---Third POV---
Beneath an unremarkable small hill in the Land of Whirlpools.
In his own little corner of the world, Hiruko was happily conducting experiments.
He had once been a ninja of Konoha, but ever since that gathering at the Ninja Academy when he was eighteen, when he stood there like a lackey, he had recognized the reality of his mediocrity. No matter how hard he worked, he could never catch up to ninjas like Orochimaru, Tsunade, or Jiraiya.
So, he defected from the village, vowing to become the most powerful ninja in the shinobi world.
If, as a villain, burrowing into underground ravines all day was considered a basic skill, then he could definitely be counted among its masters.
It was said that even deep within the great deserts of the Land of Wind, there were similar creatures stubbornly clinging to life.
But the Land of Whirlpools, already destroyed, was truly a place where every path had vanished, wiped clean of all traces, thanks to the monsters that rampaged across the island.
Even during the Third Great Ninja War, Kiri had only occasionally sent ninjas to symbolically guard the coastline for a few days.
Hiruko, on the other hand, fully exercised his initiative, taking root in the desolate wasteland of the ruined Land of Whirlpools, and for many years striving to explore a sustainable path for demons and similar beings.
Truly outstanding.
Truly progressive.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
A giant, strangely shaped rat, loosely tethered to a post with a rope, seemed to sense some terrifying presence and suddenly began shrieking like mad.
Perhaps under its influence, or perhaps sensing the same thing, other bizarre creatures imprisoned in cages throughout the underground base also began thrashing and roaring wildly.
Hiruko had no choice but to set aside his experiment and turn to see what was going on.
Suddenly, the entire base began to shake violently.
"An earthquake?" He braced himself, frowning in thought.
It was a reasonable guess, after all, in a country like the Land of Whirlpools, located near continental plates, earthquakes were common.
This base had long since been built with earthquake countermeasures in mind, so based on past experience, it would probably be over in a short while.
Sure enough, after only a few minutes of trembling, the quake stopped.
"How rare, you're actually getting worked up for once."
With interest, he stepped up to the giant rat that had first begun screaming.
Of course, "rat" was just a way of speaking—this creature and a rat were completely different species, merely somewhat similar in appearance.
"Shizuka."
That was the name he had given it.
It was one of the first successful test subjects of the "Chimera Technique," containing a portion of demon, a portion of wild tusked boar, and the blood of several other animals.
What puzzled him greatly, however, was why it ended up looking like an oversized rat, there hadn't been any rat in the "ingredients" list.
In terms of brute strength and vitality, Shizuka was the most powerful of all synthetic beasts produced so far, even up to version 3.0 of the Chimera Technique.
Yet its temperament was as gentle as a pet's, no matter what happened, its emotions remained perfectly calm.
It really made him wonder where all that demonic blood in its body had gone.
And strange experimental creatures like this, he had a whole warehouse full of them.
At this point, he was basically the shinobi world's version of a magical zoo director.
Shizuka had already calmed down again, returning to its usual serene mental state, the kind that seemed equally fine with living or dying.
Hiruko stroked the creature's coarse fur and thought that this earthquake was definitely not a simple matter.
"Could it be that a powerful demon has broken through one of the Uzumaki clan's seals?"
This seemed highly possible to him. The island was dotted with temples, and aside from worshiping various mountain and forest spirits, their most important function was to serve as vessels for sealing techniques that suppressed evil beings.
His own sealing skills were average, but over the years, by various means, he had managed to break the seals in some of the smaller temples, releasing quite a few demons and harvesting experimental materials from them.
But when it came to the large-scale seals meticulously arranged by the Uzumaki clan, he had no way to break them.
And even if he did, he wouldn't casually try to undo a sealing altar that so clearly contained something truly terrifying.
With that thought, he decided to send one of his magical creatures, ah, no, one of his Chimera synthetic beasts, to investigate.
Under the dim light, he strolled unhurriedly to a rusty cage and unfastened the sturdy latch.
As the lock fell away, the cage door slowly swung open, and a strange creature emerged from within.
It had two pairs of membranous wings, like those of a bat.
It had no eyes; aside from its wings, its entire body was just an enormous mouth.
This was a third-generation Chimera synthetic beast, nameless, with little combat capability. Its only advantage was the ability to emit ultrasonic waves to scout and gather intelligence.
Hiruko pulled out a red syringe and jammed it hard into the big-mouthed bat's body, pushing the contents in with force.
As the liquid was injected, the bat's bodily functions were fully awakened.
"Go. Find out exactly what just happened on this island, and then come back and report to me."
"——!"
The big-mouthed bat opened and closed its jaws several times, apparently making some sound, but since the frequency was outside the range of Hiruko's hearing, he didn't hear a thing.
"————?"
"I can't hear you, you idiot! Use chakra to send the message into my head!" Hiruko snapped impatiently, a trace of anger in his tone.
He suddenly hurled the syringe in his hand, hitting the bat dead-on.
Immediately, a burst of sharp static filled his mind, like a radio with poor reception.
"Mas… massive… the presence that just appeared… terrifying… can't we… not go…?"
A halting, trembling voice echoed in his head.
He nearly laughed from anger.
Suppressing his rage, he replied coldly, "I won't repeat myself. You will go investigate, now."
The big-mouthed bat was full of fear, but due to genetic programming rooted deep in its being, it had no choice but to obey its creator.
"…Fine," the bat replied helplessly.
Once the message was sent, it beat its two pairs of wings and flew away through the underground base's ventilation ducts.
----
Ryouma smiled as he extended his hand toward the Nine-Tails.
"I hope you'll keep your word."
The Nine-Tails gave a low snort, then lightly tapped Ryouma's palm with a furry tail before pulling it back.
