Naruto: Under the Banner of the Clans

The day began, and Akeno wasted no time, hurrying back to the world of Naruto to recruit the last members of his little team.

Maiko was ordered not to leave the room until Akeno returned. Izaya stayed with her to guard the room and keep her company, while Chikara and Kaede went to train in the sect's training courtyard.

Akeno's gamble of bringing together members of different clans had succeeded. Initially enemies, they had each managed to see beyond their quarrels and prejudices to become brothers.

"System, transport me to the world of Naruto!"

[Warning, the host will now be transported to the world of Naruto.]

...

*** Naruto World ***

In the Land of Fire, at the border of the Land of Water, a small team composed of Senju had been hired by a wealthy merchant to protect his convoy across the country.

It had been nearly two weeks since the team had set out following the caravan.

So far from their lands, the latest confrontation between their clan and the Uchiha clan had not yet reached their ears.

In this small team, Renji Senju, ten years old, quietly followed his elders.

Through his black hair, one could see his serious gaze, with black, cold eyes that seemed to show a certain maturity only adults had.

On the winding dirt roads, the caravan moved at a leisurely pace, without haste.

A few hundred meters from the ocean, the group could smell the sea air and almost hear the sound of the waves.

Renji felt happy at first when he was given the mission to follow this convoy with his elders, but over time, boredom took over.

With their emblem on their clothes, no bandits or groups of thieves had the idea of attacking them. Those who wanted to live had better not approach them.

The reputation of the Senju clan was well established, and even outside the Land of Fire, their reputation was known to all.

"Renji, you're lowering your guard," said one of his elders close to him.

"For what? No one will attack us anyway... They all run away at the sight of our emblem," said Renji with an obvious lack of energy in his voice.

His mood had been low since the beginning of the mission. He wanted to fight, face powerful opponents, and show what he was capable of.

He was among those young ones who wanted to become more powerful. Not to hide behind the name of a clan, but to elevate his clan with his own name.

He wasn't arrogant because he bore the Senju name, but he believed he could become someone more important, exceeding his clan's expectations.

"Stop saying nonsense, we must always be vigilant. Who knows when the enemy will come. Especially near the border," said his elder.

At his elder's remark, Renji didn't want to continue arguing. He knew anything could happen, but how could he stay alert when nothing had happened in two weeks...

Sighing in a defeated manner, he resolved to listen to his elder and pulled himself together.

Listening to the sound of the wind rustling through his hair, Renji watched the roadside for any danger, ultimately seeing only birds and the flourishing vegetation of the Land of Fire.

...

Arriving in a town near the coast, while the merchants settled quietly, displaying their goods, a small part of the Senju took a well-deserved break at the local hot springs.

The town was large enough to maintain a certain security, giving the Senju some rest in their long mission.

After this stop, they would have to leave for another town, another village, continuing their mission across the country.

For Renji, this mission was starting to drag on too long, becoming boring and flavorless.

No combat, just walking kilometers without stopping, whether it rained or shined, sometimes under a scorching sun...

For him, part of the team taking a break, the clothes bearing their clan emblem had been replaced by neutral ones. They were proud, but without tempting fate by showing their clan affiliation.

They had made many enemies over the centuries of their history. Many people dreamed of killing them and taking their revenge.

Thus, better not to create easily avoidable problems.

In the lively atmosphere of the town, Renji left the hot spring to venture towards the city's arena. There were very few towns with such an installation for combat games.

For this, the town had signed a contract with a well-known clan in the region, which had to maintain order, enforce the rules, and repair the arena after each fight. After all, a fight between two ninjas could destroy the entire terrain depending on the jutsu or techniques used.

Renji didn't intend to participate in a fight, just to watch from a distance.

The arena was immense, rectangular, and large enough to give fighters space to fight in good conditions. The combat zone was simple, without trees, just a flat dirt ground. There shouldn't be any obstacles blocking the public's view of the fight.

On the four sides, elevated stands allowed spectators to have an overall view of the fight.

Sitting on one of the benches in one of the stands, Renji watched expectantly for the next fight to begin.

People could bet on who they thought would win, but most were there just to pass the time, see a good show, or talk business while being entertained.

Everyone had their reasons, just like the fighters.

