Heiyan?
The name echoed through the air, carried by Crocodile Boss's groveling pleas, reaching the ears of his subordinates.
Could it possibly be… Uzumaki Heiyan?!
A chill ran down everyone's spine. In an instant, they dropped their weapons, raised their hands, and stood frozen in place, their faces drained of color. Most of them had never seen Heiyan face-to-face, but his reputation was legendary.
"You've committed countless crimes. How can I spare your lives?"
Heiyan spoke calmly, his sharp gaze locking onto every enemy's position.
Before the last word faded, without even forming a single hand seal, countless [Heavenly Release Chidori Senbon] burst from the meridians and acupoints all over his body, flying like lightning in every direction.
Shiu-shiu-shiu!
These deadly attacks seemed to have eyes of their own, avoiding Haruko and all the local fishermen, while striking each rogue ninja with unerring precision.
In a chorus of screams, dozens of enemies fell lifelessly where they stood, instantly transformed into cold, motionless corpses.
Among them, the elite chunin closest to Heiyan was pierced so many times he looked like a sieve, dying a gruesome death.
"Ahhh!"
Hit by several Chidori Senbon, Crocodile Boss roared in pain. Despite his thick skin and muscular frame, he hadn't died immediately. He turned and fled toward the ocean.
However—
Shiu!
A sword flash tore through the air. There was no escape. Even Crocodile Boss's hardened skin was pierced as easily as paper. With intense regret and despair, he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Shiu!
After killing the final enemy, the Murakumo Sword flew back to Heiyan's side. It hovered silently beside him, blade pointing downward.
Thus, this group of rogue ninja was completely wiped out.
Throughout the entire battle, Heiyan hadn't moved even a single step from his original spot.
Witnessing this scene, over a hundred surviving fishermen stared in stunned silence, overwhelmed by awe beyond words—as though they had just seen a divine being descend from the heavens.
"Your voice just now… you're that ninja who appeared at the dock that day?!"
Haruko stared wide-eyed at Heiyan, her mind racing with thoughts.
"See? I told you I came here to help."
Heiyan looked at her and smiled slightly.
Truthfully, he could have stepped out from Samehada much earlier and taken care of these enemies at once.
But Heiyan believed that enduring this hardship would bring significant growth for Haruko. After all, a girl like her was never meant to be a delicate flower in a greenhouse.
She was a stubborn, strong-willed wildflower—no fragile bloom, but one that had weathered storms and still stood tall.
"I…"
Haruko stammered, emotions of guilt and excitement intertwining in her heart. Before she could finish speaking, her strength gave out and she collapsed backward.
"Haruko!" "Young clan head!"
Shaking off their shock, the surrounding fishermen rushed out from the mining pit and gathered anxiously around the unconscious Haruko.
Not long ago, Haruko's father—the clan head of this tribe—had sacrificed himself fighting the enemy to save everyone.
For these fishermen, Haruko was not only their new clan head — her bravery, fearlessness, and spirit of sacrifice embodied the legacy of a spiritual fire that had burned within this fishing tribe on Mikazuki Island for nearly a century.
To save Haruko's life, the fishermen turned pleading eyes toward Heiyan.
"Please, sir, have mercy and save Haruko! We'll do anything for you."
"We'll dig for minerals for you, work for you, obey your every command — just bring our clan head back to life."
The fishermen knelt before Heiyan with palms pressed together, their foreheads bleeding from prostration. These humble people, tears streaming down their faces, were ready to give up everything they had to save their clan head, Haruko's life.
Heiyan was deeply moved.
Looking at this group of gaunt, ragged fishermen, he said nothing, but silently formed the hand seal for Summoning Jutsu.
"Puff!"
A slug the size of a small hill appeared on the open ground.
[Sage Slug, just like before, please distribute my chakra to these fishermen and heal all their wounds.]
Heiyan spoke to this living slug clone.
"I understand, Lord Heiyan."
With a gentle response, the living slug split into over a hundred small slugs. Under the humble yet delighted gazes of the fishermen, the tiny slugs crawled onto their bodies and began treating everyone's injuries.
As for Heiyan, he personally went to Haruko's side, knelt down, and began healing her with Medical Ninjutsu.
Gradually, all the fishermen recovered from their injuries and illnesses, and unconscious Haruko slowly opened her eyes, her pupils regaining vitality and color.
Witnessing this scene, the fishermen couldn't help shedding tears of joy and once again tried to kowtow to Heiyan in gratitude. Some who had just recovered rushed voluntarily to the mining pit to dig with all their strength, willingly becoming slaves just to repay this great kindness.
"Haruko, have them get up. And no one should keep harming their bodies in the mines anymore. Gather everyone here."
Heiyan gave these instructions to Haruko with a look of compassion.
"Yes."
