Who are they ?

Time seemed to stand still for a fraction of a second before everyone started to panic about what had just happened in the city. But everyone had the same thought : what exactly had just happened ? Hadn't they been leading the assault on Uzushio a few minutes before ? Wasn't the city about to give way ?

But suddenly, without anyone expecting it, an extremely bright light suddenly lit up the sky, accompanied by a shrill noise followed by silence... The silence was heavy and at the same time deafening, suggesting that something terrible was about to happen. And it didn't take long, not even a second had passed between the light and the silence before a shock wave was felt throughout the region.

Everyone in the vicinity of the town could only watch, stunned and transfixed, as Uzushio disappeared in an instant. The shock wave was so strong that it continued into the ocean, creating enormous waves with its breath. These waves carried with them many ships which had no possibility of escaping this fatal fate.

By the force of the blast, many men had fallen into the water and most of them had perished under the waters, swept away and sucked into the whirlpools of the region. Some of the ships still afloat were engulfed in flames caused by the probable fall of torches on the sails.

The paralysis of the surviving troops was short-lived, and the instinct to survive and provide help was not long in coming. The shinobi, although in shock, were working to help those they could save from certain death.

But one sentence was on everyone's lips :

— "What just happened ?"

However, moments before Uchiha Madara's technique was executed, many were focused on their fight, their weaponry, their technique... but others were able to observe certain details. Some people saw a huge whitish creature appear between the buildings and although partially hidden by them the creature looked very much like a slug : a giant slug.

But it was not so much the immensity of the creature that really caught the eye of the few observers, but rather the individual who was standing on what appeared to be the animal's head : a female figure with pink hair. And this was not the first time that a person with this hair colour had been mentioned during this war. Many civilians, soldiers and even shinobi claimed to have seen a person with pink hair in the past after a violent battle. Was this the same person that was mentioned since the beginning of this war ? Or was it just a coincidence ?

But there was something else that caught the attention of the few people watching what was happening in the city under attack by the armed forces.

An imposing figure stood out from the commotion and stood on the highest building still standing. This person was no stranger, for he too had been in the news since the war began. Many, among civilians and soldiers alike, described him as a monster that no one could hope to beat. What was he doing there ? But they did not really have the answer to this question because the great flash of light came to dazzle them all and put them in this state of intense expectation.

Of course, more than ninety-nine percent of the attackers wondered if it was someone on their side who had just unleashed this ultra-destructive technique or if the Uzumaki, on the verge of despair, had finally opted for their own eradication. But only the last one percent of the people had seen and understood that it was this figure placed at the highest point of the city who had launched this terrible technique that was unknown to all.

So, to see these two people in the middle of the battle suggested that they were Konoha's allies, but this assumption had been completely blown out of the water when some people realized that one of them had just razed Uzushio to the ground. And this act led to many questions among the attackers : who were these two people that were talked about on the battlefields ? Who were they working for if they were not allied with Konoha ?

But this was no longer the time to wonder and speculate.

— "State of the troops ! Execute !" Ordered one of the leaders who was leading the attack.

Once the shock of the attack had passed, the orders were relayed everywhere, allowing the organisation of the rescue of the troops at sea. And after half an hour, a semblance of organization and stability settled in as everyone could see the huge cloud of dust and smoke emanating from Uzushio... or rather from what was left of it : ruins.

— "Commander, we've lost nearly thirty percent of our equipment and twenty percent of our armed troops," a sand shinobi replied after doing the math with some of his fellow shinobi.

— "Damn it !" The man swore loudly as he looked ahead. "Do we even know what just happened ?"

— "We don't know," the subordinate replied immediately, turning his gaze back to the ruins. There were occasional flashes of chakra, a sign that some of the Fûinjutsu formulas were failing.

— "Did that come from us ?" The commander wondered.

No, it couldn't have been from them, it wasn't in their plan to raze Uzushio like this. And as the commander of this attack, he would have been informed.

— "Perhaps a suicide commander ?" Suggested one of the sailors at the helm of the ship.

