The valley was shrouded in dim light.
A swamp covered the entrance.
Gululu—
From the dark, murky surface, bubbles rose and burst one after another, releasing pale green gas.
It was as if some giant beast lay sealed beneath the mud, breathing slowly and endlessly.
Deep within this swamp grew towering trees, spaced far apart. They stood alone like eerie sentinels, extending their branches like lures meant to draw in unsuspecting birds to their deaths.
The air was saturated with the swamp's foul stench, mixed with faint but nauseating traces of rotting bones.
This place lay on the northern border of the Land of Bears.
An absolute forbidden zone of life.
Any creature attempting to cross would be swallowed forever by the rotting mire. Even scavenging crows dared not approach.
Not far away, several dried bird corpses hung from a leafless dead tree. When the cold wind blew, their bodies swayed.
"..."
Uchiha Yu and Tsunade stood atop Garaga's towering serpent head. Even with the wind flowing through the valley, the stench of the swamp below still rose to reach them.
Fortunately, Tsunade's natural fragrance helped neutralize the faint toxins in the air.
"Master, let's go around the swamp and advance along the upper ridge of the valley!"
Garaga's golden vertical pupil narrowed. It too disliked this deadly marshland. Before entering, it sought Uchiha Yu's permission.
"Alright."
With approval, Garaga climbed along the upper ridge and advanced in the direction Uchiha Yu indicated.
"The Uchiha clan's so-called war weapon… was really sealed in a place like this?"
Tsunade frowned.
She looked around at the death-soaked valley, the barren swamp.
Nothing about this place resembled a seal site.
But, from another angle…
Perhaps the Senju and Sarutobi clans truly wanted to seal the Uchiha war weapon in a land utterly cut off from the world?
"This place probably wasn't a valley before. The swamp didn't originally exist either."
Uchiha Yu surveyed the environment as well.
Then—his pupils shifted, patterns spinning—the Mangekyō Sharingan activated.
With those eyes, he could see farther and more clearly.
Normally, swamps did not form naturally inside valleys. So the answer was obvious.
"You mean… this terrain was man-made?" Tsunade's expression hardened.
She understood immediately.
Altering natural geography through human means was not impossible in the ninja world.
Her grandfather Hashirama could reshape land effortlessly with Wood Release.
"Yes. Even with time blurring it, you can still see traces—marks on the valley walls burned by an extremely powerful Fire Release."
Uchiha Yu replied.
"So the original sealing site of the Uchiha war weapon was right here all along… and not chosen by the Senju or Sarutobi clans later?"
Tsunade asked.
"More or less. The Land of Bears is close to the Land of Lightning, and before the Warring States Period, the Hidden Cloud frequently hired the Uchiha. My guess is that the ancient Uchiha homeland was near Lightning territory."
Uchiha Yu speculated.
He looked toward the direction Tobirama had marked—Hell Valley's central region—now darkened under dusk around six in the evening.
"Makes sense…"
Tsunade nodded. She had never studied ancient ninja history in detail.
Most of her youth was spent on medical ninjutsu… and gambling.
She scanned the area again, surprised this place was once a battlefield in ancient times.
Inside the sealed space, Hashirama—though displeased to see Tsunade wearing Uchiha clan attire—also found Yu's speculation plausible.
"Is that so…?"
Hashirama looked toward Tobirama.
Tobirama shook his head.
"The exact ancient homelands of the major clans… I don't know. After centuries of warfare, the Senju clan preserved very little historical material aside from inherited jutsu.
Being able to retain even partial information about the Uchiha clan's war weapon is already rare. But the kid's guess is correct.
This place used to be an ancient battlefield."
"I see…"
Hashirama carefully surveyed the surroundings, thoughts flowing. That war weapon belonged to a time even earlier than his and Madara's era. He didn't know much about that period of history.
More than that, Hashirama was concerned about Tsunade's relationship with Uchiha Yu.