Some were disgraced samurai, some ninjas seeking rewards, and others were there to make a name for themselves.

All had to fight in the arena, and sometimes the opponent was so powerful that defeat turned out to be death itself.

It wasn't necessary to kill, but it wasn't forbidden either...

Watching the matches unfold without any problems, Renji felt his desire to fight rising. Some were weaker than him, others stronger. And even though he had seen bigger fights in his clan's training area, he never tired of watching the competition between different fighters.

Sometimes one could hear someone shout for joy in the audience, surely someone who had won their bet.

Then there were the ninjas who had to repair the stadium after each match. They were covered in armor, ready for any eventuality. Passing through the arena only to cast a jutsu to reshape the ground and repair the walls, they left as quickly as they had appeared.

In this high-emotion atmosphere, Renji finally took some pleasure after the two weeks of mission.

...

While the audience demanded more, deep in the arena where the next fighter waited, a young man stood, his gaze lost in the void, without making a single move.

Long hair covered his face. His expression was both sinister and lifeless.

"It's your turn!" Entering the room, a young arena employee came to give the green light to the man.

But as he sensed the man's aura, which remained static even after hearing him, the young employee couldn't help but tremble in place, unable to move. A chilling, dangerous, evil aura emanated from the man in simple clothing.

Even without being a ninja, the young employee could clearly feel the man's malevolent energy.

And more than feeling it, he could see it too. Around the man, a black energy oozed from his pores, creating an even more sinister atmosphere.

As the man finally started to move towards the door, the young employee remained paralyzed, not daring to move a finger.

He had seen many fighters enter the arena, but never had he felt so close to death just by looking at one.

Passing by him, the man didn't even glance at him and continued his way to the stairs leading to the center of the arena.

Sweating profusely from fear, the young employee thought his heart had stopped as the man passed by.

Turning his head towards where the man had disappeared, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Phew... I really thought I was..."

Thud!

Collapsing to the ground like a lifeless corpse, the young employee died without even realizing it, leaving behind a pool of blood oozing from the hole where his heart should have been.

...

Outside the arena, the audience continued to chat and laugh, eagerly awaiting the next match. Seeing the two fighters emerge from opposite sides of the arena, the wealthier among the audience began speculating on the winner, betting large sums of money to try to win big.

On one side, a strong, tall man covered in scars showed a confident air, hinting at a possible victory for the less knowledgeable spectators.

On the other side, a weak-looking man with long hair and poor clothes walked slowly towards the center of the arena.

And as Renji and the other experienced ninjas watched him walk before their eyes, they couldn't help but feel a deep unease. The energy he emitted made everyone feel a slight fear.

From where Renji was sitting, he could even see the man's blood-red hand, dripping a few drops of blood along his path.

One thing was certain, this man had a problem, even if Renji couldn't pinpoint what.

As the fighters met in the center of the arena, the strong-looking warrior didn't seem to care about his opponent's bloody hand, and with a smile on his face, he looked at the referee waiting for the signal to start the fight.

The ninja acting as referee was a competent ninja from his clan, and the sight of the bloody hand of one of the fighters didn't please him at all.

"Hey!" Approaching him, the referee tried to get him to turn his head towards him, only to receive no response. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Look at me!"

Stopping at a certain distance, he preferred not to get closer. He himself could feel the oppressive feeling coming from the man.

Slightly moving his head, the man looked at the referee, then at the other fighter. Without emotions, with a cold gaze, the man seemed to feel no fear, no discomfort. Disappearing from the referee's sight, he appeared behind the muscular-looking man and without speaking, delivered a powerful punch, sending him flying across the arena to disappear into the wall.

"You!" Without having the chance to see his movements, the man had attacked without his consent and had clearly killed one or two people before joining the arena, which was strictly forbidden.

Wasting no time on useless talk, the referee clasped his hands and quickly launched the well-known ninjutsu of his clan.

"Hyōton - Ice Prison!"

In addition to the referee, several ninjas appeared around the arena, all wearing the same emblem on their clothes. A white snowflake on their blue clothes.

As the temperature dropped drastically, the audience, who had stayed in place without panicking, felt that a good show was about to begin. Whoever this man was who had created all this chaos, he had signed his death warrant.

He now had to fight against the most notable clan in the town, the Yuki clan!