— "Would they have been that bad"? To die rather than face us, while killing as many of our own as possible ?" Asked the military leader. "That doesn't make sense, they would have waited until we were closer," he then quickly analysed.

This type of strategy was not impossible, but it could not be that choice.

— "What are the orders ?" Asked the subordinate, seeing the concentrated look on his superior's face.

— "Send out several scouts to see what he has," the commander ordered before another shinobi landed beside him.

— "Permission to speak, Commander," the newcomer said with one knee to the ground.

— "Report," he ordered without delay.

— "I think we have a third faction, Commander," the earth shinobi said flatly.

— "What do you mean ?" the commander took offense at the announcement.

— "It didn't come from us, and certainly not from the Uzumaki clan," the bald man continued to his superior. "I've seen them again, sir."

This simple sentence made the military leader growl in frustration. This wasn't the first time he'd heard about them ! Throughout this war he had had reports that two people were potentially responsible for many of their deaths. They probably had a lot of raiding, looting, and killing to their credit that it was alarming.

Why ?

Because no one could survive long enough to speak clearly about them. No concrete description was available : they were like two spectres whose characteristics one could not grasp. For they were always seen from a great distance in order to get a clear picture of them, or the few victims who were left behind after their passage were just babbling incoherent words. Everyone knew of the existence of these two protagonists but no one had any reliable information about them. It was enough to make all the greatest army commanders rage : knowing about the existence of the enemy without knowing anything about him.

— "Explain yourself," the man with the Kaze No Kuni turban demanded immediately.

— "I had a very brief glimpse of the pink-haired one... but I'm positive about the second one. I had time to recognize his outfit, as well as his hair with my long sight... and the attack came from HIM !"

— "You are telling me that ONLY ONE MAN ! Did this !" The commander half shouted, pointing at Uzushio. It was absolutely unthinkable that anyone in the world was capable of something so devastating. Only Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara could have been capable of such a feat and that would have been in multiple attacks.

— "Affirmative my commander !" The man persisted without lowering his gaze from his superior.

He was telling the truth and he knew it.

Around them many were whispering and fear was beginning to settle in the ranks. And this was understandable : who could this man be with his extraordinary abilities, which were probably close to, if not superior to, the ancient shinobi Gods ? This could greatly frighten any accomplished shinobi.

— "Send a second scouting squad. If they are still there, have them retreat immediately. Take a sensory shinobi with you, if there are no survivors : come back, the mission will somehow be accomplished. Move the fleet and the army back a good half kilometre in case he makes another attack like that," the man ordered after a moment's thought.

— "Hai !" All the men said in unison before setting to work.

— "Someone get me a scroll and some writing materials !" Added the commander.

He needed to write messages to his superiors and very quickly !

And as the ships and the army retreated slightly, two squads dashed in fear towards the ruins of Uzushio. There were many bodies as they approached the island : fellow soldiers and Uzumaki. But soon their vision was filled with nothing but ruins and rubble : there was nothing left standing.

— "Scatter and always in pairs. If one gets attacked, don't be a hero and do a visible Ninjutsu quickly," the squad leader said before watching his unit scatter through what was left of the city. Occasionally they saw dead bodies between two rocks, sometimes they found a severed limb... but they found no survivors or enemies. At the same time, who would have survived such an attack ?

— "Nao... any casualties on our side ?" Asked the leader to a teenager at his side who had his eyes closed and was concentrating on his sensory ability.

— "None of our scout troops died, Chief," the boy replied to his superior.

— "Do you sense any survivors ?" He added.

— "No, I don't."

So the Uzumaki Clan was well and truly eradicated.

Day 315

Tobirama Senju had rarely been in such an angry state as he was at the moment. The only times he had been in such a state was when he had to agree to a truce with Uchiha Madara and when Madara attacked Konoha. But this time it was totally different : this war was a piece of shit !

They had managed to win the southern front and were heading for the hidden village of Suna while his troops in the west were trying to break through the defenses of Tsuchi No Kuni. But when he had received the missive from Uzushio asking for help, Tobirama could not gather enough troops and especially not fast enough. This was the distressing fact that he had to accept : Uzushio was no more. Konoha had lost a very precious ally.

