The full moon rose beyond the clods, casting its light as I crouched on the roof of the wooden house with my full loadout. Looking down, the main street, running parallel to the capital's widest river, was filled with colorful banners and paper lanterns swaying gently in the night breeze, strung between buildings on both sides. The entire avenue hummed with the low murmur of voices and the occasional burst of music from street performers. True to tradition, only men lined the streets tonight—husbands, fathers, brothers, and curious onlookers standing shoulder to shoulder along the stone embankments, their faces turned toward the river with anticipation, glancing at the gleaming water.
It was beautiful. Hundreds of lotus-shaped lanterns floated serenely on the dark water, their warm golden light reflecting across the gentle current.
The festival itself was an interesting tradition. The women, mostly young, would travel down the river from the northernmost point of the city towards the southernmost point, then towards the palace, lighting new lanterns. I say mostly because the Daimyo would be joining the royal barge as per tradition. From my vantage point, I could already see the first ornate barge gliding closer. I could tell the barges were getting closer because, as they passed, the women leaned over the rails, carefully lighting new lotus lanterns and releasing them onto the water alongside the thousands already drifting downstream. Each lantern carried a personal message—prayers for health, happiness,and a long marriage.
Sensing out as much as I could, I ignored the mass of people below and focused on the familiar signatures of my fellow Konoha shinobi positioned at key points along both banks, doing as we were instructed by Touka-sama.
Things were a little more complicated than we had initially thought, back when I slipped back into the outer compound after tailing Lady Tsurara and her secret lover. The moment I reported what I'd witnessed, Touka-sama had called an emergency gathering, where she explained the situation. Kiyomi, the Daimyo's elder sister, was orchestrating a quiet coup. Lord Rougen had lost favor with many of the powerful noble houses in the Land of Rivers and had been losing favor for quite some time.
She had planned to use the festival to remove Lady Eiko. After she was disposed of, Kiyomi planned to marry a noble girl from the Land of Wind to her nephew while keeping Tsurara as a backup, ruling from the shadows with her backer from Suna.
By now, we had figured out there were multiple Suna nin inside the capital. This revelation brought down the mood of the entire contingent, a probable escalation by Suna due to the strong presence of Konoha shinobi, making them take a more forward role.
That wasn't the issue... it was something I had pieced together... it was the shocking information she had shared after...
The real reason Touka Senju, sister to Hashirama, was here as an envoy:
The Senju, and by extension the Uzumaki through blood ties, had a long connection to the Daimyo's family. About a century ago, during the Warring Clans Era, the families had helped seal a powerful water demon beneath the city's main riverbed—a demon they had named the River Widow, a vengeful oni born from betrayal and drowning. The seal had held for generations, maintained quietly by Senjus and Uzumakis every few decades.
After the genocide of the Uzumaki clan before the start of the war, the duty mainly fell to the remaining Senju clan members.
We had all gone quiet after she finished her tale, as she sat there sipping her tea, explaining a high probability of Suna trying to unseal the entity to take it for themselves, as some of the shinobi had found information of the riverbed being scouted out by enemy nin.
An action to bolster their village's power along with the One-Tail, I thought.
I felt a chill run down my spine. I knew of the tailed beasts and summons, but demons—that was something I only vaguely remembered from the manga... further proof that this real world was much more different and dangerous, and I could not entirely rely on my memories of my past life.
The plan was to protect the Daimyo and the seal at all costs. I had wondered why we had not called in for reinforcements, but something about the woman sitting at the head of the room stopped the thought.
This wasn't a kunoichi to be taken lightly. She was born in, and probably thrived in, war.
Shaking myself from my thoughts, the royal barge had entered my line of sight. It was bigger than the others, more ornate with lacquered wood, lit by a multitude of lanterns. I could make out silhouettes on it as it got closer, but a few figures were unmistakable to my senses. Touka-sama stood near the center, her presence calm and immovable. Around her were kunoichi and even Tsume...
