Chapter 5: The Shadow Guard on the Run
"Found him! Uchiha chakra—25 kms to the southeast!"
Uzumaki Chizawa opened his eyes sharply, excitement flickering in them after activating his sensory technique.
Uchiha chakra was unmistakable.
Perhaps due to the Sharingan, it always carried a chilling, unsettling sharpness—completely opposite the warm, soothing chakra of the Senju.
"If we get a little closer, I should be able to—"
"Is it only Uchiha Kagami? Any companions with him?"
Morin narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone cautious.
"I haven't sensed any Konoha shinobi. But a squad of Kumo-nin is rapidly closing in."
Chizawa kept his eyes closed, continuing to track the chakra signatures as he replied.
"So Hiruzen and the others aren't with him… scattered by the Kumo forces?"
Morin murmured to himself.
It wasn't surprising. The Gold and Silver Brothers were the twin pillars of Kumo during the First Shinobi War.
Their personal unit, the Gold-Silver Corps, was unquestionably elite—made up almost entirely of jōnin or at least tokubetsu jōnin.
If Senju Tobirama were strong enough to single-handedly hold off both brothers and dozens of elite Kumo shinobi, then Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others would have had no need to flee.
---
"Hiruzen? The one who's competing with you for the Hokage seat?"
Chizawa asked with genuine curiosity.
"To be precise, I'm competing with him," Morin corrected bluntly.
"Clan Leader Tobirama never intended to leave the Hokage position to a Senju."
Turning his head, he spoke more gravely:
"Remember this, Chizawa—no matter how pretty their slogans sound, a shinobi village is nothing more than an alliance of families. The clan is our true foundation. Our root."
"Uzushiogakure has many minor clans attached to it as well.
When you eventually become clan leader, never forget where your priorities lie."
"That's still far too early to think about, Brother Morin."
Chizawa scratched his head, troubled.
"My father may be the current clan head, but the Uzumaki don't inherit by simple bloodline. Many in my generation are more talented than I am."
"No, Chizawa," Morin said firmly.
"This is something you cannot think too early about."
His expression hardened, voice lowering to a serious tone.
"Listen carefully. What I'm about to tell you is my honest conviction—not exaggeration."
"If this plan succeeds—once I become the next Hokage—I will personally visit Uzushio and meet Uncle Chihaya. I will support you fully in becoming the next Uzumaki clan head."
"Even if it means going to war to secure that future."
"But if it fails, I refuse to live under Hiruzen's thumb."
"I'll rally every Senju who follows me and start a coup—either we take the throne, or we die on the spot."
"If Hiruzen inherits Konoha, the Senju will no longer be a family with a Hokage—we'll become an overgrown clan, too powerful and dangerous, resented by everyone."
"In less than ten years, accidents and purges will finish us off."
"When that day comes—when I'm gone—tell the Uzumaki to be careful."
"Given how close our clans are, if Hiruzen's faction wants vengeance, you'd better not expect Konoha to treat Uzushiogakure as an ally anymore."
"Once Konoha's protection is gone, the Uzumaki's sealing techniques will attract every power in the shinobi world."
"If things go south, you can try to persuade Uncle Chihaya to seek refuge with Kumo or Iwagakure. Both Mū and the Third Raikage are broad-minded men and would treat the Uzumaki well."
Morin's words, half vow and half will-be-quest, struck Chizawa like a thunderclap. He stared for a long moment before forcing out a nod.
"I understand, Brother Morin. But I believe you'll seize the Hokage seat. Senju and Uzumaki ties will last forever."
"Hahaha—of course success is best. But even if I fail, I'll have no regrets."
Morin laughed, voice steady. Years of austere training had been leading to this one gamble.
---
"Looks like Uchiha Kagami is injured. At his current pace, that Kumo squad will catch him in—at most—ten minutes."
Chizawa reported after a long pause. As they drew nearer, his sensory readings sharpened.
"Shall we strike now, Brother Morin?" he asked.
Morin remained calm. "No. Never underestimate anyone with a Mangekyō. Until we know exactly what doujutsu he has at the ready, let the Kumo squad probe first."
"To avoid running into a Kumo sensor, we'll only close to ten kilometers away for now. Once they engage, we'll move in."
This was the Uzumaki advantage: a terrifying sensory reach. Kagura's Mind Eye could scan tens of kilometers—an overwhelming initiative in any battlefield. Even the Hyūga's Byakugan, at peak purity, barely reaches that distance; most branch-family Byakugan fighters drop to a measly kilometer in practice. Other senses—Inuzuka tracking, Aburame detection—work differently and don't match that raw, long-range dominance.
As they threaded the woods, Morin laid out the threats with surgical precision. "Susanoo, Izanagi, and two unknown Mangekyō techniques. Chizawa—at the very instant I get a clean opening, you must seal Kagami. Prevent him from using any one of those four abilities."
Chizawa's face fell serious; he understood the gravity. As an Uzumaki, his clan's intelligence on the Uchiha was second only to the Senju's. Susanoo and Izanagi were not just techniques—they were apocalypses forged by blood, catalogued by ancestors who paid with their lives. No descendant of a ninja family would dare be cavalier about them.