Chapter 52 — Return to the Village, Stirring a Great Storm
Konoha. Hokage's Office.
Smoke lingered thickly in the air.
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the encrypted scroll just delivered by ANBU. The pipe between his fingers remained unmoving for a long while.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
He was beginning to doubt the authenticity of the intelligence in his hands.
Several reports from different channels lay spread across his desk, each clearly outlining the recent chain of upheavals within Kirigakure.
"…Has this been verified?" he asked in a low voice, unconsciously tightening his tone.
"It has been cross-checked against multiple independent sources. The information is considered reliable," an ANBU operative replied, kneeling on one knee.
Across the desk, Tsunade—summoned on short notice—stood with her arms folded, leaning against the window. Even she wore an expression of uncertainty.
"So let me get this straight…" she began, organizing the timeline aloud. "The Kaguya clan launched an armed coup against the Mizukage Tower, only to be suppressed by the Third Mizukage's countermeasure. Their clan head died on the spot."
"And then only days later, under the leadership of the new clan head, they went completely mad and launched a suicidal assault on the Yuki clan's territory?"
Her voice carried a trace of disbelief.
"And somehow… they actually succeeded?"
She paused, exhaling sharply.
"In just a few days, two of Kirigakure's most powerful bloodline clans nearly annihilated each other through internal conflict?"
The absurdity of it hung heavily in the air.
Both of them were still attempting to trace the hidden logic behind the chaos when the office door was knocked upon.
A communications ninja hurried in and presented a newly arrived report.
Hiruzen took it immediately and scanned its contents. As he read, his expression shifted again.
Without speaking further, he handed the scroll to Tsunade.
"You should see this yourself."
Tsunade accepted it with a frown—then her pupils contracted sharply.
The latest intelligence reported that during Kirigakure's internal chaos, an unidentified individual had infiltrated the Mizukage Tower and released the sealed Three-Tails, Isobu.
The exact outcome remained unclear.
But the tailed beast had broken free.
Such an event was impossible to conceal.
Silence fell over the office once more.
Neither of them spoke the name forming at the edge of their thoughts.
Because neither of them truly believed that the one capable of stirring Kirigakure into such catastrophic turmoil…
…could possibly be that blond-haired boy.
After a long moment, Hiruzen exhaled slowly.
"Perhaps… our earlier assumption was wrong. There may be other forces operating within Kirigakure."
He tapped the edge of the scroll lightly.
"As for the fake explosive tag incident back then… perhaps it truly was only a warning."
The words sounded reasonable.
But in the quiet room, doubt lingered like smoke that refused to disperse.
Hiruzen spoke those words aloud, attempting to find a more rational explanation.
Tsunade did not argue.
But in her heart, a thought began to grow like wild grass.
If it were him… perhaps… he really could create such a "miracle."
---
Several Days Later — Eastern Border of the Land of Fire
A Konoha patrol squad stood on alert, watching the group that had suddenly appeared at the border.
At the front was a blond young man in standard Konoha uniform, his expression calm and composed.
Behind him followed five men and women in ragged clothes. Their faces were pale and exhausted, their movements weak—but all of them bore unmistakable crimson hair as they slowly crossed into the Land of Fire.
"Stop! Identify yourselves!"
The patrol leader called out sharply, his hand already resting on the hilt of the short blade at his back.
Namikaze Yami halted and calmly presented his Konoha identification.
"Konoha Chūnin, Namikaze Yami. Returning from mission. These five are survivors of the Uzumaki clan. I rescued them during the operation."
"Uzumaki clan?"
The patrol members exchanged looks.
That name had almost become history. For several of them to appear at once was exceedingly rare.
They carefully inspected his credentials—authentic.
Then they turned their attention to the five red-haired individuals.
Though physically frail, their eyes were clear. They still carried the unsettled look of those who had survived trauma. Combined with their distinctive red hair, their identity as Uzumaki descendants was difficult to deny.
It had to be said—the Uzumaki constitution truly was remarkable.
The fact that Kirigakure had selected these five as experimental subjects meant their bloodline purity was already high.
Despite receiving only basic treatment and minimal care during the journey, they had already stabilized and displayed astonishing recovery abilities.
Following protocol, the patrol squad separated them and conducted individual questioning.
Their answers were consistent.
They claimed to have been captured by Kirigakure ninja, imprisoned long-term, subjected to inhumane experiments, and forced to witness the deaths of many clansmen. They lost consciousness at some point and did not know the details of their rescue.
With no obvious inconsistencies in identity or testimony, the patrol squad proceeded accordingly.
One messenger was dispatched at once to report this unexpected development back to the village.
The rest escorted Namikaze Yami and the five Uzumaki safely toward Konoha.
---
On the Road Back
Only now did Yami allow himself to relax slightly.
While traveling, he divided his focus—moving forward while immersing part of his consciousness into the system interface, experimenting with the newly unlocked function:
[Targeted Trace Function]
He happened to possess a suitable sample.
He selected the container holding fragments of Senju bloodline tissue obtained from Root.
[Ding! Partial Senju bloodline sample detected. Quantity severely insufficient.]
Target: Senju Bloodline (Sage Body)
Estimated Cost: 15,000 Points.
Proceed with point payment to complete bloodline reconstruction?
Seeing the five-digit requirement, Yami's eyelid twitched.
As expected.
With such an insufficient sample size, even if he emptied his entire reserve of points, it wouldn't come close.
"…No matter," he muttered quietly.
"At least there are other paths now. Otherwise, I might have had to trouble my future brother-in-law."
He shook his head lightly, suppressing that rather dangerous train of thought.
Because of the Uzumaki survivors' condition, their pace was inevitably slower.
Several days later—after layers of verification and reporting—Yami and the five survivors finally arrived at the gates of Konoha.
News had already reached the village two days prior.
When Namikaze Yami, long declared dead in action, walked through the gates alive—and with five unmistakably red-haired Uzumaki survivors in tow—
The village erupted in attention.
Curious gazes followed them everywhere.
Before any attempt at information control could even begin, the news had already spread among the higher-ups and major clans.
A storm was brewing.
The village leadership's primary concern was clear:
How had this young man returned safely from the catastrophic upheaval within Kirigakure?
And in a certain "Darkness of Konoha," someone was grinding his teeth so hard his gums nearly bled.
As for the major clans—
Their reaction was more complicated.
The sudden reappearance of Uzumaki descendants raised uncomfortable questions.
Would these survivors alter the current balance of resources and power within Konoha?
Would they claim a share?
Yami ignored the probing looks.
Calmly, he led the five Uzumaki toward the Hokage Tower.
He already knew an interrogation awaited him.
He had prepared his answers in advance.
He wouldn't reveal everything—
—but he would provide enough truth to satisfy suspicion.
Yet beneath that composed exterior, his heart was anything but calm.
His gaze searched instinctively through the crowd for a familiar figure.
A faint trace of nervousness—so subtle he barely recognized it himself—surfaced within him.
And then—
At the entrance of the Hokage Tower—
He saw her.
Blonde hair flowing in the breeze. A sharp, resolute silhouette.
The same man who had remained perfectly composed under Kirigakure's layered encirclement…
…now found himself unexpectedly tense.