Chapter 28.3- One Thousand Hands

She still had maybe a decade left in her since she was yet to hit that bedridden stage that I knew would mark the beginning of the end so I was fine with kicking the problem down the road, and it seemed that both Hiruzen and Mito were as well. The Uzumaki clan didn’t have anyone else compatible with the nine tails, but that was likely to change in the nearest future with how they’d been going at it like bunnies. They were trying to replenish their numbers in a generation if it was possible as my Cousin, Arashi had told me in confidence and I wished them the best of luck. It inspired me, in truth. The way they refused to see the end of their clan. They was they saw the end coming and committed themselves to fighting bitterly against the dying of the light. The way they refused to go quietly into the night.

“Let’s get moving” drew me out of my thoughts and I sealed the remains of my rations before joining the others and seamlessly melding into the shadows as we made our way into the land of hot springs.

XXXXX- ONE DAY BEFORE THE SECOND GREAT SHINOBI WAR

In the end, we made it to the disputed islands with one day to spare until the meeting was supposed to happen. All our travel had been done inn the most quiet and careful way since there was no telling whether Hot Springs were going to be neutral in the coming con flint or siding with our enemies. If there was any chance of the former then getting caught skulking around their territory would be sure to evaporate it. With that thought in mind, we’d moved with the greatest level of stealth under Danzo’s unique cloak of darkness jutsu that made it impossible for outsiders to detect our chakra signatures.

I’d had a mini panic attack when he explained the capabilities of the jutsu to me but once I tested it out for myself, I was certain that it could not last beyond even basic scrutiny by any hyuga. The ability of my mother’s clan to see for miles in all directions was one that I relied on for my personal security. The thought that Danzo and his people could sneak in and have at me at will would have been a deadly one. Thankfully, that was not to be the case. The jutsu, like any other, fell apart before my eyes and gave away its secrets in no time at all.

We swept into the island like a plague. This one had already been identified as one of the two likely to be the host for the negotiations between villages. After a quick sweep to make sure we were alone in the Island, we moved on to the next one. We had to make sure we had all the likely meeting points on lock and that we were firmly entrenched in the islands by the time the enemies arrived. It would make the ambush we were planning much easier, and place that extra sense of control that I knew Danzo would crave. He was an interesting mission leader. Quite different from how Sakumo had been, and even farther from Shika.

He planned everything to a meticulous amount of detail. He paid attention to every single thing to make sure that he was ready for every possible eventuality. Of course, that made it even funnier when everything g inevitably went to shit