He had only come here to carry out a simple mission — to collect the bounty on a rogue ninja.
Yet he hadn't expected to nearly die in this godforsaken place.
"This damned village… I'm never coming back here again!"
Kakuzu muttered under his breath, stooping down to pick up the severed head of his target. After tidying up a bit, he turned and ran toward Kusagakure.
That battle just now—any fool could tell it had been a clash between two monsters. Staying here any longer would've been suicide.
Meanwhile, on the road ahead, Seisui walked beside Minato and Haru.
Without turning back, he said calmly, "Minato, Haru—don't tell anyone that I carry Uchiha blood."
"Ah?" Minato blinked, then nodded before asking in confusion, "Not even Hokage-sama or Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Not for now."
Seisui shook his head slightly.
Itachi's template should be complete soon.
Once it was, he wouldn't need to hide it anymore. But for now, silence was best.
"Alright then." Minato scratched the back of his head, agreeing reluctantly.
"What about this fan, then?" Haru waved the Gunbai Uchiwa in her hand. "How do I explain this?"
"Say you found it."
Without hesitation, Seisui answered, and the three of them continued walking toward Kusagakure, chatting casually as they went.
======
Two days later, inside Kusagakure—
A group of men surrounded a red-haired girl, their eyes full of undisguised malice.
"You're just an outsider!"
"So you'd better serve us properly!"
"You don't get to refuse anything we say!"
One of the Grass ninja sneered as he grabbed her hair, revealing the bruises and wounds on her body.
With the vitality of the Uzumaki clan, such injuries would normally heal overnight.
The fresh ones on her face were proof—they'd just been inflicted.
"Red hair like that is ugly!"
Hearing their words, the girl—Uzumaki Mina—showed no emotion at all. Her eyes were vacant, unfocused.
It was clear she had been tortured for a long time.
"Pathetic."
The Grass ninja spat and kicked her hard in the stomach, sending her flying across the ground.
"Listen well! From now on, you'll tend to our injuries. Don't you dare refuse!"
Mina only nodded numbly, like a puppet. Her bare arms were covered in dense bite marks.
After the fall of Uzushiogakure, she had fled alone to Kusagakure, hoping to live a quiet life under a false name.
But when the Grass ninja discovered her unique ability—her chakra could heal wounds simply by biting her—they captured her and turned her into a living medical tool.
She was kept under constant watch, beaten when she disobeyed.
Only the village leader's orders kept the others from going too far.
Just as the Grass ninja were preparing to leave, a calm voice suddenly echoed from behind them.
"...What a filthy village."
They froze. A tall figure stood there, glowing faintly with white light, a blade resting on his shoulder, his crimson hair flowing in the breeze.
"You—who are you?!" The leader among them tensed, stepping forward warily. "Are you from the rival faction?!"
Kusagakure was split into two factions—the militant faction and the pacifist one.
"Me?" Seisui smiled faintly.
"Just an unremarkable leader of the Uzumaki clan."
"What?!" The Grass ninja's pupils shrank. They instantly drew their kunai and shuriken, hurling them toward him.
At the mention of Uzumaki Clan Leader, Mina's once-lifeless eyes flickered with light again.
She looked up blankly, staring at the man who stood alone before the mob of Grass ninja.
Clink. Clink.
The weapons struck Seisui's body but bounced harmlessly away, ringing like metal on stone.
"Monster…!"
"He's invincible!"
"Damn it!" the leader roared and hurled another volley—this time with explosive tags attached.
"Explosive tags?" Seisui murmured. He brought his hands together in a seal.
In the next instant, a massive panda appeared in front of him, slamming down on the incoming kunai.
BOOM!
The explosion flared, but the panda stood unscathed, scratching its head in mild annoyance.
"Hey, Seisui, what's going on?"
Seisui leapt lightly onto the panda's head.
"Brother Wu, let's tear this place apart."
Panda Wu's eyes gleamed with excitement. "So I can finally try out my new move?!"
The surrounding Grass ninja went pale at the sight of the towering creature—nearly twenty meters tall.
No one dared approach.
