Uzushiogakure

A week has passed since it was decided I would travel to Uzushiogakure. The first couple of days after the announcement were quite hectic: My mother tried to shove a lifetime of knowledge as a housewife into my head and reminded me to always check my food and equipment.

My friends on the other hand were starting to feel my depressed mood even when I tried my best to hide it from them. When I broke the news to them the afternoon before my departure, they were first surprised and then in disbelief. But after a while someone started to cry which caused a chain reaction and, in the end, we just spent the afternoon crying or comforting each other.

As the sun was about to set, I wiped the tears from my face and prepared to see them off before returning home. When I was about to open my mouth to speak, I could hear Tsunade speaking with a face full of tears and snot.

“S-So you’re really going to be gone for 4 entire years? You really can’t take a leave to visit us?”

“Y-Yeah. Uzushiogakure is located on an island across the sea so it takes two to three weeks to travel there.”, I halfheartedly tried to explain.

“But that just sucks, man! Why’s the Hokage forcing you to go there!?!?!”, commented Jiraiya in an exasperated tone while wiping his tears from his face.

“Well, when you’re the Hokage you can just forbid Genins from leaving their homes for too long, am I right?”, I tried to lighten the mood but judging by their faces I miserably failed.

“But you told us that there is going to be mail regularly delivered to you, right? So let’s keep contact by writing letters.”, added Orochimaru with slightly wet eyes.

“Yeah, you better read them, when we write them for you!”, shouted Jiraiya.

“I will definitely read them! But don’t be too envious when I describe the tasty food in my letters from Uzushiogakure. I heard they have a special local type of seafood called Sushi!”, I joked.

“Don’t joke! Konoha has the best Dango stalls in the whole world! Let’s eat them now or you’ll entirely forget their taste! It’s on me!”, added Tsunade with a smiling face while ignoring the sadness she felt.

“Yeah! Free food! Let’s go!”, happily cheered Jiraiya seemingly having forgotten his gloomy mood.

“Eating Dangos doesn’t sound that bad. I’m in.”, voiced Orochimaru amicably.

The four of us walked to the nearest Dango stall and ate to our heart’s content while chatting and enjoying our evening. Later my parents joined us and let me have my last shared meal with my friends for the upcoming years.

The next morning, I woke up in my bed and prepared my traveling clothes. After I finished checking the bag with the few personal belongings I could take with me, I went downstairs and ate together with my family.

“Don’t forget to regularly write us!”, reminded my mother the thousandth time while checking my bag.

“Just be safe and don’t do anything stupid.”, advised my father while calmly eating his breakfast.

“I’ll remember that. Don’t worry.”, I answered with a smile.

When I finished eating, my parents escorted me to the village’s gate where a Ninja was already standing. On his right were my friends who upon seeing me began to wave at me. The Ninja turned his head around and politely nodded toward us.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jonin Kaito Ushui and I’ll be the one escorting your son to Uzushiogakure. You can count on me when I say that he’ll make it safely to his destination. Here’s the evidence of receipt for you. Please submit it to the Ninja mission office after our departure.”, he said.

My mother received the paper before looking at me one last time. She then suddenly hugged me and told me to stay safe. A moment later my father and my friends decided to join the hug after seeing the scene. A strange warmth enveloped my heart and I already began to feel a little homesick.

“Ahem. I don’t want to disturb you but our schedule is pretty tight so we sadly have to already set off to Uzushiogakure.”, declared the Jonin while clearing his throat.

I left the embrace of my family and friends and walked beside Mr. Ushui while carrying my bag. Just as I was about to take a corner and vanish from their eyes, I turned around and saw them waving at me. Waving back at them the last time I smiled a bit before finally starting my journey to a different village.

OOO

During my journey I saw many places and people giving me an eye-opening experience: Sometimes we stayed at a village overnight thus allowing me to better observe its inner workings: Many of them were quite rural and only sustained themselves through their crops.

Occasionally a traveling merchant would arrive and trade the equipment he brought with him for a portion of their harvest while providing them information from the outside world – After asking some residents it turned out that some even didn’t know the name of the current Hokage! But there were also cities that flourished through their commerce and trading.

They were the total opposite of the rural villages: Many village residents couldn’t read and write because they were never taught. Overall, they just lacked the basic education all children in Ninja villages would receive. The cities on the other hand represented the cultural and technological center of the continent.

But this only applied to the wealthy who often lived in the core or middle layers of the city. Some cities were surrounded by massive slums filled with day laborers or farmers who lost their homes because they couldn’t pay their taxes anymore. The reason for their miserable state puzzled me for a long time but when I entered the outer layers of the city the cause of their distress presented itself to me.

