Yako had taken on a reconnaissance mission. He wasn't in a hurry.
The pursuit ahead was in complete chaos.
Princess Kushina was at the front, followed by two full Konoha ANBU units, and behind them trailed the Kumo-nin trying to seize Uzushio Village's Sealing Scroll.
There were about three Kumo units in total.
If Yako rushed in too quickly, he might run straight into them and not even know how he died.
Outside the capital of the Land of Whirlpools, Yako came across a battlefield.
Corpses littered the ground—Kumo-nin, Konoha ANBU, and five bodies that stood out in particular. They bore the crest of the daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, and the spiral emblem of the Uzumaki clan.
The daimyo's guardian shinobi were dead.
These guards were strong. There were no other bodies within ten meters of them—they'd been taken out by long-range jutsu from the Kumo-nin.
Yako created a Shadow Clone to loot the corpses.
Some of his clones were killed by traps on the ninja tool pouches.
After some time, Yako managed to scavenge 300,000 ryo and three Explosive Tags.
'These ninja go out and don't even bother bringing anything good… tightwads.'
He continued on, passing more than a dozen battlefields large and small, scavenging another 100,000 ryo.
He now had 1.1 million ryo—a massive sum. Even an S-rank mission only paid around a million.
With this kind of money, he could live it up once he got back to Konoha.
As he neared the border of the Land of Fire, Yako grew more cautious.
The Kumo-nin wouldn't dare enter the Land of Fire so easily—Konoha had numerous intel squads stationed inside.
Climbing a mountain, Yako used binoculars to scan the area.
Got them!
Down the slope, the Kumo-nin had almost completely surrounded two Konoha ANBU units.
Behind the ANBU was Danzo, holding Princess Kushina in his grasp.
Summoned beasts like Longspear Egret, Eight-Winged Crow, and Giant Eagle were nowhere to be seen.
Princess Kushina trembled like a frightened bird in Danzo's grasp.
There wasn't a single Uzumaki ninja or Uzumaki beast nearby.
Despite the Kumo encirclement, Danzo seemed unfazed. One of his hands rested on the Sealing Scroll of Uzushio Village.
That scroll contained every sealing technique, forbidden art, and secret jutsu of the Uzumaki clan—enough to make any shinobi covet it.
Let alone the Kumo-nin, even Yako's heart pounded faster just seeing it from afar.
Danzo's face was ashen, his eyes filled with hatred as he glanced at Princess Kushina.
But his hatred wasn't for Kushina—it was for Kato Dan.
Dan had used the Spirit Transformation Technique to travel across a thousand kilometers and possess Princess Kushina.
Through her mouth, Kato Dan had warned that he was watching everything.
Standing at Dan's side was Senju Rinju, the clan head of the Senju.
With Kato Dan observing, Danzo could hold the scroll but dared not open it.
The Senju clan remained powerful, suppressing even Konoha's higher-ups.
They had numerous jōnin, and elites like Kato Dan who mastered forbidden techniques.
Kato Dan was also Tsunade's lover and fiercely loyal to the Senju.
Many of Danzo's plots had been thwarted by Kato Dan.
The Spirit Transformation Technique was overpowered—Kato Dan could monitor many corners of the shinobi world and even possess someone from a thousand miles away.
Just thinking about him made Danzo's gaze turn colder.
Yako rushed down from the mountain—not to join the ANBU's battle, but because he saw a large number of Konoha reinforcements approaching from the forest behind.
Konoha reinforcements had arrived!
Konoha and Uzushio were allies—how could they stand by while Uzushio was attacked?
Yako jumped down the slope, heading toward the flank of the battlefield.
From afar, he saw some very big names among the reinforcements.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had come in person to support Uzushio.
Alongside him was Mitokado Homura from the top brass.
Yako also saw many Senju clansmen, their clothes marked with the clan's crest.
Even the clan head, Senju Rinju, had come.
Senju Rinju was the son of the First Hokage, Hashirama, and father to Tsunade.
At this point, Tsunade had not yet earned the title of one of the Legendary Sannin. Her honor came from being the Senju Princess and a disciple of the Third Hokage.
Standing closest to Rinju was his favored son-in-law—Kato Dan.
"Uncle!"
Seeing Senju Rinju, Princess Kushina became emotional. She shook her arm, trying to pull free from Danzo's grip.
Danzo glanced at Rinju, then at Kato Dan.
Senju Rinju frowned. What was that supposed to mean?
Danzo had no choice but to release Kushina, letting her run into Rinju's arms.
Rinju embraced her gently and patted her on the back.
"Uncle! The Mist and Kumo-nin ambushed the village. The clan head and the Third Mizukage died together. The village is destroyed!"
"What?! The village was destroyed?"
"What?! The Third Mizukage is dead?!"
Senju Rinju and Mitokado Homura exclaimed in unison.
The news was earth-shattering.
Uzushio wasn't some minor ninja village—it housed thousands of Uzumaki, numerous small ninja clans they'd absorbed, and trained civilian ninja.
Their total ninja count surpassed three thousand, making them second only to the Five Great Nations.
Not to mention the Uzumaki had powerful summoned beasts and sealing techniques near impossible to break. No village could claim to take them down easily.
Homura and Hiruzen exchanged looks—both joyful and sorrowful.
Joyful because Konoha now had a successor Jinchuriki. Danzo had successfully brought back the princess and the sealing scroll.
And the Third Mizukage was dead, meaning one less threat on the eastern front.
But sorrowful because the fall of a close ally like Uzushio was heartbreaking.
Hiruzen waved his hand, signaling the Konoha shinobi to charge forward and wipe out the pursuing Kumo-nin.
He himself walked up to Princess Kushina, his voice full of regret.
"I'm sorry, Princess Kushina. The Mist and Kumo sealed off information. Konoha mobilized two thousand shinobi to rescue Uzushio, but we were still too late."
What could Kushina even say?
There were so many Konoha shinobi around. The effort was undeniable.
But late was late. It was already over.
Senju Rinju's face went pale.
Many of his relatives had lived in Uzushio.
Kushina called him "uncle," and he had always called the Uzumaki clan head uncle as well.
His mother, Mito Uzumaki, was the clan head's sister.
He had nephews and nieces married into Uzushio.
Uzushio wasn't just an ally—it was family.
Marriages between ninja clans helped maintain bloodline purity but could also lead to hereditary illnesses.
The Uzumaki were the Senju's ideal marriage partners—not only would the bloodline stay strong, but it would also eliminate genetic disease risk.
Without the Uzumaki… what would become of the Senju?
The two thousand Konoha shinobi swept through the Kumo forces. The three enemy battalions didn't even get the chance to retreat—they were massacred within minutes at the border.
Senju Rinju turned to Danzo.
"Advisor Danzo, hand over the Sealing Scroll. Kushina is still young—I'll keep it safe on her behalf."
Danzo glanced at Kushina. This was a critical moment for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki transfer. He didn't want any unexpected resentment to grow in her heart.
He reluctantly handed the scroll to the Senju clan.
Yako found Captain Yellow Dog and reported what had happened to Captain Black Ape's unit.
After hearing it, Yellow Dog didn't make a decision on his own. He took Yako straight to see Advisor Danzo.
Since this involved a high elder of the Uzumaki, only Danzo could make the call.
As they neared Konoha's high command, Yako overheard a fierce argument between Senju Rinju and Mitokado Homura.