Chapter 6.

That was my first thought. - Mmm... hello, - I squeezed out uncertainly from myself and bowed. - Kami, how he looks like Ryuta as a child! - one of the women threw up her hands and these simple words seemed to break through the dam. All this crowd of people rushed to get acquainted with me. Over the next twenty minutes, I found myself squashed and smacked almost to death by women, learning about the existence of cousins, second cousins, fourth cousins, nephews and nieces, a bunch of uncles and aunts, a variety of grandparents in four generations before my grandfather, and a bunch more different relatives. But most importantly, each of them was quite sincerely glad to see me, despite the fact that they met me just a few minutes ago! Realizing that I'm so welcome just because of the simple fact that I belong to all relatives, I almost burst into tears in the most natural way, and my mouth stretched to my ears in the biggest smile that happened in this life! What to do, the child's body is an emotionality corresponding in strength. "Okay, give the kid a break and set the table," Ryuuji finally interrupted. - Do not fuss, oto-san, - the girl who introduced herself as Tomoka dismissed, - everything has been ready for a long time, only they were waiting for you. "Then what are we waiting for?" To the table! The merriment that followed was more like a celebration of some grand event than a visit to relatives, but from the conversations I caught, I understood that this was a common meal in this family. It's not that I don't like it, but compared to the Nara clan and the relatively quiet life with Saya, it was a completely different experience. Thanks to Tomoko, who took custody of me, I burst like a boa constrictor and tiredly wagging my nose in an attempt not to fall asleep, I caught a piece of an interesting conversation between my mother and grandfather. - ...has already held a funeral ceremony? - Yes, the body was brought home, so the burning ceremony was performed at dawn and the ashes were entrusted to the ocean. His favorite sword was placed in the tomb, so tomorrow I will accompany you to pay the last tribute to the departed. Hmm, the Uzumaki burn their dead, and trust the ashes to the water... Probably, that is why Kabuto did not resurrect anyone from the clan of seal masters with his edo tensei, there is not at least a part of the deceased - there is no summoned soul. But I'll try to make the bespectacled man out of the game in advance or have no chance at all to fall into the clutches of Orochimaru. Before the Third Shinobi War, there is still plenty of time and there are plenty of opportunities to take history in a different direction, especially for someone who has reliable information about the future. Mentally promising myself to do everything possible to save people who died solely due to completely idiotic reasons, such as envy and greed, I lost the fight of fatigue and closed my eyes, sank into a slumber. *** - He's not used to such a feast, - Saya shook her head, watching her son fall asleep, who leaned against Ryuta's sister and sniffed softly, not paying attention to the noise around. "If you had stayed with us, and not decided to return to Konoha, he would have grown up in a large family, literally in a sea of ​​love and care," Tomoko shook her head, "it can be seen from him that such a situation is very unusual. - Not everything is so simple, - Nara sighed, - no one would just let me go - being born in the family of the head of the clan has its drawbacks. "Then stay at least half a year," Ryuji suggested, "I'll bring him up a little in training to the level of our children," it will help him a lot in the future. "I don't know if oto-san will let him, he's very attached to Ryu-chan," Saya shook her head. "Write that I want to get to know my grandson better - he will understand," Uzumaki continued to press, "after all, half a year cannot be compared with several years that he spent nearby!" - Well, tomorrow I will send a letter and if possible, we will stay with you, - the kunoichi surrendered. - Chur, I will take care of the cutie for this time! Tomoko exclaimed softly, stroking the little Nara's head in her lap. There he slipped in the process of sleep and not without a little help from a touched relative. "I don't mind, sometimes taking care of even such quiet children as in our clan is very tiring. - Great! Then I will take him to the already prepared bed and continue the feast with something stronger! - Pleased Uzumaki carefully picked up the sleeping boy in her arms and