The Aftermath

KABOOOOM!!!!

A terribly loud explosion swept over our heads while we were hiding behind a sturdy rock near a small hill. 

‘Well, that should have done the job, right?’, I slightly chuckled while my hands were wrapped around my head.

After checking my teammates and the surrounding area, I lifted my head over the rock and looked toward the direction where the hunter’s hut stood: Instead of the hut, I saw a massive crater along with trees felled by the shockwave. 

“Let’s move to another place. There’s still a chance that there are hostile forces in the area.”, I suggested while glancing at my friends who simply nodded with a serious expression.

As we were silently moving along the forest’s edge, I repeatedly checked the area with my Chakra-sensing eyes for any sign of life. Fortunately, I didn’t spot anything: It even seemed as if the forest’s animals had disappeared from this place. 

While we were quickly jumping from tree to tree, the moon’s gentle light fell onto the forest and slightly illuminated the dew on the tree’s leaves before being reflected by the small puddles below us - A comfortable silence descended onto the forest suggesting the illusion that the previous explosion had never occurred. 

When we arrived at a small clearing, we stopped and rested for a while before continuing to move. 

“...Do you still have some dried fish left over?”, asked Haruto while looking at my Storage Scroll. 

“Well, I think that we don’t have any fish left over… But would you like some freshly harvested berries?”, I offered with a smile. 

“Yeah, give me some of those.”, he cheekily grinned at me while I was already unpacking my Storage Scroll.

“How can you be so calm after everything that happened?”, Miyuki questioned us with a somber voice. 

“...The truth is that I’m also nervous but I personally don’t like to show it.”, I answered without looking at her while I gave Haruto the berries. 

“Here, have some.”, I turned around and gave her the rest of the berries. 

“He’s right, Miyuki. I don’t think that there’s anyone who wouldn’t be nervous after experiencing that ordeal.”, Haruto joined in while appreciating the berry’s taste. 

“... I see.”, Miyuki commented while looking at the berries in my hands. After a while, she grabbed them and looked at us with a relieved smile before eating the berries I had given her. 

OOO

“Hey, get ready for combat!”, I whispered to my friends, who were chatting, after I spotted several strong Chakra signatures on the horizon. 

Having heard my warning, my teammates immediately checked their equipment and weapons before standing beside me. 

“What did you see?”, asked Miyuki while clenching a well-crafted bottle of porcelain containing either a sedative or a poison. 

“It’s hard to say but several strong Chakra signatures are approaching our former resting place… Ah, it seems like they’ve split up. One group is heading toward the location of the surveillance Fuinjutsu, while the other is approaching the hut where we stayed.”, I commented while seeing the Chakra spots grow larger. 

“How many are there?”, Haruto questioned after squinting his eyes to see the approachers but without success

“Hm, if I had to guess, there should be overall around 20-25 Ninjas: About ten are heading towards the Surveillance Fuinjutsu and the rest are running towards the hut.”

“That’s too many for any Hunter-nin group.”, said Miyuki with delight.

“Yeah, it’s highly likely that they’re the response team sent from Uzushiogakure but better safe than sorry. Let’s wait and continue to observe for a while.”, I recommended. 

“Agreed.”, added Haruto while Miyuki nodded. 

As I was continuing to observe the incoming Ninjas, I noticed Mr. Gin’s Chakra signature. That could only mean one thing: The well-deserved conclusion of our mission! I rapidly turned my head around and faced my comrades with an excited smile and told them:

“I saw Mr. Gin’s Chakra signature! I think that they’re really the response team from Uzushiogakure!... We should meet them now!”, I happily chirped.

Slowly a huge grin was forming on Haruto’s face before he jumped into the air with bumped fist while screaming on top of his lungs: 

“HELLL YEAHHH!!!!!”

‘Energetic as ever, huh?’, I silently thought with a smile.

As soon as Haruto had finished his joyous cry, several Ninjas turned their heads toward our location before using several hand signs to communicate. Then they began to rapidly approach us while carrying their weapons.

When they finally got into the audible range, one of them stepped out and asked us:

“Are you the Chuunin Team that was sent to this region for a patrol?”

“Yeah, indeed we are. This here is Miyuki Minowa.”, I said before pointing at Miyuki.

“And to my left is Haruto Uzumaki.”, I commented while holding onto my short sword.

“Lastly, I’m Takumi Kenjo, an exchange student from Konoha.”, I finished our introduction.

“You must be the response team from Uzushiogakure, right?”, I asked the approaching adult Ninjas in return.

“...That’s quite right, you brats.”, the middle-aged Ninja replied before winking at his comrades.

“But we still need to check whether you’re bodies are controlled so please cooperate with us and follow our instructions. There’s also the possibility that you’re just an illusion Jutsu or maybe a decoy to distract us.”, he sternly advised.