Ryouma knew a bit about the fox's personality, so he didn't mind its attitude. Retracting his hand, he turned toward Kushina and the others and called out:
"Alright, you can all come over now."
Just earlier, Kushina and the others had deliberately kept their distance so as not to disturb Ryouma while he was performing the sealing technique. Now, hearing his words, they could no longer suppress their curiosity and quickly walked over.
"When it was huge just now, I couldn't really tell, but I didn't expect the Nine-Tails to look this cute when it's small… though its eyes are still kind of scary."
Obito had the urge to touch one of its tails but hesitated, worried he might get bitten.
The Nine-Tails shot him a glare but didn't bother to reply. Instead, with a trace of mockery in its eyes, it turned to Kushina and asked, "So, how does it feel to be freed from me?"
Kushina didn't answer right away. Instead, her hand gently caressed her belly.
From the moment she became the vessel of the Nine-Tails, her life had inevitably slid into tragedy. Her childhood memories were filled with endless restraints, surveillance, suspicion, and prejudice.
By all logic, she should have hated the Nine-Tails.
Yet, as she now spoke with it in a calm, equal manner, she realized that deep down, the hatred she thought she held wasn't as strong as she once believed.
The Nine-Tails was certainly the source of her tragedy, but it too was a victim of the so-called destiny of being a jinchūriki.
She and the Nine-Tails were like two interlocking chains, binding each other, impossible to clearly tell who was right and who was wrong.
"If you think I hate you, then you're completely mistaken."
Kushina's face bloomed with a smile as warm as sunlight.
"My heart has long been filled with the love of those who care for me. There's simply no room left for the malice that tried to cage my life."
The Nine-Tails' pupils widened slightly, it clearly hadn't expected such an answer.
"Foolish woman." It still replied coldly, but its tone had softened considerably.
"Boring fox." Kushina shot back without the slightest sign of backing down.
Rin's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Kushina, exclaiming, "You were really so cool just now!"
"Eh, really?"
Kushina's earlier boldness quickly faded, and recalling her own words, she couldn't help feeling a little shy.
"It's true." Kakashi, remembering something his father once told him, added with emotion, "Being able to make peace with your past self, that really is something remarkable."
Though the atmosphere was warm, Ryouma had to clap his hands, pulling everyone back to reality.
"Alright, since everything's resolved, Obito, them back first. I'll stay behind to gather some sealing ink materials, then return later," Ryouma instructed.
"Okay."
Obito agreed outwardly, but inside he was already quietly making his own plans.
He intended to first escort Kushina and the others back to Konoha, then sneak back later to join Ryouma in exploring this mysterious island.
Who knew if they might encounter another sea monster like before? Just imagining the two of them adventuring together on a deserted island felt thrilling.
"Alright, come a little closer, I'll send you back," Obito coughed lightly and said.
"No." Kushina pouted and refused with a trace of childish stubbornness. "I finally got the chance to come out. At the very least, I want to visit the Uzumaki homeland before going back."
That was a lie.
The truth was that she had been cooped up in the village for far too long, especially since becoming pregnant, she had barely enjoyed a single moment of freedom.
This rare chance to breathe fresh air, with Ryouma and the others accompanying her, felt almost like being on a sightseeing trip. There was no way she was just going to go back and sit in the village again.
"Uh…" Obito was helpless against Kushina's spoiled act, and could only turn a pleading gaze toward Ryouma.
Rin went to Ryouma and whispered, "I'd like to see what her homeland looks like, too."
Ryouma closed his eyes in thought for a few seconds, then opened them to scan everyone's expressions.
It was obvious, not just Kushina, but none of them really wanted to head back right away.
As expected, people naturally loved joining in the excitement.
Since that was the case, he wasn't the type to ruin everyone's mood.
With a faint smile, he said, "Alright, then let's go visit the ruins of the Uzumaki clan first."
"Yay!"
Kushina happily pulled Rin close and rubbed against her in delight. Sure enough, Rin was the key.
But Kakashi voiced a reminder, "Still… we've already been away for quite a while. Shouldn't someone head back and inform Minato-sensei?"
"That's true," Ryouma said.
Obito's eyes darted slyly, and he suddenly came up with a "brilliant" idea.
He pointed at Kakashi. "I mean, look at this guy, he doesn't even seem like he wants to go. Why don't I take him back to report to Minato-sensei?"
"?"
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes widened slightly. When had he ever looked like he didn't want to go? Why was his expressionless face always getting him in trouble?
Ryouma sighed and cut them off before another squabble could break out. Waving his hand, he said, "I'll just write a letter and send it to Captain Minato. That'll do."
He pulled out a blank scroll from his ninja pouch, and began writing down their situation.
After finishing, he rolled the scroll up, formed a quick seal, and placed a barrier seal upon it, one only he and Minato could undo.
The next moment, the scroll vanished from Ryouma's hand and reappeared inside the Hokage's office in Konoha.
---
In the Hokage's office, Minato blinked in surprise when the scroll suddenly materialized on his desk. Quickly picking it up, he undid the seal with a few swift motions.
After reading its contents, he let out a soft sigh of relief. A small, helpless smile spread across his face as he turned toward the window, gazing into the distant direction of Uzushio.
"Really now… I owe you another favor, Ryouma."
---
Once Ryouma had sent off the scroll, Kushina immediately volunteered to lead the way.
"I know a path. Follow me."
So the group trailed behind her, diving straight into the dense forest.
Normally, letting a pregnant woman trek through a primeval jungle would sound reckless. But this was the shinobi world, ninjutsu made such things trivial.
Ryouma walked a step behind Kushina. With every step he took, he channeled chakra into the ground, smoothing the path ahead.
With his precise chakra control, the road beneath their feet was steadier than most of the streets in Konoha.
Now it really did feel like a tourist group on a holiday trip.