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Burdened Soul: Uchiha SI Ch.42
🕑 Added 2025-03-17 11:26:32 +0000 UTCChapter 42
In a land covered in deep mist, the air was thick with the smell of blood and flesh, for this was the land of Mist and assassins, Kirigakure.
The years and years of decline had made the village a shell of itself, and the it had suffered a major loss as it lost one of its two bijuus to none other than Konohagakure.
And so, the village hungered for revenge, and to their talent, they were blessed with the perfect instrument to exact this revenge, and this instrument was none other than the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
And the feared squad had also been reduced to six, because of Konoha as well, but it was time to have their revenge.
“You must all be wondering why I have summoned you back from your mission,” the tall, old man who was the leader of this village, Yuuki Hikari, the Sandaime Mizukage, began as he addressed the gathered nin infront of him.
And such was his power that even the deadliest of Kiri’s nin stood still infront of him as he addressed them.
“It is because Konoha has sent out a Sanin, the Toad Sage himself, to hunt you all down,” and at the mention of that name, the six in perked up, for they all knew that despite their prowess, they were no a match for the famed Sanin.
“And so, we had no choice but to pull back,” For unlike the rest of the villages, Kiri did not boast a massive number of shinobi. Kiri’s power lay in its few elite men, and losing even one of them left them much famished.
“So, will we pulling back, Sandaime-sama?” asked the leader of these men, Mangetsu Hozuki, perhaps the only one amongst these six who could even hope to face the Sanin on an even footing.
“No,” he replied sharply, for there was no way that Kiri could let this insult go unanswered.
“We will attack Konoha, but we shall do it at an appropriate time,” and just then another body emerged from one corner of the room, startling the six nin infront of him as he finished.
“And we shall not do it alone....”
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~Months Later~
JIRAIYA-The Toad Sage
It was not entirely unheard of for shinobi to take months when it came to signing Summoning Contracts, more so when it came to Great Summons like the Toads of Mt. Myoboku, the Snakes of Ryuichi Cave, and the Slugs of Shikkotsu forests.
The bond between the summons and a summoner ran deep, and unless one was inheriting a contract from a family, clan, or a teacher, it often took months to assure the summons of loyalty and honor to have them sign a contract with you.
It was one reason why it was so rare for Shinobi to have a summons, for it took a great deal of courage and time for one to land a summoning contract, and it seemed like Izuna would be no different.
It had been more than a few months until the boy had gone to the realm of the Snakes, and by now, Jiraiya was growing a bit worried, fearing perhaps that he may have rushed the boy into something he was not yet ready for.
If it were the Toads of Mt. Myoboku, he could have reverse summoned himself to look for the boy, but the Snakes of Ryuichi cave were not so forth coming, and even Orochimaru had mentioned his helplessness infront of them, citing that he would be of little help in this case.
The one good thing was that the boy still had the scroll he had given him, and from their little spar from earlier, Jiraiya was at least sure of one thing that the boy could hold his own against any opponent.
So, it was not all entirely bad news. At least when it came to the young Uchiha, but there were other things that concerned him as well, and the latest and greatest of which was this letter from Minato that had come a few days ago, mentioning some rather concerning intel coming out of Ame.
His own network had been abuzz with similar news coming out of Ame, where Hanzo was said to be making a move against the newly formed Akatsuki, a new organization seeking to disrupt the status quo in the war-ridden lands of Amegakure.
They tried to remain covert, keeping the identity of their members a secret, yet what little he had managed to gather about them mentioned a very familiar trio of leaders.
If this really was the work of his three pupils, Konan, Yahiko and Nagato, then he was much proud and concerned about them, for despite all their skill and prowess, they were not ready to face someone like Hanzo Hattori.
And so, he had to rush to Ame, and then hopefully make it back to the village in time for the birth of the child of Minato and Kushina. And if he had any hope of making it back to Konoha in time for that, then he would need to leave for Ame right now.
