Chapter 33: Brothers and Sisters

Shhh, shhh, shhh. Four figures flashed through the dense forest.

As they emerged from the treeline, their view opened up, and their forms became clear.

They were dressed in black bodysuits, covered by gray, strapped flak jackets. Each wore a different animal-style mask and carried a longsword on their back.

This distinctive uniform identified them as members of Konoha's ANBU Black Ops—a force whose very name struck fear into the hearts of shinobi from other nations.

The ANBU, short for "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad," reported directly to the Hokage and was responsible for handling the most critical and covert missions.

This time was no exception.

However, when they reached their destination, they were met with a scene of utter desolation and ruin.

"How... how is this possible?!" The squad captain suppressed his shock and issued a command. "Spread out. Search for survivors."

"Sir!"

Ten minutes later, they regrouped. All of them just shook their heads.

The squad captain took a deep breath. "Crow, White Mask, you two head back and report to the Hokage. The Land of Whirlpools has been destroyed. We've found no survivors so far."

"Sir!"

"Leopard, you're with me. We'll expand the search area. The bodies are all gone, which means there must be Uzumaki survivors. The enemy wouldn't have been so merciful as to handle burials."

"Sir!"

By the time Konoha's ANBU were scouring the Land of Whirlpools, Kaito and his group had already been gone for two days.

They were now on a small boat, having just arrived in a small nation to the south—the Land of Tea.

To reach the Land of Rivers, they would need to cross the Land of Tea to its opposite coast and then take another boat.

The Land of Tea was a peninsular nation with numerous ports and a thriving fishing industry.

In Ryunosuke's eyes, that just meant one thing: lots of seafood.

"Hey, hey, hey, Big Brother Kaito, can we have grilled fish later? It's been so, so long since I had grilled fish."

"Ryunosuke, you can't be so willful," Ruri said.

"It's fine," Kaito said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "We have to eat anyway, so we might as well eat something we like."

"See? See?"

"Sigh. If you keep spoiling him like this, he's going to get more and more out of control."

"Don't worry. Once we're settled, Ryunosuke will get a taste of real life. I'm great at teaching kids, you know."

"???" Ryunosuke shrank back, a sudden chill running down his spine.

The vibrant red hair of the Uzumaki was far too conspicuous. The girls had all reluctantly cut their hair short and, like the others, wrapped it in headscarves. Not only that, but knowing Konoha might use ninja hounds to track them, they had deliberately used strong-smelling substances to mask their scent.

After stowing his conspicuous longswords in his pack and applying a light disguise, Kaito and the others disembarked.

To prevent the energetic children from running off, Kaito carried Ryunosuke in one arm and Jinta on his back, while Ruri held Kushina.

If Kaito had been just twenty centimeters taller, they would have looked like a family of six on an outing.

Unfortunately, as it was, they looked more like six siblings.

The thought made Kaito chuckle, and he proposed, "Why don't we call each other brothers and sisters from now on?"

"Huh?"

"Ruri is the big sis, uh, I'm the second brother, Kaori is the third sister, Kushina is the fourth sister..."

"I'm fifth!" Ryunosuke chimed in. "And Jinta is my little brother!"

"Alright, that's the order!"

"Okay, okay! I have so many more family members now!" Kushina raised both hands in approval.

Seeing the children so happy, Ruri just shook her head with a helpless smile. "Alright, then. We're six siblings now. We all have to love and look after each other, okay?"

"Yay!"

"Alright, your second brother is going to go buy some fish. We'll have a big feast tonight to celebrate."

"Yay!" came the chorus again.

In stark contrast to the relaxed, vacation-like mood of Kaito's group, the Third Hokage, in his office, was not in high spirits.

"The Land of Whirlpools has been destroyed, and you've found no survivors?!"

The Third Hokage stared at the two kneeling ANBU members before him, his voice filled with disbelief. "Who could possibly wipe out the Uzumaki clan, with their powerful sealing jutsu, in a single night?!"

"We do not know, sir. Almost all traces were destroyed by fire."

"Hah!" The Third took a few hard drags from his pipe. In his mind, he already had a good idea of who the culprits were. That bunch of bastards. To think they'd go this far!

He knew the Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains, which could suppress a Tailed Beast, would attract covetous eyes. But since the technique could only be mastered by those with the Uzumaki's special bloodline, he hadn't worried about it being stolen.

He never imagined the enemy would resort to such a drastic, scorched-earth tactic, completely abandoning any pretense of shinobi honor.

"I was careless. This was my oversight," the Third sighed, his gaze suddenly turning sharp. "Forget about the culprits for now. The most urgent task is to find any Uzumaki survivors and bring them to Konoha."

He hastily wrote out an order and handed it to the two ANBU. "Dispatch two more squads for this mission. The mission rank is S."

"Sir!"

"Wait," the Third called out as they turned to leave, adding, "Remember: at any cost!"

"Sir!"

Alone in the now-empty office, the Third Hokage sat down, his face grim.

If we don't find a suitable Uzumaki to be the next jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails in time, the village will face a grave danger. And Lady Mito... should I tell her about this or not?

He hesitated for a long time before finally shaking his head.

It's better to wait until we've found an Uzumaki survivor. Everything is for the sake of Konoha.

A young woman stood at the gates of the Ninja Academy.

She wore a white short-sleeved jacket over a loose, sleeveless mesh shirt. The modest peaks of her chest pushed her top out in a gentle arc.

Her light blond hair was tied back in a ponytail, framing a beautiful face. Above her delicate, pink lips and pert nose was a pair of brown eyes that sparkled with confidence.

She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, known as "Konoha's Princess"—Tsunade.

Now in her twenties, she was at the peak of her youthful beauty.

"Did something big happen today?" Tsunade wondered, looking up at the figures constantly flickering across the distant rooftops.

"Meh, whatever. I just got back from an S-rank mission. I really don't feel like going out again."

She stretched languidly, revealing a sliver of pale skin at her waist.

After waiting a moment, a loud bell finally rang, and a smile broke out on Tsunade's face.

As swarms of students poured out of the academy building, her eyes scanned back and forth until they landed on a young boy who shared her pale blond hair. She immediately raised her hand in excitement.

"Nawaki, over here!"

"!" The boy called Nawaki spotted Tsunade and immediately abandoned his friends, dashing over to her like the wind. "Sis! You're back from your mission?!"

"Mm-hm. I just got back this afternoon. Took a bath, changed my clothes, and came straight here to pick you up. Are you moved?" Tsunade said, ruffling Nawaki's hair with a doting expression.

"I am, I am!" Nawaki said, practically bouncing with excitement. "It was an S-rank mission, right? Tell me all about it! Was the enemy tough? What kind of jutsu could they use?"

"Nawaki, mission details are confidential. I can't talk about them."

"Tch. What a cheapskate."

"It's the rules. Nothing I can do. How about I treat you to a big meal to make up for it?"

"Ooh, I want barbecue!"

"You got it."