I saw small factories with their fuming chimneys and workers who tirelessly worked the entire day until their inevitable burnout. This scene was the most unbelievable thing I saw during my travels because it showed the technological progress of the Naruto world: There were already some places in the continent that started to enter the Industrial Revolution!

These experiences caused me to remember a lot of things from my past life which at first greatly shocked me. I realized that I had spoken a language called Japanese and lived like someone from feudal Japan my entire life! When I asked Mr. Ushui, who escorted me, if he knew what factories and banks were, he just said:

“Well, it’s also my first time seeing them. I’ve only heard of them from some colleagues who often have to infiltrate cities. Due to our work, we Ninjas mostly stay outside of the cities.”

But in hindsight it did make sense: If I correctly remember my past life, there were scenes in Naruto Shippuden in which they used radio signals to communicate. The necessary knowledge and production technology would only be available after the Industrial Era had begun.

The conclusion I drew from my travels was that the continent developed differently fast depending on the local circumstances. There was everything from medieval villages ruled by local Lords to commercial cities with their sovereign governments to early industrial cities showing the first signs of the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and proletariat.

From what I have heard only villages and small cities governed by their feudal Lords have existed prior to the founding of the Ninja villages. The Ninja villages ended the long-lasting conflict between the different Lords and ushered a new era of peace and political stability leading to the rapid development of technology and society.

This also basically led them to become independent countries allowing the rise of city and sometimes even small nation states. It seemed that living inside a Ninja village led to a serious forming of an information bubble and I guessed that only Ninjas who regularly infiltrated various cities for their missions could notice the discrepancies between the villages and cities.

While I was thinking about these ideas inside my head, we had already arrived at a coastal town and boarded a small ship to Uzushiogakure, making me slightly nervous. But looking outside the ship I could see the sea dyed in a radiant aquamarine blue and paired with the screaming sounds of the seagulls I slowly relaxed.

After a while, I could see a patch of land together with the outlines of a city. When the ship approached the city, the architectural style of Uzushiogakure emerged: The city was built like a Japanese city from the Edo period. There were a lot of wooden houses with slated roofs which formed small alleys in between them. Stepping out of the ship I stood at the quay looking at the scenery around me in awe. Beside me was Mr. Ushui who was equally amazed by what he saw. It was such a novel feeling to experience a city from Edo Japan. The word breathtaking would perfectly describe it.

Following a short pause, we left for the local Ninja mission office. While walking through the city I could see many friendly people pursuing their daily businesses. The city gave off a very warm and hospital feeling which, coupled with its architecture and presence of red-haired Uzumaki Clan members, resulted in a unique ambiance.

'I wish my family and friends could see this.', I melancholy thought.

Arriving at the Ninja mission office a female receptionist confirmed our arrival and stamped the Uzushiogakure Confirmation Seal onto our papers. We were then told to go to different places: Mr. Ushui had come to Uzushiogakure not only because he had to escort me but because he was simultaneously acting as Konoha’s representative on the Hokage’s order. He, therefore, had to meet the clan head of the Uzumaki Clan who also acted as the village’s Kage.

I on the other hand was told to go to training ground Nr.5 which was located near the port. Upon arriving there I would meet my future Genin team comrades and Jonin teacher who were already waiting for me.

As we left the office after thanking the receptionist, Mr. Ushui bade me farewell before visiting the Uzumaki clan head. Thus I was left alone and began to walk inside a foreign city which would become my upcoming home in Uzushiogakure for the next 4 years.

OOO

After asking some local sailors where training ground Nr.5 was, I left the port and headed toward a nearby forest. Soon I could hear faint voices ahead of me which became increasingly clearer and before I knew it I could see two children and a grown man inside a training ground.

“Hey! How long do we have to wait for our third teammate? And are the rumors true that he’s not from here?”, asked a red-haired boy standing beside a black-haired girl.

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you just ask him directly?”, answered the man while looking at me.

Both children rapidly turned their heads around which allowed me to take a closer look at them: The boy was tanned and looked friendly in his shirt and short pants. Coupled with his charming smile atypical for his age I could already tell that he was going to be very popular with the ladies.

The girl on the other hand was located on the total opposite of the spectrum. She gave off an unapproachable vibe due to her cold red eyes. This impression was further underlined through her exquisite white kimono patterned with elegant red flowers blossoming on top of thin branches.

“Nice to meet you! My name’s Haruto Uzumaki and the girl next to me is Miyuki Minowa. What’s your name?”, asked the boy.

“Also nice to meet you! I’m Takumi Kenjo from Konoha.“, I replied while bowing.