But what was he to do about Izuna? The boy had yet to return, and so, after much thinking and contemplation, he decided to leave for Ame. He sealed the new directives into the ground where he stood, hoping that he would read them when he returned to the human world from the summoning realm.
“Goodbye, kid,” he said as he stood beside the lake, from where the boy had entered the summoning realm, and according to the technique’s restrictions, if the boy succeeded in signing a summoning contract, he would be reverse summoned right here.
If he failed and used the scroll he had given him, he would appear beside him.
“Let’s see what you can do kid...”
And with that, he turned away and began his journey towards Ame....
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MINATO NAMIKAZE
He had known that being a Hokage would be difficult, but even still he had not known that it would be so draining and tiring. And his job was made even more difficult as he found himself tied down by both enemies abroad, and traitors close to home.
And yet he could do nothing about either of them.
Lord Danzo’s actions during the reign of Lord Third were highly controversial, and in many ways even treasonous yet and yet he could not prosecute the man, for more than being a renowned legend, his predecessor had come to his defence, forcing him to be lenient.
It was not something he was proud to do, yet as he was learning, being Hokage meant doing and coming to terms with such things and decisions.
He had hoped that he could rely on Lord Third and his wisdom, yet after learning about the atrocities and actions of his councilors and friends, he found himself growing despondent over the idea, and so he found his Council tear up, as he had force Jiraiya sensei away from the village, to make Izuna-kun come to terms with his decisions.
And so, as of yet, he had no council to aid him in this herculean task, but given the tough times ahead, he knew that he needed someone he could rely on, especially as the time for the birth of his child grew near.
“It is good to see you again, Fugaku-san,” he greeted the older Uchiha clan leader, who now sat opposite him in his office. The stern man replied with a simple nod as Minato smiled.
“I have summoned you here today because there are some rather concerning matters that I believe we need to discuss,” he began, knowing that neither of them had much interest in making small talk.
“What matters?” he asked with a raised brow as Minato sighed.
“Matters regarding this village’s safety,” and the Uchiha clan head frowned at his words as he continued.
“You must already know of Kushina’s pregnancy,” he began, and the Uchiha clan head nodded as he closed his eyes and understood his point at once.
“The seal,” and it was somewhat well known that the seal of a jinchuriki was weakest at the time of birth, making the village housing them and the jinchuriki themselves a rather viable target for enemy villages.
“Yes, and as the date approached, I have taken much precautions regarding the whole situation, but I find myself in need of you and your clan's prowess to protect the village,” and the man was alarmed by his words, as any sane man would be.
“Do you have some intelligence?” he asked, and Minato ground his teeth and shook his head.
“No. Not intelligence per se, but it is no secret that Kumo and Iwa hate me. And despite the rebuilding of our intelligence apparatus, it is no secret that there were many holes in it. So, I believe it would be prudent of us to plan and act as if our enemies are aware of the situation,” for he did not plan on taking any chances when it came to the life of his wife and son.
“...and will use this instance to target us,” he finished, and the Uchiha clan nodded.
“That is a good approach,” Fugaku Uchiha agreed with his decision.
“And the both me and the Uchiha clan are ready to serve,” and that was reassuring, for the Uchiha were the largest and one of the most powerful clans in the village, having them on standby, ready to intervene in case of an emergency would be a massive relief.
They could not go and put the entire village on full alert, for it would be like sending a beacon to their enemies, telling them of this sensitive time by itself, and so the mobilization had to be limited and covert.
And Uchiha, being the Police Force, were in the perfect position to be forced into readiness, while keeping the sensitive time a secret from their enemies.
“That is noble of you. I will have the ANBU captain share with you the details regarding that day, because of security concerns, mine own and Kushina’a locations will remain a secret, and in case of an emergency, the command of the forces will fall onto your shoulders,” and this seemed to surprise the man who stilled as he narrowed his eyes.
