Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou

In a small town, Konan and Nagato had barely recovered but still showed unease in their expressions.

"It's fine. Just forget what happened before; nothing happened. These were merely spies from an enemy nation," Mikoto calmly reassured the two. \

However, in a secret chamber, Shirou's expression was heavy, and he couldn't help but furrow his brow.

"How's the deciphering coming along?"

The one working on deciphering the scroll was Senju Moku, a Jonin. At the moment, he was drenched in sweat and replied solemnly, "Although the Anbu was established by the Second Hokage, Root operates within it. Over the years, many of the codes have changed, and the Senju clan's influence in the Anbu has almost vanished…"

Hearing this, Shirou frowned. The decline of the Senju clan over the years meant they had little sway in the Anbu.

But since Madara and White Zetsu had gone through so much trouble to send him this intel, it was certain that it wasn't unsolvable.

"Not good! Kushina and Lady Tsunade are in danger!"

After an unknown amount of time, Senju Moku's face suddenly changed, showing shock and anger. Shirou was even more stunned. "What happened!?"

Although the deciphered information was incomplete, the general idea was clear:

[Uzumaki Kushina… Jinchūriki… leaked information to… lure Tsunade…]

Only 54 characters were deciphered, but neither of them were fools. Senju Moku, in particular, turned pale—Tsunade was the backbone of the Senju clan! As for Uzumaki Kushina, once the Nine-Tails were sealed within her, she would be the key to protecting the Senju clan through its period of weakness for decades to come.

"No! Kushina and Lady Tsunade must not be harmed!"

As Senju Moku cried out, Shirou ordered coldly, "I'll pursue them. Senju Moku, contact Mikoto, Hyuga, and Aburame—those we can trust—immediately. Tsunade and the others left only a day ago; we can still catch up."

With that, Shirou leaped out of the window, summoning a hawk with a single hand seal. Amid the rain, the hawk cried sharply and flew toward the direction of Tsunade and Kushina's mission.

Inside the room, Senju Moku's expression turned to unprecedented fury. "Root! Third Hokage! Are you truly trying to exterminate the Senju clan!?"

This middle-aged jōnin in his forties had witnessed the Senju clan's decline from its peak, all for the sake of the village. And now, the village was turning its back on them. This filled him with both grief and rage.

...

On the Frontlines of the Land of Rain

"There's been an increase in enemy spies and wandering ninjas infiltrating recently…"

Amidst pouring rain, Orochimaru frowned as he read the intelligence report. Suddenly, an urgent message arrived.

"Lord Orochimaru, bad news! The team sent to escort Lady Tsunade lost contact!"

"What!?"

Orochimaru was shocked. Even though this was the Land of Rain, this area was within Konoha's war zone. For the escort team to lose contact, they must have been ambushed.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Without waiting, Orochimaru dashed out and barked orders: "Alert all Konoha forces. Send Teams Three, Five, and Six to flank from both sides!"

"Yes!"

Though calm and collected, Orochimaru was no fool. Based on the timing, the escort team should have just met up with Tsunade. This meant that the ambush was targeting Tsunade herself—it wasn't a simple revenge attack.

While he didn't know the full details, he surmised it was likely a small group of elite enemies. As he moved to assist, he also issued orders for a pincer maneuver. No matter what, he wouldn't let a single attacker escape.

...

Deep in the Rain-Drenched Forest, 100 Miles Away

"Damn it! This is Chiyo's poison from the Sand. Aren't you afraid of starting a war!?"

In the forest, Tsunade roared angrily. Several jōnin surrounded her, restraining her movements with a barrier. This ambush had been meticulously planned; the attackers were well-prepared.

The rogue ninjas with missing-nin headbands around her scoffed coldly.

"War? Does Konoha want war? If you do, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have been waiting for the chance!"

Panting heavily, Tsunade appeared reckless and furious, but her sharp eyes scanned her surroundings. Suddenly, she heard distant rumbling and her pupils shrank.

"Your target is Kushina!"

When Tsunade pieced it together, the rogue ninjas smirked.

"Princess Tsunade, we're taking Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Hahaha!"

