Konoha, Village Hidden in the Leaf
In the Hokage's office.
A prime Hiruzen Sarutobi—black hair, goatee, with a few strands of white hair—sat with his advisors.
Suddenly an Anbu flickered beside him.
Hiruzen eyes narrowed. He remembered ordering them not to disturb him in this meeting. His pipe paused halfway to his lips.
Nonetheless he asked.
"What happened?"
"Hokage-sama." The Anbu's voice was flat, controlled. "Uzushiogakure is under attack. Combined forces from Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure. Fifteen thousand shinobi. Two jinchuriki confirmed."
Shock ran through the room hearing this. The room fell deathly silent. Even the rustle of papers seemed to stop, as if the air itself had frozen.
The Elders and the Hokage were shocked at the numbers and the extent they are willing to go to wipe the Uzumaki Clan.
Hiruzen's hand tightened around his pipe. Fifteen thousand. He'd expected aggression eventually—every village had rebuilt after the First War. But not this. Not a coordinated assault of this magnitude.
"Gather every available shinobi." Hiruzen's voice cut through the shock. He glanced at Homura and Koharu. Both nodded immediately, already rising from their seats.
The Anbu flicker away hastily to carry out the orders.
Hiruzen asked his last commrade.
"What is it, Danzo?" he asked seriously.
Sensing the seriousness Danzo decided not to say his real thoughts.
Instead he replied " It would be unwise.." Hiruzen's face darkened slightly. The room temperature begin to drop few degrees.
Danzo ignored the changes and continued but the other two who were about to leave began sweating bullets by the pressure.
"We should send our fastest squad. More ninjas will slow the March and time will be critical for a reinforcement."
Hearing this Hiruzen's face relaxed slightly.
" I know but we have to send our forces to the borders, if Uzushiogakure were to fall the battlefield will be The Land of Fire; that I will not let it happen. We will send our fastest jōnin and ANBU squads ahead to reinforce the Uzushiogakure. Remaining ninjas should be deployed at the border. "
Hiruzen put the pipe down and begin to walk away from the meeting room, when Koharu asked from the side.
"Where are you going Hiruzen?"
He replied without turning back " To Lady Mito " and flickered away.
———
Five Minutes Earlier
In Sanju Compound
Inside a private room sat an old lady that seems to be in her early 70s her once vibrant red hair now almost lost their colour.
She opened the letter, that was from her Brother. Upon reading the first few words a tick mark appeared on her head but reading the rest of the letter her face turn ice cold.
"Call Tsunade and prepare our fastest jōnin squads." A shadow flickered away from the room.
Mito checked the letter again and grit her teeth.
A red aura begin to leak from her body and her eyes turn red like blood before they return to normal.
'At least he has a working head as a Hokage' she said looking at the Hokage Tower.
A few seconds later.
Tsunade walked in with an annoyed expression.
She was about to have some fun gambling and froze as she looked at her Grandma.
She can count on her two hand how many times her grandma has that face and everytime it was very serious matter.
So, she also straightened her back; annoyance gone from her face.
"What happened?" she asked with a serious expression.
"Uzushiogakure is being attack from other villages." She said eyes glowing red ominous with little slits in them.
"I want you to reach there as soon as you can."
Tsunade's whole body shudder by the intensity in her voice.
She nodded with grim determination and when she was about to flickered away. Her grandma's voice stoped her.
"Tsunade"
She looked behind.
Mito's eyes glowed faintly red before they faded back to black. "Don't you dare die on me too."
Tsunade's throat tightened. She nodded again, and vanished.
When reached the main compound three squads were waiting for her with all the supplies they might need.
And the next second they all disappeared.
———
Hiruzen's Pov
He appeared at the front door of Senju Compound.
When he was about to enter he saw shinobi leaving the compound through rooftop to rooftop in blur of motion and leading them was his Student, Tsunade Senju.
He sighed ' it's a good thing he decided to come here personally.'
The attack to the Uzushiogakure was a shock to him but wasn't entirely unexpected. He knew most of the nations recovered from the losses from the first war.
What surprised him is their target was Uzushiogakure not Konoha. Uzumaki know for their peaceful and family above else behaviour.
But they have what the whole world wants — Sealing Arts — and not the power to defend themselves.
Even he also wanted them for his village. He still thought one of the best decision First Hokage made was the alliance with the Uzumaki.
Despite the other naive decisions, that is now the main cause for their predicament.
The thing is, every village has one or two jinchuriki some even have three. But they don't have the proper Sealing Techniques to contain them nor the proper vessels.
Musing he came to the main house, where Mito Uzumaki resided.
"Come inside, monkey" he sighed by the name but said nothing.
He still remembered that cursed Witch who gave him that nickname.
When he entered the house; which is quite big with a big garden and a private training ground.
He saw Mito Uzumaki sitting on the balcony, overlooking the garden.
"Mito-sama" he bowed his head respectfully.
Mito nodded, but said nothing seemingly staring at a distance.
Then she shifted her gaze to him. He felt himself vulnerable, just like the first time he saw her with his father.
Her gaze felt heavy with the wisdom and understanding. Like she saw through him in a single glance.
"It's seems I was late to inform you." He said politely.
" No, you are in time. Come sit with me, monkey." She gesture to a chair beside her.
He nodded and sat there staring at the beautiful garden, when she continued.
"What do you think of this situation?" Mito asked, her voice steady but hollow.
He truthfully replied without looking at her.
"I expected an attack, but not at the Uzushiogakure."
After few moments of silence.
"What their… chances of survival Hiruzen." she asked with some hesitation.
His eyes widened slightly but he doesn't showed any other reaction.
"It's all depends on the reinforcement arriving timely, with those three it should be easy for Uzushio, but with the presence of two jinchuriki, it's very close." he said that, but he knew chances were close to zero.