Dressed in a kimono.
I had to stifle a snort.
It looked... wrong. It wasn't bad, per se, but it was completely at odds with the image I had of her. Scanning it more, I could see the Daimyo flanked by attendants, Lady Kiyomi, Tsurara, and Lady Eiko, who looked much better. Clearly, Konoha had proven its medical prowess. The barge drifted past my position, slowly continuing downstream.
I could not relax. Anything could go wrong at any moment, and my instincts were blaring. So I stayed crouched, watching and waiting. The royal barge moved farther away, its lanterns shrinking against the dark; the festival carried on below.
Until...
A surge of chakra, right above us. My head snapped upward towards the night sky. Before I could fully process it, a massive wind jutsu roared into existence, spiraling downward like a tornado. The river exploded as the water churned violently, the gale slamming into the surface, sending entire boats pitching sideways.
Screams erupted everywhere. The once serene river became chaos in an instant as vessels overturned, as the women were thrown overboard.
"What..." The words died in my throat. Multiple squads dropped from above, carrying massive war fans.
Suna.
Of course it was...My gaze snapped towards the royal barge. It was already under attack.Shapes clashed along its deck—blurred movements, flashes of steel, chakra flaring in sharp bursts. Even at this distance, I could tell it had turned into a battlefield.
I had to focus back as a roar split the night. A katon jutsu, a blazing sphere, tore through the air before crashing toward the river where the Suna shinobi had landed. The impact lit the entire scene in violent orange, reflecting off the dark river water.
Around me, Konoha shinobi moved towards the enemies. I didn't hesitate.
My tantō slid free in one smooth motion as I dropped from the rooftop, hitting the ground in a low roll before breaking into a sprint. As I closed the distance, channeling chakra into the soles of my feet, allowing me to run across the water, the water rippled beneath each step. I rushed the closest Suna nin.
His strike came high and wide, but it was sloppy. I slipped inside his guard, knocking his wrist aside and driving my shoulder into his chest. He staggered. I followed through without thinking, blade flashing once across his throat. Dead.
Another came from my left.
I pivoted, catching his arm, twisting, forcing him off balance before driving the tantō forward.
They were too slow. Something is not right...
It's too easy…. They're too weak…
I looked around, finding a similar situation. An immediate thought came to mind.
I parried another strike, stepping back as the man overextended. My blade came up.
Then I felt something... My eyes widened, and I cursed as the entire riverbed lit up.
Fūinjutsu.
Lines of glowing script spread beneath us in an instant, racing across the river with symbols I couldn't make heads or tails of. I froze for a second—not just me, everyone froze, looking at our feet.
"No—" someone started.
My instinct kicked in as I pumped a large amount of chakra into my legs, launching upward. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw others doing the same, abandoning fights mid-motion.
Then... everything went silent. Darkness. Every lantern. Every torch. Every light in the city snuffed out at once, plunging us into darkness with only the faint moonlight to guide us.
A cold wave rolled through the air. The river below dimmed, the glowing script flickering once and then sinking as something... rose.
Something broke the surface, slowly. The river parted around it as it rose before the royal barge.
Spoiler: The Demon
A figure emerged—tall, towering, feminine in shape, but distorted and elongated, as though reality itself struggled to hold her form together. Her body flickered between solid and incorporeal. Long, wild hair drifted down around it, drifting as though suspended in water.
No one moved as we all stared at the scene.
"...That's not possible."
I turned slightly.
A Hyūga stood a short distance away, one hand trembling slightly in a half ram seal. The veins around his eyes were flared, active, then he cut off chakra to his eyes, deactivating his Dōjutsu.
He breathed out, "I—I can't see it," he whispered, disbelief in his voice. "My Byakugan... it's not... there's nothing there..."
My chest tightened as a lightning jutsu struck the demon from one of the barges close to it. The Konoha shinobi all shared a look then ran over towards the royal barge.
Fuck.... What now… Should I