Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

At the village gate of Uzugakure,

As soon as Heiyan saw Sakumo Hatake and others, he immediately deduced what was going on after a moment's thought.

As Sakumo Hatake took the lead and explained to everyone, Heiyan's guess was confirmed.

It turned out that although the Third Hokage had approved Team Heiyan's mission to Uzugakure, he still felt uneasy about it.

Sure enough, no sooner had Heiyan left than news of his 100-million-ryo bounty made its way back to Konoha.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen leapt to his feet and slammed the table, quickly dispatching Sakumo Hatake with an Anbu squad to catch up with Heiyan and ensure their safety at all costs.

Therefore, Sakumo and his team chased them all the way and eventually arrived at Uzugakure.

Like Heiyan's trio, they too were initially mistaken for enemies by the Uzumaki villagers, but fortunately cleared up the misunderstanding in time.

At this moment, Heiyan noticed that Sakumo's group had captured a prisoner.

He was a ronin who appeared injured and looked worn out—clearly having undergone interrogation.

"This man," Sakumo explained to everyone, "was someone we encountered on the road. He and his accomplices were plotting to burn down Uzugakure, so we captured him."

"According to intelligence extracted from our interrogation, he was hired three days ago at the Golden Exchange in the Land of Water by a merchant named Gato."

"Gato?!"

"It really is that guy!"

"The clan members who were abducted must've been sold to the Golden Exchange!"

Hearing this, the Uzumaki clan members became enraged, each filled with fury and eager to confront Gato immediately.

"I'm going too! I must rescue Auntie Haruna and Big Sister Kiyomi!" Kushina Uzumaki shouted, firmly determined to save her fellow clan members.

Haruna and Kiyomi were a mother and daughter duo—Uzumaki Kiyomi was Kushina's lifelong best friend, which made Kushina especially emotional.

"Heiyan, what should we do now?" Fugaku and Hiashi exchanged a glance before simultaneously turning to Heiyan, their team leader, asking in unison.

Their original mission was to escort Kushina Uzumaki back to Konoha. However, given the current complex situation in Uzugakure and Kushina's obvious refusal to comply passively, should they forcibly take the girl away?

Heiyan didn't respond immediately. Instead, he simply stood there silently for a moment.

"Please remain calm," Heiyan suddenly spoke gently.

Even though he spoke softly, his voice carried clearly to everyone present, laced with a strange authority—a presence or "might"—that compelled obedience.

The previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent.

Then, with everyone watching, Heiyan walked toward Kushina and crouched down.

Extending two fingers before her, he said:

"First, I will rescue Uzumaki Haruna and Uzumaki Kiyomi—the mother and daughter. Second, I will assassinate Gato, eliminating this enemy threatening Uzugakure. After completing these two tasks, you will follow me to Konoha."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Kushina Uzumaki's wide, sparkling eyes went even wider — Heiyan's bold declaration had left her stunned.

Though still young, she understood that both rescuing their clansmen and assassinating Gato were extremely difficult tasks. At least within the Uzumaki clan, no one had ever accomplished such feats.

"...Alright, it's a deal!"

Snapping back to her senses, Kushina locked eyes with Heiyan and blurted out.

As soon as she spoke,

"Kushina!"

Ashina Uzumaki barked fiercely, scolding Kushina before turning to Heiyan and saying, "Kid Heiyan, I'll make immediate arrangements for Kushina to travel to Konoha with you three. As for other matters, we will handle them internally within our clan."

"Heiyan, don't rush into anything. We should take time to think this through carefully given the current situation."

Sakumo Hatake also chimed in, as he was here on an official mission and needed to ensure the safety of all three Konoha ninjas.

Yet, Heiyan shook his head, his tone steady and resolute: 

"I've made my decision."

"Lords Ashina and Captain Sakumo, there's no need to persuade me further, because this is between Kushina and myself."

"For years, Uzugakure has stood unwaveringly by Konoha. Now that the Uzumaki face danger, how could I, as a Konoha ninja, simply look away? Isn't tearing down Gato's entire operation the only true way to protect Uzugakure?"

These few sentences struck straight into people's hearts.

At that moment, not a single Uzumaki villager remained unmoved — they all came to truly accept and respect the young Konoha ninja, Heiyan.

"Fugaku, Hiashi — this mission is going to be dangerous. Why don't you two stay here in Uzugakure and wait for me?"

Heiyan then turned to his two teammates, giving them instructions.

After all, this promise to Kushina was made on his personal behalf, and he had no right to drag these two into life-threatening danger.

Wouldn't that just be taking advantage of their loyalty for his own sake?

Yet, what surprised Heiyan was:

"Captain, don't underestimate me. When have the Uchiha ever shown fear?"

Fugaku Uchiha crossed his arms over his chest, clearly displeased.

"That's right. We're a three-man squad — how could we possibly separate?"

Hiashi Hyuga also raised an eyebrow, clearly excited, and said, "The Golden Exchange in the Land of Water, huh? I can't wait to tear the place apart."

"...Alright."

Heiyan looked at the two of them, then nodded firmly, his gaze shining brightly.

At this moment, the bonds between the three team members had deepened unconsciously.

"What if we come along too..." Seeing this situation, Sakumo quickly spoke up, fearing something might go wrong with only the three of them.

"Both rescue and assassination missions require secrecy. Too many people would cause inconvenience and increase the risk of exposure."

Heiyan politely declined Sakumo's offer.

"Well...I guess that's alright then. We'll stay here and help protect Uzugakure until your return."

With no other choice, Sakumo could only say so reluctantly.

Thus, the plan for this operation was set.

However, there were still preparations needed before departure.

Inside a secret treasure vault of the Uzumaki clan,

Ashina Uzumaki took down an S-rank Scroll from the shelf and handed it directly to Heiyan.

"This is a barrier scroll," explained Ashina. "Once activated, it creates an optical distortion field that allows the user to disappear momentarily, enabling escape from powerful pursuers."

Ashina elaborated on the scroll's function to Heiyan while repeatedly cautioning, "Heiyan, if you can't complete the mission, promise me you'll retreat safely. Don't push yourself beyond limits."

He spoke from the bottom of his heart.

After all, Heiyan and his two companions were Konoha's three great geniuses. If anything happened to any one of them, Ashina would have difficulty explaining back to Konoha.

"Chief Ashina, rest assured, we will return safely," Heiyan said naturally. Having sensed the underlying meaning in Ashina's warning, he put away the scroll and suddenly asked, "By the way, where in the village can I find a well?"

"Huh?" Though taken aback by the sudden question, Ashina still led Heiyan to a well behind the meeting hall.

Heiyan spent some time setting up [Far Body Water Technique] here.

"Little girl, just wait here patiently," he said affectionately patting Kushina's head as he promised, "Your clanspeople will come out from this very well when the time comes."

"Really?!"

Hearing this, Kushina's face displayed both shock and doubt, thinking he was just teasing her.

Because she couldn't possibly imagine the kidnapped Haruna and her daughter Kiyomi actually crawling out of this well.

"That's definitely true," Heiyan simply smiled without further explanation.

His plan was: after rescuing them, immediately use [Summoning Jutsu], summoning Guagua, and let it swallow the two women into its belly. Then instantly dissolve the summoning contract so Guagua returns to Mount Myoboku. Immediately afterward, employ [Far Body Water Technique] from Mount Myoboku to reach Uzugakure and finally crawl out through this well.

Simple and convenient.

So everything was now fully prepared.

So, fifteen minutes later, Heiyan's team set off from Uzugakure once again.

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