Chương 68: Chapter 68: Lizard's Pact
"Lord Kiyoshi."
After signing his name, Kiyoshi was addressed by a voice from the massive, castle-like white lizard before him.
"My name is Shiromari, the chief of the lizard clan. It is an honor to form a contract with a powerful one such as yourself!"
Unlike the haughty Gamabunta of Mount Myoboku or Manda of Ryuchi Cave, this lizard spirit spoke politely, which made Kiyoshi feel a warm sense of goodwill.
"Shiromari, is it?"
Had it been one of those arrogant summons, Kiyoshi would not have hesitated to teach it a lesson.
He got straight to the point. "So, how do I free you?"
This wasn't a regular summoning technique; releasing the contract required a special method.
Otherwise, considering how long Shiromari's previous contractor, Koza, had been dead, Shiromari should have returned long ago, loyalty aside.
"All you need to do is form these six seals in order: Tiger, Snake, Rat, Bird, Horse, Hare," Shiromari replied. "The spell left by my former contractor will then be undone."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kiyoshi performed the seals in sequence.
"Release—"
With a roar, the ancient castle-like structure began to tremble as a powerful gust of wind swept through, revealing the enormous form of the white lizard.
Shiromari appeared in front of Tsunade and Shizune, dwarfing everything around him.
"With that kind of size, swallowing that loudmouth Gamabunta would be no issue," Tsunade remarked with her hand on her chin, sizing him up.
"Compared to him, even Jiraiya's great toad summon isn't that much bigger."
Of course, sheer size didn't always equate to strength. Though, if this lizard was at his peak, he would certainly not be weak.
As one of the legendary sanctuaries, Mount Myoboku had a rich legacy. Among the toads, Gamabunta wasn't even the strongest.
This giant lizard, however, likely ranked among the top of his clan's summoning beasts.
"Thank you very much for your help, Lord Kiyoshi…" Shiromari's voice echoed across the ancient ruins, his lengthy tongue extending to curl around the newly signed summoning contract and swallowing it into his belly.
"I must now return to the land of my clan, but call upon me or any lizard of our clan whenever you wish."
With that, Shiromari, weakened from the prolonged confinement, dispersed into a cloud of smoke, vanishing from sight.
"It's been a productive day, hasn't it?" Kiyoshi smiled.
Securing a contract with the lizard clan was undoubtedly useful. He was intrigued by their chakra-concealing abilities—something he planned to study when time permitted.
"Indeed…" Tsunade nodded.
Shiromari's exceptional concealment ability was impressive; even ordinary Sharingan users would have struggled to detect him.
Not even Kiyoshi, with his excellent sensory skills, had sensed anything unusual.
In the heat of battle, such an ability would surely be invaluable.
"Congratulations, Kiyoshi." Shizune smiled.
She herself had a contract with the Slugs of Shikkotsu Forest, so she didn't need other summons.
However, unlike the likes of Gamabunta or Manda, she could not summon a massive slug due to her limited chakra.
Just as Kiyoshi was about to speak, he sensed something unusual in the distance.
Familiar chakras were approaching, and he smirked. "Seems like a few old acquaintances are paying us a visit."
"Root?" Shizune scowled, hugging Tonton tightly. "Those guys just won't leave us alone."
"Your Jutsu hasn't worn off, has it, Kiyoshi?" Tsunade asked, her brows furrowed.
He shrugged. "Danzo doesn't have that kind of skill. Besides, I doubt they're after us this time, or they wouldn't send so few people."
Apart from Root members, Kiyoshi sensed two unfamiliar chakra signatures.
He had a good idea of what was happening. Before losing consciousness, he had used Kotoamatsukami on Danzo, implanting a few commands:
First, Danzo was to send people to find Karin and her mother in Kusagakure and relocate them safely to Konoha.
Second, he was to locate Kubisaki Castle, a place that had been destroyed fifty years ago, and retrieve the summoning contract hidden within its lizard-shaped ruins.
Third, Danzo was to gather all classified information on secret techniques, forbidden jutsus, and sealing techniques accumulated by Root and Konoha, to be accessed by Kiyoshi's clones as needed.
Unexpectedly, Danzo's people seemed to be handling both of the first two tasks at once.
Kiyoshi, Tsunade, and Shizune had stumbled upon Kubisaki Castle, just as they sensed the chakra leaking from Shiromari's feeding and managed to claim the summoning contract first.
Kiyoshi sighed at the irony.
