"Hokage-sama, there's an old saying—spilt water cannot be retrieved. It's too late to change anything now."
Heiyan fixed Hiruzen Sarutobi with a calm gaze as he spoke. "The rift between the Uzumaki clan and the Daimyo's Mansion has already grown irreparable. Trying to force reconciliation will inevitably lead to even greater conflict. I believe you understand this well in your heart."
Hiruzen fell silent at these words. Yet judging from his furrowed brow, he still wasn't willing to easily let go of the Uzumaki clan—he wanted desperately to keep them.
"That reminds me—I nearly forgot," Heiyan suddenly said, a sudden thought crossing his mind. "I myself am your advisor to the Hokage, and Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, is also a member of the Uzumaki clan. According to the demands from the Daimyo's Mansion, it seems like we should consider leaving Konoha as well..."
"Absolutely not!"
Before Heiyan could finish, Hiruzen interrupted sharply, his face full of alarm as he firmly declared, "As for you and Kushina—you two absolutely cannot leave Konoha! There's no way I would ever agree to that!"
"Hokage-sama, I was just kidding," Heiyan quipped with a sly grin.
In reality, Heiyan had no intention of leaving Konoha at all.
The reasoning was simple.
He had lived here for more than a decade, with so many friends and companions he cared about deeply. How could he just run away meekly because of some oppression from the Daimyo's Mansion?
Not only did Heiyan intend to stay, but he also planned to use his own strength to change Konoha, making this village completely independent from the Daimyo's Mansion, achieving true freedom both economically and spiritually.
And as the tides of history march forward, Konoha will eventually sideline—and perhaps even eradicate—the decaying Daimyo's Mansion, becoming the true ruler of the Land of Fire and leading its hundreds of millions of people into a new era.
This was Heiyan's real response and counterattack against the Daimyo's Mansion's persecution of the Uzumaki clan.
Naturally, Hiruzen knew nothing of Heiyan's ambitions—if he ever found out, he'd probably be stunned into silence.
Sighing slowly, the Third Hokage set aside his pipe and said to Heiyan,
"I understand now. Konoha will help the Uzumaki clan leave the Land of Fire safely. If you need anything, just say the word. Whatever can be done, I will make sure someone handles it. Also, the time given for the Uzumaki clan's departure from the Land of Fire will be extended by one month."
As Hokage, this was the last effort Hiruzen could make on behalf of the Uzumaki clan.
"Thank you, sir."
Heiyan's expression turned serious. He bowed respectfully to Hiruzen and then left the Hokage's office.
After parting ways with the Third Hokage, Heiyan arranged for Azure Fox and White Elephant to temporarily manage his ongoing matters.
That same night.
Alone and unseen, Heiyan quietly left Konoha, speeding southward through the Land of Fire as quickly as possible.
He decided to personally locate Mikazuki Island in the southern seas, assess the island's conditions, plan a safe relocation route, and then return to Konoha to lead his clansmen on their journey.
Three days later.
Heiyan traveled day and night, heading south for thousands of miles, finally arriving at a small port town on the southernmost coast of the Land of Fire.
Along the way, he clearly felt the change in temperature and climate.
Konoha Village had a temperate forest climate, while this small coastal town in the far south belonged to a tropical monsoon climate.
Though it was already November—early winter—the temperature still hovered near thirty degrees Celsius, and the townspeople dressed in light clothing.
Today was an overcast day. The air in the small town felt hot and suffocating. Flocks of storm petrels circled low above the docks. On the distant horizon, dark clouds gathered under the sky, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled as if a storm unlike anything before was brewing.
Heiyan arrived at the dock and asked an elderly man in charge whether there were any ships bound for Mikazuki Island.
"As you can see, there's a storm out at sea. All ships have stopped sailing these past couple of days."
The old man put down the newspaper, looked at Heiyan—who was cloaked and hooded—and gave a lazy yawn before replying casually.
So that's all there is to it?
Upon hearing this, Heiyan couldn't help but frown slightly. From what he knew, even the fastest passenger ships required several days at sea to reach Mikazuki Island from here.
Though Heiyan could walk across the sea himself, without someone to guide him, finding Mikazuki Island's exact location amidst the vast ocean would be extremely difficult.
"Wait a second, you said earlier you're going to Mikazuki Island?"
Suddenly, the old man seemed to recall something and raised his voice as he questioned Heiyan.
"Yes. What's the problem?" Heiyan asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Tsk, I guess you really don't know. Something happened there recently," the old man sighed.
"What happened?" Heiyan asked curiously.
"Well…you've heard of the battle of Uzugakure, right? They say the Konoha Sannin killed and wounded thousands of people on the battlefield in the Land of Uzu. The scene was pure chaos—like the sky itself had turned against them. Especially that extraordinary genius, Uzumaki Heiyan, known as the top among the Sannin..."
The old man's eyes lit up as he launched into a dramatic retelling of the Battle of Uzugakure.
Heiyan paused briefly upon hearing this, only then noticing the newspaper the old man had just been reading—it featured detailed coverage about the Battle of Uzugakure across most of its pages. Furthermore, in the most eye-catching spot on the paper, stood three figures side by side wearing cloaks and mountain-patterned armor: the famous Konoha Sannin.
He hadn't expected the names of the Sannin to have spread all the way to such a remote place, nor that this very old man before him was actually one of his most loyal followers.
"Ah, I know the basics. But how does that connect to Mikazuki Island?"
At this point, he interrupted the old man's chatter and asked curiously.
"It was after the great battle in Uzugakure that a group of ninja fled from the battlefield and took refuge at sea—they seized control of Mikazuki Island."
The old man showed some dissatisfaction at being cut off, but still gave the younger man this piece of information.
"And," he said, glancing around carefully before pointing toward the distant figures, "do you see those seven or eight people over there? They're local fishermen from Mikazuki Island. They've been lingering around here for days, looking for someone to help them reclaim their homeland. But perhaps they can't afford a decent price, or maybe the Exiled Ninja are just too strong. Either way, no one bothers with them."
He sighed. "They're pretty pitiful too. If you have any questions about Mikazuki Island, feel free to ask them."
"Thank you very much."
Hearing this, Heiyan thanked the old man and headed toward the fishermen.
The fishermen wore ragged clothes and had bandages wrapped around them, bearing different wounds — clearly survivors on the run.
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