Even with the reinforcement departing now it would take atleast six hours for a jōnin without any rest.
As he was musing this, she continued again.
"You know Hiruzen, I wanted my last remaining few years peaceful with my grandchildren…. See them grow and be happy… and die surrounded by them... I have sacrificed many things for this village." Each sentence twisted the surrounding atmosphere and then He felt it.
A presence he only felt once at that night. When Madara Uchiha came to their village, atop of a gaint beast.
He jumped with pure instincts and turned mid air with Kunai in hand, fearing the worst.
Then he saw her in the shadows of wooden sunshade, eyes turn red with vertical slits in them. A red corrosive chakra surrounding her like a second skin.
"But this world keep taking things i treasure, First my husband… then my children and now… what little remains of my home." She said with voice both demonic and inhuman. Two drops of tears slid down from her eyes but they sizzled out before they could reach to her chin.
"And here I am tied to this village by a promise, that I don't know will be fulfilled." She completed with a pure demonic voice and her chakra exploding outward.
He has to use his own chakra to not be thrown backward.
———
Throughout the Village
In the streets, civilians looked up in confusion and growing fear. Some of the older ones—those who remembered the Nine-Tails' original rampage—went pale.
Shinobi launched themselves across rooftops, converging on the source.
Uchiha police force also begin to mobilized, most of their focus were on the villagers, to keep them calm. Remaining forces led by the clan head, headed to the source.
———
Tsunade's Pov
She was in the forest of Konoha when she felt the Nine-Tails chakra.
She only glanced behind "tch" and clicked her tongue but continued the march at full speed.
'Not now, Grandma. Not now.'
She knew time will be the essence for her other family's survival. Then she glanced at her hand, in which rested two scrolls and the person right behind her.
He was man in his early 30s with distinct red hair whose face showed clear worry.
Akimitsu Uzumaki, one of the few red-haired cousins still stationed in Konoha.
" So you're telling me grandma gave these scrolls for what exactly?"
The man replied "Tsunade-hime, One of these scrolls meant for clan head and other was for our entry to Uzushiogakure."
"So you are telling me there is other entrance which I had no idea about. And you can stop calling me Hime, Senju were already dissolved in the Village." her mouth set in a hardline."And why gave me these?, you should be the one keeping them."
"Hmn, you are right. But most of the village still calls you Hime and you are also forgetting something."
"What??" she asked with a confused face.
" You are also a Uzumaki princess even if your Senju title were dissolved, your Uzumaki one remained, and I have every right to address you as an Uzumaki myself." He brows drew together with seriousness "and it's given to you Precisely because you are a Royal Blood. It can only activate by your blood."
She gritted her teeth and poured more chakra in her legs.
' hold on, just hold on a little longer.'
———
Mito Uzumaki Pov
Mito was a strong woman, much stronger than other think.
She lived through the Warring States Era. The bloodiest and most chaotic period in history.
So, when Hashirama propose the idea of a village to her father. she and Kenji with his friends were the first one to support them.
Along the way, many joined their cause.
They all have made their own sacrifices, some lost their freedom, some their brother, some their whole family. In the end they achieved their goal — A Village where atleast their children could live in peace.
She also lost many things, even she don't know when these cracks appeared.
If she has to guess then it's all started with this cursed village, first she lost her husband. She saw his life slipped away little by little helpless, Then her child and daughter-in-law. Saw her clan members gone to war, never to return again.
And now she finally Cracked and exploded.
They are after few remaining people she cared about.
As she just about to gave in to the Nine-Tails influence.
Then, through the red haze, a memory surfaced.
A promise.
A promise made long ago, to a mysterious man.
Mito's eyes widened. The crimson faded, slits becoming round once more.
The chakra snapped back into her body so fast it left a vacuum.
She looked at Hiruzen who was ready for a life and death fight, then she sensed the gathering shinobi and sighed.
That sighed evaporated all the tension on her body and said in a tired voice.
" I need some rest Monkey." Her voice cracked, aged and tired. "Let this old woman grief in her sorrow." And walked inside.
She gathered her broken self ones again for The Hope of a better Tommorow.
Just as she was about to disappear, she turn her head slightly and glanced at Hiruzen, who was now bewildered by the turn of events.
"Don't forget why the village was created." She said to him and to herself.
———
Outside the compound
Most of the ninjas who sensed the pressure's source were outside of Senju Compound, out of respect for it's Matriarch and nothing seems to destroyed.
So, they were in a pitch whether to enter or leave. Just then from the compound exited Hiruzen with a weary face. He looked at the few clan heads who were present here.
" Call all the clan heads at The Hokage Tower." And vanished.
The clan heads exchanged glances.
Then they, too, disappeared—racing to spread the word.
———
Somewhere in Underground Chamber. Where the only light source was a single flickering candle, which was placed at the top of the desk.
Danzo sat at the chair musing about the situation. The attack on Uzushiogakure was an opportunity, A Golden One.
We could have all the Uzumakis' wealth, their Sealing Techniques, their forbidden Jutsus. After the fall of their village, we could have rescued the survivors and Integrated them to Konoha, So many things…. His grip tightened at armrest.
' He is not suited to be Hokage.' we could have ended our dependency on Uzumaki Seals.
'At least i will do my duty, As Konoha's Shadow.' he thought, glancing at the gathered shinobi.
"Send our best to intercept the reinforcement; here is the route they are taking. Your goal is to slow them down. Make sure no one suspect our involvement." Danzo handed the scroll the leading jōnin.
They nodded and disappeared. Leaving only Danzo, who was staring at the candle's flickering flame.' we need a new jinchuriki '. And snuffed the candle with his two fingers.