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Naruto: IY Ch. 02
🕑 Added 2025-07-19 23:02:28 +0000 UTC"Those Kusa ninjas are monsters, absolute monsters!"
"..."
For the next half an hour, Shuzen poured out his heart.
Everyone in the conference room clenched their jaws. How could those Kusa ninjas do this?
Konan's eyes were red as she emotionally tugged at Yahiko's sleeve. He solemnly nodded. Hashirama, look at what you ended up protecting...
"It's been a long time since we've seen Yahiko-sama with such a murderous look in his eyes!"
"In all these days, this is the first time I've seen him lose his composure like this. The last time was during the famine."
Yahiko's mouth twitched.
"Let's fight, Yahiko-sama!"
"The clansmen Nagato is helping are suffering outside. We can't just sit and watch anymore."
"Konoha should just hand the Hokage position over to you!"
Yahiko glanced at the person speaking with mixed feelings.
"Mobilize the village's ninjas," he then slammed the table and shouted. The village didn't even have ten ninjas altogether, but he called out with more momentum than Hiruzen when he declared war on Ame.
"If I don't fight for my people, then no matter how vast our village may be, what's the point of its glory?"
The crowd below erupted in cheers, as if Kusa was nothing worth fearing.
Yahiko had once said he wanted to bring hope to the entire shinobi world.
If you're afraid of dying, and I'm afraid of dying, then is there still any hope in this world? Even if we fall, as long as our story is passed on throughout the shinobi world, there will still be thousands, millions of people like you and me who will rise again.
Whenever they thought of Yahiko's passionate teachings by the campfire, tears of emotion would fall.
Even if he hadn't paid them for a year, they were still willing to fight for his dream of a peaceful shinobi world where all were equal.
This was the power of faith!
Nagato stared at Yahiko. "It's exactly this version of you that makes me willingly stand behind you." A strange smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Behind him, Shuzen was already in tears. Just a few words from Yahiko and they were already preparing to go to war to help his people, was this what true loyalty looked like?
Even though, aside from Yahiko and Nagato, the rest probably couldn't even take on him in a fight. Some of them couldn't even mold chakra.
But for him, who had enough of being looked down upon, he didn't think Yahiko was overestimating himself, instead, he was deeply moved.
True feelings still existed in this world; kindness warmed the heart wherever it went.
He swore that as long as he still drew breath, no one would harm his village leader or the villagers!
"We..." he wanted to say: "Let's talk it over later. After all, Kusa has over a thousand ninjas; they aren't pushovers. Just having this spirit from you is already enough..."
But he found that refusing Yahiko was like having a massive weight crushing his mouth shut. He hoped Yahiko could rescue his clansmen, but he also didn't want these brave kids to die for people they'd never even met.
His emotions were deeply conflicted.
"Nagato's family is my family," Yahiko said, short but piercing directly into Shuzen's heart.
"I understand," the Shuzen murmured, lowering his head, tears soaking his robes. He also made a heavy decision in his heart.
He knew a forbidden jutsu, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. If the worst came to pass, he would risk his life to take down at least one strong enemy with him.
Then, Nagato shared the intel he had gathered.
During the First Great Ninja War, Kusa made their living selling intelligence. If it had all been true, that would be one thing, but ninety percent of it was fake. You could say that Kusa's lies were the very spark that ignited the war.
They told the Four Great Nations that Tobirama only knew Water Release, that the Nine-Tails was the weakest tailed beast, and with Hashirama's death... Eventually, just before the start of the First Great Ninja War, Konoha, Iwa, and Ame, momentarily setting aside their grudges, joined forces and destroyed the nation.
Now, Kusa is fragmented, with over a dozen factions occupying tiny scraps of land.
The Uzumaki clan members were currently imprisoned by a man named Kusao, who commands over a hundred ninjas.
It just so happened that Shuzen went out to use the toilet that day and was found by Nagato, who had been lying in wait for a long time.
After careful consideration, Yahiko still chose to fight.
Not because he was reckless, but because he had the confidence.
Whose eyes did you think Nagato's belonged to?
The original owner of those eyes was still alive, would he just sit and watch as Yahiko led Nagato to his death and lose those eyes in the process?