Inside the barrier, Tsunade's furious voice echoed. Orochimaru had sent her to the frontlines to treat injured ninjas, but the information had been leaked! This betrayal could only come from within.

Her thoughts spun. Orochimaru? No. Orochimaru had too many chances to act against her, and it didn't align with his goals. That left only one possibility—the village itself.

Realizing this, Tsunade's rage boiled over. She unleashed her monstrous strength, smashing against the barrier.

She hated it! Ever since Nawaki's incident, she had strived for greater power. Yet each time, at the critical moment, she was just a step too weak. She hated herself for her lack of strength. If only she had her grandfather's power, none of this would have happened.

Outside the barrier, the rogue ninjas groaned under the strain of Tsunade's sheer force. Her strength was overwhelming.

Further in the forest, the rogue ninja commander overseeing the operation finally exhaled in relief upon confirming that Tsunade was contained. "Don't leave any traces."

A masked Root ninja scoffed coldly. "Don't worry. Even if Konoha captures you, you won't reveal anything to them."

Standing in the rain, the rogue ninja—wearing a fake Sand headband but with dark skin that hinted at his true Kumogakure origins—smirked. "And Konoha's darkness is no better. Rats like you are why Kumogakure continues to grow stronger."

The Root ninja threw him a scroll. "Finish the job. This is the area's deployment map."

As the Root ninja disappeared underground, the Kumo ninja's eyes glinted with greed, but he hid it behind a derisive smile. "Konoha's rats… It's thanks to you that we thrive."

Unbeknownst to him, the Root ninja who had handed over the scroll re-emerged deeper in the forest, where the bodies of seven or eight Konoha Root ninjas lay scattered. Slowly, the ninja's face morphed, revealing White Zetsu's distinctive features and mischievous grin.

"Mission complete. Now it's up to Madara's chosen successors to play his parts."

Danzo had no idea that his plan—to leak Kushina's information to enemy ninjas and have them kill her as a failed Jinchūriki—had been hijacked. Under Madara's manipulation, the situation spiraled far beyond Danzo's original intent. This wasn't just about Kushina anymore.

For someone as cunning as Madara, a simple plot wasn't enough to justify his involvement. He intended for his descendants—and Hashirama's granddaughter—to confront Konoha's darkness firsthand.

...

In the Rainforest

"Sealing… Sealing Technique!"

Kushina, covered in wounds, froze in disbelief as her Tailed Beast Chakra was forcibly suppressed by a sealing technique.

"This is… Uzumaki sealing jutsu! How do you…"

Her Nine-Tails Chakra receded like a tide. Around her, ninjas panted heavily, while one dark-skinned ninja smirked viciously.

"Oh, so it's an Uzumaki technique? We wouldn't know about that. But maybe you should ask him."

Kushina's tear-filled eyes turned toward the figure who had just used the sealing jutsu. The masked ninja scoffed coldly, his hand still raised.

"She can't use her Tailed Beast Chakra anymore. Deal with her."

Chuckling sinisterly, the masked ninja stepped back, leaving the group of rogue ninjas to handle Kushina.

As the fading figure disappeared into the distance, the lead Kumogakure ninja let out a sinister laugh and provocatively said:

"Such a skilled sealing jutsu... you must have guessed it by now, right? It was your village, Konoha, that betrayed you. And yet, here you are, foolishly serving Konoha. Join us! We would never attack our comrades..."

While the Kumo ninja laughed wildly, the Konoha support squad on the other side was also under siege. The leading Konoha jonin, seeing the scene unfold, roared angrily:

"No! They're lying to you!"

The Kumo ninjas smirked coldly at this sight.

"Give it up. This is Konoha's battlefield. Patrol squads are to be expected, but it seems like your luck ran out."

The Jonin leading the support squad was Kato Dan. His face was filled with fury as he realized their signal flares were useless due to the surrounding barrier.

Kato Dan had brought three chunin with him, and though he was a powerful jonin, he was not skilled in close combat. Unfortunately, the enemy's overwhelming numbers left him no chance to use his signature secret techniques.