Tobirama looked at the two men standing in front of him, reporting to him. One had been sent with reinforcements to rescue Uzushio. He had returned to Konoha and was explaining in detail what they had found when they arrived as the rest of the army had continued their advance towards the Kaminari No Kuni front.

The other man was a shinobi on an infiltration mission with the enemy. Indeed, Tobirama knew that such methods were sometimes necessary to accomplish certain missions. And the use of espionage was one of them : the proof today, since this shinobi was present during the eradication of the Uzumaki. His testimony was therefore invaluable to the Nidaime Hokage.

— "Unfortunately we arrived too late Hokage-sama, the village was nothing but a pile of ruins filled with corpses. The enemy army was gone when we arrived," the first soldier explained.

— "How many survivors ?" Tobirama immediately asked, his throat closing and his heart clenching at the news of the elimination of this precious ally.

— "None..."

— "I beg your pardon ?" Tobirama said, completely surprised.

How could this be possible ? Any confrontation, no matter how violent, did not lead to the annihilation of an entire population. There should normally be some wounded, some survivors. Incomprehensible, moreover, coming from his ally, Ashina Uzumaki, with his experience in war, would have necessarily asked for the evacuation of his city if he had understood that it was doomed.

— "They must have surrounded the town to prevent any evacuation Hokage-sama, that's the only possible explanation for the fact that there are no survivors," the Jônin added immediately.

— "Do you agree ?" The Senju asked, turning his gaze to the spy.

— "Correct, the troops had surrounded Uzushio, but a breakthrough could have been made if Uzumaki-dono had sent a heavily armed troop," the second man answered.

— "So why ?" Tobirama asked himself, looking at his desk. Something eluded him : these Uzumaki with their talent in Fûinjutsu and their fighting abilities should have escaped. So how could they have simply been wiped off the map without trying to save themselves ?

— "They didn't have time, the city was targeted by S-rank Ninjutsu," the undercover shinobi added, understanding perfectly the silent questions Tobirama was asking in his mind.

— "Was that scum of the earth Mû with them ?" Tobirama asked in surprise.

So that was the most rational explanation : the Nidaime Tsuchikage was known for using techniques that were totally out of the ordinary. But how could he be on this side when he was supposed to be in the land of rain according to the last report Tobirama had received regarding the position of his enemies.

— "It wasn't from them," the shinobi corrected in a calm voice, knowing full well what the Nidaime Hokage's reaction would be.

— "Say that again," Tobirama interrupted coldly.

This outburst of harshness was not directed at the reporting shinobi, but at his enemies. Which one, then, had been able to bring about the fall of Uzushio to weaken Konoha : for it was obvious that the loss of this ally would have enormous consequences not only on this war but on the Leaf's power towards other countries.

— "Uzushio was not destroyed by Iwa, Suna, or Kumo," repeated the man who had heard the rumors of the army after the Uzumaki clan was eradicated.

— "Ashina would never have tolerated suicide... he had too much honor for that," Tobirama said to himself.

If none of the other three countries were responsible, that left the Uzumaki's absurd and unlikely option.

— "It didn't come from the Uzumaki clan either Hokage-sama," the shinobi added as he waited for permission to continue his report completely.

Hearing this sentence the Senju was puzzled for a moment and stared at the shinobi-spy. Who could have decided to wipe out an entire town like Uzushio ? Who and why ?

— "Who ?" The Nidaime asked sharply, desperate to get to the bottom of this dark affair.

— "No one knows who they are, or who they work for," began the man who immediately saw a gleam of rage in his leader's eyes. "But these are the same two people we've been hearing about since the war started. Some even speak of a third faction..."

Tobirama Senju felt a dull anger rise up inside him when he understood that the shinobi was referring to these two oddballs that he couldn't get a hold of and for whom he had no solid enough information to track down and arrest.

— "So they were not alone ? Who are they acting on behalf of ?" Tobirama asked, desperate to know who these two were working for. It was time for this to stop and for someone to take care of them and especially those who employed them.

