Uzushiogakure – Ashina's Residence, Midnight
The wind outside was sharp, carrying the scent of salt and storm from the sea.
Akashi sat at his desk, reading a report on chakra sensitivity traps. A flicker in the air made him glance up.
Thud.
A scroll case — thick, old, bound in worn red cloth — dropped silently from the shadows onto his window ledge.
Only one person could've bypassed Uzu's outer sensory web without alerting a soul.
He stepped forward, hand poised, chakra ready in case it was a trick.
But the moment his fingers touched the seal…
A pulse.
Familiar.
Warm. Powerful. Ancient.
"Grandmother Mito…"
---
The Package Unveiled
Ashina arrived moments later, robes hastily thrown over his shoulder.
He recognized the sealwork immediately — it was Senju-style, but layered with a personal Uzumaki encryption.
They unsealed it together.
What spilled out onto the table was enough to change destinies.
---
Contents of the Package:
1. Shadow Clone Master Scroll
Detailed mechanics, combat applications, memory feedback synchronization — far beyond the academy version.
Notes in Mito's own hand:
"This technique is forbidden only to fools. Learn it. Master it. Teach it to the right hands."
2. Mutual Multiple Detonation Tag Array – Prototype C
A chain-sealing fūinjutsu formation capable of setting off hundreds of tags in linked succession.
Dangerous. Devastating. Uzu-style rewritten.
"Use only when surrender is death."
3. Flying Thunder God – Fragmented Formula Set
Not the full technique, but pieces. Calculations. Notes on spacetime anchoring. Enough to study and adapt.
"Minato will likely master this soon. But you… might improve it."
4. Sealed Capsules of High-Level Chakra Ink, Rare Paper, and Specialized Kunai
Materials hard to acquire even in Konoha. Disguised under simple tools.
5. A Letter, Handwritten
"To my blood, and to the last hope of both our clans,
You do not know me — not truly. But I have watched from afar. And I remember the feeling of being young, full of fire, in a world that drowns flames in politics and betrayal.
These scrolls are dangerous. Their value will be questioned. But understand this:
What you carry is not just knowledge — it is proof that some within Konoha remember their debts.
My body is old. My voice no longer shakes the council rooms. But my Will remains.
You are not alone. You are not forgotten. And if you must become a storm to protect your people — then I send these gifts to sharpen your thunder.
Burn, child. But burn wisely".
— Mito Uzumaki-Senju
---
The elder closed his eyes after reading the letter.
He said nothing for a while.
Then finally:
"Your path just became more dangerous.
And far more important."
Akashi nodded, red eyes serious.
"Then let's prepare the village… like we'll never get another gift like this again."
---
Uzushiogakure – Cliffside Training Grounds
The whirlpools below churned restlessly. A symbol, perhaps, of the tides to come.
Akashi stood at the center of the field, sweat-drenched, his chakra thrumming in waves. Surrounding him: Aiko, Tama, and Riku — his closest comrades, now more than teammates. They were brothers- and sister-in-arms, forged in the tension of looming war.
Today's training? Shadow Clone Coordination & Battlefield Sealing.
---
Shadow Clone Training
Akashi created four perfect clones simultaneously.
They moved instantly into formation, mimicking his hand signs in unison.
"Tama! Riku! Mirror me. Aiko, prep chakra feedback sync."
Tama dashed beside Clone 1, tracking its movement style for replication.
Riku duplicated the footwork with clone 2, his wind-enhanced shuriken cutting through two marked targets.
Aiko stood behind, performing a seal-binding pulse technique — linking the memories of the clones directly into a shared memory storage seal on Akashi's shoulder.
The results were astonishing.
"Three minutes of combat = twenty minutes of recallable experience."
Akashi wiped sweat from his brow and smiled.
"Shadow clones… are like multiple lives. Train with them long enough, and you'll grow faster than time allows."
---
Sealing Squad Formation – Mutual Detonation Coordination
Next, under Ashina's distant observation, the group tested one of the more dangerous scrolls: the Mutual Multiple Detonation Tag Web.
They worked in silent harmony — weaving chakra lines and paper trails, synchronizing breath and timing.
At Akashi's signal:
"Release."
BOOM–BOOM–BOOM–BOOM–BOOM–
The distant mountain's lower ridge exploded in a dazzling storm of red-and-gold fire.
Birds scattered. Aiko gasped.
Ashina, eyes narrowing, spoke quietly:
"Even I underestimated the destructive potential of that formation."
Akashi nodded, silently committing it to memory.
"A last resort… but one the enemy will not expect from children."
---
Border Recon Camp, Southern Edge
That night, in the outer sentry stations, tension crackled like static before a lightning strike.
Messages had become erratic.
Kumo and Iwa shinobi had been sighted twice in the past week — far closer than tolerated.
A chūnin runner arrived at Akashi's camp:
"More scouting activity at the Western Ravine. A Kumo unit was seen tagging rocks."
That wasn't normal recon.
That was territorial mapping — the kind done before invasion paths were finalized.
Ashina and Akashi reviewed the latest reports.
"They're not waiting anymore," Ashina said quietly.
"They're preparing the terrain."
Akashi's jaw tightened.
"And if we wait too long, it won't be our terrain anymore."
---
Night Before the Mission
Akashi, Aiko, Riku, and Tama stood in a circle beneath the glowing seal lamps of their compound.
They were no longer just training.
"Tomorrow," Akashi said, voice low, "we go to the ravine. We need to confirm whether it's an infiltration path or a distraction."
"If it's an invasion route... we mark it. And we trap it."
"If we don't come back... make sure the village knows where to strike."
Each of them placed a hand in the center.
Aiko smiled softly.
"Uzu stands."
Tama grinned.
"Let the whirlpools devour them."
Riku whispered:
"We were born here. We'll bleed here. But we won't fall here."
Akashi's voice was a steady whisper.
"This is just the wind before the hurricane."
---