(T/N: if anyone was like me and missed the timeskip.. there was a timeskip inbetween chapter 70-75, i forgot where but there's a timeskip.. i missed it even though i wrote it.. the consequence of translating a book while being sleep deprived.)
At the border of the Land of Water-
Standing imposingly before the assembled forces was none other than the Third Mizukage, the man who had ruled the Hidden Mist Village with dominance for decades. Unlike the sickly figures of the Ice Clan beside him, his posture remained upright and commanding. He didn't look like he shared any blood with them at first glance.
And this man-the one who had once been cast aside within his own clan-was now their Mizukage, elevated through ruthless cunning and overwhelming power alone.
When he arrived with no ceremony, legendary figures from the Mist like Biwa Juzo, Tongkusa Yaeito, Murashi Jinpachi, and Kurosuchi Raiga immediately dropped to their knees in salute.
"Mizukage-sama!"
Their reverence was echoed by every Mist ninja nearby. Whether hidden in formation or standing in rows, they knelt together without hesitation.
Unmoved by the show of respect, the Mizukage cast his gaze over them and began his questioning.
"What is the situation on the front lines?"
"Sir," came the responding shinobi's crisp tone, "according to our messenger beast, Yukari began her attack-but we received no follow-up since."
"When did she last report?"
"Roughly one hour ago."
His brow furrowed. Given how powerful Zi was even on her own-and with several strong shinobi assisting her-it should've been easy to crush the now-leaderless Land of Whirlpools. No top-tier fighters remained there-or so they believed.
Now cut off from updates entirely, he began to calculate another possibility-that they'd walked right into Sarutobi Hiruzen's trap.
"If this really was Sarutobi's plan from the start..."
Even though it made sense tactically, he knew Konoha wouldn't send troops into enemy territory without being spotted by Hidden Mist agents. That could only lead to one conclusion-his glare tightened into certainty-
"Konoha wants war. Very well-they'll have it. I'll claim every inch of Uzumaki territory if that's their play."
Without hesitation, he raised one hand and barked out new orders.
"It seems Zi has been compromised, there's no time for doubt. We take Whirlpool Country immediately. And not one resource will go to Konoha when we do!"
Hot-blooded cheers tried to rise from below until one cautious warning interrupted it.
"But... sir, if we cut them out entirely, Konoha might retaliate-"
"It doesn't matter." He silenced them with one sweep of his arm. "I'll inform the other three nations that Yukari has died. If Konoha makes any sudden move, it proves their intent to dominate the ninja world. We'll make sure they spark war with everyone."
He smiled then-cold and confident.
"Without those three Senju monsters, how long will this Sarutobi hold up? He has no bloodline-not even strength worth respecting. When we strike-our Water Country alone might be enough to crush them."
Many of the Mist shinobi looked at each other and after just that reminder they understood. They were bloodline holders. They were elite. Normal shinobi couldn't touch them. Their grins shifted cruel.
Jie jie jie...
Whirlpool Country had grown wealthy sealing tailed beasts over generations. Claiming their holdings now would change everything-
"Destination: the land of Whirlpool! Move out!"
"Kill!!!"
War cries shook the trees loose in the mist as they surged forward together.
…
"Um... Lord Akira, may I ask why you summoned us here?"
Uchiha Chen's tone betrayed genuine confusion. unable to grasp why Akira Senju would use Flying Thunder God to bring them here himself if they only intended to deal with leftover Mist stragglers. The chakra cost alone seemed wasteful for clean-up work.
Akira didn't answer directly-instead pivoting:
"What do you two think about the attack on Whirlpool?"
Their expressions fell flat. Both Chen and Taoli unconsciously looked at each other-neither wanting to guess wrong.
"Don't get it? Fine, I'll be clear," Akira continued calmly. "What's Konoha's official stance on this invasion?"
Immediately, they froze.
"...You're saying this has ties to Lord Hokage?"
Akira gave them no time to catch up mentally.
"Who dares touch the land of Whirlpool without the Leaf's permission?"
Complete silence fell between them-because he was right. No nation would risk attacking the Uzumaki directly unless Konoha gave them the signal to do so.
Even ignoring their blood pact with Konoha-the Uzumaki were crucial to sealing techniques across the entire continent. If the clan was wiped out, Jinchūriki vessels would break down without their bindings-and once dead, so would the tailed beasts inside them.
Tailed beasts could reincarnate but they remembered everything when they returned.
No nation could take that rage and live, especially not while under fire from Konoha too.
Yet even knowing that… Whirlpool Country was burning right now.
They hadn't dared to name it aloud before but now they couldn't pretend anymore either.
"So… what do we do now...?"
Both Chen and Taoli looked shaken as they waited for Akira's answer.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is preparing to erase Uzumaki. That means he's also done believing Senju or Uchiha matter anymore. Next, it'll be your clans."
"How dare he?!"
Their voices exploded together this time-disbelief flashing hot in their eyes.
Konoha without the Uchiha and Senju? What was left?
"What is there to fear?" Akira said flatly. "You've seen it yourself, Konoha today isn't what it was decades ago."
Slowly... their outrage began to dull into dread.
"...Isn't there anything you plan to do?"
Akira lifted both hands in mock exaggeration-
"I'll tear Sarutobi down myself eventually, all you have to do is wait for me to reveal myself publicly again. That won't be long now but I have things that must happen first."
They started to protest again-but he shut it down right away-
"It doesn't matter. Let them have Konoha for now. When I'm ready, I'll take it back by force."
They said nothing after that-just nodded slowly as understanding settled into place.
Taoli cleared his throat.
"Alright… but why are we here exactly?"
Akira smiled faintly.
"To preserve what's left of Uchiha and Senju bloodlines." He turned toward Chen without hesitation next. "And Chen, I'll be needing one of your eyes." (T/N: damn....)
Both of them drew in tight breath but neither yelled or resisted.
Whatever operation Sarutobi had launched inside Konoha, it was already underway. If Akira had prepared this far ahead... then they were already running out of time to act safely within its walls at home.
Chen met Taoli's eyes-and after only one second, they both nodded as one:
"Alright."
(T/N: oh yeah! A double update today! (10 chapters) so a new chapter would come like once ever 30 minutes!)
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