Wind Style: Vacuum Blade

At that moment, Kushina, despite her despair, showed a resolute expression. She pulled out a chakra blade from her waist and exhaled a burst of wind-natured chakra, instantly transforming the blade into a weapon imbued with wind chakra.

"I am Uzumaki Kushina, a jonin of Konoha! I will never give up!"

After going through so much, Kushina had finally been promoted from special jonin to full-fledged jonin, and she had become more mature in the process.

Despite her disheveled appearance, Kushina glared at her opponents with unwavering determination and said hoarsely:

"You're not Sand ninjas! You've been pretending, but your black skin and those hateful eyes give you away. You're the demons from the Land of Lightning!"

Kushina roared furiously and charged forward with her chakra blade in hand.

"I learned Wind Style not only to enhance the power of Fire Style but also because Wind Style counters your Lightning Style, you demons!"

Her eyes filled with hatred, and Kushina dashed straight at them. The kumo ninjas scrambled to respond.

The lead kumo ninja's expression turned cold as he shouted, "Be careful! Don't let that little girl get near the barrier!"

The Uzumaki clan was known for their sealing techniques, which naturally made them experts at breaking barriers as well.

Not far away was the barrier that trapped Tsunade. The kumo ninjas weren't foolish enough to let Kushina get close.

...

Amid the torrential rain, a hawk soared through the stormy skies.

In the high-altitude downpour, Shirou was already soaked to the bone as he silently analyzed the unfolding situation.

If Madara was secretly orchestrating this, and if his goal was to lure Shirou into the darkness, as he had done with Obito, then this wasn't enough. At the very least, it would also require involving the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

"So, what Madara is trying to push from the shadows—or what he's dissatisfied with—is that my growth is too slow. He's impatient to see how much transformation I, as the inheritor of his former dreams, can bring to the shinobi world..."

As Shirou pieced together Madara's likely motives, he took a deep breath.

With so many hidden hands supporting him, how could he possibly fail?

In fact...

Feeling the cold rain pour down, a hint of madness flickered in Shirou's eyes.

"I must thank you for building me this stage. If I don't make good use of it, wouldn't that be a waste of all your effort?"

At that moment, he finally understood how Minato Namikaze must have felt back then.

The Third Hokage and the entire Konoha village had built him a stage to perform as the protagonist, hadn't they?

Well, if you have an old ally or supporter, then so do I!

 "If I'm stepping onto the stage, then I'll play the game to its ultimate level! Fortune favors the bold!"

With this thought, Shirou took a deep breath. The three tomoe in his Sharingan began to spin more wildly, filled with a crazed intensity.

The advantage is mine!

...

That stormy night, in a small town not far away, Mikoto and Senju Muko each led their respective clans' elite forces, accompanied by loyal allies from the Hyuga and Aburame clans.

A squad of over twenty elite ninjas raced through the rain.

"Jonin Senju Muko, what exactly happened?"

Hyuga Hiashi, usually calm and composed, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his tone heavy with concern. Such a sudden mobilization surely signified something major.

At the front of the group, Senju Muko's face was grim. He lowered his voice and said:

"Yesterday, Lady Tsunade received orders to head to the frontlines. However, we've just received urgent intelligence—her movements were leaked, and it's suspected that a rogue ninja force has caught wind of her location.

Our mission is to move at full speed and provide reinforcements, preventing the situation from escalating further!"

Upon hearing this, the group was stunned. This was a major crisis.

Uzumaki Kushina's special status, combined with Tsunade's presence, made the stakes incredibly high. Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened, and the other ninjas also showed signs of urgency.

No matter what, Lady Tsunade couldn't be allowed to fall into harm's way.

At the same time, Orochimaru had also received the intelligence and was rushing back from the frontlines. Two elite ninja battalions flanked the area, preparing to encircle and suppress the threat.

Unbeknownst to the Kumo ninja elite force, they still believed their barrier was keeping all information contained.

They assumed that once they captured their targets, they could break through the encirclement with ease.

Whether it was Uzumaki Kushina's unique physical constitution or the knowledge of Uzumaki clan sealing techniques hidden in her mind, they deemed the risk worth taking.