“Hahaha! Look MiMi! He’s just as stiff as you! I think you’ll get with him quite al-“

With an emotionless face, the girl Miyuki stopped Haruto from continuing by silently pinching his neck which caused him to lose his consciousness and fall into her arms. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have never suspected her of being the culprit.

‘Seems like there are terrifying women in every part of the world.’, I quietly shuddered while looking at the collapsed boy.

"My name is Miyuki Minowa and I am from the Minowa Clan. I am terribly sorry for showing you such a disgraceful sight but I was sadly forced to act unladylike due to external circumstances.", apologized Miyuki with Haruto in her arms while bowing.

“The honor is mine.”, I said while quickly performing a perfect bow.

“Look at this trouble magnet we got ourselves. I’m Gin Uzumaki, your Jonin teacher. Don't worry about Haruto. Miyuki often treats him like this but after a couple of minutes he'll wake up.", introduced my red-haired teacher who looked like the brawny uncle from next door.

After hearing his words I turned around and also bowed to him. He just laughed at seeing me bowing and told me that it's okay if I become less formal with him.

"Let's wait until Haruto wakes up so we can start your first assignment. It will be crucial for you as I'll judge the team's overall competence and your individual skill level.", informed Mr. Gin.

When Haruto eventually woke up, we were told to follow our teacher to the center of the training ground. There, Mr. Gin created 6 Shadow Clones who then took a couple of Shurikens and Kunais.

"Your goal is to make it to the top of the mountain before midnight.", he said while pointing behind him.

When I looked behind him, I saw a small mountain densely populated with trees and plants. Besides the vegetation, I could also hear the sounds of animals.

"My Clones are going to start chasing you after an hour. If I can stop only one of you from reaching the mountain, you'll fail. The test starts now."

All three of us began to sprint toward the mountain while trying to conserve our energy. When we crossed a small stream, I suggested organizing ourselves under a tree. My new teammates nodded at me and indicated to stop by a tree near the stream where we could easily oversee the surrounding area.

"Well, let's introduce ourselves with the strengths and weaknesses we have.", I proposed.

"I'll begin. I've large Chakra reserves but because of that, I've always had trouble with correctly forming Ninjutsus. My stamina is also not bad and together with my Taijutsu skills they make me a decent close-quarters combatant...And my Shurikenjutsu is also not too shabby.", replied Haruto while scratching his cheek.

"Then it's my turn. My Chakra reserves are below average but I can make up for it with my good Chakra control. I also specialize in poison and medicine. I have the best Shurikenjutsu skills among our age group but because my Clan specializes in these things, I haven't regularly practiced my Taijutsu skills.", stated Miyuki while looking at me with a serious gaze.

"...Ok. Both my Chakra reserves and control are decent. The same goes for my Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu. I'm a decent all-rounder so I don't particularly have strengths or weaknesses.", I disclosed.

"Then let's take a suitable formation for this task. Haruto will stand in front of me and Takumi will cover my back. That makes it easy for me to provide long-range support for both of you. Due to the difficult terrain, our movement is also restricted so assuming the form of a chain will be advantageous for us.", calmly analyzed Miyuki.

"You're really good at this!", I commented with eyes full of admiration.

"That's right! You see, MiMi here achieved the highest scores in the written exam! It even surpassed the previous record!", bragged Haruto on behalf of her.

"Don't say things that are unnecessary.", mumbled Miyuki with a reddened face while not noticing Haruto's use of her nickname.

"Well, if everyone agrees, let's follow this plan.", I suggested.

"Yes. In that case, please give me the majority of throwing weapons you brought with you while keeping the bare minimum amount for yourself.", proposed Miyuki.

Both of us nodded before giving her most of our throwing weapons and we began to ascend the mountain to reach our destination. While we were walking, I was slightly relieved knowing that both of my teammates were nice people and I silently hoped that we would pass this test without much trouble.

OOO

Mr. Gin Uzumaki’s POV

‘Time’s up. Let’s search for my cute students.’, I thought after waiting for an hour and sealed the painting I was working on inside my Storage Seal.

My Shadow Clones began to move toward the forest while I leisurely began to make my way up to the mountain’s top. While I was walking, I began to remember my recent meeting with the Clan Head inside his office.

“As you already know, we’ll soon receive the first exchange student from Konoha. His name is Takumi Kenjo and he will be assigned to your Genin Team.”, stated the young Clan Head who also was my brother.

“...That’s sudden. Why didn’t you tell me this beforehand?”, I asked.

“To be honest, we never expected that Konoha would agree to the student exchange program. While our relationship is friendly, we aren’t close enough to let our students train inside a different village.”, he admitted.