"So, they got here too late, huh?"
"It's Lady Tsunade and her companions?"
"Retreat."
A handful of black-clad figures appeared in the distance, but upon seeing Tsunade and Kiyoshi, their expressions shifted drastically, and they turned to flee without a second thought.
They didn't know Kiyoshi's true strength, nor did they understand what had really happened that day.
Instinctively, they assumed that the person who nearly took down their leader, Danzo, was none other than Tsunade, the legendary healer with an unfathomable strength, now deeply feared within Root.
In fact, Danzo had even ordered his men to avoid any confrontation with Tsunade and her students.
Should their mission objectives clash with hers, they were to abandon their mission and avoid blame for failing it. So naturally, seeing Tsunade made them want to run.
"Wait."
Tsunade noticed that they were carrying two unconscious females—one a young woman, and the other, a little girl, both with strikingly red hair. This triggered her suspicions.
She called out to them firmly, "Those two you're carrying—who are they?"
Root members tensed, alarmed that Tsunade had noticed the red-haired Uzumaki survivors.
"Lady Tsunade, these two are the last remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan. We rescued them from Kusagakure," the lead Root member reluctantly explained.
"Due to their unique chakra, Kusagakure treated them as healing elixirs...their fate would have been grim had we not intervened…"
"As the Uzumaki Clan was once an ally of Konoha, we intended to bring them back to raise them properly."
Of course, they left out the fact that they were acting on Danzo's orders.
Root members bore Danzo's curse seal, which prevented them from speaking of him; attempting to do so would result in full-body paralysis.
"The Uzumaki Clan?" Shizune exclaimed in surprise.
"Kusagakure? Healing elixirs?" Tsunade's brows knitted, her face darkening as she spotted raw bite marks on the unconscious woman's arms.
Those wounds were enough to make her blood boil.
She was all too familiar with the unique abilities of the Uzumaki Clan, and it wasn't hard to imagine what these two had endured. So, she didn't doubt the truth of Root's words.
Without another word, Tsunade commanded, "Leave them with us. You may go."
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Chương 69: Chapter 69: Karin’s Rescue
"Huh? This…"
Hearing this, the Root members present couldn't help but look shaken, exchanging hesitant glances with each other.
Although Danzo had recently given an order stating that if they encountered one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade, and if their mission conflicted with her, they could abandon the mission without penalty, they still felt reluctant.
Handing over their target to Tsunade so easily felt like a defeat.
"I won't say it again." Tsunade's patience was wearing thin.
Although Danzo was under Kiyoshi's control, and if Kiyoshi himself gave the order, Danzo would naturally obey without question, Tsunade didn't trust the Root members at all.
She feared that this mother and daughter duo would only be moved from one prison to another, molded into emotionless assassins.
"Didn't you hear?" Kiyoshi's calm voice broke in as he addressed the Root members. "Leave them here. You can go."
Inwardly, Kiyoshi sighed.
Initially, he had only felt that Karin had potential, and instead of letting her languish in Kusagakure, he thought it would be better for Danzo to bring her to Konoha for proper training.
If there was still time, he even hoped to prevent her mother's unfortunate fate. He hadn't expected to run into Tsunade mid-mission, who had immediately intervened.
"Wait…"
Noticing Tsunade's intention to act, the Root captain felt immense pressure.
Knowing Danzo's limitations against Tsunade, even with Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan and the Izanagi technique, he began to break into a cold sweat.
After hesitating and weighing the situation, he finally caved. He ordered the other Root members to hand over Karin and her mother before retreating, their backs drenched with sweat.
"Tsunade-sama, they're under a Genjutsu," Shizune rushed forward, noticing the two unconscious figures lying on the ground.
Upon inspecting the young woman's body, Shizune gasped at the countless bite marks scattered across her skin. Anger flooded her voice. "Those people… they went too far."
"Release."
With a quick gesture, the Genjutsu on the two was dispelled.
Karin and her mother soon regained consciousness, but upon seeing the unfamiliar faces of Tsunade, Shizune, and Kiyoshi, they shrank back in fear.
"Don't be afraid. You're in the Land of Fire now…" Tsunade said gently. "You're safe."
However—
The mother and daughter clung tightly to each other, still staring at the trio with apprehension.
"We've heard about what happened to you…" Tsunade sighed softly.
"If you stayed in Kusagakure, your daughter would only face the same fate as you, treated as a mere healing potion. Leaving that place is for the best."