However, the shinobi could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the office had become considerably tense and he knew for a fact that what happened next would not please his superior. In any case, who could take what he had to say ? The shinobi had never had so much trouble making a report as this one, but he announced without trembling :

— "They were likely still alone in their actions Hokage-sama. The pink-haired individual appeared at the head of a huge creature in the middle of the city's buildings. And..." he hesitated as he searched for words to try and convey the attack the troops had suffered.

— "And what ? Speak !" Ordered Tobirama, who was losing control of his resentment for these two strangers who had been in his way all along.

— "And the other was seen on top of a building and he unleashed a technique that not only ravaged the city but also sank several ships in the vicinity. In one attack Uzushio was gone, along with many of the enemy shinobi. And the scouts who were sent to the scene were clear : there were no survivors from the land of the Whirlwinds. They were all annihilated : civilians and shinobi alike... all of them... not a single living soul left. I thought it best to return here immediately to give you all this new information," the shinobi finally announced.

The Nidaime didn't answer, too busy organizing his thoughts.

So these two individuals were capable of wiping out an entire village. This was the last straw. Tobirama Senju could not let this humiliation go unpunished, let alone let them do as they pleased. Today it was Uzushio and tomorrow who ? There was no way he would let these scoundrels roam the various countries with impunity any longer, and above all, he would not take any risk of them coming to attack Konoha.

If none of his elite ninjas had succeeded in capturing them, Tobirama decided that it was time for him to go to the front. The war had to end immediately and with it the exactions of these two people whom he now considered to be the ones to eliminate first. If he had had their identities he would have had them entered in the Bingo Book immediately. But now this detail was insignificant, the Nidaime Hokage swore to himself to eliminate them. This had gone on too long : their insolence and impertinence had to end.

He dismissed the ninjas and set about preparing for his imminent departure for war : one in which he could only emerge victorious no matter what the cost.

Day 320

It had been almost a month since Hiruzen Sarutobi had been on the front lines with his team on the outskirts of the land of rain. A month that he was leading the troops alongside his best friend Danzo Shimura. They had many tactics to get past and weaken the enemy, but one thing had to be admitted : when a ninja from the land of earth wanted to hold a position... he held it firmly !

After all, the shinobi of Tsuchi No Kuni were specialists in Doton Ninjutsu, the element of choice for defense. So it was more than difficult to make a breakthrough in their ranks.

But for three days, the Konoha troops had not attacked once. It was like a cease fire between the two sides, and this was enforced by Hiruzen when he received a letter from Tobirama Senju that sent a great chill through the troops.

Hiruzen,

Uzushio is no more, it is time for this war to end, I will be there in four days.

Tobirama Senju

As he read this letter Hiruzen was so stunned that he did not realize that he had repeated the contents aloud so that not only Danzo Shimura heard it, but also all those around him. The news that Uzushio had simply been wiped off the map spread like wildfire through the ranks of the Leaf ninja.

On the one hand, the announcement of their leader's arrival was good news, since things would probably go their way. But it could also mean that they were in a very bad position and that the Nidaime had to be there to ensure a clear and definitive victory in order not to suffer the same fate as their newly disappeared allies.

— "I still can't believe that Uzushio doesn't exist anymore," Danzo said softly as he sat by a fire with his friend Hiruzen and a few other ninjas.

— "Like you, Danzo... it seems we greatly underestimated our enemies," Sarutobi added with some form of shame. He remembered the conversation he'd had a month ago with his students about how losing one of their allies could be dangerous for them. "Sometimes I wonder if what we're doing is really the answer..."

— "What do you mean ?" Danzo asked surprised to hear his friend speak like this.

All the ninja gathered around the fire were listening to the conversation Hiruzen had started. They were among the few ninja who had the full confidence of their Hokage. He had carefully selected and trained most of them and among them was an Uchiha.

Yes, as surprising as it may seem, Tobirama Senju had learned to appreciate an Uchiha for his qualities and values. But this one was the only one who deserved his attention and respect. He was not like the other members of his clan, he had a broader, more global vision. Where the other Uchiha saw family and clan, he saw village and country.

