Naruto: The Immortal Sage

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Manji tapped the spot marked "Uzushiogakure: Main Gate" before rolling up the map.

"Sakumo, take the left flank. Clear out the clan shinobi and wandering ninja on high ground. Orochimaru, send your snakes into the woods on the right to check for ambushes. Set up a poison mist barrier while you're at it. We need to cut off their reinforcements."

He turned to the others. "Tsunade, come with me. Your strength will help us break through the front fast. Jiraiya, watch our backs and keep the escape route open. Let us know right away if you see trouble."

"Understood!" all four answered.

Soon after, they arrived at the outskirts of Uzushiogakure.

"GO!"

Sakumo moved before Manji finished speaking, a white blur racing toward the enemy. No one saw him draw his short sword, but three flashes of steel sliced through a sentry post a hundred meters away.

The three Mist shinobi fell, grabbing at their bleeding throats. They didn't even have time to scream.

"That speed is frightening." Orochimaru licked his lips and watched Sakumo for a moment, then started forming hand seals.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Black venomous snakes poured from his sleeves and hissed their way into the dense woods on the right. Within moments, screams broke out among the trees, accompanied by the sizzling of poison mist eating through the vegetation.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Manji made hand seals and rushed forward. Two shadow clones appeared at his sides, so now there were three Manjis.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Wind Dragon Technique!"

Each Manji unleashed a different technique, blasting a path through the defenses with elemental ninjutsu.

Tsunade followed right behind, chakra gathering around her clenched fists and glowing pale gold.

Dozens of Mist shinobi guarded the main gate. Three layers of wire fencing and explosive-tag traps blocked the way, but Tsunade jumped forward and slammed her fist into the ground.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Cracks spread from the impact, splitting the ground under the defenses. Wire, traps, and pieces of rock flew up.

"KONOHA SHINOBI!"

"YOU LEAF BRATS PICKED THE WRONG PLACE TO DIE!"

"WE'LL SHOW YOU WHY THEY CALL US THE BLOODY MIST!"

A Mist shinobi charged at them with a kunai. Before Manji could react, Tsunade stepped in front and knocked the man out with one punch.

The five kept up the attack, heading straight through the front. Working together, they took down dozens of enemy shinobi with little trouble.

While they fought, Manji realized something. These weren't Kirigakure's main forces. He hadn't seen any kekkei genkai, and he guessed most of these fighters weren't even regular troops.

They pushed into the village.

Bodies lay scattered in the streets, Uzumaki defenders mixed with Mist invaders. Most houses were burned down, and fresh blood stained the broken walls.

"Those bastards." Tsunade clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked.

Orochimaru's attention went to the sealing formulas that remained on the walls. He studied them with interest, "The stories were right. The Uzumaki's sealing techniques are exquisite."

Manji looked at the destruction without much emotion. After living for over a thousand years, he had seen plenty of war and killing. The damage he had caused in the shinobi world was even worse than this.

"Someone's there!" he warned, catching a nearby presence.

The others looked where he was staring. A small head with bright red curls peeked out from behind a broken wall. Mud and dried blood covered the girl's rough clothes. She shrank back, watching them with scared, tearful eyes.

"An enemy?" Orochimaru's pupils narrowed to slits as chakra gathered at his fingertips.

Sakumo reached for his short sword. Both men took defensive stances, ready for an attack.

Manji noticed the faded Uzumaki crest on the girl's wrist. "She's a survivor from the Land of Whirlpools, not an enemy. She belongs to the Uzumaki clan."

Tsunade rushed over once she saw it was safe. She saw the little girl shaking in her dirty clothes, so she crouched down and spoke gently.

"Don't be scared. We're from Konoha. We're friends of the Uzumaki, and we won't hurt you. When our mission is over, how about coming back to Konoha with us?"

The girl clutched the hem of her clothes.

"My name is… Kushina. Kushina Uzumaki." Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with every word.

Manji stopped when he heard the familiar name. Normally, Kushina would have gone to Konoha as an orphan after the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed. He hadn't expected to meet her this soon.

The moment they let their guard down, killing intent surged from the surrounding woods.

Dozens of figures burst from behind trees and rocks. Kunai and shuriken flashed as the attackers converged on the five from every direction.

Even with all their skill, they were still just teenagers. The ambush caught them off guard, and they had to scramble to block the attacks while protecting Kushina and retreating.

"We can't get tied down here!" Manji knocked an incoming shuriken aside with his sword. "Take Kushina and retreat! Meet at the temple. I'll cover you!"

"No!" Sakumo drove his blade backward through an attacker's throat, then shook his head. "There are more than thirty of them, all skilled chūnin. Staying behind alone is too dangerous!"

"He's right! We're teammates. We're not leaving you here!" Tsunade held Kushina against her, shielding the child with her body.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru nodded. Neither showed any intention of retreating without him.

Manji realized arguing wouldn't help, so he changed his orders. "Then split up! We're too easy to follow if we stay together. None of us will escape like this. Meet at the temple, and keep Kushina safe!"

This time, they agreed and scattered in different directions.

Manji ran away from the temple, leading the pursuers after him.

He wasn't worried about them. He was already thinking about moving some of the Uzumaki to Mount Myōboku, like he had done with the Hyūga.

When he was sure no one else was around, he stopped and turned to face the dozen or so people chasing him.

"That's far enough. We'll settle this here."

The pursuers rushed into view. The Mist jōnin leading them let out a nasty chuckle.

"Got some nerve, kid. Why'd you stop running?"

"Finally figured out there's no escape?" Another shinobi grinned as he raised his sword.

"Make it easy on yourself. End it now, and we won't have to carve you up."

The Mist shinobi stared at him with a sneer.

Manji's expression didn't change.

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