On the seashore, a little girl of about seven or eight sat on a reef.
She had vibrant red hair and a round face. Right now, her eyes were red-rimmed, and she puffed out her cheeks, disgruntledly tossing small stones at the ocean in front of her.
"Why do I have to go to some Leaf Village? I don't want to leave Mom and Dad and go somewhere so far away."
Suddenly, by the faint light of the bright, beautiful moon in the sky, she thought she saw a strange shadow in the water. She couldn't help but rub her eyes. "Is it a fish?"
Being a bold child, she picked up a stone and threw it.
Plunk!
The stone sank into the water, and in the next second, a figure emerged.
"Ouch! Who has so little public decency?"
"Oh no, I've caused trouble again." The little girl reflexively hid behind the reef. After waiting a moment, she peeked her head out, coming face-to-face with a delicate-featured boy, and screamed in fright.
"Ah! I'm sorry, it's my fault! I shouldn't have thrown a rock at you!"
"Alright, alright. A child who knows how to admit their mistakes is a good child." Kaito looked at her conspicuous red hair, and the bad feeling in his heart grew stronger.
"Little sister, do you know what this place is?"
"Of course I do. This is the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools."
The Village Hidden in the Whirlpools?!!!
Kaito's expression instantly darkened. He thought back to the inexplicable attack from earlier, and a guess formed in his mind.
So Uzushiogakure hasn't been destroyed yet? Then could the target of those masked men have been Uzushio? And my unlucky self just happened to run into the main force coming to attack the village, which is why they wanted to silence me.
It all made sense, and Kaito's mood soured even further.
I just wanted to go out to sea for a bit of fun! Who did I provoke to deserve this?!
He looked at the little girl in front of him, clearly a member of the Uzumaki clan, and then lifted the unconscious Tetsuren, moving behind the reef.
"What's wrong with this big sister?" the little girl asked worriedly.
"It's nothing. She just swallowed some water."
Having lived in a country with only frozen rivers, Tetsuren's swimming skills were even worse than he had imagined. It was a good thing Kaito had been holding onto her the whole time, occasionally pulling her to the surface to catch her breath. Fortunately, neither of them had lost their swords.
Kaito patted the little girl's head and said, "I'm Kaito, and she's Tetsuren. What's your name?"
"My name is Uzumaki Kushina!"
"What? Uzumaki Kushina?!!"
At some point, a thick fog had rolled in from the sea, turning the coastal area into a world of white.
The Uzushio ninja responsible for standing guard in the watchtowers were still wondering what was happening when the dense fog enveloped them as well. Then, their throats were slit without a sound.
After clearing out all the sentries, large ships docked on the shore one by one, and a large number of people disembarked. These people were clearly divided into two groups.
The most robust and imposing man among them crossed his arms and sneered, "Hmph. The Silent Killing Technique is truly impressive."
"Let's hurry. Don't underestimate the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. We'll concentrate our assault and try to crush them before they can react. Don't give them a chance to form a barrier. After that, the spoils of war will go to whoever can take them," said an effeminate man from the other group. He looked at the quiet village ahead, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Good! Let me lead the charge!" The tall man strode forward, his speed gradually increasing, his long hair flying in the wind like a lion's mane. He leaped into the air, his entire body enveloped in a thick armor of lightning chakra. He extended his right hand, thrusting it forward like a spear.
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!"
BOOM!
The large-scale barrier that protected the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools shattered on impact. He crashed to the ground, the aftershock spreading out and instantly kicking up a terrifying storm of mud and rock. A giant crater appeared in the village, and it was unknown how many villagers had died in that single blow.
"Hahaha! Everyone, follow me! Leave no one alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hmph. What a terrifying beast." The effeminate man shook his head and waved his hand forward. "Let's go too."
"Yes, sir!"
The once-peaceful Village Hidden in the Whirlpools was instantly transformed into a fierce battlefield.
When the rumbling explosion sounded, Kaito and the others, who were on another part of the coast, heard it clearly. He gazed in the direction of the village, where the glow of fire was beginning to turn half the sky red, and sighed. "They work fast. It looks like the original ending is unavoidable after all."
From the trajectory of his small boat, Kaito guessed that the enemies he had encountered were from the Land of Lightning. But the Land of Lightning was too far from the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. Relying on a single nation would be too risky, so it was ninety-nine percent certain that the neighboring Land of Water was also involved. Konoha probably never expected that these two great nations would take advantage of the Land of Rain drawing everyone's attention to launch a joint surprise attack on Uzushiogakure. No wonder the village was wiped out so cleanly and efficiently, without even a chance to call for help from the Leaf.
The young Kushina was exceptionally bright. From the series of unnatural sounds, she sensed that something might be wrong in the village. She tugged on Kaito's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Big Brother Kaito, did something happen to the village?"
Kaito hesitated for a moment, then chose to tell her the truth. "Yes. Bad people have entered the village."
"Then... will it be okay if we just drive the bad people away?"
"That's right. So your mom and dad, your uncles and aunts, are all working hard right now. We shouldn't disturb them. Let's just wait here until all the bad people are driven away."
Faced with a surprise attack force composed of elite ninja from two great nations, Kaito, with his current strength, couldn't change anything. He could only pat Kushina's small head and speak patiently.
"Okay." Kushina nodded obediently.
Perhaps in the original timeline, this is how Kushina survived this disaster. Then she was rescued by people from the Leaf and became the second Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
Kaito surveyed his surroundings, intending to find a better hiding place. Digging a hole in the sandy beach would be too easy to collapse, and the tracks would be hard to erase. But just as he was about to pick up Kushina and Tetsuren and leave the beach, two figures appeared, one in front and one behind, trapping them in the middle.
"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere."
Dressed in black and wearing masks, they were part of the same group as the man who had attacked Kaito earlier. However, judging by their builds, the previous masked man was not among them.
"Wu... Bad people are here!" Frightened by the newcomers' appearance, Kushina shuffled her little feet backward, hiding behind Kaito.
"First of all, I haven't provoked any of you. Even so, you're still going to hunt us down to the last?" Kaito lowered his eyelids. He was truly angry now.
"You can only blame your own bad luck. Hope for a better reincarnation in your next life."
Before his words had even faded, the two masked men charged forward simultaneously. With kunai in hand, one aimed for Kaito, the other for Tetsuren.
"Fire Spin!"
A sudden burst of flames surrounded Kaito and the others, forcing them all back.
Kaito gripped Clear Spring in his right hand and drew Tetsuren's sword with his left. Golden energy flared to life from his body, spreading to both blades.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?" one of the masked men said in shock.
"Be careful! That chakra isn't normal!"
"Don't worry. It doesn't look like there's that much of it. A little less than an average chunin."
Kaito ignored their conversation and turned his head. "Kushina, I'm leaving Big Sister Tetsuren in your care. I'll get rid of the bad guys real soon."
"Okay!"