Haruko nodded with tearful eyes. At her urging, all the fishermen followed Heiyan's orders.
Then, following Heiyan's suggestion, everyone gathered the belongings of the deceased clansmen and buried the dead as properly as they could. Of course, Crocodile Boss and others didn't receive such treatment — their corpses were simply thrown into the sea to feed the fish.
After completing these tasks, Heiyan smiled at Haruko and said:
"If you don't mind, why don't you show me around your home?"
"My lord Heiyan, it would be our greatest honor."
Haruko replied respectfully, then took the initiative to lead Heiyan toward the fishing village where their clanspeople lived.
Along the way, the fishermen who had survived calamity finally emerged from depression and despair. Now laughter and songs filled the air, filling the atmosphere with joy and energy.
At the head of the group, Haruko walked beside Heiyan.
While introducing Mikazuki Island's history and customs to him, she kept glancing at his profile from time to time. When she recalled how she'd fallen asleep dreaming while clinging to Samehada, surely revealing many girlish secrets to Heiyan, her face flushed red and her heart fluttered with emotion.
Not long after, the group arrived at a fishing village on the coast.
The village was in shambles. It was clear that Haruko and the others lived in tough conditions—almost like an isolated tribal life completely cut off from modern electrified civilization.
Moreover, during Crocodile Boss's previous invasion, the villagers' homes had been set ablaze and smashed to pieces, with every valuable item stripped away.
All that remained were ruins.
These innocent and simple fishermen didn't realize that their ancestral home, Mikazuki Island, contained vast undeveloped natural resources. For instance, the chakra-conductive metal ore pit alone was worth enough to buy a small nation.
It could be said they were unknowingly sitting atop a gold mine.
Looking at the completely destroyed fishing village, Heiyan paused in thought before saying to Haruko and others, "Please step back a bit."
Then, he rapidly formed hand seals and ended with the Rabbit Seal, simultaneously opening his mouth and exhaling forward.
Whoosh.
A stream of water shot out from Heiyan's mouth, quickly forming a massive rushing waterfall rolling toward the village ahead.
[Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique]
Under the force of this powerful water surge, all remaining rubble was swept up and carried into the sea, leaving the fishing village site completely cleared.
Next, Heiyan performed hand seals again, ending with the Snake Seal. Then he forcefully slammed one hand onto the ground, channeling a large amount of chakra underground.
Rumble... rumble...
With a tremendous sound, countless tree roots burst forth from the earth. Haruko and the others stared wide-eyed as these trees rapidly grew into twenty or thirty two-story wooden villas across the former village site, neatly aligned along the shoreline.
In an instant, luxurious ocean-view houses appeared.
This was the [Wood Release: Serial Pillar Houses Technique].
In the original timeline, after Pain destroyed Konoha, it was thanks to Yamato's Wood Release techniques that reconstruction progressed so quickly.
However, the Pillar House technique was extremely draining on one's chakra reserves. Even for Heiyan, producing so many structures in one go left him shaking slightly, feeling drained afterward.
"Heiyan-sama, are you alright?"
Haruko had been keeping a close eye on Heiyan all along, and rushed forward at once to steady him.
"I'm fine. This should take care of everyone's housing issues for now."
Heiyan waved his hand to show he wasn't seriously affected. Then he turned around, facing this crowd of fishermen who looked at him with admiration, speaking sincerely yet solemnly:
"Fellow villagers, the reason I've come to Mikazuki Island is actually because there's something important I wish to discuss with all of you."
Afterward, he explained the plight of the Uzumaki clan, expressing his hope to relocate them to Mikazuki Island, where they could live together with Haruko and the other locals.
Heiyan had expected some resistance, but surprisingly, everyone responded with exceptional enthusiasm. They warmly welcomed the idea of the Uzumakis joining them—no one opposed it.
In truth, Heiyan himself hadn't realized that freeing these fishermen from the enslavement of rogue ninjas, helping them heal their wounds, rescuing clan head Haruko, and even assisting in rebuilding their homes—
For these people, Heiyan was practically a savior-like figure.
And because of their own recent experiences, Haruko and the others deeply understood the pain the Uzumaki clan had endured. Among everyone in this world, they truly knew what it meant to suffer like the Uzumaki.
Therefore, when Heiyan made his request, everyone agreed without hesitation. In fact, many were already looking forward with excitement to building a better future together once the Uzumaki clan joined Mikazuki Island.
That day,
All the fishermen moved into new houses and got back out to sea, finally regaining their old lives. This solved both the food and housing issues.
Two days later,
Heiyan, Haruko, and over a dozen fishermen returned together to the seaside port town.
There, Heiyan spent a large sum of money purchasing a large passenger-cargo ship and docked it at the harbor. He left Samehada with Haruko as a weapon for self-defense, along with some money, instructing her to watch over the ship with her clansmen while waiting for his return.
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