Five days passed quickly.
As agreed, this was the day Satsuki was to meet with the lord of Iga Castle.
She had already prepared a silk ribbon to wrap around her Byakugan eyes as a simple means of disguise.
The ribbon had been specially treated to block chakra perception from the outside, while still allowing her to observe freely through the Byakugan from within. It was a tool Satsuki had prepared in her early days to make travel more convenient.
Once her preparations were complete, a luxuriously decorated palanquin awaited her outside the gate. Four coachman puppets, each wearing identical demon masks and unarmed, stood in place silently, waiting for her orders.
Drawing aside the curtain, Satsuki stepped inside the palanquin. The four puppets moved in perfect synchronization, lifting it steadily.
They began leaping down the rugged mountain path. Under Satsuki's control, the internal transmission devices of the puppets effectively neutralized any impact from landing, ensuring that no vibrations were transferred into the palanquin.
The hidden fortress Satsuki resided in was not near Iga Castle. Even at a puppet's pace, the journey would take some time.
And the Iga Castle she was heading to was no ordinary place.
It was the base of one of the two most renowned shinobi factions during the entire Warring States period: the Iga Ninja Clan.
According to the intelligence she had gathered, this ninja group consisted of descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, with its core formed by the Senju Clan—to which the First Hokage would one day belong—and the Uzumaki Clan.
Surrounding them were the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans of the famed Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Inuzuka Clan known for animal coordination, and the bug-controlling Aburame Clan. Beyond that were a few minor families of little consequence.
Though their bonds weren't yet as tightly knit as they would be in the future Konoha era, that was only because the Senju had not yet produced a generation-defining powerhouse like the future First Hokage.
"Even now, thanks to the advantages of their inherited Ōtsutsuki bloodline, the Senju and Uzumaki clans hold significant sway within the Iga group," Satsuki muttered, recalling the intelligence she'd obtained. It further solidified her understanding of the vital role bloodline played in this world.
The other major shinobi faction comparable to Iga was the Kōga Ninja Clan, whose base of operations, according to some intelligence sources, appeared to lie far to the northeast in a place known as the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
The most famous among their shinobi clans was undoubtedly the "Uchiha Clan," often hailed as the strongest.
Uchiha clan members were born with perhaps the most privileged natural talents in the entire world. Nearly all were strikingly attractive, and with systematic training, they could generally awaken their clan's kekkei genkai—the Sharingan—by the age of sixteen.
Once the Sharingan was awakened, Uchiha members, paired with their clan's signature Fire Release techniques and advanced shuriken skills, rarely lost in battle.
Compared to the Uchiha, the other families within the Kōga faction seemed far less impressive.
Some strong clans did exist—the Kaguya Clan with their Shikotsumyaku and the Tachibana Clan known for their physically powerful bodies and Lightning Release taijutsu.
But when an average three-tomoe Sharingan user could already be considered Jonin-level, the overall strength of the other Kōga clans paled in comparison. While they occasionally produced someone who could rival an elite Uchiha, their general power level remained significantly behind.
Thus, the Kōga faction was essentially ruled by the Uchiha.
So far, the two major shinobi factions continued to develop within their respective territories.
While there were occasional frictions and skirmishes during missions, no large-scale wars had broken out between them yet. Through analyzing all this intelligence, the transmigrated Satsuki had roughly deduced the current timeline she was in within the Naruto world.
The inevitable clash between these two clans was only a matter of time. Whether it was the destiny of Asura and Indra, or the battle for the title of true heir to Ninshu (the Ninja Creed), a confrontation was fated.
The deep bond and rivalry between the so-called "God of Shinobi" Hashirama Senju and the legendary Uchiha Madara directly led to the founding of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and shaped the coming century.
...
Halfway through her journey, a sudden cry for help came from the roadside.
"Help me, my lady! Please!"
A boy, covered in blood and clutching a wounded arm, ran from the forest to the road, throwing himself before Satsuki's palanquin in desperation.
At first glance, he appeared to be an ordinary boy with no ability to defend himself.
His exposed skin bore cuts and burns, some fresh and some old. But to Satsuki's eyes, none of the wounds were life-threatening—painful, yes, but carefully placed to avoid fatal spots.
Given this era's poor medical standards and the boy's malnourished state, even these minor injuries might become serious.
Through the palanquin curtain, Satsuki cast a disinterested glance toward the trees.
She'd seen this kind of trick before—a low-level robbery tactic.
A pitiful child plays bait, gauging the target's reaction to assess if they're worth robbing, and then signals hidden accomplices.
A black-armored demon-faced samurai puppet stepped in front of the boy. A strange vibration came from its throat before a deep, mechanical voice rang out: "Civilians, stay back. Intruders will be executed."
Zing~~~
As the words fell, its katana flashed from its sheath. The boy had no time to react.
A wave of chakra-infused blade energy shot toward the direction of the woods, slicing a long gouge into the earth before exploding with a loud boom.
The puppet swiftly sheathed its blade and disappeared from the boy's view.
Stunned, the boy forgot whatever he was going to say, whether or not his plea was genuine.
In this age, a Jonin-level combatant was a rare and powerful force.
Large-scale ninjutsu was rarely seen, so a single sword slash with the destructive power of a B-rank technique looked divine to a boy with no real-world experience.
"Even with altered output forms, there's no significant change in power. It seems true enhancement requires both form and nature transformation."
The blade energy unleashed by the samurai puppet was essentially the same as the energy orbs fired by Toneri Ōtsutsuki's puppets. It could be projected and cause explosions from afar.
In this era, such power was already impressive.
The palanquin continued toward its destination. Whatever the boy's intent had been, witnessing such strength had robbed him of the courage to act further.
Satsuki had seen this kind of situation many times since arriving in this world.
What role did the boy play in the group? Did he have a tragic backstory?
She had no interest in such things. Her Byakugan gave her more than enough insight.
Once she discerned someone's purpose and judged them to have no value as a test subject, she responded accordingly.
Demonstrating strength was essential in this era. Opportunistic raiders needed to know whether a target was worth the risk.
The benefits were clear.
For the rest of the journey to Iga Castle, no further incidents occurred.
As she neared the castle town, Satsuki summoned another puppet—a specially designed diplomat puppet, still masked, but with a more refined appearance.
This puppet had been custom-crafted to be physically indistinguishable from a human.
Though it had been in use for many years, its limited deployment and careful maintenance ensured it remained flawless. It was Satsuki's go-to representative for negotiations with outsiders.
She called it: "Kiyomaru."