Naruto : I Got "Return by Death" Kind Of Cheat

Uzumaki Yuka quickened her pace, catching up to one of the Uzumaki elders.

"Elder, I've thought it over again and again. There are too many strange things about tonight. Our scouting squads stationed along the coasts of the Land of Waves and the Land of Whirlpools were all wiped out at the exact same moment. Not a single message got through.

There's only one explanation—the Mist-nin and Cloud-nin had perfect intel and moved simultaneously to eliminate every last scout.

That means either we have a traitor in the village… or Konoha deliberately leaked the information!"

The elder, old and with murky eyes, suddenly grew clear-eyed upon hearing Yuka's deduction.

Too many strange things had happened recently around Uzushiogakure—all beginning after Shimura Danzo's visit to the village.

After his arrival, he made two unreasonable demands: first, that Princess Kushina be sent to Konoha; and second, that the clan share its secret sealing techniques.

Both demands were firmly rejected by the clan leader. Kushina should've been the jinchūriki of Uzushiogakure. Princess Mito had guarded Konoha alone for decades, and Uzushiogakure had gained nothing in return.

As for the sealing techniques—there was no way they'd be handed over to Danzo.

Danzo later claimed that Konoha's ANBU needed to investigate Cloud-nin activity in the Land of Waves, and took away the deployment maps of Uzushio's scouts for "coordination."

If… if it really was Konoha…

Unthinkable. Unbelievable.

The elder suddenly felt a chill deep in her bones.

"No! Maybe there really is a traitor in the village. Or someone defected!"

That was all the elder could say. All she could allow herself to believe.

Princess Kushina was flying toward Konoha right now. She was the future of the Uzumaki Clan, its only hope.

She had the greatest talent in the entire village. The potential to inherit and elevate the clan's sealing arts.

As long as those techniques survived, the Uzumaki would eventually recover.

But Yuka couldn't understand why the elder clung so stubbornly to the belief that Konoha was blameless.

She tried probing again.

"Elder… what if we tested it?

Could I make my Longspear White Heron change direction? Not return to us, but not fly straight to Konoha either?

Konoha's intelligence network is far stronger than ours, yet they somehow didn't detect the mass mobilization of Mist and Cloud-nin? It's suspicious.

And now, all of Konoha's ANBU are chasing after Princess Kushina, offering no support to us at all.

We…"

The elder had been resolute in sending Kushina safely to Konoha. But Yuka's words sowed unease.

She, too, wanted the truth.

"Yuka, go ahead. Have the Longspear White Heron shift direction. Don't have it return, but don't let it fly directly to Konoha either."

"Understood."

Yuka summoned a Longspear White Heron about the length of her arm. Swift as lightning, it took flight carrying her command.

Half an hour later, on the run once more, Yuka suddenly froze.

"Elder… my giant Longspear White Heron… it's dead."

The elder shut her eyes in pain.

Once it veered off course, Konoha's ANBU had struck it down.

Danzo's Wind Release was powerful enough to take down a flying summoning beast.

"Elder… should we still head to the Land of Fire?"

The elder hesitated only a moment before steeling herself.

"Yuka, listen carefully to what I say next. You must take it to heart."

Yuka nodded instantly.

"We cannot go to the Land of Fire.

I will choose eight Uzumaki to accompany you—you will lead them.

The rest of us, myself included, will stay and cover your escape.

You must get away. Go somewhere else.

Above all, you must find a way to reach Kushina.

She knows nothing of what's happened. Nothing of the truth behind our clan's destruction.

But be careful—Konoha will never allow her to meet another Uzumaki again.

We cannot let her, unknowingly, become just another tool for Konoha. The Uzumaki Clan cannot end like this, destroyed by the Three Great Villages.

Tobirama-sama gave his life for his six disciples. And what did those disciples do? They destroyed everything he built.

Konoha once stood as an open village, allied with us, and Takigakure.

But now? Konoha is weakened. Fearful. And merciless.

Yuka, you are just as important as Princess Kushina. You must survive the ANBU's hunt.

The truth of the Uzumaki Clan's extermination now lies with you."

Tears streamed down Yuka's face, unrelenting.

The elder pulled out a scroll and handed it to her.

"The Book of Seals of Uzushiogakure was taken by Kushina to Konoha. This is my own sealing technique research journal—consider it a piece of our clan's legacy.

Yuka, you're not even twenty, and yet this burden falls on your shoulders.

May you, like the great ancestors of our clan, guide us through this calamity.

Go to the Land of Waves first. There are still loyal shinobi there. Some Uzumaki are stationed on missions—find them.

Uzumaki Kaon, who specializes in medical ninjutsu, will go with you. She no longer needs to stay with me."

Kaon had a unique kekkei ability—if someone bit her arm, their injuries would rapidly heal.

The elder picked out eight kunoichi and made Yuka their leader. Their mission: cross the sea and flee to the Land of Waves.

"Summoning Technique!"

She summoned the great Yatagarasu. In a puff of smoke, the bird appeared overhead.

"Elder, but if the Yatagarasu is here, then what about Princess Kushina…?"

"Don't worry. Danzo will not let Kushina be harmed. She's alone now. He'll ensure her safety.

Now go—climb onto the Yatagarasu's back. Hurry!"

The elder stayed behind, along with the rest of the group, to face the Mist-nin.

Captain Black Ape was surprised but made no move. Instead, he circled wide, taking Yako and the other survivor with him, bypassing the remaining Uzumaki to trail the Yatagarasu.

There had to be something vital aboard that bird—something worth the elder's life.

She was about to fight to the death. They needed to stay far away.

From a distance, Yako looked back.

The aged kunoichi, streaks of red still laced through her white hair, formed hand seals.

Massive chakra surged around her, distorting the air itself.

Hundreds of adamantine chakra chains burst from her stomach, lashing out.

Several Mist-nin squads were impaled on the spot.

These chains carried immense sealing power—those pierced couldn't move. Those grazed were paralyzed.

The remaining Uzumaki kunoichi threw kunai and explosive tags, slaughtering the bound enemies.

In just seconds, over a hundred Mist-nin were dead.

The chains weakened, one by one fading and shattering as the elder's chakra dispersed.

Yako watched, heart pounding. If he'd stayed close, he would've died for sure.

The elder slowly collapsed, eyes to the sky.

All her hair had turned ghostly white.

Over twenty Mist-nin remained at a distance, too terrified to approach.

Not until the elder had lain dead for a full three minutes did they dare advance.

They butchered every last Uzumaki.

The elder's body was hoisted up—taken for dissection and intel.

Black Ape didn't even glance back. He knew: neither the Mist nor the Uzumaki would emerge intact.

After more than ten minutes of pursuit, he finally gave up on catching the Yatagarasu.

"It's no use. They're heading toward the Land of Waves."

He turned to Yako.

"Fox, go find Captain Yellow Dog. Report everything that happened here.

The Yatagarasu took off with eight Uzumaki kunoichi. Among them are the elder's chosen successor, Uzumaki Yuka, and the clan's unique healer, Uzumaki Kaon.

There are still Uzumaki remnants in the Land of Waves. Even the Daimyō's personal guard captain is one of them.

Captain Yellow Dog must decide swiftly—dispatch reinforcements. Wipe out the remaining Uzumaki.

Here, I'll write down a tracking code set for you. It'll help ANBU trace them later."

Once the captain finished writing the coded scroll, Yako turned and ran toward the Land of Fire.