hurried to the stairs to the second floor, which led to the guest rooms. *** I spent the first few days visiting numerous relatives in a fog, simply because of the proximity of so many strong sources of chakra (of course, most of those around me perfectly hid their true volumes, but my gift of the sensor gradually got used to recognizing such sources of chakra and it was easier it didn't work out). And that's not even mentioning the huge number of seals that literally flooded the Uzumaki's house. When compared to the level of comfort experienced in a previous life, the seals definitely win simply because of their versatility and ease of use for shinobi (supplying and heating water in the bathroom, strengthening walls and blocking sounds, air filtration from dust and odors, use for heating food, drying clothes, lighting and heating, preserving food and much, much more, the list is endless - fuinjutsu was used everywhere), just have the chakra to activate them. And this kind of good among the members of the clan has always been in bulk. And most importantly, it was simply impossible to get bored in my grandfather's huge house - there was always someone nearby who took the trouble to entertain or interest me. What amazed me the most was the huge number of guests who visited the house just to look at me and get to know me. According to the most conservative estimates, the total number exceeded four hundred. Too much for me, accustomed to a rather limited social circle, even within the clan. However, all this was more than redeemed by the completely sincere joy of the guests who came to visit. From all this, I took one firm conviction - there are no bad Uzumaki! Literally every member of the clan I saw was distinguished by amazing cheerfulness, a reverent attitude towards children and the ability to enjoy life. When I asked my grandfather about this, he answered in all seriousness that even a thousand years ago, the clan did not differ much in its outlook on life from the current one. Uzumaki have always been able to enjoy the smallest details and communication is one of them. Given the tradition of having at least three or four children, there is simply no time to be sad and indulge in despondency. In addition, others in the clan do not survive. I did not understand anything about the last phrase, but I dismissed it from my mind as insignificant, somewhat amazed by the answer. A striking difference from the big-headed, but terribly lazy Nara. And despite only a few days spent in such an environment, Uzushiogakure became much more associated with home than Konoha. People here are much more friendly, energetic, cheerful and generous. By the way, about the generous ones - numerous guests literally flooded me with gifts! Various clothes, shoes, weapons necessary for a shinobi career, both for my size and for growth (when I found out that such a term is very common among the red-haired, I suppressed the desire to indecently neigh for a long time - hello homeland! - among the Nara, this concept is simply no, all things are bought only when needed), numerous scrolls for learning and creating simple fuinjutsu and kekkai, training weights with or without seals, everyday outfits in clan colors, several sizes of simply chic traditional silk kimonos, sets of special paper and ink for drawing stamps, training weapons, even a few scrolls of water techniques and styles of taijutsu and kenjutsu learned and kept by clan members. But most of all I liked the intangible gifts. With special ink with the addition of my blood, Infuin was applied to my forehead, which after several hours of application and activation formed a very familiar crystal, which flaunted in the same place with Uzumaki Mito and Senju Tsunade. Considering the amount of chakra I had pumped up just to make the seal even work, that was respectful—nearly five-sixths of what I had. By the way, almost half of the adult shinobi flaunted such a contraption in the middle of the forehead or at the very bangs, covered with hair. Directly in front of the heart now appeared the seal of resistance, designed to train in the speed of all future shinobi of the clan, and just above the wrists on the inside, I was given two universal seals for storage, capable of self-healing even when damaged along with the healing process of the skin. A striking difference from sealing scrolls. In general, gifts were overwhelmed with gifts, and this is not an exaggeration. True, the vigilant mother quickly confiscated all the scrolls and real weapons from me, but this did not diminish my joy.

