"Please—both of you. Step inside."
Izuna made an inviting gesture.
"Clan Head, you can't!"
Wuqu simply couldn't trust this man of unknown origin—someone who didn't even dare show his face.
Yet Wanlu waved him off, eyes filled with resolve. "Even if it's dangerous, I have to try."
When death approaches, a person's mindset usually shifts in one of two ways.
One is to break down completely—crying day and night, or lying on a sickbed and waiting for death in despair.
The other is to do everything possible to save their life, or to do everything possible to finish the regrets they couldn't fulfill while alive.
Even if it means paying any price.
Wanlu was clearly the latter.
"Clan Head..."
Seeing he couldn't stop him, Wuqu leveled the bone spike at the masked man's throat. "If you make a single improper move, I'll kill you on the spot."
Izuna found it funny inside, but on the surface he merely shrugged as if he didn't care. "Fine."
Then Wanlu stepped into the barrier, while Wuqu stood slightly behind and to his right, bone spike still aimed at Izuna's neck.
In their eyes, the masked man formed a one-handed seal.
Whoosh!
The world in front of them flickered. Before they could even process what was happening, the scenery changed violently.
The familiar surroundings of Kaguya Village were gone. The three of them now stood on a cliff along a mountainside.
"Look," Izuna said, nodding toward the opposite direction.
The two followed his indication—and their faces changed in shock.
In the distance, around 10 li away, a village of simple, ancient design sprawled across a vast area.
It was Uzushiogakure!
"Th-this... how is that possible?"
Their eyes bulged like bells.
The island where the Kaguya lived wasn't that far from Uzushiogakure—only a few hundred li.
But even a Jonin, traveling at full speed, would need several days to reach it.
Yet under that strange ninjutsu, the three of them had effectively appeared in an instant at a spot only 10 li outside Uzushiogakure.
Remembering what the masked man had said—dropping the Kaguya army right outside Uzushiogakure—Wanlu's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"I-I haven't had the honor of learning your name, sir."
Wanlu clasped his hands in respect.
His attitude was worlds apart from before.
Even Wuqu lowered his bone spike.
If this masked man could truly make several hundred Kaguya ninja do what they'd just done—air-dropping outside Uzushiogakure—then taking the Land of Whirlpools was no longer an empty dream.
"The Uzumaki have many barriers set up around here. We may already have been discovered. Let's return first—stand back inside."
Izuna sneered inwardly, but his voice remained perfectly flat.
Hearing that, the two also felt it was reasonable. They quickly stepped back in.
Soon, with another dizzying lurch, the scenery blurred.
The three of them returned to the doorway of Wanlu's room in Kaguya Village.
"Th-this... what ninjutsu is this?"
Even a Kage-level expert like Wanlu was drenched in cold sweat. If this could really be used to move an army across great distances in an instant, wouldn't it give an overwhelming advantage in war?
"Just call me 'Yuan,'"
Izuna said lightly.
"Yuan?"
Wanlu and Wuqu didn't dwell on the name. What mattered was attacking Uzushiogakure.
"The reason I'm helping the Kaguya isn't because I'm doing a good deed. I have my own purpose, and I don't intend to tell you what it is."
Izuna folded his arms. "How many can your clan field?"
Wanlu frowned. After a long moment, he answered, "We're cursed by the Shikotsumyaku bloodline disease. We were never a large clan...
In this battle, 500 is probably our limit."
Only 500?
And they wanted to attack Uzushiogakure?
Izuna found it amusing. If they tried sailing in normally, they'd probably get wiped by Senju Hashirama alone before they even reached shore.
But if 500 air-dropped outside Uzushiogakure, that was still a frightening force.
Izuna said at once, "No matter. It's not many, but I've also contacted the Uchiha. If you agree, I'll go negotiate with them immediately. We'll strike from two sides."
Wanlu and Wuqu both jolted.
They never expected this 'Yuan' to dare provoke the Uchiha clan.
After all, the Uchiha had just defeated the Senju and Uzumaki and were blazing like the sun.
And especially their Vice-Clan Head, Uchiha Izuna—who possessed a Sharingan never seen before and had earned the epithet 'Pupil Emperor.'
Izuna sneered. "What's so strange about it? The Uchiha and Senju are sworn enemies. They'd be thrilled to take part in this."
Wanlu thought it over, then clasped his hands again. "If the Uchiha truly will act, then we couldn't ask for better. In that case, we'll be relying on you, Sir Yuan."
Izuna nodded faintly. "Gather your troops as fast as possible. I'll go negotiate with the Uchiha now. By early tomorrow morning, I'll give you an answer."
With that, Izuna vanished on the spot with Flying Thunder God.
"Clan Head... what do you think his real identity is?"
After 'Yuan' left, Wuqu couldn't help asking Wanlu.
Wanlu shook his head. "The best guess is that he's someone with grudges against the Senju or Uzumaki. But for ninja—especially large clans—offending someone without even realizing it is perfectly normal. If we try to deduce it, we'll still be guessing after three days and three nights."
Then Wanlu's tone shifted. "Wuqu, assemble the clansmen. Form a 500-strong ninja force. This time, even if we can't take Uzushiogakure, we must at least bite off a chunk of their fat!"
The advantage had come too suddenly, and Wuqu couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
But one look at Wanlu's eyes told him it was impossible to stop him. He accepted the order and moved quickly to gather the troops.
Early the next morning, Wanlu could be said to have not slept at all—he was simply waiting for Yuan's arrival.
He wasn't disappointed. The moment the morning sun rose over the horizon, Yuan came.
"Sir Yuan!"
Wanlu hurried to greet him.
Izuna said evenly, "The Uchiha agreed to send troops."
Wanlu was overjoyed and immediately asked, "How many are they willing to send?"
"600."
Izuna answered with two calm syllables.
Wanlu's brow furrowed.
As one of the two great clans of the Warring States, even after a major battle, the Uchiha should have been able to muster 1,800 without too much trouble.
By comparison, 600 wasn't much.
But 600 Uchiha plus 500 Kaguya meant more than 1,000 total.
With two clans air-dropping onto Uzushiogakure, the strength and advantage were so great that they might directly pierce into the village's inner regions!
Thinking of that, Wanlu's brow smoothed out again. "Does Sir Yuan have a more specific plan?"
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