“...”

“...”

“We understand.”, I replied after a while before lowering my short sword.

‘Right. There’s always the chance that a seemingly friendly ally, especially a lower-ranked Ninja, could be under a strong Genjutsu or just be a decoy made by the enemy.’, I wryly thought.

They then approached us while still holding onto their weapons. Unexpectedly, the middle-aged Ninja who seemed to be the group’s leader opened his mouth and began to talk with us.

“Mrs. Chisawa, the inn owner, told us to inform you that sadly most of your belongings have been robbed shortly after leaving, Takumi.”

“...Eh, as far as I know, the inn owner’s name is Mr. Asukawa - an elderly man.”

“...Luckily for you, that was the right answer… So I’m happy to tell you that there hasn’t been a serious incident at Mr. Asukawa’s inn.”, he answered with a satisfied smile. 

“Good to see you again, my little students.”, a familiar man’s voice came from behind us. 

After rapidly turning my head around, I saw a middle-aged Uzumaki with a cuddly beard jumping down from a tree. 

“It’s you, Mr. Gin!”, I shouted with excitement before my teammates could open their mouths. 

“Indeed. I’m relieved to see you guys well and save.”, he sincerely voiced his thoughts before his shoulders relaxed as if a great burden weighing on him had vanished.

“Well, did you seriously think that we would fail to worry you?”, Haruto responded with a huge cheeky smile before sprinting toward him. He then hugged our teacher’s waist before Miyuki and I shortly joined it. 

“...We missed you.”, Miyuki silently muttered while Mr. Gin brushed her hair with his left hand and hugged all of us with his right one - It felt as if a big bear was gently hugging us. 

‘Well, compared to a beard this dense even a bear would feel ashamed.”, I mentally chuckled.

OOO

Uzumaki Clan Head POV

The young Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan was calmly sitting in a well-lit conference room together with many Clan elders whose facial expressions either ranged from barely contained fury or to an almost not noticeable frown. While he was sipping his tea in a tranquil manner none of his inner thoughts were shown on the surface. 

‘...How are we going to deal with this diplomatic mess?!?!?’, he internally groaned with displeasure.

‘F’ck! I’m sure that those old senile men would be more than happy to declare war against Kirigakure. Don’t they know that we can’t afford that?!?!?’

‘...But even I’ve to admit that I’m severely pissed by Kirigakure’s actions. And we can’t let this go unpunished or else we would become the laughing stock of the Hidden Villages. At least we’re in a good position due to our alliance with Konohagakure. I should even thank those idiots from Kirigakure for giving us quite the diplomatic leverage.’, he mentally sighed before closing his eyes while thinking. After a while, he opened them again and began to speak:

“I’m sure you all already know why I have invited you to this meeting on such short notice.”

“Bahh! You don’t need to beat around the bush! We’re here because those piss-suckers from the east can’t respect our borders by sending their Hunter-nins! I suggest we just do it the old way and send a couple of our own Ninjas to their border and let them taste their own medicine!”, a grumpy elder replied. 

“Indeed!”, another elder vigorously added.

“Serves them right, these bastards!”

“...While I can see the merits of your plan, I think there are better options we have, are there not?”, an elderly woman replied while petting a silver-haired cat. 

“Besides, we should first hear out what our Clan Head has to say on this matter, as is proper etiquette.”, a man with a grey goatee suggested. 

“Hmph!”, the elder from earlier conceded. 

“Thank you elder Gensuke for your suggestion but I think there’s a better way to approach this problem.”, the Clan Head smiled while looking at the short-tempered elder. 

“So what do you propose, Clan Head?”, a different elder asked. 

“We shall first contact Kirigakure and demand an answer as to why they have violated the sovereignty of Uzushiogakure’s borders by sending their Ninjas into our territory without permission.”

“They, of course, are going to deny any involvement and try to pin the blame on some rogue Ninjas. But we’re going to simultaneously contact Konohagakure and request diplomatic aid and if necessary prepare a joint military group dealing with Kirigakure. Additionally, with Konohagakure’s aid, we can also establish a sea blockade effectively isolating Kirigakure from the continent’s main ports.”

“As a consequence, they’re going to be cut off the majority of the trade market thus significantly reducing the amount of grain and rice available to them: The only viably trade route left would be to sail around the blockade and go to Nagi and Ouza island or go to the Land of Tea which would immensely drive the costs up.”

“This would likely lead to a near-famine in the Land of Water forcing the Mizukage either to openly concede his village’s mistake or escalate the conflict even further. Fortunately, we’re going to prepare for backdoor negotiations way before anything of that could happen, saving them some face.”

