Chapter 1
Nagato wandered slowly through the streets.
It was rare that he had a day off, but today he wasn’t inclined to sit in his apartment and read, so here he was wandering around. His stomach growled at him. He looked around and saw he was near one of his favorite food stalls.
“Good afternoon, Nagato-kun. What would you like today?” The elderly woman beamed at the 24-year-old.
Nagato smiled and replied “Good afternoon to you too, Auntie. I’ll have a shrimp pouch, please.”
The old woman nodded and quickly coarsely chopped up several shrimp and vegetables, tossed them in a wok over a fire. She partially sliced open a round piece of bread and after some quick stirs, she spooned the wok’s contents inside the bread pouch and lightly ladled a sauce over the top. She handed the pouch to Nagato, who slid coins into her hand in return.
Nagato took a large bite and hummed happily at the taste as the old woman laughed then turned to her next customer.
Nagato continued his wandering while eating. He was on the last bite as a young genin came dashing up to him. “Nagato-san! The Uzukage wishes to see you!”
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Nagato knocked on the wide door.
A voice bid him to enter.
Nagato entered the office. It was sunlit with large windows overlooking the red tiled roofs of the village with a view clear to the ocean. One of the windows was open enough to let in the breeze but not enough to disturb the considerable number of papers stacked on the desk.
Nagato stepped in front the desk and bowed to the woman sitting behind the desk. “Uzukage-sama.” He murmured. He looked at the man standing at her side and nodded to him. “Sensei.”
The Uzukage waved Nagato to sit in the chair that faced her desk. “Nagato-kun, I have a mission for your team.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “What do you know about the jinchuuriki?”
“They are the hosts of the chakra entities known as the Tailed Beasts.”
The Uzukage nodded. “Simple explanation. But it works. What do you know about the Jinchuurikis of Konoha?”
“The first was Mito-hime of the Uzukage. The next was Kushina-sama, her niece.”
“And the current one is Kushina’s son.”
Nagato’s blue eyes widened. “I didn’t know she had a son.”
The Uzukage frowned. “I made the decision to keep that quiet. Partially to protect Uzushio.”
“Are we at risk of another attack? At the orders of the Hokage?”
Nagato’s sensei spoke. “Our information is that Sarutobi knows nothing about us. We think that it may be the Konoha elder, Danzo Shimura.”
Nagato blinked. “Fujitaka-sensei?” Clearly his teacher knew something nefarious about someone as well respected within Fire Country as Shimura.
Fujitaka nodded in recognition of his former student’s shock and continued. “Remember that shinobi that tried to get past our barriers a month ago?”
Nagato nodded. He and Yahiko were the closest and had been the ones to capture the man, but he had suicided before they could question him. They had turned the body over to T & I in the hopes that something could be discovered.
“T & I was able to get some information from his mind that leads us to believe that Danzo sent him here. They also found a seal on his tongue. An Uzumaki seal. An outdated version but one that prevents people from talking. To the point that it will kill them.”
Nagato’s eyes widened at the knowledge that the shinobi may not have suicided but had been murdered. “How did a Konoha elder get his hands on an Uzumaki seal of that type?”
The Uzukage sighed. “I don’t know. It’s possible that Shimura somehow found out that Uzushio exists again. He had to have intercepted one of the messages Kushina sent. How I don’t know. And why has he waited four years to try and gain entrance now?
“What I do know is that Shimura used to come here often. I remember him being friends with one of our kin. One of the branch clan members. Who was in the barrier corps.”
Nagato took a deep breath. “Did he or she survive The Attack?”
“No.”
Nagato sighed and lowered his head and said a silent prayer for those who had been killed. He raised his head and looked at his Kage and his teacher. “What do you want us to do?”
The Uzukage looked into his eyes. “I want you to go to Konoha. Discover if Danzo Shimura is guilty of causing The Attack. If he is, kill him.”
“Yes, Uzukage-sama.” Nagato paused. “Is there a secondary mission?”
“Yes. Discover the identity of Kushina’s son. From what T & I could gather from our mystery Konoha shinobi, the boy is considered to be a monster and may not be treated well. Find out and if he is abused, bring him here.”
“Konoha may object.”
Kaho Uzumaki, the Uzukage of Uzushio, bared her teeth “They can object all they like. I will not allow anyone abuse my nephew.”