“This is highly suspicious. Don’t they have any ulterior motives?”

“As far as our Intelligence Department could gather, there are only two points we are superior to Konoha. The first one is our Fuinjutsu: There isn’t any Clan in the world that surpasses us in this aspect because Fuinjutsu is mostly dependent on one’s talent for it. In contrast, our Clan strangely has a high affinity toward it.”

“But through this exchange program, we would also gain an overall better training system and many high-level Techniques and Ninjutsus. That means we’re getting more than we’re giving. This doesn’t make much sense.”

“As I said, Konoha has a better foundation but they lack something we already possess - A navy and wide access to the sea. Moreover, Uzushiogakure is located near the Land of Water, where Kirigakure is based, and The Land of Lightning, where Kumogakure is based.”

“Ah, I see! Konoha hopes to deepen our relationship and strengthen us so we can act as a frontier zone between these villages!”

“You’re right. This deal protects their coastlines and leaves them a handy backdoor to invade these two countries. But what’s even more important is the fact that they also can start trading with places that are difficult to access through the land route by borrowing the strength of our navy.”

“That makes sense! Hahaha! Father made the right decision by making you the Clan Head!”

“...You’re just happy because you could push all the paperwork onto me...”, murmured his brother.

“Well, if it comforts you, I can bring your favorite Sushi next time I meet you. By the way, should I teach the Konoha kid some Fuinjutsu if he has the talent?”, I added with a serious face.

“Principally, the goal of this program is to exchange knowledge and information while forming a closer tie between the two villages. So you’re allowed to teach him if you want. Anyways, he can’t use any high-ranked Fuinjutsus if he isn’t a Master.”

“Sounds fine to me. The chance that he’ll become a Master is negligible. Besides, our Master-leveled Fuinjutsus are only compatible with members of our Clan… If you don’t have anything to add I’m going to buy some food for you. ”

“There isn’t anything additional to talk about. You can leave... but remember to bring some tea along.”

“Got it. See you later!”, I said after turning around and leaving the office.

'Come to think of it, has Takumi already eaten some Sushi? Well, let’s bring him along after his first task is concluded.’, I thought before making a mental note.

After a while, I received the memories of one Shadow Clone who had already died.

‘Huh...Didn’t expect them to prepare a trap for me. These cheeky kids.’, I thought with a smile.

When I reached the top of the mountain, I heard an explosion and the memories of a dead Shadow Clone were immediately transferred to me. According to the Clone’s memories, Miyuki used an explosion tag to lose their pursuers while separating a Clone from his group to quickly eliminate him.

While I searched for a hiding place, my Shadow Clones successfully encircled them and waited for them to pass a narrow mountain path. There my clones already laid some simple traps and I hoped they would soon show their effectiveness.

A couple of minutes later, I could hear the sounds coming from the fight. My Shadow Clones failed to successfully encircle them and they were fleeing from the ambush.

Maintaining their initial formation they hurriedly ran toward my location while enduring the pain they felt.

Just as a Shadow Clone was about to touch Takumi, he used a Shuriken to destroy my Clone while throwing stones at the others.

Thus, all of them successfully made it to the top of the mountain. When they finally reached my position, Miyuki suddenly collapsed and if I hadn't left my cover and caught her, she would have experienced the taste of mud.

The boys tried to attack me before realizing that they had already reached their mission's goal. They just stopped their movements and let out a tired sigh.

"Congratulations! You passed your first test with flying colors. It was a pleasant surprise to see you acting as a Team, even without knowing each other beforehand."

"I also hope your teamwork will continue to improve but let's return now and let you rest.", I announced while gently carrying Miyuki.

"By the way, as a congratulatory and welcoming gift, I will reserve a table at the Seafood Connoisseur's Restaurant!"

"Yeah! That's awesome!", yelled Haruto with his last remaining energy while pumping his fists to the sky.

"Well, I hope it's as good as the rumors say.", commented Takumi.

"Of course it's delicious! They have the best Sushi in the whole world and the way they prepare their fish dishes gives them a pleasant smell."

"Then you have to properly introduce me to Uzushiogakure's culinary side!"

"Hahaha, of course, I'll do that but teacher will pay for it, right?"

"Right. Just enjoy your first day as an official Genin Team but please don't eat a hole through my wallet.", I said while looking at them

Seeing them so cheerful reminded me of my time as a Genin and of simpler times when I only had to worry about my teammates and the mission.

All four of us then walked down the mountain after Miyuki had regained her consciousness and coupled with the setting sun, my artistic sense tickled and I already began to draw rough Sketches of this scenery inside my head.