“I propose that we should demand proper compensation in form of a significant amount of money and goods from them but not enough to outright force them to commit to more desperate tactics: About 50-60 million ryou in payment and the secession of some fishing areas should be just barely below their tolerance levels.”

“Should they agree to the deal, we would then announce that in fact, rogue Kirigakure Ninjas had trespassed our territory. We would then therefore openly apologize to Kirigakure for our false accusation: As a result, they would gain prestige while we would lose a bit - But, at least, it would be enough to pacify the commoners and peasants reducing the risk of further escalation.”

“But should they not agree, we still have some options left: Thanks to our alliance with Konohagakure we can expect quite a bit of support from them while they also deter the other villages from involving themselves in this affair.” 

“We then should try to play defensively while prolonging the blockade as long as possible and try to reduce the damage on our side: I expect that Kirigakure can’t last more than three months under these circumstances, especially if they mobilize more of their troops.”

“Then as a last desperate option, they would bet everything on one card and try to break through with all their might. But tell me, who can honestly win against a dozen Fuinjutsu masters working together? Not even a Bijuu would be capable of that. But I’m still quite sure that the Mizukage would see reason before letting his emotions blind him.”

As he finished his explanation with a grin, the rest of the elders were silent before laughing at the devilishness of the plan. Even the warmongers among the Clan had to admit that the plan was quite good.

“HAHAHA!”

“THAT’S RIGHT!!! WHY SHOULD WE WORK IF WE CAN TEACH THOSE EASTERN BASTARDS A LESSON WITHOUT EVEN LIFTING A FINGER!”

“...If I may speak?”, an elder politely requested while the others were laughing. 

“Please speak, elder Kinmaru.”, the Clan Head voiced his permission.

“As you might have concluded, the entire plan, while certainly impressive, involves many uncontrollable variables and I only want to point out a few: The reliance on Konohagakure for this endeavor, the success of the trade blockade, the non-involvement of other parties and the ability of Uzushiogakure to uphold a blockade while withstanding the attacks of Kirigakure should they reject our proposal.”

“Thank you for your valuable concerns, elder Kinmaru. But I think that despite its flaws the plan is the best way to approach this matter.”, the elder to the right of the Clan Head answered.

“And I think that Konohagakure’s willingness to accept our proposed student exchange program is a clear sign that our ally is willing to strengthen the bond between our villages.”

“The worst-case scenario would involve the participation of several external parties and the failure of our blockade. In that case, we would have to win by sheer military strength but fortunately, the strongest village by far right now is Konohagakure, our traditional ally. I, therefore, am of the opinion that we should proceed with the plan.”

“I see.”, elder Kinmaru accepted the explanation with relief. 

“Then, if nobody can propose a more suitable plan I suggest that we follow the afore-mentioned proposition.”, the Clan Head put forward.

“I have no problems.”

“Me neither.”

“It’s a good plan.”

“Let’s do it as you say, Clan Head.”

“As far as I can judge, the proposal has been uniformly accepted. Now, let’s move on and work out the finer details: The respective elders with their corresponding range of responsibilities should form separate groups in order to organize their ideas and the details. My uncle and I shall supervise the groups and mediate if necessary.”, the Clan Head ordered before all elders respectfully bowed to him. 

OOO

“Here, as ordered, a serving of Tempura.”, Mr. Chojiro said while placing a filled plate in front of me. 

“Thank you, Mr. Chojiro.”, I happily replied while eagerly looking at the fried food. 

“Mmm.”, He grunted in acknowledgment before taking orders from another customer. 

“So, what should we do now?”, asked Haruto beside me while slurping his noodles.

“The village has been mobilizing half of the Ninjas reserve in the last couple of days and the tension between our village and Kirigakure or at an all-time high. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re going to fight them tomorrow.”, Miyuki calmly answered while using her chopsticks to a bowl of rice.

“Our little patrol mission sure did influence more than we had expected.”, I wryly commented.

‘I wonder by how much this has changed the original Naruto timeline… Well, let’s hope that it changed for the better… It’s better to think that the glass is half full instead of half empty.”, I mentally mused. 

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Man, I didn’t expect shit hitting the fan this fa- OUCH!”, Haruto replied before getting acupunctured by Miyuki’s Senbons.

“...While we were on the field, I could tolerate your uncouth language. But now that we’re back in a civilized city, I expect that you show more of your higher upbringing, Haruto. Are we clear?”, Miyuki threatened while maintaining a neutral smile.

“Ouch… I get it. No need to overreact that much, MiM-”, Haruto grinned before getting jabbed by the Senbons again. 

‘And that Ladies and Gentlemen is a young masochist in his natural environment.’, I inwardly chuckled. 

“And I expect the same behavior from you, Takumi.”, Miyuki politely demanded while I took a glance at her left hand full of Senbons.