Within moments, other Grass ninja rushed toward the commotion.
One of them noticed Mina still crouching nearby and sneered, reaching for her.
But before he could touch her, a gust of fiery wind erupted before him.
"You were planning to grab her?"
Uchiha Haru stood protectively in front of Mina, her fan sweeping forward.
A blazing whirlwind spiraled forth—fire and wind entwined into a roaring tornado.
It was her newly-developed technique—combining the fan's wind ability with Fire Style chakra to form a flaming cyclone.
It might not harm true elites, but for small fry like these Grass ninja—it was devastating.
Whoosh!
The Grass ninja screamed as the fiery vortex dragged them in, their bodies swallowed by flame.
In the same instant, Minato appeared beside Mina, crouching down with a bright smile.
"Are you alright? Sorry we were late."
Mina looked at them blankly—then broke down, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed.
"Wuu… wuuuu…"
On the rooftops, the leader of the militant faction—Mui—finally arrived.
He stared at the chaos below, at his subordinates rolling on the ground, screaming in flames.
His face darkened. "You dare cause trouble in Kusagakure? Do you intend to give me an explanation for this?"
"An explanation?" Seisui's lips curved into a mocking smile. "What kind of explanation do you want?"
"You captured a member of my Uzumaki clan and tortured her like this!" He pointed straight at Mina.
Mui followed his gaze, spotting the crying red-haired girl surrounded by three young ninja.
"I think it's you who owe me an explanation."
As he spoke, Seisui's chakra surged like a tidal wave. The pressure alone made several weaker Grass ninja stagger back in fear.
"If Kusagakure won't give me an explanation…" His golden eyes turned cold.
"Then Kusagakure has no reason to exist."
At that moment, the leader of the pacifist faction rushed over, bowing deeply.
"I'm terribly sorry! We'll make this right, I promise!"
He turned and glared furiously at Mui. "When did you capture her?! Why didn't anyone tell us?!"
"Heh." Mui sneered, not even looking at him. "No explanations."
"The ninja world is ruled by strength. She's our spoils of war—ours to use as we please."
He licked his lips and drew a chakra blade, pointing it straight at Seisui.
If I can capture him and open the Box of Ultimate Bliss, Kusagakure will rise again!
Seeing the blade aimed at him, Seisui smiled faintly.
"So, you want to dance?"
"Enough talking!" Panda Wu snorted impatiently, pulling a lump of clay from between his legs and tossing it into the air.
Before everyone's eyes, the clay split into countless tiny panda figures that hit the ground running—charging at the Grass ninja on all sides.
Some tried to dodge, but one scoffed, swinging his blade down at the nearest one.
Slice!
The little clay panda split cleanly in half.
The Grass ninja smirked. Hah. That's it?
But before the thought finished—
BOOM!
The panda exploded violently, shredding his leg and sending him sprawling to the ground, screaming.
Panda Wu grinned. "Idiot. You think my clay pandas are something you can handle?"
"Brother Wu, I'll leave this place to you."
"No problem!" Panda Wu thumped his chest proudly.
Meanwhile, the pacifist leader shouted at Mui, his voice cracking with fury.
"You keep claiming you'll make Kusagakure great again—look around you!"
He pointed at the burning streets, the terrified ninjas. "Is this your greatness?! What have you protected?!"
"Hmph." Mui's face was cold as stone. "In the path to greatness, some sacrifices are inevitable."
He lunged toward Seisui, chakra blade raised high.
"Then I'll show you the true power of Kusagakure!"
"An insect," Seisui said flatly, standing tall atop Panda Wu's head, looking down with disdain.
"You talk too much," Panda Wu muttered. His palm glowed white before he slapped down with earth-shaking force.
BOOM!
Mui's body shot through the air, smashing through a building wall and disappearing into the rubble.
"I hate loudmouths who have no strength."
Panda Wu rumbled as he stomped through the streets, punching houses and crushing anyone in his path like a kaiju rampaging through a city.
Moments later, Mui crawled out of the wreckage, clutching his chest—eyes full of fear—as he stared up at the colossal panda towering over him.
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