---
Chapter 4: The Crimson Web
---
The eastern wall of Uzushiogakure smoldered, a jagged scar in the stone where the intruders had breached the outer seals. Kazuto Uzumaki sprinted through the village, his small frame a blur against the dawn. The scroll in his hand pulsed with the Crimson Chain seal, its ink still wet from his workshop. Alarms wailed, a low hum resonating through the village's fuinjutsu network, and shinobi mobilized in disciplined waves. Kazuto's orders had been clear: stay back. This was his fight, his chance to prove his seals could turn the tide.
Reina flanked him, her crimson hair streaming behind her. "Kazuto-sama, the intruders are chunin-level, possibly jounin. Their chakra signatures suggest Kirigakure." Her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed worry—not for the enemy, but for the boy leading the charge.
"Kirigakure," Kazuto muttered, his mind racing. His past-life knowledge confirmed it: the Mist was already probing Uzushiogakure's defenses, testing for weaknesses before their full assault in two years. This wasn't a random raid; it was reconnaissance. "Reina, activate the secondary barrier seals. Funnel them to the eastern clearing. I want open ground."
She nodded, hands flashing through seals. The ground trembled as hidden arrays flared, walls of chakra rising to herd the intruders like cattle. Kazuto's lips curved into a grim smile. The village's defenses were his design, a web of fuinjutsu that could adapt to any threat. He'd spent sleepless nights reinforcing them, weaving traps into every stone and tree. Now, they'd face their first real test.
The clearing came into view, a wide expanse ringed by spiraling seals. Three figures stood at its center, cloaked in dark blue, their faces obscured by mist-masks. Kirigakure shinobi. One held a blade that shimmered with water chakra, another wove hand signs for a jutsu, and the third scanned the area, likely their sensor. Kazuto's eyes narrowed. They were coordinated, professional. Perfect.
"Stay back, Reina," he said, unrolling his scroll. "This is my experiment."
Reina hesitated, her hand lingering near her kunai. Her heart thudded, not from fear of the enemy, but from the reckless fire in Kazuto's eyes. She'd watched him for years, first as a prodigy, then as her clan head. His stubbornness, his terrifying drive—it drew her in, even as it scared her. She bit her lip, forcing herself to step back. She wouldn't disobey, not now.
Kazuto stepped forward, his chakra flaring. The intruders tensed, their sensor pointing at him. "A kid?" the swordsman scoffed, his voice muffled by the mask. "Uzumaki sends children now?"
Kazuto didn't respond. He slammed the scroll onto the ground, blood dripping from his thumb onto the Crimson Chain seal. "Kai!" he shouted. Crimson lines erupted, spiraling toward the intruders like living vines. The sensor reacted first, leaping back, but the seal was faster. Chains of chakra lashed out, wrapping around his legs. He screamed as his chakra network seized, his body collapsing like a marionette with cut strings.
The swordsman charged, his blade slicing through the air. Kazuto dodged, his small size an advantage, and flung a kunai etched with a micro-seal. It grazed the swordsman's arm, and a second seal activated, locking his chakra mid-swing. The blade fell, useless, as the man staggered, his eyes wide with shock.
The third intruder, the jutsu-user, unleashed a torrent of water, a roaring dragon aimed at Kazuto. But Kazuto was ready. He slapped a pre-prepared scroll onto the ground, and a barrier seal flared, redirecting the water into a harmless spiral that soaked the earth. Before the intruder could react, Kazuto threw another kunai, this one embedding in the man's shoulder. The Crimson Chain triggered, and the intruder collapsed, paralyzed.
The clearing fell silent, save for the faint hum of Kazuto's seals. Reina and the other Uzumaki shinobi, watching from the perimeter, stared in awe. Three chunin, possibly jounin, neutralized in under a minute. Kazuto stood over the intruders, his expression unreadable. "Bind them," he ordered. "I want answers."
As the shinobi moved to comply, Reina approached, her hands trembling slightly. "Kazuto-sama… that was incredible. The Crimson Chain—it worked perfectly."
"It's not perfect," Kazuto said, his voice sharp. "It's too chakra-intensive. I nearly drained myself on three enemies. Against a Kage, it'd be useless." He rolled up the scroll, his mind already dissecting the fight. The seal had worked, but the cost was too high. He needed to optimize it, reduce the chakra draw, maybe integrate a feedback loop to siphon enemy chakra instead.
Reina watched him, her heart aching. He was always like this—never satisfied, always pushing. She wanted to tell him to rest, to slow down, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she said, "The village saw this. They'll talk. Your strength… it gives them hope."
Kazuto glanced at her, his dark red eyes softening for a fraction of a second. "Hope's not enough. We need power." He turned away, heading back to the village. "Interrogate the prisoners. I want to know who sent them and why. And check the eastern seals for sabotage."
Reina nodded, her gaze lingering on his retreating figure. She'd loved him in silence for months, maybe years, drawn to his fierce determination and the weight he carried alone. But he was her clan head, a prodigy with a village on his shoulders. She pushed the thought down, focusing on her duty. There was no room for feelings in a world on the brink of war.
Back in his workshop, Kazuto unrolled a new scroll, his hands moving with relentless precision. The Crimson Chain was a start, but he needed more. A seal to amplify his chakra reserves, another to counter sensory jutsu, a third to trap entire squads. His past-life theories flooded his mind—fuinjutsu that could rewrite battles, bend fate itself. He'd make them real, no matter the cost.
Outside, the village buzzed with whispers of the crimson prodigy who'd crushed three intruders single-handedly. But Kazuto didn't hear them. His world was ink, chakra, and the ticking clock of two years. The web of his seals was growing, and he'd ensnare anyone who threatened his home.
---
End of Chapter 4
---