“I am honored by this, though I must ask a question of my own?” he already knew what it was going to be, yet he nodded nonetheless.
“Yes?” he leaned back encouraging the man to speak his mind.
“You are the Hokage, and I do not doubt your decision. and while I am honored that you put so much trust in me and my clan, I also know that there are others you could rely on for this, others like your own sensei, and even the Sandaime-sama, for that matter,” and it was as he had expected.
And he had considered both of these names as well, yet he had to discard the Sandaime-sama’s name because of his affiliation with Danzo Shimura, for after reading about all he had done, he could not trust the man fully, and such a thing could lead to massive problems at a crucial time.
As for Jiraiya-sensei, the man had been his first option, and had even agreed to take on this responsibility but the recent developments from Ame had made it so that he could not be present.
“Sandaime-sama has retired; bringing him back even for such a time does not sit right with me,” he said carefully, speaking of Lord Third.
“As for my sensei, I am afraid he is needed elsewhere at this time,” and the older man nodded as he folded his hands.
“I see,” he said, nodding his head.
“Then both me and my clan are at your service. We can go over the details about this whole operation, but there is something else I need to ask you as well,” and he nodded.
“Of course,” he said, beckoning him to speak.
“Where is he?” he had expected this question as well, and the man did not need to specify who, for it was evident whom, he spoke of.
Izuna Uchiha, his son. The very question bothered him as well, and he had hoped to keep the real reason for his absence a secret, yet it seemed he could do no more.
“I know that he went out on a mission with Lord Jiraiya, and yet it has been months, and we have yet to receive any words from him, which is not unusual when it comes to covert operations,” and it was not considered honorable to ask details about such missions.
“But he is my son,” the Uchiha clan leader did not mince his words.
“I need to know where he is. Both as his father and as his clan head,” and the man was firm as Minato sighed, knowing that there was no use in hiding the truth from him.
“As you already know, Izuna-kun was dispatched alongside my own sensei to track and monitor the movements of Kiri’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen,” and the man nodded, but that was only one part of the mission.
“Yes,” he said.
“But there was another part of the mission, one that was not mentioned in the official documentations,” for that part was a sort of a bribe for the young Uchiha to satiate his anger and frustrations.
“There was a reason that Lord Jiraiya was sent alongside him on this mission,” and his words made him frown.
“Senjutsu,” and the surprise was instant as the Uchiha clan’s eyes widened, as he shifted in his seat.
“Senjutsu, are you certain?” he asked after some seconds of silence.
“Yes, senjutsu. Izuna-kun showed a keen interest in the art and wished to explore it, but it is not an easy endeavor,” and though the man would not know the exact details of it, it was no secret that Senjutsu was one of the most difficult techniques to learn and master.
It was the reason that despite being centuries, the number of shinobi who had mastered this technique was just one, while those who had learned it could be counted on a single hand.
“Izuna-kun is trying to learn the secrets of this technique right now, but I assure you that I have taken as many precautions and measures as possible to ensure his safety. It was why I chose to send Jiraiya sensei with him, for if there was anyone who could help him in this endeavor, it was him,” for he was the man who was closest to mastering senjutsu in this generation.
“I see,” Fugaku Uchiha added as he rubbed his chin.
“Do you have any more information about him that you could share?” and as much as he wished he did, he could only shake his head.
“I am afraid that is all I have to share. But do know this that I have full faith in him that he will succeed, Izuna-kun will return, I am certain of it,” he assured him, as the clan head nodded.
“Let us pray he does so in time, for if your fears prove correct, the village will have need of him....”
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Comments
Beta117
I wonder if Minato would consider approaching fugaku for his help in restraining the Nine-tails with Izuna missing. I feel like he would be smart enough to realize izuna might not be the only one with that level of eyes.
Almaz Zakytkazy
Thanks for the chapter!
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
Dragonslayer29
Thanks for the chap and I’m getting nervous now since it seems the nine tails incident is coming soon.
