in the village were surrounding and intercepting the last Whirlpool Ninja.
Those female Ninja numbered around fifty or more, desperately trying to break through the Mist Ninja’s blockade.
The entire Hidden Whirlpool Village was deathly silent, with only sporadic battles near the northwestern wall.
After jumping down from the city wall and infiltrating the forest outside the city, Captain Kurozaru waved for the squad to stop.
The squad now had only 5 people left: Kurozaru, 3 Squad Leaders, and 1 Team Member.
“Change into Cloud Ninja disguises. We have other missions.”
The only Team Member was carrying a large pack, which had somehow collected Cloud Ninja gear.
Yoru threw away his Anbu Iron Vest, which had many sword marks on it, and put on a Cloud Ninja single-shoulder vest.
He discarded the half-ruined Ninja Sword and picked up an almost brand-new Long Sword.
In addition, there was a bloodstained Cloud Ninja Headband.
Most crucially, he put on the mask.
A five-man Cloud Ninja squad thus appeared.
Captain Kurozaru glanced at the only Team Member, feeling there was no need to conceal the mission details from him, and said:
“Our mission is to ensure that the Uzumaki Clan’s remnants do not impact Whirlpool Princess entering Konoha Village.”
No explanation was needed; everyone knew what to do.
Any Uzumaki Clan Member approaching the Whirlpool Princess had to be executed.
The five Cloud Ninja charged out of the woods.
The Uzumaki Remnants had left the village and were heading northwest toward Konoha.
The narrow peninsula terrain of the Land of Whirlpools left them little room to maneuver.
Most Mist Ninja remained in Hidden Whirlpool Village, scouring every inch for Sealing Jutsu Research Notes, Property, and intelligence from corpses—their primary targets.
A small portion of Mist Ninja continued pursuing the Uzumaki Remnants.
The Uzumaki Remnants kept splitting off three-man squads to cover the rear, buying time for the others.
These women all stared fixedly at the northwest, with Konoha Village as their only hope.
The appearance of the five Cloud Ninja made their hopes even more tenuous.
These five Cloud Ninja carried Long Swords and had upright, imposing figures.
Captain Kurozaru did not rush forward recklessly but led his subordinates to run parallel to the Uzumaki Remnants.
They slowly closed in, putting pressure on the Uzumaki Remnants.
Under heavy pressure, even simple jumps, landings, and runs would become sloppy due to psychological strain.
When someone in the Uzumaki Remnants showed distorted movements or unsteady footing on landing, Captain Kurozaru would lead the team in throwing Kunai.
That poor Whirlpool girl died under a volley of over a dozen Kunai.
With Mist Ninja pursuers behind and Cloud Ninja interference from the side, these Uzumaki Remnants grew increasingly desperate.
Yoru frowned inwardly.
Something was off about the situation; one should not pursue desperate foes too deeply.
Whirlpool Ninja were not without resistance—they still had Sealed Scrolls and Sealing Secret Jutsu.
If pushed too far, what if these people went for desperate trades?
Yoru couldn’t resist the Reaper Death Seal.
Yoru saw several Whirlpool female Ninja with lifeless eyes, already resolved to die, actively approaching him disguised as a Cloud Ninja.
It was the seventh day of this month, not yet full moon, with no resurrection uses left; trading one-for-one with these desperate foes here wasn’t worth it.
Yoru glanced at Captain Kurozaru, whose mind was fixed only on the Anbu mission: kill all Whirlpool Ninja.
One Whirlpool female Ninja charged over.
Another Squad Leader went to meet her, but he was immediately entangled by chains from a Sealed Scroll.
The female Ninja didn’t want to live; she closed in and detonated Exploding Tags, killing both the Squad Leader and herself.
Yoru inwardly clicked his tongue; the Uzumaki Clan had suffered countless casualties tonight—these female Ninja’s fathers, brothers, and children had all died.
No, he couldn’t go all-out against these mad women. He couldn’t let them keep running toward Konoha.
Yoru looked toward Yuka Uzumaki.
Yuka Uzumaki was in the center of the group, protected by the other Whirlpool female Ninja.
She was very lucky; Long Spear Egret was fast, selected by the village to carry Kushina Uzumaki away.
If Yuka Uzumaki died, the summoning contract would break, and Kushina Uzumaki couldn’t escape either.
But how could he contact Yuka Uzumaki?
While pondering, the only Team Member of Kurozaru Squad also died.
The squad was down to three: Kurozaru, Fox, and Yagura.
Seeing the Uzumaki Remnants still had such combat power, Captain Kurozaru quickly pulled back the distance.
He had left the village with a full squad of 16, and now only 2 remained, with Fox transferred from another squad.
Yoru breathed a sigh of relief; this was more like it—let the Uzumaki Remnants and Mist Ninja fight it out; why should we Konoha Anbu get involved?
The pursuit and flight continued.
Kurozaru Squad became observers, no longer intervening, just recording the number of Uzumaki Remnants.
In a certain gap, Yoru grabbed a piece of broken Wooden Clog.
He held a Kunai inverted, pretending to be ready to throw it, while secretly carving a few words with the Kunai.
The Whirlpool Ninja dwindled; these people grew more reckless, charging at enemies as if each carried a suicidal Exploding Tag.
While Captain Kurozaru was entangled by a Whirlpool Ninja, Yoru threw out the Wooden Board along with the Kunai.
After throwing, Yoru looked around; no one noticed the Wooden Board.
Yuka Uzumaki saw a Kunai flying toward her and quickly dodged.
Under the Kunai was actually a small Wooden Board.
The Wooden Board fell to the ground—with words on it!
Yuka Uzumaki picked it up and glanced at it, her face paling in shock; she then quickly crushed the Wooden Board.
The Wooden Board read: Do not go to the Land of Fire!
Yuka Uzumaki looked toward the Cloud Ninja who threw the Wooden Board and suddenly paused.
That figure… changed clothes, hair bundled up, wearing a mask, but why did it look so much like Fox?
She had never associated Cloud Ninja with Fox before, but now looking again, it really resembled Fox.
Was that Wooden Board a hint from Fox to her?
But why wouldn’t Fox let her go to the Land of Fire?
And why was Fox disguised as a Cloud Ninja?
Yuka Uzumaki suddenly remembered Danzo, remembered why Konoha hadn’t sent aid yet, and more crucially, why Konoha hadn’t provided intelligence on the Cloud Ninja and Mist Ninja invasion to Hidden Whirlpool Village?
Konoha Village and Hidden Whirlpool Village shared intelligence.
The strangest thing about this disaster in Hidden Whirlpool Village was the complete lack of prior warning; all intelligence Ninja seemed to have been cleansed tonight.
This was utterly impossible.
During the Ninja War, the Uzumaki Clan had deployed many reconnaissance Ninja along the Land of Whirlpools’ coast.
Unless… unless someone had leaked the Uzumaki Clan’s Reconnaissance Squad intelligence to the enemy!
Only by simultaneously ambushing all Reconnaissance Squads could they ensure no leaks and catch Hidden Whirlpool Village completely off guard.
The Uzumaki Clan couldn’t have done this themselves, so was it Konoha?
Konoha and Hidden Whirlpool Village shared intelligence and knew Hidden Whirlpool Village’s defensive layout.
Yuka Uzumaki suddenly felt chilled to the bone.
Could it be?
Could Konoha have participated in the Uzumaki Clan’s Clan Annihilation?