The Uzumaki Clan was closely related to the Senju Clan, and the two families had been close allies long ago.
The Uzumaki had declined the offer to help form Konoha, instead founding Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools.
Uzushiogakure had once been Konoha's ally; in fact, the leaf symbol on Konoha's headbands had originated from the Uzumaki Clan's emblem.
However, because of their vast chakra reserves and mastery of powerful sealing techniques, the Uzumaki had drawn the envy and fear of other nations.
When the Land of Whirlpools was attacked, the Uzumaki had reached out to Konoha for aid.
Yet, it was the beginning of the Second Shinobi World War, and Konoha was already facing immense challenges, fighting on multiple fronts.
Resources and forces were stretched thin, and disagreements within Konoha's leadership further delayed their response, ultimately resulting in a tragic missed opportunity for rescue.
Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was indecisive, with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado remaining passive and Danzo adamantly opposing the idea.
Danzo had felt that resources should focus on eliminating the main threat from Kumogakure on the front lines.
By the time Konoha's leadership reached a consensus and dispatched reinforcements, it was too late.
The Land of Whirlpools had already fallen, its secrets and sealing techniques plundered, and its people scattered across the lands.
Danzo's cold and calculating nature meant he likely saw the Uzumaki Clan as a distant ally who didn't directly belong to Konoha.
To him, if they couldn't be used for Konoha's benefit, they had no right to exist. So he had left them to fend for themselves.
Many Uzumaki survivors, bitter at Konoha's betrayal, chose to wander rather than seek refuge in the Land of Fire. They felt that Konoha had broken its promise.
Tsunade's grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, had been heartbroken by Konoha's inaction and lost all faith in Konoha's leadership under the Third Hokage.
Once full of life and youth through her clan's sealing techniques, Mito aged overnight, her spirit crushed.
Already grieving over the loss of the First Hokage, she had clung to Konoha out of loyalty to her late husband, but with this betrayal, she lost her will and soon made the decision to pass on the Nine-Tails to young Kushina, who had been brought from the Land of Whirlpools.
Had it not been for her heartbreak, Mito, a princess of the Uzumaki clan with pure blood and an extraordinary lifespan, could have lived much longer.
"This is Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin and the granddaughter of the First Hokage…" Kiyoshi said warmly.
"You may not recognize her, but perhaps you've heard of her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito?"
"You… you're Mito-sama's granddaughter?" Keiko Uzumaki, Karin's mother, looked at Tsunade in shock.
When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, Keiko, a simple member of the Uzumaki Clan, had been just a child.
But she'd heard tales of Mito, the princess who had married Konoha's First Hokage, the "God of Shinobi" who had brought peace to the lands.
Meanwhile, Karin looked on in confusion, unable to understand the significance of the Uzumaki Clan or the history behind it.
"The events surrounding the Land of Whirlpools were complicated," Tsunade murmured, a hint of sadness in her gaze.
"My grandmother tried her best to help, but unfortunately, those blinded by greed and ambition got in the way… She passed soon after, never finding peace."
"Stay with us for now," she continued. "If you'd like to settle in Konoha, I can write you a letter of recommendation for the Third Hokage. It won't be like Kusagakure."
Tsunade moved closer and examined them carefully, her face becoming serious as she noticed their weakened state.
"Tsunade-sama, both of them are malnourished, but…" Shizune trailed off, hesitant. Keiko had overdrawn her chakra for healing, and her life force was nearly depleted.
If it weren't for the natural vitality of the Uzumaki, she likely wouldn't have survived this long.
"No matter. At least we're not too late." Tsunade reassured them with a soft smile.
It was a severe case, but not beyond her skills. Had they met later, even she might not have been able to save them.
"Oh, thank you, Tsunade-sama." Keiko knew she had no other choice. Gratefully, she and Karin bowed deeply to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-nee, perhaps we should stay here for the night," Kiyoshi suggested, "so they can rest and receive some treatment."
Tsunade nodded. "Yes, that might be best."
"Wood Style: Four Pillar House Jutsu."
With a surge of power, Kiyoshi raised his hand. Sunlight pierced through the once dark and eerie mist, illuminating the clearing.
A beautifully crafted wooden house rose from the earth, looking like a work of art, leaving Keiko and Karin stunned.
"That's… amazing." Karin's mouth fell open in awe, her wide eyes fixed on Kiyoshi, the boy who seemed not much older than herself.
---------------
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