And so, one person and eight puppets advanced toward Uzushiogakure in the depths of the forest. The things they encountered along the way made Torifu even more curious about this small island.
The island where the Land of Whirlpools was located should be in a tropical region. The various trees on the island all had the characteristics of tropical plants. As soon as they entered the forest, they were hit with a wave of humid heat. The deeper they went, the more humid and hot it became. And it was filled with the smell of soil and decaying leaves, which was quite pleasant. But there were too many bugs. To prevent being bitten, he could only release a cloud of mist to envelop himself. The effect was pretty good, and it didn't affect their speed. Torifu walked swaggering with his puppets. He didn't care if he was discovered as long as his companions weren't. He wanted to project this kind of swagger.
They had been in the forest for about ten minutes, having walked about a thousand meters. Through the cloud birds, he saw that they were not very far from Uzushiogakure. There were a few small villages near Uzushiogakure, but they were quite populated. Torifu walked and looked at the scenery around him, feeling as if he were on an inspection tour. The eight puppets behind him all had their heads bowed and followed behind him.
At this moment, he saw a young man carrying a blue umbrella coming from the front. The man saw Torifu and immediately smiled. He then bent down and trotted over to Torifu, looking like a servant. "Shinobi-sama, you must be the envoy from the Hidden Leaf!"
Torifu first sized up the young man sideways and then said, "Who are you?"
The young man bowed and looked up at Torifu, a fawning smile on his face. "Shinobi-sama, you can just call me Rain."
Torifu waved his hand. "Alright, take me to see the prince. I don't need to know your name."
Rain didn't get angry at Torifu's rudeness and still had a smile on his face. "Shinobi-sama, I need to verify your identity. Otherwise, I can't take you into the village."
"What did you say!" Torifu shouted angrily, and chakra immediately erupted from his body! The trees beside him instantly broke in half. Rain was also sent flying by the chakra and rolled several times on the ground before he stopped. But as soon as he stopped, he forced himself to quickly get up. He wiped the fresh blood from his mouth with his sleeve and ran back to Torifu.
"Shinobi-sama, it's the prince's order for me to verify your identity. I didn't mean to offend you."
Torifu's mouth curled up slightly. He instantly disappeared, pretending to be angry. "It was your prince who asked the Hidden Leaf for help! Is this the attitude you give me!"
But Rain still insisted on verifying his identity and was extremely humble. Seeing him so humble, Torifu couldn't continue to be difficult. He turned around and revealed the Hidden Leaf shinobi emblem, then took out Tobirama's handwritten letter. Rain quickly glanced at the contents of the letter and then smiled again. "Shinobi-sama, the prince has been waiting for you for a long time. Please, follow me."
Torifu rolled his eyes at him. "Lead the way. The roads in your Land of Whirlpools are really hard to walk on."
Rain still maintained his smile. "Forgive me, shinobi-sama. The Land of Whirlpools has been like this for decades." He then quickened his pace and walked in front of Torifu, bowing and pointing the way. It was obvious that he was limping, which was clearly caused by Torifu's sudden chakra outburst. But looking at Rain's pathetic appearance, Torifu felt no guilt whatsoever.
Under Rain's guidance, Torifu and the puppets soon left the forest. The moment they stepped out of the forest, Torifu's view suddenly became wide. A village about the same size as the Hidden Leaf Village appeared before his eyes. In fact, Torifu had already observed Uzushiogakure through the cloud birds very early on, but seeing it from his own perspective was a different feeling. The overall style was not the same as the Hidden Leaf Village. The walls were carved with large and small masks, which should be a type of sealing jutsu used by the Uzumaki Clan. The Shinigami mask from the Reaper Death Seal was also among them.
"Shinobi-sama, this is the center of the Land of Whirlpools, Uzushiogakure, where the Daimyō and the princes live."
Torifu nodded. "Mm, you did a good job. I'll ask the prince to reward you later."
Rain bowed and cupped his hands. "Thank you for thinking highly of me, shinobi-sama. Your bringing the Hidden Leaf's elite shinobi to the Land of Whirlpools has solved a major problem for the prince." As he spoke, his voice was filled with a hint of sadness. What a loyal servant.
"Don't worry. Now that I'm here, the internal conflict in the Land of Whirlpools will be resolved in an instant!"
"Thank you, shinobi-sama."
Rain turned around and continued to lead the way. Torifu looked at his limping back and smiled faintly. The smile vanished in a flash.
And so, Torifu followed Rain into Uzushiogakure. The puppets behind him naturally followed with their heads bowed, making no sound. However, Torifu would occasionally control them to make some movements, pretending they were real people. As long as he didn't deliberately draw attention to them, no one would think they were puppets.
As soon as he entered the village, a sea of red hair caught Torifu's eye. The streets were full of people with red hair, both men and women. There were also many people with other hair colors, who must have been people from other clans who had married or were married into the Uzumaki clan. After all, they couldn't marry within the clan, or the villagers would all become idiots after a few generations. This Rain person was not from the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan didn't have sky-blue hair.
When they saw Torifu arriving, the people on the street were a little confused, not knowing who he was, but no one was on guard. They just looked on with a little curiosity, and no one dared to step forward.
"Don't worry, shinobi-sama. No one will bump into you. I have the First Prince's token with me. They all know it."
Torifu looked impatient and waved his hand. "I don't care about that. Just take me to your prince."
Rain obediently shut up and walked forward with his head down.
Torifu swaggered into Uzushiogakure like this, and under the gaze of most of the Uzumaki clan members, he walked toward the Daimyō's residence. Given the current relationship between the princes, they definitely wouldn't be living together. From what Rain said, it was clear that the First Prince was in charge of Uzushiogakure right now, and this First Prince happened to be a little suspicious. At this moment, his companions should have all found their corresponding princes.
Under Rain's guidance, Torifu and his group walked toward the Daimyō's residence, and a few sharp-eyed Uzumaki clan members recognized the Hidden Leaf emblem on Torifu's back. The people from the Hidden Leaf Village had come to Uzushiogakure, which meant that the Land of Whirlpools was about to become chaotic again. The princes were constantly fighting, and the Daimyō had suddenly disappeared. They hoped that this wouldn't affect the continuation of the Land of Whirlpools. The ordinary clan members couldn't do anything to change how the country ran. They could only hope that the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village would remember their old friendship and help them get out of their current predicament.
Rain led Torifu through several streets. With every street they walked through, Torifu noticed that there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, but their clothes were becoming more and more luxurious. He didn't expect that the Uzumaki clan would also have a class system.