MTLNOVEL Chapter 197: Chapter 90: The Uzumaki Clan Leader
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight touched the earth, Whirlpool Village was already engulfed in turmoil.
"Haah… ugh." Uchiha Nian pushed open the door, the golden morning light falling on his face as he couldn't help but let out a long yawn.
He frowned slightly, quickly drawn by the clamor outside.
Just then, Kamihane stretched lazily and walked up behind Nian, his expression indifferent as he faced the commotion outside the inn, utterly unfazed.
A flicker of understanding flashed in Nian's eyes—clearly, the disturbance outside had something to do with his uncle.
"Let's go see the show."
Kamihane smiled meaningfully, slipping on a pair of sunglasses with one hand before walking out of the inn with Nian, seemingly heading casually toward the direction of Whirlpool Village's prison.
The streets were lined with people, their murmurs buzzing like mosquitoes. Kamihane led Nian through the crowd, following a specific path until, after turning a corner, they "coincidentally" ran into Uzumaki Kurami.
At that moment, Uzumaki Kurami stood before the prison gates, his expression grave as he gave orders to his subordinates. He looked utterly overwhelmed.
"Yo, Kurami, old pal." Kamihane waved with a grin.
"Hane Shin, my friend!"
Uzumaki Kurami's eyes widened instantly, a glimmer of hope flashing in his gaze as if he'd just grabbed a lifeline.
Hane Shin—this was the name Kamihane had casually made up.
With his burly frame, Kurami pushed through the crowd in a few strides, stopping right in front of Kamihane.
"My friend, any progress on identifying the prisoners?" He grabbed Kamihane's hands, his eyes urgent.
Kamihane didn't beat around the bush, nodding straightforwardly. "Yeah, it's all settled. Based on the headquarters' database and my own deductions, these guys are ninjas from Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure."
Uzumaki Kurami's face paled, his expression turning downright grim. His hands even trembled slightly, as if struck by a bolt from the blue.
"What's wrong?" Kamihane tilted his head in confusion, his gaze drifting past the crowd toward the prison. "Did something happen last night?"
Kurami let out a long sigh, his tone heavy with unease. "I won't hide it from you, my friend. Last night, every single prisoner in the jail… died."
"What!?!"
Kamihane's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock, instantly transforming into the epitome of a "shocked reaction meme." His voice was filled with disbelief. "How did that happen?!"
"The scene was brutal. You'd better not go see it—unless you want nightmares." Kurami shuddered at the memory. "From the looks of it, they must've turned on each other, fought, and wiped themselves out…"
"The village chief is furious. He's ordered us to get to the bottom of this…" Kurami sighed helplessly. "After questioning, we found out the clansman guarding the prison last night fell asleep. That's why no one noticed the disturbance inside…"
He scratched his head in frustration. "Honestly, guarding the prison is basically a job for sleeping. The sealing techniques inside are so strong, no one could've broken out… The clan leader's started interrogating whether anyone suspicious had contact with these guys in the past two days…"
"Whoa, you're not suspecting us, are you, pal?!" Uchiha Nian suddenly yelped, staring at Kurami in shock, his voice trembling and face flushed. "We only met them because you invited us! And you were there with us yesterday!"
He pounded his chest dramatically, putting on a show of righteous indignation, demonstrating what a true "shocked reaction meme" should look like.
"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Kurami blinked, clearly taken aback by their intense reactions.
He was well aware it couldn't have been Kamihane or Nian—his informants at the inn confirmed the two hadn't left their room last night and had slept soundly.
But as the Southern District Chief, the prison fell under his jurisdiction. His urgency in confirming the prisoners' identities had been due to orders from above.
Yet now, just as the identities were confirmed, the prisoners had all mysteriously died.
This incident would undoubtedly fall squarely on his shoulders.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he turned to Kamihane. "My friend, I need another favor."
"What is it?" Kamihane asked smoothly.
"Come with me to see the village chief."
Nian immediately tensed. "You're not dragging us into this, are you?"
Kurami waved his hands frantically. "Don't worry! It's just to verify the information. You'll be fine—I, Uzumaki Kurami, swear on my honor!"
And so, under Kurami's near-pleading insistence, Kamihane reluctantly agreed to accompany him to meet the chief of Whirlpool Village.
Uzumaki Nagana, the grandson of Whirlpool Village's founder, Uzumaki Ashina, and a distant relative of Uzumaki Mito, who had married into Konoha, now served as the leader of the Land of Whirlpools. He was both the village chief and the head of the Uzumaki clan—a stern, rigid man of unwavering integrity who tolerated no wrongdoing.
Along the way, Kurami gave a brief introduction, allowing Kamihane and Nian to form some impression of this chief they'd never met.
In truth, no introduction was needed. Both could sense that the soul with the highest spiritual energy in the entire village was none other than Uzumaki Nagana.
Soon, they entered the inner hall, where, surrounded by several key figures, they finally met the chief.
He was a cold-faced middle-aged man, sitting upright in the central position. As a leader, his robes were simple yet immaculate. Tall and lean, his long red hair cascaded like silk to the ground, and his face bore a neatly symmetrical mustache.
For some reason, Kamihane was reminded of an old acquaintance and stifled a laugh.
"You're the ones from the Iron Country Merchants?" Uzumaki Nagana spoke slowly, his voice commanding.
"That's right," Kamihane nodded.
Nagana's brows furrowed slightly. "If the goods have been delivered, why haven't you left?"
"Uh… I can explain that!"
Kurami quickly stepped forward, recounting how he'd asked Kamihane for help in identifying the prisoners the day before. He emphasized that Kamihane and Nian had nothing to do with last night's events and urged the chief not to wrong the innocent.
"Chief, Hane Shin here is clean!"
As he spoke, Nagana's frown eased slightly. His gaze softened as he looked at Kamihane. "Can you truly confirm these men were from those three villages?"
"Absolutely. Our merchants have traveled far and wide. We may not know everything under the sun, but we can certainly pinpoint a few individuals."
Kamihane adjusted his sunglasses. "I swear on the name of our merchants—everything I've said is true. If you don't believe me, Chief, you're welcome to come to the Iron Country and verify it yourself!"
"Enough, enough! Who's going to the Iron Country?" A burly man beside Nagana snapped impatiently. According to Kurami, this was the Western District Chief, Uzumaki Retsu.
"What's done is done. Let's focus on what to do next!" he grumbled in a deep voice.
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