Kannabi Bridge was located in Kusa territory. And that man... lived right beneath it.
"Everyone's gathered!"
Right then, a ninja came to report: all the ninjas helping villagers build their homes had now assembled outside.
"Good! Let this be Yoake's very first battle!" Yahiko swept his gaze over the crowd, full of burning spirit.
Shuzen looked gratefully at Yahiko, then sensed the chakra of Yoake's ninjas.
And what did he sense?
Altogether, including the blue-haired girl, the village had only... less than twenty ninjas!
"Wait, I have a plan," he sighed. These passionate youths, he really couldn't bring himself to discourage them. But they lacked experience, and since he was still around, he might as well offer some wisdom.
He borrowed Yahiko's Yoake forehead protector.
To the confusion of everyone around, he used his powerful Transformation Jutsu.
Poof.
In an instant, a very convincing Konoha leaf symbol appeared on the forehead protector.
Yahiko froze. Why would Shuzen turn this into a Konoha forehead protector?
Oh!
Of course!
Lesson learned.
Before Shuzen could even explain, Yahiko already understood.
"Please take the seat of honor."
"Ahem... Take a look at this photo. See that blond man? The one beside the red-haired woman? Neither I nor Nagato can do a Transformation Jutsu that realistic. Not even a Sharingan with all three tomoe might be able to see through yours."
---
At Kusao's base, in a filthy refugee district, the worn-down Uzumaki clan members leaned numbly against the walls.
The rest squatted silently on the ground, weeping.
They had been too naive.
Back then, they believed Kusao's lies. He told them that the Land of Grass and the Land of Whirlpools had been on friendly terms since their founding, like family, close and inseparable. As long as they healed the severely wounded in the village and proved they meant no harm, they would be welcomed as citizens.
They had been starving. When Kusa handed them bread, they believed.
After draining their own life force and collapsing from exhaustion, he revealed his fangs, arresting and executing the strong fighters among them.
He left behind the weak, sick, elderly, and children to serve as walking medical supplies.
"Shuzen must've been killed by him too," muttered a gaunt, exhausted elderly Uzumaki, tears of regret flowing.
"Damn it... a few years ago, we were all part of the Land of Grass. So what if there was a temporary split? How could they be so ruthless?"
At that moment, a chunin with dirt-smudged face and several wounded comrades limped in.
First, one of them grabbed the arm of a dazed Uzumaki clansman, an arm covered in bite marks, and bit down hard.
He shivered with satisfaction.
Then they dragged a few more people outside, saying their injured comrades wanted healing too.
No words were spoken. To them, these red-haired people were nothing more than resources.
The ones being taken away included both men and women, all completely unable to fight.
Even those who once could, after so long under this treatment, could barely even stand.
The old Uzumaki who had just been crying now wore a face of anguish.
Hashirama, open your eyes and see, what is it exactly that you protected?
"Bad news! Someone from Konoha is here!" a panicked genin ran in.
As someone of low rank, he had no time for decorum, he smacked the jonin's hand away from the Uzumaki's arm.
The jonin glared and growled, "What are you doing?"
"Konoha sent people to claim these red-haired ones!"
"What did you say?!"
---
At the gate of Kusao's stronghold, Minato held a sobbing Kushina by the arm, impatiently tapping his foot.
Behind him stood over a dozen ninjas, all wearing Konoha chunin flak jackets and Konoha forehead protectors, neatly lined up.
Their arrival was overwhelming, like they had come to flatten the entire stronghold.
Soon after, the leader of the base, Kusao, arrived with his men.
The two sides faced off. In numbers, he still had the advantage. But compared to the well-equipped Konoha ninjas, his men looked absolutely shabby, wearing rough clothes that probably couldn't even block a few shuriken.
Minato stared at the rugged man in front, and at the henchmen beside him who looked like they'd be wiped out by a single attack.
"Hurry up and give me back my clansmen, dattebayo!" Nagato disguised as Kushina shouted furiously at Kusao, his face bright red with emotion.
That dattebayo Yahiko taught him it, saying it was Kushina's catchphrase.
But... how did Yahiko know that?
He was full of doubt.
From Kusao's point of view, the girl's flushed face and the silence now, clearly, she must've been pushed to her emotional limit.