By the end of the first week, after the main excitement and the influx of guests had subsided a little, I got the opportunity to talk with my grandfather about the impending war and one conversation overheard a little less than a year ago. Ryuuji and I were just sitting at the next batch of shogi in his room, while the rest of the household went about their business, including my mother - she was dragged into shopping by Tomoko-chan. So, having won once again, I made sure that no one was eavesdropping on us, and having built the most serious face, I asked my grandfather to put up a barrier. - M? - Uzumaki at first did not immediately realize what I was asking him about, busy looking at the board and considering the moves made that led to the defeat. We need to talk and I don't want anyone to overhear. - Okay, Ryuu-kun. He folded several almost indistinguishable hand seals and lowered his hand to the floor with a small burst of chakra. In the next moment, chains of symbols ran across the floor in different directions, and the room was shrouded in a foggy barrier. "Now no one will hear us or see us even with the help of the byakugan," my grandfather told me, and at the same second, in front of me was not a relaxed person who enjoyed the game, but a focused and ready for anything shinobi, who had seen a lot in his lifetime. - What did you want to talk about? Are the Uzumaki clan aware of the impending war? - Yes, we know about the skirmishes that have begun on the border of Iva and Suna. Konoha gave us enough information. - And about building up the combat power of Kiri and Kumo, the accumulation of their troops in the border garrisons? - judging by the slightly surprised face, Konoha did not bother to convey this piece of information to Uzumaki. - No, We did not know about this, - my grandfather confirmed my observation, - what are you leading to? - With a very high probability, the first target for these forces will be Uzushiogakure, - I sighed deeply, and brought down another shocking news on an unprepared interlocutor, - and you can not count on allied help - the Hokage and the elders decided to exchange you for the opportunity to pat the future the enemy and the desire to save his shinobi for a close skirmish with Iwa and Suna if the war moves too close to the borders of the Fire Nation or disturbs more valuable allies. "But... why... we've helped so many... The Senju won't let this happen!" - it was clear that the grandfather was clearly not ready for this. - After the first great shinobi war and the loss of a huge number of strong fighters, including the first two Hokage, The Senju have lost most of their influence in the village and are unlikely to be able to influence anything other than rushing to help you themselves and dying together, "I interrupted the dumbfounded Uzumaki. After that, there were several minutes of silence, during which Ryuji pulled himself together and began to think about something. - How do you know? - The fact that I'm still small does not mean that I don't understand anything, - I chuckled and recounted the conversation I accidentally overheard word for word. "To put it simply, our death will allow List to significantly reduce his losses, get the opportunity to put his paw on a fraction of our knowledge and wealth, and also fairly thin out the forces of the two great villages," grandfather muttered. "But divulging such information can be considered a betrayal of your house, and if Konoha finds out about this, then you will not be healthy." Why did you decide to tell me about this? Other than wanting to avoid the destruction of Kushina village, the disappearance of such a colorful and ancient clan, the loss of centuries of knowledge of fuinjutsu and kekkaijutsu, and just the death of a huge number of beautiful women with luxurious scarlet hair, for whom I have a certain soft spot? Probably the desire to find out how the simple disclosure of information will affect future events on a global scale. But I will never tell anyone about this. "Firstly, I don't betray, but just fulfill the terms of the allied agreement, even if our Hokage decided to break this agreement unilaterally without notice," I clarified, "and secondly, I like it here MUCH more than in Konoha and don't like the fact that so many beautiful people can die solely because of the decision of a few old farts seeking profit only for themselves! As soon as I finished my indignant tirade, my grandfather laughed merrily. "As long as there are people like you in Konoha, there is still hope and I am very glad that I have such a grandson! Ryuuji said proudly. Yes, I'm happy for myself too! - I answered and made a soulful face, arched my chest with a wheel, but could not stand it for a long time and joined the laughing Uzumaki. - And what will you do now, in the light of the opened danger? - Grandfather asked a little later, when we calmed down. "I don't know yet," he shook his head, "first I will bring the news to the Uzukage, and then the entire clan council will decide. - Of course, I don't understand much about military affairs, but why don't you just hide the whole island from everyone? You are well-known masters of barriers, so put up some kind of space-time barrier if they really decide to attack you, - I suggested. "Are you sure you're only four years old, Ryuu-kun?" the Uzumaki asked, shaking his head. - At your age, games and pranks should occupy your head, and not problems of a global scale. - Hn, I'm Nara and how did you have the opportunity to make sure in the recent game - smarter than you - could not resist mocking a relative. - Hey, it was just one game! the master of seals exclaimed indignantly. - The second will be with the same result! - We'll see! But returning to the topic under discussion - even if such a barrier is erected, then I doubt that even our entire clan will be able to maintain its existence for a long time ... - Well, find another power source, - I shrugged my shoulders, - I remember that in the book about Rikudo, the chakra of the world, otherwise called "natural", was mentioned briefly. Why don't you use it? If it really stands out in the world, then it certainly will not end in the coming centuries. So you will only have to take care of spies and traitors. "Looks like Saya wasn't kidding when she called you a little genius," Ryuuji sighed. It's easy to be a genius when you have a huge amount of information, including about the future! It's time to erect a monument to yourself! "Okay, given everything you've told me, I can't wait. The Uzumaki removed the barrier, rose to his feet, and at the same moment, an exact copy of him appeared next to him, quickly leaving the room. Kage bunshin without hand seals! Wow! "My clone will report everything to the Uzukage, while we will visit the training grounds of our clan," my grandfather answered my questioning look, "With the war coming, you'll need all the help you can get, and I'm not going to bury you anytime soon, Ryuu-kun." That means practice and more practice! Yes, I don't mind - given the general laziness of all Nara, I will have to knock out additional training, and taking into account the general endurance of all red-haired shinobi, including myself, I don't think that many will be able to keep up with me.

