Naruto: Maelstrom Of The Uzumaki

In the Land of Rivers.

In the woods, Hatake Sakumo moved swiftly toward Sand Ninja Village, carrying the injured and poisoned Aburame Shibi on his back. Beside him were several young members of the Ino-Shika-Cho generation. The five of them moved rapidly toward their destination, but despite avoiding Turbulent Town, they had already encountered and clashed with a small Sand Ninja team, leaving some of their group injured.

Hatake Sakumo did not abandon the mission, instead bypassing Turbulent Town to continue toward Sand Ninja Village. Shortly after evading the Sand Ninja team, a loud explosion erupted from the direction of Turbulent Town. The roaring blast and crackling thunder illuminated the sky.

"Captain, the explosion is coming from Turbulent Town. Did something happen to Raiden?" asked Nara Shikaku in a deep voice, glancing back at the distant explosion. Such a violent blast had to be the result of Uzumaki Raiden's battle with the Sand Ninja. In Shikaku's mind, this level of ninjutsu suggested a desperation attack, potentially sacrificing himself to take the enemy down.

"Don't worry. He's fine. This should be one of his last-resort techniques," Sakumo replied calmly, glancing back at the explosion. He didn't sense the overwhelming negative emotions associated with the Nine-Tails' chakra and reassured the group. "Stay focused. We need to shake off the Sand Ninja and secure ourselves."

"But such an explosion..." Shikaku muttered, still skeptical, though he continued forward without further argument.

Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air reached them, and a figure appeared in their midst.

"Raiden! You caught up!" Shikaku exclaimed in relief. "I was worried about you. Are you hurt?"

Raiden appeared beside them, unscathed and composed. He smiled and replied, "No injuries. The Sand Ninja shouldn't catch up to us for a while." He glanced back toward the explosion with a small chuckle before resuming the journey.

Meanwhile, outside Turbulent Town, chaos reigned among the Sand Ninja. The remnants of a massive explosion had left the ground scorched and littered with debris. Wounded Sand Ninjas lay groaning, some screaming in panic.

"Ahhh! Save me, Master Pakura! I don't want to die!" one cried.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" another cursed through clenched teeth.

The Sand Ninja team, led by Pakura, had continued pursuing Raiden after he escaped. However, the shadow clones Raiden left behind had lured them into a trap. Several kunai, thrown toward the Sand Ninja team, appeared unassuming but triggered a deadly chain reaction upon exploding. The blasts were so powerful they decimated more than half of Pakura's unit.

Veteran jonin like Pakura and Ichikawa had managed to retreat in time, but the sudden devastation left even them stunned. Only a handful of Sand Ninja remained standing, either because of their quick reflexes or protective ninjutsu.

"Master Pakura, we must call for reinforcements! That Konoha team must not be allowed to escape!" Ichikawa urged. His arm was bleeding from shrapnel wounds caused by the explosion, and his expression was grim. "Judging by the trap's scale, that Konoha team is no ordinary group."

Pakura, having regained her composure, nodded decisively. "You're right. Send for reinforcements immediately. We can't let them return to Konoha."

Ichikawa bowed slightly before moving to relay the orders. Pakura, now more determined, directed her remaining forces to regroup.

Four days later, at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, Hatake Sakumo's team continued their arduous journey. Despite the passing days, they had been relentlessly pursued by Sand Ninja. Sakumo himself carried Shibi, whose condition had worsened after an antidote failed to counteract the poison.

"Captain Sakumo," Shikaku began, frowning as he surveyed the corpses of the most recent Sand Ninja attackers, "I believe the Sand Ninja have a way of tracking us. If we don't figure it out, we won't be able to escape their pursuit."

"What do you mean?" Sakumo asked, recognizing Shikaku's intelligence and pausing to hear his thoughts.

"First, their behavior is strange. Despite losing many of their people, their pursuit parties consist only of chunin or genin, and no elites like Pakura. It's as though they're delaying us while preparing a larger force."

Shikaku then turned to examine Shibi's inflamed and festering leg wound. "Captain, I think they're tracking us using the poison. If that's the case, they're likely using it to pinpoint our location."

"Poison..." Sakumo's expression darkened as the realization struck. The idea of being tracked this way hadn't crossed his mind because such methods were rare.

"So," Shikaku continued, "if this is the case, there's only one way to stop them from following us."

Raiden stepped forward, his blade glinting in the light. He placed it lightly against Shibi's neck with a smirk. "Well then, Shibi, what do you think? Should we cut the problem at its root?"

The team froze, wide-eyed and alarmed by Raiden's words.

"Yes," Shibi replied, his voice weak but resolute. "Kill me here, Raiden. Just promise to tell my father not to grieve or harbor hatred. This is my choice."

(End of this chapter)