“Yes, of course!”, I instantly responded to which Miyuki only returned an ambiguous smile. 

As we continued to eat in silence, I noticed that Haruto was nervously stirring his noodles: He would occasionally glance at other ninjas before his eyes eventually returned to us. Finally, he asked us: 

“When do you guys think are we going to be mobilized? I mean the older Chunin Teams have already been told to report to High Command.”

“...”

“... If the situation doesn’t escalate further, I hope that we aren’t going to fight against any opposing Ninjas any time soon. Honestly, the fight we had was already more than enough for me for the foreseeable future”, I replied. 

“...We’re militarily, economically and diplomatically superior to Kirigakure due to our alliance with Konoha. In addition, the Uzushiokage has ordered the joint formation of a trade blockade cutting Kirigakure off from the rest of the world. The Mizukage hopefully should see this and try to de-escalate the situation. But people sometimes act foolishly.”, Miyuki analyzed. 

“Huh…If you guys say so. But what if the situation escalates?”, Haruto retorted.

“Then we can only hope that we return safe and sound.”, I muttered. 

“Hey, aren’t you too young to sound like an old man? But don’t worry, I like living more than being dead. And I usually try to do things that I like.”, Haruto morbidly joked. 

“Didn’t fancy you a comedian, Haruto.”, I returned while smiling at him. 

“Of course I am! Just wait! Soon enough I’m going to fill whole theaters with my audience.”, he exaggerated. 

“Then I hope that we’re going to be invited.”, Miyuki joined in before showing us a sincere smile.

“You would even get front-row seats!”, he shamelessly replied while grinning. 

“...PFT! HAHAHA!”, I eventually laughed without any care for the world while Miyuki slightly grinned at Haruto’s remark.

“Now, let’s discuss something more urgent: Which training ground should we use tomorrow?”, Miyuki wanted to know. 

“Let’s go to our usual training ground.”, I suggested. 

“But I think that it’s currently used by the recently mobilized forces staying near the area.”, Haruto argued. 

“Well, then let’s use the one in the forest: Few know of it and even less use it.”, I recommended. 

“I think that Takumi’s proposal suits our situation quite well.”, Miyuki agreed. 

“Then let’s meet there tomorrow morning.”, Haruto chipped in. 

“Yeah, sounds good to me.”, I added before finishing my meal. 

OOO

While I was returning to Mr. Asukawa’s inn, I saw on my way back to the inn many busy sailors trying to load and unload their cargo from their respective ships. But I noticed that there were fewer ships docked than usual: In fact, more than half of the docks, that were previously filled, were now empty.

‘It seems that plenty of merchant ships were confiscated in order to enforce the trade blockade.’

As I continued to walk back, I watched the sun slowly go down. I then stopped and looked at the setting sun before starting to think about the influence I had on future events: If a single flap of a butterfly’s wing could form a storm, what would form from my actions?

‘...What should I do now?’, I asked myself the same question I’d already asked myself countless times before, while melancholically reminiscing about my past life. 

‘...I want to understand the principles behind the world’s secrets... I want to see everyone that I care for to be happy... I want myself to be happy.’, I thought. 

‘But what can I really do?’

‘The world is constantly on the brink of conflict and peace seems like a distant dream. Every day people suffer and die in vain while those in power battle against each other only caring for themselves.’

‘Even I, a minor, have been turned into a useful tool for violent conflicts. Indeed, Ninjas are the perfect allegory for an era full of violence and fighting. Aren’t they the ones who profit the most while misusing the extraordinary powers bestowed to them by the Sage of the Six Paths?’

‘But what can I personally do?’

‘...I care for my family and my friends… I care for Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure…And I should try to help and support those who I care for, shouldn’t I?’, I concluded.

‘But Konoha already has so many internal conflicts and problems: The isolation of the Uchiha Clan, the practices of the Hyuuga Clan against their Branch members, the existence of Danzo’s Root, the authoritarian ruling class composed of Ninjas separating themselves from most civilians.’

‘Meanwhile, Uzushiogakure simply ceased to exist at some point in the original Naruto timeline almost driving the Uzumaki Clan to extinction. I don’t even know what caused the destruction. Was it a natural disaster or was it another Ninja village? Or something completely different?’

‘And how could one forget about the hidden threat posed by Madara and Black Zetsu? Is it even possible to solve that complex web of problems?’

‘...’

‘...Sometimes, sometimes I just feel… tired and alone…’

‘… Who would be able to understand my plight anyway?’

‘...’

‘... Well, I should try some baby steps first, shouldn’t I? …And Rome wasn’t built in a day… Trying to become stronger and educate myself further sound good for an initial goal… And I still have some time to formulate more tangible plans.’

‘...Let’s return to my room for now.’, I decided when I noticed that the sun had already set.