New Lands
3rd P.O.V
Ashira begins his journey towards greatness by going to the Land of Hot Water. The reason is that it is imperatif that he avoid the 5 major hidden villages right now. He will need to keep a low profile if he wants to quietly reach his goal. It is too risky to surface before the 5 Great Hidden Villages. It's just asking to be captured and used as a breeding machine, spawning countless Uzumaki till I die.
Running on the sea between the Island of Whirlpool and the Land of Hot Water wasn't easy. Ashira had great Chakra reserve thanks to his continued training and his natural predisposition as an Uzumaki, but it doesn't change the fact that he is only 6 years old.
After 3 hours of constant running, Ashira colapsed on the shores of the land of Hot Water.
As Ashira gasped and tried to keep himself from loosing consciousness from Chkra depletion, a patrol composed of two Yugakure Shinobi appeared near his location.
Exchanging looks and hands signs, they ran towards Ashira.
"Identify yourself and your purpose in our country!" a tall and lean man demanded coldly.
"Ashira Uzumaki, here on vacation." Ashira, still exhausted, declared quietly.
"An Uzumaki ? Great, come with us." Another glance between the Yugakure Shinobis, and the smaller one ordered.
As they started walking, Ashira popped a little ball of rice in his mouth and started to make small talks.
"I take it we are going to your hidden village ? I heard a lot of good things about Yugakure and its peacefull mindset and onsens ."
"Well, we do try to make good hosts for the wealthy." the lean one responded.
Yugakure and the land of Hot Water were known for its hot springs and for its peacefull mindest. They needed to rely on tourism to keep money incoming and they achieved it by prieching peace. That's the reason why the Yugakure wasn't a major Hidden Village. Too little motivation, not enough support.
As they approached a camp, Ashira caught sight of people bounds by rope, with restriction seal on them. Then they moved.
1st P.O.V
Faster than I could understand, they moved in unison, one of them trying to get behind me and the other already performing hand-seals unknown.
I went into overdrive, using the little Chakra I had regenerated, I performed a Shunshin just behind the Smaller one, running behind me. He was slow, like genin slow. He didn't know the Shunshin and it was painfully clear to me he wound die first.
I appeared behind him just as the Lean Shinobi finished his hand-seals and took a deep breath to exhale fire. I took the opportunity to punch viciously the Small one in the back and url him towards the attack of his comrade.
As he died screaming from being cooked alive, I used another Shunshin to appear before the Lean one. I tried to punch him in the head, but he dodged by tilting his head on the left. A kunai appeared in his hand before he slashed at my arm. I panicked and summoned my own kunai in my right hand, just in time to deflect the slash, before summoning the wooden spear used for fishing in my left hand and ramming it in the throat of the ennemy.
I see his eyes widden and several emotions pass through. Anger, fear, sadness, despair, resignation and resolve. I didn't wait to see what tricks he would do, I just cut off his head with my kunai and dealt the finishing blow.
When I finally started coming out of the adrenaline filled tension I was in, I started retching but nothing came out. Turns out my stomach is stronger than I thought. I suppose having seen my familly murdered 2 years ago pretty much desensitized me from death ? Even though it wasn't really me ? Honestly, it doesn't matter. I don't like killing, but it is a necessity if I want to rescue and retrieve my brethren, restore my clan. It is a necessity if I want to protect our home, especially in this world.
But I needed to come to term with what I would do in the future, so I just looked at their bodies for the next 15 minutes, trying to calm myself and slowly breath in and out.
Anyway, after searching the body of the Lean one, I took his supply of kunai and shuriken and destroyed the body by putting my self-destruction seal on them. No need for anybody to find them.
I went to the camp where I found 2 bound prisoners.
"Please, help us. We can pay you ! Please, my familly must be restless !" A small child my age yells at me. He has white hair and blue eyes. He wears fancy clothes and has a small accent, the one found in clan and person of high standing. If he wasn't so stressed, I'm sure he would be talking like an aristocrat right now.
"Yes please, mom is going to be so sad. And dad will make a ruckus if he finds out I'm not at home before dinner." A redhead speaks and just by looking at her, my breath itch, my eyes grow teary and I start to tremble. Her eyes are brown and she had a mole underneath her right eye. She wears clothes of civilians, nothing really standing out.
"Your name ! Tell me your name " I said as I advanced towards them, I bend myself and start cutting their bonds.
"My name is Shinichi Chinoike, Heir to the Chinoike clan. Pleasure to meet you, savior." Shinichi says as his blue eyes bore into me and a small smile stretch on his face.
"Hello, savior ! My name is Sashida Tutsuri. Nice to meet you." She said, her smile threatening to split her face.
I stare blankly at her for a whole minute till they start squirming.
I stand more upright than I have ever been, sure as I am that I have found proof. Proof, that the Uzumaki aren't as nearly extinct as I thought.
"My name is Ashura Uzumaki, Clan Leader of the Uzumaki clan. While I want to talk with you Sashida a bit, I need you to tell me where I can drop you. Where do you live ?"
"I live in the Valley of Hell, it's one day to the north-west. " Shinichi respond as he start taking the kunai and weaponry the slavers had confiscated.
"I don't know where I live, I know that it is near the village of Bakorio." Sashida says before a look or realisation hit her.
"You are an Uzumaki, like mom ! You have red hair like me !" She almost screams and I can't help but smile at her innocence.
"Yes, you and me are familly, You are also an Uzumaki, if not by name, at least by blood and that makes me responsible for you. I'm, after all, the Clan Leader of the Uzumaki." I says with pride ecthed on my face. She grins and rush to give me a quick strong hug.
A small nod of appreciation from Shinichi proves that he likes what he is hearing.
"Alright let's go." I says as they are finally finished with their preparation.
So we start walking. We walked 2 hours before finding an adequate location to rest ourselves.
The camp was quickly prepared and we started talking.
"Ashida, you told us that you were the Clan Leader of the Uzumaki, but how can that be when they have been extinguished ? Even us, of the Chinoike clan, as recluse as we are, have heard of the demise of your clan." Shinichi asks me.
"Simple. I'm the son of the last Leader of the Uzumaki Clan. Naturally, the duty to reunite my brethren is mine to carry." I say while thinking of how to do this.
I remember a term from planet Earth. Minimal Viable Population : the minimal population required to repopulate the planet without any problem from consanguinity. There wasn't any definitive answer as it would require a very specific situation with every parameters registered.
But the gist of it is that, if I want to recreate the Uzumaki and make it prosper, I will have to work smarter than harder. I will need at least 50 to 500 Uzumaki clan people (which is impossible) and need them to just fuck all the time. I can probably help with seals.But it is only ideas for now, smokes anf vapes, useless. I need to improve in my Fuuinjutsu first.
Anyway, helping the Chinoike Heir is bound to make the clan indebted. I could use some favors from them. Maybe some training ? They are known for their genjutsu... mahh, I don't think so... I don't like genjustu, maybe just how to dispell them, then.
After answering his question, Shinichi and me started talking about our familly. I talked abojt Kushina anf how much I missed her and him how his father and brother where constantly fighting over the smallest of issues. He told me how they had started training him and how they played together. Meanwhile, Sashida interjected here and there with stories of her parents, how her mother kept the name Tutsuri and how she had sneeked in her office where she had found her mother, crying over a letter. Later, she found out that her mother had received news of our demise, and had a breakdown, before quickly hiding it and returning to a normal life.
At this small bit if information, glaned between otherwise worthless comments, Shinichi anf myself exchanged a concerned look before changing the subject.
Our conversation went on in the same fashion till I made everyone sleep while I took the first night shift.