Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

The sea was shrouded in a white mist, and everywhere the eye could see was an expanse of whiteness.

Pa, pa, pa!

Cradling Yuki no Natsu in one arm, Uchiha Fugaku walked steadily atop the sea.

His steps landed lightly on the surface of the water, as if walking on solid ground, moving further into the ocean.

"This distance should be just about right."

After reaching a certain point, he stopped, deciding to wait there for a merchant ship to pass.

"Use your Ice Release to create a sheet of ice."

He looked gently at Yuki no Natsu, who was being held in his arm, and spoke in a warm tone.

"Yes, sir!"

Feeling she was finally useful, Yuki no Natsu responded with delight.

Crack—crack—crack—

Frosty air exuded from her body as ice began spreading from beneath Fugaku's feet across the sea's surface.

Eventually, it formed into an irregular chunk of ice roughly the size of a small room.

Although she had only just awakened her Ice Release kekkei genkai and hadn't yet learned any Ice Release jutsu, she could still manage basic usage.

Setting her down, Fugaku and Yuki no Natsu stood atop the ice, waiting for a merchant vessel to arrive.

Over an hour later, a merchant ship appeared, cutting through the waves as it advanced.

"They're here."

Fugaku turned his gaze toward the ship, activating his sensory abilities to probe whether there were any Hidden Mist shinobi aboard.

While he didn't fear Kirigakure, if word got out, it would no doubt bring trouble.

"Hmm... a familiar presence?"

Sensing the chakra on board, a flicker of surprise crossed Fugaku's face.

Among those aboard, he detected a well-suppressed but highly familiar chakra signature—none other than Orochimaru's.

This took him aback. He hadn't expected to run into Orochimaru again so soon after their last encounter.

"Should I let this one go?"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow slightly.

With someone as dangerous as Orochimaru on board, the ship couldn't be considered safe. He considered abandoning it and waiting for the next vessel to the Land of Fire.

"…Forget it. This one will do. Given the current situation, Orochimaru likely won't make a move."

After some thought, Fugaku still decided to board.

Causing a scene at sea could result in them being surrounded by Mist shinobi. Even Orochimaru wouldn't want that.

Of course, the main reason he chose to board was that he did not fear Orochimaru.

Even if Orochimaru caused trouble, Fugaku was confident he could match him.

Pa, pa, pa!

Using the mist as cover, Fugaku approached the ship with Yuki no Natsu in tow, boarding quietly without alerting the crew.

"Hmm…?"

Just as the two boarded, inside one of the cabins, Orochimaru's lips curled into a strange smile.

He had sensed their presence—more precisely, the presence of Yuki no Natsu, who lacked the ability to suppress her chakra.

Still new to ninja training, her presence was as obvious as a beacon in Orochimaru's sensory perception.

"A member of the Yuki clan?"

He guessed with growing interest.

He was, of course, aware of the Yuki clan's defection. Given the timing and their need to board secretly, the girl was very likely a Yuki clan member.

"I've found a promising subject for the Shikotsumyaku… but no suitable candidate for Ice Release yet."

His eyes shifted to the side of the room, where a white-haired child was seated—a child of the Kaguya clan with a strong Shikotsumyaku.

After being driven back by that "wandering ninja," Orochimaru had thought he would leave empty-handed. But by chance, he had discovered this child.

"I wonder if any of the new arrivals are viable test subjects. It's not the right time to act—I'll wait until we reach the Land of Fire."

He withdrew his attention, just as Fugaku had predicted. Orochimaru had no intention of causing a disturbance on the ship and risk alerting Mist shinobi.

Once aboard, Fugaku and Yuki no Natsu made their way into the cabin area.

Knock, knock, knock!

He knocked on a door that, based on his sensory check, belonged to an ordinary civilian.

"What is it?"

After a moment, a slightly chubby man opened the door, eyeing the two strangers with suspicion.

He didn't recognize them, and they clearly weren't crew members.

"Not going to invite us in for a chat?"

Fugaku's eyes shifted into Sharingan as he smiled calmly.

"Come in."

The man fell into a trance under the genjutsu, his expression dull and vacant.

He stepped aside, allowing Fugaku and Yuki no Natsu into the room.

And so, the two successfully boarded the ship and found lodging aboard.

One day later, the merchant ship had sailed far from the Land of Water and was deep into the open sea.

Suddenly, a massive vessel several times the size of the merchant ship appeared up ahead.

Its entire body was sea-blue, with a large droplet symbol painted on its sail—clearly, a Kirigakure ship.

It sped toward the merchant vessel, signaling it with flags to stop for inspection.

Besides guarding the docks, Mist shinobi had also deployed ships to search for and intercept members of the Yuki clan at sea. This was one such ship.

"…Trouble."

Inside the cabin, Fugaku opened a slit in the window and frowned as he saw the Kirigakure insignia approaching.

He hadn't expected to encounter a Mist search vessel. A confrontation now seemed inevitable.

Given that the docks were guarded and the seas patrolled, Kirigakure's determination to eliminate the Yuki clan was clear.

But it wasn't surprising—after all, the one orchestrating it from the shadows was Uchiha Obito, a man with deep-seated hatred toward Kirigakure.

Whether the Yuki clan died or Mist shinobi perished, it was all according to Obito's wishes.

"All passengers to the deck for inspection!"

Faced with the Mist shinobi's orders, the merchant ship didn't dare resist and immediately came to a halt.

The Mist shinobi boarded swiftly, demanding all passengers gather on deck to be searched one by one.

Stepping onto the deck, Fugaku's eyes scanned the crowd and quickly settled on a striking woman and a white-haired child.

"So… he still got him in the end."

His gaze lingered briefly on the white-haired boy—Kimimaro.

The "woman" was none other than Orochimaru in disguise.

He hadn't expected that the child with the Shikotsumyaku had still ended up in Orochimaru's hands.

But Orochimaru was destined for disappointment—Kimimaro carried the curse of a genetic bloodline disease, making him unfit as a vessel.

"Looks like I won't have to make a move after all."

A faint, unnoticeable smile tugged at Fugaku's lips.

Although the Mist shinobi were searching for Yuki clan members, upon seeing a Kaguya child like Kimimaro, they likely wouldn't let him go either.

Which meant that Orochimaru would have no choice but to act first.

"You two—come here for inspection!"

A Mist shinobi barked at Orochimaru and Kimimaro.

He had been hunting the Yuki clan for days on the sea. The frustration had built up, and his tone was anything but polite.

"Hmph."

Disguised as a woman, Orochimaru's eyes flashed coldly. He raised his hand.

A venomous snake shot from his sleeve, biting deep into the Mist shinobi's neck.

The shinobi's face turned dark, white foam frothed from his mouth, and he collapsed to the deck with a thud.