"I found him! That's an Uchiha's chakra signature, about fifty ri (approximately 125 miles/200 km) to the southeast!"
Uzumaki Chisawa, who had been sensing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and spoke excitedly to Senju Mori.
Uchiha chakra is highly distinctive.
Perhaps because of the Sharingan, it often gives off a cold, unsettling feeling — the exact opposite of the warm chakra of the Senju.
"Once we get a bit closer, we should be able to—"
"Is it only Uchiha Kagami? Any companions with him?"
Senju Mori's expression tightened slightly as he asked cautiously.
"I'm not detecting any other Konoha shinobi," Uzumaki Chisawa replied, his eyes closing again as he continued his sensory sweep. "But there is a squad from Kumo rapidly approaching his position."
"Looks like Hiruzen and the others aren't right beside Kagami — were they scattered by the Kumoforces…?" Mori murmured to himself.
It made sense. Kinkaku and Ginkaku had been pillars of Kumogakure during the First Great Ninja War; their personal Gold-and-Silver units surely weren't weak. The elite force used by the brothers to launch the coup was most likely composed of jōnin — perhaps even special jōnin — an elite contingent.
If Tobirama had been powerful enough to single-handedly hold off Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and those dozens of elite shinobi, then Hiruzen and the others wouldn't have needed to flee at all.
"Hiruzen? Is that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the one you're competing with for the Hokage position?" Uzumaki Chisawa asked with interest.
"To be precise, I am competing with him for the Hokage position. Clan Head Tobirama doesn't intend to leave the next Hokage title to the Senju." Senju Mori spoke openly about his disadvantageous position, then turned to caution Chisawa:
"Remember this, Chisawa: no matter how pretty a village's slogans sound, a ninja village is at heart just an organization made up of many clans. The clan is the root of our standing in the world."
"The Uzushiogakure has many small allied clans too. If you become head of the Uzumaki one day, don't put the cart before the horse."
"That's too far ahead for me to worry about, Brother Mori," Chisawa said, scratching his head with some embarrassment. "Although my father is the current clan head, leadership of the Uzumaki clan isn't necessarily hereditary — there are peers who may be more capable than I am."
"No, Chisawa. The earlier you think about it, the better," Mori said solemnly.
"Listen to me, Chisawa. What I'm about to say comes from the heart — I'm not speaking to alarm you needlessly."
"If this plan succeeds and I take the Hokage mantle, I will immediately visit Uncle Chihaya in Uzushiogakure and do everything in my power to support you in succeeding as head of the Uzumaki clan. I'd even start a war for it if necessary."
"But if we fail, I will not survive under Hiruzen's rule."
"I will gather all the Senju who follow me and launch a coup — either we replace him, or we die on the spot."
"If Hiruzen inherits Konoha's Hokage position, the Senju will shift from being the Hokage clan to an oversized, powerful ninja clan whose strength exceeds the state — a house too big to control, accumulating glory that will make rulers insecure."
"In less than ten years, due to all sorts of incidents, they will rapidly decline."
"Even if I'm gone by then, tell the Uzumaki clan to be extremely cautious."
"Given how close our two clans are, Hiruzen and his people might spare you a reprieve by not taking revenge — but don't expect Konoha to continue treating Uzushiogakure as an ally."
"And once Konoha's protection is lost, the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques will become the target of greed for the entire ninja world."
"If things truly become hopeless, you can persuade Uncle Chihaya to ally with Kumo or the Iwa. Ōnoki and the Third Raikage are both men of great talent and vision — broad-minded leaders who would surely treat the Uzumaki clan well."
Senju Mori's words — which sounded almost like a last testament — frightened Uzumaki Chisawa badly.
He stared in shock for a long moment before finally nodding with some difficulty.
"…I understand, Brother Mori. But I believe you'll definitely succeed in becoming Hokage. The friendship between the Senju and Uzumaki will endure — forever."
"Hahaha! Success would certainly be ideal, but even if I fail, I won't have any regrets," Mori said with a bright, carefree laugh.
All the hard training he had endured since childhood — it was time to put those efforts to the ultimate test.
"Uchiha Kagami seems to be injured. At his current speed, that Kumo squad will catch up to him in about ten minutes."
A while later, Chisawa reported again, his sensory perception growing clearer as they drew closer to Kagami.
"Shall we move in now, Brother Mori?" Chisawa asked, glancing at him for direction.
"There's no need to rush," Mori replied calmly. "Every Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan is formidable. Before we understand exactly what ocular powers he possesses, we'll let that Kumo squad test him for us first."
"To avoid any sensory ninja in the Kumo squad, we'll only advance to within ten kilometers for now. We'll close the distance further once they've engaged."
This was the formidable advantage of the Uzumaki—their terrifying sensory abilities granted absolute initiative.
The Kagura's Mind's Eye technique could sense chakra across dozens of kilometers — perhaps only Naruto's future Sage Mode could even begin to compare.
Those brute Kumo shinobi certainly couldn't match that level.
After all, even the Hyūga clan's Byakugan — the purest ones from the Main Family — could only reach a maximum of ten kilometers at best.
And because the Main Family lacked the protection of the Caged Bird Seal, they rarely entered battle personally.
As for the Branch Family Hyūga who actually fought in the Great Ninja War, the impurity of their Byakugan usually limited their maximum range to a pitiful single kilometer.
The Aburame clan's insects or the Inuzuka clan's sense of smell had roughly similar range — but their precision at those distances was vastly inferior.
As the two continued darting through the forest, Mori spoke again, carefully instructing Chisawa:
"Susanoo, Izanagi, and two unknown Mangekyō Sharingan abilities."
"Chisawa — the instant I launch my sneak attack, you must seal Uchiha Kagami immediately. Whatever happens, do not allow him to activate any of those four abilities."
Chisawa nodded solemnly, his expression deadly serious.
As one of the ancient ninja clans, the Uzumaki understood the Uchiha as well as the Senju did — and they knew just how terrifying Susanoo and Izanagi truly were.
Those were abilities their ancestors had learned of through the sacrifice of countless lives.
No descendant of any great clan would ever dare underestimate them.