Ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.
Naruto walked slowly through them.
At this moment, he was unaware of the undercurrents surging between the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
Though he bore the Uzumaki name, this was his first time setting foot on this land, a land once owned by the Uzumaki clan.
To be able to establish a country with the strength of a single clan during the chaotic Warring States Period, one could only imagine how powerful the Uzumaki clan had once been.
But as the ancient, unchanging truth dictates, all things that reach their peak must eventually decline.
The Uzumaki clan could not escape this law either.
Following the death of Uzumaki Ashina, the first village head of Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools, the Uzumaki clan also began its decline.
A sharp blade, if held in the hands of an adult, might inspire greed in others, but they would be deterred by the adult's formidable strength and dare not act.
But if that same blade were in the hands of an infant, the situation would be entirely reversed. They would worry that once the infant grew into an adult, the blade would be turned against them. At the same time, they would covet the blade, wishing to arm and strengthen themselves with it, because even among adults, there is life-and-death competition.
The weakened Land of Whirlpools was that infant, and the Uzumaki clan's powerful sealing techniques were that sharp blade.
The numerous countries and ninja clans surrounding the Land of Whirlpools both feared and coveted the Uzumaki clan's powerful sealing techniques.
Thus, during the Second Great Ninja War, seizing the perfect opportunity while Konoha was tied down by other ninja villages, they tacitly launched an invasion of the Land of Whirlpools.
Perhaps out of fear of the Uzumaki clan's retaliation, the invaders launched an extermination-style assault.
Under their horrific slaughter, a ninja clan once numerous enough to form a nation vanished directly from the ninja world.
Only a very few lucky individuals survived due to one reason or another…
The people living on this land today were mostly sufferers who could no longer survive in their own homelands.
Of course, there were also a few existences like him.
Gazing at the boundless ocean before him, Naruto's brow furrowed slightly.
"Kurama, is he here yet?"
"He should be arriving soon," Kurama said within the mental space.
"Little bro, are you heading to the Land of Water?" A young man walked up beside him and asked in a low voice.
Naruto, not understanding, looked at him quizzically.
"I have connections, no identity check needed." The young man glanced left and right, then whispered, "The price will definitely satisfy you."
The Land of Water was an island nation; all travel to and from other countries relied on ships.
Just as there are shadows wherever there is light, there were always people who, for one reason or another, couldn't take the official channels.
Like Naruto, for instance. As a missing-nin, how could he provide identification to those official ships?
Demand drives supply, and underground ferrymen like this young man arose to meet the need.
"No need, I have a friend coming to pick me up," Naruto said.
"…" The young man looked at him with deep suspicion. What kind of friend would come to a smuggler's port like this to pick someone up? But he didn't press further; forced sales never lasted long.
"If you need anything, you can find me anytime. The price won't change."
With that, he turned and left.
Naruto continued to gaze out at the ocean.
A few minutes later, Kurama's voice sounded in his mind, "He's here."
Sensing the massive chakra source entering the range of his Mind's Eye of Kagura, Naruto nodded slightly.
He had thought he might have to wait a while longer; after all, that fellow gave off quite the… distinct first impression.
"Ichihiko, what's the situation?" a companion asked as the young man approached.
"He said a friend is coming to pick him up." The young man, Ichihiko, shrugged helplessly.
"…" Hearing this, his companion was also rendered speechless. What kind of excuse was that?
In this godforsaken smuggler's port, besides them, who else was in this line of work…
"Probably got swindled by those guys over there," Ichihiko said with a laugh. "I bet he'll come back to us soon enough. Let's hope he doesn't get all his money cheated out of him…"
"Be-behind…" His companion tremblingly raised a finger, pointing behind Ichihiko, his pale face filled with terror and fear.
"Behind?" Ichihiko paused, then turned his head to look, and instantly froze on the spot.
On the distant sea horizon, a colossal creature, its back covered in sharp diamond-shaped spikes and its tail ending in three flat fins, slowly rose.
Its overall shape resembled a sea turtle, but its island-like size and body full of spikes told them in no uncertain terms that this creature and the sea turtles they knew were entirely different concepts.
"Quick, run…"
Ichihiko's face was pale, but unlike his companion, he hadn't completely lost his ability to think.
"Seeing it from this angle, it's truly breathtaking," Naruto couldn't help but remark, watching the Three-Tails, Isobu, gradually approach.
In the world of the undying from his previous life, divine beasts larger than Isobu were few and far between.
Gazing at the small figure before him, Isobu slowly stood up. A massive amount of seawater cascaded from his shell, the sound of it hitting the ground deafening; even Naruto felt his ears ring with the echo.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto." Naruto tilted his head up to look at the giant before him. Sure enough, he could only see its lower jaw.
"I am Isobu," the Three-Tails spoke.
Although they had met several times in the mental space, this was their first meeting in reality.
Suddenly, Isobu slowly lowered his body, using his single eye, as large as Naruto himself, to look him up and down.
"Looking at Kurama from this perspective is remarkably satisfying."
"Tch." Kurama's disdainful voice echoed in the ears of both man and beast.
"Hahaha…" Hearing this, Isobu couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh.
"Naruto, let me take over!" In the mental space, Kurama abruptly stood up.
"What are you planning to do?!" Naruto's eyelid twitched violently.
"I want to beat him up."
"…" Naruto's speechless gaze swept back and forth between the two beasts. These two had lived long enough to become history itself, yet they were still so childish.
"Come on up," Isobu said to him after finishing his laugh.
Naruto bent his knees slightly, then leaped with force, landing steadily on Isobu's large head.
"Can you breathe underwater?" Isobu asked as he re-entered the ocean.
"I can." Naruto nodded slightly.
He had once obtained a secret scroll titled Aquatic Breathing Technique from the Phantom Corrupted Monk.
Although he didn't know who created the secret art, the fact that it allowed the user to breathe underwater was undeniable.
"Hold tight," Isobu said, then his form suddenly dove, disappearing beneath the sea's surface.
A large volume of seawater rushed towards him. Just as Naruto was considering whether to enter Kurama Chakra Mode to resist the impact, a surge of chakra slowly formed a sphere around him, helping him submerge smoothly.
Naruto suddenly realized that within this sphere, even if he didn't use the Aquatic Breathing Technique, there was still a continuous supply of fresh air for him to breathe.
Once he calmed down, the surrounding scenery slowly came into view.
Immersed within it, the beauty presented by the ocean was something that couldn't be experienced from the surface.
"Isobu, where are we going?" Naruto asked.
"To the place where I live."