The lands allotted for the training of young shinobi and kunoichi Uzushiogakure were located outside the walls, like the Shinobi Academy itself, so we got to our destination for about half an hour, given the speed of movement at the level of an average chunin, taken by my grandfather. Significantly, the opposite gate through which we left the village was guarded by only a couple of genin, indicating the level of attack potential from that side of the island. Given the whirlpools that surrounded the entire island and the lack of a port to overcome them, you can just as well score on security, because even with a divine predisposition to the elements of water, an attempt to stop kilometer-long funnels of water can be considered suicide. And for biju carriers as well. Are there other settlements on the island? - I asked an adult just to take time, until we got to the training grounds. - Several small seasonal villages for farmers and a couple of towns of miners, - answered the grandfather, - we grow all the food at home, thanks to the fertile soil. Only spices and some types of herbs have to be imported, which prefer a different climate. - Do you sell food? - They could, but for this it will be necessary to plow up new fields, and this will negatively affect the nature of the island. "Then what do you sell if the Uzumaki clan is considered one of the richest in the world?" - I was surprised. - Our island is very rich in various metals, including precious ones, we are one of the main suppliers of chakra-conducting metal for the land of Fire, as well as excellent weapons. - Weapons? "Our blacksmiths are almost as famous for their craftsmanship as the blacksmiths from the Land of Iron, but considering that each blade is considered a real work of art because of the seals on it, not many people have enough money to buy them, - Ryuuji enlightened me, - some of the weapons of the famous seven Kiri swordsmen are made by us. Well, we must not forget about the main source of income - fuinjutsu. The same Konoha pays Uzushio a lot of money for the opportunity to use our protective seals on their walls and she is not the only one. Fuck se settled down with me relatives! It is not surprising that they are considered very rich - it is difficult to remain poor here with such and such conditions for earning! While we were chatting, my grandfather managed to carry me to the buildings of the Academy and a huge field behind them, divided into uniform squares. Most of them were free, but some were used by small groups of future shinobi. And the age is not only after six or seven years, when they enter the local school of assassins, but also before. It was to the latter that we went. And here I was in for a shock! Yes, I think, and anyone in my place - right in front of my eyes, a small shmakodyavka under the guidance of a teacher, dressed in a cute green jumpsuit, about my age and half a head lower, almost without straining, gave out five Kage Bunshin and sat down to train chakra! And this despite the fact that in women the volume of chakra in most cases is naturally lower than that of the stronger sex! What way? Watching my drooping jaw, my grandfather only grunted and undertook to explain the capital, for them, truths. - At a young age, tenketsu bodies are not yet formed and are easy to change and grow, in addition, each Uzumaki has a few more of them than ordinary people, which is why all our children begin to learn control from three to four years old, and at the same time, the volume of the chakra is rapidly increasing. Constant race for size and control in younger years. Even I dedicate one full day a week to this cause. At the moment, this little girl has twice as much stock as you, thanks to which she can create so many Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Actually, for any Uzumaki, this technique is similar to the usual Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu studied at your Shinobi Academy. No words! And it was I who thought that I was increasing the volume of chakra at an accelerated pace, compared to all other children ... A disgrace! A crushing blow to the balls of my pride! In this way, I will earn an inferiority complex! And this is not even taking into account that this little one, however, like all the red-haired shinobi of both sexes and various ages around me, hid their true volumes of chakra much better, than I could even dream of at the moment. Damn, just over a year of training and already such a difference! "And that's why I decided to train you for all those six months that you'll be visiting us," Ryuuji's voice