"…"
As Hashirama fell into thought, he suddenly noticed something surprising—Tsunade, who had previously been standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Uchiha Yu, had quietly edged even closer to him.
Tsunade's lips curled upward, showing a sly, cold smile.
"If that Uchiha ancestor really is sealed in a place like this… tell me, what's the first thing he'll do once he's unsealed?"
A living human, turned into a war weapon by the Uchiha clan.
Then sealed away by enemy clans, left to sleep and rot in darkness for centuries.
Such a person—or rather, such a killing machine—would probably do something horrifying the moment he awakened.
Tsunade was already imagining the scene of Uchiha Yu eating a bitter loss.
After all—only an Uchiha can handle an Uchiha.
Uchiha Yu nodded.
"That's why this journey is extremely dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous than when we took over Konoha."
Tobirama and Hashirama remained silent.
They could tell Uchiha Yu was deliberately comparing the Uchiha war weapon to belittle Konoha…
But they honestly had no way to refute it.
The massive village of Konoha had indeed been run into the ground early on by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"In any case, it's impossible to imagine what that person's mental state will be like. If his strength matches his name, then… good luck to you."
Tsunade revealed a long-lost, genuine smile.
A pre-emptive schadenfreude.
In her eyes, all Uchiha were lunatics. For the sake of their clan, some could turn their own people into cold, mechanical weapons.
For the sake of certain obsessions, some could even slaughter their entire family with their own hands.
By comparison, Uchiha Yu killing his clan—just to leave behind a spark of hope for the Uchiha—was practically mild.
"…"
Tsunade's golden eyes narrowed slightly. Acting casual, she examined the black-haired, handsome young man beside her.
Honestly… compared to those insane Uchiha, this guy looked more like a normal person.
And…
After a more careful look, a subtle stir rose in Tsunade's heart—Uchiha Yu actually matched her taste in men.
Clean features, well-proportioned build.
Compared to Dan Katō's gentle personality, Uchiha Yu was gentle on the inside, domineering toward the outside—sometimes even forceful.
Before the night of the Uchiha massacre, according to Shizune, this guy used to be even gentler than Dan. Otherwise Shizune wouldn't still be hung up on him.
Sensing her gaze, Uchiha Yu shot Tsunade a sidelong look. She quickly lowered her head.
Uchiha Yu said calmly,
"Hm. But right now we're on the same side."
Hearing this, Tsunade glanced down at the Uchiha clan attire she was wearing. Her eyes widened slowly—regret washed over her for not preparing better for this trip.
Uchiha Yu focused his mind and addressed the prison-space within:
"Tsuna-chan's guess is correct. That Uchiha war weapon has been suppressed for centuries. The first thing he'll do after waking is absolutely a massacre."
"Damn it, stop calling her Tsuna-chan!"
Hashirama scowled.
"You brought her out here, so you're responsible for her safety. That's the most basic duty of a man!"
Tobirama wore his stiff expression. From the moment Uchiha Yu started talking, Tobirama had already seen through the guy's intentions.
"Mhm. But responsibility without power is meaningless."
Uchiha Yu said without the slightest embarrassment.
"With your current strength, there are barely a handful of people in the entire shinobi world who could stop you."
Hashirama replied, confused.
Tobirama warned coldly, "Big Brother, this kid is trying to scam you."
"Fine, let him scam me!" Hashirama didn't even think before agreeing.
"?" Tobirama was stunned. "Big Brother, you—"
Hashirama cut him off. "I think what he said makes sense. If he can't handle that living war-weapon, Tsunade will definitely be in danger!"
"Big Brother, stay clear-headed. Tsunade might be under his control, but her strength is absolutely not weak. This brat is deliberately fooling you!"
Tobirama pressed both hands on Hashirama's shoulders, shaking him hard.
"I know. But now that even the village is gone, I can't just sit by and watch Tsunade get hurt again. Do you understand, Tobirama?"
Hashirama looked dejected.
"If it were you who got controlled by him, I would still compromise for your sake."
"Sigh..."
°°°
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