So when he heard such a phrase coming from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kagami Uchiha, the future father of the legendary Shisui Uchiha, listened very carefully. Despite his young age, he was a more than competent ninja and his analytical skills were extremely advanced. That's one of the reasons why he could see further than most of his clan.

— "Killing each other," Sarutobi explained at his friend's question.

— "That's our job, Hiruzen," Danzo replied mechanically.

— "I know, but this world war is creating what we experienced on a smaller scale in the provincial wars, and the desire for revenge is only growing in the hearts of many people," Hiruzen replied, unable to help the bitter feeling in the back of his throat. "When I think of our allies, our friends, our brothers who died because of... of... In short, it makes me angry and I only want to make them suffer in my turn."

— "There's something else, isn't there ?" Kagami asked, entering the conversation. Many people turned their heads in his direction surprised at his intervention. He was usually a quiet ninja.

— "Just a bad feeling," Hiruzen said, thinking back to the ambush he and his students had suffered.

— "Do you want to tell us about it ?" Danzo asked before his friend sighed, massaging his eyebrows.

— "On our way from Konoha my team and I were ambushed," Hiruzen began.

— "Tsuchi No Kuni Ninja ?" Danzo questioned, not surprised that there were potential enemies behind their line.

— "Hai, but technically I probably should have arrived here alone, my students should have perished by now," he added, repressing a shiver at the thought. Even though it was typical for ninja to die in battle, Hiruzen couldn't imagine it happening to his own students who still had a whole life ahead of them.

— "What do you mean you should have been the only one to arrive ?" Asked another ninja around the fire.

— "There's no point in pretending, we all know that there are two people somewhere in the elemental nations that are making news... and without those two people my students would probably be dead as we speak," Sarutobi revealed to the assembly.

— "So it's not just a rumour," Danzo said, stroking the scar on his chin. "What do they look like ?"

— "I don't know, I'm just going by my students' descriptions which match what we already know and I think we're dealing with two ninjas of at least A rank, if not S rank."

— "That bad ?" Asked another man before sipping a hot drink.

— "Our opponents were not extraordinary, but according to Orochimaru their attackers were overpowered in the blink of an eye, I know they're just children, but I trust their judgment."

— "Why did you help your students ?" Danzo asked, still deep in thought.

— "I don't know," conceded Hiruzen, who had to admit that he was still wondering why they had intervened to save his students.

— "Probably because they're children," Kagami Uchiha interjected as he too was deep in thought. He had been analyzing the potential threat of these two people for a while. Every rumor was based on some truth and not having information was a potential way to get killed.

So Kagami set out to gather as many testimonies as possible from his comrades or from civilians he came across. The Uchiha had many questions : why the loss of resources ? Why all these raids ? Why all these destroyed villages and towns without finding a single body ? Why all these disappearances ? Who was capable of doing all this and not getting caught ?

Kagami Uchiha did have a name... but was it even possible ?

— "Maybe, but I don't like the idea of two ninjas like that running around like that without anyone knowing who they are," Sarutobi added to Kagami.

— "How did they describe them ?" the Uchiha asked.

— "A woman with pink hair and green eyes wearing a bright red outfit, she has no distinguishing marks that affiliate with any clan or country. And the second one, no one can describe it correctly..."

— "Genjutsu," Kagami thought immediately, seeing it as a simple but effective ability to avoid being recognized. "How tall is he ?"

— "Five feet, maybe less, long hair, the usual stuff," Hiruzen replied as he described the information they already had on these two people.

However, having this confirmation for Kagami was important. For to him it was undeniably consistent with one of his more complex theories. He had analysed the descriptions, the techniques used in the villages and towns. It was Ninjutsu practiced by very few people, it was methods that few knew and what gave even more weight to his hypothesis was the size of the individual.

At first, Kagami Uchiha didn't want to believe it, but with the elements in front of him, he couldn't help but think that it was more than likely, many things matched each other.

After all : no one had found Uchiha Madara's body.

And the only living person capable of all this could only be the clan leader declared dead.