pulled me out of self-flagellation. - Is it true? I looked at the older Uzumaki with a hopeful look. - True true! he nodded. - But before we start, tell me, what areas of shinobi art have you chosen as the main ones for yourself? - Iryojutsu is the main thing, because with such skills and regeneration from our kekkei genkai, I will be practically indestructible as long as there is chakra, and high-class iryonin are extremely rare and no one will let them into meat in a war, - after some thought, I gave out, - further comes funjutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu, and then taijutsu with kenjutsu. In general, I am not going to be limited to a narrow specialization. - Hm, interesting choice! You will have to study medicine in Konoha, since we have mostly combat iryonin, but there are not many of them - Uzumaki almost never get sick with ordinary diseases and are able to survive even with fatal wounds for others. I remember the Nara clan is famous for their medicines and medicine, so you can do it at home. In fuinjutsu, I will pull you up in the basics, and as for ninjutsu, only when you grow up a little, otherwise you can earn a break in chakra channels when converting chakra for elemental techniques. For genjutsu, you still have too lousy control, so even the most primitive techniques will not work. This is not to mention the fact that among Uzumaki this direction is not popular for obvious reasons. As for taijutsu and kenjutsu, you shouldn't put them in last place! A fast enough opponent will be able to get close to you even before you can finish any technique. But then again, it makes no sense to train them now, because you are still too small and almost all of our styles are designed for teenagers and adults. Listening to Ryuuji sorting things out, I could only nod obediently, confirming my understanding of everything that was said. That's what experience means - he probably learned more than one student, if we take into account the number of offspring and their children. With all that said, what are we going to do? "Now our first priority is to achieve perfect control for using iryojutsu and genjutsu, as well as increasing the available volume and developing the ability to at least partially conceal the chakra," answered the grandfather, "this is the main direction. As soon as you can create at least four clones without tension, we will take care of your physical preparation while they improve control. - Weights? "No, your body is growing now, and it's better not to do this, otherwise you will remain low for life," Uzumaki shook his head and patted his impressive biceps, "the bodies of the vast majority of members of our clan are built for strength and with age, the power of blows will come by itself with minimal extra effort on your part. So we will train stretching, agility and speed. With your new seal, it will be very effective. - the bodies of the vast majority of members of our clan are built for strength, and with age, the power of blows will come by itself with minimal additional effort on your part. So we will train stretching, agility and speed. With your new seal, it will be very effective. - the bodies of the vast majority of members of our clan are built for strength, and with age, the power of blows will come by itself with minimal additional effort on your part. So we will train stretching, agility and speed. With your new seal, it will be very effective.

- Do you all use these? I asked. - Absolutely! As a matter of fact, at the moment I have exactly the same seal active - it helps a lot to keep myself in shape in the absence of constant training, - Uzumaki smiled. - Well, I or someone from the family will practice fuinjutsu on a free day off, and if there is strength left, then in the evenings of ordinary days. - Wow timetable! I muttered under my breath. "Yes, you will have to train much harder than the rest of our children, primarily because you are very far behind the rest of the same age in almost all aspects," the grandfather said seriously, "besides, we only have half a year left, and I'm going to drive as much into you as possible during this time! Ripped muscles and chakra drain will be common, so if you're not sure, what you can stand - better give up now. What? Himself to refuse an offer of power, even if it means giving everything to the full?! Yes, I'd rather die, but I won't give up! Shaking my head negatively, I stared at my grandfather expectantly. - Look, do not regret it later, because you will not be indulged! Ryuji chuckled sadistically and I realized that the next six months would be hell!